Traded In Two, Bought One New

[alanmcorcoran]

Good topic, although I could do without the "left coast" generalization. (FWIW, I spent the first half of my life mostly on the East Coast, and a third of that was in farm country in Ithaca, NY.)

I don't think my issue has anything to do with my surroundings - it's more attuned to what dh alluded to - "the conditioning to be goal oriented." In my case, it has less to do with ambition (I am extremely lazy and am capable of doing damn little of anything for long stretches) and more to do with dealing with mortality. I can't really be sure of the true motivation but I'd venture to say that it goes something like this: "When my number is up, if I've done x and y and z it'll be that much easier to accept." Of course, this is probably not going to be the case. I generally have a hard time accepting any minor setback and death is, of course, the Biggie. Nonetheless, a good deal of my life has been one long "bucket list."

In any case, I enjoyed reading the various takes on this, but the above is probably the main instigator/proponent behind my doing the double century, the marathons, playing the piano in public/keyboards in a band, taking over/running my company, writing/publishing books and learning to ride the motorcycle.
To be sure, many of these activities have, on occasion, provided that certain, elusive joy that comes from doing something well, almost perfectly, on a beautiful day, when everything seems to be going one's way. (I've had some real good days on the slopes skiing for example.) But that is not usually the default for me. I am often caught up in other distractions and many days, I'm just not doing the thing I'm doing particularly well or being all that into it.

Contrary to the back country/backroads purported appeal, some of the the most enjoyable rides I've had on the Stratoliner have been riding home from some coffeehouse/date/rendezvous, on the freeway at 10-11 o'clock at night, maybe with a full moon, moderate traffic. The bike just fees at home on a four lane and it's both relaxing and exhilarating to be out on two wheels astride a beautiful machine perfectly attuned to the task at hand. This is not to say I didn't enjoy some of my completely pointless rides out into the California desert, etc. but I do seem to appreciate my toys and life's little pleasures more when they are integrated into the regular flow of Things I Pretty Much Have To Do Anyway.

[dhgeyer]

Originally Posted by mrlmd1

And how do you convince her to go for "a month or more on the road, whatever it takes, and I'm going to do this"? Either she truly understands your need to go for a long solo journey or she wants some peace and quiet for a month too. Do you take along a Spot Messenger so she can follow your travels online?

How soon 'till all the bags etc. are delivered and attached and you're ready to roll?

When I told my SO after the fact that I had bought a new bike, I used the lame excuse that I wanted a little more fun in my life and I could hone up my riding skills on the Ninja so I could better handle the S50 and she bought it and said "great, go for it, be happy and stay safe" What more could you want out of life?.

Well, it helps to marry the most loving, understanding, forgiving, giving, and agreeable spirit God ever made, I swear. I really got that right the second time around. And, yes, she does understand my need for this. I'm just one lucky SOB, and that's all there is to it. I did have to deal a little. No more major trips for a year unless it's with her. No more big toys for a while. What the Hell, I get my dream bike and my dream trip, I can give a little. She also gets to spend some time away doing some stuff she wants to do while I hold down the fort at home. Our daughter has a condition such that one of us needs to be in town, so I owe her the same total time away, and that's fair.

I don't know what a Spot Messenger is. I have my Blackberry, and intend to do a blog while I'm on the road, with pictures. And we talk pretty much every day while either of us is away.

Sounds like you have a great SO, too! It's the most important thing a man can have, and that's for sure!

I just discovered this morning that the handlebars on the BMW are the same diameter as on the GZ250. So, I took the little Spitfire windshield off the GZ and put it on the Beemer as a temporary measure. So, I can get out for a ride as soon as the roads dry out, possibly later today. The big Cee Baily is supposed to be in in a week. The bags, they don't know, maybe 2 weeks, but a month at the outside. I need to put 600 miles on it and get it in for its initial service before I can leave on a long trip. I'm going to let the dealer do that first service. Those first 600 miles will take a while. It's January in New Hampshire. In January and February, I'm lucky to get out at all. Last year there was not a single day in January with the roads safe for a motorcycle. So this trip isn't imminent.

All in all, I'm thinking May or early June sometime would be the ideal time for the trip. There are no real constraints on the Spring or early Summer. I'll look for a window of decent weather, if we get one this year about that time.

