friday night...

rode to durham last night to help teach another motorcycle class... friday nights are just classroom. - motorcycle familiarization, riding gear, controls, basic motorcycle operation. basically preparation for the next two days on the range.

ride out was nice - wasn't as far as i expected. had to travel through some rougher parts of town. getting there didn't concern me as much as the ride home. i knew it would be late, after 2100, possibly after 2200. it's not so much that i'm worried about being targeted as much as being hit by a stray bullet. yeah, i know, probably very unlikely, but it would be my luck.

being friday night, the class is only a couple hours long... like any class i've been involved with so far, this one wasn't without its own drama. classes generally have twelve students. tonight's class started with ten. in walks a college age dood about twenty minutes late. he apologizes for being late but hasn't really missed much, so dave lets him stay. well, every break, and sometimes not even on break, he's heading outside to make a phone call. i'm thinking he's scamming on some chick - whatever, he's young, that's probably all he's got on his mind.

class goes well. again dave got me involved and i get to "teach" a couple of the sections. i think i did pretty good and the experience is invaluable. it's about 2115 and we're wrapping up for the night when college-dood's buddy walks into class!! makes an attempt to be funny with some comment about being late and wondering if it's too late to participate in class. dave tells him yes. he asks if he should he should leave - dave says yes and waits for him to leave before we continue class.

we wrap up class, reminding students to bring the proper gear for the next day. everyone leaves and we're gathering our stuff when who should appear?? college-dood and his buddy no-show... they're scheming to get no-show back into the class - striking deals. if no-show can answer every question in the book correctly before ten o'clock, can he participate in the class. dave says no - participation is a key part of the class, in addition there are liability issues... they insisted until dave turns his attention to college-dood and said he was lucky he was in the class for showing up twenty minutes late. it was about then they decided to walk off...

until we got into the parking lot!!! college-dood came over asking for dave's name and phone number - saying he wasn't trying to cause any problems. yeah right... when you're in that situation and asking for names and numbers, it's usually not to invite people over for dinner!!! he walks over to his car then comes back - handing dave a cell phone saying it's his mom. dave starts talking on the phone and walks off. when he came back about ten minutes later he was not very happy. handed the phone back to college-dood and said something to the effect of i don't need this shit... that was pretty much it for the night...

rode my bike home in the evening. ride home was nice once i got through the no-so-nice parts of town... i made a wrong turn - actually turned too early and went through some side streets i didn't want to be on. fortunately i was able to navigate to where i needed to be without having to back-track. the ride home was cooler, which made it nice. kind of invigorating to ride home after dealing with jerks like we did...

overall, the experience was worthwhile. now i've helped out all three days of the course - not all consecutive, but i did help. i've even got some classes lined up to teach. i'm looking forward to those... would like to do more, but maybe i should get my feet wet and see what i'm getting into...

ride on...

picked up the bike today...

although i picked up the bike today, it started yesterday with a phone call saying they replaced the wheel!!! excellent - the wheel was replaced. but... there was a fiddy dollar extended warranty charge. what?!?!?!

confession time... when i bought the bike, i got the preferred customer plan - some sort of extended warranty. the deal is it would cover everything with the bike for x number of years, including the regular service. they said if a bulb blew, they would replace it free. figuring this was my first bike, i wasn't real familiar with servicing it myself, this might be the way to go. yeah, yeah, i know, sucker born every minute!!! since i've had the bike, i haven't paid for a regular service - and i've been getting them every twenty-five hundred miles. they even replaced the back tire free of charge when i needed it replaced. so, it seems like it's been a good deal for me so far.

so, when the service-dood left the message saying the wheel was replaced and it would be fiddy bucks, i was very surprised. i called them to find out the scoop. service-dood says that he was under the same impression when he bought the preferred customer plan too and didn't find out until after he started working there and had his bike serviced. seems whoever was telling the story - selling the plan - was leaving some details out. now i can appreciate someone trying to sell the plan and highlight the positives. now i can't exactly remember what i was told - hell, i have problems remembering what i had to breakfast yesterday - but i'm pretty sure i understood the plan to cover everything one hundred percent. turns out that if an item is out of warranty, then check it under extended warranty. if it's not covered there, then they cover it under the preferred customer plan. my wheel isn't covered under warranty anymore, but it is covered under extended warranty, which carries a fiddy dollar charge. news to me!!! i say that's not right because i was told (under the impression) that everything would be covered one hundred percent. service-dood says i can talk to a manager type to straighten it out.

i don't know if i mentioned i just went through this with the rental bike. the dood that sold me the plan said, if available, i could get a rental bike when i brought my bike in. apparently it only covers service, not repair. i was on the phone with another service-dood when i discovered this little gem. when i told service-dood who lead me to that impression, he said screw it and put me through to the rental department to arrange a rental. see, sales-dood-who-leaves-out-details move from being sales manager to general manager. i'm thinking this was a way for service-dood to stick it to sales-dood-who-leaves-out-details. bottom line, i learned to schedule my repairs around when i can get a rental bike. as long as they have one available, i can get it. when it comes to service - they are more obligated to get me a rental...

okay - back to the story at hand... i get patched through to manager-dood, but he's not in, have to wait until today to talk to him... today comes and i give him a call. i explain my situation. he apologizes for my misunderstanding and without breaking stride, says they'll pick up the tab. wow, what customer service - although i don't think i'm the first one to come to them with this story. i tell you, i don't think the dood could have bend over backwards any further.

later in the afternoon i took the vrod back and picked up my bike. i asked what was wrong with the old wheel, but never found out. the service-dood was too busy trying to take care of too many things at one time; including verifying manager-dood was picking up the tab for the new wheel.

ride home was awesome - what a great feeling to be back on my bike again. and an even better feeling not to have it wobbling when i ride. it feels good again...

peace...

bike in for repair...

took the bike in to have the wobble repaired today... that was an experience...

the ride in was okay... of course i had to contend with the wobble that i was getting repaired. i didn't think i would have to deal with traffic because i had decided to take the bike in after lunch, instead of first thing in the morning, like i normally do. i was right in that i didn't have to face morning rush hour traffic. i did, however, have to deal with heavy traffic. i don't know what was going on, accident, road work, whatever, it sure was making traffic heavy and slowing things down. which might have been, in some sort of cosmic way, to keep the speed of the bike down and help prevent the wobble.

it was so nice to get to the dealership. no problems getting there - thankfully. first order of business, get the rental. i wasn't dropping off the bike without a rental - not that i was really contemplating riding my bike back home. no problem picking up the rental. they didn't really have much to choose from - so i'm glad i called ahead and made reservations. i was hoping to get a touring model, at least something with bags... all they had was a wide glide, a buell blast and a vrod. pretty much no brainer - give me the vrod. i've been wanting to ride of one these. can't say that i'd want to own one of these, but definitely wanted to take one for a spin... so i fill out all the paper work and finish up and head over to the service department.

i tell the service-dood that i'm dropping off the bike to have the wheel replaced. of course, me being the customer and him being the service-dood, my diagnosis of needing a new wheel couldn't be right. he replies with a comment about needing a new tire. i clarified that i needed a new wheel and not a new tire. he asks how i know - i tell him that the spokes are loose and i can move the wheel back and forth, causing a wobble when i ride. he agrees that something is wrong, but again, my diagnosis of the spokes being loose isn't correct. he tells me it's probably the hub or bearings. no, i tell him, it's the spokes. i've had the bike up on the lift, i can move the wheel back and forth and watch the spokes move. i offer to get the bike up on the lift and i'll show him. he declines my offer. i tell him it will take less than thirty seconds if we can get the bike up on the lift. again, he declines saying they'll take a look at it. i told him i was expecting a new wheel since i didn't know what damage to the spokes or rim might have happened as a result of the loose spokes. he didn't say much - but i figured i'd wait until they gave me the diagnosis before pressing the issue of replacing the whole wheel. i get checked out (or is it checked in??) and service-dood tells me he'll give me a call tomorrow afternoon about the bike... good with me...

