motorcycle hell

[Bryan Loehr]

Listers, How about we take a little thread to address the matter of Motorcycle Hell (MH). All of us have been there. We all enjoy our sport of motorcycling immensely, but we all know a little MH will occasionally rear its ugly head. MH has many faces. Let me begin by sharing just one of several MH experiences in which I've found myself. Wind. Way big wind. Last Monday morning about 11:00, on the way home from a good dualsport ride in the Sierras, I encountered MAJOR wind in the Altamont Pass area of US580 in California. At first, I thought I could focus and make it through, but it got significantly worse--stronger, as I went. It was very strong and very gusty. I would lean hard into a gust and then it would abruptly stop, several times a minute, freaking me out each time by making me feel that I was going to tip in the direction I was leaning. My tank bag was flopping back and forth as if it were empty. Then there were the trucks. Hundreds of trucks ahead of me and behind me--average speed, 65-75. The turbulence caused by being behind them, next to them, and between them was incredible. Fortunately, I got off on a road called Grant Line Road which took me to a little road called Altamont Pass Road. There were no trucks here but the wind was as bad, if not worse because I was in a canyon experiencing the "funnel effect." The gusts were strong and relentless, the trees were thrashing about wildly, and the hundreds of giant wind electrify generators nearby were spinning crazily. The wind gusts were so strong they felt like they were going to kick the front wheel out from under me each time I took the weight off of it by accelerating. I was way tired when all this began, but way exhausted when it was over. I made it through the Pass and the wind settled down a bit and things were much better all the way home to Santa Cruz. Had I the time, I would have pulled over--even checked into a motel and ridden over the pass early the next morning before the wind came up. But, I had to make a 2:00 work meeting. A brief (1 hour) visit to MH. Bryan Loehr