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Excellent write up Shari, I felt as though I was riding with you all, enjoying the sounds, the scenes etc.

Would like to know what "Beef Jerky & rolled up sweet" is though!!!

Thanks Ed, not my cup of tea, but sounds interesting..

THANK YOU , brought back fond memories of my "just cause its there" ride of the Blue ridge Pkwy. enjoy'n bluegrass outa a tinny ear piece, gotta upgrade to an i-pod next time!

...blue

mert,
Great write-up!

Martin,
Stop showing off!

Uncle Charlie

WOW!!! wow wow wow
Beautiful!

loved it mert like i was there

I will ride year round. I don't care much for the rain but as long as the temp peaks in the upper 50s during the day I'm willing to brave the elements and take a ride.

Here's an interesting cold ridin story.

I had a speedmaster about 6 mos before I got the America. I had gotten it in december of 05 and put over 7000 miles on it before I totalled it in late june of 06.

I was riding it to work on one of those 40degree mornings. Beautiful sunny morning in late winter. My job is only 30 miles from home so I do okay on the cold mornings. The sun was warming my black leather jacket while the engine kept some heat on my legs. The scarf around my neck kept my throat from being blasted with cold air while keeping the air flow into the bottom side of my helmet to a minimun.

About 3/4 the way into the trip, I was riding right into the sun. My face was warming up pretty good as the air inside my full face fulmer began to heat up from the sun. Suddenly I felt something moving around on top of my head. It moved a little at first, but the farther I traveled the more active the little bugger became. I was beginning to become concerned but rush hour traffic on Hwy 49 coming into hattiesburg, ms can be pretty hairy so I decided against trying to stop. Instead I decided to just continue on to work. It was just a few more miles down the road and I began to suspect what had occured.

Once I parked my bike at work, I removed my helmet and to my surprise out scrambled a little green lizard. He was young, about half the size of an adult and quite agitated at that point. He jumped to the ground and began to scramble toward a parked car. I didn't want him to end up in the car so I chased him down. Once capturing the little beast, I took him to a shrub at the edge of the parking lot and released him. Apparently he had moved into my helmet and gone to sleep for the winter. To his surprise and mine, that little country lizard moved to the city. Needless to say, I didn't take him back home that night.

musta bin that lil geiko dude. Did 'e 'ave a Brit accent?

Naw, he spoke with a southern drawl like I do. We've always called them chameleon because it can change colour with its environment but I don't know what the proper name for it is. It looks similar to the gheko but with a narrower head. He also does something with his throat that looks like a red flag pushing out the bottom. This particular lizard is indigenious to the southeastern USA. A friend of mine let some pet ghekos get loose at his house and now he has those things everywhere.

I thought that lil geico dude sounded more Australian than British. G'day mate!

Hey All,

I'm the FNG you people refer to as a "Lurker", I expect. I've just been navigating around the site until I feel brave enough to post. I guess I'm past that now so here we go. True story:

Way back in 1977, when I was still wet behind the ears I returned home from USN boot camp. I had earned two weeks of leave before heading off to Millington, Tennessee for more aircraft training.

Just about three days, maybe four I borrowed a friends Kawasaki 900ZX two stroke rocket and decided to go over and impress my girlfriend. I called ahead so she would be looking for me when I arrived. The whole fam damily was out on the front porch when I showed up.

The Big Cow, thats what we liked to call the bike, had a bald rear tire and burned out front brakes. The road my former girlfriend lived on was a dead end cul-de-sac with a 45-degree grade on the backside.

During my attempt to "impress her", I became oblivious to the speed of the motorcycle. I quickly ran out of real estate before I could get the bike stopped.

It was during those first few moments while I was airborne that everything went into slow motion. I could see this huge pine tree coming straight for me. So, I bailed out...to the left, breaking off limbs of the tree. The Big Cow went on the right side of the tree and was not useful anymore after that day.

After I passed through the tree limbs, I was still about twenty-five feet in the air when I fell into a thin scrub pine that broke my fall wonderfully. So wonderful in fact that it just sat me down on the bank in the briar patch and sent me sliding into a barbed wire fence. Luckily, I wasn't shredded by the barbed wire since I centered a fence post. When I finally came to a full and complete stop was when my trusty full-face Bell helmet smashed on the fence post.

