Every once in a while I will do something so incredibly imbecilic it amazes everyone except my wife.  When these situations occur it usually ends up costing me a measure of pride and a lot of cash.  “Note to self,”  is what I say after cleaning up the mess to serve as a reminder and hopefully keep me from repeating the foolish act in the future.

Note to self…

• put the kickstand down before getting off the bike.
• unlock the front forks before riding out of the Burger King parking lot.
• exhaust pipes heat up quickly.
• before adding fresh oil, screw the drain plug back in.
• never drain antifreeze into a Mountain Dew can.
• helmet goes on then the sunglasses.

Hopefully I am not the only one to do such mindless things.  Anything you could add to this list?

Chance are pretty good Santa will not be stopping by my home this Christmas Eve.  Seems I have been a very naughty lad.  Recently my wife tallied up the money I have spent on speeding and parking violations in 2009, and her calculations show I could easily have payed off the national debt.  This means Santa won’t be stopping by the Slark residence until 2036, a fact that gives my bride a fair amount of displeasure, but one our local Police Department is ecstatic about.  In fact, the Springfield Police are so happy about my 2009 donations, they recently hung a lovely black and white glossy of me in their headquarters.

4 reason the police love me.

1. My ticket revenue purchased them a new fleet of cruisers.
2. They get to play with their radios while coordinating my capture.
3. They have been invited to the Slark family Christmas dinner.
4. They got to turn their sirens on.

I really must try to be better in 2010.

“Every morning as I walk out my door heading to work, I have a choice to make;  SUV, or motorcycle?  The later choice has never failed to bring me joy.”

rick

Speed!

Love it on the bike, not so much when it deals with life.

Someone once told me “Life is like a roll of toilet paper; it goes faster the closer you get to the end”,  seems true enough.  Over the past few days I have been thinking about the changes which have occurred in my life and just how quickly they have happened…

• Pants size increased to 36″.
• Relocation to Springfield was 20 years ago. Still feel like an outsider.
• My baby boys are now 22 and 19.
• I have one dark hair left. All others are gray.
• Need glasses to read a damn billboard!  Not quite that bad.  Yet!
• The new puppy is now 85lbs and 7 years old.
• Dad is now in heaven.

I am coming to the place where I no longer fight to hold onto the things of the past, but rather look forward to new adventures awaiting for me just up the road a bit.

With the recent occurrences at Harley Davidson, one may assume this ship is taking on water, and those assumptions are probably right.  Evidenced by the missteps Harley Davidson has made, it is easy to surmise this company is sailing without a compass, or any strategic plan.

First you had the Buell debacle.  Last week Erik Buell, owner of Buell motorcycles,  announced the end of the Buell Blast with an aggressive media blitz, complete with a You Tube video.  Erik seemed genuinely excited about the new direction his company was taking.  Fast forward a couple of days and Erik is making another video, only on this one he’s proclaiming Harley Davidson has decided to dissolve the entire Buell company.  The decision to end this brand of 25 years, seemed hasty and ill thought out, and if you watch the video of the eulogy, you will see Erik Buell is devastated.

Second, is the 2008 purchase of the Italian bike manufacturer, MV Agusta.  What the hell was Harley thinking here?  Answer.  They weren’t!  Now with sales of the super sport-bikes way off,  they are ready to dump the brand they should never have purchased in the first place.

Navigating the sea of business in these difficult times take skillful navigation and a steady hand.  Harley Davidson’s leadership seems to have none of these traits.  This company looks as if they are drifting along with no plan or purpose, just hoping everything works out.  I hope for all of our sakes, it does.

Since early spring you have been talking about riding to (add the name). It’s an epic ride. You have heard the scenery is breathtaking, the twisties are exhilarating, and the out of the way cafe has the best burgers on the planet. Yep, you’ve been talking about this ride since spring. Well it’s time to actually ride it.

I realize it is autumn and that the air is cool and crisp.  I am aware the days are growing shorter, all the more reason to go now!  Don’t let this destination turn into a faded dream.  Don’t regret another ride you didn’t take.  Let’s Ride!

• A wet and duty filled weekend meant the motorcycles remained motionless.

• Rear tired arrived for Jonathan’s bike.

• $3400 will buy you a super nice Triumph Daytona 1200.

• World Superbike was quite a disappointment on Sunday.  Ben Spies

• Neat site, 650motorcyles.com  filled with info and photos.

Am I the only one who feels the need to shower after watching an episode of Sons of Anarchy?  I am no prude, but it seems to me they have replaced good plot and writing, with bare ass and muff dives.

Having spent the last seven days at the ocean I haven’t been thinking about much including motorcycles.  Most of my time was spent sitting at the ocean watching the waves roll in and out, but I did notice a few things.

• Changes in Myrtle Beach Bike Week really hurt a number of businesses.
• Fat women shouldn’t wear a two piece.
• Although the weather was magnificent I saw very few motorcycles in the area (including locals).
• Fat men should avoid speedo’s.
• The scooter riding population had visibly increased.
• Cigars are much better at the ocean.

My boots are fitted.

My gloves are snug.

My helmet secured.

My tank is full.

I hit the starter.

I roll the throttle.

It’s a rush every time!

I have become accustomed to riding the RT everywhere I go.  In fact, during the spring, summer, and fall, I am rarely in a car.  Riding the bike as my main form of transportation isn’t normally a big issue with my wife, but this day was not normal!

SETTING

Michelle and I were preparing to have dinner at the Pub, a quaint British restaurant located at the “The Greene”, some 30 minutes from our home.  The Pub has a lovely patio, great fish & chips, and a magnificent collection of stout ales.

PROBLEM

With temperatures in the 90’s, under brilliant sunny skies. I was looking forward to an enjoyable ride to our destination, but my wife had other plans.  Seems she was considering this impromptu dinner, a date, and as such, she didn’t want helmet hair.  What’s more, she was wearing a “cute” outfit, which was not conducive to motorcycle travel.

After a brief discussion about this matter, we were soon on our way to dinner… in the car!  (Surprised?  I thought not!)

CONCLUSION

I guess I should be ecstatic that my wife still desires to look “cute” for this middle aged man, and in the end everything worked out.  The food was great, the ambiance, perfect, and the conversation, riveting.  Only one thing could have made this evening a tad bit sweeter;  a little helmet hair!