The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

The long await game was released on 11/11/11. Skyrim, the fifth game in the Elder Scrolls series, continued the theme of open world role playing, stunning graphics, great stories, and very high replay value.

Some nice reference videos:

• Elder Scrolls V Skyrim: Official Gameplay Trailer (live acting)
• Elder Scrolls V Skyrim Trailer (with in game video - yes, it's that good)
• www.gametrailers.com (a bunch of video's including "making of" type)
• Skyrim takes top honors at GDC Awards (but of course!)

Winter Storage

Last ride of the season?

A melancholy day putting the bike away for the winter. On one hand it feels good cleaning the bike up and getting it safe and out of the weather. On the other hand I can't help but think there could be one more great ride during the season.

Unfortunately, the realities of living the the big city means I don't own a garage, and the local rent-a-space is too inconvenient for quick impromptu rides and rather expensive for long winter storage. And so, with a heavy heart, Pepe is mothballed till spring.

(Doh! I forgot the mothballs! Stay away you moths and mice!)

Chilly ride up north

Road stop side in CT

It was a beautiful day, sunny and cool in the low fifties. Admittedly it got bit chilly on the long ride up the highway. And by chilly, I mean there was snow on the ground up north and my seat had frost on it when I finished a break. The trip took nearly seven hours and I ran out of daylight. Mostly the extra time was due to the inevitable traffic around NYC, but also for multiple breaks to warm up. I had dressed warm, lots of layers, but even my "big winter" gloves just couldn't keep my hands warm enough this trip. Next year I'll plan better - or just get heated hand grips.

How fortuitous that my friend Ann had a big bonfire going at my ride's end!

Warm!

Nathan's Famous Frankfurters

Having made it out to Coney Island Beach it was time for some lunch; what could be better than Nathan's Famous Frankfurters?

Yes, for those of you who only know the super-mart version of Nathan's Famous Frankfurters, there IS a real Nathan's at Coney Island. The historical establishment is looking a little run down, but I suppose that is part of the charm. There are always a lot of people in line when ever I've been out that way. I got a cheese dog - ultimate comfort food after fighting my way through irritating traffic and pan handlers - and I have to say it was very good. Messy, but good.

Ride out to Coney Island

A "quick" ride out to Coney Island Beach. The quotes around the word quick are because the 20 minute ride took well over an hour. Got to love NYC traffic. In this case, the traffic was due to people slowing down (or rather in the case of several motorists, failing to slow down and rear-ending the car in front of them) to look at the surf crashing over the break wall near the highway.

The photo, which is not of CI, is from a road side stop off of the Belt Parkway over looking Gravesend Bay.Very pretty, worth the stop, and not just because of hand cramps up from riding the clutch. Unfortunately my photo doesn't seem to have captured the spray ... use your imagination, crashing waves, gusting winds, then yell "Pepe! get away from that salt water!"

Some minor plans

Clean profile with solo seat

Some random thoughts on making minor improvements to my FLHTP:


Windscreen

With the stock windscreen I got wind buffeting when over 60 mph. I don't know if this is normal for others, possibly I just have a taller than average torso, but it's a real distraction. Looking for a taller windscreen.  However, previous experience with a large windscreens has shown there is a very narrow sweet spot between not enough and to much - the later can lead to an annoying vacuum effect that pushes you into the screen/bar for endless push ups. Considered an after market windscreen that is higher but narrower and tapered. Time will tell.




Passenger seat

While I really like the single seat look, there have been a few times where I'd have like to been able to take a passenger. If I didn't have the nice air seat I'd likely have gone with one of those tapered "once in a blue moon" passenger seats suitable for quick trips only.

But I did like the air seat - consider it one of the better features of the bike - so I  found a passenger seat that matched - item number 79436 at motorcycleseatdealer.com. A quick placement of the seat indicated I'd need a the mounting bolts and had been cautioned that the passenger seat might interfere with the travel of the police air seat - time will tell as I just haven't gotten around to mounting it yet.



Passenger pegs

If putting on a passenger seat, then putting on the passenger pegs is a must. For pegs, seems I'd need to first get the tour bike extensions and then the pegs. The plan was to get simple bar style pegs in order to (a) easily fold up out of the way, (b) keep the minimal appearance, and (c) act as "reverse highway pegs" for those long rides.





