Wind Tunnel

Here's what I'm talkin' about!

Xerox ad shows the aerodynamics of a Ducati racing bike.




On YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6reT9Ux_gI

When is the Season Over?

The other day, a client asked when I'd put my bike away for the season. "Depends on the weather," I said.

Though I have been enjoying the fall this year, I'm not a winter lover, and cool damp doesn't turn me on. So when is it over for the year?

I wanted to ride my motorcycle to work today. Although it was only 46 when I woke up, the high temperature was predicted at 70, which sounded great to me.

But I thought about it: That high will come while I'm still at my desk. By the time I leave work, it'll be dropping and the sun will be on its way down. Sunset came before I was home yesterday, and tonight I have a meeting that'll keep me till after 9, when the temperature will be probably in the 50s.

So will I enjoy this autumn ride? Probably not much.

How do you decide when it's time to put away the ride? 

Ride the Wild Wind

 Last Friday the weather called for a chance of rain and high winds up to 40 mph. I remembered a time when I was a child and the wind was at 60 p.m. -- I stood with my back to it and felt that I could lean into it as though I were lying on a mattress.

Based on that, I figured 40 would be doable. So I rode my bike to work.

I recalled riding for the first time on the expressway and how my bike was being tossed back and forth in an uncomfortable way. After that trip, I did some research about handling wind on a motorcycle, and one bit of advice was to just know that you will get knocked around some, accept it and relax.

This would be a good opportunity for practice, I thought; learn how to ride in the wind without freaking out about it.

And it was fun, actually. Fun and challenging.

I sat forward in my saddle and tried leaning deeper behind my windshield to cut down the "sail" factor. I felt a little like a sports bike rider in that position, but was only guessing how much help it was. I'd love to take my bike into a wind tunnel and test the aerodynamics to see how the wind really flows around my bike.

Driving in rain, I've noticed raindrops flying off my face shield and forward, toward the inside of my windshield. So the wind must be flying up over the windshield and circling back. I've been talking about cutting the shield down an inch or two, because unless I sit up very straight, I'm looking through it. That's not how I've been told it should be.

David L. Hough, in his book
"Proficient Motorcycling" talks
about a too-large windshield
acting like a sail that blocks the
wind rather than directing it over
the rider. Also, because my bike
is a cruiser style, where I sit back
from the handlebars, I wonder
if I'm a windblock, too.

How much resistance does an upright
position make in the wind ...

... compared to forward riding position?

Most times, this isn't really a problem, but with the wind blowing strong, I wanted to increase my aerodynamics. It sharpened my concentration, and I found myself driving faster because the gyroscopic force of my wheels seemed to keep me controlled. It was when I slowed for a traffic light that I really felt the wind.

My main route to work curves a lot, so I was head-on some of the time and sideways to a crosswind some of the time. My spoke wheels help, giving little resistance to sideways forces. But I had to keep adjusting my lean and press.

During the day, the temperature dropped and the wind picked up even stronger. I wasn't sure if it was that much worse, or if being tired at the end of a nine-hour workday made the difference. But by the time I got to my dinner date, I just wanted to get home.

I recently read about a much worse wind riding experience in the book "Lois on the Loose." It's Englishwoman Lois Pryce's adventure memoir about a motorcycle trip from Alaska to Ushuaia, Argenina -- nearly 20,000 miles from northernmost North America to the tip of South America. Somewhere in the mountainous Pacific coast near the end of her trip, Lois was knocked down and her bike was pushed over as she tried to fill her tank with gasoline from a jerry can, spilling the fuel she'd had to pack because there were no fuel stations for many miles.

At that point, for me, the adventure wouldn't be much fun anymore. Instead, I could see myself sitting down and crying. A lot.

Stills from "The Wizard of Oz," 1939
MGM/Warner/Turner

Cafe Racer - Ypsi

We recently took a trip to the Cafe Racer Ypsi shop in Ypsilanti's Depot Town. Not sure how I first found it, but I ran across it on the web and found it very interesting.

