Three day's, sixty miles and the new FXST..Whiskey Pete's, WTF is that in my pocket..

Trip canceled due to rain..arm throbbing due to work..story time...

Whiskey Pete's in 1984 was a Wooden casino with maybe 200 slots a couple of tables, convicts wifes working the floor..Prison right out the backdoor..Motel was six rooms and not very pretty..but after a day of riding and the fact that nobody would complain if I pushed the FXST in the room it was a done deal..Hit the shower and layed back dreaming of Vegas..then it hit me, dinner, a little blackjack and a few drinks..Good idea..stash part of the bank roll so you don't have to start making collect calls to get home..

Walk in the door of the casino and you know this ain't Vegas son..What a dump but I'm here..Grab a buffet since you could see what you were getting and pulled up a chair at the $5 table..order a drink and throw out $10 and off to the races..Well I was having one of those rare nights when the cards were going my way..More I would win the fast the drinks arrived and the stronger they got..Some point during the night I lost track of both time a reality..But some how made it back to the room..

After an unknown amount of drunken, slobbering, snoring sleep I awaken feeling like a heard of elephants had walked across my head and stopped to shit in my mouth..what the fuck was I drinking last night..Jump in the shower but that had no effect on the damage..Coffee and a beer or two could be the cure..might be a beer then a coffee then a beer..Get dressed..I'm pulling on my pants and feel a large lump in my pocket..all right you sick puppies let me finish..Reach my hand in and pull out a big ass roll of Ben Franklins..He is my favorite dead president..more I see his picture the happier I be..WTF let me see what we got here..$10,758.00..Now I get to thinking should I skip breakfast and beer and get my ass out of here or what..Well the cops had not kicked in the door and checking through the curtains I could the SWAT team wasn't outside so off to the casino..I walk through the door and Tilly the dealer from the night shift comes running over and gives me a big hug..Thank you I can move out of the trailer in the back..thank you..Now I'm worried,,no rings but worried..The only question that made any sense was what the hell happened last night??

She tells me I was on a roll, $500..doubling down on deuces when she had face cards up..Playing three hands at a time..and tipping her well..over $2000.00..Well honey your buying beer and breakfast..

Feeling better I buy a money order or two and mail them home to myself and go and drag out the FXST we are going to Vegas..You know when your flush with bucks, weather is hoovering around 70..got no place you have to be and all the time you want to get there my friends that is life..Me and the FXST rolled down 15 singing road songs and waving at the birds..No hurry, no worry..

We roll up to the Las Vegas visitors center..Old ass brick building at the entrance to the strip..Show some ID..get you coupon book, thumb through it in the parking lot..Barbary Coast,,free rooms and meals and I can see it from my saddle..Look out Vegas were here!!!

Three day's, sixty miles and the new FXST..Vegas,,almost..

Well with BC gone and the luxurious flea infested king in front of me a crashed..for a couple of hours anyway. Waking up with my belly thinking my throat had been cut I knew I had to venture out..Barneys for a custom burger and the Attic for some live Rock a Billy..hadn't been there since I rolled down the stairs a few months ago..Big John might be playing..this could be fun or another set back..fuck it Vegas ain't going anyplace..

Barneys was great hand made burgers to order,,they don't do them like that anymore..Pull up to the Attic and stand in the door staring at that large, tall stair case..Now going up is a pain but rolling down is a thrill until you wake up the next morning..I'm here, face your fears and up you go..I just won't drink more than two anyway..at least before I find a seat. I can hear Big John bass thumping and get to thinking it could be a long night. Pop in the door, smiles and handshakes..Billy is banging on the drums..He's a big man, 6'9" but a gentle giant..I tell the boys what's up we have a few shooter and head down the dreaded stairs and scope the new ride..Light bulb comes on..I'm out of here boy's got some miles to do in the morning..back to the room before midnight..no bumps or bruises..no whine with the cheese..I sleep and dream of The Horseshoe..

