Line Of Sight Travels

We've all done it. Gone for a great ride, have a big smile on our face and stop for lunch. We enjoy a good meal with friends at an out of the way pub or restaurant.  Then it's time to finish the ride. Gathering up our gear and walking for the bike we reach for our keys. Not in that pocket... Not in the other pocket... Did I leave them in the bike? Nope. Rushing back into the restaurant to see if they were left on the table. Nope. For some strange reason you find them in a different pocket or maybe you accidentally dropped them beside the bike. The day is saved but tarnished by momentary panic. This scenario is one I hate. Even if you check a pocket and the keys are there you keep checking, replacing one anxiety for another. The solution i use is simple and cheap.  Almost every zipper pull has a hole in the tab. Insert a small carabiner through that hole, not too small, remember you wear gloves, and you have a place to hang your keys. It's easy to reach and the keys won'...

Before you start a group ride you should have a plan, not just a destination. Many of the people who will respond to a call to join a group ride will be newer to group riding. In fact, they may be new to riding. The first mistake that the organizer can make is to not factor in the lowest level of rider. New riders likely don't do any pre-ride checks and probably haven't even looked at a video on how to fix a flat. As the organizer you will be looked at as the expert. You can mitigate this by being aware of the state of each bike and making sure your cellphone is charged. So, you've done your pre-planning and are prepared to organize the ride itself. You need a route with stops. I recommend 20 - 30 minute legs for newer riders. If you are going to do a longer leg, try to make it the first leg. That way you talk to the group and gauge the pace and length of legs. There are two parts to any ride; the ride itself and the destination. Try to make each sto...

Looking for like minded people to ride with I joined a local Facebook group riding club. Shortly after Covid-19 hit and drove everyone and all group organized rides to a halt.  Not long after getting my bike, someone posted they wanted to go for a ride, would anyone like to join. I thought why not then messaged and went to the meeting spot. The ride organizer showed up and we talked for a bit while respecting distance durning the Covid restrictions. No one else showed up so off we rode. I grew up in this area and thought I had a good handle on the roads but some of backroads into small communities off the highway were a blast. We got to talking and realised that with the local riding club halting all activity there might be a void to fill. Not only that, one of the more popular routes that takes about 5-5.5 hours, people where trying to do it in 4 hours. Here's a novel concept, what about posting we will take a group but at no more than 10 guest riders and no more than ...

I'm calling this the beginning simply because this is the first post. It has to start somewhere. In fact, the beginning was a long time ago.  I stopped riding motorcycles over 20 years ago to raise a family. Now that the family is older, I'm a returning rider. My days had turned into, work, home, sleep, repeat but I felt the calling of two wheels again. To get back on a motocycle I followed a long but detailed plan.  1) Raise the cash  2) Start researching what bike I was interested in  3) Take some novice courses to rebuild confidence Raising the cash was pretty simple. My wife was all for it. During this time i have to say that i felt more animated again and my wife even commented on it. I was starting to feel alive again. The research was complicated. First i had to decide what i wanted to do with it. If just riding around town then a 250cc would do. If just on pavement, them maybe a cruiser. After focusing on Adventure bikes, i was worried I'd never f...