 

 

It's a local business that pays homage to the bikes and lifestyles of the café racers of the 1950s and '60s -- British rockers who would put a coin in the jukebox and race to the next cafe and back before their song ended. Although this stuff is all relatively new to me, the culture of the café racer lives on stronger than ever through the legend and lure of nostalgia. There are modern clubs devoted to the small, fast bikes and even a current magazine dedicated to the lifestyle and history of such bikes as the Norton, Vincent and Triumph.

Although it advertises a coffee shop, and Cafe Racer has the feel of a real café, plain local coffee is all you get here -- no fancy espresso drinks. Basically, it's a friendly service shop with a comfy waiting room and colorful, artistic biker amenities.

Owned by John Craddock and Leah Halbert, the shop specializes in British and Japanese bikes. The couple do custom fabricating, paint and maintenance work at $80 an hour -- everything from a tune up to full restoration.

While you're there, you can ogle cool old bikes, buy some engine oil or a T-shirt, or just sit on a comfy couch and leaf through books and mags about vintage scooters while watching a cult biker film on their HD TV.

 

During winter, they hosted special movie nights, and in June they sponsored the Ton-Up Festival with beer, babes, bands and bikes. Ton-Up Inc., the group that organized it, is a nonprofit affiliation of Michigan bikers that supports local charities. It takes its name from the term "ton-up," referring to traveling faster than 100 mph.

Halbert said she and Craddock were both into bikes, and she was experienced running businesses before they began their venture. Craddock had previously worked in finish carpentry and heavy machinery, and he's a master mechanic, she said, but he was unemployed when they decided to open the shop. "He came up with the idea," Halbert said. "John was looking for something to do because he was out of work. ... He's been in the industry, and known a lot of places that never quite meet your expectations." They opened Cafe Racer in August 2009.

They're celebrating their first year next weekend with an annual party/open house from noon to 6 p.m. Oct. 2. "We'll have music, barbecue and just to hang out," Halbert said. From what I've seen, it promises to be a fun event.


Cafe Racer is at 10 E. Cross Street in Ypsilanti, 734-879-1201. Hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, closed Sunday and Monday.

'American Bikers' on Exhibit

Kaiser's Wedding, 1968, Flash Productions,
Beverly V. Roberts.

A special exhibit of the “Flash Collection” photography by Jim “Flash” Miteff, presented by his daughter, Beverly V. Roberts, is at the Book Beat Gallery, 26010 Greenfield in Oak Park, through Nov. 2.

The “Portraits of American Bikers: Inside Looking Out” book and photo exhibit feature historical pictures of the Detroit branch of the Outlaw bikers taken in the mid-1960s by Miteff while he was a member of the Detroit Chapter of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club during the 1960s.

This is the second in a series of biker portrait books recently published by Miteff’s daughter. The photographs provide a previously unknown insider’s look into the everyday lives of Midwest biker gangs of the late ’50s to the late ’60s.

Beverly, who was raised on a motorcycle, sought the identities of everyone living or dead in each photo and was granted access to the closed world of the Outlaws, who sanctioned this work and see it as a true record of their history.

Autographed books, posters and photographs are available for sale through the Book Beat gallery. Call 248-068-1190 for more information.

To read a complete review of the exhibit, click here.

Detroit 1967 (c) Flash Productions,
Beverly V. Roberts

Ma's Roadhouse

I made a note to myself to watch this new show, but forgot all about it when it premiered last week.

Dang.

OK, anyway, "Ma's Roadhouse" on TruTV is a new "reality" show (I prefer the term "unscripted") about Strokers Dallas, a motorcycle service shop/tattoo parlor/biker bar in Texas and the family dynamics between the outspoken 71-year-old Ma, who runs it, and her son, Rick Fairless, who owns it.