No sun breaking, made it through a night without to much damage..Strap the diddy bag on the FXST and roll it out the door..Five fucking foot fog..can't see the front tire..Shit happens and I hit the gas station and roll over the 99..Bakersfield here I come..ninety miles, three hours and a cold, wet, frozen and pissed off Rat roll in to Bako Harley..Need a shot of Jack and a ten dollar lid..Not that kinda lid you old dope fiends..a fucking helmet..Nevada has a helmet law and in the day the great state didn't..Well the shot of Jack turned into a few..then I figured it was lunch time..Little hole in the wall across the street made killer chili and had cold Corona's to wash down the Jack..Great lunch and a slightly to good buzz but back on the road..58 to Mojave and get out of the fog..Just to get into another I would guess...So far it a good run, miles are ticking off toward the magic 500..haveing a hard time staying out of the the throttle..Stop at the little gas stop fifty of so miles from the Nevada border..a cold beer sounds good, they had sounded go the whole trip, feeling good a couple more hours and I will be kicking it in Vegas..Damn I need another beer..

Roll it out..Playing with it a little , remember the speed limit was 55 in those days..Rolling hills and roads, no traffic until a catch a single head light in the rear view..Moving pretty quick..He rolls up beside me and it was one of those brand new yamawhopper vigra's..and a clown..He does the pipes and my stomach turns..425 on the speedo,,fucking warranties are worthless and who will know..I kick it down and roll it on..about 125 I look back and he's cresting the hill half a mile behind me..I keep watching with a smile..then over the hill comes the red lights at a screaming rate of speed, damn near as fast as I was going now I think about it..
Well I knew the routine and back off, slow down and hope he has a bad head cold..We stop and he blasts over the bull horn, stay on the bike and raise your hands above your head, damn a rookie..about 8 foot tall in the mirror..He struts up with his hand in the hoover position about the gun..damn..Sir I clocked you in excess of 100 miles per hours, is that beer I smell??? Yes it is but I only had a couple with lunch..and this bike isn't broke in I could not be going that fast..New bike with no plates..step off the bike and have a seat in the back while I run these numbers..Comes up clean, I come up clean and he never found the stash in the inside pocket in my chaps..that would have been jail time for sure..He proceed to tell me about how long it was going to take to get the tow truck out there..He had no will to hang out with a drunk biker for 8 hours waiting..The border and Whiskey Pete's is just over the hill..get a fucking room and sleep it off..Just over the hill shit I had a half mile lead,,dumbass had to stop..suns going down I roll into Whiskey Pete's..Made Nevada,,Vegas next..

You all have good weekend..Off to the wild blue for a few days..No story's on the Blackberry but I will check in when I can..Later..Rat

The Hardtail Chop and the Consultant

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how i got Certified Insane and Sectioned

so it's the 20 feb 1978 8-15pm me and a freind leave a Cousins house........."as i awake and my Eyes start to focus I notice the big white light in the Ceiling....eh!!! i havn't got one of those in my Bedroom ???" then I notice all the metalwork on the Bed ? so being shit scared I yell my head off.......a Vison of Uniform appears it's aNurse??? w.t.f is goin on she tells me to calm down and am i in pain? for some reason i can't lift either of my arms or move my head ? Uh oh deep shit time . 

So they jab my right thigh with a needle and things go a bit weird (as if the Big white light wasn't weird enuf) 

A while later i'm once again sort of awake but know there is a Man with a white coat !!! oh fuck here we go ...... 

he tells me he's the Ward Doctor I just plainy ask wot the hells going on ? well he says you've been involved in a serious accident "no shit" i say ok Doc why can't i move my head Doc says your Neck and your Back is Broken !!! Fucking hell thinks me but Doc i can feel my legs espcially when they keep stabbing me with needles yes your quite lucky your spinal cord isn't Damaged "great thinks me so when will i be able to walk ? maybe a year or so your lower Left Leg is Broken in 17 places !!!......oh fuck......and your left thigh is broken just above the knee.......ok ok Doc so why can't i move my left arm there's only a small Bandage on that.......well your left upper arm is broken and so is your Shoulder.......me "any other good news?" well your right arm is also Broken.......jeezus i can't even wipe me own arse then 

at this point i'm thinking did they get the number of the Truck that ran me over then stopped and reversed over me again........ 

Doc "do you know what day it is ?" 

me yup it's Tuesday 

Doc' "it's thursday , do you know what the date is ?" 

me well it was the 20th feb on monday so if it's thursday it'll be the 23rd 

Doc "well  it's March the 18th" 

me............................................!!!!! 

