...That life is what happens when you're making other plans? That pretty much describes the past few years. To be fair, I got so busy that I actually forgot i'd even started this blog. Anyone still reading this would probably be wondering what exactly happened after the last post I made, and i'll do my best to fill in the gaps.
Throughout 2020, I slowly put the bike back together---I had that first ride mid March, and was taking longer jaunts into the countryside by April.
I ended up putting in a number of upgrades, including a Diamond Custom seat, new head unit with Bluetooth, had the crash bars powdercoated, and so many more tweaks. I replaced the tires with new Michelins, because the tires that were on the bike were ancient. I included some interesting mods such as a 1 gallon insulated water bottle mount, Avon grips, mini floorboard pedals, and others. The rides continued as I built up my skills and confidence on such a big machine. Fiona was beginning to look pretty polished for her age... And handled well too!
By October I would take my first long-distance trip, a long weekend riding over 500 miles to north Georgia, staying over to visit the 'Wheels Through Time' motorcycle museum in Maggie Valley North Carolina, then another stay before riding 500+ miles home. One of the things I learned was that due to Covid, lunch stops would have to be modified---almost no-one was opening their dining rooms for food, most were ONLY using drive-through. Something that can definitely be done on a big bike like mine, but still presented numerous logistical issues. This would hold true for the foreseeable future.
The bike performed well, and I got my first taste of cold-weather riding as the temps dropped into the 40's. I did run into an issue with the tires---I discovered that I had a slow leak around the bead, due to corrosion on the sealing surfaces. I came out the morning I was due to ride home to find only 9 psi in my rear tire. I couldn't figure out how the onboard compressor worked (and frankly wasn't sure it even did, since it hadn't been tested)... I ended up limping my bike over back roads to a walmart 1-1/2 mile away to buy a 12v compressor. getting the thing to run without blowing the accessory fuse turned out to be another problem, but I eventually conquered both issues and made my way back home. I discovered a number of things on that trip---namely, how important stretching and breaks were, and what my weak points were on long distance rides. All great experience that only helped in later sessions. The months went by, and I kept honing skills and learning. I started prepping for the trip, now scheduled for 4 weeks beginning in May 2021.
Eventually that day came, but that's another blog entry. Promise this one won't be another 5 years....
