My Rider's Bump

Back in the olden days, when teachers taught cursive instead of keyboarding, we used pens and pencils to write to our friends and family. And those of us who wrote a lot got what we called a "writer's bump."

It's a callous built up on the side of the middle finger, where the pencil rested and pressed against that finger. Kind of like the callouses many of us have on our feet, where our shoes rub. I guess it's the body's way of protecting us from our lifestyles: Rather than let us wear a hole in our bodies, our bodies build up tissue to cushion that spot.

In school I wrote a lot. On paper. With a pen. I still have a writer's bump on the middle finger of my right hand, though it's shrunken considerably now that I don't take copious notes by hand anymore.

But now I have a new one — a Rider's Bump.

I noticed it shortly after my first few hundred miles on the motorcycle. It rose up on the inside of my left thumb, where I brace my hand while clutching. It's kind of hard to see, but you can feel it. There's even a bit of rough skin there.

Can you see it?

I'd never heard of a Rider's Bump before. But there it is, and I'm proud of it.

There it is.

Reminiscing, looking to the future on a calming evening ride

I finally found that antique book I was looking for: "Tom Slade — Motorcycle Dispatch Bearer," by Percy Keese Fitzhugh, published in 1918. I ordered it online from Abe Books. It is one in a series of Boy Scout propaganda novels written for young men.


Although it is 93 years old, the hardbound book is in pretty good shape — good enough to read the pages and the title on the spine. And it didn't cost me much. But you don't have to buy one if you're curious, you can read it online right now as part of the Project Gutenberg ebook archives.

I love antique books. I collect them. Ah, but soon, all books will be antiques.

Tom turned on his searchlight and saw a German soldier, hatless and coatless. Frontispiece (Page 8)

It was such an exciting development when Borders Books and Music opened a store in my town. It was about 10 years ago, and it made my small town feel like it had really arrived. I went to Borders every weekend and spent far too much money on magazines and books I still haven't made time to read, DVDs I plan to watch when the mood hits, and CDs that I carefully file after downloading to my computer and portable device.


It was a place to go and absorb new ideas, to charge the imagination, enjoy coffee and dessert and browse. So this was a sad sad weekend, because Borders is closing for good. Not just in my town but everywhere. The little Michigan company that could suddenly can't.

Many people blame it on eBooks. I'm sure that's a factor, but I've always thought it was really more about the cost of operating a bunch of big brick buildings with rent, electricity, heating, plumbing, staff, cleaning costs, advertising costs, etc. etc., compared to a warehouse somewhere in Seattle with a website and a network of partners willing to help provide the merch in exchange for one centralized sales and payment portal.


It's true, my books and other "hard" media have taken over my home. Digital takes practially no space at all.Yet, the experience is not the same, reading on a screen that never really changes, compared to the discovery of a rich media with color illustrations and the feel and smell of the place it came from.

I'm in the same boat as the Borders workers have been for the last year. I'm employed at a news company looking at revolutionary change in how (or whether?) we continue in this business. The company is pushing forward on a policy of "online first / print last" because management believes (and sad as it may sound to old-school journalists, I agree) that the print product will disappear. Readership and advertising continue to decline. Young people aren't reading in print as much as they read Facebook or cellular dispatches, and our loyal readership — mainly people over 55 — is gradually dying off.

Blame it on my sentimentality (or maybe shopping addiction), but I HAD  to go on the first day of the Borders liquidation sale, knowing full well I could in fact get much better bargains at that OTHER store. I spent too much on a pile of books, DVD sets and CDs — enough to make my arm ache and force me to ask for another bag just to make sure they didn't rip out on the way home, strapped to my fender rack.

It was the nicest ride I've had in ... maybe ever ... as I drove home. The unbearable heat of day had given way to a soft evening, and the lights of town brought a romantic shine to the city. The traffic lights had begun to blink so I didn't even have to stop most of the way. My motorcycle and I just coasted through the balmy air.

I took in the dark silhouettes of trees against the fading variegated sky. An impatient driver floored it and passed me, but I didn't care. I was in no hurry. I didn't want to reach home yet, anyway. I was busy reminiscing, and there was nowhere else I needed to go.

Beverage bottles and bikes

It's been really hot this last couple of weeks. Yesterday set a record for Michigan with 100 degrees. If I correctly recall what I heard on TV news, the prior record for the day was 96, set in 1923.

I don't much enjoy riding when it's that hot. It's fine if you can keep moving in the wind, but sitting still in rush-hour traffic — on hot, reflective pavement, in the sun — sucks.

But I did ride twice this week. And I made sure I had a tall bottle of cool water with some electrolyte mixture added. I like Emergen-C (and you can get it almost anywhere now), but Gatorade would do. Or at least plain water. But definitely not beer.

