A Bikers Tribute

Different things inspire motorcycle owners to customize their bikes. It could be based on death, ladies, art, abstract, or in this builder/owners case a tribute. The entire motorcycle was a tribute to the firemen lost in the 911 bombings of the towers. I chose to take a photo of the gas tank on this bike because of the details that were incorporated. The old-skool gold leaf graphics; the fire engine red color, the Fire Department insignia on the "tank bib", but most of all because of the way the owner decided to incorporate the names of the fallen. Click on the picture to see them.

"In Memories of" are a big deal in the biker world; tattoo's and patches are the most common and mainly reserved for those we were closest with, my hat's (bandanna's) off to this owner for his "IMO".



Motorcycles, Bikers, Motorcycle Travel

The Eyes Never Lie

It's never about the Destination, anyone who has rode a motorcycle farther than a beer and chips run knows this to be true.

Anyone who has ever been pealed off of their saddle at the end of the day with their knees aching and their back filing for divorce knows, that while the destination (the days or the trips) is always nice to get to it only serves a limited purpose.

Rest, recuperation, and the opportunity to wake up at the crack of dawn and do it all again.

We are the cowboys, cowgirls and modern day gypsies of the 20th Century. It's not a statement supported by facts, rather a deep seeded knowledge that we hold true.

A yearning to travel and be one with all that is around us - and it dwells within our blood. It is a core element to who we are, we need it like we need water.

You can tell a brother or a sister through simple observation; they don't have to be in jeans and leathers or even near a motorcycle and you will know. We are the one sitting in the conference room combing through a multimillion dollar budget. We are the one covered in the dust from the construction site. We are the neighbor at the block cook-out.

You can pick us out of a crowd, just watch our eye's shift ever so slightly when the rumbling sound of a motorcycle in the distance passes. We may have just come off of the road, the engines still warm, but the longing and desire is strong.

The eyes never lie.





Motorcycles, Bikers, Motorcycle Travel

Spike My Chopper, please

I've been to countless motorcycle rallies. I've seen thousands and thousands (some times all at once) of custom bikes and choppers. I've seen chrome twisted used in ways that are truly amazing... but this... "Spiked" Chopper... was a first. This Biker gets today's "Use Caution over Bumps" award.

Most times I'm awed by what an owner will do to their motorcycle... When I saw this one, I didn't know what to think. I think that; Awesome, Original, Ouch, WTF, I have to have a photo, all ran through my mind about the same time.

motorcycles, choppers, chrome, chopper, Motorcycles, Bikers, Motorcycle Travel

It's A Gas Cap Stupid

Paperwork has been shuffled and the Grandpa bike has been rolled in to the shop. The mechanics have gone through the bike from top to bottom. Brakes have been replaced (even though they were good - just a thing I have...) all the fluids have been changed, gaskets replaced we're nearly ready to roll.

It's getting close to lunch so we walk to the McDonalds across the street. We're feeling fairly excited about the prospects of getting back on the road. The past 24 hours have been stressful for my wife and I.

In case it's been a while since you've read the beginning (or if I didn't mention it before) my wife is new to riding - brand new - this is her first trip across the country on a motorcycle. She's been on a couple of day trips in the past three months but that is the extent of her riding experience. She's been through hell and earned her stripes and we're only on our third day of our two week trip. She's lived through mechanical breakdowns, flat tires, delay after delay, a dead guy on the highway, a thunderstorm from hell, nearly being killed at 70mph, the loss of a motorcycle that she "loved" nearly as much as I did, a ride in a van with a lady that sells sexy underwear out of it, and now the purchase of a new motorcycle - she keeps telling me that she loves me and she trust me - I don't know which one I fear most!

We order a burger and a drink from McDonalds, woof it down and head back to Monarch Harley Davidson to see if our bike is ready. As I walk in to the mechanics area the dealership manager pulls me to the side, it seems that we have a problem. Keep in mind that when I bought the bike I told these guy's just how important it is to get us on the road, I went through everything that we had been through in the past couple of days, and let them know that my wife was extremely stressed by all of the events. I know this weighed on his mind when he said;

"We can't get the gas tank open. It has a locking cap on it. The owner has the key and he's gone to Sturgis."

NO, it's not possible, you are pulling my leg right - just a good laugh before you give me my keys and send me on my way.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know what to do"

I think my response, it was a rant and a plea all wrapped in to one, went something like this: "Okay, here's an idea - open the fucking tank NOW. I don't care if you have to take a torch and cut the cap in half, if you need to pry it off with a screw driver. I don't care if it EVER locks again, I need to be able to put gas in the tank to drive down the road and you need to make it possible for me to do it. You don't understand, my wife has said that if we're not out of here and on our way - she's flying back to Phoenix and she doesn't care if I come with her. Get the cap off, really, I don't care how."

