I got to ride just a little bit, yesterday. I needed a few things from Sears, so I took Kate to get them.
As soon as I had parked and got off of the bike, an older gentleman complimented me on Kate, telling me I had a nice softail. AS is usually the case, it doesn't take much to start up a conversation when there's a Harley involved.
In the next ten minutes or so I found out that his name is Chuck and that he rode a '48 Pan to high school 50 or so years ago and that he now rides a 100th anniversary FLHTCI.
I won't pretend to remember the conversation word for word, but I was relishing it. I love to listen to older people tell me about past generations. It's just like when my Grandma starts telling me about life on the farm. I become mesmerized.
There is so much we can learn about life from those who lived before us. Even in terms of Harleys. Granted, I already knew a lot of the info he was giving me, but I didn't mind. I could have listened for hours. I hope to get a chance to run into Chuck again, somewhere down the road.
Onward...
I have always been fascinated with "Road Names" and how people get them. I don't really have any personal experience with it, as I have yet to earn one of my own. I've had several nicknames through the years, and some have stuck better than others, but none have ever been associated with riding. The ones that stuck most were a couple of "handles" I answered to when using the C.B. (for you young pups, that's Citizen's Band radio, the predecessor to cell phones) I started out as Mista Bone, a name I gave myself inspired by the song by Great White, and then when I got with my Ex-wife, she didn't like that much,, so I changed it to Wade. Granted, I still answer to both to this day, but I don't consider them "Road Names" because I chose them for myself.
I guess I'll earn one soon enough. Until then I guess I'll Keep answering to Camron. It fits me pretty well (thanks Mom!).
I'd love to hear your stories of what your Road Names are and how you got them. If you'd rather not have them in Comments, feel free to email them.
In hope you've all had a safe riding weekend.
I'll see you down the road.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Road Songs... Hell, Yeah!
Music is a very unique artistic medium. This one art form is equally expressive of both the artist and the audience. It says as much about the listener as it says about the musician, and in this it also completely connects the two.
While I fully acknowledge being very Diverse in what I listen to, there's a certain sound that just makes me relax, you, know? Like, "This is what Home sounds like".
For me, the most expressive music is, usually, something with a deep southern sound, a Blues quality that speaks of working hard and playing harder. But mostly It has to be real. I don't want to waste my time listening to some idiotic suburbanite rich kid singing about the "hood". I can't relate. I also don't want to listen to some punk-ass gang banger singing about being a "business man". Although I do find it funny, how they both try so hard to be the opposite of what they are.
Biker music is not that way.There's something about it that screams "What you see is what you get!" You know what I mean... There's no reason to pretend to be something your not. This is me, This is who I am and what I do. No one I've ever heard has captured this sentiment so well in music as "Junkyard".
I've been listening to these guys ever since they released their first video on MTV (remember videos on MTV?) The Song was "Hollywood" it was loud, raw and real. Everything I needed to connect with at the time. They followed that up with "Simple Man" and I thought they wrote that for me. I still listen to it whenever I'm faced with a person or a situation where I'm expected to be something that I'm not.
I was lucky enough to receive permission from the band to post that video, right here for you all to enjoy. So when the ride is over and the beer is cold, Kick back and crank it up.
simple man
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While I fully acknowledge being very Diverse in what I listen to, there's a certain sound that just makes me relax, you, know? Like, "This is what Home sounds like".
For me, the most expressive music is, usually, something with a deep southern sound, a Blues quality that speaks of working hard and playing harder. But mostly It has to be real. I don't want to waste my time listening to some idiotic suburbanite rich kid singing about the "hood". I can't relate. I also don't want to listen to some punk-ass gang banger singing about being a "business man". Although I do find it funny, how they both try so hard to be the opposite of what they are.
Biker music is not that way.There's something about it that screams "What you see is what you get!" You know what I mean... There's no reason to pretend to be something your not. This is me, This is who I am and what I do. No one I've ever heard has captured this sentiment so well in music as "Junkyard".
