Zarakand's Chicago Escapades

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#1 Unread post by **zarakand** » Wed Apr 05, 2006 6:45 am

I've been thinking about doing this for a while, and have thoroughly enjoyed reading your blogs since they've been up. I guess for a first post an introduction is order I'm Saif, 23, been browsing here for close to two and a half years though I tend not to post as often as others.

It's spring and the weather's finally taken a permanent turn towards making riding fun. I brought my bike up to riding standards around the second week of March, and have enjoyed going out on it since.

The first thing I noticed is how hesitant I was to lean, corner, and accelerate quickly. There are several bumpy railroad crossings around here that I for the couple rides found myself apprehensive to cross.

It's technically my third riding season, though my first in 2004 was a bust and I don't really count it. I'd overeagerly purchased a used bike that didn't run properly, and only put 500-700 miles on it. Last year I purchased a brand new Shadow VLX, and put 6K miles on it over the summer. So I guess it's normal to start of apprehensive and hesitant during your first ride after several months.

After the first two/three rides of the season I've begun to feel more confident, and no longer find myself hesitating in situations. I'm starting to feel as I was towards the end of last season: confident but not yet cocky, since the people I ride with are still able to ride circles around me.

In any case, I'm hoping to be able to update this on a regular basis and provide some insight on how to cope with commuting in a metropolitan area in rush hour traffic on a regular basis. I'm supposed to be riding with some friends later tonight, and will attempt to regale you'll with some pictures and tales about an abandoned well lit downtown that's a tremendous amount of fun to ride in.

Just a picture of the bike and myself for now.

DivideOverflow · Wed Apr 05, 2006 9:02 am

Nice! It looks like that bike fits you pretty well. What was the first bike that you bought that didn't end up running well?

Loonette · #3 Unread post by **Loonette** » Wed Apr 05, 2006 3:21 pm

When I used to live in Chicago, it was the only time I can remember not wanting to learn to ride a motorcycle. I give you a lot of credit for riding around in the city. I still want to take my bike to Chicago and visit a friend who is now living in Berwyn. I just have to muster up the nerve. Thanks for sharing your story - looking forward to more.

Cheers,
Loonette

#4 Unread post by **ZooTech** » Wed Apr 05, 2006 3:53 pm

Did Chicago on my NightHawk...in early April. Rode there from Columbus on a Monday, stayed in Aurora that night, rode the train into the city the next morning. That night, we rode to the Jade Dragon around 11:00pm, in a seedy part of town. Got a tattoo and left after midnight. We rode the interstate until 2:00am in 40* weather and through multiple construction sites and one bad semi wreck. Got up Wednesday morning around 8:00am. We ended up in Northwest Indiana the night before. Rode the rest of the way home that day and haven't been back. I'm glad we did it and got to see a real "big city", but a pedestrian town just isn't for me.

#5 Unread post by **zarakand** » Fri Apr 07, 2006 4:23 am

It's been a busy couple days, damned classes. At one end I'll be glad that life's going to get so easy in a few months without all this school work, on the other hand entering the "real" world's going to suck. Anyway about motorcycling...

In response to the question about the first bike it was 82 Yahmaha Viagro 500, and when it worked a lot of fun.

Ended up riding to school yesterday, even though it was supposed to rain. The best part about riding into DePaul in Lincoln Park is how easy it is to find parking. It's practically downtown, and if I drive I spend a good 20-25 minutes looking for parking. Now, there are dozens of spots perfect for bikes I love it! Though, I do get quite a few dirty looks from cars searching for parking

Great part of Chicago to ride in from Lincoln Park is Lake Shore Drive to downtown, which I did after my classes and zipped around the city for an hour or so. LSD (no pun intended) is full of cops since some guy was arrested for going 130ish-150ish (can't remember exactly how fast) on a sports bike last year. Though it's a beautiful expressway that curves with the lake and leads into lower Wacker drive.

Lower Whacker drive's a large curving underground road system, that often gets used in movie car chase scenes cutting from LSD to 290. For those of you in the Tri-State area it's one of the best downtown riding areas. None of my friends joined me since there was a possiblity of rain, and it did start getting very cold and drizzly by 7ish, so I didn't take any pics.

Raining all day today, cold tomorrow so seems like I'm going to be cooped up doing no riding. Sunday I'm supposed to ride to Southern Indiana with two friends, one of whom is picking up an '04 1000 GSXR that he just purchased. That should be a fun ride back, and I'll have my camera so lots of pics.

