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Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Personal milestones

It really is not a big deal, not worthy of celebration or a press release.  However I'm happy with myself, so I'm putting on my party hat.

When I first bought my 07 Suzuki Burgman it had a little under 6600 miles on it.  The previous owner had taken 4 years to place that many miles on it.   Yesterday I doubled that figure in just a few months.  That tells me I'm riding the bike nearly every day which was my goal.

On my next day off I'll be doing my second oil change, the first I'll do without assistance.  Considering I'm not mechanical in the least, this is a milestone for me.

I am to a point financially where I can start making improvements to my bike, things like the GIVI windshield and the much talked about but yet to be purchased seat to prevent the deadly numb butt.  My bike needs a little bit of cosmetic work and I've found a few painters that are willing to fix it for me.  The price is yet to be determined but again, it's something I'm willing and needing to do.

I'm still not to a point to where I feel I can handle the interstate's - I do not mind traveling at highway speeds but don't feel comfortable traveling on the interstates yet, but I do feel that I can handle longer rides now.  One hundred or more miles is not as daunting as it once was.  The point is, every mile under the bikes tires makes me a little more confident and secure in my ability.  I'm feeling it's time to stretch out and do more with the bike than just commute.  It's time to go somewhere.

2 comments:

Dar said...

Robert - Woo Hoo!!!! I ride my scoot to work every day and have put just a little over 5000kilometers on it in a year. It is amazing how fast the miles ramp up when you drive every day. I am waiting for warmer weather and then I am putting my Shadow VT500 on the road and am going riding!

Glad you are enjoying your Burgie! I tried sitting on one at the motorcycle show and it was way too big for me, which left me a little disappointed because I always thought that was a direction I could go in eventually. Enjoy!

David Masse said...

Robert Orin O'Neill (Scootin' Old Skool) once commented on my blog that 'seat time' is the key, and Orin is a former racer. It's so true.

Commuting on a bike really racks up the miles and the experience.