My 2019 riding season is over

Woodswoman

Member
We had about 3/4 inch of snow here in the Catskills on Thursday night, and the DOT salted the highways. This means my 2019 riding season is officially over.

It was a good one. I didn't get any phenomenal number of miles down the road -- maybe 2,200? -- but I enjoyed them all.

After 6 years, I'm still in love with my CTX700. No bike has ever made me happier; the combination of features and great road manners just fits me down to the ground.

This riding year also included Mike's big, step-off-the-cliff move to 3 wheels. As some of you may recall from my earlier postings, Mike did a lot of soul-searching and admitted he was no longer fully confident riding motorcycles. Even trying a different and lighter machine did not help, and he almost gave up the hobby altogether. But he decided to trade both of his bikes (a Kawasaki Vulcan Vaquero and a CTX1300) on a 2016 CanAm Spyder F3 ... and it was absolutely the right move for him.

We just got his Spyder back -- thankfully before it snowed -- from the dealer where it got its 3,000-mile service. Mike put on 2,000 of those miles, and he feels he finally has the hang of it.

He ruefully admits the Spyder -- nicknamed Fred the Sled -- ain't a motorcycle, but also says he can hardly wait for Spring, so he can get back to riding it. There's no doubt that the F3 saved Mike's riding career. He hasn't been this happy to ride in several years.

Here's a glam-shot I took in July of my Flicker, Mike, and Fred the Sled, along Lake George.

 
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Well, I’m coming to the end of another riding season in Rochester. My day trips, farm market runs, and grocery errands totaled a little over a thousand miles. My bike is one of my modes of relaxation in retirement…no commuting, touring, etc. I put the Silver Bullet in storage at my dealer this week, at a controlled 60 degrees with charge monitoring and fuel stabilization. The service tech promised the Silver Bullet would get plenty of TLC. I’ll pick it up next Spring, inspected, maintenance done, and ready to ride.

Some thoughts as age continues to creep up: I’ve got the bike tuned perfectly to my riding style and I enjoy 50 mile rides routinely. And I don’t speed, but when the stoplight turns green, no one beats me to the next intersection if I don’t want them to. Love the low-end torque of this bike and the DCT. At 78, I’m well aware that eventually I’ll have to stop riding, and inattentive cagers continue to worry me. At best, I’m looking at a right knee replacement, and my team of fantastic doctors is monitoring other medical issues. So I cherish every “granny” ride, and hope for another year or two.

I did get to take a ride on the Can Am Ryker to see if that might be an option later. Conclusion – not for me. We have potholes and man-hole covers dotting most of our roads. On two wheels you can dodge them; on four wheels you can usually straddle them; on three wheels you hit them all. It also felt like I needed a seat belt when I went on curvy roads. Not like the lean of the motorcycle. So, when I finish my riding career, I’ll roll down the windows and open the sun roof of my suv. The CTX will be my last motorcycle.

Being a snow bird, we'll be heading for our winter home on Hilton Head Island, SC on Dec. 1. Lots of e-bicycle riding down there on the bike paths, not the roads. No dodging cagers there. If all goes well, and the Good Lord is willing, we’ll return to Rochester on April 1, pick up the CTX, and start the 2020 riding season. I don’t have many mods planned for next year….maybe some rear lighting additions.
 

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