It was at this point that all the colors, sounds and even smells around me became very surreal. Here in Georgia we don't have Buffalo. At least I didn't know of any. However, on this day I discovered Buffalo in this pasture where my legs now were sticking through the fence...and the Buffalo were heading towards me.

When I hit the ground after the scrub pine I heard something pop and something sting very bad on my left thigh. After I very quickly realized my legs were about to be trampled I somehow mustered enough energy to get out from under the fence, take two steps up hill and collapsed.

Later on, I woke up at the hospital where the doctor informed I that I had a broken scapula, cracked pelvis, ruptured kidney and a mild concussion. Then he presented me with the helmet. This helmet was broken at the mouth and at the forehead. The doc said it saved my life.

This experience happened to me when I was only 18. I have only ridden a few times since the accident and it just never was the same.

One day last year I was over at an acquaintance's house to discover his neighbor had a 2003 Triumph Speedmaster he couldn't get to run. Or, run for any length of time. He was just cursing and moaning, throwing tools and such. Finally I said something like "What a shame to have such a nice bike and not be able to ride it." Well, he went off; said" If you want the f---in' bike you can have it for $500.00!". At the time, I had the cash and my truck with me. I paid him and he wrote me a bill of sale and I now have a beautiful bike that I promptly removed the AI and the mud dobbers nests from the tank vent, cleaned the carbs, changed the fuel and she started right up.

I have put the "Accident" behind me for, what is a life without some excitement. Worse yet, what is a life lived in fear? I have a healthy dose of respect each time I get on but....I'm Back In The Saddle Again!

DKW

Man, a great story and a great deal on a Speedmaster to boot, doesn't get much better. I bet we'll see you the first weekend in May, you're way too close to Dahlonega not to cruise up, even it's just for a day.

Hey, thanks for the compliment! I've never been to a rally so I'll do my best to come up. What's the best day to come up? Are there folks selling any products for our bikes during the event?

Quote:

---

Are there folks selling any products for our bikes during the event?

---

Nope.. no games no vendors.. just a gathering of like minded folks.

http://redcoatphoto.smugmug.com/gallery/3611599/1/205568077#205596028 pics 2, 4 ,6 of that page is us .
So after 4 1/2 months someone posted pics of the Vancouver toy run from back in early Oct . man what a friggin terrible day (weatherwise, but man what a hoot) . it was just lashing down until a half hour or so before the start . then it was off we go ,usually theres like 5 or 6 thousand bikes in this but this year maybe 4000 or there abouts . about 10/15 mins in then the heavens open up again and its non stop for ........a couple of days if i remember right. we all head to the fair ground to donate whatever,collect our badges(pins) buy a t shirt and bail out quickly .its now just chukin it down an we got a luvverly wee ride back home (to the pub actually,stuffed yorkshire puddings for lunch, need i say more)we hit the hiway and so as not to embarrass my mates on their larger machines (with windsheilds i might add) i slow down a bit and let em pass , really i cant see sh1te for all the truck and car spray ,so i tuck in behind my mate Tom and his better half ,cause shes wearin a yellow coat and how can you miss that . people must have thought we where absolutely effing nuts out riding in that,and that was confirmed when we walked into the pub and the entire pub just stopped what they were doing and stared at us, mouths agape(i kid you not). we picked a table with tall barstools and started to take off our jackets and at that the noise returned to the bar,with distant murmurings of "they're effing nuts" murmur murmur "effing mental cases". the waitress comes over and shes staring at the puddles we are standing in and asks what she can get us , thats easy i said 3 Smirnoff Ice, 3 pints Rickards Red, 6 towels and a mop and bucket . now i was just joking about the towels and mop ,but she and the manager came back within a few mins with hot towels , man they where nice, a hot towel on a frozen face.... bloody awesome . i would imagine that the bucket and mop came soon after we left
its amazing what a few pics makes you remember.

i've always been under the impression that horseshoes was a game???? are we not gonna have a shoe pit this yr????

Well yeah.. I guess there is that..