I've been listening to these guys ever since they released their first video on MTV (remember videos on MTV?) The Song was "Hollywood" it was loud, raw and real. Everything I needed to connect with at the time. They followed that up with "Simple Man" and I thought they wrote that for me. I still listen to it whenever I'm faced with a person or a situation where I'm expected to be something that I'm not.
I was lucky enough to receive permission from the band to post that video, right here for you all to enjoy. So when the ride is over and the beer is cold, Kick back and crank it up.
simple man
Add to My Profile | More Videos
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Easter Hop
Ok, I'll start off with the bad news. Well it's bad for me, not so much for you. I've been trying desperately to get a stock triple tree for Kate that I can have powder coated. I found three of them last week on Ebay. Unfortunately, all ended up going to other people or not at all. The first is all my fault. When I was trying to raise my bid at the last minute, my number lock was on & I couldn't use my ten key. That way sucked! The second was bought by someone "Buy it Now" three days early. (I NEVER do that, unless the price is very fair). The last went up way high on the bidding, but still never met the sellers reserve. Apparently, Seller thinks it's made of gold. Ok, I'm healed... back to the drawing board. Anyone know where I can get a triple tree?
I woke up today and could not wait to get on the road. Unfortunately, my wife is a little ill & today was Easter, so I had a few things to do before I could go. Yeah, Well at 11:30 when I finally got out, it was GREAT! ! ! !
My Youngest son went with me. He's the perfect passenger. He sits still, doesn't fidget, he doesn't lean, and he has a low center of gravity. It was almost like riding solo, only when I saw something awesome and pointed exclaiming "Check that out!" I didn't look crazy.
We started off on the 76E. This road is great, lots of curves and plenty to see. East of the 15 it got even better. The traffic died down & we were free to enjoy. We followed the 76 out past the Pala Indian reservation and my son LOVED seeing the Buffalo by the casino. Even in captivity, these are truly majestic creatures. I can only imagine the beauty and force of a wild herd of these beasts.
We stayed on the 76 past Palomar mountain to the 79. Took the 79 into Santa Ysabel and then took the 78 up into Julian. This town is a treasure in the mountains! Well known for the apples that are grown locally, there is no shortage of places to get a slice of pie. well, we skipped the pie, but we did walk through several of the shops before getting back on the road.
We took the 78 back down to Santa Ysabel & stopped at Dudley's and Don's Market. My son loves to look at the rocks and trinkets at Dudley's, and I needed a bottle of water. I walked across the lot to get the water from Don's because Dudley's didn't have much of a selection of drinks that were bike friendly.
We kicked around for about 20 minutes before heading out on the 78 into Ramona. We stopped in Ramona long enough for me to call my wife & let her know we were still riding. Then we followed the 78 to Escondido. All along the way we kept passing wonderful sights, and smells. The Mountain views are absolutely breath taking! And the smells! I love the smell of lemon groves. The trees put out the sweetest smell ever. (I didn't particularly care to smell several road kills we passed... Ewww) This is truly the best way to experience this trip.
I tried to avoid getting on the 78 from Escondido to Carlsbad by taking Valley Parkway, it didn't work. I did, however, find a surprise (to me), Lake Hodges. It's a beautiful lake. We took a quick ride past the lake before heading back to the 78, as we were running out of time before a planed family dinner.
We got home around 4:15 with 135 miles on the odometer & dinner at 5.
The only thing that went wrong, other than the triple trees... I didn't make it back to the beach for my Sunset Pics.
Oh, Well, there's always tomorrow..Ride safe, Ya'all... Happy Easter!
I woke up today and could not wait to get on the road. Unfortunately, my wife is a little ill & today was Easter, so I had a few things to do before I could go. Yeah, Well at 11:30 when I finally got out, it was GREAT! ! ! !
My Youngest son went with me. He's the perfect passenger. He sits still, doesn't fidget, he doesn't lean, and he has a low center of gravity. It was almost like riding solo, only when I saw something awesome and pointed exclaiming "Check that out!" I didn't look crazy.
