Time for a long overdue edition of Motorcycling in Maine.

I got my first motorcycle in October of 2008, a Honda Rebel. Good little learner’s bike and it served me well. I rode it into December but failed to get it off the tender and our of the garage in January. In February of 2009 we had a little thaw and I was able to take her our and around the neighborhood for a short ride. Almost not enough to be an official ride, but I rode and the streak began.

Since that time I have been able to get out at least once a month. Now this wasn’t on the same bike. I moved up to a Honda Shadow Aero and this past October transitioned to a Honda NT700V. All have been good bikes but the NT is my favorite. It’s not the best bike at anything, but it’s a really good bike for virtually everything. What do I mean? It’s one big compromise. It will do everything well. Corner, accelerate, break, cruise, all well. There’s a great owners group website, www.nt-owners.org, where people share information and stories about their NT’s. I get the sense that most of us who subscribe there are in our 50’s or older, but I digress.

I was sincerely worried that my streak was going to end in December 2010. It was cold or it would snow or it would rain; the elements were conspiring against me! Then on the last day of the month, the last day of the year, we had a break in the weather. It warmed to near 50°F. There was no snow or ice on the roads, it wasn’t raining. I took the cover off the NT and unplugged the tender remembering to put the cap on the connection on the bike. The side streets, though free of ice, were wet and covered with sand and salt. I took great care making my way to US 2 and headed north to Old Town, then back to Veazie, on to Bangor, and back home for a 20 mile loop. On the whole the road surface was dry and suitable, but I took it easy. I extended the streak and it was exhilarating!

I took it easy on New Year’s Eve, or Hogmanay if you prefer. New Years Day 2011 was another mild day. All road surfaces, not just the side streets, were wet, but it was a new month, a new year, and there was a streak to extend. The route was the same and and the streak was extended yet another month. My only regret was that the NT was filthy when I pulled her back in the garage. I wiped down the NT with a warm wet cloth. I still cringe at the mud, sand, silt and salt that I couldn’t get.

Lastly, I was extremely impressed with the protection afforded by the Honda NT700V. On these and other rides when the temperatures were even cooler the fairing and windscreen did a fabulous job of protection from the wind. I’ve seen reviews that the wind deflectors for this bike do an excellent job of diverting the wind away from your hands. I plan to add this feature to my bike in the spring.