Corbin seat

Uncomfortable

My one complaint with Lucille has been just how spectacularly uncomfortable the stock seat is.  I mean, come on, BMW.  You have a reputation and can do better.  Right after I bought her, I had a Corbin custom seat put on Lucille.  While the seat is super comfortable, they were unable to wire it for heat, as the original was.  They could have cut the cord from the stock seat, but that would make the stock seat unsellable. They told me to buy the cable and they would install it for free.

The Corbin seat is really comfortable, but not heated.

Cold

I went to the local BMW motorcycle dealer.  I told them what I needed, they ordered it, I bought it, and drove it all the way to Hollister.  That’s about 410 mile round trip.  I picked a day that was beautiful, but very cold.  When I left the house about 0815 and it was 38 degrees.  Today would be a good day to try out all the clothes I planned to take on the trip, as well as test out my plug for the bike.  I wore a base layer of wool, my synthetic shirt, hiking pants, heated jacket, jacket liner, motorcycle jacket, motorcycle pants, wool socks, motorcycle boots, and my new winter motorcycle gloves.  While I was cool, I never felt the need to plug in the jacket, though I did turn on my heated grips.

Enjoying the ride

I had a blast riding down.  The sun was shining, the traffic wasn’t bad, and I just had fun.  It never got above 60 degrees, but it was still really nice.  It took 3 and a half hours to get there, and everyone was at lunch, so I had a wait.  When they finally got to me, the technician told me I had brought the wrong cable.  He showed it to me, and I was irritated that the BMW dealer sold me the wrong part.  A 3 and a half hour drive and an hour and a half wait to find out I had the wrong part?!?  Then I thought about how nice it was to spend the day riding in the nice weather, and I couldn’t be upset.  I hopped back on the bike and started for home.

The part that needs a plug.

By now it was in the low 60s and I had turned on my music to ride home with.  What a great ride.  For the first time riding Lucille, I wasn’t worried about dropping her or of doing something wrong, I was just enjoying myself.  It felt great to have some confidence back.  It’s hard to believe I’ve ridden motorcycles for so long, without a care in the world, and in my old(er) age, with a very expensive bike, I’m afraid like a newbie.  I guess these things can happen to anyone, but it felt great to ride like I used to.

Clutch

I ran into some heavy traffic on the way into Stockton the first time and again in Stockton on the way home.  There never seemed to be a reason for going from 75-0, but there it was.  In an attempt to feel more comfortable with my clutch, I used it all day, for every shift.  Lucille has a quick shifter, so I don’t need to use the clutch, and I haven’t since I got her.  The trouble is, I’ve had trouble learning where the friction zone is due to lack of experience with the clutch.  Of course the quick shifter is much easier on my troublesome left hand, but I’ve paid the price with my learning curve.

Mileage

Besides the beauty and joy of a day on the bike, I got to ride over 400 miles in a day.  While most of my days on my trip are in the 350 range, there are a few that are a bit longer, and it was a good test.  I got home and I wasn’t exhausted.  The drive including my wait was less than 9 hours and I still felt good when I got here.  While this was only one day, it’s a good indicator of how I’ll do on my trip.  The daily mileages are going to be completely doable, and while I may have days where I’m tired, I think I’ll be okay.

This drive has definitely led me to think that I will do long rides, weather and the goat and alpaca shearing schedule permitting a lot more before my trip.  I’ve ridden long rides before, but usually only one long day at a time.  If I can line up some long trips, I can do them back to back, coming home each night.  That practice is better than nothing, and after my years of backpacking, I know how to set up a tent!  Also, knowing myself, I think I’ll be good with the days I’ve planned and the two day stays on the schedule.

A sad change

The one thing that has changed on the trip is my BFB’s beloved sister Sally died of COVID-19, just before Christmas.  She was such a wonderful person and has left a hole in all our hearts.  As her husband was unable to hold a celebration of life for her on account of the continuing pandemic, he decided to set one up for early June.  Initially, this would have been 2 days after I left the area. However, I changed my plans slightly so that I too could attend.  This will mean staying in Michigan for a few extra days, and that is okay with me.  I’m happy I’ll get to be with the family.