i head over to the awaiting vrod. rental-dood checks me out on the bike. reinforces that this will be different than my road king - something about a little more power and speed. stresses being careful - not getting too aggressive until the tires have warmed up. excellent!!

so i head home on the vrod. i'm not really sure i like the position of the foot controls. not sure if it's because i'm used to my bike or if they are just awkward on this bike. it does have a lot of power - although i can't really push it since i'm in traffic on crowded roads. once i get closer to home, out of all the traffic, i start pushing the bike a little. while i just want to open it up and see what it will do, i don't want a traffic ticket even more - so i keep myself in check.

the ride home was fun. nice bike, but i don't know that i'd really want one. by the time i got home, my ass was sore - and it's only a twenty-five mile ride. a new seat would be the first investment for the bike. foot controls never really did start feeling right. fun to ride - but i'll let someone else purchase it...




btw, i would definitely remove the bag and the sissy bar - if you can call it that!!!

helping out...

helped out with a basic rider course today at alamance community college. was a looooonnggg day, but well worth it...

the class usually starts at 0800. today, it started at 0700 because the instructors wanted to get a jump on the heat. and i showed up a before that so i could help get the bikes ready and set up the range.

i got a lot more involved in this class than i did in the last one i helped out with... i actually got to provide some coaching to the students, ride some demos and perform the skills evaluation. overall, the class was a good one, but not without its moments...

the heat was grueling... i don't know how hot it got and i don't want to know - it'll make me realize how crazy (or maybe stupid) i am for being out there in the heat. anyway, i did survive with plenty of fluids. some of the students weren't fairing as well, so we were giving them more and more breaks - which attributed to the longer day. apparently yesterday they had an older guy drop the class because the heat was giving him leg cramps - probably a good decision.

today we had one "problem" student - she was having trouble figuring out clutch control and the friction zone. she would ease the clutch out until it hit the friction zone, the bike would start getting underway then she would pop the clutch out - the majority of the time stalling the bike. towards the end of the day, it looked like she was power-walking the bike to enough speed she could pop the clutch out without stalling the bike. no matter how stressed eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeasing the clutch out, she just couldn't grasp the concept. during the exercises, this was passable, but it would be her downfall during the evaluation.

when it came to the quick stop evaluation, she would get about ten feet and stall the bike. ten feet, stall the bike. about half way up, after stalling, i think she realized she was doomed. she broke down and started crying. of course she was blaming the bike. i do have to say that she was on a new bike during the evaluation - something we try not to do. but she was having problems shifting the previous bike she was on. as students do, they want to blame the bikes for their problems. i will admit these aren't necessarily the best bikes around - but they are adequate for the class. the majority of time the students the one with the problem. but we'll swap out bikes to placate them... there was no way she was going to get the shifting down - heck, she couldn't even get the bike under power. so, it was easier to swap bikes...

now she's sitting here, crying, and holding up the rest of the class. i think she pretty much knew she was going to fail... the other instructor told her that if she can get back to the starting point and run the evaluation without stalling, she could continue. she agreed. we started walking back to our evaluation position when we heard the bike stall. all i said to the other instructor was i know that wasn't the bike just stalling. once we got to our positions, we turned around - she hadn't moved very far. at that point, she realized she couldn't complete the evaluation. she got off the bike, removed her helmet and walked away... that was pretty much the last we saw of her - other than to come back and get the keys to the classroom so she could get her stuff.

after the range, we got to go into the classroom. an extremely welcome break considering the heat!! we covered a couple more topics before the students took the written evaluation. everyone passed - well, everyone that was still there!! after completing the written exams, i got to talk to the students about how they did on the skills evaluation. it was cool talking to people and gaining insight into their experience. one of the best feelings for me is transforming someone who's never been on a bike before into someone who's enthusiastic about riding and looks forward to continuing learning. we do stress that this is only a beginner course and that in order to become better - they must continue to practice and learn.

after the class, i stayed and talked to dave for a bit. he was happy to have me out there - especially since having an extra person on the range with the heat was helpful. he liked the way i interacted with the students today and thinks i'll make a good instructor. time will tell. i think he's going to try to help me get some more classes - that would be most excellent.

overall, it was a great day. i learned a lot - i think i'm really going to enjoy teaching... what i learned most, though, was it's time to stop doing these classes for free!! while the experience has been invaluable, and i wouldn't not do it, i'm going to have to carefully weigh my decision to keep doing it for "free".

harley wobble...

well, it's been a while since i posted, but that doesn't mean i haven't been riding... most of my riding lately, though, has been short trips around town - nothing big, no all day or overnight trips... just been too busy recently to take a longer trip...

over the last several weeks, i've noticed my bike is tending to wobble as i ride it. although i first noticed it many weeks ago, i wasn't too concerned as it wasn't that bad. however, as i've ridden, the wobble is getting worse and worse - to the point i'm becoming concerned for my safety. while i won't rule anything out, i don't think this is related to the famed harley wobble, which can be read more about here too. i will say, however, that as i was experiencing the wobble, the thought/fear of the harley wobble as at the forefront of my thoughts.

the first time i experienced the wobble, i was in a turn not far from my house. i felt it wobble, which was unusual and got my attention. it wasn't a bad wobble, but enough to get my attention. the road was newly paved, which i didn't think would/could be a factor as it was smoother that before. but you never know...

over the weeks, as i'm riding, i notice it more often and getting worse. worse in the sense that the wobble is lasting longer and longer and getting more noticeable. violent is the word that comes to mind, although that seems a bit dramatic. the other day it got to the point where i'm questioning my safety on the bike. i do realize that i'm not the most experienced on a bike, but i do consider myself a fairly competent rider. i believe the skills i've developed over the past several years have made me a very safe rider. i ride like i'm invisible and everyone is out to hit me. so when i begin to feel unsafe on a bike, something serious is going on.

last week i gave the bike a quick once over - checking the tire pressure, the steering neck, the air pressure in the rear shocks, etc. everything seemed to check out. not feeling confident i didn't over look anything, i called the service department at the local dealership. i explained what was going on and what i had checked. service department dood said outside of tire pressure he couldn't think of anything that would cause the wobble. and, he said, it sounded like i had the appropriate pressure in the tires... curses...

today i finally took the time to get the bike up on the lift. and i had my father-in-law (fil) here to help. we started with the front tire, everything seemed to be okay. my fil like to check things out from front to back, so he starts with the front tire and checks all the components as he moves towards the back of the bike. i like to check groups of components on a bike, tires, shocks, etc. so after checking the front tire, he starts moving to the middle of the bike and i move to the back tire. i grab the rear tire and move it from side to side. uh oh, i think i found the problem. i call fil over and tell him to take a look. facing the rear of the bike, i move the tire left and right about half an inch. uhhhh, houston, we have a problem - it shouldn't be doing that. as i move the tire, i watch the rim and the spokes. the spokes are definitely loose. not much to do now but call the dealership to make an appointment to get this fixed.

