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July 16, 2006

Sunday Drive

You know something? Going for a Sunday drive is a lot of fun.

Two weeks ago, I bought myself a 2006 Honda Shadow (I'll get to the buying experience in a second, but bear with me for the moment). The bike is a necessary part of my Grand Plan to ride the four corners of the United States with my father in 2008. I've had a motorcycle endorsement for better than 13 years now, but it's been nearly a decade since I owned my own two-wheeled deathtrap. So I thought it prudent to get the bike now, get comfortable on it, and figure out the quirks so I'm able to focus on the road (and not the machine) over the course of our 12,000-mile journey.

Now, I haven't owned any kind of motor vehicle since December '03, when my Jetta got totaled. Since then, I've been a committed (fanatical?) transit rider/walker, taking the bus to work and walking all over Seattle (this also makes me, according to Knute Berger, a mooch).

I don't want to use the Shadow for commuting: it's purely a recreational vehicle. This is partially because the bike is so frickin' impractical for work (when you get dressed up in all the protective gear and whatnot, you a) look like RoboCop and b) are guaranteed to have wrinkled anything you're wearing underneath), and also because the bus really is more convenient, especially when I'm heading downtown after work for a Storm game or to have dinner with friends.

With "recreation" in mind, I've been taking the bike out the past couple of Sunday mornings for rides around the city and the region - out to Woodinville on 520, say, or zooming around Mercer Island. Today, for instance, I spent a good hour or so riding north to Greenlake, around the lake, back down into the city core on the Viaduct, and finally around Cap Hill and home.

It's a total blast.

There's a wonderful, simple joy of taking an aimless, Sunday-morning drive around the city. Nowhere to be, nothing in particular to do, no errands to handle - just you, the road, and the machine. Want a coffee? Want to pull over to visit a park? Want to just take it a little easy and marvel at Mount Rainier on a sunny day? No problem; just do it.

(Oh, hey -- I'm looking for riding partners, too: Vaitkadamus has a bike, and he and I are talking about some good Sunday-morning excursions. If you're interested in joining me, let me know.)

So. The bike. It's a gorgeous (see photo) Honda Shadow Aero 750. I bought it from Mac's Cycle in Clarkston, Washington on Friday, the 30th. I packed my motorcycle helmet, flew to Spokane, hopped on the back of my dad's BMW at the airport, and we rode the 120 miles to the dealership.

(Math-oriented readers might suspect that "a flight to Spokane" plus "120 miles" is a long way from Seattle. You'd be right. If you want to know where Clarkston is, just imagine a point in space that's as far away from Seattle as you can get without being in Idaho or Oregon, and you're pretty much there. If you need more detail, Google Maps can help. Why'd we choose Mac's? Because my father likes the guy who runs it, and they gave me a great deal. Relationship selling strikes again!)

After doing the paperwork (and picking up the Kevlar-reinforced jacket, boots, and pants - you can't be too careful, kids), Dad and I hit the highway. We zoomed down SR 12, past Chief Timothy Park, switched on to the 260 and continued on to the 261. We called it a night after about 120 miles, packing it in at the M&M Motel in Connell, Washington.

The next morning we were up and off at 7 AM, riding up toward Moses Lake, past Ephrata and on to Waterville. We parted ways toward Wenatchee and I headed back to Seattle along Highway 2, riding through Leavenworth, Stevens Pass, Skykomish, Gold Bar, and Monroe, ultimately popping out on SR522. The total mileage was 394.5 miles - not too shabby for a weekend trip.

So. I've got the machine, I'm warming up to it, and I'm spending my Sundays in the saddle.

Anyone up for a ride?

(Oh: one final, funny, karmic bit: as it happens, June 30 was the last day of the taxable period for the now-defunct Monorail. And, yep - that means I paid it. Somehow, that seems fitting, doesn't it?)

Posted by Gavin Shearer at July 16, 2006 12:57 PM. Posted to Misc | Travel.

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