A friend was asking about the cool handmade drink holder I have on my handlebar. Last year I was using a Drink Thing, which I previously wrote about, but it broke early in the spring and I had to replace it. I spent a lot more money on the new one, but it looks like chrome, therefore it's much more cool. I had to modify it with some rubberizing to keep the bottle from slipping so much, and it won't accommodate all sizes of bottles like the plastic one did.

My friend Lynda noticed it and said she wants a holder for her Harley. I thought of something I forgot to mention to her, but she wasn't here today, so I wrote her an email, which I'm sharing with you.

Hi Lynda ~

The other day we were talking about the drink holder on my bike and how you wanted one on yours. I said I'd had some trouble with the size of mine fitting bottles, and you wondered if it wouldn't hold a regular water bottle.

Since then, I realized I'd forgotten to mention something about it — the bottle I use has a flip top. I found a Smart Water bottle at a convenience store that has one, too. But I don't want a regular screw-top bottle for a very good reason. It's too easy to drop the top and splatter the water all over.

I got mine after a particularly hot ride across the state when it was 90 degrees out and my man was sipping ice water and I was envious.

I hope you find the holder you want.

Love, Nic

Flip-top makes one-handed operation easy, and spills unlikely.

Screw tops? Not so much.

The '72 Bobber Update

It may not run right, but it sure LOOKS sweet!

My Ironman has been working for about a year on a 1972 Yamaha he got for free (ha! that's a laught!) and spent "hundreds of thousands of dollars," to quote Darla Hood, chopping it, refabbing, outfitting it with the missing parts, painting and customizing.

He's had fun and enjoyed the heck out of it, but it's still not right. He thought it was ready to go, but when he rode it on a very short trip last weekend, it conked out and would not restart.

He thinks it's the alternator, which as it turns out is expensive and difficult to replace. So we will have to wait a while longer.

But it LOOKS really cool!

"Tommy Gun"

He likes the brass accents on the nameplate, rearview mirrors and taillight.

He fabricated the bracket at the front, and the brake linkage, among other things.

Got the truck, gonna have to haul it back home.

Loading it up in the truck.

Ready to head home and start again.

Ride Smart 2011 - Train with the MSP

Just got this press release to share:

Register now for the Ride Smart 2011 Motorcyclist Safety Conference; Ride on police track, improve skills

Motorcycle fatalities are on the rise across the nation including Michigan, where there was a 21 percent increase in motorcyclist deaths in 2010.

As part of an effort to address this trend, the Office of Highway Safety Planning and Skilled Motorcyclist Association - Responsible, Trained, and Educated Riders (SMARTER) are presenting the Ride Smart 2011 Motorcyclist Safety Conference. The event features opportunities to learn about the latest safety gear, riding techniques, research and technology.

The conference is Sept. 9-11 at the Michigan State Police (MSP) Training Academy in Lansing. Participants will have a chance to experience various riding scenarios at real world speeds on the MSP drive track.

Nationally known motorcyclist safety experts will share information and riding techniques that participants can immediately implement. Speakers include:

• Dr. Ray Ochs, director of training systems for the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF). He has more than 30 years experience in education and training and is the driving force behind the development and maintenance of MSF’s national curriculums.
• Ricky Orlando, MSF-certified coach, Motorcycle Roadracing Association (MRA) approved, with more than 15 years of private instruction experience. He is licensed for American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) pro superbike and MRA pro road racing competition. Orlando’s racing accomplishments include four MRA Colorado state championships, repeated top 10 AMA Superbike finishes, and a top 10 World Endurance Championship finish.
• Lee Parks, developer of Total Control Riding Clinics. He has been racing for 25 years and won the 2001 G.M.D. Computrack National Endurance Series Championship in the lightweight class. Parks also finished second in the 1994 AMA 125GP national championship in its exhibition year. He spent five years as the editor and chief test rider of Motorcycle Consumer News, where he road-tested every new street motorcycle available in the United States.

Space is available. Participants who register by July 31 receive a discounted rate of $94 for SMARTER members and $139 for nonmembers. After July 31, registration is $139 for SMARTER members and $184 for nonmembers. One- and two-day registration options are also available.

For more information and registration details, visit http://ridesmart2011.eventbrite.com.

Refusing after all

OK, we have the headlight situation fixed. The problem, according to my resident mechanic, was a fuse hidden behind the main headlight.

Which is kind of funny, because my Haynes Service and Repair Manual doesn't mention anything about a fuse there. Not that I disagree; I have the sleep with my mechanic, after all.

Ironman figured out the problem, but when he tried to rewire my lights so the side lamps would stay illuminated while the high beam is on, he blew two more fuses. Luckily, an electrician he works with was there to help him set it right.

"It was too much juice for the generator," he reported.

So ... Low beam with two auxiliaries, or high beams with side lamps off it is.