i call the dealership to schedule an appointment. i explain what's going on and that i'm a preferred customer. basically a preferred customer means i paid a lot of money to have someone else do something for me that i could probably do on my own for much less money if i would just learn how. but there are some perks, like a free loaner bike when i have to leave it at the shop. or priority seating when the service department is slammed. priority seating pays off this time. the first open slot they have is august 30. but, being a preferred customer, i can bring it in any time, drop it off and they'll get it fixed within three days - assuming they don't have to order out for parts. the dood tells me to bring it in at my convenience and they'll get to it. of course they'll need it for a couple days... no problem, i said, we just have to be sure a rental is available. oops, problem... seems the rental is only good for service, not warrantee or repair work. the work is covered because i'm a preferred customer, but not the rental. i explain it was my understanding the rental was good any time i had to bring my bike in for work. service dood says he wishes he knew who was telling people that because a lot of people are under that impression and he has to be the dood that breaks the bad news to people... and i don't blame him there - he is put in a bad spot. i inform service dood that i can tell him exactly who told me i get a rental whenever i bring my bike in. the false-advertising dood was the sales manager when i bought my bike and was promoted to general manager. one thing about false-advertising dood is he personifies a used car salesman. close your eyes and imagine a used car salesman. now you're picturing this dood. and, believe it or not, he really was a used car salesman in a former life.

i'm more than happy to spill the beans and offer false-advertising dood's name up. and when i do, service dood makes a deal. since that's what he told me, and he's the general manager, he's going to get me the rental!!! service department dood says that if i can work out a convenient time to pick up a rental, they'll be more than happy to get my bike in... excellent. i get my bike in and i get the rental i'm not supposed to have.

i'm mixed about what i discovered today. i'm extremely happy that i found the problem while the bike was still sitting in my garage instead of while i was tooling down the road. i'm happy that i'll get the bike in this coming week and that i get a rental while they're working on my bike. i'm disappointed because i'll miss riding until i can get the bike in and get the rental. and tomorrow i'll be observing a basic rider course and i was looking forward to riding the bike. but when i weigh the pros and the cons, it's a no-brainer that not riding an unsafe bike for a few days will be well worth the comfort and confidence of riding a safe bike. (did that make sense??)

one other thought - this probably all started when i had my tire replaced in may.

peace and ride safe...

on their way...

talked to my bro earlier today... they're on their way to sturgis - the trip i was supposed to be on... they were at their first refueling stop and already sounded like they were having a good time... damn, i really wish i was on the trip with them...

another trip, another time...

feasting on asphalt...

i just started watching alton brown's new show, feasting on asphalt. i wasn't sure what to expect from the show. when my wife first told me about the show, i figured it would just be another lame show trying to exploit the popularity of motorcycles.

for the most part, i like cooking shows. what i really like about cooking shows is learning new recipes or tricks i can use... i don't like cooking shows where the recipes are so far out, you wouldn't normally be cooking them in your kitchen. i really like to watch a show and think, hey, i can do that in my kitchen. or on my grill as appropriate. because of that, i like alton brown. what i also like about alton is that he gets into the science of cooking - like how different flours or sugars will affect recipes differently. i remember an episode he did cooking chocolate chip cookies - by using different amounts of sugar, he could make the cookie chewy-oowey-gooie or thin and crisp. one of the first shows i ever watch of his, he smoked salmon - i think it was salmon - in a cardboard box!! he took ordinary stuff you would have laying around the house and smoked salmon. that's pretty impressive.

soooo, i find out that alton was hosting feasting on asphalt. still not quite convinced, though... then i catch a commercial for it - and alton describes a little more about the show. the premise is alton and crew are traveling across the states on motorcycles. the goal is to stay off the interstate and travel smaller roads - thus running into more mom-and-pop type places. much like traveling before the interstate system was created. in addition, the trip will provide them the opportunity to showcase regional foods. pretty cool - it'd be nice to be on a trip like that!!! i decide i'm going to give the show a chance.

last night i watched the first episode feasting on asphalt. i must say, i was pretty impressed - which just goes to show it doesn't take much to impress me. first, i like the idea that they're traveling on motorcycles. they talk a little about their travels, but the show is more about the mom-and-pop shops and the regional food they find. in this episode they started in mt. pleasant, south carolina and traveled to savannah, georgia. alton gave some insight to what he feels makes a good roadside restaurant. not only does he describe the atmosphere, but also talks about the food - of course. overall, it's a very good mix of the travels, the places and the food.

i'd say the show is worth checking out. i've tivo'ed the rest of the episodes, just to ensure i don't miss them. here's the episode guide if you're interested...

ride on...

observing...

well, in order to get this motorcycle instructing thing kick started, i decided to observe a class yesterday. to most of you, observing probably implies something like watching - most likely from the edges of the range, not interfering with the course or the students... yeah - i was kinda thinking the same thing. the most i was expecting was to kick the cones around...

the day started as expected - getting up early and getting ready for the hour ride to johnston community college. i had gathered a lot of the stuff i needed the night before - so the morning mostly involved trying to wake up and packing up the bike. i wasn't sure what time to leave - thinking an hour should be enough time. knowing that, i left about ten minutes later than i wanted. one of these days i'm going to get my act together and leave on time - or maybe early...

the ride there was nice. cooler than i expected. which was a nice surprise, especially considering it was supposed to be a hot, humid, nasty day. they were also calling for thunderstorms, but i figured i could be out of there before those hit... ride was two lane roads the whole way. although there wasn't much traffic - a few cars - there was more than i expected. i was figuring for 0630 on a saturday morning, more people would be sleeping. but it didn't matter, i would get there when i got there...

and get there i did. so i pulled up to the college and started driving down the strip - trying to figure out where the class/range was. after riding the length of the college and not seeing it, i rode back to the entrance, pulled in front of a building and called doug. doug is one of the guys from my motorcycle prep class. this was his first time teaching, so i decided to come out and give him some support by observing. little did i know i was parked right next to the range. doug and bob pulled around with the wagons full of cones and other course materials. since i was there, i helped set the range up for the first exercise. technically it's the second exercise, but it's the first one that actually uses the range. the first exercise is motorcycle familiarization - which is exactly as it sounds. johnston community college (heretoforeverafter known as jcc) runs two classes a weekend, which means they have two classrooms and two ranges - double the fun!!!

once the range was set up, we headed back to the shed to pull the bikes out and warm them up... some of the bikes wouldn't start - a sign of things to come for the day!! luckily we ended up with enough bikes for each class plus a spare - although the spare had to be bump started!!! no big deal, that's what spares are for.

finally the students arrive and class begins. students are becoming more familiar with the motorcycle they have chosen. i notice a couple students struggling a little, so i jump in to help - trying to assist but stay out of the way. this seems to work pretty well. the familiarization exercise seems to go a little longer than expected - but i guess that's okay since it's fairly important the new riders feel comfortable and confident in the operation of the motorcycle.

have i mentioned how hot it's already getting?? well, it is...

now it's time to move on to the second exercise. speaking of move, we have to move the bikes from the shed to the range. how is this done?? by having the students push the bikes. normally this wouldn't be so bad because it seems to make sense someone operating a motorcycle should know how to push it around. however, in this case, it's quite a distance. and did i mention it's getting hot?? one student couldn't push their bike all the way - the heat was getting to her and she couldn't handle the bike very well. doug ended up pushing the bike to the range for her. it ended up that she wasn't handling the heat very well and dropped out of the class halfway through the second exercise. it's a shame to see someone drop, but probably the best for everyone involved.

the rest of the day had its share of mishaps... the extra bike we had eventually died, leaving no spares. the heat was starting to get to the students. the exercises were taking longer to run than they should have. i attribute this not so much to the learning of the students but poor time management by one of the instructors. i ended up helping run the exercises and participating in the teaching more than i expected. i didn't mind, of course, but i didn't want the instructors to think i was over-stepping the bounds. actually, i don't think this was the case - i know doug was thankful i was helping out - it seemed the other guy, to protect his identity, let's call him cool, wasn't taking as much charge of the class as he should have been. with the heat, mishaps and poor time management, we were ready for the lunch break...

