And it starts !

This past week I got out for a number of short after dinner rides.
Nothing spectacular, but fun.

Easter weekend...some real rides.

Friday...pretty cold but I got in a couple of shorties.
It was like...

It was riding...but hardly optimum

Saturday I left the house just after 9 am and ended up in Kingston around noon.
416'd to 401.

I stopped in the Harley dealer thinking there would be lots of bikes there.

Pretty god-damned lonely.
WTF up with that?
There was no snow that I could see in Kingston...they are well ahead of us Spring-wise.
I would hate to use a certain term to describe a person who lets a day like that go by without riding.. but it needs to be said.

Anyways, I didn't stick around long and headed back via 15 to Smith Falls.

It was looking and feeling real nice there.It was 10 degrees by this time.
I stopped at the park near the locks.
It was great to hear water running again.
And very peaceful.

I was beat when I got home. Happy as hell, though.
The sun was warm, but it is still cold at highway speeds.

Today was kind of overcast and cooler cause of the lack of sun, but I went up to Perth, and did the Calabogie run anyways.
Still a great ride.
I saw a few bikes, but not a ton.

Oh well...these fair weather bikers are the kind that complain about the cost of insurance for a 4-5 month season.
We live in Canada...there are only 2 seasons...winter and bug bite.

One has to ride as much as possible during bug bite. That is just common sense.
An 8 month season makes much more sense.

This week looks shitty early on, but should improve as it goes along.

Just hoping for a ride...

De-winterized and ready to go, but the weather sucks.

So getting back on track here...

The dewinterizing went off with only a few drops ( OK...3 small patches )  of oil left behind.
I actually tried to work clean.

No Hazmat teams were required, and no pelicans or wildlife of any kind required rescue baths of Dawn dish soap.

I am guessing that I am relatively safe from the family shit kicking thing.
or not.
We'll see.

But anyways...

It was nice enough to get a couple of small rides in last weekend...I 416'd it down to Kemptville and back, and did some trips around the 'hood.
Last Sunday it took a good 2 hrs to get the salt and crap off....but it was worth it.


This weekend it is back to cold and snowy.
So once again I am forced to say:

I think it should improve by Easter. ( in today's schools - the day the Easter bunny died on the cross to bring us chocolate )
At least I am hoping so. ( improve...not the Easter bunny thing...)

I have the bike pretty stripped down at the moment.
That way when I can get a little ride in, there are less things to clean salt and sand off of.

 I think it actually looks pretty cool all stripped down.......... too bad it couldn't stay like this.
Fun for in-town riding, but sucks on the highway or in cold weather or if you want to carry anything.
...or if you are only going to ride 4-5000 km per year.
All lessons I learnt in 2009, which was my 1st year back riding in nearly 25 years.

Live and learn.

Going to get my ride ready !

Some warmer weather happening !

I believe I am going to de-winterize my special guy this week, and if on Sunday it is 9 deg. and sunny as forecast... go for a little ride.
Even just bombing around the 'hood with no helmet on and being a bad neighbour would be fun.

De-winterizing is the process that starts with  my wife reminding me of all the precautions necessary to not get oil on the laneway.
She will probably go so far as to fetch me old blankets etc.
I will then do a sketchy, welfare job of spreading them out, or drop the old oil filter or something along those lines.... and voila !
We have new oil stain on the asphalt .

Oh ...at first I will try the "it was there last year" ploy.
And then she, being an untrustworthy sort of person, will go so far as to examine the spot(s) in detail, and without even an impartial jury of my peers...I will be found guilty.
No hope of appeal.
No last meal.
Doomed to that special death row where my fuck up becomes fodder for family shit -kickings at special occasions.
You know what I am talking about...............
Both sides of the family over..things going well,  I am my usual witty and amazing self and "BOOM" !!

I will hear  "If you go outside you better wear shoes...Al has spilled oil everywhere....."
                                  or
"What is the matter with your laneway? It looks like it has skin cancer.."

It goes silent....heads shake...everyone will look suitably appalled....



I will look like the puppy who crapped on the carpet.

but I will be secretly laughing on the inside.. because in my heart I know that everything is secondary to
GETTING READY TO RIDE !!!




Note...The above could possibly be a slight exaggeration of what will go down. The author in no way impugns the good character of the aforementioned wife.
( the fine print )