Thanks for the good wishes! Much appreciated.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by alanmcorcoran

Good topic, although I could do without the "left coast" generalization. (FWIW, I spent the first half of my life mostly on the East Coast, and a third of that was in farm country in Ithaca, NY.)

OK, apparently my sarchastic brand of "humor" has worn thin with you so I will try to stop that. Sorry.

Are you saying, however, that you think you have NOT been thoroughly urbanized at this point in your life ??

When I was embroiled in the "rat race", I found that the things I got the most pleasure from were those that were the farthest removed from the daily grind.

[mrlmd1]

Look at the post I put on here under GPS and Trip Planning about the Spot Messenger viewtopic.php?f=22&t=1414

You can usually find these things on sale for about $100 (reg price $149) with a yearly service contract that ranges $50-100 depending on what services you want.
You can buy them in a place like West Marine (a boat store) and many other places on online. Check it out, you and your wife and friends may love it to follow your progress.
When one of my friends a year or so ago took one of his trips to Sturgis and his wife and I and and friends could track him every day. I was kidding his wife that she knows where his Spot Messenger is, but she really had no clue where he was (could have given it to his friend he met early along the way).

[alanmcorcoran]

Originally Posted by Easy Rider

OK, apparently my sarchastic brand of "humor" has worn thin with you so I will try to stop that. Sorry.
Are you saying, however, that you think you have NOT been thoroughly urbanized at this point in your life ??
When I was embroiled in the "rat race", I found that the things I got the most pleasure from were those that were the farthest removed from the daily grind.

Although I wouldn't say I'm a fan of sarcasm, I think my irritation is more with unfounded generalizations (directed, or projected, at me) that don't really add any value to the discussion. I'm very reluctant to get into any sort of critical debate here because the general sensitivity and flaminess of this site has caused me to lose interest more than once. I am probably guilty of the same thing, but I try to make an effort to remember my opinions and thoughts are not universal and, while offered, should not be assumed to be true for anyone else.

I probably would have appreciated the contribution more if it was characterized as "here is what I feel (and why)" rather than, "here's what's wrong with you." But really, it's no big deal.

As far as urbanized, I don't think you know much about me, where I live, how I work or how I spend my time. I live in a suburban area that borders the wilderness on one side and is 35 miles from downtown LA. I have a single family detached house in a so-called affluent neighborhood with a yard and a homeowner's association and so on. Hardly "urban." I own my own business, rent an office building six miles from my house and show up at work mostly when I feel like it (yes, part of the "rat race" I guess, but hardly "embroiled" in it.) No freeway travel is required for me to commute to work (takes ten to 12 minutes, maybe 15 on the worst day ever.) So overall, I really don't have any daily grind to escape. Perhaps that is why I feel uneasy about just climbing on the bike and going nowhere in particular. It's not like I need to get away from anything.

[Moedad]

Originally Posted by alanmcorcoran

I probably would have appreciated the contribution more if it was characterized as "here is what I feel (and why)" rather than, "here's what's wrong with you."

You should change your signature quote. :poke2:

[alanmcorcoran]

Good point. That is/was my job, though. Hadn't really thought about it in a while.

[dhgeyer]

Originally Posted by mrlmd1

Look at the post I put on here under GPS and Trip Planning about the Spot Messenger viewtopic.php?f=22&t=1414

Interesting gizmo. Maybe after I master my Blackberry, not to mention the electronics on my new bike....... I'll ask Sue if it appeals to her.

[mrlmd1]

No big deal to get it to work - just one button to push and take it with you. The Google maps online tracking is live and updated as often as every 15 min or can be set to longer intervals. Check out Spot's website.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by alanmcorcoran

As far as urbanized, I don't think you know much about me, where I live, how I work or how I spend my time.

Obviously I know nothing about you except the picture you paint on here.......which is open to all sorts of mis-interpretation.

To that end, my mis-interpretation of this last post paints quite a different picture in my mind than my mis-interpretation of your earlier posts did !! :shocked: O_o

I must admit that I find your posts here to be always interesting, usually thought provoking and, taken all together, to be a little confusing at times. Never a dull moment.