First Commute - Initial Thoughts

The first ride actually occurred last night (15 Mar 2011).  I decided it may not be a good idea to jump on the NX and then have a problem half way to the office.  So, I took a 30 minute (13 mile) cruise last evening before it got (really) dark. Interestingly, drivers looked at me either like 1) I had lost my mind or 2) they had never seen a motorcycle before. Granted, it wasn't very warm (approx. 37º F) and looked like it might rain at any moment but, still...the looks. The bike ran flawlessly and was as much fun as I have been suspecting for months.

About fifteen minutes into the ride I (honestly) thought; "I wonder was an NX250 is like, I gotta get one of those!" Could an NX650 be far behind? I may have to adjust the tachometer, the refresh rate is a tad slow for my liking. Fortunately, there's an adjustment setting but it requires that I remove the tach from the fuse box cover. This involves quite a bit of disassembly. Drat. Here are a couple of shots from the office parking lot this morning (16 Mar 2011). I highly recommend the Tusk Hand Mitts! They're a little cumbersome but certainly keep your hands warm and out of the wind stream.  I rode with my mid-weight gloves (Icon Barrier - sadly discontinued) that I normally wear when the temperatures are between 45º F -70º F. This morning's temperature was right around freezing. The tips of my fingers were a little cold when I got to the office but considering what they'd felt like before, with winter gloves no less, I'm thrilled. I'm also wearing my new Arai XD3 helmet. With it's motocross styling, it's a bit more noisy than my old HJC full face helmet. So, I'm also using foam ear plugs. I'm surprised that I can actually hear better with the ear plugs than I could without them. It seems they cut down the high pitched 'hissing' noises which allows sound that "matters" to come through. I could clearly hear all of the vehicles around me as well as the engine's slight valve tick and the howl of the Bridgestone Trail Wing tires. The temperature will be near 60º F by the time I head for home, I can't wait.