This afternoon, I went on a solo motorcycle ride down the Bellfountain Highway to Alpine and back again up 99W. The sun was out, making it seem warm in its rays. I didn’t put on as many layers as I would have had it been foggy because of its warmth. My thoughts were of a quick jaunt out and beating the sun back before it set. After firing up the bike and stopping to get some gas, I saw the sun already sinking low in the sky.
Heading out past Stoneybrook, I jumped onto 53rd, figuring that somewhere it must connect to the Bellfountain Highway. It turns out that out in the country, 53rd turns to gravel. Rather than turn around, I braved the rock, barreling down a straight stretch to a junction with the highway. It wasn’t too bad of a road but it is a bit scary when my back end fishtails around.
The shady spots on the highway were my first taste of the cold that awaited me. I hadn’t put my glove liners on but instead had stashed them in my jacket. By the time I got to Bellfountain, my fingertips were numb. South of Alpine when I hit gravel and turned around, I stopped for a minute to put on the liners. By that point there almost wasn’t much of a point. I couldn’t feel my fingers at all.
Rather than do my original route, which would have taken me down through Junction City and back up Peoria Road, I jumped on 99W and tried to get home as fast as possible. The sun had set on me while passing through Monroe and it was getting very cold. In Corvallis, I was able to get my bike inside, get my helmet off, and close the door to my room before my hands started screaming at me. It took a half hour and a hot shower to regain feeling in the tips of my fingers. Next time, I will be using glove liners from the start.
The ride was about 50 miles in total. I bought about 2 gallons of gas before the ride with the odometer showing about 83 miles. The gas cost me just over $3. My mileage came out to only about 42 mpg. Either I am working the throttle extra hard, there is something wrong with my bike, or the switch to winter gasoline has really taken a toll on my fuel economy.
In other news, I think my bike is burning oil again. The transmission was a bit hard to get to shift at first, a sign of the troubles I had before. Next time I take it out, I need to throw it up on its center stand when I bring it home to check the oil level.