EJ's Motorcycling Page

Commuting in Seattle

I commute to my job in Seattle via my motorcycle. With its reputation for rain, Seattle probably doesn’t sound like a great place for motorcycle commuting, but it isn’t bad, for the following reasons:

With our mild winters, we actually have a pretty long riding season.
Summers are cool enough that you can wear proper protective gear without overheating.
While we have a lot of rainy days in Seattle, it doesn’t usually rain that hard. We have less annual rainfall than many other major US cities, including Washington DC, Atlanta, New York, New Orleans, and Philadelphia.
With proper riding gear, you can arrive at work warm and dry.
Traffic congestion is so bad in Seattle, that motorcycle riders can save a lot of time vs. cars, because they are allowed in the HOV lanes and can use the special on- and off-ramps.
Motorcycles generally get to go to the head of the line on the state ferries.
You can ‘hide’ a bike pretty easily downtown and avoid paying $6-$20 per day parking. That savings in itself is enough to finance a bike.

If you live in the area and don’t ride, please be nice to motorcyclists. Almost every motorcycle on the road is displacing a car that would otherwise be clogging up your lane or taking your parking space. And if you do ride or are thinking about it, the best advice I’ve heard is “Ride as if you’re invisible to most people, and those who can see you, are trying to kill you.”

My Motorcycle

My current ride is a 1994 BMW R100GS. This is what BMW calls an “Adventure Tourer.” It is basically a street bike, but with a suspension that can also handle off-pavement use.

It may seem like a strange choice for commuting, but I like it for several reasons:

The tall suspension and the upright riding position make for a great view in traffic.
Its ability to easily carry a lot of baggage is nice for touring and commuting.
The wide handlebars make cornering nearly effortless.
It looks great.

Things I don’t like:

The stock windshield isn’t much help against wind and rain. I use a large Parabellum shield for long trips and in the coldest, rainiest months.
When I occasionally get stuck in stop-and-go traffic in hot summer days, I wonder whether having an air-cooled engine is such a good idea.
Sometimes I wish the bike was a lot narrower for slipping around stopped traffic.

My other riding gear and accessories

Wearable gear

Riding gear, chosen for safety and comfort, is as important as the motorcycle itself. While leather looks and usually feels great, for commuting and general riding, I like synthetic materials, because it remains dry and comfortable when wet. From head to toe, on the bike I’m usually wearing:

A Shoei RF-900 full-face helmet.
I use a clear visor with a Fog City Pro Shield to keep the fogging under control.
A First Gear Kilimanjaro jacket. I think almost every regular commuter in Seattle has this jacket, or an Aerostitch. It is comfy, well ventilated, has lots of storage, and is absolutely waterproof. With its removable liner, it is comfortable in a wide range of temperatures. The optional "Bota Bladder" water/hydration system is great for long trips, but the smaller size fits MUCH better than the larger size I got.
Joe Rocket Phoenix Jacket
Joe Rocket Phoenix Pants I like these pants even better than the jacket. Same idea - cool mesh allows airflow while padding and material protects you in the case of a crash. You can wear these alone, with shorts, jeans, or whatever the weather dictates. I've even worn them in rain with lightweight rain pants over the top.
Joe Rocket Radiant Gloves I only recently (Christmas 2001) acquired these, but I really like them so far. They have both gauntlets and cuffs with a drawstring, and that helps keep water from running down my arms into my gloves. I've not worn these is a serious downpour yet, but I'll update this page with the results once I do.
First Gear Hypertex overpants. Very comfy, easy to put on, but a little warm when its really hot out. I had a set of Tourmaster pants, but they leaked pretty badly so I returned them for the First Gear pants. The First Geat pants leak a little too, and this has been a source of frustration for me. The pants are seam taped from the factory, but in the shearing area between the legs, the seam tape pulls the waterproof backing from the nylon out fabric, and water gets in there. If I find a solution, I'll post it. Most people who have Aerostitch Darien pants report that they do NOT leak.
Alpinestars Tourer GTX boots. I LOVE these boots. They are so comfortable, that I often forget to switch out of them when I get to work. They are very protective, waterproof, easy to put on, and have subdued styling, like a Wellington boot. I recommend them without reservation.

Accessories

I have a Nady MRC-11 Motorcycle Radio Communicator I don't know why these aren't more popular. They provide a Driver/Passenger intercom, bike-to-bike (or really, bike-to-anyone-with-FRS) communication, and an auxilliary input for music/radio. Off the bike, the unit works as a standard FRS radio, which is handy. Just be sure you mount it securely - I had my first one clipped to a ring on my jacket and launched it onto the freeway, where it burst into many little pieces!
For long trips, I like to use my old Garmin GPS II in a RAM Mount that I bought from Cycle Gadgets. The mount is cheap, strong, and looks good. I'll be buying more RAM products in the future. A GPS is a great supplemental navigation device, but one should always carry a regular map and compass. I got in a silly disagreement with another cyclist once about which way true north was - he insisted that since his parked GPS said it was aimed north, that the direction he was pointing was indeed north. I chose to rely on the location of Polaris to make my choice. I was right of course, and it scares me that some GPS users don't understand their limitations. In this instance, the user failed to realize that a GPS must be moving in order to give an accurate heading.

Touring/Camping

I have moved my comments on camping supplies for motorcycle camping to this page.

Other bikes I want to own:

There’s a number of other bikes I admire and might like to own someday. Among the BMW’s, I’m fond of the R100RS, R90/R100S, “Toaster Tank” /5s, and any of the pre-1970 bikes. Of course, the new stuff is cool too. A K75 might someday join my stable as well.

I'm starting to really like bikes by Moto Guzzi.

Among Hondas I’ve heard nice things about the VFR series, the ST1100, and the CBR1100XX. I like the late model Ducatis, Triumphs, and Aprilias as well. There are so many nice bikes being produced today, it is hard to pick favorites. I’d especially like to own a hack (sidecar) rig someday, perhaps when my son is old enough to ride with me.

Other Stuff:

I posted some various motorcycling pictures on the EJ's Motorcycling Pics page.

Motorcycling links

I’m a member of the Airheads Beemer Club, which caters especially to all air-cooled BMW boxer twins. I regularly attend local Airheads gatherings. It’s a fun group. In addition to local Airhead events (such as "Barley Therapy"), I attended the February 2002 Death Valley Rendezvous.

I’m also a member of BMWMOA. I attended the 2001 “Ride to Redmond” rally in Redmond, Oregon. I had a great time.

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