Yippie for the step-son

A blended family with older kids can be quite a challenge. When I met my wife 7 years ago her son was 10. We married two years later. My children had left my home (I was a single parent and raise my two children alone from Kindergarten to HS) shortly before we got married. My stepson Cornelius will be a senior in HS this year. There has never been an issue between he and I to this day. He is not perfect, nor is any one of us, but he has been an absolute pleasure to help raise. When he got his permit for driving the car, I was the one who helped him accumulate the 80 hours of parental riding before he could get the drivers license. I took him for the driving test and was the one there to see the big cheesy grin when he knew he had passed.

So two weeks ago, he got into a motorcycle class that I was the assistant instructor for. There were two open slots for the 4 walk ins trying to get in the class. Luck was on his side as his number was one of the 2 tickets pulled out of the hat to get one of the seats for the class. I would not have manipulated anything to compromise my own integrity. While the other instructor knew he was my stepson, the other students didn't get it until the last day when I had him take some of my extra gear home with him.

Cornelius was apprehensive with his riding during the first 2 days of class. His only riding experience was as a passenger on my MC and on his sister's MC. He picked up the pace and I am proud to say that he was in a three way tie for the lowest riding score for the class. He will hold onto the license waiver until he turns eighteen in February. Then he will has a motorcycle license and I will have a lot a supervised road training with him.

It only takes one

Wipe out and apprehension


Saturday was the 3rd day of a 4 day Basic Rider Course. The rain was off and on all morning. The classroom portion of the course was done and we had just begun the swerve to avoid an obstacle. One student who had not exhibited smooth controls and too much speed the entire course was next. He was going way too fast for the exercise. My co-instructor yelled for him to slow down. The student began the swerve and "grabbed" the front brake. A major low side fall ensued. The student was bruised scraped but okay enough to keep riding. His fall effected the all of the other students confidence. The rest of the day, all of the students were riding with a little apprehension. At least of them now now the consequences of braking and swerving as well as grabbing the front brake. Later in the class the speeds were back up to training levels and 8 of 11 passed the riding evaluation.

More on riding alone

I am into just my 3rd riding season with my Concours. After getting the license and the bike, I joined the Christian Motorcycle Association local chapter Christian Eagles and a local riding club "Shadow Riders" out of Midlothian. My good friend Dave was very involved in the Christian Eagles. He moved to St. Paul almost 2 years ago. My experience with both group have been wonderful and I will continue to associate with both groups. I have received countless mentoring about riding, motorcycles, trips, and group riding. Both groups have weekly rides.


Having settled into my own preferences now, it's hard to take time (what little time there is given work, family, teaching 15 motorcycle classes, etc) to ride with either group. My preference really is to ride alone. The social aspect of the ice cream ride isn't outweighing the internal objections to being part of a staggered formation of motorcycles. When there is time to ride, I find myself satisfyingly on the bike, alone, going wherever and however I want to go.

Need to ride alone

I just returned from American Library Association Annual Conference. Annual was in Anaheim, CA, right next to Disney. The conference was okay and I did get to see lane splitting by motorcycles for the first time. I don't think I would try it with my wide Concours, but on a smaller bike maybe. On the flight out, I came across a nice article in Southwest Airlines Spirit Magazine. The article Why I travel solo resonated with me. When talking with my wife about bike trips I want to make, so frequently asks me wouldn't I want to have another rider along with me. The author hits a few familiar thoughts about solo travel that so appealing, the freedom and lack of consideration that solo travel entails. My daily and familial life is dictated by considering others, I don't my my motorcycle travel be a compromise too.