Zoo-too bad you didn't really enjoy the "big city" Jade Dragon is in a seedy (though I'm used to saying sidey but apparently that's only British English slang that everyone here thinks I'm crazy for using) part of town, but not too far from there are fun riding areas. Any plans on coming back this way?

#6 Unread post by **zarakand** » Sat Apr 08, 2006 8:19 am

It's FREEZING!! Well not quite, but close enough. Stupid Chicago weather it's now 40F, sunny and gorgeous out however this does not translate into fun riding. Brr, just went cruising around the neighborhood for a short 10 mile ride, and made the mistake of stopping into Chicago Cycle Center. This place is HUGE, something like a 100,000 square feet showroom full of bikes. It's a lot of fun to step inside warm up and browse around.

I spotted one of my future bikes, the SV-650 and immediately hopped on it. Now either through some miracle at 23, I've grown an inch or two, or they've lowered the seats because for the first time I was able to actually flat foot the bike. It's a horrid feeling realizing you can fit comfortably onto this bike, but have no way to afford it. Bah, who needs an education anyway after all right!?

Anyway I wandered into the parts department, since I've been thinking about buying a fly screen for the Shadow, so that I could attach the I-Pass to it and not have to go through the manual toll booths. My gf starts her doctorate at NIU in August, and it's about 70 miles west of Chicago on a toll road. It's going to get pretty irritating stopping at those toll booths on a daily basis. Turns out that a kid I went to elementary-part of high school works there, and we got to talking and he'll use his discount for me. Sweet deal! Unfortunately he doesn't think he'll be able to sneak out that SV for me anytime in the future.

Left, jumped back into the miserable cold and rode the short ride home. I'm still shivering; I think I need winter gloves rather than these
things...

#7 Unread post by **Sev** » Sat Apr 08, 2006 10:53 am

Jeeze those vents across the knuckles must be awful when it's cold out.

#8 Unread post by **sv-wolf** » Sat Apr 08, 2006 12:00 pm

Hi Zarakand. Must say, I shared Sev's reaction to your gloves. The vents and armour look like something you might see on a pin-ball machine! (Excellent reading matter though and even better taste in motorcycles. I love my SV1000 but I still miss the SV650. Great little bike.)

Sorry to disabuse you, but there is British Slang pronunciation and there is a wierd American version of British Slang pronunciation. I can assure you that in 53 years I've never heard anyone here in the UK say 'sidey'.

Enjoying your blog. Hope you keep at it.

#9 Unread post by **zarakand** » Sun Apr 09, 2006 5:22 am

sv-wolf wrote:Hi Zarakand. Must say, I shared Sev's reaction to your gloves. The vents and armour look like something you might see on a pin-ball machine! (Excellent reading matter though and even better taste in motorcycles. I love my SV1000 but I still miss the SV650. Great little bike.)

Sorry to disabuse you, but there is British Slang pronunciation and there is a wierd American version of British Slang pronunciation. I can assure you that in 53 years I've never heard anyone here in the UK say 'sidey'.

Enjoying your blog. Hope you keep at it.

Glad to see that people are enjoying the blog, and I've been talking about buying new gloves since it started to get cooler last year in September. Yep, I'm a procastinator!

As for sidey, maybe it's an Indian-English thing. Growing up there I heard it on a daily basis, and when I went back last summer same thing. It's a very common pharse, but there are no similar words in Hindi/Urdu. Ah well, I'll continue using it and getting teased by my friends.

I'm supposed to congregate with some friends in a parking lot and go through some of the excercises in Proficent Motorcycling, as a final refresher before the experianced rider MSF. I'll have some pictures up tonight or tomorrow. Enjoy your Sunday, hope it's getting to the 60's by the rest of you Northeners.

#10 Unread post by **ZooTech** » Sun Apr 09, 2006 5:41 am

zarakand wrote:Zoo-too bad you didn't really enjoy the "big city" Jade Dragon is in a seedy (though I'm used to saying sidey but apparently that's only British English slang that everyone here thinks I'm crazy for using) part of town, but not too far from there are fun riding areas. Any plans on coming back this way?

No, not really. We never intended to go there in the first place! Our plan was to go to Ocean City, Maryland for that trip - but it was thunderstorming in Pennsylvania so at the last minute we just went the other way. I suggested we ride to St. Louis, but my buddy knows someone in Aurora and wanted to sleep cheap. All in all, I'm still glad we went. I like to say I've at least been to Chicago...you know...been there, done that.