we had a chance to cool off, get something into our tummies and prepare for the afternoon. one of the students was a little late in getting back from lunch - which holds up the rest of the class... as he approaches the range, we tell everyone to gear up and get ready for the exercise. he approaches his bike and starts fumbling around with his keys. then he announces that he can't find the key to his bike. he asks if he has time to run back to the restaurant to look for the keys. sure, but he has to hurry. what a way to start the afternoon... again, we can't start the exercises without all the students. we decide to give him some time, but if he's not back, we'll start the class and he'll be forced to drop.

now let me just say that i don't think it was fair to give the students the responsibility for the keys. this is something the instructors should take care of. however, he should have taken better care of the key. i do feel bad for him, though... and the worst part is we're now down a bike.

lost-key dood is gone, looking for the key and the class is getting anxious to start - especially with the heat. we decide the class needs to get going. and as we tell the students to gear up, he pulls back into the parking lot. cool... but he's not jumping out of his van so fast. turns out he didn't find the key at the restaurant. in fact, he's fairly sure he didn't even take it in to the restaurant. damn. i help him strip search his van. then we retrace his steps returning after lunch. he's obviously concerned and upset he lost the key. his primary concern is making sure we can do something with the bike - like use the spare key. since this is my first time here, i don't know what provisions are made for the spare key. and by the end of the day i learn there are no spare keys for the bikes. his second concern was having to drop from the class - which i could fully understand.

doug had taken charge for the afternoon sessions, which was probably a good thing. being the quick thinker doug is, he decided to run split exercises for the afternoon. this did two things - first it gave the students a break from the heat as they could spend less time geared up and on the bikes. next, it allowed the students to share bikes, which meant there was enough for everyone and lost-key dood didn't have to drop.

in vain, i tried to bump start one of the bikes, thinking i might be able to get it going. lost-key dood even offered to push the bike in order to help me get it started - i know he felt very bad about the mishap with the key. and i have to give him credit for trying to help out. but no matter what we tried, the bike wouldn't start...

the rest of the afternoon went okay. cool effectively bowed out of teaching, which left doug and me to do most of the instructing. the heat left a couple students feeling ill. by the time we ran the last exercise, everyone was ready to get inside and cooled off. thankfully, the students get to ride the bikes back to the shed instead of pushing them. i was really impressed when lost-key dood offered to push his bike back to the shed - of course we let him!!

once all the bikes were at the shed, we told the students to head into the classroom and cool off. cool, doug and i put the bikes into the shed. cool wasn't too pleased to learn we sent the students to the room without giving them their next assignment. hmmmmm - how were we supposed to know?? this was doug's first time and, heck, i'm just helping out. oh well... we'll get them started when we get to the classroom.

ohhhhhh and getting to the classroom felt soooooo good... nice and cool. a chance to sit down. i never thought the inside of a modular trailer would be so nice. the rest of the day would be downhill from here. excellent... i don't know if it was because i was there or what, but cool pretty much disappeared for the rest of the day - leaving doug on his own. the problem wasn't that doug was left alone, it was that cool didn't say anything to him about it... again, doug handled it and i helped out as i could...

about forty-five minutes before the end of class, the skies opened up with thunder, lightening and rain. as long as it passed before we were ready to ride, no problem. and with the way the storms blow in and out, it would probably be dry when it was time to ride home. and indeed that's what happened. it rained for about thirty minutes and was pretty much dry when it came time to ride.

the ride home was excellent. the rain and cooled the temps and there was actually a nice breeze riding home - much like the one riding in. traffic on the road wasn't bad - only one or two bozo cages. although i was exhausted, it was nice to be heading home... i enjoyed the road and will make the ride again. but that ride will be for pleasure...

peace...

riding again...

well, it's been longer than i expected since i rode the bike... didn't take it out on ride to work day. i didn't really have any place to go, so i didn't go anywhere. last sunday i did the usual ride to the store to pick up the paper, but that was about it...

today i decided to ride to lunch to meet john q. public and a couple other cohorts. it was a nice ride out and back. i took the interstate on the way out because, as usual, i didn't leave early enough to take the longer route. and because i'm not really sure how much more time the longer route takes. i've tried to keep track of how long it takes a couple times, but i get lost in the ride too much to pay attention to the time. but i made up for it on the ride home - taking the longer route. i don't really know if it's longer distance-wise, but it's certainly longer time-wise because i'm on two lane roads the whole way. and i'd rather be on those roads.

the temps were a little warm out there. it's not bad if you can keep moving, but if you stop in traffic, it can get a bit warm under that full face helmet and riding jacket. in my head, i've debate not wearing the jacket on the warm (hot) days - comfort v. safety. so far safety has always won out (at least since i've purchased the jacket). when you do a pro/con approach to it, it just makes sense to wear the jacket. what's the worst that can happen wearing the jacket?? sweating?? what's the worst that can happen not wearing a jacket?? road rash?? (not to mention death if the rash is bad enough!!!) so i think i've convinced myself to continue wearing it - even in the heat. i guess it just makes me feel better riding, and i can deal with the sweat.

soooo, lunch was good. it's always nice catching up to the people that i should see more often but don't. working from home has a lot of advantages, but it does come with a couple disadvantages. like not seeing friends as much. but don't get me wrong, the disadvantages certainly don't outweigh the advantages. you just have to make adjustments to minimize the disadvantages.

well, that's about it for now... should have more to post after tomorrow as i'm going to observe a motorcycle class. one of the doods i took the prep course with is teaching. it will be a good chance for me to figure out where the range is, see how things are run and meet some of the other instructors. i'm looking forward to it...

later...

ride to work day - tomorrow!!!

as mentioned in an earlier post, tomorrow is ride to work day... you can check out more at the ride to work web site.

since i work from home, it makes it kind of hard to ride. my wife said i should ride to the end of the driveway, turn around and come back... sounds like a good idea, just a little short!!! i may have to go out at lunch for a longer ride. then on the way back, technically i'd be riding to work!!

whatever you do - get out and ride. and don't just make it one day - ride often!!!

ride to the lake...

didn't take my usual sunday morning ride... since my nephew was staying with us and he wanted to go to the store with me, i decided to take the cage. we were also planning to go up to the kerr lake, so it was looking like a day with no riding...

we got back from the store and we were waiting for my nephew to head off to his class when my wife asked if i wanted to ride my bike to the lake. wow!!! that was a surprise... of course i want to ride!!!

i was going to take matt along with me, but there was some confusion there. he went upstairs to change and came down wearing shorts. i reminded him that if he wanted to ride, he needed to change into jeans. so he proceeded to go upstairs when my wife said something to him. not sure what it was... but i know she was in a hurry to get up to the lake, so she was rushing us to get our stuff together. i told her that matt had enough time to change - heck i wasn't even ready yet. at that point, matt mumbled something and didn't change. so, i rode alone instead of being able to share the ride with someone.

leaving for the lake turned into a comedy... to begin with, we were rushing to get out of the house, which is always a recipe for something to go wrong. we had to go to the store to get some stuff - i wanted to get a life jacket for our youngest and my wife needed to get a new bathing suit. she's been looking for a suit but hasn't found one she likes. at this point, she just needed to get something since we'd be at the lake. and since we'd only be at the lake (and not at a fashion show), pretty much any suit would do. (btw, even if the suit isn't the best she could find - she looks hot in it!!!)

we head to the store, me on the bike, following my wife in the cage. when we get to the store, we break up and head in different directions - each with our assigned tasks. i had to get the life jacket and meet them back at the front of the store. my wife was heading to get the bottled water. one kid was heading off for school supplies and the other was heading to the music department.

