Constraints When Riding

[VersysRider]

[ARTICLE]By JT Pedersen

At motorcycle rallies, it is commonplace to see everyone's TV turned to the Weather Channel, as you walk back to your room.

[idroitex=200]http://www.sporttouring.us/attachment.php?attachmentid=113&stc=1&d=1335048789[/idroitex]Twenty-eight years ago, I began doing annual multi-day motorcycle trips. The biggest constraints then were a preference for warm weather, the number of days available, and the cash in the bank account. On a 7, 10, or (if it was a good year) 15 day trip, each day started the same. Get up 6:30'ish, have something to eat, suit up and head out. That was it.

Every day was an adventure. It might start with dark clouds in the sky, no clouds in the sky, or something in-between. During the day, you might encounter any mix of weather and road conditions. You didn't know what challenge you might face. The fact you may encounter cats and dogs falling from the sky were what made it an adventure.

[ENCADRE]Would you ride down this road even though your GPS route didn’t direct you there?[/ENCADRE]Then, the Weather Channel™ was created. What a great thing! Now we could check the weather, see what kind of day we were in for (constraints), and adjust accordingly. Regardless of the prior night's planning, Weather Channel began dictating when we would leave (wait for that storm to pass, and how long?); what direction we'd head (east, that storm's to the west); and, even when we might stop for the day (let's quit early, I don't want to be caught in that).

With weather tools available everywhere now, with up-to-the-second info in the palm of your hand, riders often stay holed up in their rooms just waiting for the temp to come up 3 more degrees.

[ENCADRE]You didn't know what was ahead, so you just went and did it.[/ENCADRE]Finally, there's the GPS. Never a more enabling technology have we had that is, at the same instant, among the most constraining. We can freely wander wherever we want, without fear of getting lost. Yet at the same time, event planners create routes, hand them out to attendees, and many feel compelled to do whatever Ms. Garmin tells them. "We can't go that way; the 'GPS' says to go this way!"

I encourage you, next time you're on a ride, to look past these constraints, and have an adventure, like we used to do before technology intervened.

Never a more enabling technology have we had that is, at the same instant, among the most constraining.

[/ARTICLE]

[wingland]

Weather Channel encourages me to take the long route to ride around storms. Would have never been through East Texas or North LA if not for the Weather Channel. GPS lets me go get lost then about half a day later, hit the 'Go Home' button. I don't see them as constraints, more as enablers for more riding!

[TN2Wheeler]

Well I was supposed to be in the mountains of PA tomorrow but the weather channel is predicting 12" - 18" of spring snow there. I'm on my way home instead. I believe the phrase that fits is "discretion is the better part of valor"

Jim Randall

[HawkGTRider]

With that kind of prediction I believe you showing good discretion.

[stevegrab]

Well I was supposed to be in the mountains of PA tomorrow but the weather channel is predicting 12" - 18" of spring snow there. I'm on my way home instead. I believe the phrase that fits is "discretion is the better part of valor"

Jim Randall

Yeah, I'd say that's a good call.

[VegasVFR]

I was up on the mountain with snow on the side late day with 28 degrres showing..i chose to go down before dark so i could wach for icy spots...kept my speed down until i gotto 40 degree temps... Had no problems...the air felt good. The heated gear worked great....

[Patmo]

I will admit it...I'm a wuss. I have NO desire to ride in snow. ( or to do much of anything else in snow either ).

[stevegrab]

I will admit it...I'm a wuss. I have NO desire to ride in snow. ( or to do much of anything else in snow either ).

And you'll deal with it less in TN than Northern KY.

I hear what Jim is saying, and after I've had a few experiences where I did or was going to skip something because of the weather but it turned out ok, I've tried to let the weather dictate things as much as it used to.

The GPS is still new to me, and I usually follow the routes as provided. But I don't follow it blindly or in cases where I know it is wrong (based on my own reading of maps and road signs).

[Brick]

I often do just go have an adventure... but I do still use the GPS. Where I live there are MANY roads that run off other roads and I've often wondered where they go... well just before I turn on them to find out I do check my GPS to see if the road goes through or if it just ends. So if it just ends BUT it is still curvy I do take it to see. So I think I still have adventures but can now have MORE adventures on each ride.
Last summer I saw one particularly "tasty" looking road and even though it did dead end up a ways I took it anyway as it has some excellent looking twisties. True to it's "look", on the GPS it was a fun but only 5 or 6 mile long road. The end was particularly... hmmm... shall I say difficult. It was up a steep hill and while there was also a round patch of pavement like a small turnaround being up hill AND covered with rather large rocks and me on my rather tall (for me) "Adventure = Super Tenere'" bike... I had some difficulty. Had I been able to see all these hindrances I could have turned around a bit earlier. As it was there I was on an angle with one side way down there and the other side seemingly next to me wondering what I would do. I wanted to back up just a bit to be able to give it some gas and turn down hill. The rather large rocks covering a layer of pea gravel was particularly bothersome. Eventually I gassed it and went for it. All worked out well and I was able to enjoy the 5 or 6 miles of curves on my way out.
Adventure is still out there and I like finding it my way.

Back when I lived in Ohio and well didn't always ride with ATGATT we used to do penny tours... heads you turned right, tails left, if you dropped it or somehow fumbled it you went straight. It worked much better in a car as getting off to get your coin was a pain in the axx. Still fun but you see one corn field you've pretty much seen them all!

Thanks for the write up... good stuff.

[Greg]

If I am on a long tour ( 2 to 3 weeks ) I will always have a route and nightly reservations in advance. But I am always flexible in that routes can be altered and reservations cancelled. I don't like being surprised at the end of the day by $150 room rate at a Super 8 because it is the last room in town. This happened to me in Colorado 6 years ago.