The original plan was to take my Honda NX 250. Everyone I've talked to (except Frank at Justine's--thanks Frank!) has responded with either laughter or scoffing to my choice of chariot. "A 250!? Are you crazy!?" Yeah, yeah, I know. But that little bike can haul ass. It's a luxurious enduro bike...liquid-cooled, electric start, soon to have a gimbaling coffee mug holder. I painted it burnt orange when I lived in Minnesota. Burnt orange: the color of autumn fashion in Wisconsin woodlands, the color of 1970's interior design, the color of my hair in fluorescent lighting, the color of spray paint at Home Depot that offended my eyes the least, the color that is not too flashy and not too much like urban camouflage...and...the main color of one of the most popular university athletics campaigns, the University of Texas Longhorns. What a coincidence; it's almost like I was meant to move to Austin. After riding the little runt around town and getting strange hand signals (which I later determined had to do with the Longhorns), I decided to roll with it, despite my opinion of sports: a ritual parody of the primate territorial imperative (thank you, Mr. Robbins). Anyway, because I am obviously a lady...well, a female who tries pretty hard sometimes...and because I wanted to deter thieves from stealing my tiny motorcycle (one could practically carry it under one arm)...I decided to do some detailing on the bike, working within the Longhorns theme. I redesigned the Longhorns logo to look more like what I've always thought it looked like: a Uterus. And because I am painfully clever (read: embarrassingly dorky), I rearranged the overlapping UT letters into the word UTerus.
The Uterus will be staying in Austin |
Enter the GS
It was around that time that my friend Alan busted onto the scene with his resourceful connections and super-human powers of persuasion. A custom furniture maker friend of his, Jamey, who lives in Marfa, TX had contacted him wondering if anyone would be interested in a BMW R100GS. Welly welly welly welly well. It had a lot of miles on it but it had been taken care of for most of its life by a mechanic in Tuscon. Alan and Jamey conversed in a strange technical dialect and it was determined that the bike had a clean bill of health. After a bit of creative financing (how the fuck did I get such a good credit rating?), the bike was mine. The GS came with panniers and it is basically ready to hit the road and it rides like a sled dog....if feels like it is anxious to travel a very long way. Perfect. After a new tire and battery, all it needs is to be lowered about a half inch so I can touch the ground with both feet at stops and maybe put the kickstand down while still sitting on the bike. Aside from the panniers, I have a waterproof duffel for the back and a small tank bag for maps. I will talk about gear later. Oh, and the accessories...wait just a minute before you go calling me one of those BMW gear junkies with the dustproof/waterproof CB-radio-receiver/gps/fuzzbuster/camera/video/intercom/satellite radio/coffee warming pad//hula girl combo attached to the handlebars.
Not going to be like this guy |
Ok, I am kind of a yuppie. I did wire up a phone charger to the battery and I did buy a handlebar-mounted waterproof iPhone holder. Mom, if you are reading this, I promise not to text while riding. I'm going to use it for navigation and trip tracking (research for future, longer rides!).
Riding a bike with a drive shaft (my first) feels very weird in comparison to riding one with a chain, but I can't quite put my finger on why. I'm getting used to it.
t minus 3 weeks...holy. shit.
good stuff. finally, now back from MA, have a chance to peruse your blog. once i get over the horizon of home improvements i currently stare out on, i see a bike....looking for a rider....looking for me. consequently, i'm positively green with envy!
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