Who could resist such a setup for a comedy? It reminds me a bit of "Pawn Stars," with the goofy things people do and say at the shop and the banter between people who love each other but just have a little trouble getting along sometimes.

It's always funny to watch a big, bad man fighting with his feisty old mom, right? But here we have bikes and bikini contests to keep things even more interesting. From what I've seen, it also has aspects of an adult house party -- using the word "adult" loosely, meaning sexual, not mature.

And then there's Ma's crush on employee Frank, whose butt she can't resist: "I pinched it a few times ... it's very tight." She likes his heart, too. "Frank would hold your hair while you throw up in the bushes."

The first two episodes aired last week, and you can catch the highlights if you want, on TruTV's website or on YouTube.

"Ma's Roadhouse" is at 9 p.m. (EST) Wednesdays.

You will be amused.

Rick Fairless is the owner of Strokers Dallas, a Texas
motorcycle shop, tattoo parlor and biker bar.
His greatest asset is his 71-year-old mother, who's also
his best, but most outspoken, employee. Can Rick keep
his business afloat? And can Ma keep her hands off the bartender?

Autumn Leather *(at Bargain Prices)

It might've been an answer to my prayers. ... Or, maybe not.

After writing about seeking leather jeans, I went out looking for some. There was a pair of Yamaha Star leathers in stock at Motor City Power Sports in Pontiac, but they had nylon and Spandex panels on the sides that I thought might let rain in. Not what I had in mind; although they were on sale cheap -- regularly $200, now $120.

So I made a few calls to other local motorcycle outfitters, with even less luck. And on my way home I stopped at American Road Shop again just to try on the larger size Barbara had on hand to see if I could make them work. Nope. Never mind.

I figured I'll wait for the ones Barbara ordered in my size. I forget the brand name, but they cost $130.

Later, I was inspired to go to the Salvation Army and drop off some of my old clothes, and figured I'd look for some work pants while I was there. Then it hit me there might actually be leathers there. Cheap.

Not quite motorcycle leathers, yet I managed to find a pair in brown and a pair in black that fit me. I'm sure they're not as protective as a thicker, sturdier pair designed for riding, but I spent only $15 for BOTH of them.

Such a deal!

I often remind myself that a bargain isn't a bargain if the merch doesn't serve its purpose. Was it a foolish choice? Time will tell. I plan to try them out today.

The brown pants have no pockets, but the fit
is loose for free movement -- maybe
even longies underneath on cold days.

The black ones have four pockets and
a bit of a snug fit, but they look hot, don't they?

Autumn in Leather

Feels like the fall fell fast this year.

One day it's 90 degrees, then suddenly it's 60. This is a shock to the system -- 60 feels so much colder in autumn than in spring, when we're used to 30 degrees.

If I see fog on my car's windshield in the morning I'm less inclined to take out my motorcycle. But by afternoon, when the sun is high and the mercury is creeping toward the 70s, I'm wishing I had that bike.

This week I took vacation time from work, but didn't plan much of anything. Putting a damper on things, I developed a sinus infection over the weekend. That always seems to happen any time the weather changes, as I'm prone to allergic rhinitis. My Ironman says it happens to him when he rides in cold air. So I've been hanging around in the morning and making myself go out midday.

Like exercising, I'm slow to get started but so glad I did it once I get out there. The afternoon yesterday was absolutely glorious. Lots of sun, the wind crisp but not yet cold. Got me wishing for a pair of leather pants to ride in. I have chaps, but when it's cool or raining the parts that aren't covered in leather tend to chill.

Actually, I do have a pair of leather pants -- but they're men's, so they're tight in the thighs and I'm swimming around the waist. Last week I tried on a women's pair at The American Road Shop, but they were a size small and a little too snug when I sat down. Barbara tried to order a size larger, but told me they're back ordered, in case I want to look elsewhere.

