20 Things I Learned and Re-Learned while Riding Yesterday...

1) Mt Hood is even more beautiful from on top of a motorcycle

2) A Harley Road King is maneuverable - if you've already had 36k+ miles "practice" on a Yamaha Royal Star Tour Deluxe :)

3) When it's hot out, windshields, black armored jackets and jeans suck

4) It's really easy to hit the rev limiter on a Harley Road King...what is redline on that thing - 5K rpm!? :)

5) Riding soothes my soul, calms my mind and makes me happy

6) A Harley Road King is not a Yamaha FJR 1300 - and that's fine

7) The vibration of a Harley Road King at a stop light makes me painfully aware of where my fat lives.

8) Whacking the throttle open on a Harley Road King *really* gets the attention of the guy in the car next to you

9) Kids and pretty girls still wave at me

10) 2 hours on a bike isn't long enough

11) I got comments, waves and thumbs up from people who would ignore me on the Yamaha

12) The floorboards on a Harley Road King are *really* low

13) I can't quick shift a Harley

14) Even if the Harley's owner says the brakes are grabby, don't believe him - test and verify

15) Harley brakes are *nowhere* near as "grabby" as an FJR 1300 :)

16) Ergonomics are *hugely* important on a motorcycle - for comfort, for safety, for fun

17) People still don't see motorcycles - I was almost hit once and had at least 5 other close calls in only 2 hours of riding :(

18) My riding self preservation skills are still intact

19) A helmet left in a box for a year is a little "aromatic"

20) I really want another motorcycle :(

(BACKGROUND FOR THE ABOVE. Don't read if you don't want to hear about some of the sordid details of my personal life)

It's been a while...Far too long...

It's been over a year since I was last on a motorcycle. For those of you who don't follow my personal life (as fascinating as it is), you don't know that a little over a year ago my (now happy she is the ex) wife had a Connecticut State Court order me to give back the Yamaha FJR1300 she gave to me in 2008. She can't ride it (she's too short and she has a BMW F800ST and a Suzuki GS500F) and her boyfriend (now husband) is afraid of motorcycles so he won't ride it - but none of that mattered to her or the judge.

I don't know about your feelings regarding riding but I didn't realize how much I missed it - until I couldn't do it any more. I didn't realize how important riding was to my mental health and well being.

Nothing my ex did - the lies, the adultery, the stealing, the (ongoing/continuing) attempts to ruin me - none of them affected me as much as losing the ability to ride.

So I am incredibly grateful to Scott for letting me ride his bike for a couple of hours yesterday. Scott doesn't really know me from Adam but he's such a nice guy, he trusted me with his ride. THANKS SCOTT!