Doc "you've been in a Coma for approx 4 weeks" 

Doc " you've been in a Motorcycle Accident" 

me "get me a Fucking Phone ? how bad is my bike it was only 3 months old from new for fuck sake" 

one phone call later i had calmed down till he mentioned the bike being smashed up i was fine 

Later that same afternoon anutha Doctor turned up from the Phycho Ward to test me then decide what Drugs I needed 

It seems they thought i was a bit Mental hey ho 

Me Mum came an visitied me later and the Doctor explained that the Pcycho Dept had Sectioned me for 28 Days under the Mental Health Act , i just lay there pissing myself laughing thinking you assholes just don't understand as for the 28 day section like i'm really bothered about that i mean i'm gonna be stuck in the Hospital for up to 12 months anyhow whilst all the bits i broke mend 

Mum was like why the hell did they section you ? me well it seems to them i wasnt upset at all when they told me how fucked i was but when they mentioned my Motorcycle was fucked up and i started yelling and screaming about my bike they thought it was strange . 

Mum thought it was strange aswell ,go figure that eh 

Yay things are happerning at last

Well a Box arrived from the USA Today , so a Huge thanks to Rat an mq01 for the Tee-shirts an Speedo 

next up i got a phone call from the Frame Builder , i've got a start date for the Rolling Chassis all be well the Bike will be built a Month ahead of Shedule .

To fund the final part of it though i've had to sell the FXR Chassis , on the plus side the builder of my Frame want's it so we have struck up a deal which suits us both 

so sometime soon i'll post up some pics i'll probably use a Photobucket account as i still ain't figured out how to post multiple pics on here 

Mini Vans hate Harleys..lane splitting in Wal-Mart

Mini Vans are the downfall of society..once you have to move on to that point in life your screwed for next like eighteen years..Life's over so you you take it out on those who experience freedom..or the damn kids were tossing shitballs in the back so you just don't have time to watch where your going..

Some my ask Rat where the fuck does this come from..Well it started years ago but built up..like bad case of gas..Just out of the chute yesterday I'm doing the first good set of curves..no turns damn it and round the corner comes mama in my lane, daddy picking his nose and yelling at her and eight ungly rugrats screaming..there may of been a dog too but as we past I was more worried about keeping my ass from becoming part of the thing..Then I swear I heard them laughing as they went by and someone saying gee ma you almost got another one..Mini Vans Hate Harleys

Now there is nothing cool about a mini van..can't toss a set of 20's on it, slam it and cruise..I have nightmares of Dirty Ernie pulling up in one..I have suffered greatly at what would be worse..a honda or a mini van..either one is a toss off the bro list..I think they suck the testosterone out of men who drive them..hell it sends them to the passanger seat..you drive ma..damn..

So I got a new sport..I love lane splitting..I live in the sticks and have been known to ride to Fresno, sit at the AMPM by the on ramp and wait for the right time to jump on and go like hell..The echo of the straights bouncing off cars at six inches is enough to make you..(use your own imagination here)..It rocks..seeing the face as you blast by with your best shit eating grin going should be a fucking Visa commercial..Back to the topic..

Wal-Mart..Call me a commie but we got one of the new super wally worlds..this puppy is huge..and always full..Here's the deal..you can lane split in those tight isles..you can bump draft the dude in the electric cart..You smack one with a child seat and know one will ever catch on.nudge, tap, cut off nothing is off limits.Never stop or look at the end of isles..can't get hurt, well bad..Unless of course your doing teams then it could get hairy..one on one race..start in the pharmacy end up in the deli..damn near a mile of good fun and exercise..Damn I better go for a ride..Later

Rat

Bitchy and the Knuckle

As requested by some...