One screw, one and a half hours later

Giving my Concours a much needed bath, I noticed that the rear fender assembly was loose on one side. I found the culprit screw that was completely unscrewed on the left side of the rear end. I tried to start the screw into the fastener for twenty minutes without removing anything on the bike. Then with a Clymer Manual in hand, I remove the side luggage, the side luggage posts, the side luggage bar, the top case, the top case mounting plate, the mounting plate spacers, the bungee hooks, and finally the rear fairing to reveal and give access to the screw and fairing u-nut for the rear fender. The u-nut wouldn't line up for me. Luckily, I had ordered a supply of fairing u-nuts when I ordered the black stainless steel screw set for the Connie. Once the new u-nut was in place the screw went right into place and the rear fender assembly was secure. While frustration simmered during the process, I felt a sense of accomplishment by taking so much of my motorcycle apart and back together. Far from a waste of time.

Teaching for vacation

With my wife having relatively less vacation than I do, my vacation accruals are usually on the high side. The university is going to a system that will not allow us to carry more than 247 hours and I was sitting on close to 300 hours. Therefore, I signed up to teach 2 daytime Motorcycle classes at Joliet Junior College, one in June and one in July. The daytime classes run from 9-1 M-F. Last week was the first class. The facilities and set-up are great with one minor exception. The container for the motorcycles is a good distance from the range. The students have to push the motorcycles maybe 300 yds. The real downside is that to transition from the range to the classroom takes a solid 30 minutes. The class had the best passing ratio for me yet. 11 of 12 students passed the course and will receive the license waiver.

After each class I had an opportunity to stop and see my wife at work. Since she works in Joliet and I work in the city, this never happens. We were able to go to lunch a few times last week as well.

One other bonus was that I had time to drop by Conrad's HD Buell dealership in Joliet. Their shop is new and huge. I was able to demo ride the Buell Ulysses XB12XT while I was there. I like how the bike handled and the ergonomics. This version has the 3 hard bags. The heat from the exhaust was cooking my right leg. I mentioned that to the sales guy and he said that all motorcycles are hot on the legs (not mine of course).

Wedding Anniversary

Well it has been 5 wonderful years of marriage so far. The anniversary was celebrated with a weekend getaway to Galena, IL. So why post this on my MC blog you may ask. While we drove the Hyundai Santa Fe, I was surrounded by motorcycles all weekend. The frequency of them increased once past Rockford, IL. The terrain after Rockford begins to have gentle rolls and progresses to nice twisty hills with great views popping out here and there. The majority of motorcycles being ridden were Harleys. From the beginning of my MC riding, Harley's weren't a good fit for me. So I can't tell you what is a soft tail, electra glide, etc... Don't get me wrong, I appreciate Harley Davidson motorcycles and those who ride them, my riding style (or lack thereof) and budget will keep me in sport touring for awhile. But I digress.

My wife commented on the lack of riding gear and helmets on the great majority of riders. The exceptions were often on sportbikes, Goldwings, or European steads. Abigail saw for the first time just how many women are out on their own rides. She asked she needed to get a license and her own bike. My reply, only is that is what you are wanting to do, no pressure from me. Abigail's comfort would be the only reason that I would get a Goldwing or Yamaha Royal Star Venture. They aren't the kind of bike that I want to ride and Abigail knows it. For now, the Connie will suffice until it's paid off.

Below is a picture of a row of bikes parked at the hotel we stayed at in Galena (Ramada). They were all Harley's and giving into stereotypes when were arrived late Saturday evening, I figured the swimming pool would be full of tattooed dudes. The pool was empty. Sunday morning, I noticed a number of women in riding apparel, jeans, boots, Harley jackets, etc... Then outside it was apparent that all of these Harleys were owned and ridden by women as they were drying off the bikes from the overnight rain. It should have surprise me. In motorcycle class that I just finished teaching, 8 of the 12 riders were women. Diversity of all type is great!



Planning to get to Galena, I recommend the Galena Ramada. The hotel has a nice sized property behind the actual hotel with gardens, a pond, and large decks. This time we ate at Vinnie Vanucchis and Fried Green Tomatoes. The roast duck at Fried Green Tomatoes was the best dish all weekend.