“Keep The Rubber Side Down”

Wednesday night means one thing around here, a ride to Jackass Flats, for a beer, and some bike watching!  Tonight was a spectacular evening, and the place was more crowded than I have ever seen it. A couple thousand people were walking around everywhere!  Getting in was tough, and getting out was going to be a nightmare. 

After we spent some time checking out a few motorcycles, chatting with some friends, enjoying a beer and smoking a cigar, it was time to leave.  I fired up the BMW and headed for the exit, but no one moved!  The motor is so quiet no one heard me coming up behind them.  Right then I had an epiphany!  I realized the one thing a Harley Davidson is good for.

Favorite brand of bike?  Depends on what type of riding.

Favorite color of bike?  No doubt, black!

Do you always wear a helmet?  Almost always!

Most miles ridden in a day?  725, though I prefer around 420.

Do you belong to a riding club?  No!  I’m the lone wolf, remember?

How many bikes do you currently own?  Only 1, I just sold my Shadow Aero.

Do you wave at passing bikers? Most of the time I do, but I hate when I get dissed.

How many brand t-shirts do you own?  None!  I don’t like the walking bill board guys, Although I have a BMW ball cap, and some KTRSD shirts.  But mostly I am too cheap to purchase them.

Do people think you are obsessed with motorcycles?  Only my wife!

What is your favorite type of riding?  Touring w/o question.  I love to travel.  I find little enjoyment riding around town.

Do you have any riding superstitions?  Not really superstitions, but I do like to smoke cigars when I ride.

1.  Honda Hoot

2.  A good cigar

3.  Living near the ocean

4.  Gas at $5 a gallon.

5.  Buying a pistol.

6.  Being a good friend.

7.  Why would anyone want a chopper? 

8.  Motorcycle chicks are so hot.

In recent days I have had significant opportunity to observe more than one woman looking extremely uncomfortable on the back of a motorcycle. I’m certain there are many woman who love being on the back of the bike, and enjoy it immensely.  However, it seems a great number of woman are simply trying to do something to appease their significant other, and not because they enjoy it.   The pained look on many of their faces seem to indicate they would love to be anywhere else but here.  Can’t say I blame them…

• You sit on a 4″x5″ foam pad.
• You have very little if anything to hold on to.
• Peer pressure to look the sexy biker chick fantasy.
• Your hair blowing in your face, eyes, everywhere else.

I know it’s not really any of my business, but I have to say, “I felt sorry for many of these woman”. 

1. Did I just see a dead armidillo along the road in Louisiana?
2. How do you spell Misissipi?
3. How can a hotel charge me $11.95 for Internet access, but can’t afford to provide me with soft toilet paper!
4. When did the speed limit change to 115 mph in Alabama?  Not complaining, just curious!
5. Did you know that little kids love passing motorcycles, some women do as well!
6. Every wonder if an  R1100RT can out run a police cruiser? The answer is NO!
7. Is it OK to flip off the Valet, while in the South? Just curious?
8. How long can I leave my laundry in the hotel washer and dryer?  Is overnight to long?

1. Ladies over 50 should bare their souls, not their breasts.
2. I vote to change the name of Interstate 95 South to the “Autobahn”
3. Can’t get “Chattahoochee” by Alan Jackson, out of my head.
4. “Does this fender pad make my ass look huge?”  
5. What’s up with Black Bike Week?  I must have attended “White Bike Week”   What asshole thought that up?
6. Can a BMW rider smoke a cigar while riding?  The answer:  Yep!

I have been thinking about the local teenager(Nick Haney) who died in a  motorcycle accident on Sunday.  I can’t help but mourn for him and his family who will miss him dearly.  Perhaps I am moved by this accident because I saw it, or perhaps it’s because I have 2 boys of a similar age. I guess the reason doesn’t matter.  What does matter is a young man has left us too soon!  And that makes me very sad.

• I may be buying another bike today.  The owner is to bring it by Dealership for me to look at.  This would be a great time for such a purchase since my wife is in Virginia for a month.

• Sundays ride was full of lessons for me.  Every-time I get on the bike I want to learn something that will make me a better rider, be it mentally or in execution.  I will post some of the things I have been learning soon.

• On a recent ride I was decked out in my winter garb, but was still chilled after an hour or so.  Perhaps it is time to invest in the ole’ heated vest, pants, and gloves.  With Spring here maybe I can catch a sale!

• Hey, any advice on a V-Strom for touring?

On the far back row of our car lot sits a 1991 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham, the sticker price, a few hundred bucks.  The leather seats are cracked, the bumper cover is missing, she has definitely seen better days.   And to think only a few years before, the owners of this vehicle were the envy of the neighborhood. They cruised the streets of their town filled with pride as onlookers could only dream of owning a beauty such as this.  Yesterday as I showed this jalopy to a young kid, I began to think about the value people place on “things”.   I am floored by the amount of  effort people will expend in order to have  “things“!  Many work seven days a week and often two jobs, miss out on the kids play, ball games, or piano recital,  all to pay for their “things”.   Just remember, One day all the “things”, that you are working your ass off to have, will  wind up on the far back portion of our lot, in the section we affectionately call;  JUNK ROW!  Was it worth it?  Sermon over.

• The new issue of “rider” came last night.  You can’t believe how exciting that was!

• I’ll wager the biker chick leaves American Idol tonight.

• William F. Buckley died yesterday.  A sad day for the conservative movement.  I actually loved listening to the guy, but he was often very difficult to understand.

• I found a new Pub.  It has over 10,000 different types of beers.  OK, maybe 74!

I need to become a weather forecaster, because the ones in our area are horrible. Maybe I shouldn’t be so hard on the news bunnies, after all they do serve a purpose; they are enjoyable to stare at! Though they certainly cannot track weather systems. Our 5″ of snow turned out to be rain, and only small amounts of that! (I know! I’m a sexist!)

Lately, I have been perusing the various accessory and parts magazines, and once again have become dissatisfied with my Aero (At least they do their job). Here’s a few things I am considering…

1. Adding a light bar.
2. Replacing the current windshield.
3. New paint.
4. Adding a backrest for my seat.

Is there anything you are wanting to change, or add to your motorcycle?