(The following is an excert of some of our ride journals)
Bitchy and the “47…
After 15 years, the 1947 knucklehead was restored… Actually I had been apprehensive for over a year about learning to ride it… Foot clutch, tank shift, distributor advance, drum brakes, etc… It was a rush the first time I rode it…
One day I started it up, Bitchy started her shovelhead and we rode to an outdoor bike show in Bonner Springs, Ks. People at the gate wanted to know if I wanted to show the Knuckle. It was easily the oldest bike there…Nah! Were just out for a ride!... After we left, we rode home, the knucklehead was just sitting there in neutral while I pulled out my shovelhead… I turned around, and Bitchy was sitting on the seat looking over the controls… trying to imagine riding it… I walked over and asked her if she wanted to take it around the block…
"Really??!!!..."
OK, push the foot clutch in, put the tank shifter in gear, let the clutch out just a little, and push it back in just to see how it feels"…
Well…She dropped the clutch, as it took off, she was sliding back on the seat which caused her to twist the throttle more… Bad to worse… Going faster made her swing wide coming out of our back yard… She hit the neighbor’s bush which launched her and the knuckle airborne… She nose dived it into the neighbor’s front yard!!! I came running around the corner and saw both on their sides in the front lawn… I was torn between which to help first!!! There was a guy knocking on the neighbor’s door, he helped Bitchy while I picked up the Knuckle… I never did catch his name, but he said as a kid he always dreamed about girls “flying thru the air”. Bitchy was bruised and a little cut on her leg… Mostly a injured ego. The knuckle had a original light broken and a bent crash bar…OK!!... “Engine protector” to be politically correct… but the knuckle was PISSED!!! Antiques can be temperamental, but the “Mistress” wouldn’t start for over a year!
Bitchy has yet to try riding her again…

Road trip, washing the bike wtf was I thinking..

Got the itch..got to do some hard road time..It was a hundred fucking degree's three days ago and now it cold with showers..Still got to do it..Take care of business early and decided I would wash the Shovel..guilt complex it has been getting whore baths and pig snot drenching's for way to long..I mean what the hell I get a shower once a month whether I need it or not..

I got to pick up some cycle wash..the stuff in blue can made in Denmark..Stop at one of the local shops..nada..Hit the Harley shop and all they have is S100..now I drink allot of Starbucks and know for a fact that a cup of Starbucks urine will do a better job than ten cans of that crap..and they want like $80 for a can..Off to Gary's forty miles away I know he has the good stuff..pull in and the sign on the door says gone to Laughlin be back Tuesday..Back up plan goes into effect..I got Purple Power and I can stop a Auto Zone and grab some Gunk degreaser,,eleven cans should do it..

Now I get to thinking on the way back to the shack..if I do wash the Shovel I might want to avoid the shift linkage..all that solid build up is what keeps it shift semi smooth I'm sure..The second thought is if you do wash it you know you will have the same oil stains by the time you get where ever your going..Now that changes the line of thought since I have four places I would like to end up all south of me..The only way I can decide where I might be going is to get to the turn off..what happens there will or should tell where I might be headed..Back to washing..I have been working hard on plugging the leaks..done good until I notice they just move..not as bad but there in a different place..the damn thing was designed to leak so I stopped trying to fix them..Just bought some more oil..So I got all the stuff, the days wasted and here I sit writing a blog..I'm going to go wash the damn critter..you all have a great day..ride free..or just ride..

Rat..

Three day's, sixty miles and the new FXST..Stinky

Stinky..we grew up in a small farming town in Central California..Stinky was stinky from the first day I meet him..a clean dude who's body just did not like soap or deodorant..he could overwhelm farm animals on a hot day..He was also one hell of a wrench,,good enough he has been on a few of TV shows for his builds..he will remain Stinky here,,his wife doesn't like me much..we will hit on a few of the fine points I'm sure..last time I was in his presents it was driving him home in the back of the truck with him heaving of the tailgate..right after they found god..I fell from good graces that day..

Stinky strolling into Mama's at 10:30 with his small harem could get interesting..you ask Stinky and a small harem?? Ya he also had the best coke around..You know the handsome poor man, ugly rich man thing..This harem had no lot lizards or Santa Maria strippers..ya I got some stories to tell..We trade a few barbs and asks about the new scoot..then the all enticing wanna go to my place and party..Hey Bro I'm headed to Vegas..well maybe for a short..been awhile..and BC is with him so it could be fun..I think she's 18..

We hit Stinky's shack it's about noon on a Tuesday afternoon..My road trip had made about 15 miles and three blocks..I'm about to shorten the chances of making it out of area much less the town today but what the fuck..I got time..By 2pm the small party of five has reached twenty..then thirty then who knows..Me and Stinky had done enough coke to scare Scarface..Me and BC had been get acquainted..about 10pm I decide if I didn't get out of there I would be at a week long affair..I tell BC I'm out of there,,she asks if she can go..Sly smile..I headed for the Holiday Inn..Visalia..We jam..Road trips at 30 miles..Rolling into day two..

