The Last Ride

When I started writing this blog...a year or so ago...I intended to simply record my processes and thoughts while I gradually brought back to life a very sadly neglected TY 175. I bought that bike for my then 10 tear old son back in the middle 1990's. It took a while and it turns out that I enjoyed the process so much that I started working on some other bikes that found their way into my garage. That process...that mechanical and mental exercise... is now at an end...at least until my wife and I complete our relocation further North.

There are a lot of feelings associated with this relocation. One of my strongest feelings is one of loss...the loss of this place. It just so happens that we live a few steps from the beach and in just about five minutes I can be in a perfectly quiet...sandy...rocky...and utterly undeveloped desert landscape which abuts the Sea of Cortez. Where we are moving that particular adventure is not possible.

I am presently in the middle of a series of "Last Rides". A couple of months ago my son (in whom I am well pleased...) came down to visit with his faithful companion "Tamale"...a Mexican street dog. We took a couple of days to take all of the bikes out to visit riding areas which we both knew very well. The picture above was taken in front of a sand dune...on the other side of that dune is the Sea of Cortez. Erin had been up that dune a number of time on the old Honda XR 600. That old and heavy beast is no longer with us...but I digress. On this occasion Erin easily rode to the top on the CR 250...but he had to go faster than he did on the XR because the CR is a peaky...nervous and demanding bike to ride. I think that he liked the old XR better. I would not even attempt the climb on the little Bultaco Campera. That would have been asking a lot given the size of the Bully's engine...the size of the rear tire...and the load that it would have been carrying.

On the last afternoon before Erin headed back North for a bit more surfing, we rode the trials bikes around the property. I think that Erin particularly enjoyed the TY. It had been his second motorcycle about 20 years ago. It appears, in this photo, that he inadvertently disabled the anti-wheelie software. We both rode the TLR quite a bit and agreed that it was a easier and more comfortable bike to ride around. These bikes will see a lot of action on the Northwest. There are logging trails all around our new house and thousands and thousands acres of Federally protected land which should be available for riding. We will see.

Tamale did not seem to mind, but I think that she was pleased that her mealticket survived with nothing more than a little sunburn.

Over the past week or so, I have gone on a couple more "Last Rides". About a week ago I went off on the CR250...the one in the photo above. It is a "busy" bike. It is easy to start and, for a racing bike, it has a fairly forgiving spread of power. It does not like low revs. Once you are up into the powerband you need to pay strict attention to where you are going.

My usual choice for a gentle and relaxing ride is the Bully. It makes enough noise to irritate my neighbors...but not so much noise that it interferes with the ride. It is comfortable...the carburetion is perfect and thanks to my electronic ignition the bike starts immediately every time.

I will be sad to be leaving my riding area, but I am anxiously looking forward to setting up a new shop at our new home and then exploring the riding opportunities in the State of Washington.

Stay tuned...more adventures to come.