Things I learned during my Motorcycle Ride this summer.

[greenbarn]

Always have warm gloves and an extra shirt or some clothes in the saddle bags. It is amazing how after some warm summer days the nights can get downright very cold. I worked very late one night, unexpectedly, and the temps dropped rapidly.... Luckily I had winter gloves, a reflector vest and a bandana. Over the T shirt went the vest and around the neck the bandana unfolded to give me max protection in front. Then my summer armored jacket, then the gloves. That 65 mile zone on the way home and through the twisties in the cold bogs was so much warmer with those emergency garments!

That's a good lesson - I learned the hard way...  Went to a church picnic once a year ago or so.  It was a warm afternoon.  I actually looked at the forecast and it was supposed to still be plenty warm for my ride home.  I don't remember the exact temps, but the forecast was really wrong...  by the time I rode home it was so foggy I could only see a few hundred yards, and it was a LOT colder than I was planning.  I wasn't dressed for it, and paid the price.  Thought I was going to feeze to death.

[Zoar]

It is really hard to whistle with the wind in your face.
Do not pack your dirty socks or underwear in your full-face rain helmet thinking it will not be needed (the helmet that is) today.
Because the restaurant parking lot has a lot of trucks in it the food is not always the best.
Never pass a rest area when you are thinking you might need it, because the next one is really a long way off, if it even exists.
When the sign says no gas for......miles believe it or be ready to walk.
Never linger to put on your rain gear; because once you say I'll wait a bit, you will be soaked.

But most important lesson learned was:

Do not try to blow a bubble with gum while riding, and if you have a beard and long hair it will be a real mess.

Always have warm gloves and an extra shirt or some clothes in the saddle bags. It is amazing how after some warm summer days the nights can get downright very cold. I worked very late one night, unexpectedly, and the temps dropped rapidly.... Luckily I had winter gloves, a reflector vest and a bandana. Over the T shirt went the vest and around the neck the bandana unfolded to give me max protection in front. Then my summer armored jacket, then the gloves. That 65 mile zone on the way home and through the twisties in the cold bogs was so much warmer with those emergency garments!

[CDNRatMan]

 Train people....is just what it sounds like

People that worked for the train companies, National ones were,
CNR= Canadian National Railroad
CPR= Canadian Pacific Railroad,
Provincail ones were;
ONR= Ontario Northern Railroad
OSXR= Ontario Southland Railroad
AC= Algoma Railroad
PCHR=  Port Colborne Harbour Railroad

[DC]

and we are all nice people up here....lol.....even the train people.....

What does that mean?  A lot of us southerners don't know that lingo.

[Hoggy]

and we are all nice people up here....lol.....even the train people.....

Even the train people?  Now you're stretching it.

[CDNRatMan]

  and we are all nice people up here....lol.....even the train people.....

[Hoggy]

There is a few, and I mean a few nice people down in the southern part of Ontario....but once you get up north they arr all friendly......

You must have forgotten.  I've been up North. LOL

[CDNRatMan]

  There is a few, and I mean a few nice people down in the southern part of Ontario....but once you get up north they are all friendly......

[DC]

Once in a while, we are reminded there is still a shred of humanity out there among the muck.

[Hoggy]

Well, I didn't want to turn the story into a book but just to show how helpful people can be, Dennis from Delhi wasn't the only one to stop.

When I first pulled over a car passed and stopped in front of me just to tell me my daughter had turned off at the last exit.  And then while Dennis was helping,  another biker stopped. He had been going in the opposite direction and turned around at the next exit to come back to see if he could help.

Bikers are great people. I didn't ask but the cager must have had a bike at home.

[CDNRatMan]

  Cool story, I have both sets of allen keys in my spare side cover, both metric and standard sets, just because. Also if I see a bike on the side of the road and I can safely pull over I do and then just go and ask if they are doing ok. If they just stopped for a break that is fine and we can chat a bit and just met more people......and you never know when it might be you broken down.

[Hoggy]

Ok so first off you have a child? and it is a girl, and she rides? ok so you are old........lol.......

Ok I'm old because I have a child?  Or I'm old because she's a girl?
Actually I have 5 of those girls and THAT's why I'm old. 

ok how do you know this info about her bike and tools.....lol......

Three hours into a seven day trip I look in the rear view mirror and there is nobody behind me. I pull over only to have my daughter limp up behind me and when she shuts off her motorcycle, it won't start. She's had battery problems before so that was the first thing we wanted to check. To remove her seat we need an Allen Key. I had three and none fit.

Two hundred feet ahead of us is a CAA truck getting ready to tow a car off the 401. I rode up to see if he had any tools and he had nothing. The only thing left was for us to call CAA.

While we were waiting another biker pulls up and reaches into his pocket and pulls out a handful of Allen Keys. After we got the seat off we could see one of the battery terminal screws nearly backed out completely. We tightened it down with the Drifter tools and it started right up.

So thanks to Dennis from Delhi, we were on our way again.

My daughter says "She meets the nicest people on a Honda"

[CDNRatMan]

Ok so first off you have a child? and it is a girl, and she rides? ok so you are old........lol.......

ok how do you know this info about her bike and tools.....lol......

[Hoggy]

And one more:

If you're riding with your daughter, make sure you have tools that fit her bike.

Ask me how I know.

[CDNRatMan]

On the tool one, next time you are doing any work on your bike, try using just the tools you take on the road with you. See how much you can get done. I went and bought and modified 3 wrenches for doing chain adjustments.

[DC]

Don't leave the motorcycle lift adapter on and then go riding.   

Don't leave the rain gear home, just because the forecast is for 0% precip for the next week.  Guaranteed you will force it to rain. 

Don't tell any of your wives that you had to reenforce the passenger peg mountings because she bent them when she got on the bike.   The lump on my head should go down in a few days.   

Don't tell any of your wives that you had to adjust the suspension because when she's on the back, the bike always wants to do a wheelie.  I'm covering the black eye with powder before I go into work each day.   

Don't try to pack light for a ride and leave a few little-used tools at home.  Those will be the ones you need when you break down.   

[JagLite]

Hah-ha-ha-ha-ha!
Excellent words of wisdom to ponder   

[CDNRatMan]

Let us just say that Riding from Sparta, to Billings to Winnipeg and to North Bay alone leaves you lots of time to try and do things and to ponder on life...........

[Trall]

Did you learn those the hard way .   Funny stuff.......

[Old Drifter]

Words of wisdom to live and ride by.  

[CDNRatMan]

It is really hard to whistle with the wind in your face.
Do not pack your dirty socks or underwear in your full-face rain helmet thinking it will not be needed (the helmet that is) today.
Because the restaurant parking lot has a lot of trucks in it the food is not always the best.
Never pass a rest area when you are thinking you might need it, because the next one is really a long way off, if it even exists.
When the sign says no gas for......miles believe it or be ready to walk.
Never linger to put on your rain gear; because once you say I'll wait a bit, you will be soaked.

But most important lesson learned was:

Do not try to blow a bubble with gum while riding, and if you have a beard and long hair it will be a real mess.