Now I would like to tell the story in full but most of what I remember of the next few hours goes like this..We roll out on the new FXST..got about six feet of visibility..then we had the fog on top of that..Rode fifteen miles in second gear..soaking wet and one eye blind drunk..I wonder how I'm still here and know why I stopped doing it twenty years ago..Used up all my driving while blind luck..Hit the hotel and check in..all night party that must of been good..cause at 6am the manager is tossing us out..either that or call the cops..hey I'm outta here..Vegas here I come..

Well in my warped mind I was going to Vegas..about the time we hit Tulare..you guessed it about 30 miles down the road..wet from the fog..head pounding from the party,,BC whining about everything..I hit the first sleazy hotel I find..pay for 2 night since it's 7:30am of day 3..I hit the bed..

Final note..I called BC a cab about 5pm that day..she didn't take it well..Stinky went on to be a top notch car builder and restores bikes too..Still has his Triumph 650 hardtail..He married BC later that year..we only got to play a few times after that..Bring him home drunk in the back of the truck in 28 degree weather didn't go over well with BC..No way the puking drunk was riding in the front..maybe we should have taken him to the car wash and cleaned him up..Leaving for Las Vegas next..

Three day's, sixty miles and the new FXST..Part 1

Back in January 1983 on a Sunday morning more than likely sucking down Coors light and a nursing a hangover me and my old pal Stanley were cruising the back streets of Visalia Ca..As we were passing by Wilsons Harley shop there it sat in the window..the first evo softtail I had ever laid my eye's on..I stood in front of that window for half an hour..drooling I think..I had to have it..The few working brain cells went into highgear..

The next morning at 9am I'm on the horn with Jimmy Wilson,,He thought I was returning his calls about riding one of his flat track bikes..no I had been avoiding those..I had got past wanting to beat myself to death all weekend racing and eating dirt,,bouncing off hay bails had lost it's appeal and not hurting head to to toe for a week had got comfortable..I wanted the FXST..I had an old ironhead sporty I would pay someone to take..Jimmy bottom line on the bike..He came back with $10,000 cash and the sporty..I tell him get it out of the window I will be there in an hour..well I was an owner..I left the shop for the Whitewater tavern about 3pm..around 11pm after a couple of drinks it hit's me..Vegas..I need to go to Vegas and get out of the Tule Fog..Now anyone who has been in California's central valley can tell you the fog here can drive you to drinking..I head home to pack the bike..

Now getting back to the shack and rolling the scoot in the front door it hit's me..You can't strap shit to this thing..Well a enough bungees I can get a couple days worth of clothes on it and do the Vegas visitors shack and get a handfuls of free night stays and meal tickets..Problem solved..Get a good nights sleep or an hour or two anyway and hit the road..

When the sun came up around 9am..hey it's my story right,,I roll out..headed for Mama's kitchen for breakfast..if you knew Mama well enough for and extra buck she would dump a shot of 100 proof in your coffee and made some killer biscuits and gravy..Road food who knows when the next meal will come your way..Sitting back at the bar nursing my cup the doors opens and in stroll Stinky and his band of misfits, looks like the party is on..I guess now I will have to do a Stinky blog..later..Now I have made about 15 miles today and that my friends is as far as it gets..Today..

Riding Season is here,,first loud pipe ticket,,no sense of humor..

Well the official start of this years riding season has hit..Pulling out of my favorite sugar fix hole, roll the throttle on, grab second and crank it up a bit..Look to the right and there hiding behind a van was the new local motorsickle cop..Sitting his large frame on one of those BMW cross dressers or what ever they call them..on road-off road Rotax things..He was not smiling,,

As I watch him jump the curb and knowing the routine I back it off,,damn healthy backfire..Lights are flashing so I pull it to the curb, roll it back so passer by's can check out the clean chrome..Pull off the $4.75 Darth Vader helmet and sit back..Then I hear those words, my favorite pick up line..You know why I pulled you over??..Now I have a ton of pre-thought out responses to that line but looking at the youngster decided No Sir was the right one..Excessive noise now can I see your license and stuff..he walks back to his toy..If I was as big as he was and force to ride that little thing with my ass hang in the air all day I would have a bad attitude too..