We started off on the 76E. This road is great, lots of curves and plenty to see. East of the 15 it got even better. The traffic died down & we were free to enjoy. We followed the 76 out past the Pala Indian reservation and my son LOVED seeing the Buffalo by the casino. Even in captivity, these are truly majestic creatures. I can only imagine the beauty and force of a wild herd of these beasts.
We stayed on the 76 past Palomar mountain to the 79. Took the 79 into Santa Ysabel and then took the 78 up into Julian. This town is a treasure in the mountains! Well known for the apples that are grown locally, there is no shortage of places to get a slice of pie. well, we skipped the pie, but we did walk through several of the shops before getting back on the road.
We took the 78 back down to Santa Ysabel & stopped at Dudley's and Don's Market. My son loves to look at the rocks and trinkets at Dudley's, and I needed a bottle of water. I walked across the lot to get the water from Don's because Dudley's didn't have much of a selection of drinks that were bike friendly.
We kicked around for about 20 minutes before heading out on the 78 into Ramona. We stopped in Ramona long enough for me to call my wife & let her know we were still riding. Then we followed the 78 to Escondido. All along the way we kept passing wonderful sights, and smells. The Mountain views are absolutely breath taking! And the smells! I love the smell of lemon groves. The trees put out the sweetest smell ever. (I didn't particularly care to smell several road kills we passed... Ewww) This is truly the best way to experience this trip.
I tried to avoid getting on the 78 from Escondido to Carlsbad by taking Valley Parkway, it didn't work. I did, however, find a surprise (to me), Lake Hodges. It's a beautiful lake. We took a quick ride past the lake before heading back to the 78, as we were running out of time before a planed family dinner.
We got home around 4:15 with 135 miles on the odometer & dinner at 5.
The only thing that went wrong, other than the triple trees... I didn't make it back to the beach for my Sunset Pics.
Oh, Well, there's always tomorrow..Ride safe, Ya'all... Happy Easter!
Saturday, March 22, 2008
A Wonderful Day
Ah yes, a grand and beautiful day, indeed. I got up early, today, to go for a ride up north to see some old friends from my days on the Dealership parts counter. I had wanted to visit the shops where they work (Capistrano & O. C.) but hadn't had a chance. I decided today was the day. Great decision!
I decided to go to Orange County Harley first, because it's farther away. When I got on the 5N I saw something I've never seen before. The Mountains on Camp Pendleton, they were green. Not Brown, not Red, Not even burnt black... Green, With some spots of yellow for decoration. Wow. Spring is here, and life is in bloom. Add that to the beautiful sunshine, sapphire waters, and perfect temps. This was a perfect riding day!
When I got to O.C. Harley, I found out they were casting for the catalog Photo Shoot, so, Why not... I signed up. I'll find out about that sometime next week. 5 minutes and 4 photos later & I was just shopping & browsing like everyone else. I asked about my friend, but he was working out of the store, today. Damn... I'll have to go back another time... (Pity me yet?)
I had an interesting encounter while I was there, though. There was a bike on the showroom floor that confused me. It had the tank from a Softail custom, but a silver engine & very little chrome like a Softail Standard. I asked one of the salesmen about it & he insisted it was a bone stock Softail standard. I pointed out to him that it had a Softail Custom Gas tank, & He informed me, "No, no, That's factory standard". OK, I resigned myself... he must be new. I tried one more time, explaining to him the difference. He decided that it must be a factory mistake... On a Harley? Okay, if you say so... He did, he swears it happens all the time.
On the way home I stopped at Capistrano & My other friend was there. Hey, If you're in the area & Looking to buy a Hog, Go to Capistrano & ask for Jerry. He's a helluva guy. He's straight forward and he knows Harleys. You can tell him I sent you, but don't expect a discount...
So After a few minutes of BS ing with him, I headed home for lunch before going out to shoot some pool with the wife & kids. This is our favorite family outing these days, but I still wanted to ride some more today.
