I seem to be dreaming of motorcycling more and more, so I thought I would share a few of the most memorable ones.

The first one I was riding vintage BMWs with a couple of my friends through the most gorgeous forest. The ground was piled with fall leaves and shimmery gold and orange leaves fell everywhere as we rode around. I got off my bike and layed down between two fallen logs. My friends were jumping their bikes over and showering leaves everywhere. It was peaceful and magical.

The second one was after a ride that left me bruised and my KLR needing some plastics replaced. I dreamed ADV riders took me out on a ride. They swore it was easy enough for me and I followed them. They rode out to a tower in the desert. It spiraled upward and was formed of old rotted boards and trash wired together. I followed up and we made it to the top despite chunks of the tower creaking and breaking off the whole time. On the way down, a plank I was riding on broke free and I fell several stories but somehow landed rubber side down and rode off away from the tower. We went to some weird village where it flooded and we had a party. My bike started to wash away but I saved it.

I also had one of those dreams where you wake up over and over but are still dreaming. Each time I would go to the living room and there would be one or more people and their motorcycles in my living room. They weren’t people I know, just randomly generated travelers and we would talk about motorcycles and traveling, I would excuse myself to bed, then wake up to a parallel version of the same scene. The last one before I actually woke up in real life, I woke up in the dream to a knock at the door and opened it to find my best friend who moved to Germany last year. She rode this glorious teal blue (her favorite color) side car rig into my living room and we hugged. 🙂

The night before last I dreamed I was riding through a mud bog.  The tire was spinning, but the bike wouldn’t move, I got off to see what the problem was and somehow all the knobs had stripped off the tire and the tire had fallen off the rim.  I woke up thinking “I need a toolkit on my bike”.

Last night I dreamed I went to Egypt and stayed in a fancy hotel that let the guests ride dirt bikes inside.  I had an awesome time on the grand staircases!

I’m not sure why, but the moment I saw my bike, I knew he would be mine and that I would name him Zeb and put stripes on him.  He just looked like he was meant to be a Zebra bike.  I spray painted the yellow panels white, cut stripes from black reflective tape and put on a new headlight. 

Tada!

A zebra bike of my very own, plus he’s very visible at night!

I finally found a DRZ I really wanted and a seller willing to work with my budget. 

This bike is so sweet! Raven helped me retrieve it and she rode it a little, she said it’s a demon bike and she’s scared it will whisper evil, evil things to me while I ride.

Here’s all the specs so you can nerd out and drool!

– Racetech gold valves – forks.
– Racetech front springs – .46mm/kg (180lbs)
– Ohlins rear shock – fully adjustable
– 2 ohlins rear springs (installed on for 180lbs & one for 215lbs)

– 4.2 Gallon Acerbis tank
– Corbin seat
– Kytech aluminum rear rack
– Electric start
– Suzuki kick start kit installed

– Twin Air air filter
– manual cam chain adjuster
– JD Jet kit
– remove coast enrichner
– AP mods
– extended adjustable fuel screw
– White brothers exhaust
– protective case covers

– Fat Bars
– handlebar risers – up 1″, forward 1″
– cycra handguard
– Scotts steering stabilizer post and mount

– Pirelli XCMH front
– Bridgestone Griddy ED
– Bridgestone ultra heavy duty tubes

– Street Legal title
– Brake light via banjo pressure switch

Bike is actually a Kawasaki klx400r – identical to the drz400e

This is pretty much the best purchase I have ever made.  I can’t wait to tear up some dirt!

One look was all it took. I set eyes upon an ’08 blue KLR and I knew that it had to be mine. It didn’t matter that it was tall and I didn’t know how to shift or ride dirt, I had visions of adventure dancing in my head! A thirst that must be quenched! I imagined myself jumping on and riding off into the sunset.

Pssh, I thought, it can’t be -that- different than a scooter!

Actually yes, yes it can.

My fantasies (delusions?) were dashed on the test ride. I stopped on a slight slope with my toe dangling just above the ground. My fashionably impractical scootering boots slid slowly out on the tiny gravel bits as the bike leaned further and further and got heavier and heavier until it plopped almost slow motion onto its side on the pavement. Dammit! It’s not even mine yet and I already dumped it. Apparently I wasn’t a dual sporting prodigy with an inborn knowledge of how to do this.

Like most things in life worth doing, this was going to take practice. Practice and many more embarrasing episodes of motorcycle narcolepsy.

The bike’s current owner seemed unaffected by the added scratches, but solidified in his opinion that I was insane. Probably because I got back on and did a couple laps to recoup some confidence. I was determined to ride this bike, whatever it took.

My first ride on the KLR

I returned a couple days later to put down a deposit. He was about to eat dinner and suggested I take the bike for a spin until he was done and then we could settle up paperwork. I was understandably nervous after the last episode, but excitement won out and I took him up on it.

I made it down a few side streets before coming to a stop sign. I stalled getting going again and the bike lurched forward hard. I felt as though I’d been thrown by a bull and the beast fell down beside me. Crap!

(At this point I will plead with other newbie readers to please take an MSF class. I really had no business trying to ride around like that without instruction. Learning the hard way is…hard. So is pavement.)

Unable to bear the shame of calling for help, I mustered all the strength within me to heft the mighty beast upright again. I put it on the kickstand and rested for a while. “You’re a heavy beast.” I panted as I slumped over the seat, completely drained of energy. I decided then that Beast would be his name. I managed to get back on and putt back without stalling again.

We settled up the paperwork and Beast was mine! Now I just had to…learn to ride it…