Who knew Harley-Davidson doesn't even sell women's leather pants?? I found an overpant at my local HD shop, but my idea is not to have to put 'em on and take 'em off throughout the day. So I spent hours looking online and finding places to call to see if anyone carries them. I don't want to just order them; I want to try them on my own butt to make sure they're comfortable.

This morning it hit me that I really shouldn't spend this much effort on something so extravagant. Rather, I should be looking for pants I can wear to work. You know, something practical that I'll use every day.

Nah.

Women's Loro
Piana Leather
Riding Pants
are made in
Italy and sold by
Neiman Marcus
for $3,750.
These are for
riding? I prefer
riding pants that
ride down to the
heel when I sit,
thank you very much.
And I'm not a Hilton.

Ralph Lauren
Blue Label
Leather Pants in
Bordeaux Brown.
Very hot, and
very impractical
at $1,077.88
with tax and
shipping from
Saks Fifth Avenue.

Icon Women's Hella Leather Pants have the boot cut I prefer. They are $210 at Motorcycle Superstore and Cycle Gear Direct. But they have no back pockets, and I don't want zippers on front pockets, which cut my knuckles.

Alpinestars Womens
Stella Tyla Leather
Pants look good,
but come in
European sizes -- I
wouldn't know
what size
to order! They're
$350 at
Dennis Kirk and
Motorcycle Superstore.

These River Road
Women's Five-pocket
leather pants don't look
nearly as hot as those
fashion pants above,
but they are more to
the point of what I'm
looking for. They're also
higher rising for those of us
who like them to rise to the
waist. They're about
$200 at J&P Cycles
and Motorcycle Superstore.

These Women's Low
Rise Black Leather
Jean-Style Motorcycle
Pants from First Mfg. Co.,
sold at The Biker's Den
are a bargain at
only $99.95,
but once again,
on back order.

Motorcycle Lesson for Idiots

Well, I am now officially an idiot.

Sunday was a lovely day -- nearly perfect for a ride, and the first nice day in a week of gray and rainy, cold days. We'd planned to ride all week.

With no particular place to go, we pulled the dusty bikes out of the garage and unfolded my Michigan map. Tired of driving into the sun, I wanted to go north or south, maybe west early in the day then east back home.

So I picked Jackson as our destination. I don't know what's there, aside from a state prison. But heck, that's the fun of a mystery trip; see what's there.

We stopped at Hafner antique mall in Stockbridge because that's the kind of thing we love to do on road trips. Parked the bikes out front and went inside to browse for about an hour. I'd seen a hundred-year-old motorcycle book in an antique shop some time back -- a boy's adventure tale about a motorcycle courier in World War I -- and I had an idea I might find something like that again, so I was scoping out every bookshelf in this labrynthian place full of surprises.

I didn't realize the real surprise was waiting outside.

I headed back out front, where I chatted with an older fellow in a straw hat who I assumed worked there. He said he'd been riding since the '60s and crossed the country on a BMW. He said that was the bike to do it on, because his buddy had Harleys stolen several times, even from the back of a truck where it was chained down.

I was ready to hit the road, so I walked back to my bike and noticed I'd left the key in the ignition. Shit, that was dumb, I thought. Someone could have easily made off with it. Then I realized I'd left it in the "run" position.

Ho, boy. This isn't good.

Months ago, before I got my permit, Ironman rode it to a parking lot to let me practice. I drove around that empty lot for about an hour, making left and right turns, never getting over 20 mph. When he got back on to ride it home again, it wouldn't start. The battery was dead. He had to push it and pop the clutch. Luckily, there was a nice incline there to roll down.

So if riding at slow speed didn't maintain a charge, I was sure an hour with the headlights on cooked it good.

Ironman to the rescue again. He pulled my baby out and gave her a push, but when he popped the clutch, the rear wheel locked up with a squeal.

