NOBODY PRESIDENT TO STEP DOWN

This week at the International Motorcycle Club Symposium in Puke Iowa Kickstand announced that he will be stepping down as the President of the Nobody Motorcycle Club on November 30, 2034. " I am planning on riding a motorcycle for the last time on that day", explained Kickstand to a standing room only crowd. "I don't feel it is appropriate to continue as the President when I am no longer riding motorcycle". When asked if he has chosen a successor Kickstand explained " To the best of my knowledge my successor has not been born yet."


Kickstand will be 85 years old on that date of retirement.............any guesses what he will look like at 85?

INQUISITIVE RIDING

The riding season is slowly approaching the Northland. Maybe you are well along in your neck of the woods. Before the season gets too far along I would encourage you to think about what you want to accomplish this year. No, I'm not talking about setting some type of mileage goal or even planning specific trips, but rather how you are going to approach your time on your bike.

Bike safety and skill building are a couple of things to consider, but I've got some thing a bit different for you to contemplate.



So how about sitting down next to me for an hour or so and consider Inquisitive Riding.

First I would like you to make a little list of things you wonder about, things you would like to understand or even things that puzzle you or perhaps confuse you. I'll give you a few examples:

1. Why do low pressure cells rotate in a counter clockwise direction in the Northern Hemisphere and in a clockwise direction in the Southern Hemisphere? I know the answer to this one.....but it still is a cool question.

2. How can humming birds migrate to South America from Northern Minnesota?

3. Why is it that my wife is correct 97% of the time?

4. How can matter pass through our bodies and not hurt us? I'm talking about neutrinos.

http://www.sno.phy.queensu.ca/sno/neutrino.html

5. Where did matter come from in the first place, if there is no God?

6. Where did God come from?

7. If intelligence is so important to us humans, why are many of the happiest and wisest people I know rather simple minded?

If you are having trouble coming up with any questions of your own, you need to get out on your bike and clear out your head so you have room for some seemly useless questions. By the way they are not useless. In fact this cycling season you can use your bike riding to help you see the world in a new way.

Inquisitive Riding is a mental process which uses motorcycling to trigger and stimulate thoughts that are; original, creative, unusual, deep, that are different than those one usually has and progressively more detached from one's own life experiences.

Now I must warn you that I am not suggesting that you allow cycling to become a heavy, arduous mental experience. In fact Inquisitive Riding, further promotes the shear joy of cycling.

Are you ready?

Here is your first exercise. I actually hate using the work exercise as it connotes work. Let call it your first IR

Get on your bike and ride for at least one hour. This ride must not have any purpose other than riding. You may choose a specific route, but if you are able to simply pull out of your driveway and start wandering that would be best. Simply enjoy the ride. If at any time a random thought comes to mind capture it. It is important that this thought is totally random. Make sure it is not any thing to do with a responsibility you have such as I need to clean the garage today or to do with a problem you are wrestling with such as my son is not listening to me lately. When you have started to understand the IR process you will be able to spin off a more practical thought in a new direction. Let's just say you captured this random thought: " That railroad track looks like a musical instrument". Instead of trying to figure out why that thought crossed your mind allow it to take you for an Inquisitive Ride. You could go in a number of directions and actually as you become more willing to just let it go you will be surprised where you end up (both on your ride and your mind's travels). I don't want to specifically tell you what your next step should be.....but if you are still a bit fuzzy about this entire IR process let me make a few suggestions:

1. You could make up a song about the railroad track

2. You could back track back to the track and stare at it for a while (you never know what might come down that thar track (either in your head or for real)

3. You could ponder, if railroad tracks were made out of licorice what would some of the advantages and disadvantages be and would the candy industry be any different?

OK at the end of your first IR, don't worry if you really didn't get any where, because it take time to be willing to get lost. If you did have some rather unusual random thoughts, don't try to convert them into anything useful or to analyze them. You don't need to show any thing from you ride or from your thoughts.

Until next time " Take a ride without reason".

THE MOTORCYCLE BACK THERAPY INTERVENTION

Science is a wonderful thing! It is often hard for me to understand how people are able to study and learn so much about our physical world and about our own bodies. Since I am a rather dull person who barely made it through kindergarten, I am always impressed with the smarts of others. Recently I became interested in back therapy interventions. As I am prone to do, I was consumed by the subject; reading, researching and studying for countless minutes. Here is the Nobody's take on how motorcycling fits into back fitness. First it is important to understand the Alexander Back Techniques. A good place to get started on this study is: http://markjosefsberg.com/alexander-technique/alexander-technique-posture-exercises

Then you need to learn about the three different motorcycle rider positions. As each requires a different application of the Alexander method to your motorcycle exercises.

A good place to start is here:

http://www.msf-usa.org/imsc/proceedings/b-Smith-ThreeDimensionalAnalysisofRiderPosture.pdf

After becoming well versed in the Alexander method and understanding the various aspects of motorcycle rider posture. You are ready to apply my motorcycle back therapy interventions while riding. I suggest you start with a 25 mile ride and over a two week period work up to a 1,000 mile ride.

The Interventions

1. Loose Head: using the Alexander hinge flex with motorcycle posture 3 and 7

2. Loose Lungs: using the Alexander rib rise with motorcycle posture 1

3. Free Heart: using the Alexander chest sculpt with motorcycle posture 4

4. Jello Abs: using the Alexander valley breathing with motorcycle posture 5 and 6

5. Swivel Hips using the Alexander gate swing with motorcycle posture 2

6. Twinkle Toes using the Alexander star rise with motorcycle posture 3

You will be amazed at the improvement in your back health and your ability to ride hundreds of miles without stopping. If you have any questions just email me.

SIMPLE MAINTENANCE

If you want to save money and get to understand a little more about your motorcycle, consider starting to do some of the simple maintenance jobs on your bike. A good start is to change your oil. This involves: draining the oil, replacing the oil filter and filling the crankcase with new oil. Dirty Deeds Yamaha 250 Exciter only requires a few tools to remove the filter (center of picture), and drain the oil (note oil collection pan). The drain plug is removed from underneath the engine. I am a loyal Amsoil synthetic oil user. It was the first synthetic oil and it was invented by a local fellow who is still producing his synthetic oil products in Superior Wisconsin. http://www.amsoil.com/company.aspx/ Superior is just across the Saint Louis River from Duluth.

This oil is terrific, and because of it's extended life it is reasonably priced.

One only needs a few tools to change a motorcycle's oil, so you don't have to invest much. The amount you save doing the oil change yourself will recover the cost of the tools after a couple of oil changes.

Some type of funnel is very helpful also, especially if it has volume marked on the side, but a paper filter found at a gas station island will do the trick also.

If you want to get technical a torque wrench is very nice to have allowing you to make sure you are tightening the oil plug tight enough. And a service manuel for your bike will be a great investment as you choose to do more maintenance jobs on your cycle.

The first couple of times you can have a friend help who is familiar with changing oil and filter.

So go for it. Remember you can always call Kickstand for help.

LETS RIDE

It has been a chilly April, but it is time to ride. Some years it is hard to get the first ride in, because the will to get out and ride to work on a frosty morning is a little weak. But like any thing a little momentum goes a long way. This week I started riding, just twice so far, but tonight as I was riding home my biking juices started flowing. I'm hooked. I will be riding my 125 for a few more days while I get Dr. Fuji ready for the season. Have one "new" right muffler to install, and also need to change oil, final drive gear lube, and install my newly reupholstered seat. So if you still have some maintenance work to do on your bike, get it done and start riding. Don't wait for perfect weather to get your cycle juices flowing, just start riding and you will be getting the 2011 season started.