Undecided on a tour-pak

As mentioned in a previous post, without the police radio box, the rear deck is not overly attractive and the police side bags make mounting a standard tour-pak a custom process. What I do like is that the space between the bags, and between the single seat and the tail, is very generous for strapping down a travel bag (I'd used both a sports bag and my old US Navy sea bag). I also liked the clean lines without the tour-pak look and also the ease of swinging a leg over. Again, time will tell.



Backrest

I haven't seen a backrest for the police air seat. Makes sense since the seat travels - guess the back rest wouldn't? Probably just haven't look long enough, but to be honest I'm not sure I'd want a rider backrest ... never had one so do't know the pro/con of the choice.

No decision yet on a passenger "sissy bar" backrest. From previous experience having the sissy bar adds a nice mounting point for luggage, adds confidence for passengers, but detracts from the bikes lines.  It is also redundant with a tour-pak back rest.

An option that others have expressed was to swap off the tour-pack for a sissy bar when the need arose.  However, storing the bike in a public garage doesn't lend itself to switching components to fit the ride - there is nowhere to store the components that are taken off.

Plan to wait until after mounting the passenger seat to make a decision on the sissy bar/trunk issue.

Working 20 stories up

Look close at the photo, the two guys in the middle are repairing the brick work 20 stories up the side of a the Graybar building.  I took this picture while on a conference call at work. Certainly puts the day to day work hassles in perspective.

What is crazy - at least to me - is that I once worked in a similar environment.

When in the Navy and station on the aircraft carrier U.S.S. America, my shop had responsibility for maintaining (nice way of saying chipping and painting) the top mast which was nearly 200 feet above the water.  The logic was that we were computer and electronic technicians, some of our equipment (radar, radios, other not to be defined stuff) was up on the mast, so who better to tend it without breaking it than a bunch of geeks?

When up on the mast, it would be the tallest structure around, you could see the curve of the earth, and the planes below on the flight deck would look like model toys. Hard to imagine I was once skinny enough to fit through all the tight spots and fit enough to climb that high up (no motorized winches for us geeks!).

I have some pretty amazing stories from working on the mast.

The best story, or rather just the best experience, was just eating a box lunch overlooking the harbor in Cannes France - incredible view on a perfect day. The worst was helping to recover a co-worker who'd slipped, was saved by his safety line, but lost his nerve to get down. The funniest was when a colleague, who was told he had to stay up "till all the paint was gone", promptly hurled the ten gallon can over the side from 20 stories up, barley missing the flight deck on the way down! And the weirdest was turning around to see the CO had climbed all the way up to the top of the mast, saying he was there to check on the job we were doing (but more likely there to just check out the view).

I wonder if these guys will be remembering working here in thirty years?

The first thousand miles

After I'd had the retired police bike for a few weeks the odometer had an additional thousand miles tacked on it. Mileage included day rides around New Hampshire and Maine, several highway trips between NH and New York City, and a few trips out to Long Island. During this period I've had a few observations that I'll cover subsequently.

Rick & Bill in Laconia NH

No buyers remorse

I like this bike. It fits me very well; the ergonomics are good - other than the minor issues below - and it feels light and nimble enough to navigate around traffic but also strong and sturdy on the highway. I also like that it was a used, er, retired bike and so not dreading the first scratch or being too fussy about it's polish - I tend to ride em hard and put em away wet - thought I have to say this bike does looks pretty amazing.


Stiff clutch

The bike's manual clutch lever was painful to hold for an extended period. Initially, I'd thought it was just that my grip was out of shape due to a few years of not riding. After a few weeks, however, I still felt the burn - especially in NYC stop and go traffic. Turned out I wasn't imagining it. According to retiredpolicebikes.com the 103 cubic inch Police bikes had a heavier clutch spring (37807-03) which added about 30% to the pull - all others have the stock spring (37882-06). I had no plan to downgrade the spring but at least I didn't feel like such a wimp after seeing the issue documented.


