The First Ride-Manderschied Castle

5 May 2008. The Wing has been licensed for about 3 days now, but Mother Nature has not been forgiving. That is par for the course here in the Eifel region, but today is different. The sun has crested over the horizon, taking the chill out the pre-dawn air. My family is still sleeping soundly, so I seize the opportunity to get out and start working the kinks out of the aging bike. As I roll out of the driveway, and past the cobble stones on my street, I realize how good it feels to be riding again.

I turn left onto the B-50, the main thoroughfare through our region, and feel a twinge of nervousness run down my spine. It has been almost two years since I have really ridden, and I am just hoping I did not screw the bike up too bad. It ran great when I took it apart, but something had to be done about the looks. As I roll out if my village, I begin to settle down and get into a groove. I accelerate through the gears along the south side of the airbase, letting the bike find a happy cruising speed. The first of a series of roundabouts is fast approaching, and I down shift in preparation. Sufficiently slowed, I enter the traffic circle and roll on the throttle. The bike responds almost instantly, seeming to know what I want to do. It drops to the left and seems to squat down into the lean. The tires, now getting warm, grip hard as I pick up speed. Suddenly, a loud scrape startles me out of the lean. As I exit the roundabout back onto the highway, I look down for damage, and slowly realize what happened. A mile up the road, at the next circle, I do it again. I begin to think I may need to keep a spare set of foot pegs if I am going to keep dragging them. You could not wipe the grin off my face if you tried.

I continue past the base and over the autobahn. The roads are opening up now, no more circles, and almost no traffic. I press on through the German farm country, soaking in the bright sunshine, and crack my visor to smell the spring bloom. The fragrance of pine trees, morning dew, and fresh flowers fill my helmet for a brief moment. For the first time in a long time, I feel free. As I ride through village after village, I am taken back by the beauty of this country. They value their open space, and it makes for dramatic scenery. The Germans also love to drive, which means roads never go in a straight line.

As I near the village of Manderschied, I see the road sign indicating curves ahead. I down shift again, making sure I have the RPM's and torque ready to pull through the corners. For the next 5 miles, I toss the bike through a series of switchbacks, interrupted only by brief periods of straight road, dropping and climbing through the rolling valleys. This is why I ride a motorcycle. My mind finds a degree of focus as I roll through the turns, trying to choose the best line. I tune out the world. The wind noise in my helmet seems to fade away, my ears tune in to the growl of the engine and tires on the road. My sight narrows, seeming to highlight the line I need to follow. My body becomes part of the bike, we move as a single unit through the corners. Only my head seems to be moving, looking through this turn into the next. It almost becomes a form of meditation, and the weight of the world fades away.

The switchbacks end as I approach the village, and I roll through town to my final destination. The trip is about the ride, not where you end up, but it is nice to be able to take some neat photos. I arrive at the ruins of a 17th century castle, a nice backdrop for my first real ride. I get out my iphone and snap a few pictures, and climb back on and get back on the road. I am determined to get through the switchbacks with a little more precision this time, as I head for home.

I love riding a motorcycle......

The Beast and the Beauty

It is a crisp May morning, and dawn is just breaking over the horizon. I just finished my morning run, and I strain to heave my heavy machine off it's center stand. The 25 year old suspension groans as the full 800 lbs settles onto the wheels. This old Goldwing has seen a lot of miles, most of them put on it by my father. He purchased the bike when I was six years old, and I remember riding home on it that day. Now, 20 years later, it has been handed off to me. Most thought it's time had come, and it was time to get something new. The local Harley riders mocked it, all the way to the bank with their monthly payments. My friends all thought I was nuts to be willing to be seen on the "old man's bike". I began to wonder myself, but every time I started it, I could not help but know that it had life left in it. beneath the cracked, duct taped, and faded fecal brown body work, was a beautiful bike. The motor was strong, always ready to answer a twist of the throttle. The 1100cc Boxer motor just begged to be run, seeming to get stronger the harder you pushed it. It would still almost seem to want to lean into the corners ahead of me, picking the best line through the next curve before my mind could process it. I knew something had to be done to bring this beast back to it's true beauty.

This cool morning is going to be my first real ride since bringing the bike from the brink of death. Gleaming in the morning sun, it seems to enjoy the stares as people pass by. The bright blue body work sparkles with each glint of light. The dark silver accents perfectly where chrome used to be. The flat back motor and pipes help keep it from screaming "Look at me!" too much. I spent a year and half painstakingly going over every detail of the bike. I made sure every small item was painted, and that the clear coat was as perfect as I could get. It was an education, teaching myself to paint, and tackling mechanical tasks that terrified me. As I roll out of the main gate of the base, and onto the German back roads, I realize why I did it. I understand now why my dad enjoyed this thing so much. As I work through the gears, each shift solid and smooth, I feel like I have been reunited with an old friend. The beast of a Goldwing given to me, has truly become a thing of beauty.

This blog will chronicle my adventures with the Goldwing as I travel around Europe and who knows where else. I may also muse about mechanical trials and triumphs, and whatever else may be going on in my world. I will try to keep it all related to the motorcycles and wandering around the world.

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