It's been well over two weeks since my last post. Why? I hate to say it, but with the change in weather, the bike has been parked for the most of it. I did manage to sneak away from work early last Thursday for a short ride. I was to be off on Friday and planned to do some riding, but Mr. Weatherman said it was going to rain. And, boy, did it! I'm glad I did get in what little riding I did. Had I waited till Friday, I would have either been really upset or really wet.

Eighty miles...

That's right! On the way home from today's ride my bike turned 40,000 miles old.

It finally happened. The weather took a turn for the worse and, as part of the benefits package that comes with managing my store, I have the use of the company truck. I decided to park the bike and drive the truck until the weather warms again. Oh, don't get me wrong, I'll still ride here and there when the weather is good, but my riding season is pretty much drawing to a close.

Having said all that, the sun made a showing today. I decided to take advantage of the nice weather and...

This was as close as we got to the Oyster Run this year. My wife and I were waiting to cross Highway 20 at La Conner-Whitney Road. Bike engines were roaring all around us. So much so that it made the hair on my arms stand up. Awesome! It was like being in the middle of a hornet's nest, only louder. While waiting in line I pulled my camera out of my pocket and snapped the above picture...

While sitting in Ike's last Friday for dinner with the wife, I noticed what looked like a piece of chewing gum stuck to the rear tire of my scoot. After we finished, I walked out to see what it was. Yeah, not gum... cords. The tire was worn out. You know, the one I just put on in February; just eight short months and barely 11,000 miles ago. Man, that was quick.

I've ordered another one from Cycle Barn in Smokey Point and will keep track of the miles on this tire. If it wears out...

What did you do for the holiday weekend? I know the wet weather kept a lot of people in. And for us bike riders? I suspect most skipped taking them out for rides. In our travels over the weekend, motorcycle sightings were few and far between.

My wife and I had made plans awhile back with her sister and brother-in-law to meet up for a ride weekend. In fact, now that I think about it, we discussed it way back in June when we went down to Coos Bay, Oregon, for our nephew's graduation....

My wife and I are spending the holiday weekend at her sister and brother-in-law's place in Odessa. Today, we rode our bikes from Ellensburg to Yakima by way of the Canyon Road. I'll post more on our trip when I return to my own computer but wanted to share a photo with you I took on the way back to their place.


April says she's certain we brought the crappy wet-side weather...

I just updated the 2009 Mileage Study sidebar for August. I put on over 1,500 miles in the last month which puts me over 10,000 miles ridden for the year.

It's fun to think back to when and where I was while putting those many miles on the clock. It's been a great year for riding, for sure!

SWS asked the above question in the Ask a LEO section and got me thinking again about the hot-button question of whether motorcyclists should be required to carry insurance in Washington. I had read somewhere a "sense of Congress" stating that motorcyclists weren't required because, in many cases, the value of their bikes...

Do you suffer from missing and stumbling? When you roll on the throttle, does it feel like one of your cylinders has gone out to lunch? Well, my friends, read on. I may have a solution for you.

Yesterday, in preparation for the big XJ Bikes meet up in Tumwater, Washington, I decided to show my wife's bike some love by giving the engine a good cleaning with some foaming engine degreaser. After reading the instructions on the can, I proceeded to make the engine ready for the grime-cutting...