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Winterizing My BMW K75 Motorcycle

December 18, 2020 by Scooter in the Sticks 26 Comments

BMW K75 motorcycle in a rural landscape. — Taking advantage of a cold, sunny day.

Winterizing Doesn’t Have to Mean Storage

I’ve never “stored” my Vespa scooter for the winter — draining fuel, adding stabilizer, or pushing the machine to the corner of the garage to wait for warm weather again in the spring. Riding had become too much fun, too important, an obsession that I wasn’t willing to surrender because of winter. So I rode when the roads were clear, piled on protective gear and tools to stay warm, and pushed against the elements in ways that may have been a stretch in terms of risk.

So now I’m looking at how to manage “winterizing my BMW K75 motorcycle.”

The Road

November 2, 2020 by Scooter in the Sticks 17 Comments

BMW motorcycle along a road. — Riding a motorcycle on the long road is a gift to relish.

The Long Road

The road is a text, a dense book waiting to be discovered, examined, and evaluated. Riding opens the door to a learning process that promises a rich reward of experience and insight.

At least that’s how I see it.

I know riders who experience none of these things. Their motorcycle or scooter may be a means to invoke an adrenaline rush. Or perhaps an excuse to socialize. Or posture and strut. While I’ve felt the thrill of adrenaline, interacted with others, and have proudly displayed my hi-viz jacket, none of those actions are what motivates me to ride.

The road is a landscape for learning.

Being Lost

August 5, 2020 by Scooter in the Sticks 29 Comments

1992 BMW K75C — Morning, the best time to ride during the summer.

Flame of Excitement

I’ve been feeling angry a lot lately. Drama, the pandemic, heat, and the everyday noise of living seem to be backing up in my head. Being lost helped clear all that up.

I told Kim I needed a ride. So I got early, took care of the dogs, and walked out to the motorcycle not long after sunrise. The air was cool and I felt the familiar flame of excitement kindle in my gut.

I was going for a ride.

I wonder if, or when, that kind of excitement will end.

I didn’t plan on being lost.

Thoughts on Riding My BMW K75 Motorcycle

July 8, 2020 by Scooter in the Sticks 14 Comments

A scenic view of a central Pennsylvania landscape — A postcard day that suggested a riding my BMW K75 motorcycle.

Post Card Scene

A postcard scene; replete with a bright blue sky painted with billowing white clouds and a sweeping view across a rural landscape whispers to me that I should be riding my BMW K75 motorcycle. For many riders, this is an ideal day for riding. For me, the environment which finds my interest and time for riding a scooter or motorcycle plummeting. My interest in riding is inversely proportional to the temperature. Once the thermometer hits 80F my mind seems to erase the knowledge that there are two-wheeled machines in the garage. Add to that my belief (mistaken) that there is nothing more boring than the light of a sunny day and is it any wonder that from June to September I don’t ride much?

I remember a miserable ride home from the 2011 BMW International Rally in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania when the temperature was well over 100F. The link will give you an idea of the heat encountered that day.

You know, it’s much easier to stay warm while riding than it is to cool off.

Even so, the mental and emotional buildup of life eventually whispers in some deep recess in my mind, “You need to go for a ride.”

So I thought I would share a few thoughts on riding my BMW K75 motorcycle.

Returning to the Moto-World

May 28, 2020 by Scooter in the Sticks 12 Comments

A rural, central Pennsylvania farm landscape — The world I stepped away from two months ago is different now upon my return riding a motorcycle.

Out of the Garage and Into the World

It was a cool, gray day in my little part of the world. Somehow it feels a little different than it did just two months ago when I parked the scooter and motorcycle.

I don’t know how those of you who retire from riding in September and don’t return to it until spring manage. After a six-week riding hiatus due to pandemic restrictions in Pennsylvania I was experiencing no-moto cabin fever.

Still, I felt restricting myself from riding the Vespa and K75 was prudent considering all the unknowns at the time and my own unique immune system quirks which squarely place me in the high-risk category of humanity. One day before the stay at home order was to expire in Pennsylvania I pushed the motorcycle out of the garage and into a new world.

It seemed like an eternity since my last ride.

I tentatively returned to the road riding a motorcycle. My BMW K75.