Welcome to the first posting of Motorcycling in Maine. Now, you might wonder what in the world anyone is doing starting a blog about motorcycling in Maine during the winter, Christmas Day for that matter. That’s a dang good question! Let me explain.

I absolutely love riding my motorcycle, but I am relatively new to it. In the spring of 2008, when gasoline was pushing $4 per gallon, I got a Honda Metropolitan 49 cc scooter with the thought that I could save some money commuting to work. It worked out pretty well. It got more than 100 mpg so I did reduce my personal dependence on foreign oil that summer. I rode it until October and I don’t know that I filled the tank more than half a dozen times. My total bill was about $25 for six months of commuting when gas topped $4 per gallon, (remember, new rider, it stayed in the garage on rainy days). However, I had a problem. I travel a stretch of highway where the speed limit is 40 mph, but the rate of travel is often 55 or 60. The beloved Metro could hit 42 mph going downhill with a tail wind but uphill, 30 on a good day. I didn’t feel safe.

Consequently it was time to move up to something that could keep up with the traffic. I took the MSF rider training course and scored more that the minimum required to pass. Next I had to buy a bike and settled for a Honda Rebel, against the advice of many. They all said it would be too small. I rode it until the December 4 before I hooked it up to a battery tender in the garage, covered it with an old sheet, and put it away for a long winters sleep. As winter progressed, the need to ride was building. Luckily the latter part of the Maine winter lacked our usual allocation of snow and I was able to get back on the road in March, at least some of the time. The Rebel served me well, I enhanced my skills though riding, and though my need for speed was met, I now desired more. It was back to the dealership find out what would be next.

This time it was a Honda Shadow Aero. Classic look, sufficient power, what more could a man want? It’s been great riding all summer and fall. I learned the joys of riding in the rain and dodging the potholes found on Maine highways throughout the year. My skills have improved greatly and I am much more confident on the bike. I hope that I have not become over confident and that I’ll continue to ride with caution, as though I were invisible.

This brings us to Christmas Day, 2009. My children are dispersed around the country. One is enduring a blizzard on the Great Plains, specifically in Kansas City. The other is “suffering” in Phoenix, and he will probably go for an enjoyable ride in the Arizona desert later today. My wife has one of those jobs where you may have to work on Christmas Day and that is exactly the case. She is an RN at the local hospital and takes care of infants in the newborn nursery. It’s just me and my dogs at home “celebrating” the holiday. Since my children have left the nest, I typically join my wife for dinner in the hospital cafeteria on holidays. Today Christmas dinner will be whatever Eastern Maine Medical Center is serving up. Usually it's not bad and the price is right. And what about the motorcycling part? Well though we had snow two days ago, the roads are mostly free of snow and ice and the temperature is in the 30's. My plan is to remove the cover from the Aero, unplug it from the tender, and ride it to join my wife for my traditional hospital Christmas dinner. Wish me luck!