Forty-six hundred. My odometer says so. Everytime I look down I see four numbers: 46XX. I haven’t even had her for two months. By her I mean the motorcycle. By the motorcycle I mean Tasia. Tasia is what I’ve decided to name her. I had help from many friends on ideas. I had even more help on opinions on some of the names I liked. Thanks to K, I found Tasia. Short for Anastasia. Her name is not Anastasia though, just Tasia. It means: Rebirth; Resurrection. I like it a lot. Tasia.

Back to the topic, forty-six hundred miles and growing. My leather gloves are more than broken in. They are already showing signs of wear. It will be another forty-six hundred miles before the wear starts to be excessive, I think.

I recently purchased a new helmet. Shoei X-Eleven. Light Silver. It mataches Tasia, you know how girls like to match!

Shoei X-Eleven - Light Silver

It fits like a glove. I’ve read online that the odds of finding the perfect fit are extremely unlikely. The best most people find is a fit 90% of perfect. Maybe this is just 90%, but I don’t think I could ask for a better fit. After trying on, HJC, Arai, KBC, & Shoei, the X-Eleven fits the best, easily. Sadly, its the most expensive main-stream helmet on the rack. It’s worth it. It looks gorgeous, fits perfect, and feels just right! I’m more than content with my purchase.

Why did I get a new helmet? Well, firstly because the HJC was never meant as a primary. I purchased it with the mind-set that I’d buy another one to replace it someday soon and make it my passenger helmet, that is why it is size too big for me. So I needed a helmet that fit properly and I wanted a solid color, light silver, to match Tasia. This helmet, like I’ve explained to K, is over-the-top, but worth it.

I picked up a pair of riding boots.

Alpinestars S-MX 3 Gore-Tex

There are numerous reasons for this purchase. First after trying on a couple pair, these fit extremely well. Secondly, they were the only pair they had in stock that was the correct size. Other reasons are price and blah blah. All said and done, even if I had an unlimited budget and all the different boots in the correct size, I’d still have gone with these boots. There are a few things about this pair that I like over some of the others. They are easier to get on and they are vented. There are a few vents on them allowing cool air in and hot air out, as well as being perforated allowing lots of cool, fresh air to seep in and keep my feet, which are next to the hot engine, nice and cool.

Why get boots in the first place? Well, obviously proper equipment is very important. When I go down, I don’t want broken, twisted, or shattered ankles. Wearing proper boots with proper ankle protection offers me this!

Last time I went on a long bike ride, I ended up getting engine burn (the heat that is emitted from the engine) severely burned the back of both of my legs. Hindering my ability to walk properly for a couple days. Since I’m going on a trip tomorrow, I don’t want a relapse of that event.

Forty-six hundred miles and it hardly feels like a thousand. I’m ready for my next five thousand miles. I’m ready for the next ten thousand after that. I have always felt that motorcycle riding clears your mind and is like meditation. Recently I read something that explains it exactly how I feel about it. I just am not as good with words:

The act of riding is a form of meditation, because the concentration that’s required to safely ride a motorcycle tends to focus the mind in a way that eliminates other mental distractions that might interfere with the mission. This creates a single-mindedness that, in effect, displaces the continuous stream of thoughts that normally flow through our consciousness.

Thoughts about what to eat, who to meet, and worries about the common stresses of everyday life, such as pressures from work and home, disappear from our minds during the ride, because the concentration that’s necessary to focus on the ride pushes those thoughts far into the background. The result is that the mind becomes refreshed after a ride just like it would after a session of formal meditation or a relaxing vacation.

Just like some people get “hooked” on meditation, motorcyclists get hooked on riding because of the mental relief that it brings. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone discovers that endorphins or something are released during the act of riding. I’m sure you’ve noticed that you can’t “zone out” on a motorcycle like you can when driving a car. Riding safe means being focused and alert at all times – which is one of the reasons why it’s so important to stop and rest at frequent intervals when riding a motorcycle on a long trip.

I think that is all I have to offer for now!