Razor's Ride

Death to the Blog

2009-06-16T07:36:00.004-05:00

He has been waiting patiently

Another day, another blog dies. It's official. I am calling it quits in the blogging world. With different prioritizes in my life, getting on the motorcycle has become a challenge lately. That does not mean I am selling the bike. It just means I am moving on to the next chapter....off the blog for now.

This blog was suppose to be my journal for rides and archiving my pictures. It is kind of hard to write when I am not getting out on the road. A friend of mine recently bought a bike. He wants to get out for a ride. My calendar is so full, I can't get out until the weekend after the 4th of July. Almost a month from now.

So instead of dragging this blog from week to week, I am handing in the keys. When I do get out on rides, I will still be taking pictures and sharing. You can still contact and view my rides at the following places. Thanks for reading.

Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/gillette1)

Picasa (my online web album)

Sport-Touring.net (aka Razors on the forum. I mostly post up in Region 4)

razorsparty@yahoo.com (my email address)

Tune Tuesday: Gomez - How We Operate

2009-06-09T13:30:00.005-05:00

Here is a song that you will find in my Sunday morning play list. It is mostly made up of music found on 93.1 - XRT. If you are a Chicago reader, you know what I am talking about, "Chicago's Finest Rock". The station has a wide range of music covering genres from blues, reggae, folk, pop, and rock and roll but enough of the XRT plug.

Gomez came on the Razor scene in 2006 although they have been around for over ten years. They are an English indie rock band. This song stands out with the opening intro. It has that unique blue grass kind of sound.

When I heard it for the first time, I had to confirm that I did not switch over to the country station. Then unexpectedly, the song goes up beat and changes tempo. Great! Something that does not sound like Linkin Park or NickelBack (have I mentioned that I hate Nickelback?). It has that touch of Pearl Jam without the dirty garage sound.

I can play this song over and over. It never gets tired. The uniqueness of this sound pulls me in every time. It's not a rock anthem song so don't me wrong. I have a wide variety of music. Next week, I will be reviewing Gershwin's, Rhapsody in Blue.

Weekend Write-Up: Night Rider

2009-06-08T12:40:00.000-05:00

I need to get me some Night Vision Goggles for the bike

Welcome to June-uary. Nothing short of snow here in the Mid West. I did not get out for a ride on Sunday as planned. As I was getting ready to leave, it was just a constant drizzle which makes for slick conditions.

Since a lot of riders were not showing up, I decided to "cage" it (cage = car). I met up with a few of the regulars from the area. I ate some breakfast and then headed north to do some personal shopping. Not much else to say about that.

Oh, I did stop at Ukes Harley in Kenosha for their open house. Like I said, not much else to say about that either.

(congratulation to Mooney for purchasing his new Buell. We will get out soon)

Friday night, I was able to get out and ride. I decided to surpise my wife by showing up at her event in Kenosha. The ride was perfect going north. The sun was going down. No wind. No chill in the air and most importanlty, no bugs.

For a moment, I had route 45 all to myelf as I crossed into Wisconsin. I just relaxed and took it all in. With the exception of my 1200 cc's, there was no noise. No sounds from telephones, no music, no kids fighting and noone to argue how bad my White Sox are. It's about as close to having a Zen moment that I am going to get.

On the way home, that's a different story. My motorcycle headlight, well, sucks for lack of better words. I don't usually ride after dark unless I am with another rider that I can follow. Knowing that Jenn would be in the SUV, I could follow her home.

We were moving along pretty well coming back into Illinois. Back on route 45, it is pretty much open fields with little cross roads but plenty of wild life. Jenn thought she would be doing me a favor by going faster then what the speed limit suggested. I really didn't want to loose sight of my truck because I was watching the trucks headlights down the road so I kept up. The whole way home, I was thinking to myself, please let Bambi be sleeping tonight. I don't want any forest rat surprises.

A couple of times I look down and I am doing over 70. Now I know some of you are thinking, 70 mph. Thats not fast. Tonight, try 70 mph, in your car, with your eyes closed and get back to me.

Lucklily, nothing happened. I get home and Jenn asks "was that fast enough enough for you?" I jokingly replied "are you trying to kill me?" I explained the lighting situaiton to Jenn. It's all good know.

That's my story and I am sticking to it.

Weekend Event: Sunday Bike Ride (part 2)

2009-06-05T09:48:00.004-05:00

La Grange General Store in Wisconsin

Holy Crap! If the weather cooperates, I just might be able to ride this Sunday. Is this an event? Well, not really. Here is the way it works.

As some of you know, I mostly ride with the great people from Sport-Touring.Net. It is a motorcycle forum with a section for us mid-westerners.

A rider posts up for a meet and ride. This usually comes in the question of, "who wants to meet for coffee at such and such a place?" If you can make it, great. If not, there will be plenty more.

We usually meet around 10AM. Stand around, kick tires and flap our gums. Then when someone gets bored, they suggest a ride to some unknown location. I am not really doing these meets any justice but you have to experience to get the feel for one.

This Sunday, it was suggested to meet at Full Moon at 176 and 41 at 10:00. Sounds like the plan is breakfast then head to LaGrange Wisconsin for ice cream at the General Store. (yeah, we are a tough BIG bunch).

From La Grange, you can catch the scenic Kettle Moraines scenic route. A very popular area for us riders due to the twisty roads.

We welcome all kind of riders but encourage you to ride at your own pace. For the record, we do not ride in any Harley parade formations. Just get out and ride. Visit the website or contact me for any questions. As you can tell, this is an informal event.

Weekend Event: Lake County Cowboys Football (part 1)

2009-06-05T09:22:00.003-05:00

Your Lake County Cowboys

Last week, I mentioned the news about Kevin Costners new baseball team coming to Zion, the Lake County Fielders. I just recently learned that Lake County has also a new semi-pro football team. Ladies and Gentlemen, lets welcome the Lake County Cowboys to Round Lake!

That's right. The Spartans Youth Football Program and the Round Lake Park District, has allowed the Cowboys to use the Ron Schmidt Football Field for their home field games this year.

The team is in it's third year now. They are part of Gridiron Football League. They will compete with nine other teams from Southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois.

The cool thing about these games are that they are free. All games are played on Fridays at 7:00 PM. I can't make tonight's home opener but this sports junkie will be catching the action soon.

Here is the full schedule:

June 5: Kenosha Cougars

June 12: at Racine Gladiators

June 19: Racine Heat

June 26: Lake Shore Lynx

July 3: Bye week

July 10: South Milwaukee Rage

July 17: at Oak Creek Renegades

July 24: Union Grove Knights

July 31: at Kenosha Storm

August 7: West Allis Gators

August 14: at Kenosha Cougar

Tune Tuesday: Eagles of Death Metal

2009-06-02T08:06:00.004-05:00

Every now and then, a band comes along that makes me fall in love with rock and roll all over again. It reminds my why rock is not dead. Why my son will not be buying the corporate canned music that the local Walmart is pushing (like that Nickelback crap)

Ladies and Gentlemen, enter Eagles of Death Metal. I am not even sure how I stumbled across this band. They really didn't get any radio play. After seeing the video, I am looking at the drummer and saying to myself, "that guy looks familiar." After doing some homework, I found out it is Josh Homme. The lead singer of Queen of the Stone Age. That band also rocks but that's another post.

Back to Eagles of Death Metal, they are an American garage rock band. They also have a touch of rockabilly to them. They play fast upbeat or what I call dirty rock. In the above video, watch for the many cameos including Jack Black and David Grohl.

Long Live Rock!

Weekend Write-Up: NextGenMuscleCars Show

2009-06-01T10:49:00.003-05:00

Elanor: Go - Baby - Go

In stead of being out on two wheels for the Sunday morning ride, I opted for the all mighty dollar. I chose to DJ a car show in Elgin for the NextGenMuscleCars. We had a beautiful day of sunshine with the temperature hitting 75. You could not ask for better weather.

The show was a great success. Hennessy's, in Elgin, hosted over 60 cars from classic t-birds to the newly muscled retro styled cars. I played the music as a lot of spectators came out for this free event. The afternoon ended with a trophy presentation where even I had some input on the finalists.

Special thanks goes out to Dan. Congrats on your first show!

Click here for the slide show.

Weekend Event: Spring 2009 Carshow

2009-05-29T07:40:00.002-05:00

This Sunday, I will be attending a car show put on but the WindyCityStangs and NextGenMuscleCar. When I say attending, I mean I will be the DJ. I have done this show a few times last year.

It is a great event with a good turnout. The scenery is not too bad either if you know what I mean.

Come on out and say Hi! This is a good family event that is free for viewing.

When: May 31'st 2009
Where: Hennesy Steak and Seafood Elgin IL
Who: All Make and Models

Here's the flyer

And now your Lake County Fielders

2009-05-28T11:45:00.004-05:00

New baseball team coming to Zion, Illinois

With the hockey season officially over in Chicago, and our local professional baseball teams not living up to expectations (thats an argument waiting to happen), I am looking forward to the new team coming to Lake County.

Coming next summer, the Lake County Fielders will be playing ball in nearby Zion. They will be in the same league as the Schaumburg Flyers.

Field of Dreams star, Kevin Costner, will be the owner of the Northern League team. Besides the Flyers, the Fielders will be visiting Joliet, IL, and Gary, IN. As well as in Kansas City, KS, Fargo, ND, and Winnipeg, Canada.

For the record, I will be trying out for a role in the Press Box as an announcer. If not, I will settle for being a DJ. Interviewing does not start till next spring.

For more information visit the Lake Country Fielders website.

Play Ball!

