It occurs to me that the casual reader might get the impression that I am forever fussing with my gear at the expense of the motorcycle travel experience.
That thought struck me this afternoon when I recalled my first long ride back in 1986 from Indianapolis to the BMWMOA rally at Monterey, Calif.
I was riding with Tim and Linda Balough, who were experienced long distance riders. They recommended the use of earplugs to minimize the fatigue from wind noise. I declined their offer the first day. Somewhere around the middle of the second day, I believe it was near Kansas City, Kans., I tried a pair of earplugs and I’ve been using them in one form or another ever since.
They didn’t keep me from developing tinnitus but they did make long rides easier.
I’ve been adding amenities and tweaking my style ever since and it’s continuing on this ride. The downside is that the more extensive and complicated your gear gets, the more likely it is that something will fail. Like a GPS cradle or an in-ear monitor speaker. Some things can be fixed on the road, some can’t.
The trick is to let it go and not obsess about what’s wrong while you’re having the glorious experience of travel.
I can do that while I’m riding, but my mind naturally comes back to it when I’m off the bike and blogging.
1 comment:
Yep.
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