Yesterday, I was able to take my first real ride on my new 2004 Military. I will skip the details of fright I caused Judi /my beloved other half/ when I laid it down in the soft ground that is our side yard. No damage to me or the old girl, but Judis heart took the majority of it. I did not even get dirty from it so we shall move along!
Once on the road, it just took a few minutes to get her all warmed up. Of course, like a dutiful rider I spent 2 hours before hand checking bolts, installing new cowlings on the light and speedometer, and general looking over the bike. In my mind it is a lot like a preflight check on an airplane. Do it now because at speed you do not want to wish you had!
I was ready to go. Helmet, goggles, gloves, and a heavy-duty buffalo hide jacket. I felt more like a biplane pilot than a bike rider. All I needed was the flowing silk scarf. Ease out the clutch, gear up, flaps up, and pull back on the throttle. The happy machine suddenly roared to life with the voice of a giant grand dragon. I banked into the curve at the bottom of our hill and leaned into it for the first time. I was hit with a sudden rush of adrenaline like the first time I hade ever ridden, almost 25 years ago. Shifting was a little harsh, but that I attribute to a very stiff shifter and me, as it is still a very new bike.I made it to the stop sign at the top of the hill, paused as required and then turned to follow down the street. A simple 35 mph cruise for now. Then came the first problem.
At the end of the road, about a quarter mile down I got hit with a cramp in my hip. Downshift, neutral, coast, ease it over to the side of the road and stretch that leg out. Remind myself I am not 17 anymore and wait for the pain to pass. It does and I move back out onto the road. Since it is now about 5pm, I decide the back road option is much better. I have driven this way a thousand times, all of them unremarkable. Today though things seem different, I was not traveling in a capsule of steel and glass. I was out there to see things as they are. No illusions, just the realness of the whole thing this time. I could feel the road unlike before, every dip and bump and they all were helping me get aquatinted with my new friend. We began to ride together, not as individuals. Up through the hills that are just now trying to spring back to life from a harsh winter during this brief respite from the cold. Up onto the ridgeline and past the high fields. The sky was clear like glass and the air clean and crisp. I looked out over the valleys and I could see for miles, it felt like I could take a sharp turn and ride the beast off into the sky and forever.
I reached my office/shop and took a rest for a while as my business partner Mark tried not to drool over the bike. He was impressed with the look and the sound, continually telling himself with 3 corvettes he did not need a new bike. I had a smoke, checked a few bolts and tightened them down and was off on the road again. A short stint on the highway and I was back again to the ride along the ridges. Oddly enough, there was a rainbow in the sky, the third one of the year, the other two coming earlier in the same day. The trip home was just as enjoyable as the drive out there. After I got home, I put the girl up on her center stand and let her cool down before she got her cover for the night.
I must say, I have a new friend. Her name is Royal Enfield.
Thanks to Judi for our introduction, she gave her to me as an x-mass present, and thanks to Dan at DRS Cycle. You help and assistance will never be forgotten.
Till next time, be mindful and awake.
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