The Big Test Ride

Well, some of you know that I recently had some new aftermarket suspension components installed. They are made of titanium, which offers the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any metal, is extraordinarily corrosion resistant, and very durable for load-bearing surfaces. I'd describe them to you, but I never got a look at them before they were installed. (Suffice it so say they weren't cheap).

Anyway, I decided to road-test the new parts Wednesday. This was my first ride in...let's see...two-and-a-half months. Not a bad day for late November. Sunny, bright and temperatures stuck in the mid-forties. A few wispy clouds here and there.

I got on the bike gingerly, delicately testing the new parts to see if I could feel any difference. Bounced on the saddle a few times, shifted my weight around, slid back and forth a bit...so far, can't feel a thing. Obviously, the real test will be once I get the bugger fired up and get on the road. Mercifully, the road crew has just completed grading our little lane, so the massive washboarding and rutting is gone for the first time since summer a year ago. In its place we have a nice, smooth, broad and well-packed roadway. Yippee!! VAMOS!!

Despite the long hiatus (and the generous coating of sawdust and cobwebs) the bike came right to life. After a short warm up period, it settled into it's familiar steady grumble. With a little bit of trepidation and a deep breath, I rolled the bike back from the shed, dropped it into gear and let out the clutch. WOO-HOO!!

Boy, I had forgotten how much fun riding is. The last ride before the hiatus was one Mary and I took in mid-September, and for reasons unknown, it was a ride neither of us enjoyed at all. Though it was only 100 miles and less than two hours, it seemed to never end, and was the first ride on Beast that I recall being tedious. But it only took a few seconds to erase all memories of that ride. This is how I remember riding!

Down the dirt road! Up the dirt road! YEE-HA!! On to the pavement! Faster, Pussycat!! WHOOSH!! Highway, here I come!

This is nice. Mountains unfolding in front of me, the road rolling along beneath me. Did you know that I alone, using just this motorcycle, am responsible for the rotation of the earth? I stand still here; the tires are actually spinning the planet beneath me. I choose which way it will go. You may have actually noticed the slight extra spin I gave it, just for fun.

So far so good. I notice nothing from the new components; nothing at all. That's exactly the result I was looking for. In fact, to be honest, I feel a whole lot less than I felt before—which is the desired outcome. The ride is infinitely more comfortable, more relaxing, more about the ride and less about the rider.

So, after this brief test ride—twenty-some miles out, twenty- some miles back, freshen up the tank with boutique petrol (did I mention the stopover at the local distillery and the backpack stuffed with fifteen pounds of malt?) , grab the mail at the postbox, I reluctantly roll back into the shed and slowly, stiff from the cold, dismount. I'd say the new parts passed the test 100%, flying colors et cetera.

(BTW, you won't find these parts in the SNAB; they're strictly aftermarket.)