Oct
09
At 1500km
Filed Under (Bikeography) by Anthony StClair on 09-10-2008
Svetlana recently crossed the 1500km mark, and it got me thinking about the Ural so far, and what it’s been like having it.
- After my bad corner a while back, and coupled with being away a lot, riding Svetlana again was a little rough. The bike felt tippier, a little unfamiliar, almost as if I was just getting used to having her again. That’s now smoothed out — just takes time, and a clear head, and plenty of riding time.
- Speaking of feeling tippy, indeed she did. I couldn’t figure out how much of it was psychological and how much was physical. I think it was a little of each — as if suddenly I was scared of how Sveta would handle, especially around turns. But again, I just kept getting on to ride, and making sure I was really thinking about my technique. After a few rides, this tippiness feeling has faded. My mind and body remember how Sveta handles, how she feels on corners, and it’s okay.
- Posture isn’t everything, but it’s close. I noticed that whenever Sveta did feel tippy, my posture was off. Straightening up my back, checking the bend and tightness of my elbows, readjusting my hands on the grips — all this helped. Above all, though, being mindful of my posture helped the most. If Sveta felt weird, it was because I was slumping over. The moment I straightened my posture, the handling improved. I’m not saying you could balance a book on my head while I ride — though it’d be an amusing sight — but sitting up straight makes for better technique and a safer, smoother ride.
- Being on TV is fun. Last week, one of our local TV stations did a story about Svetlana, Jodie, Ella and me. I’d never been on TV before, but it was pretty easy. We had a fun time riding around, and it was great to see the story — but even better to hear the fun comments from our friends and family who saw it. The story focused mostly on how sidecar motorcycles, once pretty rare, are making a comeback, and how their appeal goes far beyond the stereotypical “biker”.
All in all, these first 1500km have been fun and challenging, and I’m stoked for more. I’ve got another 1,000km to go before I attempt to do Sveta’s next maintenance interval, and that I’m sure will be an interesting bit of posts (albeit with most of the swearing edited out). For now though, I’m getting in all the fall riding I can, and enjoying these last clear skies before the rains return to Western Oregon.
