Elsa needs new shoes, or my trip to Razee

Think I need new tires? Death of the MT21

Friday is ‘early-release’ day on campus. I’ve always loved that term as it makes it sound like we’ve been on good behavior. When I got home, the boyfriend had saddled up my DRZ and his Transalp each with one of the DRZ’s S wheels. The last trip put some wear on the tires.

We headed down to North Kingstown around 2:30pm, taking the highway because we just wanted to get there as we also had to get to Twisted Throttle before they closed at 5:00 pm.

The boyfriend had texted a friend who was to meet us at Razee. We pull in and unhook the tires. One each, we walk into the service area of the shop which was, naturally, very busy.

Arriving at Razee after hauling the MT21 on the back of the DRZ400SM

We’re standing kind of staggered to each other, me in front, each holding a wheel, waiting for one of the guys to become available. “Can I help you, sir?” says one of the guys. The boyfriend shoots me a look, and I walk up to the counter and say, “Yes, you can. I ordered two tires, one is in, and I’m dropping off the wheels so the tires can be mounted up when the other one comes in.” I felt absolutely invisible. It was a very weird feeling. I suppose I can’t really fault the guy as they deal with more men than women, but really? My bike, my wheels, my tires, my money.

Upstairs we headed to check in with Brendan as I need to discuss sprockets. No, not that kind of Sprockets, motorcycle sprockets. But Brendan was on his lunchbreak. As we were waiting for my friend, we wandered around the shop, looked at some bikes, and talked to some of the other people hanging around, including the guy on the beautifully patina’d old Guzzi. I have a very large soft spot for Guzzis. One day, but I digress.

My friend arrived and he brought presents! I love presents. He had gone to a talk that Jonah Street gave out in Seattle and presented me with a personalized, signed poster of Jonah doing something stupid in the sand. How freakin’ cool is that? Now I have to find a frame and it’s going up in my office. I can just hear someone asking me if that’s me, haha!

Brendan came back from lunch and we had the sprockets conversation. I know nothing about sprockets except that they’re the round spikey thing that the chain fits around to turn the wheels. Jim at work told me that Brendan had “the chart”, and sure enough, he did. So we went back and forth about how the bike is acting with its current set-up of a 15 front, 44 rear and we decided on a 46 rear. The front sprocket didn’t need replacing. That’ll be in sometime next week so hopefully the other tire will come in, as well, and I can go down next Friday and pick everything up. It’s John in Service last day and I want to bring him a treat.

These are both DRZ400SM Suzukis both wearing Avon Distanzia tires. Can you believe it? It looks so tiny.

Next, Twisted Throttle. During the last trip, one of the clips on the Pelicans bags broke when I knocked the Transalp over. So I was hoping that TT could save my bacon and get the boyfriend the part he needed. The boyfriend showed Matt the part and he just sorted looked at him and said, “Uh, we’ve changed the connections on the Pelican cases. Actually, we have even changed the Pelican cases we use.”

I looked at Matt and said, “Um, maybe there’s something laying around?” I really wanted to be off the hook for this and didn’t want to have to shell out for the new mounting system. Success! He found a replacement and gave it to us. Thank you Matt!

We then headed over to my friend’s house to pick up his wife for a ride to get the current RI/CT ADV tag. I knew they had gotten some chickens; what I didn’t realize is how many and that they’re just sort of wandering around their yard. Sometimes I wish we lived rural. Even though Providence residents are allowed to have three chickens, I just think logistically, it’d be a mess. Ugh, we need to fence in our yard so my back neighbor can’t see what we’re doing. She’s so crazy.

Go, little Honda, Go!

Anyway, I said hello to the chickens, even got to feed them. The four of us then headed off on a nice ride that included some dirt roads through the Arcadia Management Area. My friend’s wife is a new-ish rider but that never stops her. We turned off the tarmac and onto the dirt and she didn’t even slow down. Love the spirit!

Beautiful Arcadia Management Area in Exeter and West Greenwich, RI

We stopped by this field filled with dozens of white-tailed deer.

We finished up the evening with some good grub and a chilly ride back to Providence (in July!). I’m not complaining about our cool nights; I just wish I had brought a jacket for under my riding jacket.

Thanks again, Terry, for my pressies!

Elsa’s new durrrrrrty shoes!

DRZ400S wheels wearing Pirelli MT21

I have now made the perfect bike for me, my DRZ400SM lovingly known as Elsa, more perfect by getting a set of ready-to-mount wheels from a DRZ400S adorned with a set of Pirelli MT21s. I should up my life insurance policy. And there’s camping this weekend. What more could a girl ask for?!

Snow and Postie Tires

I walked out the door on Friday morning and it was snowing. Lemme tell ya, I was freeeeeezing by the time I got to work because I had already removed the liners from my jacket and trousers, and my heated gloves were already in my office. Sheesh. New England weather. If I weren’t so lazy, I would have put the liners in, but once you experience a few warm days, your brain does not compute the radio barking “It’s currently 31F in Providence.”

Better red than dead

On a happier note (because I know spring is coming!), Erik put the postie tires on my CT90 on Saturday. We pulled it up out of the basement, pumped up the new tires, and after some kicking (not much considering we did nothing to winterize this little thing), brrrrrrapppp brrrrappp purrrrr purrrr purrrrr. Man, I love Honda. Why don’t they offer more options for new bikes in the US?

I rode up and down the street a few times, trying to remember how to shift it. I think it shift backwards. It seems to be down with the front toe to shift up and down on the heel shifter to go down. That’s opposite of how it’s supposed to work, I think? I’m not entirely sure because Erik’s Trail has been modified with a Lifan engine and converted to manual shift. I did some searching online and it seems a Trail is supposed to be down on the front to shift down and up on the front (or down on the heel) to shift up.

I’ve sent paperwork up to Vermont. I cannot wait to come home one afternoon and find tiny green license plates have been slipped through my mail slot. Will it be LoVermont?

Who needs more than one exit?

New Shoes!

I am loving on my new tires!

New front tire for Elsa (the DR-Z) and new back tire for Franz (the Buddy).

Elsa is sportin’ a sweet Avon Distanzia 120/70; Franz is prancin’ about in some Michelin S1 finery.

Lemme tell ya, it was raining and the wind was blowing houses off their foundations yesterday, and that back tire on the Buddy stuck to the pavement. I put S1s on the Vespa last summer (front and back) and what a world of difference. I wanted to stick to the same 10 inchers on the Buddy to avoid a little bit of confusion (it’s enough that every bike I ride has different controls). But poor Buddy has one white wall in front (OEM tire) and a black wall in back. Can you imagine the poseur horror?

Big shout out to Gil at Razee‘s in North Kingstown. He took the ramblings of a half coherent idiot and turned them into some fine new shoes. I brought both wheels in (Erik is so good, taking them off the bikes for me on Saturday morning so I could still ride to work on Friday and again on Sunday), and had a good chuckle handing over the little 10incher with sweet, black metal of Elsa’s high heel, oops, I mean wheel.

I’ve got pics…will add layder.

And man, Razee’s had the cafe’d out Moto Guzzi V7 in that crazy green. It’s a looker, that’s for sure.