I’ve made the statement before that riding provides mental relief. That it causes the rest of the world to simply vanish. In my article titled My Zen Road Trip I wrote: “…there are those moments where time simply stops. There you are; straight line, 75 MPH, beautiful day, and you hit a mental zone where it all becomes almost meditative.”

I think by that statement alone you would be safe in the suggestion that riding provides some level of cathartic relief. On Christmas day however, I experienced just how profoundly cathartic it really can be. In this case it wasn’t a particularly active or overly aggressive ride. Instead, it was a 75 mile (one way) trek on the super-slab to see mom for the holiday.

In my case however, Christmas was not a happy occasion. Owing to a handful of terrible events in my life, I find myself indescribably anxiety-ridden and not in the best of emotional straights. I’m not prepared to share any specific detail about the recent events in my life but suffice it to say that these events have had the emotional impact of a broken-heart to the “enth” degree. The term, “Emotional wreck” would have been a mild form of what I was dealing with in my head and heart. The constant feeling that I was on the verge of tears was beyond agonizing and unbearable. Preparing to leave for moms I was teary-eyed and deeply saddened. Christmas just wasn’t Christmas and I actually considered not going at all, fearing that I’d only serve to bring everyone else down. Depression tends to be contagious that way.

My ride to mom’s and the ride home later the same day proved to have been a greater emotional haven than any number of years in therapy could ever provide. Ten minutes into it I forgot about everything. No anxiety, no heart-ache, no worry, no tears save for those provided by 75 mile per hour wind and not the most suitable glasses. I had experienced a profound emotional cleansing such that on my arrival to moms, I was smiling. Not one of those phony smiles that get put-on when trying to hide bad news. This was a real, warming-the-heart sort of smile. I was in a great mood and I suddenly felt a bit silly at my angst over the preceding days.

Thusly, in addition to the Zen-like meditative nature of riding, add to it the cathartic, emotionally uplifting, mentally cleansing properties and you have a pretty good explanation about why I ride.

General, Raves

Article by Mark Turkel of
RideBellChain.com

Today it was quite warm and humid here in South Florida…it is also the day I decided it’s time to install the Honda Goldwing windshield air vent I purchased last month. Yeah, I have been procrastinating… Anyway, here’s what, how, and why:

I purchased the vent from Saber-Cycle.com – the cost was $29, with $6 for shipping. Not too bad at all!

It came with a template. I used masking tape to tape the template to the inside portion of the windshield, about 3″ up from the fairing in the center, because I was afraid of scratching the dash in my Royal Star Venture. If I do it to my “summer” windshield, I think I’ll lower it an inch, now that I know that I have the right tool for the job.

After taping on the template, I used a permanent marker to carefully transfer the lines to the front of the windshield. I then used a 2″ thick masking tape and covered the majority of the windshield so I wouldn’t scratch anything. Following that, I got an old sheet (while my wife wasn’t looking) and taped it around the front fairing, and then wrapped it around the inside to cover the dash and fuel tank, etc, again using more masking tape to “seal” out the plastic particles from when I cut the windshield. Since they’re going to be statically charged, they’ll stick to EVERYTHING, so this worked out great. After drilling and cutting I was able to get it all cleaned up with my handy shop vac.

The next step was to drill 4 7/16″ holes in the 4 corners, and this was also illustrated in the template, with an “x” in the center. I then used an exacto knife to “drill” a tiny divot in the plexiglass so the drill-bit wouldn’t skip. (I was smart this time!). When you drill out the 4 holes, use a higher speed on the drill, and don’t push hard – let the bit do the work. When you get through, be ready for it to pull the bit towards the windshield quickly since the hole is not yet “perfect”. Reverse the drill to back it out, then re-drill. Do NOT force it, as you will end up with a less than perfect hole, or worse – a crack.

Once the holes were drilled, I chickened out because I thought the handheld scroll saw was too bulky…so I took a ride up to Harbor Freight and bought this cutting tool. It cut through the plexiglass like “butta” and allowed me very precise control. Again, take your time and let the tool do the work, not your muscles. I cut INSIDE my lines, figuring that it’s better to be a bit small rather than too large — I can always take more off, right?

After I got the plexiglass removed, the then used a flat wood file to shave off the “fuzz” from cutting, and smooth out the line – don’t take off too much material, any jagged edges get covered up, so just worry about the fit.

We’re almost done! I needed the help of my lovely wife because the final step requires 4 hands. I replaced the 1/4″ screws supplied with 1/2″, and put a dab of blue (temporary) Loctite on each. The windshield on my bike must be thicker than the Goldwing, and this was a perfect fix. Make sure you clean the windshield well before final assembly (2 screws).

Here’s some pictures of the final product – looks clean and neat, and my test ride showed that it was a good decision, as I now feel the air coming through my helmet’s chin-vent very well!

So for a total of $50, including a tool that I will use again for sure, I added a nice mod to my bike. I can stay cool on warm days, and it also kills the vacuum behind the windshield so my wife and I will get more air. On the cold days (yes, we get some, too), I can simply close the vent.

Next week we’ll go two-up on the highway, and see how the change of airflow affects things for my wife riding behind me. Hopefully less buffeting.

That’s it for this week…don’t forget we have a Holiday SPECIAL running, and you can send a friend a ride bell for $9.99 (shipping included) and you’ll also get a free bell from a “secret Santa” in return! Now THAT is a deal!

General, Product Reviews

Body Skating

My mom tells me that motorcycling is dangerous. And while I’ll agree that it is, it’s not anywhere as dangerous as this. This is a video of body-skating. I don’t know if that’s what it is really called but after you see it, you’ll understand. It may not have anything to do with motorcycling but at least you’ll see a few bikes in the clip.

General, Just plain silly

Harry Hurt

Recently I posted an article that references the 1981 Hurt Study that analyzed 900 on-scene motorcycle accidents in the Los Angeles area. His was a groundbreaking study that gave rise to the use of things like always-on headlights, helmet laws, rider education etc. Well I’m sad to report that Mr. Hurt suffered a fatal heart attack on Sunday November 29, 2009 while at the Pomona Valley Hospital.

For those of you who don’t know. Harry Hurt was considered an expert on motorcycle crash causation and his study, conducted nearly 30 years ago is used today in the development of safety equipment and rider education classes. He will be missed…

Read the LA Times story.

General, News