He tried again, and a third time, asking me to help push the bike to get up a little more speed. Then -- ha! -- he realized the key was still in the off position. Just like the time we tried to push-start his brother's Plymouth Arrow truck while I sat in the driver's seat, a newbie driver knowing nuthin' 'bout engines.

OK, key ON now ... we started attracting attention. The woman running the counter came out to see if she could help. She asked around for jumper cables, but no cables were to be had. She and I tried pushing one more time, to no avail. Then the man in the straw hat came out along with another fella, and they took over pushing duties. The engine turned over, but didn't catch. The second man suggested trying second gear instead of first, he said that'll start up easier.

Next, they pushed the bike up onto the road, where they could run on a flat and turn the bike down the hill of the driveway. By now a third man joined the fun. I reached for my video camera to capture this circus act, but the other mistake I made that day was leaving my FlipCam on the desk at home. So you'll just have to imagine these four old dudes running down the road, pushing my Shadow.

The last push did the trick. The engine caught and stayed running. Hurray!
My knight in shining leather came through again! Thanks all around to everyone who helped.

Jackson no longer seemed like a good idea, though, so we rode into Chelsea, instead. Smaller town, closer to home, near gas stations and friendly bikers in case we needed more help.

Luckily, this time she kept on running. We enjoyed the sunshine walking around the town swarming with visiting bikers, did a little window shopping, enjoyed a fine-dining experience at the Common Grill, had coffee at Zou Zous and headed back home.

Ironman noted that he always turns off his cycle with the key, "but that's not what you were taught to do." True dat. But I do recall a RiderCoach telling students that if they left their lights on when they stopped the engine they could learn how to push-start a bike...

Think from now on I'll make a point of turning the key and putting it in my pocket before I even get off.

Machete Rides!

Recently, we went to see Robert Rodriquez's retro-styled "Machete" -- and yes, just this week, I did abhor the violence in "Sons of Anarchy" in this very blog, but "Machete" is SO over the top it doesn't really count, now does it?

Cartoonish, with '70s exploitation style done to the max, it was very entertaining. Though I kept thinking how does a guy who looks THAT grimy get the hot chicks to jump his bones? Guess some women just can't resist that dangerous bad-boy type.

But never mind. He's the hero of the show.

And I literally hooted when I saw him snap a machine gun onto the front fork of a motorcycle and leap over a flaming pile of pyrotechnics, guns blazing!

I HAD to have images.

Enjoy!

Coffee on the Tank

Some time after complaining that I needed a drink holder on my bike, I finally went to get one. I had picked up one of those chrome-looking cups that mounts on your handlebar, but Barb at the American Road Shop in Waterford Township told me about a new product -- made in Michigan -- that is cheaper and possibly more functional.

It's called the "Drink Thing," and it consists of a plastic disc to support a bottle or coffee cup, and two rings that can be adjusted to lock the container in place. It was invented in Taylor, MI.

So I gave it a try, and at first I thought it didn't work quite as advertised.

But I quickly realized that I started out with too large a bottle -- one of those tall, 700-ml Ethos Water bottles you can buy at Starbucks. It's tall and narrow. Top heavy and too tall to fit in the other style of cup holder, the Kruzer Kaddy, which has a gimbal and tends to swing over with top-heavy containers.

But what happened on my first try out was funny. Riding on the far left side of Eight Mile Road, I hit a deep hole -- unpleasant enough on its own -- and the bottle went BOOP! Up and onto my gas tank. I caught it easily between the tank and my left thigh with an exclamation I probably should not repeat here. Wobbling and trying not to do something stupid, I grabbed the bottle and stuck it back from whence it came. Not two minutes later, I hit another deep hole at the edge of the road and BOOOP! it jumped up again. "Damn!" I exclaimed, as it landed once again between the tank and my leg.

That was it until we got home and I made a sharp turn from gravel to pavement and the momentum threw the bottle off to the side and onto the dirt. No biggie. I stopped and picked it up.

Then I decided I just needed a shorter bottle.

