There goes the custody of the eyes

IT’S THE ONLY thing I ever learned from the Augustinians that’s worth knowing: Keep the custody of the eyes. Don’t look at things you don’t want to want. Things get in when you look. They get in through the eyes. So don’t look.

Thank you, Augustine of Hippo, life of the 4th-century party, I’m sure.

Well anyway… I think I’ve moved ahead to the next level. Now I can look and I still don’t want. Not bad enough to plunk down cash and sign papers.

I test rode three 2018 motorcycles today. All three were great fun to ride, but I was pleased as can be to saddle up on the old iron piggy and ride home. The paid-for piggy who shows her traveling cred in every zip tie, every patch of duct-tape, and every place where a coat of rattle-can black covers up the rust. She suits me.

Which is not to say she won’t ever have a shiny new sty mate. I’m thinking… two years?

I’ve always said my next bike will be a Road Glide. I snapped a pic of this trio on the floor at Ocean State Harley in Warwick.

I’m not so sure anymore. After riding a Road King for 13 years I can’t think of one thing I don’t like about them. Anyway, the RG and the RK both come with the new Milwaukee Eight motor. I’ve heard nothing but good about it. I’ll test ride one the next time the factory truck is in town.

I’ll test ride everything over the next few years, just to be up to date on what’s out there. The second incarnation of the Africa Twin, that’s a natural…

Here are today’s rides, in pics that are not mine, just lifted off the internet.

Yamaha FJR1300. Four cylinders, lots of horses, pulls like crazy. It’s factory de-tuned so it starts to run out of steam around 150mph. Riding it around Foxboro, Mass on a Friday afternoon it was hard to get out of 3rd gear let alone into 6th. But it wants to GO!

The tuck position is far from extreme but even so it would play havoc with my screwed-together tib-fib on the starboard side.

Yahama Super Tenere, a 1200-cc parallel twin. Basically a tall naked street bike that’s marketed for off-road adventuring as well. Good luck! It’s too heavy for off road. Like those Beemer R1200GS bikes that Ewan and Charlie dropped all around the world while the cameras were running. So heavy the frames cracked! One of them did. Was it just one? Can’t remember…

As for the Super Tenere, Yahama’s version of the “go-anywhere” bike, crack the throttle and, wow, does it go!  So does the Beemer. Just stay on the street with the both of them.

In the cruiser class, the Indian Springfield. A lovely bike in all respects. The 111-inch V-twin has a bit of a rumble to it, which is nice. It makes plenty of torque. All I’d need is flatter grips on the bars. I’ve never liked the “tiller” feel to bars like these; they’re not beach bars but something like that. Not as bad as buckhorns, certainly, but they just feel wrong. When counter-steering into a turn I like to push the grip instead of swinging it to the side.

Our friend Jan Nelson in Seattle just picked up a new BMW K1600… six-cylinders, set cruise on 90 and go.

That’s exactly what Tony Coady did. Our friend from Maritime Canada rode to the Pacific last month, logged 9,000 miles in 14 days on his Gold Wing. He snapped this pic somewhere in Montana.

There you have it—all the pretty horses! I’ve never seen one yet that I wouldn’t care to ride around the world. One piston, six pistons, just ride…

Tony DePaul, September 8, 2017, Cranston, Rhode Island, USA