All In

... borrowing a phrase from America's favorite inactivity, I am "all in" with my FJR. I have committed 100% to it as my primary mode of transportation. For the first time in ten years of riding, the motorcycle is not a second vehicle -- it is the only vehicle. This has caused a significant shift in my own riding psychology.

Poker players take great risks when they go all in. But the potential rewards are equally great. So it is with motorcycling. Every time I put on the gear, shift into first, and roll back on the throttle, I am making a calculated risk against the pot of sheer exuberance that it returns. But also like those gamblers, the risk is not one made lightly or in ignorance. The player scrutinizes his opponents reading the potentially hidden potholes, oil slicks, and oncoming cars in their visage. He takes in the knowns -- the flop, turn, and river of corner radius, velocity, braking, lean angle, and weather conditions. All of these factors are carefully weighed; the potential returns are computed. And then the player commits.

Every decision on every ride is a balance of risk versus reward. And sometimes folding is the better part of valor. Deciding to wait out a rainstorm instead of riding through it. Choosing to pull over and rest instead of pushing on. Holding back in the lane at 65 instead of splitting lanes to gain that small advantage. Only a significant accumulation of seat time can grant that insight. You have to pay to play.

"I'm all in."

First Farkle

There are a few inexpensive goodies that I purchased within weeks of getting my FJR. I had frame sliders installed before I rode off the first time. These ones from Puig stick out a bit farther than others I have seen:

A friend turned me on to Premiere Cycle Accessories and their great selection of FJR farkle. The first thing I ordered from them were a set of side bag retroreflective stickers. These stickers look black under normal light, but when lights shine on them (i.e. headlights), they glow like the sun. A rather nice visibility increase for a measly $20.

I had a clear tank protector installed at the dealer as well. I love the paint job on my FJR, so clear was just the ticket. Most of the time I don't even notice that it is there. But it saves my tank from the rigors of various zippers, belt buckles, and snaps that invariably make contact.

Premiere Cycle Accessories also sells a terrific set of Yamaha decals in reflective silver. I added a Yamaha logo to my fender that adds a bit of style and visibility. I also bought a 'carbon fibre'-look aluminum license plate frame; much nicer than the plastic dealer frame and only $10.

So that wraps up wave one of FJR Farkle. The second wave is already in the mail and will be blogged very soon.

One Hand Steering Fu

I love to read, and collect books in a rather compulsive manner; especially those related to my passions. Motorcycling is no exception to this. I plan on posting details of my complete motorcycling library at some point, but for now I wanted to share an absolutely excellent piece of advice I recently read.

In the book Total Control: High Performance Street Riding Techniques, Lee Parks says: "It is my ardent belief that when cornering, you should use only your inside arm to steer. This includes pushing and pulling when appropriate. I recommend this because it's extremely difficult for both arms to put reverse inputs into opposite ends of the bars in precise unison while simultaneously allowing enough 'give' in the steering for gyroscopic precession to do its thing."

I began testing this on my own a few days ago. What I have found is that by consciously focusing on using the inside arm and relaxing the outside arm, I was able to steer much quicker and tighter than usual. I realized that I had unconsciously been working against myself -- applying opposing pressure with my outside arm as some sort of steadying force. In truth, I was having my arms fight against each other, making steering harder than it needed to be.

Experiment for yourself and see if One Hand Steering Fu can help your technique.

First Blood

I had my first accident today. Because friends and family are no doubt reading this, let me start out by saying that both me and the bike are just fine. No injuries. No damage. It of course happened in the least expected way.

There was a single car ahead of me before entering the intersection as the light turns red. The car pulls out too far and stops, partially blocking the intersection. I am about six feet behind them, and another car is (naturally) right on my bumper. We are all at a complete stop at this point, and I sit up on the bike to rest my hands. The car in front decides that they don't like having the front end of their car sticking out into the intersection, so shifts into reverse and starts backing up.

I immediately start frantically waving my right arm while smashing the horn button over and over, and the lady just keeps backing all the way into my front fender. I am dumbfounded that anyone would do this. So we pull over.

I get off the bike and inspect the whole front end with an electron microscope. Fortunately, the only damage is a 1cm scratch right on the front edge of my fender. Her first words (drumroll please): "I didn't see you." I was stopped, dead center of the lane, sitting up on the bike, wearing a white and red jacket, silver helmet, broad daylight. She didn't see me.