So he finishes calling me in and comes strolling over and stops with two or three steps between us and starts eyeballing the Shovel..not the admiring looks I enjoy so much..Next question is does your horn work?? Well I would bet it does, never been used but it also never had any wires run to it..So in my kindest tone I say not at this time..Then he says I didn't see any turn signals when you pulled over..Well I didn't use them but they work..here check it out..He takes a gander at them all the time shaking his head..they are about 3/8th's of an inch wide and an inch long..I don't think those are legal he informs me..then your bars are legal but including mirror height your well over six inches above the shoulder..Wait only if I'm slumping over to keep the look..Then the final nail..your helmet is not DOT certified..he wasn't much fun..So he wrote it up and I went on my way..Me and Ole Judge Drew know each other well..might have to pay the fix it on the horn..hey my bad..

So it is official..the season is here let's ride..

Rat..

bad wrenching, lady riders and love of the road..

I fired my mechanic yesterday..he has taken care of the old shovelhead for 30 years. Knowing it was the nicest day of the new riding season (for those who have riding seasons) he rushed through repairs to get on the road..Big fucking mistake. You don't rush it if it's in the shop and on the ramp..ten minutes doesn't change the day or the ride..That was all it would have taken to inspect the work and be sure it was all tight and where it needed to be..Instead, I melted an oil line and breather line off the carb..Caught it quick but still dumped half the motor oil in the primary and the bike ran like shit..Got it home and spent three more hours fixing what should of never happened..Then got attacked by a killer bee on the test run..Damn, lol. By the way, I'm my own wrench and still waiting for my severance package..

Lady Riders..Hat's off to the lady's who ride and let me explain..I grew up old school. Having said that; the line of thought was always you girls belong on the back and not at the controls..Having rode in groups with lady riders over the last few years I have learned that you are more focused on your surroundings and on the people you are riding with than most of the boneheads I ride with..But in the last few months I have gotten a real lesson in lady riders..

A little history of the Rat and the Tat and what I have learned..Sunshine I hope you don't mind..We met on another biker site; BON..We traded some emails and found out we knew many of the same people and had traveled the same circles for years..we had probably been in the same room many times..We both share the passion for the road, Harley's, riding to nowhere, and searching for paradise..She has also opened my eyes to lady riders and the fact that their passions for the road, the bike, and the life are no different that those I have lived for my entire adult life..maybe much harder to archive because of the many who view them as lady's and not riders..I'll give you an example of passion for riding and doing the work to make it right..The Tat posted a blog about lean angles and her Deluxe sucks..she's a rider and wants to be able to corner without losing a foot doing it..so The Tat went to work..she measured, researched and put together what was needed to make the bike work for her..Being a rider she understands looks are cool but being able to do what you want to do is foremost on a bike, and she wants her setup for the road-not bike nights..She put together a forward control kit that will improve cornering, lean, and get rid of the pig boards..She walked into her favorite dealer, handed over her parts list and was told it hadn't been done but wholly shit it will work..they are on the way..You rock girl and I'm proud of you..Looking at the other lady bloggers bikes you all have done the same thing..you work hard to personalize your bikes for you...ride on lady's..

It's love of the road friends..

The Rat..

Mother Nature you suck..

So you think your funny do you..we deal with your cold, wind, fog and rain..Flu and cold bugs and viruses all winter..I rode in it and through it..Now life calls and theres projects to complete and oil leaks to plug you throw the best riding weekend of the year in my face..go ahead and laugh you got me again.. It's not over and the band still might play..my excuse book is open and wrenches set out..Thinking I better give the Tat a shout..we need to ride without doubt..So Mother Nature it's my thunder you may hear..the jokes on you as I kick it in gear..

Riding in the wind...

Had a morning chat with the Tat about how bad the wind was going to be..bad stuff according to the weather dude..or dudett..So I jump in the truck and hit the construction site to get the crew fired up..Starbucks works most times. Winds doing a lite 15 to 20 mph and I got some errands to run..Driving to the Casa I suffered a severe common sense fade and got to thinking..not many miles and no reason to drive when you can ride..Well you know where that leads and that it did..leather up were riding..

Wasn't bad when I hit the bank and other tasks that need to be done but then the dim light came on..Ride back to the job site..Fucking little green man in my head did it to me again..It was kicking up a little but still what the hell I'm riding..Hit the job and the owners there so we spend an hour going over some changes and PO's..the winds whipping now and changes direction a bit..Going to be a fun one riding home..

