The Faces

I commute on my bike daily since I sold my car before moving out to Phoenix. And I have noticed a big change in my lifestyle as well as my road presence through other people. I'd like to say that I am a safe rider for the most part. I ride as if I am invisible to every pair of eyes I make contact with using my own eyes. As well as the eyes that don't even take head to my somewhat ominous presence. I say Ominous because of the people who do notice me as a motorcyclist.`Maybe the looks wouldn't be so fervent if I wasn't riding a bright orange sport bike around town. But I can feel people staring at me and instantly my head auto pilots away from the road and on to that piercing gaze I'm sure I can feel more than spider man can feel his spider senses. And they are not curious looking faces. They are uh... Lets say menacing faces. Not like this...



But more along the lines of this...


It makes me feel as if I have done some sort of wrong doing. And then I begin to question myself. Did I maybe...? I don't know about other riders out there if they happen to get this gaze. But I do every day I go out not just once but many times. Whether I'm on my way to work or just going around the corner to the store. Every once in a long while things will mix up a bit and I will get some sexy faces. Not like this...



But like this.



A pleasant sight = ) Thats about it. Its rare but every once and a long long while I do get the occasional meat head guy yelling at me to do a wheelie.


"Com'on man! throw that front end up!"

But I don't comply. I just keep on riding. Well, that is something I have noticed allot since I have started commuting on my motorcycle. Let me know what you have noticed in your years of riding!

~Hath

Spyder Trikes?!

This particular blog isn't about any riding experience but about a new type of ride out there on the road. And supposedly on the rise in sales.

Its called the Spyder. It has three wheels and looks like a backwards tricycle we use to ride as kids. The only thing it can compete with is a Lancer Evolution on a quarter mile track. Not to bad right? Well, when you compare to performance motorcycles it is bad. Especially for the price. Base price for this hard core monster $15,599. Base price for an R1 $11,699.

This...



Or This...




Now don't get me wrong. I think that this will be great for people that don't want to venture into the two wheel realm. Or those who could be handicapped. You get the feel of wind over your body and 360 degree view you would on a street bike. But without the excitement of leaning into turns and really feeling "in tune" with your machine. Mine respectively a sport bike I commute on. (00' CBR 600F4)

Although I do believe that those who fear to take a seat on any two wheeler and who decide to just suck it up and live a little will find that a true motorcycle will be much more satisfying. I have seen a few of these Spyders out on the road in NC. I don't see them lasting at all. That is if they can even get started. Its an in between battle that just doesn't seem as if it could work out. Look back on the days when they had three wheeled ATVs. I've ridden them and they are more dangerous and unstable than any motorcycle I've ridden on. Now they have discontinued them because of that very reason.

All they did with the Spyder is switch the wheel positioning around and added stabilizers. Just spruce it up with technology and everything's alright now... Right?? Well, I don't know because I haven't ridden the Spyder. I like to think of of it this way though. ANYTHING on two wheels runs naturally by laws of physics known as gyroscopic effect. Keep momentum going and the bike stays up... period. All you need is a persons natural stabilizers to balance things out until momentum is fast enough. Then physics takes over.

I don't like how allot of people claim that motorcycles are "unstable" machines. The only things that make a motorcycle unstable is the rider. If you choose to ride irresponsibly then you are the one who is unstable and should not ride. Pretty simple I think. Same thing applies with cars as well as this backwards trike.

Another advantage about the motorcycle world is that motorcycles are allot more diverse. You can choose from cruisers, adventure, touring, sport touring, sport, dual sport, motards, and so on. All of them different sizes and weights. The Spyder is simply that. A Spyder, nothing more and nothing less. Not much to much to choose from for the cost of over 15k. If it floats your boat then cool. Go ride your little heart out. Just don't wave at me expecting a wave back.

404 mile Loop

Nothing can replace the feeling of riding in 90 degree weather while climbing in elevation and at the same time the temperature descending in elevation on the thermometer. It is true that my jacket didn’t stop the chilled air from finding every way possible inside to give me goose bumps. Although it was hard to distinguish the cool air goose bumps from the thrill of riding in a brand new environment goose bumps.

The first stretch from N Fort Mcdowell road to Happy Jack was a nice relaxing ride. It was very scenic with the occasional crazy cage driver wanting to race around corners at 110 mph to try and prove that dying in a cage is much cooler than dying flying through the air for a few hundred feet before coming to an abrupt stop. And of course we can’t forget the drivers who like to take it slow at the worst possible time. We hit the first set of twisties I think between Strawberry and happy Jack. I got excited and my heart started to pump franticly just wanting to go through the turns as fast as my ability will allow me to do so. But we were interrupted by a jeep hauling a small trailer going up about 20 mph slower than I had liked. But that’s ok because it gave me time to take in the scenery going up. We finally got to Happy Jack stopped at a small gas stationed and began to fuel up. I was taking in the backdrop to the gas station. A guy not too sure what his name was walked up to us to take a look at our bikes. We chatted it up with a him for a little while. He said he rides a Ninja 250. After a good half hour or so we parted ways with Derek and Tom and I continued onward.The second stretch was pretty simple. We just cruised at about 70 mph or so enjoying the scenery the cool air and I also enjoyed just thinking away. It was pretty calm all the way up to Sedona. Once we hit Sedona though I was blown away by how the landscape changed so quickly.


The third section from Sedona to Jerome was also pretty calm. May have been a bit boring at some parts but for what came up later made it all worth it. What was cool was Tom pointed out towards the mountains to our right and then starting nodding his head. When I took a look at the mountains I saw Jerome sitting right there on the side of the mountain looking down over us and the entire valley we were traveling through. It took a good 45 minutes before we started once again climbing in elevation. I was getting giddy seeing all the switchbacks going up in Jerome. We had to keep it slow though. Because every switch back was different tier of the city. It was like climbing up stairs. Once we got through Jerome and starting going down the back side of the mountain the road starting throwing all sorts of turns at us. I was tempted to go on ahead but my suspension was not in such great shape for the condition those roads were in. So I held back and decided to wait for the roads following Prescott.

Tom and I got down the back side of the mountain Jerome sat on and we started heading through Prescott Valley. We finally hit Prescott so Tom and I decided to stop in Prescott and have a beer or two (Which I owe Tom a beer) then we hit the road again. Once we got going the road started to throw all sorts of turns at us. And with road conditions at the best I’ve seen all trip long I couldn’t just sit back and take my time anymore. I took off with a smile on my face and the “Come get me attitude” The most exciting part of the day. It was easy to find the rhythm of the road and just sweeping in and out of every turn. Then we hit a small stretch of road that lead to Yarnell’s back side for a descending array of narrow turns for a few miles. After that we headed straight to Wickenburg then off to the Valley. Total miles traveled were just over 400. I’m gonna try it the opposite way next time around. And have more details.

~Hath