I keep my words to a minimum in order to avoid saying anything unpleasant, and mutter that she can go. As she starts to leave, she turns back around and says: "Well at least my car got more damage than your bike!" (her bumper had a 6cm vertical scratch on it) I don't even know what to say to this. Is she expecting me to be happy?

So remember folks: you aren't just inconspicuous on your bike, you are invisible.

Date Night!

My wife and I were granted a date night sans children yesterday thanks to my Dad. She decided that we should take the FJR, so we donned our protective gear and sped off into the night. There is something magical about a motorcycle as choice of date night vehicle: you can't take kids; it isn't even an option.

Parking at the restaurant (despite it being St. Patrick's Day) was a breeze. I had emptied the side bags so we were both able to store our helmets and gloves on the bike. Like most things with motorcycles, planning ahead is everything. It was a rather warm evening -- ~80F -- and we were glad to be given a larger booth so our jackets would have a place to sit too. I wore my Rev'It Cayenne Pro, and she wore her Vanson Cobra III.

After dinner we decided to hit a local bookstore. Again parking was trivial, but the jackets became a hinderance. We didn't feel comfortable leaving them on the bike, they were too cumbersome to carry, and wearing them in the heated store became stifling in very short order. As I am sure that this issue will only increase in frequency as we approach Summer, I would like to figure out a better solution.

Our final stop of the evening was at a local game store. We both like to play games, and are fortunate to have a local store that reserves half of its floorspace for open gaming tables. It was very relaxing to sit in the store, socialize with the other customers, and play.

The ride home was markedly different from the earlier departure. When we left I rode fairly aggressively -- urging the bike away and into the night. The return trip was relaxed and calm. Motorcycles make terrific date night transport.

Commuting & Chantry Flats

I have been really enjoying commuting the past two weeks on my FJR. There have been a few mornings when I didn't feel like putting on the gear, but as soon as I was on the bike I was instantly happy. I think that those difficult mornings are more about where I'm going (work) as opposed to how I am getting there. On the other hand, I always enjoy getting on the bike to come home.

Traffic has been relatively manageable. I love splitting lanes when traffic is at a complete standstill, but prefer staying in my own lane when the cars start moving. The occasional shower has not been much of an issue. I am not sure how I feel about wind -- I don't yet have a sense for how much of a real affect the wind has versus the psychological reaction to the roar and buffeting. Experience should bear that out.

Weekends are another matter entirely! Nearly all my weekend riding is for the pure joy of it. Destinations become a distant second with riding being its own reward. My Dad recently got his motorcycle license and we've been getting together to ride on Sundays. Short jaunts to help him gain experience on the Mana 850 I've loaned him (great learner bike, by the way).

Today's ride took us into the foothills to the Chantry Flats campground. The road leads up from a nice residential neighborhood and becomes about five miles of scenic mountain road. The sky was grey and brooding, with misty clouds squatting on top of the mountains. Needless to say, it was an absolutely wonderful ride. We parked at the top and enjoyed the views; after a while we pulled the gear back on and headed down the mountain.

Riding is a complete joy. Being able to share it with friends and family is a gift.

Unscheduled Maintenance

When I purchased my FJR, a check of the VIN showed that it did not require the ignition switch recall. Apparently the VIN range was extended because I got a call last week telling me to bring it in. I decided to also have the clutch plates soaked in engine oil as well in order to (hopefully) resolve my rough clutch at start issues. So I rode over to Pasadena Yamaha and placed my bike in the expert hands of Tom.

I had read about others having the recall done, and that it leaves them with two different keys or the option of paying a locksmith to rekey the cylinder. This was my expectation as I arrived to pick up the bike. But Tom did not think that the owner of Yamaha's flagship should have to deal with two keys; he took a metal saw to the security bolts of the original ignition unit, pulled the cylinder, and installed it into the new unit. Now that's service.

I asked about my clutch plates. When the plates were removed, he noted that one of them was darker than the others. He said that functionally it looked fine, but he didn't want to take any chances so he replaced the plate. My FJR's clutch is now smooth as butter.

The finishing touch was that Tom decided to swap out the default oil for 'the good stuff', and while he was there do the complete 600 mile service just to be sure. Total cost to me: $0.

I don't work for Pasadena Yamaha -- but I am damn glad that Tom does.