A Triumphs Tale


May 2001 , I pass my motorcycle safety course and get my license.
I have finished the re-assembly of my 1977 Ironhead sportster and I am ready to ride.
After a summer of riding and discovery of things I would have done differently to my
sportster project , I decide to make some changes.
Not wanting to be without a ride I start looking into a new bike.
I new Triumph had made the new Bonneville for a few years I found the nearest dealer
and went for a look.
I had done no research about the bike or Triumph , I knew a bit about the older bikes from
a friend who had at one time worked for Tri-cor.
So I went to the dealer to look at the standard bonnie, I was not interested in the watercooled bikes.
I walked in the door , and right there by the door is this beautiful Cardinal Red cruiser.
I ask the nice salesman , what is this ??
“ That is the new Bonneville America , the first one we got , just un-crated.”
And this folks is the beginning of the end.
“I’ll take it” says I . no test ride , no haggle’n about the price, just sign the paperwork.
Two days later I pick up my new Cardinal Red 02 Bonneville America and ride home.



That was mid-October 2001. A few months later I find this wonderful website of like minded
people with a similar addiction to Triumphs as me.
For nearly a year I do nothing to the bike but remove the Air Injection.
By the end of the summer I have put my sportster back together again, it is now for sale.
Sold the sporty and got over $3k in chrome and accessories from Triumph
and made a few performance mods.



Few changes occur during the next year.
Just some saddle bag changes, first leather bags ( ebay cheap ), then a set of hard sidebags ( older aftermarket ).



This brings us to October 03
Some one has the idea to thank the fine fellow who started this web site by going for a visit.
So there was the “Ride to Roberts town”.
A great event that brought together several of the members to the first of what would be a
growing number of events.



I have to tell you , I did trailer to Indiana but I was there.
Now the problem with the ride to roberts town is the fact that Triumph had the demo truck at
the dealer there and I test rode the new Daytona 600, that was a mistake.
So in december of 03 I get my new silver Daytona 600.



A fast and fun bike that performed well and really stuck to the road.
Now , I am not one to leave well enough alone, so I set out to make a statement .
The first Georgia Rally is about to take place and I want to be ready .
I had some “paint” left over from a project and used it on my bike.
Now I had kept my original sheet metal so nothing I do can’t go back to original.
I was looking to get a reaction, and I did.



And off to GA 04 I went. With Ben ( Benztech ) riding along , he is on his
Trip around the country and it worked out to ride to GA together.
It was a good showing for the first GA rally.



Ok , now I have returned from GA and resumed the everyday life again.
I have noticed though that I keep getting faster and faster on my Daytona.
I may soon end up in trouble with the law. So I think I need to change to another bike.
So I go to my dealer and trade the Daytona for a 04 Thruxton .
A bike just as fun , just not as illegally fast.



And with the Thruxton to ride I set about changing the America back to mostly stock.
Now I start thinking about GA 05, we talked about it at GA04 but the plans have not started on the web site.
So I find a set of Triumph hard bags on ebay and start the mods.



I have the bike ready by spring. But then it happens.
On April 1, go figure, I break my leg and can’t ride for 3 months , but I can drive.
Oh, did I mention that the Thruxton fell on me , helping me break my leg.



So I go to GA 05 in my van , I can’t work with a broken leg , but I can go on vacation!



The GA rally is in the spring and so we start talking about a fall rally.
Hey lets all go to NY in the fall , and off to Canandaigua we go.
I stayed with Pat that year , in the living room with many others ( that will not happen again ).



So now I have the winter to make changes before the next rally, GA06
I now have a top box to go with the side bags and have turned my cruiser into nearly a fully bagged touring bike.




and off to GA06 I go.
And yet another fine event we have , growing each year larger than the last.



Again I find myself in need of a change.
So I decide to sell the Thruxton, and I find a man with a 1974 BMW R60 willing to make a deal.
I get the Beemer and some cash , he gets the Thruxton.



But I have little time to play with my new toy, it is almost NY rally time.
I ride Big Red to Canandaigua and stay at the Lafayette Motel.
Much more comfortable than Pats living room last year.
And the food at the Lafayette restaurant is great.



No time to think about food, it is now into 07 and I need something new for GA.
I know what I can do, I will get another bike.



Then I will remove the touring accessories from Big Red and install them on the new bike,
and get things painted to match.



Now , off to GA07 for another great rally adventure.



I now turned my attention to the 02 bike.
A different exhaust , new tank and cheap paint job, different bars and headlight mod.
Tinker , tinker , tinker.
Ok , can’t tinker now, got to go to NY 07.
Hop on Big Blue and go.