"We will try again to contact the owner..." at this point my wife and best friend walked up to us, they both have a built in radar that let's them know when I'm about to lose all control and start acting less than civil.

My wife asked what's going on, I told her. I knew my death was inevitable. I prayed it would come sooner than later, for it to be swift and painless. I knew better. I knew it would be cold and calculated, drawn out in a manner that would be akin to a mid-evil torture chamber, a slow and agonizing death, one meant to ensure maximum pain and suffering while I waited for the darkness to ascend.

She turned and walked away. This surprised me some but scared me more. I followed only to discover this wasn't my brightest idea of the day. When we arrived at a point far enough from the dealership that she safely felt no-one else could hear, she let loose. A stream of tears clouded with the profanity that had been building for days. I felt like I was witnessing the eruption of Mount St. Helens. The hot emotional lava poured forth in threatening promise after promise. I knew that I had but one option - they had to get the gas cap off or I had to sacrifice myself to the road gremlins and the gods that govern travel disaster. These would be the only options that would satisfy my wife's anger and frustration.

My friends again arrived to save me, at least temporarily, and while my wife's best friend comforted her and told her about her nightmare trips I managed to skulk off and head back to the mechanics bay to see what kind of progress, if any, was being made.

The mechanic was continuing to struggle with the locked cap when I arrived. I pleaded with him to do anything in his power, I didn't care if he ruined the cap - I would buy a new one - just do anything possible so we could get on the road. He must have recognized the desperation in my eyes and in my voice as he simply nodded, walked over to his tool box and brought out an a key blank (gas cap keys for on a Harley are round like the old fashioned soda machine keys) hit the grinder a couple of times, tried it in the gas cap, went back made some adjustments, tried it again, made some more adjustments and within five minutes the cap was open. I guess you need to plead your case to the right people to get anything accomplished.

The dealership apologized for the inconvenience; filled our tank with gas and we were finally, once again, on the road to Sturgis

Grandpa, bike, McDonalds, motorcycle, riding, mechanical breakdowns, flat tires, dead, highway, thunderstorm, dealership, mechanics, gas tank, Sturgis, Phoenix, death, Harley, road, Motorcycles, Bikers, Motorcycle Travel

Monday Music

Here's a little Monday Music for ya'll...

I love playing this just after I've been riding hard on a long stretch of highway, usually trying to make up for lost time.

Lean back, ease off the throttle, let the engine unwind, hear the crackle of your pipes as your rolling in to the next small town and jam to the sounds of ...... Big & Rich - Save a Horse

Big and Rich, Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy, Cowboy, Motorcycles, Bikers, Motorcycle Travel

Living by it

I would change the last few seconds to just fade to black. I've ridden some pretty radical non-HD bikes in my life and personally I don't care what you ride, just ride.

... that reminds me... I need to go and find that "Big and Rich" song ... I think it's called.... Save a Horse...Ride a Cowboy ;)

Motorcycles, Bikers, Motorcycle Travel

Death of an old Friend leads to the Birth of a New One: On the Road to Sturgis Again

The last time I posted about the '99 Sturgis trip, and I know it's been a while, my buddy and I were on our way in to Monarch Harley Davidson in Orem, Utah. I still hate that ride in, you'd figure that I'd be over it by now - you know - move on already... nope. I hate riding "bitch" - my guess is that it's a control issue, maybe someday I'll take it up in therapy - but then again, when is the last time you saw a motorcycle parked in front of a therapist office? Motorcycles are therapy.

We arrived at Monarch Harley Davidson just prior to opening so we waited, not long, for the staff to arrive. When they arrived the immediately knew I was the guy they had spoken to last night - I don't know, maybe it was the "I'm riding out of here one of two ways - on my own bike or in a cab" look that I had on my face that told them. They greeted us, welcomed us in, poured us coffee and listened to our tale. Of course they did, hell, they wanted to make a sale didn't they. I would have stood on my head, ran to McDonald's and sang karaoke if I was going to get a sure fire commission first thing in the morning.

I looked at a couple of bikes that they had on their showroom floor; A 93 Police Cruiser in powder blue, a Black and Red Sportster (no way the wife was going for that one!), and a couple of others that didn't really suite our immediate need and then I came across the back that was to be affectionately named "The Grandpa Bike" by my buddy's wife. It was perfect - not what I wanted to go bar-hopping on but it was a great touring bike and that's what we were doing - touring.