Well, life kept getting in the way, until close to sunset. I told my wife I wanted to take Kate to the beach & get some pics of her as the sun went down into the horizon. So, she went with me. We got there just as the sun was about to touch the water and, sure as hell, not ONE PARKING PLACE! I had no where to get good shots from. So we sat on the bike in the middle of the parking lot and watched the sunset. Oh, Fuck it, let's go rent a movie to watch with the boys.
I guess we'll try again tomorrow. My youngest son & I are going for a ride anyway... Maybe Ramona?
Ride Safe!
I decided to go to Orange County Harley first, because it's farther away. When I got on the 5N I saw something I've never seen before. The Mountains on Camp Pendleton, they were green. Not Brown, not Red, Not even burnt black... Green, With some spots of yellow for decoration. Wow. Spring is here, and life is in bloom. Add that to the beautiful sunshine, sapphire waters, and perfect temps. This was a perfect riding day!
When I got to O.C. Harley, I found out they were casting for the catalog Photo Shoot, so, Why not... I signed up. I'll find out about that sometime next week. 5 minutes and 4 photos later & I was just shopping & browsing like everyone else. I asked about my friend, but he was working out of the store, today. Damn... I'll have to go back another time... (Pity me yet?)
I had an interesting encounter while I was there, though. There was a bike on the showroom floor that confused me. It had the tank from a Softail custom, but a silver engine & very little chrome like a Softail Standard. I asked one of the salesmen about it & he insisted it was a bone stock Softail standard. I pointed out to him that it had a Softail Custom Gas tank, & He informed me, "No, no, That's factory standard". OK, I resigned myself... he must be new. I tried one more time, explaining to him the difference. He decided that it must be a factory mistake... On a Harley? Okay, if you say so... He did, he swears it happens all the time.
On the way home I stopped at Capistrano & My other friend was there. Hey, If you're in the area & Looking to buy a Hog, Go to Capistrano & ask for Jerry. He's a helluva guy. He's straight forward and he knows Harleys. You can tell him I sent you, but don't expect a discount...
So After a few minutes of BS ing with him, I headed home for lunch before going out to shoot some pool with the wife & kids. This is our favorite family outing these days, but I still wanted to ride some more today.
Well, life kept getting in the way, until close to sunset. I told my wife I wanted to take Kate to the beach & get some pics of her as the sun went down into the horizon. So, she went with me. We got there just as the sun was about to touch the water and, sure as hell, not ONE PARKING PLACE! I had no where to get good shots from. So we sat on the bike in the middle of the parking lot and watched the sunset. Oh, Fuck it, let's go rent a movie to watch with the boys.
I guess we'll try again tomorrow. My youngest son & I are going for a ride anyway... Maybe Ramona?
Ride Safe!
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
A Helping Hand
*** This post was originally written on 3/11. It has been sitting in my Draft box because I wanted to add a feature to the post that I don't know how to create. I apologize for the delay.************Hello again. I finally finished shining Kate and wanted to share a picture... My favorite part of cleaning her is that I have to take her for a ride afterward to blow all of the wax dust off. Oh, Darn!
In other news, I went out for a little ride yesterday and ran into an old aquaintance of mine, Bill Davis. I knew Bill years ago when I worked in the Harley dealership. Well, I ran into him in another local Dealership & started talking. For those of you who are unfamiliar, Bill is the Executive director of the Ride For The Heart Foundation, A charity foundation that brings a cause to serious biking. Now we've all been on the little charity rides, where you maybe do a poker run with a couple of miles of riding thrown in just to make it a biker thing, but that's not what the Ride For The Heart Foundation is into. These are serious rides for serious bikers. How serious? How about this, their entry level ride, Yeah, it's the 500 mile Iron Socks ride. Other rides they have include The Ride For The Heart 1000/1500 (May 3&4, 2008) and the "Big Trees Ride and Tour"(June 17-21, 2008). And the best part? All of the money raised goes to such charities as the American Heart Association – San Diego, American Heart Association – Las Vegas, American Heart Association – Northern California, Loma Linda International Heart Institute
Children’s Hospital of Orange County Arizona Heart Institute. (and that's just last years list.) All total these guys (and ladies) have managed to raise over $162,000.00 for Heart related charities.