And back to the tinkering, A few more visual mods and the 02 is done, for now.
This is how it will look in GA 08 , maybe.





PS: for more descriptive tales of the rallies see posts by Rob (RobBA05)

Very cool .. great story.. loved the visual aids

i like the "maybe" part. always keep us guessing, Pete.
totally psyched to see you in...how many days? ooops! better hit the countdown.

The yellow Tavern. Nice write up.

108 hours! 4 1/2 days. No better way to spend it than in the saddle of a steel horse. My pal Paul and I have been wanting to get away on a road trip to the Keys for quite some time. It's been 5 months since I've been more than a hundred miles from home and I was getting an itchy throtle hand. We had a few days off from all our jobs so figured now was as good a time as any to head south. Just so happened that bike week was also going on in Daytona.

Sunday morning 0800: Bike is packed and ready to roll. Talked our relief at the fire station into coming in early so we could get out of town as soon as possible. Clear day and not much traffic on the roads. There is just something soothing about hearing that twin cruise at 5000 rpms for hours on end. Not getting in any real hurry just enjoying the ride. End up on the back highways of Mississippi heading south before lunch time. Did I mention the weather was beautiful? Supper time rolls around and we find ourselves in Pensacola. After a great meal of grilled talipia and shrimp its back on the road. Once it got good and dark and we had been on the road for 13 hours decided to find a place to lay our heads. Cool little rest area in Ponce de Leon, Fl seems very inviting but we opt for the roach motel that was only $50 bucks. Some 99 cent beers from the gas station and off the sleep.

Monday 0730: Wake up to another beautiful day. Choke down a week old sausage biscuit and rock star for breakfast and to the open road we go. The miles clip away and we find ourselves slowly cruising down A1A. There are not many things in life that smell better than the wind coming off the ocean. Its hard to concentrate on the road with the waves breaking to my left. Traffic gets a little more congested the closer we get to Daytona. Find a place to park amid all the trailers and walk around to see the sights. Buy some t-shirts and after about an hour we head south on US 1. See a storm brewing out off the coast but never get any rain. The night is so beautiful that we just keep on cruising. About 0430 found a nice church parking lot in key largo, rolled out my sleeping mat and caught an hour of sleep.

Tuesday 0700: I just love waking up with the sun in the lower latitudes. The smell of salt in the air and the relaxed feeling of the keys recharges the soul. Arrive at the southern most point marker and there are so many tourists milling about we had to wait in line to get our picture taken with the thing. Find a place to stash the bikes and take off on foot to exlopre the town. Buy some trinkets to prove we were there and get some pictures of the wildlife roaming the streets. Stop by the fire station to see if they are hiring. The pay is not as good as home but to live by the sea would make up for it. What trip to the keys wouldn't be complete without a margarita? Could have stayed and drank a dozen but back on the bikes to head north. Here is where the trip got interesting. Noticed a little more slack in the chain than there should be. reached down and had way more play in the cush drive than should be there. After having a bad experience on a road trip before, I had checked it out very good before leaving. This appears to be a weak link in the bike that is fine till it is bad. Then it is really bad. Granted its been 40,000 miles since i changed it out and shouldn't complain but i will anyway. The Marine Corps taucht me how to improvise, adapt and overcome so I found a K-Mart, bought a bicycle tube and found a little garage that let me use a floor jack. 30 minutes later and 3 thickness of inner tube sandwiched into the cush rubber and i was back on the road. Had a lunch of fresh seafood that couldn't be beat. Found a secluded spot along the road to swim for a while and take a bath in the ocean. Rolled my mat out on the beach next to the bike and napped till dark. Feeling refreshed, out of the keys and across the everglades to cruise up the west side of Florida. Stop in the worst rest area i have ever seen near San Antonio around 0100 for a few hours shuteye. Some deep down instinct told me to stretch out one of my tarps for some shelter even though the night sky was full of stars. Turned out to be a good idea because around 0300 the bottom fell out. Ignored the 0430 alarm on my pager and slept in till 0600.