after searching half the store, i find the life jackets and pick one out - a spiderman one!!! my son has a fascination with spiderman, so it was really nice to find one with spiderman that also fit. he was excited. we wander to the front of the store looking for family. no one. i decide to walk to where the water is - it couldn't have taken that long to get a case of water. nope, not around there. head back to the front of the store. as we're walking by the registers, we pass one kid rushing to the registers. i ask him what's up. he says he's buying a cd and needed to get some extra money from mom for the tax. ahhhhhh, i ask where mom is. he points, i start walking. and walking. and walking. i can't find her. as i'm heading back to the front of the store, music kid comes back with his new purchase. he looks at us and notes, assessing the situation quickly, that i haven't found mom. he says she should be around bathing suits. oh yeah, she was picking out a new suit - how quickly my small mind forgets. we find her and she's already got a suit in hand. excellent, we're finally ready to go... until my wife asks if i got the water. doh!!! i forgot to get the water. i go get the water and return. did i get the hot dog buns too?? damn!!! she heads off to get the buns and i get in line. while we're in line, i realize i didn't pack my flip flops. great, now we have to stop by the house so i can get my flip flops - another delay. so much for the earlier start we wanted to get...

after stopping at the house, we finally head on up to the lake, me on the bike and the family following in the cage. it was a nice ride, not much traffic, temps not too high yet. and we were heading to the lake to swim and hang out - what's not to like?? we went up the back roads that i found a trip or two ago. that's nice because now we don't have to get on the interstate at all to get to the lake.

we had a great day at the lake. we met my father-in-law up there. he got there early in the morning to cut down a couple trees. about an hour after we got there, he and his buddy headed back home. i think he wanted to stay but his buddy wanted to get back. since his buddy drove, my father-in-law didn't have much choice but to leave with him.

we spent the rest of the time swimming in the lake and hanging out on the dock. before heading home, we cooked up some hot dogs on the grills. sometimes i forget how tasty hot dogs on the grill can be. i don't know if it's our hunger after swimming all morning or what - but those hot dogs are soooo good. we ate, cleaned up and headed back home.

ride home was good - again all back roads. it was quite a bit warmer, but after a good day at the lake, it was a great ride...

easyriders rodeo

decided to head to the easyriders rodeo today...


the rodeo was taking place in wilson, nc which is only forty-five minutes away. i was figuring that would be a good ride - especially for the ride back home after being out all day.

i got there on the early side which was okay since i had to leave early. my nephew is staying with us and i wanted to be back at the house to visit with him. since he wasn't sure exactly where he was going, i lead him out to where he needed. after that, i headed straight for the rodeo.

the ride out was nice. still a little cool, which i was already enjoying because i knew it was going to get into the nineties today. the ride was also peaceful - not many people out this early. i got to enjoy a mixture of two lane roads, four lane roads and interstate. i don't really care for riding on the interstate. but in this case, i wasn't on it too long, so it didn't really matter. on the ride out, i was debating whether i really wanted to go to the rodeo. i mean i knew i wanted to go, but i also knew i would have to leave early. i also knew i was going to be hot. i was thinking i could just ride around for a couple hours and then head back home. i'd be fine with that...

i got into wilson and started looking for the fairgrounds. i knew it wasn't too far from where i got onto 301, i just didn't know how far up. i saw bikers riding in the opposite direction, looking for coffee and breakfast. of course there were those that were also picking up beer to start the day. i was kind of surprised i saw as many bikes out, it was only 0900 and i figured a lot of them would still be sleeping.

i keep riding north, looking for either the fairgrounds or signs for the fairgrounds. as far as i knew, it was on the left directly off 301. i ride for about five miles. i know now i've gone too far. well, i don't know that, but it had to be closer than this. i turn around and go back - i had to pass it and didn't realize it.

on the way back through, i see, for the first time, fairground parking on the left side of the road. now i'm wondering why they would put parking on the opposite side of the road. i'm guessing it's more or less overflow parking and they don't have enough space at the fairgrounds. just then, i see the fairgrounds. on the left side of the road - the opposite side i thought it would be one. okay, now i'm thinking i missed it because it was on the opposite side that i was looking for. but them i'm looking at how big it is and seeing all the campers and bike, how did i miss this the first time through??

i pull up to the ticket booth and purchased my day pass. i ask where i should park the bike. the girl tells me to keep going around the fairgrounds. i hop on the bike and go around, which leads me to an entrance at the camping area. the due asks to see my arm band - which is how they can easily tell who's allowed into which areas. i don't have the right arm band for the camping area. i ask him where i can park - he tells me up front, where the ticket booth is. damn - i was just there. why did the dumb blonde tell me to go around back?? why was i dumb enough to listen to her??

the place looks deserted, except for the camping area. but i guess that's expected this early in the morning. some of the vendors are still setting up. i guess they're not really worried about starting this first thing in the morning since it runs into the wee hours... i walk around checking out some booths and bikes.





they had bikes from kendall johnson, randy simpson (milwaukee iron) and paul yaffe. i usually don't care for paul yaffe's designs, but i like the supertrapp bike he built - i think the paint is what caught my attention. kendall johnson's bike was for sale. it was the bike he built during one of the biker build-off shows. nice looking bike.

as the day went on, the crowd started to pick up and more and more bikes were showing up for the bike show.






the preliminary rodeo events started at 1300, with the main events starting at 1700. which was kind of a bummer because i was planning on leaving at 1700. i went over and watched some of the preliminary pulling events as well as the tire pull and bar stool races. i came close to entering the bar stool races - not sure why i didn't. still thinking maybe i should have. oh well, there's always next year!!

i spent the rest of the time wandering around, looking at the sights. it wasn't as crazy as i expected. but it was still early. and i'm sure a lot of the fun picks up in the evening and really gets rolling after dark. i'll have to catch that next year too.

not sure why, but i was kind of surprise to see a trough urnial in the men's room. i guess i didn't think they were still around... but it makes sense - better than all us guys using the sink when we gotta go!! i figured i had to get a picture of it...



i left a little earlier than i expected - pretty much saw what there was to see. besides, it was hot and i was ready to get moving on the bike. overall, i had a good time. was expecting to see a little more craziness like the smoke out. but again, it was probably too early. the ride home was nice - two lanes pretty much the whole time. the wind blowing felt great - it was a warm wind, but it was moving. next time i'll probably ride with the windshield off - that should make it a little cooler.

here are some other pictures from the day...

scotch-brite and other stories...

in a follow-up to my earlier post about trying to make my bike too shiny, i've found that scotch-brite works well to removed the "slickness" from the footboards.

i was going out to lunch yesterday. being the "plan ahead" type of guy i am, i waited until the last possible minute before trying to clean the footboards. i didn't want to chance riding again with the slippery footboards. and i've known about this problem since sunday. so it's not like i haven't had plenty of time to get to this earlier.

i grabbed a scotch-brite pad and started scrubbing. in the back of my mind, i'm already debating whether i'm going to resort to the cage if i can't clean the footboards well enough. needless to say, the scotch-brite worked well. now i'll have to do the same thing to the passenger footboards. i should have enough time for that, right??

speaking of going out to lunch - that was another experience. i left a little later than i wanted. having to scrub the footboards put me a little further behind. as i'm leaving the neighborhood, i notice i'm low on gas. i think i have enough to get me to my destination.

as i come to stops, i check the gauge - the red light comes on. but as i take off, the gauge readjusts and turns amber. so now i'm balancing between low and very low. already being late, i decide to press on. until... i come upon a detour.

now you never really know about the detours around here. sometimes the road is blocked and sometimes it isn't. i haven't figured out the madness behind these detours, but i will one day. in my head i'm debating whether to take the detour or take my chances with the road being open. i don't know how far out of the way the detour will take me. these are back roads and i could be going miles and miles out of the way. or maybe it's just a short jaunt around the "closed" road.