The Official Blurbs for Ride for the Heart Foundation Rides are:
May 3, 2008 – IronSocks 500
IronSocks 500 – Saturday, May 3, 2008, a Ride for the Heart Foundation charity ride, with multiple start and end locations. The ride format is based on our highly successful long distance Iron Butt charity rides, but half as long. Start and end locations are through out Southern California and Henderson, NV, check out the website for a specific location near you. Donations are garnered through rider's pledges similar to the American Heart Association's Heart Walk. Your $75.00 registration fee includes RHF Certification, tee shirt, pin and refreshments along the route. The Ride for the Heart Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to raising funds for both national and local heart-related charities. One hundred percent of all rider-generated donations will go to a national or local heart-related charity. If you have ever thought about riding an Iron Butt ride, but aren’t quite ready for a full ride this ride is about the best one to cut your teeth on. If you would like to have a good full day of riding you’ll appreciate the organization of the ride. For more information contact Bill at 760-644-2118 or go to www.ridefortheheart.com to register.
May 3/4, 2008 – Ride for the Heart 1000/1500
Ride for the Heart 1000/1500 – Saturday/Sunday, May 3/4, 2008, a Ride for the Heart Foundation charity ride, with multiple start and end locations. The ride format is based on our highly successful Iron Butt charity rides. Start and end locations are located in San Diego, Ontario/Riverside area, Fresno, and Stockton, CA along with Henderson, NV. Check out the website for a specific location near you. Donations are garnered through rider's pledges similar to the American Heart Association's Heart Walk. Your $125.00 registration fee includes IBA Certification, tee shirt, pin, patch and refreshments along the route. The Ride for the Heart Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to raising funds for both national and local heart-related charities. One hundred percent of all rider-generated donations will go to a national or local heart-related charity. If you have ever thought about riding an Iron Butt ride, our ride is about the best one to cut your teeth on. If you have ridden them before you will appreciate the organization of the ride. For more information contact Bill at 760-644-2118 or go to www.ridefortheheart.com to register.
June 17-21, 2008 – Big Tree Ride and Tour
This Summer, the Ride for the Heart Foundation will host its annual touring ride through the big trees of California. The Big Tree Ride and Tour will take in some of the best parts of both the Sequoia and Redwood National Parks and their big trees along with a lot of great riding in between.
The ride begins Wednesday morning, June 18th, after a kick-off party hosted the night before by Bakersfield Harley-Davidson and their H.O.G. chapter. The first day route will travel Northeast through the Sequoia National Park and will end near Fresno, CA. On Thursday, June 19th, the route will take riders over Tioga Pass in Yosemite, up Route 395 and back over Monitor Pass to Route 4 down to Calaveras Big Trees State Park back to Jamestown where Jamestown H-D will host a BBQ and get together. After a Ride for the Heart hosted breakfast in Sonora Thursday morning riders will travel up Route 49 and the Gold Country of California where we will end our third day of riding in city of Red Bluff, CA. On Saturday the 21st riders will be treated to a great ride over the Coast Range mountains through the Redwoods, up beautiful Route 101 ending in Eureka where both Redwood H-D and the Ride for the Heart Foundation will host a farewell party and an end to a great week of riding.
For more information go to: www.ridefortheheart.com or call Bill Davis at 760-644-2118. Your pre-registration is $225.00 and includes:
Three hosted BBQ's (Bakersfield, Fresno & Jamestown)
One hosted Breakfast (Jamestown)
One hosted dinner and party (Eureka)
Pre-registration includes:
T-Shirt, pin and patch.
Prizes awarded at each party.
After May 10th, registration is $300.00.
Hotel reservations responsibility of rider, list of hotels available on the website after March 15th.
For more information check out the website .
Monday, March 10, 2008
Labor Of Love
Hey, Sorry it's been so long since I last posted, however, I do have a day job and occasionally they want me to go to it. Can you believe that?