The New Camaro.. on the Tail of the Dragon

2009-05-27T09:23:00.004-05:00

and it's from Illinois! (stolen from killboy.com)

On a weekly basis, I am still checking out killboy.com for recent pictures taken from the Tail of the Dragon. The infamous highway 129 on the Tennessee and North Carolina border. Bandit Brother Matt and I went last year and had a blast. We both agreed we need to go back...soon.

Some of you close to me know that I am a sucker for the old school Camaro's and the late 70's Trans Am's. I even had a 79 TA in high school. Imagine that, an Italian teenager driving a TA with his gold chain around his neck. That was me.

Anyway, I was very excited to hear that the camaro was coming back. I still have not seen one up close but I was very excited to see that the killboy crew snapped this image. This is a great pic. Almost like taken out of a magazine for the failing GM company. Now I just need to test drive one.

My Sister is Hitting 300!

2009-05-26T13:16:00.007-05:00

Congrats to Carrie and her 300th post!

My sister and I are always craving for attention. Our parents didn't love us enough so we each have our own blogs to be the center of attention. ( I am kidding Dad)

My sister, Carrie, who is a married (so don't ask guys), has her own blog. She is a crafty nerd but I love her anyway. She posts up her latest projects as well as other artists /crafters that inspire her. She is having a contest for her 300th post so I figured the least I can do is give her a plug.

If anyone wants mittens out of yarn, give her a jingle.

Congratulations Carrie. Getting to 300 is not very easy to do. I know, I have been there. Once you get off the horse, it is hard to get back on. My other blog got to well over 500 posts but as one person pointed out, 10% of them were drunken posts when the Bears lost in the Super Bowl.

Check out Carrie's blog called Ruffled Feathers.

Razor and his sister, Carrie

Tune Tuesday: Blur - Song 2

2009-05-26T08:23:00.002-05:00

Last week, I brought you the Hawks goal tune, Chelsea Dagger. This week, I bring you the song that I think should replace it. If I had a magic wand, Blur's Song 2 would be the new anthem at the United Center.

Every time I hear this song, I just crank it up and sing along. I even remember my son singing in the back seat to this one. It's pretty catchy.

Give it a listen and let me know what you think. Write your local congressman to have the Hawks change its TUNE.

Speaking of Blackhawks, it looks like I may be buying the next round of wings and beer. I have had worse losses. LETS GO HAWKS!

Weekend Event: Triumph Demo Days

2009-05-22T08:09:00.002-05:00

I have to be honest. As much as I have wanted to, I have never been to any demo day before. Many places don't let you test ride the motorcycle before purchase. I have always hated that. Here is your opportunity to get on a new Triumph and go for a ride.

Starting today and running through Sunday, Motor Cycle Center in Villa Park Illinois, will host the Triumph Truck with full of toys for you to try. Ride Rides begin at 9:30 and end at 4:30 Friday and Saturday. Sunday we will end 2:30ish.

The key thing is to get there early to sign up for the bike you want to test. You will need all your riding gear including a helmet. If you want to test a bike, you have to play by their rules.

If anyone goes, take some pictures and I will post them up. Have fun this weekend!

Bad Boys, Bad Boys....

2009-05-21T12:28:00.005-05:00

Too bad the officer didn't look like this. She could write me tickets all day!

An officer once told me, not too long ago, "things happen in threes". After being pulled over, again this morning, I said out loud, "that officer was right".

Yup, I have been tearing up the streets..... in my Cavalier. Lets jump in the way- back- machine. I have not had a "citation" in roughly 15 years. That was for "running" a red light in Evanston. For the record, I was not use to the quick changing city lights being from the sticks. It was turning yellow but did not make it. I took the ticket. I have learned.

Last fall, coming home from a poker charity game, I was pulled over in my SUV for speeding. 17 over in 40. It was late at night and no one was around me. Except the Po Po that is.

Less then three weeks ago, I got a moving citation for failure to make a complete stop. Now on this one, I know better. There was no one at the three way intersection so I must have taken it for granted. My bad. I have learned from that one as well. (the cop did a good job hiding because I never saw him, thumbs up Round Lake Park)

This morning, I got pulled over in McHenry on route 120 for speeding. The female cop was pretty straight forward. "I am giving you a citation for speeding." I gave her my info and was back to business. I was doing 59 in a 45. I really thought it was 55 mph since it was 120 and 4 lanes. Damn you open roads in the farm areas. Damn you.

Yes, things happens in threes. Tickets, death, and the third degree that my wife will give me when I get home.

Black Nail Brigade

2009-05-20T06:14:00.004-05:00

http://www.blacknailbrigade.org

If you live in the Chicago land area, you may have heard the tragic story of a Anita Zaffke. On May 2, 2009, she was stopped at a red light on route 12 in Wauconda on her motorcycle. While stopped, she was hit from behind by Lora L. Hunt of Morris, Illinois. Her car struck Zaffke's motorcycle, throwing Zaffke about 200 feet, according to the police report and the Lake County coroner. Lora Hunt admitted to the police that she was painting her nails and didn't see the stopped car until after the collision. The collision resulted in Anita's death.

After the accident, her son Greg Zaffke, 31, stated "My mother was killed by someone else's reckless vanity. We need full prosecution for this offense. We need stricter reckless vehicular homicide legislation. Too many drivers are multi-tasking. Too many are oblivious to their reckless decisions. Too many good people are dying."

According to the Chicago SunTimes, devastated by not only his mother's death but the way she died, Greg painted the fingernails on his right hand black. He wants people to ask about the polish. He wants to tell them about his mother.

Greg is asking to please write or call the Lake County States Attorney, your local & state Representatives & Senators to express your disgust over the current state of affairs.

Tune Tuesday: Chelsea Dagger (Blackhawk Tribute)

2009-05-19T06:30:00.003-05:00

A Tribute to HATtrick Kane and the 2008-2009 Chicago Blackhawks!

To carry on the post from yesterday, and to start a new weekly feature, I am starting Tune Tuesdays. If I can keep my act together, I will update this blog with a favorite song from present or something from the past. Most likely, the song is being played on my mp3 player while out on the bike.

I have to admit. When I first heard this song, Chelsea Dagger by the Fratellis, I was not a big fan. Even hearing it for the first couple of games, after a Hawks goal, it was hard for me to join the fun. Then for whatever reason, maybe being caught up in the moment, maybe finding fun in the song, I was chanting along. I even start singing during the Amstel Light commercials, which plays Chelsea's Dagger.

Now when I hear this song, it reminds of the Chicago Blackhawks. Much like Journeys, Don't Stop Believing for the World Series Champs in 2005, the Chicago White Sox. That was until the Sopranos ruined it for me with that terrible series finale.

By the way... whats the over under that I don't post a new tune next week?

Jesus Saves!

2009-05-18T12:35:00.004-05:00

"Jesus Saves! Passes To Noah... He Shoots, He Scores!"

Ha! I bet I had you going with the title of this blog. It's post hockey season here in Chicago. Something that does not happen very often. Blackhawks are in round 3 with 8 wins away from lifting the Stanley Cup. Although after yesterdays performance, the only thing the Hawks maybe lifting is the box with their locker crap in it.

Who ever they mystery commenter from my last post is, I would be more then happy to take that bet. (Spaz..is that you?) There are no losers when it comes to drinking beer and eating wings. The loser has to pay for the other dinner. Oh, can we go on .25 cent wing night. It will save me a few bucks.

Thanks to Bandit Brother Matt who passed me along the t-shirt joke. You can buy the shirt here.

Another Day, Another State: Iowa

2009-04-21T22:51:00.007-05:00

Splat is gearing up for another season

This past Friday, I took some time off from work for a little riding time. Originally, I was suppose to attend the Moonshine Run in Central Illinois but due to rain in the forecast, I pulled the plug. My wingman, Bandit Brother Matt, along with Splat, decided to mark off another state from my To Do list. By midday, we were in Iowa.

In all, we rode over 450 miles in 12 hours. We left before 9 in the morning. Our first stop was Galena via the Stage Coach Trail off of Highway 20. The Stage Coach trail is a good way to welcome in a new season of riding. This was Matt's and my first time on this road. It's not as twisty as the Kettles but it was sure fun to open the bike up on the country back roads. The roads were clean and no traffic. I am sure we will be going back, later this year.

Once we got to Galena, we were looking for a place for lunch. Matt pointed out a place called something like Fritz and Fries but we both misread Fries. I still don't know what the place was called but we all missed the word bistro. Bistro means $$$. If you don't know by now, Matt and I both like cheap ma and pa type places ( for the most part). We walked in. I noticed white linen table clothes, fancy water goblets on the table, and servers in formal attire. We took a quick glance and noticed that the appetizers start at $15.00. We made a quick get away for the door.

Matt then found a burger joint down the road. Enter, Durty Gurts! A cajun flare theme with world class burgers.

The Inferno Burger. Burn, Baby Burn!

Durty Gurts had all type of Pop Culture theme burgers including the Goodfella ,Rescue Me, the Obama burger and we can't leave off the Sarah Palin burger. I was not crazy about the Gumbo but the mouth watering inferno burger made up for it. It litteraly burned my lips for an hour afterwards. When in Galena, go to Durty Gurts. Tell them Razor sent ya.

We took a few pics around Galena and then headed into Dubuque IOWA. Yeah, another state marked off.

The Ol Mississippi River from the Iowa side.

We did not spend much time in Iowa. The plan was to ride the Great River Road north but we missed the turnoff. We stayed on the highway into Guttenburg. A few stops here and there but nothing to write home about. Maybe Splat will something to say about Iowa in his post.

