A good motorcyclist is a good meteorologist. Weather affects a ride in so many different ways: temperature, precipitation, wind speed, wind direction, fog, and the list meanders on. 

It’s December and it’s sunny with a high temperature of 60°. How could you not ride a motorcycle today! Mount Diablo is one of the local, technical hop on your motorcycle and ride adventures. It’s a good mix of tight turns, a few straightaways, great views, and easy to get to for me.

So, how does meteorology play into this? We are currently experiencing an inversion layer, a layer of warm air trapped above colder air. While inversion layers are often known to trap pollution and generate bad air quality, the inversion layer was in place, and air quality was still good. Why does all this matter? The top of Mount Diablo is just under 4000 feet, and it’s December 3, with a temperature of 60°. It’s time to ride the mountain!

The Triumph Speed Triple is an entirely different bike than the BMW GS. It’s sleek, agile, jumps on the blip of the throttle, and is a beauty to look at. Mount Diablo is a more technical ride, with a gentle start and increasing complexity as one nears the summit. I’m thinking this is the perfect ride to challenge me on the Triple.

As I start climbing the mountain, my weaknesses as a rider begin the show. I’m not as comfortable with the riding position on this bike as it is way more aggressive than the big BMW. My natural tendency is to put weight on the handlebars which makes the bike more difficult to turn as you’re not only pushing the bike to turn, I’m lifting myself off of the other side of the handlebars.

I’m reminded of the fundamentals of riding: smooth is slow and smooth is fast. Keep the core tight. Keep weight off the bars. Keep your shoulders back. Do more figure 4 and pigeon in yoga. 

As I climbed the mountain I spotted another motorcyclist parked off into the woods. I decided to do the same and caught a few other riders heading up the mountain as I did!

And sometimes I just pause to take in the moment. This bike rides differently. It photographs differently. It makes me feel like a different rider. And that’s fantastic!

As I climb beyond 3000 feet, the views really start to open up and the pollution around the area begins to become evident. Haze fills the valleys below obscuring all of the details hidden below the dirty smog.

The higher I climb, however, the warmer it becomes. Scratches head.

As I meet the summit I’m always amazed by this telecommunications gear. I don’t really understand what it does or if it’s even still in use. However, it makes a great backdrop for the new streetfighter motorcycle in me. There something rough, raw, and agro about this bike packaged in such a beautiful format.

And those headlights. After 15 years I still love those beautiful headlights. Now I just have to take it for a ride in the dark, LOL!

Now I get to have twice the fun on the way down! Whee!