I do have one perfect for this use, but there are two of us and I didn't want to take Ironman's favorite drinking vessel. It's my favorite too -- it happens to be purple, a color I love ...

The Drink Thing has two rings that clamp down
with a tensioner and a small platform, all of which
clamps onto your handlebars.

So I went back to the Kroger grocery store, where I'd found the first one. But it turns out Rubbermaid doesn't make them like that anymore. Instead I got these sippy bottles -- no leak, sure, but also no big gulps. They had a valve that forces you to suck really hard and then let air burble in before you can sip again. Noisy and no good. I took them back.

Then I set about looking for a pair of 20-ounce plastic bottles, a little bit wide and a little bit short. Do you know how hard it is to find a wide bottle that can be flipped open with one hand and closed with one hand while keeping your eyes on the road? Found some made of metal, but boy, that would not bounce off my tank; it'd ding it.

Then I remembered I have a couple of cheap old sports bottles given to me as promotionals. Bingo. Problem solved.

Now if we can just come up with something that will keep Starbucks cups from vibrating mocha latte all over my tank.

Sons of Anarchy

The only TV series I know of that centers on motorcycle riders, "Sons of Anarchy"  (and no, I'm not counting "reality" shows like "Orange County Choppers") begins its third season tonight on the cable FX network.

My hubby and I have been watching it since it began -- we were huge fans of "The Shield," on which "Sons" creator Kurt Sutter previously worked -- but the truth is I don't enjoy "Sons" that much. It's too violent for my taste. I like it ... but I don't love it.

Bad guys get hurt, but so do people who don't deserve the crap they have to take.

Charlie Hunnam as Jax Teller

Lots of girls go for star Charlie Hunnam, who plays Jax Teller, but like Sawyer on "Lost," I'd like him better if he trimmed his hair and took a shower. The good news is that a guy I do find attractive -- Kenny Johnson, who also starred in "The Shield," and was the partner and love interest of Holly Hunter in "Saving Grace" -- guested on the show and is expected to return this season.

Kenny Johnson

Like "The Shield," the story follows a group of antiheroes -- in this case, members of a California motorcycle club who run guns while also running the small town of Charming, CA. The hitch is that Jax is concerned about the activities of the club since discovering a manifesto written by his late father, who co-founded the club with Clay Morrow. That puts a rift between him and his club president/stepfather.

Katey Sagal as Gemma, Ron Perlman as Clay Morrow

Ron Perlman, who plays Jax's stepdad, Clay, is a great character actor. He was "the Beast" in the 1980s series "Beauty and the Beast" with Linda Hamilton. And I'm extremely impressed with Katey Sagal's performance as Jax's mom, Gemma. Hard as nails and taking no shit, she's been compared to Lady Macbeth. Then there's Maggie Siff as Jax's girlfriend, Tara, who also appeared in "Mad Men," which I enjoy a lot more.


One thing that bothers me about the show is that it perpetuates the idea that people who ride motorcycles are outlaws. Some people still think we're bad people if we're riding around on two wheels. One rider friend of mine claims most drivers "hate" bikers, and do things purposely to put us in harm's way. I do my best to change that impression. I am courteous, and I smile and say hello whenever possible. But that's me. Some people relish the outlaw image.

Some people use fear and intimidation as a shield against the world. But my view is that fear and aggression are blocks to understanding and therefore wind up hurting us in the end.


Having never been part of a "real" MC, I can't say how accurate the show is, though Sutter takes pride in getting the details right. It's a hard life, and a lot of armchair rebels enjoy living it from a distance for an hour each week. A fellow lady rider and blogger by the pen name Rippin Kitten, has been championing the show for some time. She has lots of little tidbits about it.


Anyway, I will be watching tonight, but I'm not going to spoil the plot for you. If you haven't seen it, I suggest you catch up with Netflix or buy the DVDs if it interests you.

And keep the shiny side up.