this detour wasn't here the last time i drove this road. again, the way these people work, they'll put up the detour weeks before they actually close the road and start work... i decide to take the road. i go through the barriers, which are open enough to let cage traffic through for the people that live on that stretch of the road. i wind down the road through a couple curves and what do i see?? a couple pieces of heavy equipment moving a pile of gravel that covers both lanes of the road!!! great, i need to turn around and take the detour.

did i mention that i was already running late?? now i really hate to feel rushed when i'm riding the bike. so i decide to just ride easy and i'll get there when i get there. i go around the detour which was surprisingly short. it also showed me a couple more roads that i'll have to ride to see where they lead. nothing like discovering some new roads. i'm back on track - maybe not time-wise, but at least i'm heading in the right direction...

i get to my destination. or at least in the general area. i start riding around parking lots looking for the restaurant. no luck... then i start thinking that i really should have looked over the directions before i left. i probably would have but i didn't have time!!! i decide to call a friend, he could look it up and give me directions. i couldn't call anyone i was having lunch with because i didn't have any of their phone numbers. well - it appears my friend was out to lunch too because he didn't answer. i decide to stop into a grocery store and see if they know where the restaurant is - i'm figuring they probably know the stores/restaurants in the immediate vicinity. i talk to the manager - he doesn't know where it is. so he decides to ask one of the employees. now there are two employees standing close by. he asks the hispanic one - i'm figuring this is because i was looking for a mexican restaurant!!! i was wondering if that was a racist thing or not. anyway, she doesn't know where it is. then she asks if i'm looking for a different mexican restaurant. no, i do manage to know the name of the place, if not the location!!! then she remembers where it is. down another roar - about two miles away. cool - i'll only be about thirty minutes late. guess i'll order a drink and some chips and salsa. i am getting hungry.

jump on the bike and head out. only to find the restaurant she directed me to was the wrong one!!! damn!! at this point, i decide to just head home - starved. i start riding out and then think about another location the restaurant might be. i do remember seeing a mexican restaurant - but was it the same one?? can't hurt to try at this point. i head over only to discover, yet again, that it's not the right place. now i head home for good - no more searching.

when i get home, i find out that i was on the wrong street, of course. now if i would have only taken the time to look over the directions before i decided to head out. lesson learned.

while i didn't really plan to ride around on the bike, it did turn out to be a fairly nice ride. a little hot and disappointing since i couldn't find the place. but it was a lot better being on the bike instead of a cage!!! like i say - any reason to ride...

so that it, my unexpected ride.

washing...

seems my bike washing episode has farther reaching cleaning effects that i initially realized...

after washing my bike, i absentmindedly left the key in my pocket. naturally, the shorts ended up going through the wash. which means the key got washed also!!

on the surface, this doesn't seem so bad. the problem comes in because the key is attached to a fob - the fob for the security system. so now, not only did i wash my bike and slick up my controls and footboards, i washed my key and fob. and, even though the fob is advertised as waterproof, it isn't. so now i have a useless piece of plastics and electronics hanging around with my key.

my first, lazy instinct is to just buy a new fob. but being the cheap person that i am (and in a money stricken state), i decide that maybe i only need a battery. i could buy a new battery and test out the fob. of course, i have to learn how to program the fob to work with my bike. i pull out mom* and read up on programming the fob. i learn that i really don't need the fob, i can set the alarm using a sequence of turn signals and the ignition switch known only to myself!! there are two problems with this. one, it would require me to program the bike (work). two, i would have to remember the sequence known only to myself. i revert back to using the useless fob.

after reading the programming instructions, i decide to remove the battery - after all, i am going to have to replace it. instead of just taking in the battery type, i like to take the battery so that i'm sure i pick up the right one. when i open the waterproof fob, what do i find?? water!!! not surprising, i didn't really expect it to be waterproof. i do the natural thing - start taking it apart and drying it off.

i don't know why, but i'm surprised the fob is made of only six parts - the key ring, the top and bottom outer shells, a circuit board, a rubber button piece that protects the circuit board and the battery. i take it all apart, drying each piece. figuring the fob was rendered useless when it went through its own wash cycle, i dry the circuit board using my t-shirt - not the brightest thing to do... i get it all dry and put back together.

now i have a finally dry fob sitting on my desk. what the hell, might as well go out and see if i can program it. following the instructions in mom, i attempt to program the fob. now the results of the different steps don't exactly follow the guide. but i don't panic - i follow all the steps. and when i'm done, it seems to be programmed.

i decided to set the security system. press and hold - bike alarms. cool!!! press twice (quickly) to deactivate - nothing. hmmm... press twice again - nothing. now a little panic starts to set in. i have it alarmed - the fuel injection is shut off - i can't ride the bike anywhere. not only that, i remember reading in mom that the whole security model needs to be replaced if the fob stops working while the bike is alarmed. damn, damn, damn... press twice again - still nothing. desperate, i start pressing the button many times is quick succession - it deactivates!!! schweeeeet... press and hold - bike alarms. press twice - nothing. press many times - deactivates. okay - so maybe i have to press more than twice - at least it works.

i walk in from the garage, proud of my accomplishment - especially since i don't have to spend any money to correct a stupid mistake of mine. excellent!!!

* motorcycle owners manual

sturgis or bust...

with the trip to sturgis less than a month away, it's BUST!!!

unfortunately a few unexpected, and some expected, expenses have hit. all around the same time... which puts this trip off for this year. i'm pretty bummed about the whole thing - but there's not much i can do about it.

when i first committed to the trip, i was fairly confident i'd be able to make it. and i put off the myrtle beach trip to have time for sturgis. earlier this year, we had to spend some money unexpectedly... and now, we just seem to be hit with a lot of money going out and not a lot coming in. makes it very hard to justify a trip to sturgis for two weeks...

there are two primary reasons i'm bummed about not making this trip. the first is missing the chance to ride with my brother on a trip like this - i was really looking forward to it. we've been on other rides and spent a week at myrtle last year. but this trip was going to be different - traveling for two weeks across our country. and that's the other reason i'm bummed. i wasn't so much in this trip for sturgis as much as i was for the riding to and from sturgis. two weeks riding across the states - that's what i was looking forward to.

well, maybe one day in the future i will be able to make a trip like this. and maybe my brother will be able to ride with me. and maybe missing this now will make me appreciate that trip even more...

until then, enjoy whatever ride you're on...

too much of a good thing...

went out for my usual sunday, pick up the newspaper and breakfast for my wonderful wife ride this morning... except is wasn't as usual this morning!!

you might remember my ramblings of washing the bike... i think i forgot to mention that i decided to use some "engine brightener" this time. it's basically stuff that's supposed to keep the black parts on an engine black instead of turning a dull gray. i've used it once before. i can't really say how well it works because my bike really doesn't seem to need it. either it's not quite old enough yet, i don't ride it enough, or the stuff does work...

so i start spraying it on the engine - trying to be careful not to overspray onto the clean bike. this stuff does sorta seem to work - the black areas are looking a deeper black. but who knows, maybe it's just because it's still wet. as i spray more and more, i'm really liking how black it's turning everything... as my father-in-law says, if a little is good, a lot is more better. hmmmm, what if i spray it on the foot rests?? and the brake pedal and shifter. and grips?? man, this stuff is really making the bike look nice. the chrome is really shining and the black is popping with its rich blackness...

after surveying the bike and deciding there really isn't much else i can spray, i read the label on the can. more specifically, the warning on the can... uh, yeah, avoid spraying on controls, grips, food pegs, rests, etc. damn!!! so now i can either go back and try to clean those areas or just leave it and see what happens. guess what i do?? leave it...

