Liquid Granite Corralled

 

Voyage of the Silverado

Liquid Granite Corralled – Days 4-6

Day four of our quest to bring home Liquid Granite, a savage beast, no less, brought us to Westside Motorsports, in Spokane where she was currently pastured. We breakfasted at Frank’s Diner, a go-to place for locals and travelers alike. Frank’s downtown diner is in a railroad car, specifically a Barney-Smith observation car purposed as a Presidential car in 1906 until it was replaced in 1931, it is Car No. 1787. Narrow and lined with booths on either side, we had to sidle down the aisle to access our seats. Breakfast was excellent and the vibe was hometown.

We left Frank’s in the rearview mirror and headed to Westside Motorsports and Jim’s appointment to take receipt and ownership of Liquid Granite. As with any vehicle purchase, the paperwork at Westside was arduous. When that was done and sealed with handshakes, we were taken out to the waiting bike for our introduction.

My attention was heightened during the process of going over the bike with my command performance to test ride the bike at hand. I was nervous; God knows I didn’t want to be the first to scratch this bike and Jim was counting on my report to put himself past any unease at his selection. I geared up but elected to go with my Sketchers rather than my riding boots which are heavy duty and inflexible. My Victory has floorboards and forward break and gear levers that give me an upright riding style. The 2015 Yamaha FJR 1300ES is a true sports touring bike with footpegs and control levers below the rider’s body or slightly back from upright. I could not imagine doing the initial ride with those clodhopper boots trying to find the pegs and getting my foot under the shifter. Even with a few practice attempts while standing still, I looked like a drunk taking off the first couple of times out.

Fortunately, I adapted all right and made the initial ride. Quicker, nimbler, and higher revved than my Victory, I easily saw this to be the bike for Jim. I took one short ride, then another longer one with a nice straightaway to let the bike jump a bit and open up. I gave Jim the two-word quintessential compliment for a bike to its rider, “Nice bike”.

Once back to the dealership, we loaded the beauty on the trailer with some worry as I rode it up the ramp and my feet left the ground at the apex and the bike grounded out due to her low center of gravity. We babied her a bit and got her onboard. We needed padding between the rear straps and the saddlebags. I was able to talk with the cashier, and she went right back to the shop and brought two excellent hand towels, no problem, no charge, and they did the trick.

Lashed into the trailer, the bike reminded me of a wild mustang in a corral. Leading into this post, I messed around with a working subtitle of “The Taming of Liquid Granite”. Taming is not the right word. If you are riding a bike that you feel like you’ve tamed, it is likely you are riding the wrong bike for you. Each bike is built for a specific purpose and style, and bikes are meant to ride with those in mind. Riders need to find the bike that fits them. Don’t try to tame the bike, it will buck you off in the end. We find symbiosis with our bikes, and when we do, it is poetry. The bike performs best at the slightest changes in the rider and loves to be one with the rider while finding the purpose of riding surface and route. Jim is working on it, and I know he will find it. He will sense it when it occurs.

Jim getting to know his new bike in the 'corral'

Jim’s itinerary for Day 5 had us at Frank’s Diner again on our way out of Spokane with an arrival later that day in Eagle, Idaho, where Shirley, Jim’s wife, and their daughter, Christen’s family reside, but Jim had the opportunity to breakfast with his former Master’s Swim Team coach. It was an opportunity well taken advantage of. Wonderful people, good food, and a view of a lazy section of the Spokane River.

Days five and six were spent in Eagle. They were a family affair through and through as we introduced Shirley and Christen’s crew to their new family member. She received mostly oohs and aahs along with a nervous look or two, loving a motorcycle rider is not for the feint of heart.

Jim and I made a quick run to Home Depot for materials to improve the strapping and adjust the ramp to get rid of the centering issue. We picked up two stainless steel quick links to help us secure the front end with the canyon dancer more securely and cleanly. We added some Velcro straps to secure the tails of the ratcheting load straps. To lengthen the trailer ramp and cure the bottoming out issue, Jim picked up a 2X6 and had it cut in three pieces. Finally, I found a pipe insulating material that we cut to length and wrapped the rear straps to cushion the saddle bags.

Having procured our improvement materials, we went straight back to Jim and Shirley’s place to unload the bike and take it out on some low to moderately trafficked streets in the neighborhood. I was first since I rode it off the trailer. And because Jim was a bit nervous. This bike is the heaviest he’s ever ridden. I came back with a couple of tips for Jim as he geared up for his maiden ride. He did it right; first using a couple of exercises he learned in the motorcycle safety course to get the feel of the bike, moving forward under foot power, easing the clutch in and out, leaning one way and the other…then he was off to the end of the street and a roundabout, a great place to practice a nice not-too-tight turn and back. I could see him more relaxed each time he came back to the house. Since our trip and the writing of this post, Jim has ridden on a route he is familiar with so that he can concentrate on improving his feel for the bike without worrying too much about where he’s going. His approach to symbiosis is excellent. I am looking forward to our first ride together.

Our time in Eagle was highlighted by a birthday party thrown for Jim with family and friends. Jim and Shirley have made friends with the neighbors, and they joined us along with Christen’s family, Marc’s parents, and Shirley’s sister and husband. One of the highlights of the party was a viewing of the video made by Rowen, Jim’s granddaughter, just shy of nine years old. The video is a masterpiece. It was something special for Jim and me to carry on to the last leg of our journey.

As best as I can recall and faithfully submitted,

Jerry ‘Shakespeare’ White

PS – Y’all keep the iron side up.

 

PPS – I had planned for this series have three parts, but there does not appear to be thirst for “The Road Home for Liquid Granite”, the working title on the third post. If there comes a time when I need to slack someone’s thirst for it, I’ll finish and post it.