Earplugs. A small but important accessory.

Earplugs are often overlooked riding accessory. I’ve been slowing acquiring more and more gear since I got back in the saddle. I never really gave it any thought. Road noise was acceptable and even enjoyable as long as I wasn’t at highway speed. And I was thinking about bigger things like pants and gloves.

We had finished lunch during a road trip and my buddy Terry announced that he had extra earplugs if anyone wanted. That sounded pretty nice after riding 60 miles on the highway to get to where we were. So I took him up on the offer. And I’m glad I did! The ride home was much more comfortable. How can I go so long without using these.

These were a disposable foam type of earplug. Meant for single or a few uses. My new favorite accessory didn’t last very long. I just needed to order some more! No big deal right? Well you may be surprised to know that there are many different types and brands out there. Suddenly you find yourself sorting through various Noise Reduction Ratings, different shapes or styles, and varying materials.

This shouldn’t be that complicated.

Earplug Superstore offered a cool trial package. 1 pair of the 58 different foam earplugs they carried for $14.95. So I ordered that and I’m just noting which ones I like more.

After trying these out for a month. Here’s what I find…

They can feel a little strange when you first put them in. You typically roll the plug so it compresses into a cylinder. You then insert it into your ear canal. They are supposed to go all the way in. As the plug settles and expands, you’ll get a nice seal and things get quiet. That part feels weird but is sorta cool. After a while you’d be surprised how you adjust them and can still hear important sounds like other cars, voices, etc. When you take them out be careful! Don’t just yank them out. That seal is right up against your eardrum. The return to full volume is abrupt enough as it is.

There are also earplugs that have speakers in them. I might try those for voice communication but I’m not comfortable with music or audio books piping through them. I see riders do this and it’s just too distracting.

What is a motorcycle? Legally speaking.

2101.19 Motorcycle.

“Motorcycle” means every motor vehicle other than a tractor, having a saddle for the use of the operator and designed to travel on not more than three (3) wheels in contact with the ground, including, but not limited to motor vehicles known as “motor-driven cycles,” “motor scooter,” or “motorcycle” without regard to weight or brake horsepower. (ORC 4511.01(C)) (Ord. 599-78: Ord. 2120-03 § 1 (part).)

GPS mishap leads to lunch adventure

It’s a beautiful day today. I get an email invite from a co-worker to go for a lunch ride over to Woody’s BBQ. Woody’s is located in an out of the way place between Columbus and Marysville. It’s rumored to be good, but not popular since its exactly close. Of course i say, “Yes”, right away and get all excited to be out of the office and on the road.

Four of us get out to our bikes and prepare to leave. Someone asks, “Who knows how to get there?” No one knows. I’m the only one of us that had a GPS unit so I quickly type in Woody’s and pick the one that looks to be right where we expect. I’d lead the ride and follow the navigation instructions. What could go wrong?

The computer has us going on some great country roads. It’s a very thoughtful device. We enjoyed passing by farms and poking through a few small towns. Very scenic and pleasant. At each stop I can sense that everyone is wondering that we should have been there by now. This was only supposed to be a 12 mile trip to get there. We pass through Plain City. Then Unionville Center. Then a little further to Milford Center. Ding! Woody’s is right around the corner. Soon we’ll be feasting on pulled pork and bbq ribs. We turn the corner to find that Woody’s is a automotive service garage. Uh oh. This is how it’s possible to get lost with GPS computer. No pulled pork in sight.

We see a building with an open for lunch sign. It was a tavern called Yummy’s Bar & Grill. We joked about the name and nervously walked in to the dark and windowless little dive. It was comforting to find one other table of customers in the place. They ended up serving a pretty nice burger. We’d have never planned to be here, and that’s part of the magic of getting lost and improvising. The server asked us where we were from and how we got there. We shared some good laughs and went back the same path that took us there. Riding 45 miles total.

The Yummy’s would be a good name for our little posse.

The First Adventure Ride

I went on my first adventure ride this past Saturday.

What exactly does that mean? Generally, an adventure ride starts when you leave tarmac and enter the unpaved realm. It involves dirt or gravel or water or other natural element. You do this on a motorcycle. Dual sport bikes are purpose built for this kind of ride. They are for going both on-road and off-road.

I participated in a planned charity ride starting at Kaeppner’s Woods. We were supporting the Meals on Wheels organization.

I went with Joey and his father, Bill, who are both very experienced riders. They have so much knowledge about riding that I just try to soak in as much as I can from them. We had a nice ride from Columbus to Logan. We stopped for breakfast and I really couldn’t hide my excitement to actually go down one of those little roads to nowhere that you sometimes see.

Once we got there, Bill showed me how to cut and setup my trip-roll. This is sort of like those TripTik flipbooks that AAA gives you to maps out your travel but in a form easy to manage while on a motorcycle. Bill keeps all of these and hangs them from a wall in his garage. From what I saw there must be hundreds of them.

