Girlie Motorcycle Blog

On Sunday Kenny and I went for a ride. We retraced some of my steps through the wet and sandy roadways I’d been on with the kids from ADVrider. This time things were a little different, though. The unknown was now known. When my wheels left the tarmac I went in without fear.

After reflecting on the white knuckled terror that was my first foray into the dirt, I realized that it would never feel that way again. You can never go back to just holding hands.

Kenny was on the big bomber GS with street tires. He seemed confident riding on the packed sand and in a little water. But, some of the very wet sections just weren’t a good idea for him. He turned around to meet me on the other end of the road as I went forward into the puddles.

The last time I went through here, I had one thought: Keep moving forward! This time my approach was more of a relaxed leapfrogging to the drier spots. I tried to spot the sections of the puddles that seemed like they would be least likely to swallow me whole like they did that KTM a few weeks back.

As I came up on the big mama puddle that I had previously avoided altogether, I glanced back to see Kenny watching me. I felt some sort of comfort in knowing that if I needed a life preserver he wasn’t far behind.  So… in I went.

It didn’t look that deep but the water drained in over the top of my boots. I just kept thinking stay on the gas, keep your eyes up and keep going forward! Amazingly enough, I did just that and rode out of the puddle.

Lesson learned:
You never really know what’s in store for you under the water until you’re in it.

I met up with Kenny again at the other end of the road. I was thoroughly proud of my muck and seaweed covered bike. He laughed and said he thought I was going to sink. It probably sounds funny, but I saw that little puddle crossing as a small victory. It was one more good experience to put in my pocket.

Someday I hope to look back at these blog entries and laugh, while saying “remember when…”

A newsletter recently put out by the Port Jefferson Business Improvement District here on Long Island is ruffling a few feathers in the local motorcycle community due to the inflammatory language used in 2 of it’s ‘Food for Thought’ bullet points.

The plans to make a pedestrian centric area on the main business thoroughfare of the town absolutely have their merits. But, the abrasive language chosen by the author of this newsletter speaks volumes about how some business owners feel about their patrons.

• No motorcycles
• No unsightly presence of motorcyclists

Unsightly Presence?

How absurd! Motorcyclists are doctors, lawyers, small business owners and moms and dads just like everyone else. We are a cross section of all types of economic strata, backgrounds and walks of life. These very same unsightly people also come to town in their cars with their families, walk the streets with their children and patronize some of these resentful businesses.

With the whole world reeling from economic hardships it’s good to know that some Port Jefferson businesses don’t need our money. I wish I knew which particular businesses were so outraged. I would make it a point to appease their concerns and never patronize them whether I come to town in my car or on my bike.

The Old Slippery Slope

Unsightly presence is an interesting choice of words. Just what are they saying here? Stop a moment and think about how far you could take that argument.  When they start deeming anyone who isn’t blonde haired and blued eyed unsightly, will people react then?

This newsletter’s motorcycle bullet points read like a shortsighted knee-jerk reaction. Removing all parking from Main Street would not mean that motorcyclists wouldn’t find other places to park and still stroll through town as they do now.  They would park in the Marina lot, side street parking or in the metered lot just as they do now and walk into town and buy ice cream, coffee and eat in restaurants.

If there are issues with noise, with traffic and pollution then the village needs to have its constables address them. From minivans that run stop signs, cars with obnoxiously loud radios, pedestrians who drop their trash and don’t pick it up – these things are a nuisance. The town laws should be enforced; not selectively but across the board.

Motorcyclists – Don’t Be Your Own Worst Enemy

• Ride proud, not loud.
• Pick up your trash, your cigarette butts, your coffee cups.
• Keep thoroughfares clear for walking.
• To be respected you have to be respectable.

Port Jefferson Links:

• Port Jefferson’s Official Website
• Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce
• Port Jefferson Business Improvement District

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this issue!

[edit 4/6/2010 10:00am]
Please take a moment to read Mayor Margot Garant’s statement on the official Port Jefferson website regarding the “unsightly” flyer.

[edit 4/6/2010 2:00pm]
Port Jefferson Business Improvement District President, Bruce Passarelli weighs in on the offending language with a post on the Port Jefferson website.

[edit 4/7/2010 6:30am]

On Sunday morning I rolled out of the driveway heading out to meet up with some of the gang from ADVrider for a  street ride. This was the first time in many weeks that I took the Speed Triple out. I’d been riding the DRZ for the last few weeks.

I love my Speed Triple immensely and actually missed riding her quite a bit. I was looking forward to getting it out for a shakedown. The first thing that I noticed was how heavy the bike felt to roll around in the driveway. For the first time, the always nimble Triple felt a little porky.  As I saddled up and got ready to head out, the seat felt so wide and comfortable! Helllllooo, old friend! It is really quite amazing how quickly your perception of  the size and weight of a motorcycle can change.

After meeting up with the last of the guys at 10:30 and a few minutes of tire kicking, we set off. We were a motley crew: 1 Triumph, 1 Ducati, 1 Husqvarna, 2 Kawasakis, 1 KTM and 1 Harley Davidson. Quite a mixed bag of marques but they all played nice together as we snaked our way through sandy lanes. We weaved our way around the east end of Long Island and finally stopped for lunch at the fabulously olde tymey Cornonet Cafe in Greenport. Friends, food and motorcycles. Does it get any better?

We hopped the ferry to Shelter Island and took in some of the sights. As I cruised along I saw about 100 places I would like to stop and take photos of one day. The sculptor John Chamberlain had a studio on Shelter Island. I’d love to find out that he’s still creating work there. One more thing to add to the To-Do List: Go back to explore.

I really like riding with everyone I’ve met on ADV. There is a really cool, laid back vibe that I appreciate. Each person brings unique and interesting knowledge to the table. Love that. Looking forward to the next time…

During summer evenings, the parking lot at McNulty’s is packed with families out for ice cream. Sticky-faced children mill around the patio leaving trails of drips and drops in their wake.

When I passed by last week there was still snow on the ground and not a car in the lot. I’d never noticed it before but they have a great, big ice cream cone that hangs over the doorway. Given my love of quirky roadside stuff, I just had to grab a picture.

Just thinking about ice cream and summer has got my spring fever in overdrive. C’mon springtime!

Hot on the heels of some glorious weather last week, Long Island was hammered with driving rains and wind on Saturday night. Trees were downed, shingles were torn from roofs, anything that wasn’t secured down such as garbage cans went tumbling through the neighborhood.

With the strong winds came rough seas. On Sunday afternoon we went to Smith Point to watch the angry waves roll in. The dunes and the sandy beach were all but gone. The foamy tide relentless pounded the shore up to the retaining wall.