The manual here describes the headlight for a VT600 model; mine is the VT750, but they are similar.

Captain America Rides a Harley

Who knew it?
I sure didn't.
But the pictures don't lie. Captain America is a Harley dude.

In this photo provided July 7, 2011 by the Harley-Davidson Museum shows one of five motorcycles Harley-Davidson designed for the upcoming Captain America movie, and it is being featured in a new exhibit at the museum. The Milwaukee-based company's motorcycles have been featured in dozens of films, but the company says this is the first time it led the design process and it created five of the movie's World War II-era replica motorcycles. (AP Photo/courtesy Harley-Davidson Museum)

The new "Captain America" movie opens Friday. You goin'?

(oh, and by the way, here's something I like better than the bike ... Beefcake!)

Chris Evans is Captain America. (AP/Paramount)

No Re-Fusing This

What happened to my side lamps?

When I got my bike, it was equipped with three headlights — the main one, of course, and two auxiliaries. The auxiliary lights oddly turn off when I put on the high beam, which means I see farther down the road, but more dimly.

We figure that was a mistake in the wiring. I don't like it. It was unnerving the first time I flipped on the high beam and lost illumination. Plus with my man riding behind me, I was kind of blinded in the shadow of his high beams.

I'm not exactly sure when I lost my auxiliaries, because —and I regret to admit this — I hadn't closely checked my headlights the last time I rode before noticing it. When we started our engines in the dark on Saturday night, I had only the one headlight.

Maybe the problem started on my way home on Friday, when I flipped my high beams on and off several times along a winding road. I didn't notice a change at the time.

There is an auxiliary switch to turn the two side lights off, though I never use it. But the first thing I did Saturday when I noticed them off was to flip the high beam on and off, and the auxiliary switch. No dice.

It didn't seem likely that they both burned out at once, so Ironman guessed it was a burned-out fuse. He promised to check it out after we got home. We rode together on the freeway, so visibility wasn't much of a concern. Besides, some bikes only have one anyway.

Diagram shows where my fusebox is located:
on the right, under the seat.

The bridge-shaped wire in
the center will break when
the fuse blows. This one's good.

On Sunday, we went out to the garage to look things over. We got out the owner manual and found the fuses. He was hoping it was that simple, but they all looked good. No breaks.

The next step was to open up each headlamp and check the bulbs and wiring. He did one to show me how, and I did the other. The wires were fine — no visible shorts, and the bulbs looked as good as new.

So my Ironman sez the next step is to check the wiring system with an ohm meter. He has one at work, and lamented having some of his tools here at home and others at work — where he really needs them more often anyway.

He also suggested that as long as he's working on it, he might rewire the bike so the side lamps stay on when I use the high beam. That would be cool. As long as he doesn't short out my electrical system!

I'll let you know what we find out.

What Happened to my Motorcycle Skills?

Did you ever have one of those days where everything just clicks? Life seems effortless, no conflicts, just smooth sailing.

I had a couple of days like that last week. Riding was as easy as walking. Jumped on my bike and felt as one with it — completely in control. Or perhaps some higher power was in control of me. Like a velvet dream.

Thought back on all of the trouble I had a year ago when I was learning to ride, when I struggled every time I turned the key on that motorcycle. Now I'm wondering what the problem was. This is easy! Why did I struggle so? Nothing to it.

But that feeling was deceptive, because yesterday it was all gone.

Backing out of garage felt unbalanced and tippy. My feet were slipping on the ground. On the road, I kept hitting bumps that looked like nothing but shot pain up my spine.

I slowed for a light and popped it into a gear too high for startup. Then, I dropped her into a gear too low for the road speed. Once I accidentally downshifted into neutral with a car hot on my tail.

Then I rode a couple of miles with my turn signal on. Look at me! I'm a dope!

Hair was in eyes. Sun was in my eyes. I wasn't noticing conditions around me.

Bah. This is not only frustrating, but dangerous.

Is this biorhythms? Poor diet? Lousy sleep? Bad attitude?

OK, girl. Take a breath. Take it slow. Take another day.

Another Hot Fourth

Where are you taking your bike this Fourth of July weekend?

We're going to Saugatuck, where we went last year, before I had my cycle endorsement but did have a permit to ride beside my man. I was really looking forward to it this year, too, but once again, I'm deferring to his needs and we're taking the car.

An after-effect of his crash with a deer about three weeks ago is that he's having widespread spasms and pain in his leg, and he doesn't feel safe riding. I know a little bit about muscle function, and it's really not a good idea to ride in 90-degree heat with a condition like that.

I'm disappointed, but getting used to it. Expectations are resentments in the making. Still, I hope by fall we'll be able to take a trip Up North ...

So enjoy your own travels, whether they be near or far, and smile when the wind hits your face. I'll be thinking of you.