Hula and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

 Diary of a Newbie Rider
 

Diary Main Page     Home        

2007

January, 2007

A dear friend had given us a gift certificate for the Kilauea Lodge as a wedding gift, but between flying off to conferences, living on separate islands, and working long hours, we only now were able to take advantage of it. A date with your husband is a really special event.

The weather was crisp and clear, so we pulled out the bikes and pulled on our leathers. As evening approached, we rolled out of the garage and down Wai`anuenue Avenue, and then turned toward Keaukaha on Kamehameha. A few late shoppers were loading their cars as we coasted through Downtown Hilo. The niu, coconut palms, were gently rustling their fronds in the classic tropical breeze, beneath the classic tropical sky, before the classic tropical sea.

Leaning right onto the Volcano Highway, we merged into the 25 mph rush-hour traffic. I had a choice between buzzing like a 1400cc hornet in 1st gear, or lugging like a dying outboard in 2nd. I buzzed merrily along, Manu riding escort in his usual position, behind and right.

It's been a while since I've ridden to Volcano at that time of day. I didn't realize the traffic would be with us all the way . . . to Volcano. An hour in one of our chillier winters was, well. . . . brisk. At last, we reached the village and turned off the highway.

We were a little early for our 7:45 reservations, but the opportunity to stand in front of the Kilauea Lodge's "International Fireplace of Friendship" was welcome. The Lodge was formerly the YMCA camp, and the fireplace is a large concrete affair, the face of which is set with stones and coins from around the world. Ys from Melbourne, Australia to Scotland have donated stones and coins form their homelands. You truly can read an international history of friendship in the stonework of the Lodge's warm heart.

The staff members were delightful - warm and caring, but never obtrusive.

We decided to indulge ourselves in a gastronomic orgy, and began the evening with a nice merlot - not terribly heavy, and just enough tannin to keep the mouth fresh and waiting for the next bite of the incredible pupus.

We ordered both mushroom pupus, and the warmed brie as well. The ham and turky-stuffed mushroom caps were meaty and full-bodied. The sauted mushrooms were spicy and warming. The brie was mild, yet flavorful, and nicely crusted with macadamia nuts, and served with a tender fresh bread and hot slices of apple. Any of the pupus would have been a nice supper for one.

Wishing to arrive home on my bike, not in an ambulance, I nursed my wine, making it last the entire meal, and suplimented it with water. It was a perfect choice for the meal.

Manu ordered the sirloin, which was tender and flavorful. I can't say I remember what else was on his plate, as I was so much enjoying the opportunity to have him all to myself with no other people or work-a-day worries at hand.

But I ordered the medallion of vennison. I have never had domestic vennison before. This was definately an experience. Unlike the wild, this had a little fat, which was sweet and buttery. Perfectly prepared, the meat managed to maintain some tooth, yet be tender. Served au ju, it really needed none. (The ju tased like beef stock anyway, and seemed only to detract form the more delicate flavor).

The crispy blanched vegetables were the perfect accompaniment to the vennison. Manu enjoyed the mashed potatoes, though I found myself so happy with the rest of the meal I did not pay them much heed.

While the dessert tray looked wonderful, when at last it came around, Manu and I agreed that a simple cup of coffee would add the perfect finish, that the meal was so well balanced, we wanted to savor it as it had been, not dull the memory with heavy sweets. (I think we'll ride out sometime after an early supper, and just have dessert.)

The only suggestion I would give to the Kilauea Lodge is to get a John Keawe CD, rather than the Cazimeros, which they were playing. While I love the Cazimero's music, the heavily orchestrated drama simply did not fit the homey, comfortable evening. Frankly, we were enjoying hte meal more BEFORE the music was turned on. Music which sounds like "Uncle" just happened to finish eating a little early and grab the guitar would be perfect.

After coffee, we heded out into the "brisk" evening air - One of the waitresses said temperatures had been hitting the low 30s - and enjoyed the crisp, clear evening while pulling our leathers back on.

The trip home was smooth and fast, no traffic, clear weather, and a good road allowed us to enjoy every mile until we pulled back into the garage at home.

Monday, February 12, 2007

     So there I was, putting around town, doing my chores, and suddenly, the bike starts making this GOTT HAWFULL RACKET!!!! My first thought was "It sounds like I blew a head gasket off the rear cylinder!" But that's such a cliche. . . .
     Anyway, I rattled on home, with about 50% power betwixt me knees, and lo and behold, the head pipe had unbolted itself from the rear cylinder and was flopping about.
     Luckily, the bolts were still in place, so it was a quick fix. But for the first time, my bike was kinda loud!

