Changes

Upon arrival in Red Bluff last night it came clear that some things have changed since my last ride. On the way up through the flat Central Valley (likely glaciers retreating?) my mind wandered. All the other riders had newer bikes. I test-sat a BMW RT1150 when I bought the electric scooter. But money for two bikes were too tough for me to gurgitate into their cash register.

Then again, that reverse gear! Cruise control. Maybe, I thought, once I had finally hit the open ocean after the Bay Area, I should have done it. And when you start thinking like that, with several hours of riding ahead, your thoughts drift. There must be BMW motorcycle shops in NORCAL? Or Oregon? Maybe bikes are actually cheaper there? The Pony Express riders changed horses, why not I?

Prudence and reckless urges kept trading places; all along the way. Until I got off the bike for gas, and noticed my body. My back, the weird sensation in one of my fingers, an odd cramp in my hip, and I figured: a new bike makes no sense at all.

Getting off at the Red Bluff Best Western I was alone, back pain. And my thinking had changed: how about I sell this bike tomorrow, and take the bus back?

After a large Applebees Marguerita, a nice waitress, and the chicken with shrimp that looked healthy on the picture, but came swimming in the grease that had softened the onions, I decided to postpone the decision.

Steffi and Eli provided encouragement via Zoom, which was great and effective. The Zoom also featured Milo, my grandson, who wanted the join me into his screen to give me a hug.

Alcohol is effective against thoughts of quitting

Looked healthy on the photo. But those onions needed grease to soften…

There actually is a bike store in town. Just say’n, Though it seems focused on ATVs.

What’s Different

So, here are some facts and factors that have changed since my last ride. Zoom, for one.
I now carry two sets of glasses…one for riding, one for writing trip entries.

Phone and electric razor are now both charged via electromagnetic induction.

I carry a Yoga strap to stretch my hamstrings (thank you, Elizabeth, who gifted it years ago!)

The best of the changes that mitigates some of the changes is Ibuprofen. 600mg each night, I find this morning, is quite helpful.

Another change is an uncertainty about my bike. No, I‘m not talking about an RT1150. I‘m talking about a #10 wrench that may or may not be part of the motorcycle. Here is why.

See, twice the AC plug slipped unnoticed out of my motorcycle battery trickle charger, causing two full discharges over the past months. The battery is at least as old as 2017, so my engineer friend‘s expression came to mind:

This battery owes you nothing!

The Interstate Batteries lady in Redwood City was stand-offshore, until I found her bonding site: I asked her a question while she was looking up which battery would fit my bike.

Let‘s attend to one item at a time!

… she grumbled.

Once done, I went for the kill:

I‘m so glad you said to do one thing at a time. I can‘t attend to two tasks if my life depended on it. They claim women can do five, and diaper a baby at the same time. I‘m glad you are like me.

Well, she provided me with all sorts of battery related info from there on; with a big smile on her face.

The Ghost Wrench

Here is the installed battery. You see traces of my frustration with the old one: it had no markings at the top. No voltage, no cold cranking Amperes (CCA). BMW likes to keep their bikes tight inside. So getting the damn thing out just to find info that might be on the side is painful. Literally so, as you usually cut yourself on a neighboring part. I wasn’t going to have that inconvenience next time I wanted to apply my new battery analysis instrument to these battery terminals. Yes, I bought a battery analysis instrument from the Interstate Batteries lady.

This time I added all the information a battery should have at its top. Also added are two handles made of duct tape, so I can l

After installing the new battery I noticed that one of the leads was under tension. I spent five minutes considering leaving it that way. I just couldn’t. This was not a clean installation.

So, I repeated the entire procedure. During which one of my two #10 wrenches fell into the bike. And dissolved there. I looked everywhere, short of removing the fairing. If it was there, I should have seen it. But that wrench remains a mystery. An uneasy one at that.

Working along with me were two electricians, installing my charging station. I eventually told them about my plight. No sympathy there:

Electrician 1: That’s what wrenches do. [big smile]

Andreas: But how can I not find the thing in the bike?

Electrician 2: You might find oh-u-t [big smile]

Yes, one of them was Canadian with a sense of humor.

The Constants

The CPAP machine contributes a lot of weight. I have to put it into one of the side cases to make the bike less top heavy.

The shower control still confuses me. Both arrows make sense, and I swear I’ve seen both. But the penalty for getting it wrong can be severe: scalding! Or heart attack from sudden cold.

My trusted disposable underwear and socks. Let’s pretend they are compostable. Or at least: after I’ve worn them for a while in the heat, then they will be compostable.