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Rant Archive - May 2006
May 29, 2006 - REMEMBERING, ON A RIDE
THROUGH THE CEDARS OF LEBANON
 One
of the helmet stickers I have and wear the most proudly says "Freedom Isn't
Free, Thank A Vet". Having a father who served during the Korean conflict,
an uncle that served in Vietnam and various co-workers, friends and family
members of friends that have served has always kept me aware of the
sacrifices that others have made to ensure my freedom. Perhaps most impacting
on me however was something that happened when I was only six years old.
Stuart Carson was a young man that lived across the street from my family.
He was the athletic type having played on the local high school football
team and was looked up to by the younger boys in the neighborhood.
When Stuart graduated from high school he was suddenly gone. Most of us kids
didn't think too much about it until Stuart returned one day on crutches.
Being happy to see the neighborhood hero back home I ran over and struck
up a conversation which eventually lead to me asking about the crutches.
As tactfully as he could, talking to a six year old, he explained that he
was injured in Vietnam. His injuries were not life threatening but as a little
boy I suddenly had a personal picture of what sacrifice for our country
was all about. I didn't fully understand it then but over the years I have
remembered that day like it was yesterday... and it still impacts me to this
day. If you are a veteran, are currently serving or have lost a loved
one in the military, please accept my sincere thanks for the sacrifices
you have made for me, my family and this great country.
The story of Stuart came rushing back to me
this morning while I was riding. I got up early just so I could get a ride
in before joining up with the family later this afternoon. I find that when
I ride by myself I become very introspective. I guess the beauty of nature
around me combined with the lone-wolf vibe provides the perfect atmosphere
to work out my thoughts and today's 95 mile ride was no different. I headed
east from Nashville and ended up in the
Cedars
Of Lebanon State Park. The 900 acre park is beautiful beyond words and
is filled with Juniper trees, Cedar Glades and no less than nineteen rare
and endangered species of plants that are found no where else in the
world. I also befriended one the the local residents. He didn't say much
and sort of just froze when I rode up. I named him Tommy Slowski and snapped
a quick picture of him before riding on. Check him out at the bottom of this
post. He kind of resembles Gonzo from the Muppets.
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May 27, 2006 - MADKAW ON
DISPLAY
Tonight was a rare occasion. For the first time
since I finished her, Madkaw got to go for more than just the usual ride
around the block. A local establishment was having a cruise-in and since
it was only about five miles from my house I thought I would ride on over.
I never intended for Madkaw to be a regular rider but more of a "show" bike
so this was just the kind of event she was created for and it was pretty
funny to see people do the double take when they saw her. Most had no idea
what she was and were full of questions. One thing is for sure though,
she seemed to draw a lot of attention. BTW... I have a surprise that I'll
let you know about real soon. Can't say anything right now but in August
Madkaw is going to be famous! Stay tuned.
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May 26, 2006 - THIS 90 POUND YOUNG LADY
HAD ME SCARED TO DEATH
This morning I pulled out of my neighborhood and
on to the main drag, falling in the traffic-jammed line just behind a young
lady on a Ninja 500. I immediately recognized the bike because I have been
helping a friend of mine look for one. He wants one to commute with and from
everything I've read about them, it would be a great bike to do so
with.
Well, we were blazing along at about 15 miles per
hour (zzzzzzz) when the traffic in front of us came to a complete halt. Now
15 to 0 is a pretty graceful change in speed... nothing too drastic but I
watched in amazement as the Ninja rider in front of me got on the brakes
so hard that I wondered if they had locked up. To make matters worse, instead
of dropping her feet slowly to hold herself up, I again watched in disbelief
as the bike fell off to the left and she barely got a leg down to catch the
bike and keep it upright. When she finally got it back straight up, both
feet were barely tiptoeing the pavement. No sooner had all this happened
when traffic was on the move again. Popping the clutch out, the front wheel
started wobbling left to right with the bike staggering all over the lane
as a result. She then quickly shifted into second gear and was into third
before we hit 15 miles per hour again.
Obviously I was witnessing a new rider who was
not ready to be riding in rush-hour traffic. She had little to no experience,
was on a bike that was way too tall for her and had little understanding
of shifting gears or power-bands. She did have a touring jacket and full-face
helmet on but I have to tell you, this 90 pound young lady had me scared
too death! I followed her for the next 5 miles, until she turned off, and
it was the same routine over and over in the stop-and-go traffic. I had plenty
of chances to pass her but I stayed right where I was, figuring I could at
least make sure she didn't get run over from behind.