Off we go. 120 miles of dirt and gravel.

The first time entering gravel was an eye opener. That firm, planted feeling that you have on pavement goes away and you feel the bike start to pull and skate. It made me uneasy. My experience on the street didn’t seem to help any. I was tensing up and getting real nervous in the turns. I now have to learn how to ride all over again.

In my excitement to go out there and have fun I invited 2 more people to join our group, 6 in total would do the ride together. They were really nice people, but everyone had more experience, and I felt like I was just holding everyone up at times. That was a bad move on my part. I did my best to keep up with everyone.

I really enjoyed the scenery. Most of my thought was in concentration of just navigating the paths. I would have liked to have seen more and stop to take pictures. I saw so much that was beautiful. Next time I won’t worry so much about holding up the group because I’d love to have pictures to remember by.

As the day went on I got better and better. After lunch I had some of my confidence back as was actually keeping up with the rest of the pack. I had a moment of panic where I truly thought I would be laying the bike down. I was on a steep decent and hit a muddy rut or something. I hit my brakes hard trying to slow enough to make the sharp turn at the end. I felt totally out of control but just held on to the bike and rode it out. Everything worked out though. They guys were waiting for me at the next turn point and all looking at me as though I muddied my pants. It made me feel as though I had just made it through a real challenge.

I rode home discovering two things about myself. The first being that I really enjoyed the experience of riding on challenging ground, I’ll be doing more adventure rides. The second, is that in this environment I like to take it slow, smell the roses, and enjoy my surroundings. I wont be in a rush next time.

Memorial Day ride through Hocking Hills

I’ve been lazy about posting. I have no excuses for it other then I’ve been out putting miles on the new bike!

May 26, 2008 – Memorial Day ride near Logan, Ohio (200 miles)

View a GPS track map of our ride

This Memorial Day I went on a trip to Logan, Ohio to visit the wonderful Hocking Hills area. There were 7 of us who head out there. A 50% chance of rain loomed in the back of my mind. It later proved to be a dry and beautiful day. The lead rider for the day explained where he intended on taking us. The highlight of the trip would be a road called Big Pine. A curvy stretch of wooded road with plenty of elevation changes.

We left Columbus heading Southeast on rt 33. I kind of like hanging in the back of the pack and keeping an eye on everything. About an hour into the trip, Andy’s cell phone slipped out of his jacket and I saw it fly back and to the side of the road. If it hadn’t flipped open I probably wouldn’t have recognized the object at all! It made for a nice break and funny conversation.

Once arriving at Logan, we headed south on rt 668 at shortly arrived at the Big Pine Road (rt 11) and we took off. Tree canopy covered most of the road which would open into large open areas of fields with light residential. There are continual twists and turns including some very technical tighter turns with elevation drops. No room for slacking. There are also some pretty steep whoopsies that get your tires off the ground if feel so adventurous to try. We turned around once we reached rt 56 and did it all again.

This the best road to ride on in Ohio that I’ve experienced.

Afterwards we made a nice long loop south on rt 93 to rt 56 and north back up rt 668. Stopped for lunch only to be disappointed by holiday closures. And then traveled back to Columbus. I clocked in another 200 miles on this trip.

First Day Trip

April 29, 2008 – One day trip to Marietta, Ohio (230 miles)

View a map of the ride

At my workplace, a group of riders has recently formed up and organized. Our first destination was Marietta, Ohio. Marietta is located in Southeast Ohio along the Ohio River. From Columbus, there are some great roads takign you there that are full of curves and hills.

Our rally point was the Flying J out in Kirkersville which is a little ways East of the Columbus area. When we arrived, firetrucks were there and the place was evacuated. It was kind of cool until we realized this meant that there would be no breakfast. We filled up and hit the road at 9:15 AM. It was brisk morning and in the high 50s. The weather got better by the hour for the entire day.

Not only was this the first ride for us as a group. It was also my first long ride on my new bike. I was very excited.

The first small town we passed through was Baltimore. We stopped and picked up some snacks to hold us over until lunch. This will sound strange but I was very much in awe over the first sights of farmland and sweeping fields. I’ve been living in the city for a long enough time to cause that.

The miles started piling on. Hills and Curves came and went. It was fantastic. We started passing through town after town. They main streets were lively. People always waved as we rode by. When we entered Somerset, the town center was filled with people that had just started a large BBQ. It smelled incredible. I wondered if any of them watched us ride by and wished that they were out riding. I think any of us would have traded places for at least a little while!

We reached McConnelsville and continued on RT 60. It was very peaceful out here. I wondered what it was like to live so far away from a metropolitan area. What do people do out here? It seems like a place were things don’t change very much. In the middle of nowhere we saw a sign for a development called Beverly Hills maybe this is a up and coming area. We all had a good laugh about it at the next rest break. My bike and I were getting along just fine.

