The author rides a 2008 Victory Vision Tour
First motorcycle commute of the year. Conditions on departure: 41 degrees and dry. Low temperature on the motorcycle ride to work: 37 degrees. Temperature on the ride home: 52 degrees. Dry roads except for just enough wet pavement on the last half-mile of the route to the house to splatter the motorcycle. Couldn’t ask for better conditions in March for motorcycling in the pacific northwest.
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The motorcycle-cop effect: What other drivers do when they see a huge white motorcycle.... I rode the motorcycle to work today, the first motorcycling commute since last fall. Every morning I see people who are in a huge hurry to get to work. They speed and weave around slower traffic and sit at the red light while the rest of us catch up. I tend to go the speed limit commuting in the slow lane, and just enjoy my morning coffee (only in the car of course) and some music. Today though, on my enormous white Honda Gold Wing, it was different. It is dark on the way to work this time of year; and while motorists could tell there was a huge white motorcycle in the right lane ahead of them going the speed limit, the usual speeders were wondering: "Is that a motorcycle cop? I better slow down just in case." Of course as they crept by me and recognized the motorcycle was not police, they resumed their normal faster-than-average travel. It was nice though to bring a sort of calming effect to the morning commute, the way it should be traveling by bike in the Pacific Northwest.
One of my favorite places to stay in Alaska offers this view of Mt Wrangell. If you have the chance to travel through Alaska, a must "see and stay" is the The Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge. The lodge is perched on a bluff, overlooking the Klutina River near Copper Center.
This summer my goal is to take a few buddies on a multi-day motorcycle trip at least once a month. Weather is always a factor so its nice to have a collection of prospects, and maybe select the one that suits the forecast the best. Another key: the journey has to appeal to Mrs. Deejay (aka "the woman who lets me live with her")--> The links on the left side of Motodometer (from Motorcycleroads.com) are on my bucket list.
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If this was your house... you'd live in the Yukon Territories, Canada, along the Alaska Highway. This is one of the most famous motorcycle tour roads in the world. I haven't braved it on two wheels yet, but it's on my list of scenic pacific northwest motorcycle roads that I want to travel someday. The title photo of Motodometer is taken from the front porch of this cabin.
Motorcycle the road less traveled from Battle Ground to Stevenson, Washington. But bring your mittens and scarf...
A fantastic journey through the mountains awaits the motorcyclist that tours this route in southwest Washington. The best time to plan this motorcycle ride is during the warmer months; by the time your motorcycle reaches the highest elevation on this route you will likely have seen snow piled up along the road even in mid-summer, and temperatures 30 to 40 degrees cooler than down in the Portland, Oregon area.
That might be a welcome relief, if it's during one of the heat waves that has been known to blanket the pacific northwest. Just be prepared for the drastic changes in temperature, and keep a lookout for ice on the road. You will be rewarded with beautiful scenery along lakes and rivers as you travel through Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Plan a stop at Skamania Lodge near Stevenson for lunch, where you can let your motorcycle cool down while you take in sweeping views of the scenic Columbia River Gorge. This motorcycle road is an absolutely spectacular ride, and the loop takes a little over four hours to complete not counting stops. Close to Portland, Oregon, this is a classic pacific northwest motorcycle ride .
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This hundred-mile loop is perfect for an afternoon on the motorcycle. You will cross over three magnificent bridges on this motorcycle ride. Actually, there are several other minor bridges too. This loop takes the motorcyclist from Portland, Oregon, up one side of the Columbia River, and then back down the other. This route winds through the neighborhoods of NW Portland, across the St. Johns Bridge, and through the towns of Linnton, Scappoose, and St Helens on the Columbia River Highway (Oregon SR 30). Cross over into Washington on the Lewis and Clark Bridge into Kelso and Longview. The run down Interstate 5 zips you by a fantastic coffee shop (just off I-5) called Lava Java; towards Vancouver, across the Interstate 5 Bridge (a working drawbridge), and back into Portland. An urban pacific northwest motorcycle ride, total riding time is about two hours plus stops.
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A motorcycle ride along the Columbia River: It doesn't get much better than this. An outstanding side road to explore by motorcycle is the Dike Road near Woodland, Washington, just down the river from Portland, Oregon. The unimaginative name gives no hint of the spectacular views you find on this road. Take Exit 22 off I-5 and turn west. The road goes through farmland and fruit orchards, until it turns and runs high along the banks of the Columbia River for about six miles. With virtually no traffic you can soak in views of the river, Mt Hood and Mt St Helens, and the surrounding hills. Take time for this route on your motorcycle tour through the pacific northwest, a leisurely 2-hour loop from Portland.
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Getting good gas mileage when I commute to work on the motorcycle drives me to try to stretch my gas mileage when I take the car. The best technique I have found to add miles to each tank is simple anticipation. When I see stopped or even just braking cars ahead, I ease off the gas even if I have a ways to go. Over time, you will learn how quickly your car or motorcycle slows when you stop the pressure on the gas pedal or throttle. This enable you to more accurately guess when to start coasting towards a traffic light or traffic in general. There is a strange satisfaction when you coast from 60 mph down to 20 or 25 just as the light turns green and the car in front of you begins to move and you never touch the brakes as you continue through the intersection.
There is a down side: The glare you get from the non-coasting motorist who just wants to get up to the light as fast as he can regardless of the fact that he will have to brake hard and then sit there for 20 seconds at a stop. I'm learning to deal with that though as I add up the savings in cash, which, I have heard, is just as good as money.
Why is it that this county can't see the value in timing stoplights? Motorcycles, cars, we all would benefit from a little effort spent on some common sense light timing. And don't even think about running that light. Most of my commute to work is on State Highway 503. That's right it's a HIGHWAY. But cars have to get in from the side streets, so we have traffic signals. Every morning, I motorcycle along to the first light I encounter at main street of a small town. No big deal, it's Main street so I don't mind stopping. From there though, no sooner do you get up to the speed limit of 55 than the next signal, roughly a mile down the HIGHWAY, turns red. My motorcycle and the four or five other vehicles that were just a moment ago doing 55 brake to a stop. One car pulls out onto the highway and joins us on the commute. We all get up to 55 or so and boom, the next light maybe two miles down the HIGHWAY turns red. By now my motorcycle has six or so commute companions, and we all brake to a stop. One car pulls out onto the HIGHWAY. This scene repeats itself four or five times on an eight mile stretch of HIGHWAY, every day Monday through Friday, all year long. Absolutely ridiculous. I have tried going slower, going faster, there is no way to beat it. Now I just start slowing down if I even see lights approaching the HIGHWAY on a side street up ahead. At least I don't have to brake as hard.
Solution: Put a couple sensors under the pavement, make side-street guy wait a few extra seconds until a slug of cars and motorcycles goes by, and THEN turn the light. Just imagine how much less gas, motorcycle wear-and tear, greenhouse gases, and frustration there would be. Multiply this effect every day, on hundreds or thousands of roads without synchronized signals, and you can easily see the potential for savings. There, I feel better already!
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