Welcome to my corner of the
World Wide Web where you will find my rants and ravings. I'm an average,
every-day guy who has some very strong opinions about life, God and motorcycles.
If you agree with me or not, I hope you enjoy my place and come back often..
and if you feel like it, please help support this site by purchasing something
from my store HERE.
Rant Archive - October 2006
October 31, 2006 - NICKY BRINGS IT HOME,
2006 MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPION
Photo: Yahoo
News
In case you haven't heard yet, Owensboro, Kentucky
native Nicky Hayden finished third in the MotoGP season finale Saturday in
Valencia, Spain securing the 2006 World Championship. Congratulations
Nicky!
Feedback
October 30, 2006 - AN UP-CLOSE BIKE
SHOW
One of our local Harley-Davidson dealerships held
their fall bike show on Saturday so I decided to cruise over and check it
out. A couple of my buddies were there when I arrived so I ended up hanging
with them most of the morning... just walking around and checking out the
show. For some reason I got caught up in the details of the bikes and before
I knew it I found myself with a bunch of up-close pictures as opposed to
the standard bike show shots. I'm sure they will probably bore most of you
but it gave me a different perspective that I thought was cool.
CLICK HERE to check
out a few of the more interesting up-close shots.
Feedback
October 30, 2006 - MADKAW FEATURED IN
ROADBIKE
I have a feature in the November/December issue
of Road Bike. It's basically the story of how Madkaw came to be and pictures
from a photo shoot I did of the bike in the spring. I'm always amazed to
find out which photos actually make it to print... it's almost never the
ones I would have selected but I guess that's why I'm not an editor! Anyway...
the bottom line is that I'm thankful to get anything published and I'm thrilled
to be in Road Bike.
If you're not familiar with Madkaw, it's a bobber
style bike that my dad and I created from a 1984 Kawasaki KZ550LTD last winter.
CLICK HERE to check out photo documentation
of the project. It was a lot of fun creating it.
Feedback
October 28, 2006 - PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE
ON THE CR250
I rode about 50 miles today on the Electra Glide
and even stopped by one of the local dealers that was having a ride-in show.
I saw a few unique bikes which I hope to have posted here soon but I went
home early to do a little preventative maintenance on the CR250. The air
filter was in need of cleaning and the chain had not been lubed since I got
the bike... so today was the day. Below are a few boring pics for those
interested.
These are the supplies I used. No-Toil Biodegradable
Air Filter Oil, WD-40 and Bel-Ray Chain Lube.
After cleaning the filter in mild detergent and
drying, I sprayed it inside and out with the No-Toil and then worked it in
with my hands, squeezing out the excess. Being able to spray it on was nice
and alleviated some of the mess that you would normally have with this
job.
Here's a before and after shot... Dirty filter
left, clean filter right.
I used WD-40 to clean the chain, and then sprayed
on the Bel-Ray, which leaves a white sort of film.
Feedback
October 22, 2006 - A GROUP RIDE TO DUNLAP,
TENNESSEE
 One
aspect of riding that I really enjoy is the group ride. There's something
pretty awesome about cruising down a curved road in a line of 20 or so bikes
that is a must experience for every rider. Even if you don't know all the
people you are riding with, there is a bond that immediately forms between
everyone that is just cool. If you are fortunate enough to know the people
it's even more special. My wife and I have been involved with a local group
for about three years now and during that time have developed some good
friendships based on a love of riding. We look forward to getting together
with these people once or twice a month to enjoy each others company along
with the beautiful Tennessee backroads and yesterday was one of those
times.
It was about 40 degrees with fog when we gathered
at 9:00am and as you can imagine, long handles and leather were standard
attire for the day. I even broke out my famous Wicked Wear Skull Mask for
the occasion. (See my RANT from December 03,
2005.) But... despite the less than desirable conditions, turn out was
good, spirits were high and the conditions got progressively better as the
day went on. As we made our way through Murfreesboro and McMinnville and
on to Dunlap the temperature continued to rise, the leaves got more colorful
and the hills got bigger. It turned out to be one of the most beautiful days
we've had in middle Tennessee in a couple weeks... and the scenery on the
way to Dunlap was awesome. After a really good lunch at a place called "The
Cookie Jar Cafe" we shed the leather and enjoyed the ride back to Nashville,
logging a total of about 200 miles. It was another awesome group ride on
what turned out to be a beautiful day.
