Titanic Post

Lately, I’ve been working on my much neglected KLR650 and am now neglecting the V-Strom. Although having two motorcycles in the garage sounds enticing, polygamy is not as easy as you may think. The V-Strom, the newest addition to my family, has been the focus of most of my attention as far as material things go.

I have never thought much about polygamy, at least in the sense of how problematic it could be in practice. In theory, according to the scientific viewpoint, when you are with one, you are not with the other. Metaphysically, I suppose you could be with both at the same time. I do know that you can’t ride two motorcycles at once. Hmmm, I wonder where this metaphor is taking me?

Motorcycles are very sensuous. Most of them have some beauty, although I’m not too sure about the KLR. I guess camels can be comely, too. (It has a hump for a fuel tank.) I finally got around to installing heated hand grips, which is a very sensual thing to have. Visualize cold hands. Now warm ones. See!

There are several other interfacing points other than hands on the grips. The big one is the seat (no pun intended.) Most modern motorcycles seem to be built for 120 pound riders with tiny little butts. Another physical point of contact with the bike is the foot pegs. Serious bikers spend lots of time and money getting to where they can stay in the seat for any length of time. There is another point of contact where the air against presses against the head and body, which qualifies as contact. Once you get comfortable on a bike you can easily stay on it for two to three hours. There is also occasional contact with asphalt, which should be avoided.

My two motorcycles are good at different things. The V-Strom is happiest on paved highways, while the KLR is fond of dirt roads. Each will function in the domain of the other, but without much enthusiasm. I would be hard pressed to choose one over the other, yet, when I prepare to ride one, I have to ignore the other.

Before the ride I check the oil, air pressure, chain condition, and to see if all the nuts and bolts are still tight. The unchosen bike gets nothing. During the ride it is better that I concentrate on what I am doing and not worry about the one left behind, however, if I see a road that would make the other bike happy, I think about how good it would be if we were all together.