i found out this morning why they tell you not to spray that stuff on those parts. can you say slippery?? as i took off up the road this morning, i could feel the foot rests and brake pedal were noticeably slick. hell, any sliding would have been noticeable as i can't normally slide my feet when they're on the rests. before i get to the end of the street, i decide i can handle this to the store and back - i just can't rely on my feet not sliding on the rest when i go to apply the back brake.

no big deal, i get to the store, get my stuff, get on the bike and leave. as i'm pulling out onto the major road, some bonehead cage starts switching lanes. in caution, i decide to stop, let him go by and then pull out. as i stop, i put the brakes on and put one of my feet down. remember, my foot is already slippery on the brake. as my right foot hits the ground to hold the bike up, it slips a little. oh no - the slipperiness has transferred from the foot rest onto my boot - making my boot slippery!!! luckily i wasn't going fast enough for anything serious happen, like dumping the bike. now i proceed home with extra caution.

i do finally make safely - being aware that my boots aren't providing as much traction as i've come accustom to... now my challenge is to figure out how to clean this crap off my foot rests and brake pedal. and maybe my hand grips - i didn't notice anything slippery about those. yet.

i'm thinking maybe i should put the scotch-brite pads to a test. then i'm also thinking i have some "rebate" money saved up on my card. i haven't figured out what to spend that on. maybe i could just buy some new foot boards - take the lazy way out.

so, kids, the lesson here is to follow the manufacturer’s directions. especially when it says to avoid spraying crap on important items like brake pedals, foot pegs/boards, grips...

peace...

washing the bike...

if i had the choice of only riding my bike or only washing my bike, i would, of course, choose riding it. with that said, i do like having a clean bike... and i finally got around to washing my bike today...

now i didn't have any help like this while i was washing my bike, which was probably a good thing because i don't know if i would have gotten it as clean. hmmmm, maybe i can talk my wife into helping... the bike would never get cleaned!!!



help or no help, it was nice to finally clean the bike. it's been a long time since it's been cleaned and it really needed it. one thing for sure, i'm going to try not to let it go this long without cleaning again.

it took me about four hours from rolling it out of the garage to rolling it back in. but that was putzing along, too... started by putting it up on the jack and stripping off the saddlebags, tour-pak, windshield and other accessories. then taking a break!! i started with the tires. which are laced and whitewall. wide whitewall!!! i really like the look of the wide whitewalls on a bike. i hate cleaning them. but i like the looks more than i hate cleaning them, so i've decided to keep them. the longest part of cleaning the bike, other than waxing the whole bike, it cleaning the tires. i start by cleaning the whitewalls, with a brillo pad. not sure if that's good for them or not, but i haven't noticed or had any problems. i almost tried a scotch-brite pad this time, but opted not to. i guess it's because i didn't want to find out they don't work. maybe next time. after cleaning the whitewalls, i move on to the spokes. i admit it's not the best job i could possibly do, but it's good enough for me.

once the tires are done, i move on to washing the whole bike. that's pretty easy - the key being to make sure i rinse the wash off the bike thoroughly. if i don't, it leaves streaks, which i either have to go back and wash again, or work extra hard to wax out. i go fifty-fifty on going back to wash or just waiting until i wax.

after washing, it's time to dry the bike. i use my shop-vac and blow the bike dry. this takes longer than i think it should. it seems you should just be able to dry/blow the water off the bike and be done. but no, the water likes to hide in all the nook and crannies, waiting to drip onto some other surface you've already dried. either that or i spend ten minutes trying to get all the water out of a single area. it just seems like this should go a lot smoother. and quicker...

then it's on to waxing the bike. i probably spend the most time and care waxing my bike. this is when i really get it clean. and the waxing probably gives me the most satisfaction. it's also when i notice all the new dings and scratches on the bike. i've noticed i'm becoming less and less anal about those... it used to bother me because i wanted to keep the bike pristine. but in order to do that, i really can't take it out of the garage. and how much fun would a bike be if you never rode it?? so i'm resolving myself to the fact that it's going to happen... a case in point is my ambivalence towards the crappy chrome on one of my exhaust tips. the chrome on top of one of the tips had started to flake. i've been debating with myself about what to do... should i say something to the dealership and see if they replace it?? i could just as simply buy a new one - although i really don't want to spend the money. i could also turn it over so the flaking is on the bottom and not noticeable. and what have i done?? nothing. so i guess i'm accepting that crap is going to happen and i can't get wrapped up about it.

once the bike is waxed, it's time to do the leathers. which, i haven't done yet. i can do those some other time - maybe later today or tomorrow. oh, and the windshield. i have to clean the windshield. and put everything back on the bike. i'll need to do that before i go riding... but that doesn't take long...

so there it is, cleaning my bike. i really like riding a clean bike. not that i wouldn't ride a dirty bike. there's just something about riding a clean bike. maybe it's pride. after all the work of cleaning the bike, i take a lot of pride in the way it looks.

usual sunday...

it was the usual sunday... woke up not so early on sunday - guess the weekend was catching up with me.

headed out on the bike to get the customary newspaper and some breakfast. but the morning's mission was a little different... i was on the hunt for a plain ol' sugar covered donut. my wife was having a craving for a sugar donut for breakfast. now that might sound pretty simple, but do you know how hard it is to find a plain, sugar covered donut?? our local donut shop, daylight donuts, doesn't have/make them. my big hope was on wal-mart... plus their donuts are a little bigger - it'd be great if they had them. but no, they don't have them either...

i call my wife from wal-mart asking if there might be anything else she would want for breakfast - she usually like the cheese filled danishes. but not this morning - she really wanted the sugar donut. she asks me to check out a new bread bakery that just opened - they might have them. so i ride over there, and pull up in front of their big glass windows. i can tell from the outside that i wasn't going to have any luck there. but if i just ride off, they'd probably have the prized donut!! so, i jump off the bike and stroll in... inside i find mostly bread, some cakes and bagels. and, believe it or not, some donuts!!! but all fancy donuts, nothing plain and simple like a sugar covered donut.

i head out of there... as i strap on my helmet, i notice how hot it's starting to get outside. at least how hot it's getting with a full face helmet and jacket. although the jacket is mesh, it still gets hot when you're not moving. now it's on to daylight donuts. i know they don't have the donut i want, but something is better than nothing, right?? i get over there - which was pretty much across the street from where i was... jump off the bike and head in to get my donuts. now the tough part - what would my wife want?? no sugar covered donuts, so i have to find something she'd like. figuring that if i get one of just about everything, there would be something in there she likes. maybe not something he wants, but something she likes...

i pack up my donuts and head home... of course, being disappointed i couldn't find the donut i wanted, my mind keeps searching, wondering where i can find this mythical donut. i know i've seen them before, but where?? i'm riding home and, as a last ditch effort, i pull into lowes grocery store. maybe, just maybe... i head over to the donut cabinet... and... nada, nothing, zilch, zippo... at least for the sugar covered donut. they had plenty of other selection, but not the sugar covered donut. disappointed, i headed home with a selection of assorted donuts that didn't contain a sugar cover donut... bummer...

i guess this week's mission will be to find a place that sells the rare sugar covered donut. if anyone in the wake forest area knows of an establishment that sells sugar covered donuts, please let me know...

other than that, it was a good ride. a little warmer that i would have liked, but i guess that's because of all the stops i made. plus the jacket. which makes me question my decision to always wear long sleeve protective gear. to this point, i haven't been able to not wear the jacket. but we also haven't gotten to the hottest part of the summer... we'll see if i hold to it or not...

ride on...

smoke out vii rally...

what a weekend!!! here's a not so quick recap of the weekend including some pictures.

