On this day two years ago, to my great excitement, relative fear and mild disbelief, I became a motorcycle owner. Exactly one year later, as I wrote here in my debut blog post on November 1, 2010, those first 12 months had carried me 11,302 miles. On the purchase date of 11/1/09, my “new” motorcycle’s odometer read 6801. On 11/1/10, it read 18103. Today on this auspicious date of 11/1/11, coupled with my slightly different form of mild disbelief, the odometer reads 22681. It turns out these second 12 months have thrown me an underwhelming 4,578 miles of motorcycling distance, a mere 40 percent of the previous year’s amount.
Here's to "Two on Two!"
The mildly disbelieving part here is that I don’t feel I’ve been on my motorcycle any less in the second year than the first. After all, I use it almost everyday as a general form of transportation– granted, on the 7×7 tip of a peninsula for the most part. Obviously, compared to my riding all over L.A. last year, my current typical daily coverage area has been drastically reduced in 2011. No longer am I riding 50 miles in one direction just to have lunch; now it’s all about city stop-and go, save the very occasional jaunt to San Jose, Sacramento, Napa or for a couple special events a bit beyond. Altogether, the mileage just has not accumulated. Brake wear– well that’s another story.
The year-old tires remain unscathed, the brake pads and chain have been replaced, a few more passengers have had their spin, and the only thing my now-proven-faithful SV really needs on his birthday is a bath! As a relatively low-key Halloween passes into history, and while this blog today is one year old, I take this moment to mark a safe, educational and thankful “two on two.”
Now for the start of year three with yours truly in the saddle…
Ryan R. Sanderson 