Just south of Guttenburg, Iowa

After Guttenburg, we snuck back into Wishconsin via Route 18, heading to the state capital, Madison. Along the way, we encountered a woman in an escort station wagon who either:
A- Does not like motorcyles
B- Was in more of hurry then we were
C- Trying to get Matts phone number
D- Was out to prove that Ford Escorts belong in NASCAR.

As Matt and I were leaving another small Wisconsin town, I was leading out in front. I came across the escort along with a car in front of her. In the passing zone, I put on my signal to pass. Matt was with me. Driving defenively, I kept my eyes on the escort, especially her side mirror. Sure enough, as I get to her back bumper, she looks at me and decides she is passing in front of us well. I jam on the brakes to avoid contact and point at her to go. She gets back in her lane so I jump on it again to pass but the escort decides that she is going to pass.

Matt and I follow. The three of us pass but we kept pushing on to pass the escort. We both figured she was gone. About every 5 minutes, Matt and I would get stuck between some small traffic. When the opportunity presented itself, we pass the traffic. After every pass, I would see the escort behind us. I couldn't believe it. Matt and I were going plenty fast but she had to have the escort redline to keep up with us. We don't know how she did it but she was always there. Almost embarrasing but she was on a mission.

Then she started tailgating me. I rode along Matt to get his attention but I couldn't communicate that this woman is trying to take me out. We finally let her get around us in a small town. She then eventually exited a ramp. Matt stated that she waved at us. I am sure if I saw it, I would have given her the bird. OK, that was a bit long winded but its hard to explain all the crap you encounter on two wheels. Just glad we did not get taken out.

Matt and I ended up in Madison to have dinner with my sister and her husband, Shane.

Quaker Steak and Lube: The place where Splat and I met last 4th of July

After dinner, we headed home without much fanfare. Unless you spot some road head going on, not much else to report. Well, there was that one close call with the law. After leaving another town on 12, we just passed 3 car SLOW cars. Coming at us, at a safe distance, was truck flashing his headlights. That is usually the universal sign for a cop ahead. After moving into my lane, I hit the breaks. Sure enough, a cope was sitting in a used parking lot doing radar. A big thanks to that truck. Without the warning, I am sure we would have earned our Letter of Achievement.

Getting back at home at 9, the only thing I did wrong for the day was not bring my jacket liner for my mesh jacket. I figured a tshirt and sweatshirt was going to be good enough. Wrong! I bitched like a little girl on the way to lunch and then on the way home with the sun going down. I was so fricken cold. I needed a hot shower to get the chill out. Speaking of showers, I am taking one and heading to bed. It's a work night. Nite!

I Fought the Law and ... (Part Deux)

2009-03-23T22:05:00.002-05:00

I fought the law and , I WON. Well, this was not a case of law but more of a glitch in the states computer system. (see previous post below).

After 25 minutes, 3 staff members and a call down state, I was able to get my license plate renewed. From my end, it was not very dramatic. The DMV staff knew the issue but could not figure how to get around it. I am just glad that I do not need to reapply for my vanity plate or occurred extra fees. Yes, I am legal again.

On a side note, I want to give a round of applause to the DMV. I mean it. They have come all long way. When they first opened at 8am, on Saturday, they shuffled in around 50 people in less then 2o minutes. They had 4 staff members directing customers on where to go. They were professional and courtesy. Ten years ago, I would have waited 3 hours for the same issue. I am glad I was able to get on with my weekend. Way to go DMV.

Tip of the Day: Don't Forget the Soap

2009-03-20T18:16:00.004-05:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, when you are going to wash your bike, car or even your airplane, you must follow a simple a rule. Listen up. Don't forget the soap.

Now you are probably thinking, what else would I wash my vehicle with? No, I not saying don't forget to apply the soap. I am saying, don't forget to check your soap supply, before you start the water.

This message brought to you by the National Alzheimer's Society.

I Fought the Law and ...

2009-03-19T22:54:00.002-05:00

Another riding season is upon us. Well for most us. Harley owners don't rise out of hibernation until it's 75 out but that's another jab for another time. I was able to ride into work a few times. One morning, a fellow co-worker pointed out that my license plate expired. I realized that I never received my renewal sticker notice for January.

Today, I went to the DMV. I explained to the woman greeter my story. She was able to print off my renewal form and send me to the sticker lady. The sticker lady, who was nice and friendly (this is rare for Illinois DMV employees), told me that the plates had expired and I was have to reapply for vanity plates.

I was confussed because my tags expired this past January.
Her reply, "Yes, they expired...... in 2008". She even showed me my info in her computer.

The first thing that went through my head was "DOH".

The sticker lady then gave me the paperwork that I needed to fill out and all the fees. Now, in my head, I am pretty confident that I was not riding around on an expired license plate for over a year. I figured Bandit Brother Matt has seen enough of my tail lights to notice the expired tag, if it was true. I explained to sticker lady that I will come back this weekend to complete the papers.

I return home and rush to the garage. I go to look at my plate with my eyes closed. I slowly open one eye, afraid in what I am going to discover. To my dismay, I had to take a double look. My tags since 01-2009. OK, I am not that bad off but I have a new problem. The Illinois computer says 2008 and I have a plate that clearly shows 2009. The good thing is that my license plate number is on the sticker so I couldn't forge this if I wanted to.

My next plan of action is to take the plate with me, back to the DMV, to state my case. Not how I want to spend my Saturday morning but I have to get'er done.

Stay tuned.

2009 Bike Show in the Books

2009-02-15T15:17:00.007-06:00

A Big Thumbs up to the Ducati

Another year, another bike show. Last weekend, I attended my third annual International Bike show. Even though I don't know the final numbers, the attendance was pretty strong during this time of a recession. A few of the small dealers, like Ural, was not present but it was still a pretty good show.

Even though I am not in the market for a new bike, I was looking for a few accessories. I came home with some summer gloves, and a fleece neck warmer for the colder days. I also bought a subscription to Road Runner Magazine. They are focused more on touring where other bikes is just about the bike and the specs.

Nothing really exciting to report. Here are a few pics....

Showing some attitude on the 1198

The O.C.C. Craftsman Bike

A Cafe Racer would be a good project bike for me

Some random girls who wanted my attention

This is the couple that own Killboy.com They take pictures of various riders at the Deals Gap aka Tail of the Dragon

Here are the rest of the pictures from the show....

Winter Add On's - Part 1 - Winter Wins This Round

2009-01-18T12:10:00.003-06:00

The Toys

Winter in the Midwest, for bike owners, means one of two things. Winter storage or time for repairs as well as adding accessories. Yesterday, I made an attempt do both. I have an attached UNHEATED garage. This is where my bike stays all year round. I was going to pull out my space heater but I forgot that I loaned it out. Bandit Brother Matt was going to come over , and lend me his heater, but our schedules became conflicting.

I decided to get started, in the cold garage, and see what I could get accomplished. I opened a can of Miller Lite, and it started to turn into a slushy within 10 minutes. Yeah, its cold in my garage.

I managed to get the new clutch lever on, but that was about it. I could not keep my hands warm. I started to stage the rest of the parts but I decided to call it a day. I have new heater on the way. I will pick up my project later in the week.

I will be adding the following farkles:
- engine guards ( aka crash guards)
- highway pegs
- windshield replacement
- turn signal housing

I hope to have a complete and warmer report next time.

She even looks cold

Hole in the Wall Review: Smoque

2009-01-16T09:43:00.003-06:00

Hmmm, Smoqued meat

This past Christmas, my wife bought me a book for one of my gifts. It was Guy Fieri’s (think Friday’s commercials and Food Network star) Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. The book covers all the places that Guy has taken you too. It includes histories of the establishments, behind the scenes of filming as well as classic recipes. In the back of the book, there is a check off list for each restaurant that you may travel to.

Did I just say TRAVEL? Well that’s a good segway for this next part. If you have been keeping up with the blog (when I actually update it), you know I love to go off the beaten path to find a new hole in the wall. In fact, I am going to start my own food review here. It will be called just that, “Hole In the Wall Review”. I am going to do my own review of Triple D’s dives, maybe add some of Alton Browns Feasting on Asphalt places and some of my own stops along the way. Of course I would love to do this all on two wheels but being from the Midwest, and currently being sub zero degree weather (-35 overnight in Chicago), being on a motorcycle is not always going to be the case.

Late last fall, after coming home from my first circuit World Series of Poker event, I stopped at a small barbecue joint called Smoque, in Chicago. I had this place in my GPS but never stopped in while out in the bike. I am so glad that I had this place marked down after seeing it on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.

This is place is so good, I brought my brother in law, Greg, this past Wednesday, before a Blackhawks game. When you walk in, you can immediately smell the meat smoker. It is just a rare wonderful smell at this time of year. This is a walkup order place with the menu being on this giant chalkboard. The menu consists of bbq chicken, baby back ribs as well St. Louis style.

If this is your first time going, try the brisket. I have been to Texas before (thanks to my in-laws) but this is the best barbecue brisket that I have ever had. The meat has just the right amount of smoke flavor with a sweet tangy barbecue that will bring you back for more.

Each time I have been in, I have had the brisket chili as well. The chili consists of the home BBQ sauce as well. I am not a big coleslaw fan but this stuff was really good. Not your standard creamy slaw either. The corn bread is a bonus as well. I have not had the peach cobbler, yet, but that is supposed to be worth the trip. I am sure I will be back again, soon, to try it.

I may have finished in the top 25% of the poker event, but I came out a winner at Smoque. I even brought home an extra sandwich for my wife and some sauce in quart container for myself the first time around.

My wife suggested that I have the Diners, Drive-ins and Dives book signed as I went along in my travels. So to Smoque, you were my first autograph. In my book, Smoque comes out on top for the best smoked meat and sauce in Chicago, if not in the Midwest. I am excited to bring you more reviews along the way. I just hope it gets warmer…soon.