We entered Marietta around noon and found a very nice town. Multi storied buildings lined the main streets. It had an Americana feel about it. U.S. and Ohio flags lined the streets. We found our destination spot. The Marietta Brewing Company on Front St.

We took RT 33 back home to Columbus. This is a really popular stretch of road for leisure driving. It’s very scenic and runs through a national park. After People branched off and went separate ways. I missed my friends as they rode off. I guess I prefer to be riding in a pack then to be alone.

I got home around 4PM. I was exhausted.

Motorcycle Examination Results

I passed the skills test and now have the MC Novice endorsement on my drivers license! What a relief to have that behind me.

Having the endorsement means that the restrictions that apply while operating with the temporary permit no longer apply. I can now legally ride with passenger, commonly referred to as a pillion rider. I can also ride at night and on interstate roads. The MC Novice now on my license indicates that I have the endorsement and am within the first year of having it. This requires me and my passengers to wear a helmet. In the State of Ohio, you can choose to not wear a helmet. After one years time, the MC Novice endorsement drops and gets replaced with just MC. Then I could choose to not wear a helmet, which I will not choose to do.

I was nervous heading out to Hilliard for the test. The weather was cold and rain seemed like it was just around the corner. The bike I used for the test doesn’t have a windshield. So I got a nice 35 mph cold breeze slamming into my chest. I was wearing my gear so it was alright.

The test consisted of 4 runs in a closed course. These are described fairly well at the Motorcycle Ohio website. I was particularly spooked by the staggered-weave test where you have to slowly slalom through offset cones but I made it through flawlessly! I had a few point reductions on the quick stop run, I’m not sure if I stopped too quickly or waited too long. By this point I knew I would pass so I didn’t really care!

Upcoming Motorcycle Exam

I have a scheduled Motorcycle Exam on Tuesday, April 29th. This will be a riding test on a closed course. It is the last test to complete before I get the permanent endorsement on my license.

A friend has loaned me a very special little bike to use while taking this test. I’ll introduce it in a separate post.

Electronic Immobilizer Lock. Uh oh!

There’s trouble in paradise.

Between miles 125 and 150 a problem has developed with the bikes anti-theft system. When I put the key into the bike to start. The engine immobilizer turns on and will not allow the bike to start. So I’m sitting on a perfectly good bike that won’t go anywhere because the computer has gone a little wonky. Not very fun!

The warning lamp comes on and the message “EWS!” shows up on the screen. EWS stands for Elektronische Wegfahr Sperre which is German for Electronic Immobilizer Lock.

Some BMW Motorcycles have electronic anti-theft systems built in prevent your typical hotwire situation. The key is a physical key that contains a microchip. When you insert the key into the ignition, The physical key unlocks the forks and turns on the electronics. What also happens is a round antenna in the locking mechanism activates and reads the security codes off of the microchip in the key. Once those codes are read properly, the computer will allow the engine to run. Otherwise, your sitting on dead metal.

That antenna isn’t reading my key it seems. If I take the key out and retry for a while, it sometimes will read properly and allow the bike to start. I’ll be taking the bike in to Motohio this evening hopefully under its own power. Otherwise, the fine people at BMW Roadside Assist will be giving me a lift.

The First 100 Miles

I’ve been riding every chance I get. The weather has been been nice and getting warmer. I’ve commuted to work a few times already. It’s a very nice ride, under 20 miles and a good portion of it is along the Scioto river. The bikes computer says the miles per gallon for the commute was 48 mpg. Wow! I’m used to my V8 powered car drinking fuel at rates of under 20 mpg. This is a nice perk to riding a motorcycle.

Cold weather has not been able to stop me. I’ve also been riding during slight rain. I didn’t care much about getting wet but I do know now that I need a rain suit if I want to continue riding in the wet weather!

The 1200 GSA is interesting. I’m taking it easy on the throttle as it’s still in the break in period so I’m not really winding up the rpms. The bike has a lot of torque right from the start. It does feel a little pokey in terms of high speed compared to my old sportbike, but thats completely fine with me. We’ll see how it runs after the break in period is done. The stance is really comfortbale for me. I can sit completely upright while operating the bike. I like this alot. It’s also very tall. The seat height is almost 36 inches. I can see right inside of SUVs and trucks which is kind of strange to be able to do so. The nice part about this is that I become really hard to miss out there on the road. High visibility on a motorcycle is a good thing for improved safety.

It’s been hard to put the miles on. I have to leave the city if I want to really test the odometer functions! That chance is coming up soon. A ride to Marietta Brewing Company is planned for this Sunday. This will be a 210 mile round trip. Some of my riding friends from work are helping me to learn and get experience. I will surely write more about this later.

I’m still waiting for the side panniers and luggage to arrive at the dealership. The luggage is on backorder.