it started out friday with the crew finally arriving. i was expecting them around 5:00pm, including the scheduled stops they had to make. around 1600, the skies opened up for about an hour and dumped so much water. i was afraid they were caught in it. by bro called at 1700 saying they were about an hour away - and hadn't run into any rain. cool!!! at that point, i was expecting them at 1800. but they didn't show up until 1900. little did i realize when my bro called, they had just stopped for gas and beverages. not only that, they did in fact run into rain the last part of the trip, slowing them down slightly. anyway, it was good sight to have them show up...

we managed to cram all eight bikes, plus mine, into my garage, as evidenced below. although we didn't need to, we could have probably gotten one more in if they would have parked a little closer together...




after they unpacked, changed out of their wet clothes, it was time to dig into the bbq and beer, sit back, relax and give each other a hard time. good food, good friends, good times...



my neighbor, stanley, - the one who's planning on traveling out to sturgis with us - finally got a chance to meet the "gang." this would be the determining factor whether he would actually go on the trip with them or with his own riders. as most guys do - they'll start to give each other crap about whatever... but frank's comments usually go over the top - he usually goes for shock value. not to worry, stanley fit in with the guys. we all laughed, joked and feed each other crap...

the next morning arrived and it was time to head to the smoke out in salisbury. we weren't sure about the weather - they were calling for thunderstorms throughout the day... but that doesn't stop us!! as usual, this crowd will sit around, talking, drinking, and kibitzing all morning long. but you better be ready to leave in thirty seconds. once someone gives the word, these guys jump on their bikes and are out of there quick... finally at 1100 the word goes out and we're outta here. sometimes i wish i could be a bystander and hear the racket that goes on as we leave - i'm sure there was one. but, i wouldn't trade that for actually being on the ride...

in all, we had eleven bikes. and i got to lead them all as i was most familiar with where we were heading... it was a good experience leading a group that large. i don't mind doing it as long as i know each of the riders in the group. i wouldn't want to lead a large group like that if i didn't know everyone - too much to worry about. so we headed off on some back roads until we got to interstate 85. it was a nice ride through the two lane twisty roads. it wasn't necessarily a cool morning, but it was cooler than expected. then we hit interstate 85. interstates aren't the fun to drive along and the only real reason i like to take them is if i have to get somewhere quickly. this was obviously a reason to take the interstate this time.

other than a couple of bozo cage drivers, the ride on 85 was okay. twice, a cage almost wiped out a couple of us. you would think with a group this large, it would be hard to miss us. but i guess some cagers have their heads so far up their asses they don't notice anything. a couple times we'd come up on a slower driving cage. as usual, we'd pull into the left lane to pass. then the cage would speed up, not letting us pass. we could have been asses ourselves and just throttled past them, but no, we'll just putt along at our speed. this happened a couple times and made me start wondering why... why do people do that?? they're content to go slow until someone tries to pass them. oh well - i wasn't going to let it get under my skin and ruin a perfectly good day...

so we get to salisbury and make the requisite beer and gas stop before heading into the smoke out. everyone loads as much beer and ice into their saddle bags as they can fit. we also pick up a few snacks and consume a beverage or two at the gas station. once we're satisfied, we head into the smoke out.

now the smoke out is what i like to think of as a grass roots rally. you won't see many high dollar choppers that you're used to seeing on tv - unless of course builders like kendall johnson, billy lane and paul cox bring theirs along. which they did. no, at this rally, you'll see a lot of true choppers - the kind that have been built in garages, from left over parts of other bikes. and that's what i like to see. although some of the bikes looked like they might not run at all.

the smoke out is also about buying and swapping parts - lots of used parts. enough parts that you could build a whole new bike using parts from all the different vendors.

and of course the smoke out is about see all the scantily clad hotties walking around. and watching all the redneck guys, who act like this is their first time out, shouting for the women to get naked on the mechanical bull.

the day was spent walking around the rally looking at bikes, parts, people, bands, whatever there was to see. we lucked out with the rain, as it didn't. it was hot, though. just stepping into the shade seemed to drop the temp ten degrees. every once in a while, a breeze would blow by.

during the smoke out, some dood was riding his bike through a field and dumped it. i'm not exactly sure what he was doing, but apparently his bike flipped end over end a few times. he spent some time in the ambulance - luckily he got out of there with only a bandaged arm. his bike wasn't so lucky. i saw him riding around later (unfortunately i didn't get a picture). he looked okay but his bike was torn up. from fairing was missing the headlight and scraped up on one half. both saddlebags were torn up. he'll probably be hating life when he sobers up.

so we walked, and walked, and walked around for hours. didn't sit as much as i wanted. it seemed every time i got back to the bikes, someone would come by and offer to walk another loop around the rally. of course, fearing i might miss something, i couldn't just sit there...

about 2300 we all had enough and decided it was time to head to the hotel. we get our gear on, get everyone gathered and head out. the hotel we stayed at was about 20 miles from the rally. on the way there, we have to pull over for clarifications on the directions. wayne and frank are looking over the directions trying figure out where they are. i head over to offer some assistance. the confusing part was we have to get on interstate 85 business. which we were on, until we pulled over to clarify the directions. it was confusing because the directions, as most mapping services will do, adds another line item each time the road changes - even though you may actually still be on the same road. our directions had interstate 85 bp, bl and br. in reality, these are the same road. they were confused over this. i told them it was all part of the same road - we just need to stay on 85 bypass until nc8. off we head...

we go riding along... however, to stay on 85 bypass, we actually had to take an exit. i wasn't sure if frank knew this or not - he was just looking for nc8. it wasn't actually an exit, it was more of a split. as we get closer and closer, i'm not sure frank realizes he needs to exit. i'm about fifth in line. i break out of the line on the right and race to the front. i'm trying to motion to frank to follow me. as i'm doing this, i'm starting to take the split. i'm looking in my mirrors and some of the bikes are following, but frank it heading straight on the other road. bummer...

here we are - separated and not really knowing where we're going... and now i'm leading... i stayed on 85 bypass until we got to nc8. once we pulled off there, i didn't know the rest of the directions, so we pulled over. this was also a good time to figure out if we lost anyone else. we did - jamie decided to follow frank. jamie, when will you learn?? we decided to head on to the hotel and frank and jamie could catch up to us there. unfortunately, getting to the hotel wouldn't be that easy - the directions were crap. we ended up calling the hotel and getting good directions. we finally made it to the hotel. while we were checking in, frank and jamie called the hotel and were getting directions. they weren't too far away.

by the time we pulled our bikes around the back of the hotel, frank and jamie were pulling up. of course, getting split up and lost became a lot funnier when we were all back at the hotel.

the next morning it was time to head back home. the skies looked a little overcast and they were calling for thunderstorms. would we be as lucky as the day before, or would the skies finally open up on us?? stanley, donnie and i decided to take a different route home - rt64. which would be a nicer, non-interstate ride for us. they rest of the crew too the interstate.

the ride home was awesome. we did manage to get a few sprinkles, but not enough to make us pull over and don our rain suits. we were in and out of sunny and cloudy skies about half the ride. then the skies cleared up and we had sun - making for a great ride. we got home about 1100. luckily, because about an hour later, the skies opened up and it rained the rest of the day. unfortunately for my brother, they hit rain most of the way back. and what would have normally been a six hour trip took them nearly ten hours. but, they made it safely home.

the smoke out was fun - as usual. but it didn't seem as good as last year. didn't seem like as many people, and the vendors seemed to pack up a little early. but it was still a good time. riding with my brother and friends - how can you not have a good time??

here are some pics of the rally.

again - a special thanks to my wonderful wife. she does the majority of the work in getting the house cleaned, all the food together and making sure everyone is comfortable when they're here. not only that, once we all leave for the rally, she gets stuck with the mess to clean - including all the wet towels. thanks boo... you're the greatest...