Smoque is located one block west of the Kennedy on Pulaski on the north side of Chicago.

Ride to Eat. Eat to Ride.

(Thank you honey for the book)

New Illinois Plates

2009-01-09T13:19:00.003-06:00

Mark this day in history that my home state, Illinois, has voted to impeach Governor Blagovich with a vote of 144-1. This came one month to the day that Blago and his bad hair was arrested at his home, in Chicago. When we elect our next governor, see if you can envision him/her in county blues.

Lost Pictures

2009-01-07T22:52:00.005-06:00

I have some lost pictures that I found from a recent trip. I hope you like them Enjoy...

This last one was taken in Fox Lake, IL.

Bringing in the New Year with the Winter Classic

2009-01-04T17:21:00.003-06:00

Here Come the Hawks.... and Their They Go

2009 did not start off too shabby. I was able to score some tickets for the Winter Classic at Wrigley Field. Most people don't know but I love the Hawks as much as the Bears. Maybe more at times. Of course I have the White Sox in the warmer months.

Back to Wrigley Field.... I have not been there in a long time. I can't recall the last game. Maybe the McGwire / Sosa home run chase? Could it really have been that long?

After stepping into the friendly confines, I quickly remember why it's been so long. I hate that park. Period. 20 minutes to use the bathroom, 20 minutes to get a brat, sound system sucks, obstructed views and lets be honest, Cubs new slogan is, 101 - Here We Come. President Regan once said, "Tear down that wall". I think its time.

(and by no means am I saying that the Cell is better. It has its flaws but at least they are being addressed every year)

OK, I am done bitching about Wrigley field. For now. The pre-game was spectacular. Honoring the legends of the Blackhawks as well as the Cubs. I think I might have even clapped for Sandberg when he was announced. I was just caught up in the moment.

The world was finally able to see how the National Anthem should be played. With screaming fans, clapping and yelling to the words. Cheering like there was no tomorrow. It really felt like the old Chicago Stadium. Fireworks were going off and then some fighter jets flew really low overhead. I then raised my flask in honor of the men and women who were fighting for our great Country.

Then the game came.... the first period was awesome. Three goals by the Hawks. Unfortunately, that's all the Hawks scored (except late in the last period). The Red Wings showed why they are a veteran Championship team. They just chipped back at the Hawks and won with a 6 to 4 final score. At least the Hawks got a taste of what playoff hockey will look like.

Hope everyone has a prosperous 2009!

The following was taken from secondcityhockey.com

Top 10 End-Results of The Winter Classic
10. Wrigleyville bars now know what real drinkers look like
9. Due to the presence of Scum fans for mere hours, property values are down 20% in Lakeview
8. Even more people realize Wrigley needs a renovation yesterday
7. More blood in the urinal troughs from one day than in the past two years combined
6. Cops in a new area of town have lost an argument with editors of Committed Indian
5. We think Billy Corgan is even more of a dweeb than before. Did you see that schmuck?
4. Forcing Billy Williams out into the cold took 5 years off his life
3. Wrigley has now hosted a commissioner dumber than Bud Selig
2. Scum have gotten more wins in 2009 than the Lions will
1. Unfortunately, not the death of Ron Santo

Let It Snow x3

2008-11-30T17:24:00.002-06:00

I think I can say that today marked the end of a disappointing riding season. I was able to get the bike out of the garage for a wash this morning. I then took it for a quick ride around the block to get the access water out. Returned home to lube the chain and clean the rims. Finally, pushed the bike to the back of the garage, and placed a cover over the Bandit. Kind of sad but I want to put this season behind me.

Next year will be different ( I hope). Matt and I already started a buzz on the next trip but its way to early to plan the details. Most likely end of May, early June.

We are currently under a winter storm watch for tonight and into tomorrow. Six inches or so. As I put away one engine, I pulled out another. The John Deer started right up today. Matt, also my neighbor, will be glad to hear the rumble in the morning.

Let it snow!

Sun Sets On Another Season

2008-11-22T19:23:00.003-06:00

Sorry from whomever I stole this from.... I love that sunset though!

What the deuce? Have I been sleeping the last couple of month's? What happened to the riding season? What happened to my adventures? Well, my second season on two wheels has come and gone. Needless to say, this season, for lack of better words, sucked!

We went from 50 degree weather to, hey, is that snow? This year was a busy one for us. Even though I resigned from all social activities, I found myself busy as a new assistant coach for my sons baseball team. That was well worth it though. On the flip side, my wife had one dance show after another. When she was not dancing, she was teaching. It's kind of hard to strap down two kids to the back of the bike even though it had crossed my mind.

OK, I am done whining now. Now what? I still need to wash the bike before I put her away for the season. I also need to fill up with gas so I have no surprises in the spring. I am hoping to find a way to keep this site alive in the winter months. Wake it's self up from the boring site that it has become. If you have any ideas, let me know.

See ya at the next pizza meet.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday's, and Festivus for the rest of us.

You can also find me on Facebook.
Facebook me!

White Sox Adventure

2008-10-01T08:58:00.003-05:00

Yeah, yeah. No post for a while. Well, in order to do a post, I need to be out on the bike. I am guessing that I maybe have half the miles on the bike this year that I rode last year. Oh well. It has been one busy summer.

Since I have no bike pictures worth posting, I figured I would put up a White Sox video. This in the Intro to a White Sox home game that you see at the ballpark.

Speaking of, I went to the game last night to watch the Sox clinch the Division. It was the best game of the season with a score of 1 -0 over the Twinkies. Jim Thome's smashing home run is all they needed to get into the post season.

All right. So I know all the Cubs fans think the Sox will choke. The Sox are not the same team that they were in 2005. Our bullpen sucks and that is nothing new. One thing for sure, the Sox showed last night, they have what it takes to play in the post season. Unfortunately, we have to play in Tampa, in a DOME where the Sox are not favorable. Well, for this Sox fan, I am sitting back in this roller coaster ride.

Will it be a Sox Cub World Series? Most likely not but this is baseball. Anything can happen.

"Baseball, I love this game!"

In Other News: Big Foot Bagged

2008-08-15T14:19:00.002-05:00

Big Foot In A Box... it will be he latest Holiday rage.

This morning, a co-worker pointed out a story on CNN. It claims that two men in n0rthern Georgia found this Big Foot creature, dead, and brought it back home to store in the freezer to preserve him. One guy is a police officer and one a jail guard. I would like to think that this is real but like others we are all skeptics.

For once, I would love this to be true. A new mammal specie. The folk lore can be put to rest. Next is the Loch Ness Monster or Leprechauns. I want to believe in this half man, half ape like I want to believe in UFOs and that Barry Bonds is not on roids. There is suppose to be a news conference with more pictures of this creature along with DNA evidence supporting that is a one of kind. I am sure I will be updating this story later.

Here is the link to the original story...
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/08/14/bigfoot.body/index.html

2008-08-13T19:06:00.002-05:00

First off, I apologize for almost going a month without posting. I don't think I have ever gone a month without posting and I hope not to do it again.

What happened you ask? Well, for one, the bike had to go under some minor repairs. Since my trip from the 4th of July, my chain needed to be replaced. It was not really safe to ride on so that had me parked. I kept putting off the replacement due to my full time job.

I have been putting in a lot of hours to get some projects done. I found myself putting in 10 hour days and then coming home to work a few more hours. Next thing I know, a month goes by and I have not done any riding.

Thanks to Matt, he helped me....I should say, I assisted him, getting the bike back together. I took it to work yesterday. It was great getting out. I really had no idea how much I missed riding until I cranked the throttle on the highway.

Its great to be back.

STN + ALL U CAN EAT Pizza = Bike Night

2008-07-17T21:57:00.008-05:00

The STN Pizza Warriors! ( I made that up)

Lately, Thursday nights consisted of me staying home with the kids while my wife went to her dance practice. Since she is between sessions, I was able to sneak away for the night. The original plan was to go see some bike races at the Union Grove Drag Strip. Unfortunately, some of the people I was going with could not make it. Instead, I ended up going to a local bike meet up posted by Sport Touring.Net (STN). Here are a few pics from tonight.

Splat came out with us at Kaiser's

Tonight's special was all you can eat pizza for $5.00,Good Stuff!

We all thought of fellow STN'er, Breadman, when this bacon pizza came out. His name should be The Baconater!

MXVet57 looking to pick a fight with Splat
(my money is on Splat)

Splat loses! Why do you think his name is Splat? He will be OK.

That's Not Your Bike!

Eat Your Heart Out Thunder! New pose for yeah!

STN... Where the Geeks Ride!
(He who dies with the most farkles win!)

Thanks Motocbiker for the stickers!

Ride Your Bike to Work Day or Baseball Memories?

2008-07-16T21:32:00.004-05:00

As most of you may not know, it was national, "Ride Your Motorcycle To Work Day". As I was telling Bandit Brother Matt this evening, "I don't get the day". If its not raining, and severe weather is not in the forecast, I take the motorcycle to work. (I know, "we're happy for yeah")

Unless you have kids to take to the sitter, there is no excuse not to take the bike. You can wear protective gear over your suit and place your laptop in a saddle bag or storage trunk. It can be done. With the high gas prices, I am surprised not to see more bikes on the road but I digress.

Since today is the day with no major sport being played, I figured this video is fitting. It features some of the greats in baseball history including Cal Ripken Jr.

Good luck to all in the second half of the season.

