Have You Ridden Yet This Year?

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com

The roads were wet and there were spots of thin fog. There was rain, too, and only a few moments of sunshine. Inside my helmet, there was a wide smile. The first ride of 2011 put it there. Friend Gary Randall and I had talked about riding on New Year’s Day if weather permitted, but I begged off because there was still some ice at the end of the driveway. Some determined shovel work on Saturday afternoon and the overnight showers made taking the bike out for a short ride possible today, though, and five miles quickly became 10, then 15 and then 25. Harwinton to Thomaston to Litchfield and home. The temperatures were in the low 40s, making me wary of unseen ice, but neither one of us were cold. The heated grips on my 1994 BMW R100RT, which hadn’t seemed to work since I bought the bike last spring, suddenly came to life and kept my hands toasty. The windshield and fairings kept most of the rain away from my body. While we didn’t see any other bikes, I suspect we weren’t the only riders out today. Have you ridden yet this year? If not, why not? It’s the only way to ward off the effects of P.M.S. (Parked Motorcycle Syndrome) that are certain to strike soon.