It always happens when you've got someone riding bitch. "Bonk", as their helmet slams into the back of yours.

More often than not, I get it while shifting from 1st to 2nd. My wife is usually paying attention to something going on around her, and is totally oblivious to the fact that that the stop light had just turned green. "Bonk"!

I wear a flat black helmet, and she wears this pink one (yeah, pink). So she's collecting this series of black scuff marks on the front. Perhaps it's a badge of honor, a veteran of the back seat.

Sometimes I get the "bonk" while riding down the freeway, in top gear, and smooth sailing. My wife will drift off to sleep back there, because the Ultra Classic is very comfy, and she's kinda protected with the Tour Pak at her back, and my body in front. As she closes her eyes and sinks in to La La Land, "Bonk".

But I'll give her a "bonk" back. When she does this, I'll move my head forward, and then give it a good snap backwards, bonking her in the helmet, and waking her up. I'll usually hear a "wha, huh, who" out of her.

Just yesterday however, I got a different kind of bonk. It was actually a series of three bonks in rapid succession. She knocked on my helmet with her fist, and said "Pull over, now!". So I pulled over to the side of the road, and she jumped off about as quick as she could, and hopped over to a nearby bush. Then she barfed.

So I guess bonks are a good way to communicate on a bike. Based on the circumstances, you'll know if your bitch is not paying attention, is sleeping, or needs to hurl.

Labels: Riding Experiences

Miker Werner, who authors the well read MotorBiker.org, offered an interesting comparison between bikers in Europe and bikers in America:

I spent most my time around Orlando and down to Ft. Myers. During the week, I probably saw about 6 motorcycles, in the weekend I saw probably 50 (most of them in groups, and almost all Harleys). The weather was sunny, sometimes cold, sometimes warm (50-70°).

On my taxi ride back from the Paris airport, I saw probably 500 motorcycles in the 30 minute ride! And the weather was freezing and wet !!!

Labels: Biker Life, Riding Experiences