Not Your Fathers NPR

2008-07-10T20:08:00.004-05:00

National Public Radio Never Sounded So Good

Over the weekend, my sister and I somehow got on the subject on TV and radio shows. She brought up a particular show on National Public Radio but that show is not important to this topic. Now, I have to admit. I use to listen to NPR when I had longer commutes in the car. My listening consisted of mostly news updates.

So at work, where I have free reign to the internet, I decided to pick up the live stream for NPR. I started with the 24 hour program stream. Listening via my headphones, I realized that I was listening to a loop of news. It was two in the afternoon and I hear, "this is your morning edition news". Although some stories are in depth and good, I don't need to hear anymore on high formaldehyde levels found in the trailers that were provided by FEMA to the Katrina victims.

So I go back to NPR site. I have the options to hear particular news stories. Naw, I done with that. Hmm, podcasts for music? I turn to the jazz section. Bingo! I have a winner. I listen to that for a while but then I want more.

I found that NPR is now playing mainstream rock. It consists of live concerts as well as interviews. This afternoon, I listened to the Raconteurs live in concert and uninterrupted. Well, except my co-workers stopping by.

Ahh life is good again. The music helps me focus on my dreaded reports. I can also give the mp3 players a rest as well. Thank you Garrison Keillor for Prairie Home Companion but I will now be setting up a pod cast for All Songs Considered.

Hey Chicago, What Do You Say?

2008-07-08T20:34:00.004-05:00

All right. I have held back long enough. If you are a baseball fan in Chicago, you must be loving right now unless you are cheering for some other team. Cardinal fans, I will send you some tissue now that the Brewers closed the deal on CC Sabathia.

For the record, I am not going to bash the Cubs or Cubs fans (besides having a little fun with the image above). How can I pick on the Cubs when they have one of the best records in baseball? They certainly have the best offense with the scoring machines that they bought. Then they go out and get an ace of a pitcher today with Rich Harden of Oakland.

Rich Harden? Wasn't he on the DL this year? OK, so it was a short time but leave it to the Cubs to get a pitcher who is injury prone. I mean really. What do the Cubs have to lose? In my mind, it is worth the gamble. No injuries and Hayden keeps performing with his current stats? The Cubs are that much closer to breaking the curse.

With the Sox finding ways to stay on top of the AL Central, lot of buzz lately about a subway World Series here in Chicago. I could not imagine how crazy the Windy City would be. I think the fans will finally get the chance to say "Put Up or Shut Up".

I already know the taunting will be at a whole new high.. or low depending what stunt you are going to pull like burning your teams logo in the grass. You never know, we could have snow during the World Series. You may spray paint your favorite team on your neighbors snowy lawn. All I know is that I want to see both teams get there. The cross town classic did nothing to settle the arguement of which team is better.

Lets play the best of seven and see who comes out on top. All I know is that it's not going to be pretty. Let the best team win!

Splat Takes on Wisconsin

2008-07-07T09:03:00.016-05:00

Splat ready to go in Middleton Wisconsin

Splat hanging out at Quaker Steak & Lube in Middleton

He is signing a waiver to eat an Atomic Hot Wing. Splat held his own pretty well.

Razor and Splat

Pre-ride breakfast at Hubbard Avenue Diner

Splat likes to check out historical road signs in Wisconsin. This is one of many.

Splat found a sun ray. He held back from taking a cat nap.

Hey There!

If You Don’t Litter, The World Will Glitter - Splat

Hi!

Horsies!

Yeah! We found some twisties!

Splat at Wildcat Mountain! Could this be his home?

Taking in the view

The route through Wildcat Mountain on Route 33, Two Paws Up!

Splat owns Spata!

Relaxing at The Mindoro Cut

Always time to stop and smell the flowers

Reminding you to watch for signs and ride safe

Doing a little rock climbing between rides

Checkin in

Hmmm, this bread is soft and good!

Here I am Buzzard Billys. Two Paws Up!
Is that a fish on top on top of that building?

Welcome to Minnesota

Splat meets up with his twin brother, Road Kill, at Corner Coffee in Kewaskum, Wisconsin.

Road Kill stopped in for a brief visit with the STN group. We did not get many pictures together but I am sure their will be many in the future. This coffee stop pretty much wrapped up the trip. Stay tuned for more Adventures of Splat and Road Kill. If you would like to ride with Road Kill, e-mail me at razorsparty@yahoo.com.

Adventures of Splat and Roak Kill - Preface

2008-07-07T08:37:00.006-05:00

Razor and Splat

A while back, I wanted to come up with something to show my kids were I have been on the motorcycle. I also wanted to stop at some historical places that might be on interest at some point for them. My oldest is turning five and thought maybe he could relate to a map but live pictures are always better.

Originally, I was going to use one of his toys but then realized that my son might not be keen to the idea of giving something up for a more than a day. I had to come up with something else. Do I buy a new toy? I wanted something with some connection and something the kids and I could relate too.

As of recent, my sister has been obsessed with crafting. It is Carries outlet like mine is riding. Carrie has even started her own site. In an odd way, she makes crafting cool. Check out her blog here, Ruffled Feathers. The idea of Splat came to me after reading a recent post ofhers. She can make something for me to travel with. It would be original, family crafted, and something the kids could relate to.

Welcome Splat and Splat's twin brother, Road Kill. The traveling road kats. Splat will be making his home in Region 4 (the Midwest) with Razor while his twin brother will be off shortly to see the country. You will get to meet Road Kill later on. Splat has a tatoo with Razors wifes and kids initials. He is family. Road Kill has the initials of STN aka Sport-Touring.net. A frequent site of Razor and Splat.

Road Kill is looking for someone to ride with. If you are looking for a riding partner and willing to take some fun pictures of him, please email me at razorsparty@yahoo.com.

Stay tuned for the Adventures of Splat and Road Kill, the traveling road Kats.

Let's get riding already!

4th of July Ride: My Independance, Final Day

2008-07-06T22:50:00.005-05:00

Corner Coffee in Kewaskum, Wisconsin

This morning would be my final day at my sisters. I loaded up the bike and was on the road shortly after 8:00 am. I was not heading home just yet. I headed east to the Coffee Corner to meet the fine riders of STN. It was a little less than 100 miles.

For my review of the Coffee Corner, I have to say that I had some good coffee. Nothing great. Nothing bad. Not sure if I would go back. To be honest, I am not a big coffee drinker so it would really have to wow me to get Two Spoons. I will give it One Spoon for now.

Here are a few pics....

Someone needed some work on their bike. Oh wait. That would be me.

Right before my trip to Deals Gap, in early June, I have been experiencing chain issues. Adjustments have been made every 500 miles. That is not normal. I am suppose to get 20,000 miles from the chain and I am 13k right now. The above picture is fellow STN rider, Chuck, giving me assistance. I also found out that I have all the proper tools to adjust my chain right under the seat of my bike. Doh! It looks like a new chain and sprockets will be replaced before the end of the season.

After coffee, just about everyone took off for their own plans. That left Chris aka Breadman and myself. We went east in search of twisties but for the most part, came up empty. Any decent curves that we did find, had loose gravel across it. Both of us experienced loss of traction at different times. We finally put up the white flag and headed for home.

I made it home around 2:30 and 750 miles for the trip. Another great DRY trip marked in the books. Thanks to Shane and Carrie for hosting this weekend. As well as Chuck for giving me assistance (and tools) for the maintenance. I can't wait till the next jaunt.

4th of July Ride: My Independance Part 2

2008-07-06T20:08:00.016-05:00

Splat enjoying breakfast at the Hubbard Avenue Diner
(see Part 1 for a brief intro on Spalt)

Woke up Saturday to another beautiful and gorgeous riding day. Before heading out, I joined Shane, Carrie, Splat and a few friends at the Hubbard Avenue Diner in Middleton. This is the second time that I have been to this place. The food and service is great. It has that retro diner look but without the greasy feel. I give it two forks up!

Today, I had a few goals in mind. Ride Wildcat Mountain, Mindoro's Cut and make my way into Minnesota to mark off another state. For the Cliff notes version, I accomplished all three.

Along the way, I decided to stop at the Historic Land Marks in Wisconsin. I thought it would all be based on land facts such as settlers but they also included historical figures from their perspective towns. See below for a Wisconsin History lesson (click on each image for a larger view)

Reedsburg Historical Society

Anyone recall the Budweiser commercial?

Here is another time where I did a U Turn to get this shot. This is one of the benefits of riding solo. Now for the record, when you live in the Midwest, you see lots of farm animals including horses. This is nothing new to me. Something about these horses seemed kind of odd.

It appeared that the little horse on the right was getting a lecture from the bigger horses on the left. I connected with the small horses body language. He just looked sad and in trouble. He did not look right. His tail and ears were down. I sat and watched the group for a few minutes. Not that I could do anything but to see what would happen next. All of them just stood still and silent. It was a surreal but unusual moment. For the record, I came back by this way on the way home. Five hours later, the horses were more less in the same position. Yes, I have a soft spot for animals.

Next stop, Wildcat Mountain

Wildcat Mountain, a Wisconsin State park, is labeled as the "Mini" Tail of the Dragon of the Midwest. I can't stress enough on the word "mini". It was more like a fraction of the Dragon. There were a few technical corners but it was over before it began. I will say that the roads were nice and smooth as it was just resurfaced. I just wish it was a bit longer.

As I returned home this route, I thought I would try to ride a bit more aggressive on it. As luck would have, I came up on a diseal Ford 350 , stinky, red truck. I remember those details because I was behind it the whole way through this area. There was no area for me to pass. To make matters worse, as I came up a steep incline, this truck had water running out the back of his bed. I could not avoid the water so my tires were now wet and pretty much useless for riding aggressive. O'well. There is always next time. Here a few pics...

