was First Ride, now fork seal cleaner tool & back to first ride.

[masonjs at nrtco.net]

I got out on my first ride of the season today.
It was a spur of the moment thing.  My wife and her sister had gone to 
a 65th birthday and retirement dinner for our brother in law in Port 
Elmsley about 175 km (110 miles away.  I cut the lawn and thought hell 
I'm up for a free prime rib dinner I'll take the bike.  First I had to 
find it under a mountain of yard sale crap.  Added air to the tires 
lubed the chain then went to get my gear.  I found Levi my labrador 
had eaten  my left cold weather glove.   All I could find was my right 
hand skidoo glove.  I fpound a pair of elk skin gloves that I  from 
Steve Northrup.  It was 16C (62F) I figured these'll do.  Not thinking 
I'd be returning in of the evening.
It was a beautiful day so I rode over to Calabogie and took 511 the 
Lanark road..  50 km of twisties.  After 3 hours I managed to make it 
to Port Elmsley and supper.  By the time I was ready to leave the 
temperature was 4c (40F).  I had packed long underwear but not my 
electric vest.  I scrounged a pair of snowmobile mitts from the host 
and took off.  The darker it got the colder it got.  A stop for gas 
and 1.5 hours later I pulled in the driveway.  Both my knee caps were 
nearly frozen.  I've had this before and dropped my old Yamaha 650 
twin in Kirkland Lake when I stopped and my frozen knees wouldn't move 
.  I remembered this and as I rolled into town I removed my feet from 
the pegs and moved my legs around .
I'll have to install my heated grips.  I'm glad I had the mitts.
Still a cold ride is better than no ride.


Jim