Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Signs of spring

Although there is more snow predicted for this week (damn it!), today there were also two signs of spring.

First, I took my first motorcycle ride of the year! I got the DN-01 out of mothballs and rode it down to Mirage -- not a long jaunt, but enough to whet my appetite for more.

Second, while we taking Parker for a walk, Jeannine spotted this crocus on the side of our driveway:




Surely, spring cannot be far away.

Please? -- PL

5 comments:

mikeandraph87 said...

When snow hits my area further down the southern coast I know its in your area.

A few flowers bloomed in my backyard, but now look like their in death's grip with all the cold, rain, and probable snow. Sad thing is instead of flowers constant temperatures breaking 70 will show summer is here and it can't get here any sooner!!

Nice new logo. I ALMOST thought I was at the wrong blog.

Mark H said...

I noticed a bunch of crocuses in my back yard yesterday. It was so nice to see something with color growing out there again. :D
The first bike ride in the spring. Man, I miss that feeling. Had to sell my bike two years back when my car died. I have a couple kids so; a car is a higher priority then a motorcycle right now.
I miss riding. You made me a little jealous. ;) I never heard of a DN-01. I just looked it up on google. What a sharp looking bike. The design is very sleek. It has really nice lines. Is it an automatic? The description said "no-shifting Constantly Variable Transmission, or CVT". I used to have a Suzuki Intruder. I rode that bike for years. I loved it. It was so reliable and easy to maintain. It was shaft driven and, had hydraulic breaks and clutch.
Yes Sir, snow Friday. It's going to be like April 1st 1997 all over again. Remember what a treat that was? I just keep telling myself it will melt fast.
I'm happy you where able to get in a good ride before the snow comes. Have a good one Mr. Laird.
Thanks for sharing.

Adam Riches said...

It's funny as you posted pictures of heavy snow fall the last few months I kept thinking about how fortunate I was to be in Florida, but now as MA is showing it's first signs of spring FL is currently having heavy thunderstorms, hail, and a tornado watch.

PL said...

"‪Mark H‬ said...
The first bike ride in the spring. Man, I miss that feeling. Had to sell my bike two years back when my car died. I have a couple kids so; a car is a higher priority then a motorcycle right now. 
I miss riding. You made me a little jealous. ;) I never heard of a DN-01. I just looked it up on google. What a sharp looking bike. The design is very sleek. It has really nice lines. Is it an automatic? The description said "no-shifting Constantly Variable Transmission, or CVT". I used to have a Suzuki Intruder. I rode that bike for years. I loved it. It was so reliable and easy to maintain. It was shaft driven and, had hydraulic breaks and clutch."

Mark, that Intruder was a V-twin street bike, right? Kind of a cruiser style ride? I've never owned a Suzuki street bike, just one of their dual-sport models, a DR350.

I hope that at some point you can get back on two motorized wheels. I had a ten-year-long hiatus from motorcycling in my late twenties and early thirties, and I remember that it was a great feeling to get back on a bike. I'm kind of reversing that trend now -- this past year I sold most of my motorcycles, and have only four left -- but I don't think I will ever (barring debilitating illness) NOT have at least one motorcycle again. They are just too much fun.

I wrote about the DN-01 in a previous blog post:

http://plairdblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/dn-01-all-dressed-up.html

It is an automatic, and the transmission works so well that I think a lot more motorcycle could benefit from such a setup. -- PL

Mark H said...

"PL said..
Mark, that Intruder was a V-twin street bike, right? Kind of a cruiser style ride? I've never owned a Suzuki street bike, just one of their dual-sport models, a DR350."


Yes sir. Nice little V twin engine. Lots of factory chrome on it. Sleek little cruiser it was. I loved that bike. It was not a very big bike. I had the 800cc. It was a joke among my Harley riding buddies. I was the biggest guy among them, 6’ 2” tall and 200 pounds, with the smallest motorcycle. They used to tell me it looked like I had a tire coming out of my rear end when I was riding it. I did not care though. I had a blast with that bike.

"I hope that at some point you can get back on two motorized wheels. I had a ten-year-long hiatus from motorcycling in my late twenties and early thirties, and I remember that it was a great feeling to get back on a bike. I'm kind of reversing that trend now -- this past year I sold most of my motorcycles, and have only four left -- but I don't think I will ever (barring debilitating illness) NOT have at least one motorcycle again. They are just too much fun."

I know I will ride again one of these days. Probably when my kids are a bit older and our finances permit it. I'm just going through a little hiatus myself. I think I would not have the time to ride even if I still had my bike. You know how it can be when you’re raising a family. Time is the luxury you can't afford the most.
You are right though, they are too much fun.