Man, it's a scary motorcycle world we live in these
days. A lot of people have caught the "bike craze" and are jumping into
situations that they just aren't ready for. I have a 50ish friend who just
bought a huge bagger despite the fact that he hasn't ridden in 30 years.
I tried to convince him to start back with something smaller but with plenty
of disposable income and the Harley glimmer in his eye, there was no changing
his mind. He did take a safety course at my suggesting so maybe I did some
good. But what about the girl this morning? I hope she has a friend or family
member that rides who will tell her she needs some more experience before
negotiating Nashville rush-hour traffic. Holy cow… scary!
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May 20, 2006 - A GROUP RIDE TO CENTER
HILL LAKE
Every few weeks my wife and I organize a group
ride for some of our friends. We started doing this about three years
ago and what was then only three couples has now grown into upwards of thirty.
One of the couples that rides with us has a home on Center Hill Lake which
is about 50 miles east of Nashville. It's a beautiful place with lots of
nice, narrow, curving roads leading to it so we make this one of our annual
destinations... and today was the day
The ride to the lake was great with awesome weather
and beautiful scenery but just after we arrived we started hearing thunder
echo off of the lake hills and within about twenty minutes it started to
pour down rain. Fortunately we were under roof but of course our bikes took
the brunt as you can see in the last picture below. Well, about as fast as
it started, it was over and after we ate a bite and wiped down our bikes
we were back on the road. We snaked our way through some roads I'd never
been on before and by the time we returned to Nashville we had clocked
a little over 150 miles. All in all, despite a little rain it was another
great ride in beautiful middle Tennessee.
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May 18, 2006 - ANOTHER FOR THE COLLECTION,
A COOL H-D PAINTERS CAP
CLICK HERE to view
my entire hat collection.
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May 18, 2006 - FIVE THINGS I'D LIKE
TO SAY TO YOU
I was on my way home from work this evening enjoying
a rare non-traffic jammed moment and cruising along at about 70 mph when
out of nowhere I was passed on my left side by a rider on a green sport-bike.
And when I say passed, I mean passed! He was doing about 80mph and on his
back wheel. With his tee-shirt and shorts flapping in the wind he came up
so fast on the back of a mini van that I would have bet money he was going
to plow right into it. I actually got scared for the guy… and he did
too. He dropped the front end of that thing down so hard that the handlebars
started to wobble violently. How he maintained control is a complete mystery
but what happened next was perhaps even more unbelievable. He swerved in
to the next lane, pulled beside the van and flipped off the young mother
who was driving with her young child in a car seat. Apparently then happy
with his outburst toward an innocent driver, he sped off. I suppose it's
none of my business but as a seasoned rider there are a few things I would
love to tell this guy. So if you're out there reading this, and you know
who you are, here's five things I'd like to say to you:
1) I know you are young and have no idea of the
concept of mortality but you will indeed die if you crash your green sportbike
at 80mph.
2) Wheelies in Nashville rush hour traffic are
never a good idea. I drive with these chumps every day and they will cut
you off in a heartbeat. Riding in their midst at 80mph on one wheel is not
smart.
3) Contrary to the fact that you've been told since
the day you were born that all of life revolves around you, it's not true…
especially on the Interstate. Van driving soccer moms are not required to
get out of your way.
4) A lot of us in the motorcycle community have
worked hard to improve the image of bikers to the general public. You're
not helping.
And finally…
5) If you're really set on killing yourself, I
guess you have the right but I and the others on the interstate don't care
to watch you do it.
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May 15, 2006 - ANOTHER HAT FOR MY
EVER-GROWING HAT COLLECTION
I got another new hat for my collection today.
I spotted it at one of the Harley dealers in town and since it was on sale
I snagged it. This is actually one I will probably wear... I like the low-profile
look of it.
CLICK HERE to view
my hat collection.
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May 14, 2006 - SWAG THE
BOOKWORM
When I was a kid we had a name for those geeky
guys that had their noses in a book all the time. We called them "Bookworms".