Scenic shot from Wildcat Mountain from inside the park

A few of the turns from the area

Click HERE to see a video from Wildcat Mountan ( not taken by me)

THIS IS SPARTA!

When I was looking at the map to see what was in the area, I saw Sparta. Since I just saw 300 for the first time recently, I thought it would be kind of corny to see the town along the way. I was hoping to see if the local women looked like anything in the movie but I was sadly mistaken. I took some video but it ended up in the Dull Blade Vault for now. Not much else to see here. Move on...

Been There, Done That

Next on the list was The Mindoro Cut in Mindoro. To me, this was the highlight of the trip. Great riding, very scenic and fun technical riding. Now for the story part. I don't have the map in front of me but I ended up in downtown Mindoro. To give you a better image, imagine the Andy Griffith show with a bar in the middle of town.

Trying to figure out where to go, I see a bunch of bikes, ahem Harleys, in front of a bar. Look at that, the riders are out in front of the bar. Oh, look at that. Typical beefy Harley guys in leather giving me the look. I am sure I gave them a good laugh when I pulled in all protective gear including a helmet but they were not laughing. I was in the careless state of mind so I figured I would ask for directions.

"Where is Mindoro's Cut?"

All six looked at me like I spoke a different language. The one speaks up, assuming the leader of the gang, and says, "You just went through it."

Not thinking of my tone and who I was dealing with, I respond with, "Yeah, I don't think so. There is suppose to be this big rock formation that you are suppose to ride through. I am pretty sure that I didn't miss it. "

"Oh" says the leader of the gang. It is back that aways. Stay on this road and you can't miss it.

I say "thanks" and peel out of there checking my side view mirrow often. Hey, I was in the middle of Mayberry and it was not time to be gullible. I had a gut feeling to get out of there as soon as possible. No issues came out of it but hey, thank for the directions.

I loved this spot!

I hope a vehicle does not come up the other side while I take this shot

See that hill on the right? Don't bother going up it no matter what your GPS says. It runs into a dead end. Actually it was a guys driveway. Guess where I did my U Turn?

Click HERE to see a video of The Mindoro Cut (not taken by me)

Buzzard Billy's - Pleasant Surprise Here

Heading to Minnesota, I decided to stop in La Crosse for a late lunch. Buzzard Billy's came as a recommendation from another rider. I figured this was going to be a bar food type of joint serving oversized burgers. Boy was I wrong.

I walked into this old school bar with blues being played and nostaliga along the wall. Still not seeing what type of food is being served, I look over at at table and say to myself, "is that gumbo being served?". Ah yeah! I just found myself a cajun restarant. I just wish I was more hungry but I went with the basic jambalaya. It was soooo good and very flavorful. I normally only give a top rating of two forks but I am going with three forks here. Needless to say, I would go back. Check it out!

Lunch is Served!

Take another look at this window. Yup, it is the home of that damn foam cheese head you see Packer fans wearing. It is located across the street from the restaurant. For the record, I did not flip off the window or anyone for that matter. I was out numbered. (two big Harley owners were standing next me.)

Check off another state for me!

Well, I made it. Minnesota, I came in and left you high and dry. The original plan was to head south once in Minnesota returning back to Madison. Wait, that would mean I would have had to pre-plan. Silly me. If you are a regular reader, and I thank you, you know I hardley plan out my trips including hotel rooms.

Once in Minnesota, I turned to the GPS to take me back to my sisters in Middleton. The GPS kept telling me turn around and go back the way I came. It was basically telling me that would be my quickest route. With a few more clicks on the unit, it told me if I keep the direction I was going, it was going to take me an extra four hours then the suggested route. Doing the math, that would be somewhere close to 9:00 at night. I let technology win here. I turned around and went back. I saw a few new roads but for the most part, I took route 33 via Wildcat Mountain.

Once I made it back, the rest of the night included grilled burgers and brats with a few New Glarus Spotted Cows. Yeah, us party animals are fading away.

4th of July Ride: My Independance Part 1

2008-07-06T18:39:00.013-05:00

No rain in the forecast?

My wife and in-laws took the kids to see Great Grandma in Branson, Missouri. For what ever reason, my wife gave me time off for good behavior so I stayed back. I am not one to argue so I obliged. Most men would take advantage of the situation. You know, sitting at home, drinking beer and scratching themselves. Not me. I went to my sisters to do that. Well, except the scratching part.

I left after noon on the 4th of July. The forecast said no rain but those clouds above told me otherwise. Luckily, I encountered no rain this weekend. That was a nice change.

It's funny. Up until I bought the bike, every trip had to be a time trial. How fast can I make from Point A to Point B. What is the quickest way to get there? I still catch myself doing that now. When I was heading to Middleton, Wisconsin , where I would stay for two nights, I almost fell into that same trip. If I was with the family, I would make my way over to Interstate 90 and head north. While I was coming up route 12, it donged on me. I could catch the Kettle Moraine Scenic drive which includes a bunch of twisties. It took me longer to reach my destination but I was not under a time line. It was great to hit some curves so early in the trip.

Before hitting the Kettles, I needed to hit my stomach. I stopped at the General Store in La Grange. My wife and I use to stop here a lot in our younger, slimmer days. After spending countless days mountain biking in the area, we would stop at the General Store for a deli sandwich or cool down with a scoop of ice cream...or two.

Let's WHOOP it up

After lunch, I was driving the country side. I found these two birds in a farmers field. The red color on top of their head made me turn around to get a better look. As I came back, the birds were not startled by me or the bike. They slowly walked away from me but I managed to get this shot. I think it is a whooping crane but please correct me if I am wrong. I saw three more of these north of Madison on Route 12.

Introducing "Splat"

For the first time in public, this is Splat. He is the idea of my sister, Carrie, and myself. Although, Carrie was the one who crafted him, I get to bring Splat to life. Splat will be going with me on future road trips. I will explain more about Splat and why that fact that I am even playing with stuffed toys in another post. For now, just go with it.

On a side note, I am to riding what my sister is to crafting. I still laugh when I see her blog because I don't picture my younger sister or any younger person, head deep in what she does. Carrie has always been the artzy creative one. Her and friends hold challenges to see who can top each other with their ideas. I am always amazed at her accomplishments. I know this sounds corny, but Carrie makes crafting cool. See for yourself at Ruffled Feathers. (Thanks Carrie!)

Let's Go Hit Some Twisties!

Splat had decided he needed to stretch his legs and go rock climbing

For the 4th of July dinner, we went to Quaker Steak and Lube in Middleton. I have heard a lot about this place from other riders including the weekly bike night. They are also known for their Atomic Wings. No joke, I had to sign a waiver to get a sample wing. I thought it was a gimmick but Quaker Steak and Lube meant business. I decided to try one. I signed the waiver. Out came one single wing followed by a bunch of verbal warnings by the staff. Yeah, yeah, let me be. I am a professional.

As soon as the wing hit the table, I was overwhelmed by the aroma of pepper. I picked it up and took a further whiff. Then it was time. Walk the plank. Put up or shut up.

As soon as the sauce had hit the lips and tongue, it was instant fire! No delayed heat here. Holy Crap! It was insane. I did not break a sweat but my eyes teared up and my nasal passages drained like a sieve. Being the man, I wanted to finish it. It took a lot of will power to take the second bite but I finished the damn thing. For my effort, I got a bumper sticker and my name on the wall. I am sure I gave Carrie and Shane a good laugh as well.

Sign your life away, kid

That's what 150,000 Scovilles looks like.
For the record, Daves Insantiy Hot Sauce is ONLY 80,000.

A few pics of the Quaker Steak and Lube in Middleton, Wisconsin.
I give it two forks up!

What is a perfectly good GSX R hanging from the ceiling?
That's a crime!

The night was followed by fireworks and me getting attacked by bugs while getting money from an ATM. Make that two ATM's. The first one would not read my card. Hope you all still have your fingers and toes!

Sundays RIde With the Birthday Boy: Stir Crazy

2008-06-30T21:53:00.008-05:00

Matt, the Birthday Kid, checkin in with Father Time

Matt and I headed out Sunday morning to meet with the Sport Touring group. It started as a beautiful morning with blue skies. It did not end so well but I will explain later.

We rode to one of my favorite coffee joints, Stir Crazy, in Rochester Wisconsin (just north of Burlington). I have posted on this place before but figured it was worth a mention again. The owners are great and always love to see us. This is not one of those snooty chain places. It has more of that county relaxed feel. I will have to pictures from this inside next time I go up.

For a coffee meetup, this had to be one of the largest ones I have seen from just one group. We were in the range of 40 bikes or so. A lot of familiar faces with some new ones too. It is only going to get bigger. I took these pictures shortly after we arrived. I did not realize they would keep coming.

Before I get to the random pics, the return home was mixed with rain. For the most part, it felt like the gods was spitting on us. It would clear up than a few a minutes later, a little rain. Just when I thought we were clear, the clouds opened up on us a mile from home. I never realized how cold the rain was until I bought a motorcycle.

Hey, someone is stealing my bike. Oh wait, his shield is not cracked.

You Have Crossed the Line!

2008-06-26T13:21:00.002-05:00

What is wrong with this picture? (It was taken here in the US)

This picture was taken at the Deals Gap where I just got back from. I don't know if the word "often" is correct here but this kind of thing happens more than you think. Due to the technical nature of this road, it is very important to stay in your lane.

Remember, you are turning every tenth of a mile for eleven miles. Most corners are blind here. This attributes to inexperience, speed and not looking through the turn.

From my experience, I was looking at the farthest part of the road just to see where I was going. A few hairpin turns had me looking over my shoulder just to make it. They are that tight folks.