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

     I've been putting in a lot of time on this lei festival that we are just wrapping up http://www.kaahelehawaii.com/LeiDay.html, and then some serious consecutive hours at the welding table http://www.yuenmedia.com/pages/products/art/art-malama.htm, so when I took the truck in to Lex Brody's today to get new tie rods and front brakes, being forced to ride the bike to run errands all day was not unwelcome (the $1,500 estimate, however, is another story!).
     As evening came on, however, I just wasn't quite ready to lock up the garage.
     I happen to be blessed by living at the foot of our state's best motorcycle road.
     This evening, I looked up toward Mauna Kea, loftiest mountain in the Pacific Basin, and determined that the cloud ceiling was at about the 5,000 foot level. High enough to get in a little riding before dark. Yes, I do enjoy riding in the dark. But not the first hour.
     Pigs here are nothing like Porky. They are 200 pound pieces of hooved bone and muscle with attitide and tusks to match. So I don't like to ride certain roads during the first hour of dark - the most likely time our paths would cross.
     It's been a while since I rode up Mauna Kea. I decided it would make a nice dinner out.
     A plate of roast beef and mashed potatoes was waiting for me, whispering tales of carniverous delight from the freezer. I peeled the frozen mass from its paper plate and slid it into a freezer baggie, which I nuked about five minutes in the microwave. That was placed in a larger baggie with a plastic cutlery set salvaged form some long-forgotten road-food stop. Pressing the air from the baggies, I sealed them and slid them in the pocket of my riding jacket. That doing so immediately began warming the quilted lining of my jacket was noted for future use.
     Donning full leathers, scarf, and helmet, I sparked up my ride and swung around on to Punahele Street, over Komohana, and then up Wai`anuenue. After a day of putting around town in first gear, with occasional forays into second, a few petulant backfires told me Kamakani was as anxious to run as I. Sunday's Volcano Highway run to Pahala had "cleared his jets," as my grandmother would have said, but they had been seriously un-cleared by the stop-and-go of Downtown Hilo.
     A final backfire at the last stoplight in town, and then we were leaning through the sinuous curves of Komohana. Kitchen lights were winking on, and an assortment of suppers being prepared added interest to the evening breeze.
     Finally pulling out of Upper Komohana, I was on the Saddle Road. As always, I was taken aback by the beauty of this place. The ferns piling one atop the other, kupukupu and pamoho edging the road, their rhizomes covered in the thick pale green moss. `Uluhe forms tangled mounds, thorough which `ama`u, hapu`u, and hapu`u `i`i - tree ferns - thrust their trunks and fronds. From the moss covered trees, huge `ekaha drape their wide blades.
     The trees - `olapa, koa, `ohia, and the world's largest lobelias stretch above the undergrowth - catching clouds and dripping the life giving mosture on the plants below.
     With each sweeping bend, a new swath of beauty unrolls before me. Only eleven miles up the mountain slope is a turnout with paths made by hunters and those who gather foliage for lei. I pull in and turn the bike to face downhill. A perfect spot for supper.
     As I eat, I watch the clouds change color, and listen to the song of birds found nowhere else on planet Earth.
     Too soon, I need to return. I put my `opala, my trash, back into it's baggies and stuff them in my pocket. I turn the key.
     The sound of my bike seems somehow louder now. 
     I swing on through the curves toward home.

Learning to get comfortable with your bike

     Practice, practice, practice! For those of us starting to ride in middle age, a planned program of practice is a HUGE help.
     I go out at odd hours when there is little traffic and practice my trouble spots (like uphill stopsigns with right-hand turns) until I am confident and comfortable. Then, where there is traffic, I can concentrate on the other drivers and  assorted road hazards, rather than trying to figure out how to get my bike to do what I want.
     Some of the very BEST training around is the Motorcycle Safety Foundation RiderCourse. In the State of Hawai`i, for only $150, over four days  you get 10 hours of  "groundschool," 14 hours on one of their practice motorcycles, a textbook, and access to some really well trained instructors. For many of us, finding a bike to learn on is a real challenge. After all, who is going to loan out a few-thousand dollar machine to someone who is certainly going to break it a few times? 
     The MSF RiderCourse takes students through a building-block style training program in which skills are taught and layered in a logical and progressive fashion. As a teacher, I was truly impressed with the methodology and effectiveness of the program.
     While the course is fun, safety is always foremost, and learning to predict and prevent accidents comprises a large part of the training. The course also helps students to decide which type of motorcycle is best for them.
     Since graduating (which got me out of my road test and saved 15% on my insurance) in May of 2001, I've met many new people, and made dear new friends. I may have embarked on this new project as a response to my "mid-life crisis," but whatever it took, I sure am glad I did finally decided to

Live my Dream!