I have no idea where the term came from but we sure had a great time picking
on the nerdy little guys that we awarded that label too. Of course over the
years I ultimately realized that those same guys that I was making fun of
in grade school are now making 5 or 6 times the money that I make! Yeah boy,
we were sure brilliant to be spending all our time riding dirtbikes while
they expanded their minds... NOT! I know... everything in moderation but
the truth is that reading books is one of the best ways to improve yourself
and expand your view of life. I mean think about it, just by reading
a book you can learn about anything you're interested in. You can travel
the world and experience different cultures. You can experience time travel
both backwards and forwards. You can even learn how to overhaul that old
Flathead. The list goes on and on and it's all possible from the glow of
a night light. Heck, reading even helps improve your vocabulary and grammar!
(dUz U nO WuT I mEEn?)
My wife has been a reader since I've known her
and has even been known to read through a book in one day. That's a bit extreme
for me but over the years I have learned to enjoy reading and I have read
more in the last five years than I probably have my entire life. For me it
usually goes in phases. I'll get hooked on a certain subject matter and read
two  or three books
on the subject before moving on to something else. Over the Winter it was
Spiritual related books like Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren, Point Man
by Steve Farrar and Rediscovering Church by Bill Hybels. Somehow, from there
I went to Outlaw Motorcycle Club books. A strange transition, I know, but
nonetheless I'm now on my fourth book in the last two months with an OMC
topic. Here's a peek at each in case any of you fellow biker-bookworms
out there want to check them out. Be advised, none of these books is probably
appropriate for younger readers.
FREEDOM, CREDOS FROM THE ROAD by Sonny Barger
(212 pages)
This book is published by William Morrow and was
first printed in 2005. In it, Mr. Barger who is perhaps best known for being
the President of the Oakland Chapter of the Hell's Angels lists fifty of
the principles that he employs in his own life. The way it is laid out in
fifty shorter stories within the book makes it an easy read that holds your
interest.
HELL'S ANGEL by Ralph "Sonny" Barger with
Keith and Kent Zimmerman (259 pages)
A National Best Seller, this book is published
by Perennial and was first printed in 2000. The book is subtitled; "The Life
and Times of Sonny Barger and the Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club" and in it
Mr. Barger recounts the birth of the original Oakland Hell's Angels and the
four decades that followed.
UNDER AND ALONE by William Queen (257
pages)
A New York Times Best Seller, this is the true
story of an undercover agent that infiltrated one of America's most violent
outlaw motorcycle clubs. It is an intense read.
RIDIN' HIGH LIVIN' FREE by Ralph "Sonny"
Barger with Keith and Kent Zimmerman (277
pages)
Also published by Perennial, this book was first
printed in 2002 and has a subtitle of "Hell-Raising Motorcycle Stories".
I've just started reading this one but it is a collection of true stories,
modern myths and biker tales. The authors let you decide which is
which.
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May 13, 2006 - RIDE AND SHINE CRUISE-IN
BIKE SHOW
One of our Harley-Davidson dealers in the Nashville area is located just
south of town in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Bumpus Harley-Davidson has been
in business for years and today they were hosting what they called their
"Ride & Shine Bike Show". Basically it was an open house kind of event
where local riders could show off their bikes. Not ones to pass up the
opportunity to drool over some motorcycles... two of my buddies and I finished
the yard work early and headed south for the festivities. The "Cruise-In"
type event had people dropping in from all over Nashville and as usual we
had a great time just checking out all the bikes and meeting some nice
people. As an added bonus for me,
I got my first spin on a H-D Road King. Both of my buddies ride them and
they have been lobbying hard for me to get one as well. They've been after
me for weeks to take one of theirs for a spin and today I took them up on
it. My initial impressions are great. The bike rides like a dream and has
a lot better throttle response than I anticipated. Who knows, I may end up
with a Road King in the garage one day!
CLICK HERE
to check out some pictures I took of bikes at the Cruise-In.
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May 11, 2006 - MY NEW HAT - A CHINESE
HARLEY
 I
got a new hat today. Like most I seem to come up with, it's not one I will
likely ever wear but because it's unique and it was cheap I had to have it
for my collection. The label says that it is the "Genuine Harley Davidson
Motorclothes Vintage Rider Cap"... oh and it also says that it's "MADE IN
CHINA". Hahahahaha! You gotta love that. The company that has sold us all
their reputation as a USA Pride company is peddling Chinese hats! It reminds
me of something that happened a couple of weeks ago.