Wednesday 0630: Our hasty shelter packed away and northward we go. Turned into a beautiful day and more miles fell behind us. Stayed off the freeway and got to see some really pretty little towns. As the day grew longer, a change in the air could be felt. The upper 80 degree weather of the keys was now gone and the panhandle was a lot cooler. As the sun got closer to the horizon more clothes went on. Soon after dark, we thought we must have transported ourselves to the artic becasue it was now very cold. Ended up at the same roach motel from the first night of our trip and decided to give them some more of our business. A few coronas and a hot shower seemed in order.

Thursday 0800: It seems I didn't learn from experience because now the sausage biscuit i had for breakfast was probably sitting right next to the one under the heat lamp that I ate 2 days ago. Oh well, as you can see it didn't kill me and I have ate worse. Made a mistake by stopping in D & D Cycles in pensacola. Have any of yall seen the new rocket III touring? I have got to have one! The feeling will probably pass in a few days but it hasn't yet. I think that I might just design a shaft drive for the speedy. The sun came out and the temps went up making for another great day of riding. I think that we goofed off a little too much today because 30 miles from home the storm of the century started. The wind was trying its best to blow me off the road. What trip is not complete without getting wet? I thought that i had beaten the odds and actually made a road trip without riding in the rain. But what fun would that be? Glad i finally invested in some rain gear.

Thursday 1900: Safely at home. Time to reflect on my trip. 4 1/2 days on the road. 2650 miles. $210 in gas. $3 for a bicycle tube (D & D wanted $85 for a t-bird sport cush drive but my repair is holding up fine). Way too much on T-shirts and other memoribilia. Don't even want to think of how much i spent on rock stars and food. Another road trip and all the memories that come with it: PRICELESS

Great story man... loved it.

What great trip! Finally got your # but every time I called, it either said not available or went to voice mail. Screw that, I wanted to find out where you were...

Sounds like about the time I got your number, you were already heading up the west coast!

My daughter Rachel

and I have decided to visit all the remaining covered bridges in GA in 2008 and today seemed like a good day to start.

Everything is starting to bloom here in the Peach state and the weather has been perfect





It was cool as we pulled out of the driveway, but the sun was warm on our shoulders as we rode through and past some of my favorite parts of Georgia. Rachel was taking pictures from the pillion and we got some good shots.



We did stop here and there for a couple of photos. We call this one "Steel and Magnolias"


This old well house was in front of a little church near the bridge.



One Georgia covered bridge down, fourteen more to go.

Little River Canyon ride.
OK..so here's my version of the story... and I'm stickin to it.
I'd been off and on about going in the first place, so when Mark got up at 7:00 to start getting ready he didn't know my plans. In the meantime, I had set a time in my mind that I needed to get up and had no intention of getting up before then (that was 830). Clock hits 830 and I'm up. Mark walks in and what to his wondering eyes should appear but his wife getting ready in her new ridin gear. (I borrowed that from a story I once read)
While he's getting the bikes ready I'm getting the MP3's loaded down with fresh new music and batteries to last the day.
Wade (atpeacewithbonny) gets to the house by 9ish and unloads and we all get situated to go, and off we go. Down to Martins to meet up with John (bigpoppy). Someone forgot to mention before we left that they were planning a meet and greet inside the restaurant, so I pull through the bank next door to get John to follow us out to avoid the heavy traffic of Martins (you'd have to have a Martins near you to understand). We went to a nearby gas station and did the meet and greet there for about 15 minutes. Finally...we're off to Alabama to meet Ed. Made pretty good time save for the kids needing to stop. (Note: no actual children were taken on this ride) One adjustment, and one potty break (you know how it is, one goes and everyone else has to go too even if they didn't know they had to go) later we arrive none the worse for wear. One more fill up stop and we're on our way.
We found a really neat little restaurant and stopped and ate a pretty good lunch, and then rode on down to DeSoto Falls, stopped for some admiring and tourguiding and envying and pics (and a quick change of clothes for me...time to shed some layers.
Back on the bikes and off to the Little River Canyon Falls where we met up with Ed's wife (I'm soooo sorry...I forgot her name) and their dog squeaky (too easy to remember).
Walked down to the falls for some beautiful scenery and more camaraderie, it was beautiful and so powerful. Amazing to see. We saw 1 triumph, and Mark finally realized that Ed actually knew the lady with the dog following us around.
We saddled up and headed up to our next destination. Scenic overlook with thick gravel for parking. I almost didn't get stopped in the gravel, but I didn't drop her and actually pulled it off without looking like I was petrified. More pics and beautiful scenery and talking and off to our next stop, another beautiful overlook...even more breathtaking than the last. It's here that we get a lesson in folding chaps from Wade. A lot of laughs and 2 pair of chaps less (Mark shed his too), we're on our way.
At this point I have no idea where we're going, but buddy once we get down out of the twisties, we are flying. It was a BLAST. The curves are nice, but there's something to be said for being able to open it up every once in a while. So we drive past Weiss Lake which to me seems a lot bigger that the lake we have around here... and much cleaner. We finally stopped at a Fireworks shop, which happens to be where we met up with Ed in the first place. I of course have to run in for the obligatory fireworks for the 15 y.o., we part ways with Ed and hightail it back to Hiram. Arrived it safely back home at around 800 pm. House looks like a tornado hit it and Amber's got many, many tales of woe from her day of Brad babysitting her, but hey...that's the price you pay for a day of peace on the bike.

