Road King Blog

Went out for a long ride today, and set out on the superslab for the first time. Short trip on 417 today, which went fine.

Rode up to the waterfront in Sanford, then followed US 17/92 up into Volusia county for a bit before returning back home via 17/92, 419, 434 and Tuskawilla.

Getting close to 500 miles in the saddle, and having fun.

I like being visible. When it comes to riding around some of the folks who drive here in Florida, I want to be visible. To Ray Charles. On a moonless night. At the bottom of a well.

While I was out riding around today, I passed by a safety supply store. I decided to stop in and see what they had that could be used to enhance visibility. And I think I managed to get the job done.

The vest is a light mesh, so it doesn’t block airflow through the mesh armored jacket. It has some handy pockets for things like change for the toll booth.

And it will take an especially unaware cager to fail to see it.

Had a very nice ride this morning, pretty much just rode until I got lost, then pulled out the iPhone to figure out how to get back home. Found myself on a 2 lane stretch of road with a 60mph speed limit, so I got to expand my envelope a little bit.

One day soon, it will be time for the first trip on the super-slab.

Set out this morning for what was planned to be a short trip to a doctor’s appointment and then back home. Well, that was the plan.

When I came back out from the appointment, the forking fork lock would not completely unlock. The key would turn almost all the way to the unlock position, but it was stopping just short of the point where I could remove the key.

A quick call to the dealer indicated that it would be safe to ride, and that I should bring it in and they’d get it right back to the shop and see what was wrong.

The wait at the shop was a bit longer than expected (2 hours and some change), and the end result was that they have to order a new fork lock. So right now, I’m lock-less (the ignition lock still works, though).

Total mileage, give or take, today was 50. At least it was a nice day to ride.

Hit the school lot for some slow cone weave practice. The tennis balls are 12 feet apart.

Had nothing on the morning agenda for the day, so it was time to take a ride. Ended up riding ~43 miles in a little under 2 hours, including some parking lot practice.

It was a beautiful morning, and the traffic was light. Rode around Oveido, Winter Springs and environs.

Added an item to my protective gear today - a pair of Draggin Jeans kevlar-lined riding jeans. I also have the velcro-in knee armor, but I haven’t fitted it yet.

This morning’s donut run finished out my first 250 miles on the bike (in just over 3 weeks).

I still make a point of doing some PLP (parking lot practice) every chance I get.  Unless I am running a specific errand, I start or end every ride doing some weaves and U-Turn practice in a parking lot.

One thing I found yesterday that makes a big, big difference in enjoying the ride - earplugs.  They filter out the sometimes overwhelming wind noise, and still let you hear the other traffic sounds you need to keep track of.

Of course, for a dose of perspective, Sean often puts in 250 miles in a single day - and that’s considered an easy day…..