No more windscreen

On my Friday ride home from work I noticed my windscreen clamp had shifted a little causing 1 side of the screen to lean in at an odd angle. I figured no big deal, I can just adjust the clamp when I get home and be back in business. Remember the saying about best laid plans? Needless to say the problem was bigger than a loose clamp and ended up being more work than it should have to correct. There just isn't enough room on the bars to fit the clamps. So for now I just removed it.

Today was the first ride without it on and it felt really different. It is strange how much air that thing really pushed out of the way and how it effected the ride. With the screen on, it was hard to tell speeds because it funneled air around you instead of hitting you in the chest. This was great for straight line riding but took a little getting used to while cornering. You really had to rely on the tire feel that on smaller tires can sometimes be hard. Without it I now have both the tires and the wind for feedback. So cornering has improved. The other thing is it is noticeably colder while moving. It was 65 degrees on this mornings ride and you felt it. It was a big reminder why I normally wear a scarf.

So what is next. First up is to get more seat time. One day is just not enough reminder why I got the thing to begin with. Second come up with ideas on how to remount the screen. Who knows I may not put it back but  since I have it and am a DIY kind of guy, i.e. too cheap to buy the official one from Lance/SYM, I have to do something with it.This could be the motivation I need to add an analog tach to the scooter and that second headlight. I have always liked the 2 and 3 headlight setups. Going to have to pull out the Ness catalog and see what strikes my fancy.

Bring on the rain

No, this is not me. 

After a long hot summer of drought we are finally getting some rain. Nothing heavy but still reason to ride carefully. So I pulled out my rain pants and jacket then set off to the station. The ride was good with no sliding or stopping problems. Riding on days like this are actually kind of nice. It forces you to really block out the rest of the world and ride. Remembering  what happened over the weekend. No, too busy, dark patch ahead. Got a big presentation on Tuesday. So what, how deep is this puddle? Etc, etc, etc.

Now  looking back on the ride I can think about other stuff. Not work, but gear upgrades. First gloves. I need some wet weather gloves. My current summer ones are cloth backed leather and my hands get a little wet. Decent looking boots. I need to get a second set of boots that I can wear all day instead of having to carry my shoes or leave them at the office. Final thing new rain pants. The current ones I have are fine but they are black with no reflective strips and remember to be seen is to be "mostly" safe.

Guess I have some shopping to do. Stay dry and keep the shiny side up.