Yeah , yeah , there's a way to fold Chaps ( not Ralph Lauren ), call me anal or whatever , that's just me . Dang , that's the fastest woman I ever did see , she just DIVES into curves like she's on RAILS . My wife would still be in Alabama now on that Sportie . I mostly rode in the rear , it's a pro bono service I offer to pick up parts and things that fall off . I took off after ZOOM GIRL and her nefarious entourage with my saddlebags doors a flappin ' and managed to de-glove and snap and strap both lids closed , going wide open . Fun part is reaching across to throttle with LEFT hand and still avoid oncoming cars . Anyway , it was big fun , the Chili had too much cheese . I took lots of good photos of bugs and moss and waterfalls . A bug got in my helmet . Old Roadie is not old , really .
Big Poppy is not all THAT big , he's a big enough guy , though . Mark likes to twist the throttle and has big wrist like Ally Oop to prove it . BAMOM was just a speck in the distance ! I kept tossing my jacket over the WRONG bike , as I am not accustomed to seeing other BA's . It was fun , establishing a repoire with others of the same interests . Kimmy makes good tea . Eds' dog squeaks . Marks' dog can't hear . It's late and I'm at the bottom of my post page , good for the readers here . G'nite , peace , love and daisies . I'm still here

Hey! I just found out that 2 of my poems are being published this summer in Rubber Side Down, The Biker Poetry Anthology ! I'm so excited!

Here's my first of the 2008 season, written today after my teeny weeny 50 mile after work escape:


is that your bike Darlin’?

yes it’s my bike

I smile and point

to the button I wear on my jacket

that says so.


is that a Triumph?

yes, it’s a Triumph…..

I extol her British virtues

oh, I’ve had this conversation

so very many times but

I’m never tired of talking.


I show him mine &

he shows me his &

we agree it’s the best day for riding so far.


and now I’m all gassed up

so off I go after nods and ride safes

its May so I ride

through puddles of white

flower petals

fallen

from trees.

But what about "I spied on my little ride" I like that one . Publish it .

So, as many of you know I had to leave the GA rally early to meet a work obligation in Pittsburgh. Bummer! Anyhow got there Sunday and did the stupid trade show thing. All in all not a bad trip as business trips go. Saw a game (thanks again Ryan, that was pretty awesome), a little sightseeing, a little beer drinking at Fatheads, a Pramanti Brothers gut buster, etc. etc. Not a bad little business trip.

Okay, ready to depart Thursday morning. Call a bellman to bring my gear down and don all the leather. God I just love doing the biker get up in fancy hotels (William Penn Omni). They just don't know how to act, it is fun to see the looks on the old fuddy duddy's faces and such, but I digress. Go to the parking lot (indoor fortunately) get the bike and pull up in front of the hotel. The bellman was actually going to try and load my bags for me. Thought that was funny. Bike and rider are ready to go baby.

Get on the bike and pull out into the rain sodden street. It is just great fun riding in the heart of a city's downtown on a nice wet day, NOT!!! Head down a block, hang a left, prepare to make a right at the next light which is red. Start braking and pulling the clutch in ... SNAP! Freaking clutch cable snaps. DARN DARN DARN DARN and some other words that may have been uttered. What to do, what to do? Ahh, push the bike up onto the sidewalk out of the way of traffic. Brilliant. Figure I will sit and have a smoke and determine what my next step is going to be.