A 1995 FLHTCUI (FLH Ultra Classic) Bike number 303 of a limited edition series. The first year that Harley had put fuel injection into this model. It was black and burgundy (look at the right side of your screen - that's it after I modified it a bit), hard side locking saddle backs, over padded saddle, AM/FM Cassette player with front and back speakers, Raised Trunk, arm rests with speakers built in, highway bars and pegs, custom foot(floor)boards, CB Radio with built in passenger to driver communications ports - it was perfect, albeit not my ideal bike - but I would grow to love "Grandpa" in a short period of time.

I had found the bike that would take us the rest of the way to Sturgis and back. Let's start the deal. It was a used bike, 3 years old, it had 13,000 miles on it and the price was $12k. Not bad, lets start the paperwork.

The rest of the group got to the dealership about an hour after the shop opened, the timing was perfect. We had time to look at all the bikes, talk about the work that I wanted done to the bike once we had purchased it, and get all of the paperwork completed except for my wife's signature. The dealership had everything lined up, the work orders were already submitted, the parts department (what? you can't buy a motorcycle and not put some of your own touches on it!) had all of the parts in stock and pulled and the numbers had already been run.

I showed my wife the two bikes that I had narrowed it down to, talked about the pro's and con's, as I saw them, of both bikes and told her which one I liked. She agreed completely; personally I think the padded arm rest, stereo and extra storage convinced her more than I ever could.

We signed the papers and the dealers wheeled my bike to the shop; brakes, fluids, some chrome adds, remove some of the baffle, fuel it up and we'll be off.

All of this should take about two hours.... if you've been reading this story from the beginning... guess what :)

Sturgis, Harley, Harley Davidson, Fuel Injection, Orem, Utah, Motorcycle, Motorcycles, Bike, Sportster, FLHTCUI, FLH, Ultra Classic, Sturgis, Dealership, Bikes, Motorcycle, Bikers, Motorcycle Travel

Green Machine

- When you go to a rally you will find that the variety of motorcycles you see is only equaled by the variety of people - for now... the bikes -

Photo taken in Sturgis / August 2007.

motorcycles, sturgis, rally, sturgis rally, sturgis motorcycle rally, Motorcycles, Bikers, Motorcycle Travel

Motorcycles and Music

When I was young (that sounds terrible!) I used to run the highways wishing I had music. I would play song after song in my head and on occasion I would even dare to try and sing louder than my pipes. Of course this usually lead to the ingestion of some flying protein and the mad brushing of teeth after the ride was over, but the point is that music always was and remains a big part of my life and I missed it when I was riding my motorcycle.

My friends and I agreed that there had to be a way to get "tunes" on our bikes. Back in the day we didn't have portable anything. The Walkman was years away and the iPod, oh hell, not even imagined yet. So in the honor of teen ingenuity we would bungee, duct tape, strap any way that we could our "boom-boxes" to our motorcycles, fill our saddle bags with the 14,000 "D" cell batteries that it took to power those things for the trip and wa-la! Music on the road.

We would head out for a trip to Colorado to visit a friend, a weekend in Mexico, a quick run to the beaches of San Diego and we'd have music to listen to along the way. Of course changing the 8-track while riding was near impossible so you'd better like what you were listening to for at least until the next stop.

I started thinking about this the other day when I was out taking a sunrise ride through the desert back roads, kicking back and enjoying the sounds of the built-in stereo on my '07 FLH. Today it was the sound of 3rd Eye Blind, Nickleback and the latest from Kid Rock, "All Summer Long". It is the Anthem of my life past.

Back then however, it would have been Steppenwolf, The Allman Brothers and Janis Joplin... Oh well, Welcome to the future :) Now, here's some Kid Rock and "All Summer Long", enjoy.

highways, music, riding, motorcycle, bikes, motorcycles, Colorado, San Diego, 8-Track, FLH, 3rd Eye Blind, Nickleback, Kid Rock, All Summer Long, Steppenwolf, Allman Brothers, Janis Joplin

Going Up The Country - Woodstock 1969

A little Saturday fun... sit back, relax.... remember?

"Canned Heat" Going Up The Country - Woodstock Music & Art Festival 8-16-1969

Canned Heat, Going Up The Country, Woodstock, Woodstock Festival, Festival, 1969

Motorcycle Safety and Awareness - Before You Hit the Road

biker babe, bikerbabes, nudes, nudebabes, motorcycle nudes, naked, sexySturgis? Daytona? Laconia or just around the corner to your local Grocer your destination does not matter if you have not learned the basics of motorcycle safety.

We have all heard the stories or personally know riders that have years of riding experience and have made mistakes.  It can happen to anyone at anytime.  By educating yourself you greatly reduce your chances or at the very least improve your abilities to identify and get out of potentially dangerous situations.  Get educated about what your doing. Yes, experience can be the best teacher in the world but making a mistake on a motorcycle can be seriously dangerous to your health.