This is the view from the front porch of the Cookie
Jar Cafe' in Dunlap, Tennessee.
It's hard to tell in this picture because of the
haze but the leaves were just starting to turn.
The Cookie Jar Cafe' is famous for homemade deserts.
That counter is full of them.
Feedback
October 20, 2006 - THUNDER ROADS TENNESSEE
- NOVEMBER 2006 ISSUE
Check out the November 2006 issue of Thunder Roads
Tennessee! Ruth Rose, the Editor, saw fit to publish a couple of my articles
again. (Thanks Ruth!) One is a recap of my trip last month to Ballance MotoX
Park and the other is a much more in depth report on the Supermoto Race held
here in Nashville last week. Thunder Roads Tennessee is available in most
bike shops around the state. If your local shop doesn't have it... ask for
it! For those of you not in Tennessee you can read it on-line at
www.thunderroadstennessee.com.
Feedback
October 15, 2006 - AMA SUPERMOTO
CHAMPIONSHIP RACING IN NASHVEGAS
My friends down at
Sloan's Motorcycle
and ATV Supercenter in Murfreesboro sponsored the Nashville AMA Supermoto
race at the Music City Motorplex on Saturday night... and I was fortunate
enough to be able to go. If you're not familiar with Supermoto you've got
to check it out. It combines Road Racing, Supercross and Flat Track all into
one event and it is extremely exciting to watch. As an added bonus, this
year Jeff Ward is racing the Supermoto Circuit... and yes, it's the same
Jeff Ward. If you're my age you remember that Jeff owned the Motocross and
Supercross tracks in the 1980's and early 1990's and then moved on to the
Indy Racing League. Well, he's now back on bikes and picking up right where
he left off. Most of his competition is below the age of 25 and heading into
Nashville with only two races left, he was the points leader by 32 points.
Pretty cool huh, a guy older than I am kicking the "younguns' butts! As usual
I had a camera with me and got some pics.
CLICK HERE
to check out pictures of the Nashville AMA Supermoto race.
Feedback
October 14, 2006 - A NEW CLUTCH CABLE
FOR THE CR250
I picked up a new clutch cable for the CR250 this
week. The clutch has been a little stiff to operate since I got the bike
so I was hoping that a new cable would rectify the issue... and it did. I
don't know why but I enjoy working on this bike. Probably because it's so
easy. I did have to take off the tank to get the new cable installed (see
me above putting the tank back on) but everything seems so simple with this
bike. Maybe because it only has one cylinder and all the body parts are plastic!
hahaha This winter I'm going to go a little deeper with it and do a top-end
overhaul. It's not been done in a while so it's probably getting to be about
time. Should be fun!
Feedback
October 11, 2006 - ADDING TO THE HAT
COLLECTION, THE REAL DEAL
My dad gave me this H-D hat about a year ago and
I promptly misplaced it. Not knowing where I put it has been driving me crazy,
especially since I started my hat collection. Well, tonight my wife found
it in an old dresser she was going through and I couldn't be happier about
it! Although I've seen this hat recently at the local dealer, Dad got this
one sometime in the 1960's and it is the real deal... authentic vintage Harley...
and unlike all the H-D hats made today, this one is made in the
USA.
CLICK HERE to see
my entire hat collection.
Feedback
October 1, 2006 - THE NATIONAL CORVETTE
MUSEUM
If you've ever driven a Corvette you know that
there's not another car like it on the road. My first experience driving
one came in 1976 when my dad bought a '69 hard-top convertible. I had only
been driving for a short period of time when he brought it home but I knew
instantly that there was something very special about that car and I was
hooked for life... just like most others who drive one. Several years ago
GM decided that there needed to be a shrine to the USA's greatest sports
car and constructed the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky,
just a block or so from the plant where the Corvette is built. On a recent
trip through town I stopped and took a stroll through Corvette time... and
of course... I got a few pics.
CLICK HERE to check
out pics of the National Corvette Museum.
Feedback |
