Mileage
Boastful Arrogance And Inevitable Demise
I wrote recently how a friend of mine is trying to organize (via email) a ride to the Tail Of The Dragon.
I wrote back in my own self-deprecating way, that I wasn't well suited for riding the "Tail Of The Dragon", and would be more suited for a road called "Tail Of The Shetland Pony."
D wrote back that he wasn't planning to ride aggressively. B joined the chorus, and said he planned to ride conservatively as well.
Both friends are very capable riders -- certainly more experienced and faster than me. Both had nothing to prove. Both could easily ride circles around me.
Then C chimed in ... voicing a dissenting opinion. He called all of us who advocated riding conservatively "A bunch of pussies", and proceeded to tell us how he was going to "tear up the dragon" and "set a speed record."
Now, when I hear a rider boasting about their riding abilities, I am immediately suspect. D and B are both extremely competent riders - the quiet, unassuming types who are confident in their own abilities and don't need to convince anyone else of their riding abilities.
If C really is the rider he says he is, why would C find the need to brag? Why would he find the need to insult the older and wiser of us who plan to show some restraint?
I wanted to tell him cautionary tales - of how the aggressiveness of the ride should decrease the farther you are from home. About how there are plenty of fools who think they can take on the Dragon, and who end up cracking their bikes up along the way. This stuff is fodder (and a source of income) for the folks at www.killboy.com The broken bits of bikes from the likes of him adorn the famous "Tree Of Shame" at Deals Gap.
But once he's called me a "Pussy", there's nothing I can say, short of entering a boasting competition, that will work. Certainly no "voice of reason" apologetics will convince him.
Sigh.
Oh well, if I'm right and his bravado is compensating for certain inadequacies in his, er, riding abilities ... then nothing I say will change his tune. If I'm wrong, and he really is as good as he says, then nothing I say will matter.
If the legendary trip to "Tail Of The Dragon" happens, we'll see what happens.
I wrote back in my own self-deprecating way, that I wasn't well suited for riding the "Tail Of The Dragon", and would be more suited for a road called "Tail Of The Shetland Pony."
D wrote back that he wasn't planning to ride aggressively. B joined the chorus, and said he planned to ride conservatively as well.
Both friends are very capable riders -- certainly more experienced and faster than me. Both had nothing to prove. Both could easily ride circles around me.
Then C chimed in ... voicing a dissenting opinion. He called all of us who advocated riding conservatively "A bunch of pussies", and proceeded to tell us how he was going to "tear up the dragon" and "set a speed record."
Now, when I hear a rider boasting about their riding abilities, I am immediately suspect. D and B are both extremely competent riders - the quiet, unassuming types who are confident in their own abilities and don't need to convince anyone else of their riding abilities.
If C really is the rider he says he is, why would C find the need to brag? Why would he find the need to insult the older and wiser of us who plan to show some restraint?
I wanted to tell him cautionary tales - of how the aggressiveness of the ride should decrease the farther you are from home. About how there are plenty of fools who think they can take on the Dragon, and who end up cracking their bikes up along the way. This stuff is fodder (and a source of income) for the folks at www.killboy.com The broken bits of bikes from the likes of him adorn the famous "Tree Of Shame" at Deals Gap.
But once he's called me a "Pussy", there's nothing I can say, short of entering a boasting competition, that will work. Certainly no "voice of reason" apologetics will convince him.
Sigh.
Oh well, if I'm right and his bravado is compensating for certain inadequacies in his, er, riding abilities ... then nothing I say will change his tune. If I'm wrong, and he really is as good as he says, then nothing I say will matter.
If the legendary trip to "Tail Of The Dragon" happens, we'll see what happens.
Tail of the What?
A friend of mine has been about doing a ride to the Dragon this summer. This trip would take a long weekend, and would hit other great motorcycle roads like the Moonshiner 28 or Cherohala Skyway on Sunday.
Tail Of The Dragon
It sounds intriguing, but with the very little riding I did last year (under 2000 miles) and the generally rusty state of my riding skills, I wrote him back, "If there is any road called the Tail of the Shetland Pony, I think that would be more my speed."
Tail Of The Dragon
It sounds intriguing, but with the very little riding I did last year (under 2000 miles) and the generally rusty state of my riding skills, I wrote him back, "If there is any road called the Tail of the Shetland Pony, I think that would be more my speed."
Modern Safety Feature
Mrs. Rat and I went for a ride yesterday. As I was backing out of the garage, I had the bike in neutral and the motor idling. I tapped the shifter with my left foot and the bike immediately turned off. I had left the kickstand down.
My wife looked puzzled. Could it be she had never made that mistake? Never left the kickstand down and engaged the transmission?!? I explained that I had left the kickstand down and when the bike went into gear, the motor shut off. 'It's a safety feature,' I explained. 'I'm sure your bike has it too.' I restarted my bike and we took off on our ride.
Later, at a has stop, my wife tried an experiment to see whether it worked or not. She announced, 'My kickstand has nothing to do with my motor. I can put the bike in gear with the stand down and it'll keep running. ' i was suprised.
I said, 'Oh really? I thought all modern bikes had that feature. '
She raised an eyebrow and studied my expression. Was I making a snide comment about her bike?
It hadn't crossed my mind. I wasn't saying, 'All modern bikes have this feature . . . If your Harley doesn't have that feature, it must be a relic!'
She could see in my countenance I meant no disrespect.
My wife looked puzzled. Could it be she had never made that mistake? Never left the kickstand down and engaged the transmission?!? I explained that I had left the kickstand down and when the bike went into gear, the motor shut off. 'It's a safety feature,' I explained. 'I'm sure your bike has it too.' I restarted my bike and we took off on our ride.
Later, at a has stop, my wife tried an experiment to see whether it worked or not. She announced, 'My kickstand has nothing to do with my motor. I can put the bike in gear with the stand down and it'll keep running. ' i was suprised.
I said, 'Oh really? I thought all modern bikes had that feature. '
She raised an eyebrow and studied my expression. Was I making a snide comment about her bike?
It hadn't crossed my mind. I wasn't saying, 'All modern bikes have this feature . . . If your Harley doesn't have that feature, it must be a relic!'
She could see in my countenance I meant no disrespect.
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