Rider safety courses are an excellent idea for any rider. I began riding at the age of ten and over the years I have logged thousands upon thousands of miles accident free. I consider myself a very aware and safe rider. Two weeks before leaving for a cross country road trip I was hit from behind while trying to leave my neighborhood. I did ALMOST everything I should have; checked left, checked right, used my indicator... I FAILED to continuously scan all approach areas and to know where my escape route was going to be. I concentrated on traffic in front of me and not on what was coming up behind me. Unfortunately the traffic behind me did not concentrate on what was in front of them. The bright side was it was the collision was minor, I ended up with just a stiff ankle and a few repairs to the bike. Damage to my motorcycle was about $1,400.00 which the other drivers insurance took care of. I just had to deal with the inconvenience factor of taking the bike back and forth to the shop for repairs 

This only emphasizes the point that when you are riding your motorcycle you have to be constantly evaluating your riding conditions; street surface, traffic patterns, bike reaction & feel, weather, side streets, road debris, wildlife and other potential hazards that may be lurking and be prepared to act/react with a plan. The motorcycle industry has developed an acronym to help you remember how you should be identifying and reacting to situations. The acronym is SIPDE or Scan, Identify, Predict, Decide, Execute.

• Scan
  
  You should constantly be aware of what's in front, to the sides and behind you. I personally scan constantly, first forward then through the mirrors and to each side and back again; scanning my tach & speed as I go. If you don't already scan or you're new to biking; take time to develop a pattern that includes your mirrors, your controls, and the area ahead of you. You should always be on the lookout for potential hazards and escape routes - even when you are stopped for a traffic signal/stop sign. When changing lanes be sure to check your mirrors early and often. When slowing to stop, check your mirrors to ensure that other motorists behind you are aware that you're stopping. One trick that I use to get the attention of motorist behind me is to tap my brake (either front or rear) in a 3-1-3 pattern. Maintain a 10-12 second lead. Meaning that you need looking at where you'll be 10-12 seconds from now.


• Identify
  
  Identify the situation ahead. Is there a hazard? Would you consider a side street a hazard? Probably not if you're in your car. Car's are "big"; meaning that their easily spotted by someone wanting access to the main road. Motorcycles are nearly invisible and you need to be aware of that when you ride. The same car on the side street will 99% of the time see the oncoming car, the percentage get's much lower with an oncoming motorcycle. Be ready, change lanes if you can, approach with cautious awareness that they may not see you. Are there multiple hazards ahead? Oncoming traffic, canyon road, side streets all pose their own risks scan and plan at all times. What are your escape routes? If you need to "ditch" or "lay it down" where? Options? What presents the least threat to you and your safety? Identify each situation by what represents a threat and what represents an opportunity or escape route. The motorcycle safety foundation recommends separating hazards into three separate and distinct categories.
  
  
  • 1. Other vehicles sharing the road.  
    
  • 2. Pedestrians and animals.  
    
  • 3. Stationary objects.
  
  

  With each category representing a different level of risk and each needs to be addressed by the rider differently.



• Predict
  
  Learn to anticipate what the hazard is going to do; if it's a deer nature says it's going to get startled. There's a 50/50 chance it will dart in front of you - what's your plan? Once you've formulated a plan (about 0.5sec to do, predict what might happen - I always use the worst case: Of course the deer will dart in front of me - now what? Formulate your escape route; this may be as simple as "I'm going to slow down" or as drastic as "he's crossing the road, I'm going off road." I personally feel that it's best to make my assumptions and plan based on the worse case scenario so that I'm ready for whatever happens.
  
  


• Decide
  
  Determine your course of action. Let your presence be known; using the 3-1-3 pattern is one way I make sure that I'm seen. Increase or decrease your speed speed, changing the lane your in or maybe even your direction all together. Combine any or use all three. Some riders put "whistlers" on their bikes, can't be heard by us but it is supposed to keep the deer and other wildlife out of the way. No matter what decision you make, be certain that you've account for your skill/experience level and road conditions.
  
  


• Execute
  
  Take action based on what you decided to do. If you can, separate the hazards so you're only dealing with one at a time. Continue scanning and adjust your actions based on the situation. Remember riding a motorcycle is fluid and things might change. Concentrate on the motorcycle and what you can control. Create a larger safety bubble around the motorcycle. Your safety bubble is the amount of space between you and other vehicles sharing the road with you. When following cars or trucks you should have a 4-5 second safety bubble. When in wet or adverse conditions increase this to 7-8 seconds.
  
  

  Remember to always be aware of your surroundings. Riding a motorcycle is more than just getting on and rolling down the road, road trips can and will wear you out. Take breaks, keep yourself mentally alert (you mind is key to riding safe).

  
  

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