Miracles of miracles, in walk John and Joe into the picture. See me sitting on the bike on the sidewalk and their curioisity just must have gotten the better of them. "Hey, how's it going'? Got a little problem there?" So we start talking. I find out that the two of them are elevator repair guys that work downtown Pitt. I let them know what happen and we start talking options. Joe runs across the street to get a yellow pages and find a Triumph dealer. Me and John are just standing there looking things over. Call the Triumph dealer. He has to call me back since he has to look through his non-computerized inventory. In the meantime I mention to the Elevator Repair guy duo that I think I remembered reading somewhere that a Honda or Yamaha cable would fit but didn't remember which. "Well," says John, "there is a Honda and Yamaha dealer just up the road. Let us two superheroes go get our truck and see if we can find you a clutch cable. You just stay with your bike, we'll be fine." We exchanged cell phone numbers and off they went. Guess it is a good thing I finally got me one of those instruments of satan on this trip.

While I wait, the Triumph guy calls back with no help. Crap, I hope the elevator repair guys score. Cop: "Do you always ride your bike on the sidewalk?" Man did I want to be a smart a$$ here but thought better of it and explained my situation. He went away. Elevator repair calls, no luck at Honda going to Yamaha. Told him no luck on the Triumph end. So standing there for a bit more and from behind I hear: "Hey, you always park your bike on the sidewalk?" I am thinking crap not another one. Nope, apparently the elevator repair guy super hero duo have a freaking sense of humor too. Splash one baby, they had a clutch cable in hand. Fit perfectly. Paid John for the cable. Offered to buy them lunch - not having any of that. Offered them cash to buy their own dang lunch - not having any of that either. They just wished good luck riding to Chicago on this miserable rainy day and went on their merry way. Thank God for other bikers out there. Man, this is a big one for me to pay forward but I will try. I did fill the tires with air for some hot chicks on the ride home but don't think that quite measures up.

The ride from that point on was pretty uneventful. It was with out a doubt the most miserable freaking ride I have ever done. Rained from Pitt all the way in to Indiana at about 55-60 degrees. Then it just got downright freaking cold, 40-45 degrees and damp the rest of the way home. So, left the hotel at 9:30'ish with about 2 hours on the clutch adventure and got home at around 11'ish PM after 500+ miles of the crappiest ride ever. Turned the house thermostat up to 75 when I got in and don't think I warmed up 'til about 2AM when the whiskeys finally started warming the core.

To all the John's and Joe's of the world I just wish to say thanks. Without guys like that this world would be a much more miserable place. I think I will feel much safer when I ride the elevators in Pittsburgh now.

There is nothing sweeter than the sounds of a group of Parallel Twins rumbling down the road. Add the beauty of the surrounding mountains near Sedona, Arizona as some 15 plus bikes rumble through the twisties of the mountain passes, up and down, back and forth on the winding hairpin laden mountain roads. The spectacular view and bone chilling embankments that seem to drop off with no end to be seen. Yes, nothing is better than viewing this site from the back of the pack. But yes, there is one better place, and that is not in the drivers seat of a mini van!

During my sojourn with the brothers and sisters of this site who made there way to the SWTF Rally in Prescott, AZ I spent the first leg of the trip watching from the van because as poor luck would have it, I was not able to bring my bike with me at the last minute of my 4250 mile journey to Prescott and back.

During a break, one of the site guys, "Satxron" came up and asked me if I would like to ride his bike. No real thought was put into my answer, as it was a no brainer of a response!

Ron allowed me the joy of not only riding his bike but allowing me to take my daughter for a ride as well. Not only Ron, but Amy Lee also allowed me the privilege and honor of riding her bike too on the way back from the Grand Canyon.

I left home rather bummed out for the duration of my 30 hour ride down to Prescott because my bike, my "Blue" was sitting at home. These folks in true fashion that has been manifest over and over in this place, allowed me to enjoy a trip that was not going to contain riding a motorcycle through some of the most excellent views and vistas this country has to offer.

Over and over, as I meet the members of this site and interact with them in business and as friends I am convinced they are all of the highest caliber of friends and acquaintances that a person can find, anywhere, bar none.

I can't say thank you enough.

eddy