I had been out on the Sporty and stopped to fuel
her up on the way home. While I was there a guy pulled in on a new Road King
in that cool "Chopper Blue" color. It looked great and while I was drooling
over it and telling him how much I liked it another rider pulled in on a
Honda VTX 1300. Without missing a beat the Road King rider said, "Look
at that piece of rice s**t!" I guess he thought since I was on a Sportster
that I would share his pea-brain prejudice against metric bikes. You should
have seen his face when I told him I had three metrics in the garage at home
and that I thought the VTX was a great bike.
I'm not sure who started the whole "Harley guys
should hate metric guys" thing (the H-D marketing department I suspect)
but I despise it. Who gives a rats butt what someone else likes or rides.
And... before you try to give me the "made in the USA" speech, you might
want to check the tag on your Harley Hat and clothing!
Anyway, I love the hat because it's unique... and
I love Harley's too... but I also refuse to act like some of the idiots out
there that think because they own a Harley they are better than those who
don't.
CLICK HERE to view
my ever-growing hat collection.
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May 9, 2006 - NO RIDE FOR SWAG TODAY
- RAIN, RAIN AND MORE RAIN
How many songs do you know with the word RAIN in
the title? Here are the ones I thought of off the top of my head... in no
particular order:
Fire & Rain by James Taylor
Purple Rain by Prince
Laughter In The Rain by Neil Sedaka
Have You Ever Seen the Rain - Creedence Clearwater
Revival
Mandolin Rain by Bruce Hornsby
Blame it on the Rain by Millie Vanilli (or whoever
that was!)
Blue Eyes Cryin' In the Rain by Willie
Nelson
Don't Rain on my Parade by Barbara
Streisand
I Made It Through the Rain by Barry
Manilow
I Wish It Would Rain by Phil Collins
Kentucky Rain by Elvis
Rainy Days And Mondays by The
Carpenters
Rain On The Scarecrow by John
Melencamp
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May 3, 2006 - SUPERCROSS FINALE IN VEGAS
LIVE ON SPEED THIS SATURDAY
At the beginning of the Supercross season it was
widely expected that Ricky Carmichael, Chad Reed and James Stewart would
via for the title but none of us had any idea how close it would actually
be. Coming into the last race of the series, the "Big Three" are at the top
of the standings with Carmichael and Reed tied for first place and Stewart
only five points behind the leaders. The stage is now set for one of these
guys to take the championship by winning the final race this Saturday night
in Las Vegas. And you can witness all the thrilling action because SPEED
CHANNEL has announced that they will provide live national coverage of the
race. Do yourself a favor and drop any plans you had this Saturday night,
May 6th, tune into SPEED at 9:00pm CDT and watch one of the most exciting
finishes in the 30-plus year history of AMA Supercross.
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May 2, 2006 - COME ON LELAN, HELP ME
OUT HERE!
 If
you've ridden motorcycles for any length of time, you've no doubt discovered
that the local TV meteorologist is your friend. Better known to us "old guys"
as the weatherman, he (or she) is the one that studies the atmosphere full
time with the sole purpose of letting us know when we are going to have favorable
riding conditions or... like this week for me, not so favorable riding
conditions. OK… maybe there are some other reasons why these people
make a career out of forecasting the weather but certainly none more important
than letting us Certified Bike Nuts know when we can ride!
I've been watching the same guy for almost fourteen
years now. Lelan Statom of local CBS affiliate WTVF came to Nashville just
shortly after I did and he's been my favorite weatherman since. I've watched
his forecasts countless times and though I've never met him personally, Lelan
has become my buddy, my friend and my pal. My wife laughs at me because I
refer to him on a first name basis, frequently making comments like, "Hey,
it's time for Lelan" or "Lelan said it's not going to rain today." I've even
been known to talk to him through the TV screen. Like this morning for example.
As I got ready for work, Lelan informed me that riding conditions aren't
looking too great for the rest of
 the week. (See insert
for Lelan's 7-day forecast from today.) I've got a couple of group rides
scheduled this weekend so in desperation, I cried out "come on Lelan, help
me out here" to which my wife sarcastically replied, "uh, I don't think he
can hear you through the TV set." I suppose she's right but it somehow made
me feel better saying it out loud to my buddy. Maybe one day I'll actually
get to meet him but until then, I still consider him my friend. After all,
he's keeping an eye on the weather for me! Next time you're in Nashville
check out
News
Channel 5 and meet my buddy Lelan!
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