Now that my first motorcycle has been purchased by my sister-in-law, we no longer refer to her as “Bernice”. She has a new life and that name Bernice means nothing to Barb. So my new bike, BII, is now the only Bernice on two wheels.
I’m not very good at reading maps. Actually, that’s not true. I am good at reading them when I can see more than an iPhone screen’s worth at a time. On Monday I took BII to Port Burwell to follow up on a tip I got about some pretty rare licorice at a General Store there. (Riders will use ANY excuse to go riding!)
Not only could I not find a general store, the only store that seemed to be general in nature didn’t have the candy. No matter, because it was a nice ride on a pleasant day, even if I did meander a little. I headed in (mostly) the right direction.
Before I left, I began the customization of BII. That means adding the little touches I want her to have. And it began with the ritualistic tying on of the plastic pink flamingo, kept from the handlebars of BI!
My leather water bottle holder is the black blob on the right. Water is drunk at stops only! It just saves me from having to dig it out of a saddlebag. I plan to affix a combination digital clock/thermometer too but that will take some time, thought, and zip ties for the sensor.
When I got home, I parked BII under a tree in the back yard instead of putting her away and locking her up. I thought there might be another opportunity to ride later in the day. And then I was reminded that parking under a tree is not a wise thing to do, as illustrated by my new helmet.
The birds fancied up the bike seat with their liquid paper poop too.
I must admit that I’m getting good at dealing with bugs now. Ever since the infestation in the bathroom, I barely bat an eye at spiders anymore. One had set up house in my saddlebag and not only did I scootch it away, I let it live. That’s progress!
BII is still presenting a bit of a challenge. Sometimes I forget how much heavier she is than the previous bike and she threatens to topple. This tends to happen when I’m “walking” her backwards out of a parking spot and she gains more momentum than I ought to allow. I’m still getting used to her turning radius and sometimes I make some rather unusual looking turns; wide, tight, strange. Generally, BII is easier to handle than BI and she feels more balanced. In some ways it’s like starting all over again. And I’m not certain that the pink flamingo works anymore. On BI it looked silly-tacky. On BII it doesn’t seem quite as silly!