Hot Pipes

I expected an air cooled 103 V Twin to produce some heat and so didn't over think the "hotter than a cheep toaster" experience.  I even got my first ever "love bite" from a pipe - burnt so quick I didn't feel it. However, while viewing the retiredpolicebikes.com site I found that excessive heat was a known issue with the FLHTP 2010's due to new catalytic converters which caused more back pressure. Nothing I couldn't live with while the bike was under warranty - but good to know there were some options down the road.


Squeaky


Okay, noticed after a few rides I'm getting a very noticeable metal on metal squeak.  Haven't isolated just where it's coming form yet, might be seat mount or suspension. The air suspension is maxed out  for my weight. Need to investigate further, just mention it now as it's kind of comical as I mount up (squeak squeak squeak ...).

Stay tuned for further adventures in riding.

Heading down to the City

Setting off on a ride from NH down to NYC; from a beautiful lake side dirt driveway to paved concrete jungle surrounded by skyscrapers in one afternoon.

Yes, that is my 1982 issued U.S. Navy sea bag strapped to the back of the bike. I can't tell you how many suitcases I've gone through the years, how many fell apart getting through bagage claim, but those sea bags never wear out. Or at least not the old canvas version I had - years later in an airport I saw a recruit had a polyester sea bag - ugh!

My 2010 Harley Davidson Electra Glide - Police

My first Harley Davidson Motorcycle - a 2010 Electra Glide Police (FLHTP)

My 2010 FLHTP

The used 2010 FLHTP was purchased from Manchester Harley-Davidson Buell. It had the factory color option - only available for the Police model - of black with birch white panels and double silver pinstripes (detailing looks very sharp up close). This color schema is know as the Houston style - reportedly because that Texas police department initially order it. The bike was very well maintained.

The model was based on the Electra Glide (FLHT) with the following Police modifications (some due to removing police equipment to make street legal):

• Deluxe solo air saddle, special police type, breathable material covering, single air bladder suspension with reservoir and integral gauge: able to adjust air for desired ride comfort. In my opinion this is the most desirable feature of this model bike.
• Saddlebags utilizing police style speed latches - the hockey puck latch and outer hinges which make it easy to access content while seated - protected by chrome guard bars. This feature may reduce appearance but greatly improves usability of the bags - grabbing a water bottle from a bag while at a stop light is a simple process.
• The luggage rack is topped by a flat stamped steel plate, intended for mounting the (absent) police radio box, under which is mounted the reservoir, gauge, and fill tube for the air seat. This is a detraction from the bikes appearance, but something that can be address later.
• No radio/police radio removed. According to dealer it would be a "big deal" to drop in an HD radio but a generic maritime (cuz bikes get wet) radio would be easier and less than half the cost.
• Additional "red" hand controls supporting the (altered/absent) pursuit lights and sirens - made me expect to find the switch to fire rockets from the side bags or toggle the afterburner.
• Long stem true image mirrors - no "objects appear further away in rear view" here.
• No Harley Davidson emblem on the fuel tank (and yes, because of that I'd been asked what kind of bike it is - I quickly found emblems to put on the tank). The air cleaner, at least, included the Harley Davidson branding and even the "Police" model.

"Police" on air cleaner

The 2010 FLHTP had the traditional Harley Davidson air-cooled V-Twin, upgraded to 103 inch displacement and integrated oil-cooler. Drive train was a 6-Speed Cruise Drive with final ratio of 2.875. Weighed in excess of 794 lbs. With a ground clearance of 5.1 inches, and the higher than normal air seat height of 27-31 inches, this was definitively a "big" bike - a flat footed stance was possible but only advisable when engine/pipes are cool.

Handling and performance was excellent. Initially handling - likely tuned for a much lighter rider than I - was soggy, but a few quick adjustments of the air suspension and air seat resulted in a firm but comfortable ride. Low speed handling was excellent due to well tuned suspension/throttle/clutch/breaks - no bucking/jerking and easily supporting slow creeping turns. High speed cruising felt solid and connected to the road and the air seat help eat the occasional bumps. Power was good and what I'd want for a touring bike; strong off of the line - necessary to play in traffic with confidence - while long legged enough to be conformable at highway speeds. Advancing up to sixth gear was often an after thought.  Always enough "umph" in the tank to get up and go.

