You’ve been waiting for this day for months. You are so ready to get your bike out on the road. But before you go, there are some things you should do to get your motorcycle ready for spring. After you have removed the cover from your bike, remove any plugs or covers from the exhaust pipes. Then wash off any wax you applied to protect the frame, chain or rim. Besides the regular oil change, many manufacturers suggest you change the oil and the filter before and after storage. When in storage, oil can separate, which causes a condensation buildup that can damage the engine. Replace the spark plugs the same time you replace the oil. Following the manufacturer’s recommendation set the gaps, using a gap-setting tool. Now is also a good time to replace the air filter, check the transmission fluid and check and clean the carburetor.

Added 4.7.2009

One word that can raise the hackles on the neck of any rider is “rain.”Though no one goes out riding just because it’s raining, you do get stuck in the rain at times. What can you do to improve your riding in the rain? The first things you can do are done well ahead of the first few drops of rain. Much as you hate to think about it, selecting and purchasing a rain suit is something that must be done. A rain suit should serve two purposes. First, it should keep you dry. Second, and equally important, it should increase your visibility. When your evasive maneuverability is reduced by lack of traction, you want to be sure other drivers see you.

Added 4.7.2009

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The older I get, the faster I was. Can anyone relate to that? Even for those who can no longer see their 50th birthday in their rear view mirror and have ridden pretty much continually since they were in their 20’s, as aging progresses, there’s the need to remember that your “guardian angel” is aging as well. Its wings are getting just a little frayed for some of us. Then there are others, who have raised their family, have a successful career and possibly are even starting to contemplate retirement. It’s been years since they were on a motorcycle but the mystique that was there in the distant past now begins to come out of the shadows every time they see a motorcycle. Or maybe they never took the time or the chance to throw a leg over a bike and imagine what it would be like ... but the thought is starting to overtake them ...they really want to ride a motorcycle. The “guardian angel” for these folks had better hold on tight and start working out on the treadmill.

The ride south over the Siskiyou Mountains from Oregon to California started out cool enough. Up at 4,000 feet, it was chilly enough that I was glad I had added the jacket liner and neck warmer. But a hundred miles later, as I descend down into the Sacramento Valley, the temperature be-gins to soar. By the time I reach Oroville, the temperature signs are flashing 118 F. It’s another hundred and fifty miles to the rally site at Mariposa in triple-digit temperatures. A rider passes by in the opposite lane, jacket bungeed on the back, bare chest exposed to the hot blast. I wave, but there is no response. His exposed skin is red, and he doesn’t even appear to have noticed me, a bad sign that he’s on the fringe of heat exhaustion. I don’t wish any problems on a fellow motorcyclist, but there are lots of riders who have to contribute to the statistics before they crack the code.

Added 4.7.2009

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