It blowing 35 to 40 with some big ass gusts..Now it seems like this would suck but my outlook is it is a challenge and good back roads to do battle the wind on..Crank the Shovel up and off to battle we go..Now at 55 it sounds like 130 riding into 40mph wind..and the gust make you dance and fight the bars..wiggle, wiggle and off you go..Well about 30 miles of it and dumb shit eating grin on my face I pull into the shop..we won..we are home again..smiling cause we rode..there are no bad rides..they are all a challenge and a battle..Keep your head and know your limits..ride damn it..Common sense does not work here..Rat...

Easter in the saddle..

Well having to go with my second choice for a riding partner I got Dirty Ernie on the horn and set it up..Old Rey's was the destination with a mountain loops ride..been awhile..Now between the two of us my Shovel is thirty years old and Ernie's pan is fifty one years old so a little wrenching is always a good idea..I just did my clutch last week and had noticed the back brake was light..well test run Saturday told me it was gone..damn..Got it home and torn it down..Hanging my head in shame..full of gunk I should have cleaned it a couple of years ago..easy fix..change the oil, check the tranny and tighten everything..Ernie broke a sprocket bolt that we didn't get fixed till Sunday morning..good excuse for a Starbucks..

Got rolled out a little late but what matters is we rolled..The ride to Rey's is a good mountain road that drops off to a small two lane..we rolled 180 at a nice 60 to 65,,playing and soaking up the road..I think I caught Ernie smiling in the mirror a couple of times..Dropping into the Marimonte cutoff the road goes small two lane and pretty twisty..we stayed cranking good until Rey's..You could smell the BBQ going for about a half mile before you hit the drive. Pulling in we saw bikes and a group of locals that I could do without..some bad blood that goes back a forever and they had been parting since the sun broke..Ernie know the scenario and say's let's pay our respects to Rey and get them back on the road..That we did..

No real game plan from here and an extra couple of hours to enjoy..We head up the mountain to 245..here comes the loop..It is a good road but hold a few 35 mph corners and just wide enough to go two wide if you don't mind a foot between bars..somewhere we hit the comfort zone and started riding two up..when your in the groove and the gods of the road are smiling on you it a great ride..The ride flowed..past the turn off that would take us home off 245 and headed to Wooklake..gonna stop but a local Barney Fife picked up on us as soon as we hit the city limits..One pipe and helmet ticket at time please..we rode through..I jump in the lead a turn us to Ivanhoe..then to Farmerville..Need another Starbucks and some gas..

Day's about done, a downtown town Visalia cruise to see how many car alarms we can get going and 63 home..We did 167 miles..hundreds of smiles..that is what makes us do what we do..Do I see a sporty in the rear view..soon..

Been riding Hogs since I was three..what's your claim to fame..

I started riding Hogs young, by the time I was four it was in my blood..By five I was a known rouge street fighter..My first Hog was a hardhead..Ran on slop and gave off an odor that was unforgettable. It was useless while suckling piglets and the bars were small and looked like ears..It made oinking sounds when in distress or happy..the exhaust was bad, lots of methane gas..So what I learned in those young and careless days has stayed with to this day..If it ain't a Hog it just don't cut the bacon..Happy Easter all..

What makes a good ride happen???

I've always looked at a good ride as me and the shovel make it home in one piece..just are not a lot of bad rides, there are wet rides and windy rides, close calls and assholes but I can find a good in it anytime I get on the road..

Ride planning for me hasn't changed much over the years..pick a place and go. I don't do group rides other than a small bunch of friends, three or four bikes is a big group..My best rides are alone..me, the roads and the rumble..This season I hope to plan some rides with my Tat..Food based rides to nowhere..back roads to get there. Now planning these rides will require a few essential details..first a good middle ground..second is good food, third will require roads less traveled...combined they have the making of an excellent summer..

Now what makes a good ride happen??? Getting on your bike and going..planning is great but improvising and not clock watching is the key..Group rides where you have some jerk off pointing at his watch and whining about we are five minutes behind schedule suck..I wanna stop and smell the roses..or chili beans or pull off and look out over a vista I have never seen..Call it a day early and relax in the the spa..call it a day late because the road kept calling..Good rides are a feeling that can be inspired but not planned..

The key here is let's ride..let's meet, let's eat and enjoy..tell me about what makes your rides a good ride..share the road..