Links to related information:

• www.Harley-Davidson.com
• Police FLHTP Electra Glide
• www.squadfitters.com
• www.retiredpolicebikes.com

Time to ride again

When Suzee was in the recovery ward at the hospital, and our days full of hope and gratitude, we talked a lot about having a new lease on life.  How life was to short and uncertain not to be lived to its fullest. About the changes we would make, not the least of which was to just have more fun. For me, talking about having more fun included my desire to ride a motorcycle again.

To be clear, I knew that a motorcycle was totally impractical in New York City. Going for a ride meant stop-and-go traffic, crazy drivers, and awful road conditions. There was nowhere to park other than public garages, which were prohibitively expensive, and who knew what would happen there. Any "nice ride" would  require hours of highway travel before hitting the open back roads. For these reasons and more I'd sold my little BMW F650 before moving to the city.

However, being a rider (never a "biker", for me it was about riding, not the machine) was part of my identity. I'd gone years where a bike was my only transportation. I missed it. Suzee understood this, often retelling the stories of how happy she'd seen me with the F650, and told me to "just do it".

I'm not sure I would have gotten a bike while in the city had things turned out differently. It was unlikely that Suzee would have ridden in the city, either on the back of my bike or on her own, and I didn't want to spend weekends apart and there was plenty to do. It's more likely that I'd have lobbied to move out of the city prior to purchasing a bike. Then Suzee passed away and my life seemed empty of all purpose and full of grief.

Getting a motorcycle would not make me happy. I don't think "happy" was possible any time soon considering my loss. Rather, for me, riding is an affirmation of life. Riding is living in the now and overcoming adversity and fear.

And yes, for me, there was always a healthy fear when riding. My father died as a result of a motorcycle accident. I'd seen family and friends get hurt. I'd been in a few accidents myself over the years. I understood the danger of riding a motorcycle. But choosing to not ride would not make me immortal.

While I believed it was important to plan for the long term, it was equally important to live for the day, not to put life on hold for a someday that may never  come.   Ultimately it’s a very personal decision, one that logically may never make much sense to anyone else. For me, it was just time to ride again.

Suzette King LaFleur Memorial

Suzette King LaFleur Memorial in Prescott Park / Portsmouth Fish Pier, Portsmouth NH.

August 12th, 2011

The park is located near downtown Portsmouth on the bank of the Piscataqua River. It has beautiful views of the city, river, piers, bridges, and Navy ship yard. Suzette introduced me to the park back in 2000 when we first started dating. Later we had some pretty spectacular wedding pictures taken there on a pier overlooking Memorial Bridge. The park would often be at the end of a lazy motorcycle ride up the coast. Following services at North Church we'd wander over with coffee in hand. After we'd left NH we'd return from time to time to visit and be sure to stop by the park to see how the flowers were doing.

Prescott Park was one of the reasons Suzette would always call Portsmouth home and looked forward to her eventual return to the city she loved.   

After Suzette's passing, those of us who knew her, who loved and were loved by her, and who missed her beyond words, wanted to do something in remembrance of her. She had not wanted a tombstone in a cemetery, believing those to be a place of death and mourning, and she was all about celebrating life; her ashes were to be spread upon the Piscataqua River in keeping with her wishes.

A memorial bench in Prescott Park, on the side of the Piscataqua , in the city she loved, surrounded by beauty, life and renewal, was the perfect remembrance for Suzette. 

May 15th, 2011

Ann Hartman, a life long friend of Suzette's, made the arrangement to engrave the bench I'd found. A trust was established and contributions made by family and friends. On July 27th, 2011 the bench was completed.

July 27th, 2011

If you knew Suzette, or even if you only know her only by reputation, please take the opportunity to visit her memorial in Prescott Park. Sit and relax, listen to the laughter on the wind, smell the flowers and green grass, see the sun dancing on the water, and know there is good in this world. Then, reminded of what a difference one person's love can make in our lives, make the point to be that person in the lives of those around you. 

In this way we remember Suzee.

Suzette LaFleur 1965-2011

Suzette Anna (King) LaFleur, my loving wife, passed away unexpectedly on May 9th, 2011.  Words cannot begin to describe my overwhelming sense of loss, pain, and dismay and so I'll not try. The following links are for our family and friends:

• Suzee's blog
• Photos
• Facebook
• Obituary
• Eulogy
• Memorial