TandemHearts

I commute on the motorcycle every day, rain or shine. In the winter I spend most of the time on the bike in the dark. From that, I’ve noticed that most bikes are hard to see. Riders wear black, non-reflective clothing and ride bikes with usually anemic tail lights. The one bike that stands out is the Honda Goldwing. Goldwings have a tall stack of luggage and every piece has tail lights in it. Inspired by the clear utility of this, I decided to add more tail lights to my bike. I don’t have as much luggage as a Goldwing, but I do have a large top case (AKA trunk). The Givi E-52 is the largest top case Givi makes and is large enough to hold two full face helmets. Unfortunately the optional Givi light kit is not well regarded. Admore Lighting solves this problem with a variety of LED kits for Givi bags. They make a kit for the E-52 that includes 4 sections of LED and can function as supplemental tail lights, brake lights and signal lights.

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On March 1, I rode the San Francisco 300 K Brevet (188 miles). I knew this ride was going to be a stretch for me since I have not ridden more than 63 miles since September. The ride started at the south end of the Golden Gate Bridge at 6 AM. Thom drove me over and took some photos. The start was kind of cold and the bridge was very wet. Riding across the bridge is a cool experience, but every other time I’ve ridden it, it’s been a little crowded and I’ve felt rushed. We rode across the east side of it, so I had a great view of San Francisco Bay. I was hanging back from the bulk of the group, as going around the towers can be a little dicey and I wanted to enjoy the experience. There were no riders or walkers coming at me to navigate around, so I could enjoy the view. The bay was gorgeous. It was still dark but it was pretty clear and I could see lots of lights and the various islands. (more…)