Today, they have nothing for me to do so I'm at home trying to catch up a little farther on my "to do" list. Today's task is the only part of owning a Harley that I'm not ecstatic about. I have to give Kate a bath. She's nasty dirty, or at least she was until a little bit ago when I finished washing her. Now I'm waiting for her to dry so I can get to the daunting task of waxing & polishing her. This, by the way, is why I'm removing a LOT of the chrome and going, instead, with powder coating. Powder coated parts are very durable, but show less dirt than Chrome. And you can wash and go without looking completely horrid. (I HATE water spots on Chrome!) After I wash her, I wiped down a lot of the shiny parts with a micro fiber cloth to help stop the water spots. I need to get one of These So there is a fantastic Christmas Idea for the biker on your list...
Over the weekend I received my latest purchase to powder coat. I bought some new fork legs off of Ebay. It actually took me two purchases to get the right ones. The first set I bought were advertised as fitting the FXSTC, however AFTER (read "I was a DUMBASS!) I bought them, (For only $5 PLUS SHIPPING!) I did a little research & found out the the Custom has a different fork aesthetic than the other FX Softails. The part would have worked, but it would have altered the look of my bike, which I did NOT want.
I wrote the seller, not to ask for a refund, or anything, but just to let them know. I know I would want to know little tidbits like that. Apparently the seller was NOT a like minded individual, the response I got from them was at first argumentative and ended with a reminder that they did not offer a refund. I decided to let it go. Why not? I don't have a need to be acknowledged when I'm right, hell, sometimes I get a laugh from those who fail to see it. Besides, I re listed the parts myself and sold them quite quickly. I even made a few bucks from the sale.
By the way, would anyone be interested in using this page as a forum for buying/selling Bike parts? Just let me know & I'll figure out how to set it up.
The lesson from this is from now on, I do the research & find out exactly what I need before I shop for it. At least I can avoid the hassle of having to do it twice.
With that in mind, I think Kate may be dry enough to start the polishing... Wish me luck.
Today, they have nothing for me to do so I'm at home trying to catch up a little farther on my "to do" list. Today's task is the only part of owning a Harley that I'm not ecstatic about. I have to give Kate a bath. She's nasty dirty, or at least she was until a little bit ago when I finished washing her. Now I'm waiting for her to dry so I can get to the daunting task of waxing & polishing her. This, by the way, is why I'm removing a LOT of the chrome and going, instead, with powder coating. Powder coated parts are very durable, but show less dirt than Chrome. And you can wash and go without looking completely horrid. (I HATE water spots on Chrome!) After I wash her, I wiped down a lot of the shiny parts with a micro fiber cloth to help stop the water spots. I need to get one of These So there is a fantastic Christmas Idea for the biker on your list...
Over the weekend I received my latest purchase to powder coat. I bought some new fork legs off of Ebay. It actually took me two purchases to get the right ones. The first set I bought were advertised as fitting the FXSTC, however AFTER (read "I was a DUMBASS!) I bought them, (For only $5 PLUS SHIPPING!) I did a little research & found out the the Custom has a different fork aesthetic than the other FX Softails. The part would have worked, but it would have altered the look of my bike, which I did NOT want.
I wrote the seller, not to ask for a refund, or anything, but just to let them know. I know I would want to know little tidbits like that. Apparently the seller was NOT a like minded individual, the response I got from them was at first argumentative and ended with a reminder that they did not offer a refund. I decided to let it go. Why not? I don't have a need to be acknowledged when I'm right, hell, sometimes I get a laugh from those who fail to see it. Besides, I re listed the parts myself and sold them quite quickly. I even made a few bucks from the sale.
By the way, would anyone be interested in using this page as a forum for buying/selling Bike parts? Just let me know & I'll figure out how to set it up.
The lesson from this is from now on, I do the research & find out exactly what I need before I shop for it. At least I can avoid the hassle of having to do it twice.
With that in mind, I think Kate may be dry enough to start the polishing... Wish me luck.
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