A while back, I was almost hit by another motorcycle here locally. A cruiser decided to take a turn too fast and ended up in my line. I can tell you the name of his saddle bags. He was that close.

This past spring, I went for a lunch ride with some co-workers. I watched one of them bounce their bike off the curb due to taking the turn to wide, from a dead stop, and getting fixated on the curb. Luckily, the rider was able to regain control.

The point here is, like they teach you in riders class, LOOK THROUGH THE TURN. If you are going to go sightseeing, get in the cage and pack the family up. You may be doing yourself a favor.

The point here is to pay attention and look through the turns. Class dismissed.

Barber Vintage Museum

2008-06-20T21:19:00.012-05:00

Welcome to Barber!

My wife is gone for the weekend so the kids locked me up in a room with a cup of water and my laptop. We will see who gets the last laugh. With all that being said, I figured I would add a few more pictures from the recent trip.

On the fourth day, Matt and I left the lovely Deals Gap area and head south west to Birmingham, Alabama. I remember telling myself an hour out that I was ready to go back to our hotel and stay another day or two. I wasn't really ready to leave but we had a schedule to stick to. I am sure I will be back again.

On the way, we rode 129/74/64 to Chattanooga. Once you cross into Tennesse, you are on Old Copper road. This is another area I would go back to. The area was just awesome. The road is part of the Ocoee Scenic Byway.

Ocoee Scenic Byway, the first National Forest Byway in the nation, winds through the Cherokee National Forest, passing Parksville Lake and traveling through the scenic bluffs of the Ocoee River Gorge. I could not get enough the roaring river with the low mountains tucked in behind. As luck would have it, there was construction so we were at a snails pace. This is the one time Matt and I didn't mind rolling slow through an area.

Ocoee River - site of 1996 Atlanta Olympics whitewater events
(pic stolenby theyre)

As we were getting closer to Birmingham, the temperature rose. I was fricken hot. I am still experimenting with whats the right gear for me. I realized that when you wear protective clothing (jacket /pants) that are water proof, that also means that your body cannot breath. My jacket did not have the liner in it so I was ok there but my bottom half was miserable. I wanted to just wear jeans but I had the protectice pants on for safety. Matt convinced me to go without and just wear jeans. I didn't like not having the protection but in retrospect, I might have made myself sick as the temp was in the 90's.

Ahh, Barbers Vintage Motorcycle Museum. For Matt, this was a highlight for his trip. This is the mecca of motorcycle museums. 80,000 square feet of metal! Five floors of history. I have seen this place through others pictures but it is another thing to witness.

Matt has a passion for bikes like I do with professional sports. He was like a kid in a candy store. I am sure Matt could be a tour guide with no training if need be. Heck, he could probably teach the staff a few things. Matt was ratteling things off before even seeing the description of the bike. Impressive. It was like having my own tour guide as I learned a lot. He showed me a new appreciation for the history. I don't think the experience would have been the same if was not along with me. Thanks Matt.. I really do mean it.

Here are a few pics from the museum....

Besides the number of bikes at the museum, I was more amazed at the displays.

Even though I find myself favoring old British bikes, I still have a soft spot for the Italian Ducati line.

I was playing with the flash on this one.
Sometimes a mistake is not really a mistake.

I was having some fun with some of these shots

There is Old School and than there is this!

Besides, bikes, they had cars, boats, and even an outboard motor collection. Actually, this is the first time I noticed that piano in the back corner.

At times, it just looked like a kids collection on the wall

Yours Truly along side Gary Eagen's Ducati. I understand that Gary lives near Madison Wisconsin. He holds a few long distant riding records including a trip from coast to coast in 36 hours on this bike. Challenge!

I Don't See My Son and I Doing This Anytime Soon... and I Wouldn't Want Too

2008-06-19T20:50:00.001-05:00

Happy Fathers Day (Note to Vegetarians, Don't Read This Post)

2008-06-15T22:34:00.009-05:00

The Ol' 96er! Do I have to eat all the grizzle too?

Almost had the perfect day today. What was missing was a bike ride. I woke up to hard rain and heavy rolling thunder. Actually, I woke up to my two year old daughter yelling "Hi Daddy!" No matter how loud she was, she can make me smile from a dead sleep.

I was suppose to take my father in law to breakfast and then hit the road for some fun. Mother Nature had other plans for our morning. My F-I-L stayed home. Instead, I decided to meet some of the usual suspects (Motocbiker, DavidLSI, RedCBRRider, and MXVet57) from STN for breakfast at the Full Moon. I really enjoy getting together with other riders to hear their stories. I even consider it educational to some extent. For the record, due to the weather, I "pussed" out and took the car.

Afterwards, I went around looking for a wall map of the US with interstate and highway routes but I came up empty. If anyone has suggestions, let me know. I checked the Rand McNally site but I can't get a good image of what I am buying.

Then I decided to stop at Best Buy and buy Road Hogs. With my in-laws coming over today, I thought it would be a good movie to watch. Overall, we all had a few good laughs. I didn't set my expectations to high on this one so it was just an OK in my book.

As you can see from the picture, I ate half a cow. My wife suprised me with this 2 pound t-bone. To be honest, I never ate or cooked a steak that big before. For the record, I did not eat the whole thing but it sure was tasty!

After dinner, I lit up a cigar with my father in law. Talked out on the patio while playing with the kids in the backyard. One thing I noticed tonight is that my four year old son is starting to click on hitting the baseball. He was hitting the snot out of it. I kept telling him to remember what he is doing now and to do the same thing in a game. Although I can't complain. His last game he hit three out of four at bats. And no, my four year old was able to skip tee ball. Trent makes me a proud father on this day.

Trent and Daddy!

Hannah makes me proud as well as makes me laugh.
I have no idea where she gets her table manors from.

Even though my Dad was cooking at his restaurant today, we still texted each other throughout the day. Since we are both passionate about sports, on occasion, I text score updates to him. Well today, we were able to talk to each other when Tiger sank his birdie putt at the US Open to force a playoff round for tomorrow. We may not get to see each other much but its the little moments in sports that brings us together. Happy Fathers day Dad!

It Was Bound to Happen

2008-06-11T10:57:00.002-05:00

Thunder and Rain Makes Razor A Dull Boy

2008-06-09T13:10:00.011-05:00

Be Prepared To Be Soaked

You would think that after riding 2000 miles this past week, that I would not want to get on the bike again. Wrong! I decided to meet up with STN for the weekly coffee meet this past Sunday.

Destination:
Common Grounds
5159 6Th ave
Kenosha WI 53140

I was aware that rain was coming this way but not till the afternoon. Wrong! Severe weather rolled in shortly after 11:00. Just enough time to get down some coffee and say hi to my fellow riders. I made it home safely but really soaked since I left my rain gear at home. Doh!

Chatting, drinking, the usual

Calm before the Storm

A reminder that Flag Day is coming up

Somebody made a funny

Is that a Power Ranger suit?

Here is Matt being.. well.. Matt
(this is FZ1 Matt, not to be confused with Bandit Brother Matt)

My artzie fartzie image of the week

Picture Album Posted From Trip

2008-06-09T13:04:00.004-05:00

I have posted a link to the picture album from the trip. There are no titles at this time. I would need an assistant to do that.

Tail of the Dragon -Deals Gap Trip

Click on image above for album.

Day 3.2 :Back to the Gap

2008-06-06T21:23:00.008-05:00

We left our hotel somewhere around 1:00 after our morning ride. It appeared that rain was on its way but now it was pushed back to early afternoon. We rode back to the Tail of the Dragon which is 20 miles from where we are staying. Lesson learned here..... When you map something, it is a straight line from point A to point B. If you want accurate distance, you need to route it. When I was picking out hotels to stay at, Google Maps shows the Two Wheels Inn seven miles from the Deals Gap Resort. When I actually plugged in the the resort to the GPS from the Deals Gap resort , it showed me 20 more miles. O'well. It was actually a nice ride.

The Tree of Shame (ironically, the Saturn is not part of the tree)

At the Deals Gap Resort, they have this Tree of Shame. Basically, it is a collection of bike parts as a result of crashes on the Dragon. It is pretty interesting. See the video below.

After buying some souvenirs, we headed out out. We received word that there was an 18 wheeler stuck up on the dragon backing up traffic. Matt and I headed back towards the resort area but checked out some new areas to us. We stopped at this Memorial along the way.

From where we are staying, unless you want fast food, there were not many options. On our GPS units, we looked for food in the area. We found a small town called Andrew. We saw this place on the unit but figured it was a little more then we wanted to spend since it was called "Steak and Seafood".
We found the restaurant but agreed that if we could not find anything else, we would try this place. Let me add here that this is a dry county. The county is large. Most places close at 8:00 and it was closing time for most. I jokingly told Matt that it was our lucky day. Since there were no other places to go, we were having steak and seafood.

We pulled in, not even sure if this was place was open but it was. We walked in and my mouth dropped. It was a newly renovated diner with booths and no linens in sight. Plus they had Wheel of Fortune on the TV next to the hanging kayak on the wall.

The red light start spinning in my head. Back home we would call this a Greek restaurant but this was country style. The food was OK. I had the most unhealthy meal for this trip. Country fried steak and mashed potatoes smothered in gravy. I managed to eat the chicken but there was so much gravy, the potatoes became liquid. Note to self... don't ask for smothered anything when in the south. Careful for what you ask for.

Yup, the bikes had there own a garage at the Two Wheels Inn.
I would stay here again.

