TIRE TIPPING

TRACTOR TIRE

There's that saying 'Getting old sucks'. I didn't think of it much in my 30's, or even in my 40's. Now that I'm in my 50's however, it's become very apparent to me; I'm developing a fear of my ever increasing limitations. More specifically the physical anomalies of aging that could directly affect my passion for motorcycling. So what's a more than middle aged boy to do??

 

 I've gone and bought one of the biggest adventure bikes on the market

 Now I have added to my fear of aging. Can I pick up my motorbike if it falls and I'm alone?? If a bike falls in the forest does it make a sound? The 'tree falling in the forest makes a sound' analogy is much deeper than this of course, postulating the very existence of the tree in the first place or 'is reality an illusion?'. Riding on forestry type roads is far from an illusion and fortunately I rarely ride alone on backroads where there isn't an extra body to help me if needed.

Of course I've dropped bikes. My earliest memories of dirtbikes was when I Was in my mothers womb riding...wait, it's not a competition, is it, so don't bullshit a bull shitter. I was 6 years old on my cousin's trail 50, a stubby little Honda even a 6 year old could get a leg over. I tried to turn around on a narrow lane with a berm on my right and a glass pane green house on my left. What's the most common mistake when learning to use a throttle on a handlebar? Forgetting which way to twist. I leaned the bike over to turn, twisting down on the throttle instead of up, smashing that little fat tire through the glass of the greenhouse. I don't recall being injured in any way, likely because I was afraid of the consequences of my actions, accident or not. These weren't 'woke' days. Parents could yell at their kids, or worse. But there's no scarring memory of the angry parents, this time at least.

 

When I was 12 I took my brothers Honda XL 100 for a spin. I could barely touch the ground. It was tall and narrow like a 4x8 sheet of plywood. Down the hill past the gully and into the next tree lined field I rode, a field void of crops and neatly plowed with disc rows. Like train tracks, you needed to keep your speed up. Maybe I tried dabbing my foot down in motion, but found no purchase in between the rows. This time when the bike went down I was alone, the bike coming down on top of me. I may have yelled a few times for help but in the end I had to dig down to get out from under it.

I'm better than you because...

Again in my 12th year, my Dad got me a used Honda XR 80. I lived on that bike. I could fall off and pick it up again. I could drift around corners in the beach-like Ontario sand on the farm. I could open it up on the gravel roads and visit my school friends. I may have ridden the train tracks all the way to my school in the nearby town and ripped up the school yard.

Have I dropped a big bike and picked it up again? You bet! My fun filled Buell Ulysses went over a few times. Once on wet grass at a friends and family gathering and I was able to pick it up without being seen or moderately embarrassed. And again on a paved slope at a gas station looking for an air pump to fill my tire, again, trying to save face my adrenalin saved the day.

The tractor tire reference is not to do with a kid on the farm. I've had the notion recently, as winter rules the day over motorcycling and my thoughts wander endlessly in anticipation of the upcoming riding season, that I need an exercise to build my confidence. To feel like "yes, if I drop it I have a fighting chance to pick it up". I've taken this Yamaha Super Tenere XT1200Z on a handful of perilous rides since it's purchase in 2023. Steep ascents and descents on baby head and brick-like rocks. A few gnarly washouts and a couple water crossings. I have not dropped this bike yet (enable jinx mode).

 

That's where the tractor tire comes in. The larger ones can way upwards of 400 pounds. But finding one of those may prove difficult. Maybe I can take a smaller or thinner tire and add weight to one end.

 

Hopefully it doesn't end up being another obstacle in my summer lawn maintenance ritual. Hopefully the kids can get some use out of it too. The great part of a tractor tire is...you can't hurt it.

And hopefully it won't hurt me...