I ended the night on a good note. We went back to the room and parked the bikes in the garage for the night. I then lit up a Rocky Patel cigar and enjoyed the sun down. Matt and I were going to the pavilion to chill out.(see image below) On the way, we stopped to talk to some fellow riders. Next thing I know, I am enjoying some beer which led to vodka which lead to after 11:00. I know, its not that late but Matt and I wanted to get off to an early start. I wanted to avoid a hangover and I did. I didn't want to end the night but I wanted to be rested for the hot ride to Birmingham. So I drank up and headed back to the room. To the Florida Harley chick, thanks for the vodka and stay away from land sharks :-)

The pavilion at the Two Wheels Inn

Our view behind the resort

We Are Home... Bike Is Not In One Piece

2008-06-05T21:52:00.006-05:00

That Could Have Been My Head. Like I Need Another Hole In It

Matt and I are home now. We are back a day early due to another bad storm front moving into the area on Friday. We are a little sore but happy to be back with the wife and kids. This was a great trip which I would do again. I am kind of jumping ahead here but I can't believe it's over already. I had such a blast. I learned a lot about myself as a rider and a person. When you doing 500 mile days on two wheels, you get to think... a lot.

Anywho... I guess you are wondering what happened above. Matt and I were just getting ready to exit the interstate, for gas, after doing another 100 mile stretch. As I was leading to the ramp, I noticed a large tractor mowing down the grass along the road to my right. Just as I get to the incline of the ramp, I notice a long pipe coming at me,in the air, in a circular motion, fast! I did not see it until it was in my peripheral vision. Just as I do see it, I think it is going to hit me in the head. I react by ducking quickly but never got on the brakes. Next thing I know, the pipe hit the front of my bike taking a chunk of the windshield with it. I never lost control of the bike and continued my path to the stop sign.

It was not till later that Matt explained the object better since he saw it coming. He thought it was wider then the bike. At least 3 feet wide and about 2 inch in a diameter. Matt said it looked like one end of the pipe was sheared off, probably from the tractor. Think of a copper tube twisted in half. I have to take his word for it as I barely saw it coming. Dumb luck that I did not get impaled or lose my balance. Luckily as I was able to ride home without having to do any repairs. Glad it was not worse.

I will be posting more pics and wrapping up this report in a few days.

A big thanks to Matt for going along with me on this trip. I am sure glad I had a partner in the "hills". Also, another big thank you to my wife for letting me take the time off. You are the greatest!

Day 4: Almost Home - incomplete

2008-06-04T23:00:00.003-05:00

Barber Vintage Motorcycle Museum outside of Birmingham

We were pretty much on the move today. I didn't get a chance to finish up yesterday due to chatting with a few riders and schmoozing over vodka and cigars at the hotel. No, I didn't corrupt Matt.

We are currently in Nashville. We should be back Thursday night. More pics and stories to come. Now is bed time. Good night John boy.

Day 3: Wish You Were Here

2008-06-03T11:46:00.007-05:00

It is currently 12:45 local time and we are back in the room to regroup. We headed out to ride the Cherohala Skyway back to Tennessee and then decided to go check out the surrounding area heading south. I will go into detail later but for now, I will let this mornings pictures do the talking.

A Video of the Tail of the Dragon

2008-06-03T06:49:00.002-05:00

In case I did not mention this before, the Tail of the Dragon shares the Tennessee and North Carolina border. We are staying on the North Carolina side.

This video was done by David. A gentleman I know from one of the groups that I meet up with on occasion. I consider him our resident photo guy. He does a great shop at videos as well. Since we did not stop at all on the route, here is a video to show what Matt and I rode. Enjoy!

PS
Where the video starts is where Matt and I took separate pictures posted in a previous post.

Day 2: We Came, We Saw, We Slayed the Dragon

2008-06-02T21:02:00.005-05:00

Just crossed the Tennessee State Line from Kentucky

Day 2...complete . We slayed the Dragon!

We woke up to another great morning under blue skies and warm weather. The day started off a little later then we wanted due to me sleeping in. It was 9:00 before I heard Matt say “Good Morning Sunshine” jokingly. I guess I took advantage of no kids to wake up to. I am sure the mileage from Day One had something to do with it as well. After some chain maintenance we were off like a dress at Prom.

Looking back at the trip so far, I would not have changed a thing. I get a lot criticism from the seasoned riders on taking so much slab. (slab = interstate riding). Highway 75 south of Lexington into Knoxville was amazing. The scenery was incredibly beautiful with large mountains covered in green think tree tops. It was fun to race up the highway overlooking the rivers below. We made some great time. The roads are so smooth and clean here. I give a big round of applause to the highway departments for Tennessee and Kentucky.

Hardly a Palace but good food.

We stopped for lunch in Knoxville at the Pizza Palace. Another restaurant featured on the food network. It was a drive inn but had some bar style seating at the front of the place. Matt and I split a pizza burger and a small pizza. I was not going to have a pizza but once the waitress knew we were from Chicago she insisted we try the pizza.

“We have been told that we could open shop in Chicago and do real well there” she said.

I am thinking slow down lady. You see my girth? I will be the judge of that.

Well, they are on to something. They ground up their own sausage. It was tasty but a bit salty. I even asked Matt if threw salt on the pizza when I was not looking and he denied. So my comment would be “cut back on the salt and you will go places”. One fork up.

Now for the meat and potatoes of this trip. The Tail of the Dragon, The Gap… the holy crap what did I get sign up for here? To refresh my friends and family, the Dragon is 318 curves in 11 miles. Mind you that this is a road through heavy think woods with drastic change in elevation.

It’s hard to find words to explain the experience. Imagine a roller coaster with blind turn after blind turn but you have to control the coaster. Numerous switchback curves, one after another. This is not your Sunday joy riding. It is very technical. I found myself in second gear most of the time either for engine braking or to use the power of my bike to get me through the corners. There were even a few spots where I was not dragging my foot pegs but my boots were scraping the roads. The corners are that tight with banked turns.

Since there are no real shoulders to pull off on to take pictures. I will post up a video later of the roads I traveled from another rider. Overall, I have to say that I loved it. I can see why riders are coming here in droves. It is very addicting. The experience was incredible. In fact, I called my wife at the end of the day to thank her for letting me buy a motorcycle. Then I told her thanks for letting me going on the trip. The only thing more beautiful than my current surroundings is my wife and little girl at home.

Stay tuned for Day 3.

Deals Gap: Day 1 "That Will Make Your Butt Pucker"

2008-06-01T21:36:00.006-05:00

Bandit Brother Matt at our first gas stop. Notice the gas price getting cheaper as we leave Chicago? (click on image)

Day One is in the books. I am currently typing this from the Econolodge in Richmond, Kentucky. We put in 474 miles and are right on schedule. Matt and I left home at 6 without issue heading out under blue skies with a slight chill. With the sun raising it quickly warmed up.

Staying with the chronological order, this would be the drama part of the report. We were just south of O’Hare on 294. We were in the left lane with Matt on lead. I see something up head which at first I thought was garbage moving across the highway. As we are quickly approaching the garage, I notice it’s a beaver trying to make it across the highway.

I get off the gas and give Matt some room. Matt saw it as well but he was right next to a minivan. I am thinking the furry creature is going to get hit and spin in front of Matt. Well, he got hit but was barley nicked. The beaver did spin around and ended up in Matt’s path but Matt quickly dodged him with the beaver still moving in the original direction. Talk about your determination.

At this point, I can’t switch lanes because there is another vehicle there. I think I might have got fixated on the animal and not looking to move to the right of my own lane. As I am quickly downshifted and on both brakes heavy, I just clear the little guy. As I give a sign of relief, I hear someone jamming on the breaks behind me. As I look behind me and I see the front quarter panel of an SUV in my mirror. I am assuming the driver was not paying attention and did not see me break at all. I thought for sure I was going to literally get ran over. He was that close. I remember three things running through my head.

1- -FUCK!

2- -My father in law saying, “that will make your butt pucker”.

3- -Ewan McGregor , on Long Way Around, where he got hit on his motorcycle almost in the same fashion, rear ended.

Of course I am OK. No blood, no foul. And now, back to the report. Oh, the SUV did recover and no one was hurt except maybe the beaver.

Triple X ! I give it two forks up!

As usual, we try to avoid the chain of restaurants and go to the ma and pop type places. I added some restaurants from the Food Network Channel. These were from “Feasting On Asphalt” and “Diner, Drive-Ins and Dives”e. Our first and only destination was the Triple X Family restaurant in Lafayette, Indiana, home of the Purdue Boilermakers.

It was little after 10am but we still had a burger each. The burgers were grounded up out of steak. Besides the lettuce, tomato and onion, I add mayo on it as well. It was really good. Triple X is the name of the root beer. I have to say that it is one my favorite root beers for creamy and delicious. The Triple X is the first drive inn in Indiana. When in the area, stop in and look for menu that we signed for the owners. If you mention that you saw them on the Food Network, you get name on the wall.

Located behind the Triple X

Here I am standing front the Purdue Football stadium wearing my Wisconsin hat. That just happened.

Five minutes later, we stopped at Purdue University to check out the football stadium. I put on my Wisconsin hat for my sister and her husband Shane. I didn’t want them to think that I was changing teams. Overall, Purdue has a very lovely scenic campus with historic buildings and mature trees.

From that point, we hit the road to make some more miles up. We made good time and caught about 10 minutes of rain near our destination. All in all, it was a good day on the bike. I can’t wait till tomorrow. Deals Gap or bust!

We timed this rain pretty well. We just did a 100 mile section and Matt wanted to top off and stretch the legs. Then the skies opened for about 5 minutes. It's part of the game.

Night Before Trip and I Have Another Trip In the Works

2008-05-31T22:11:00.002-05:00

It is Saturday night. The bike is packed and I am ready to go. The plan is still to head out at 6AM. I hope to bring you nightly updates assuming I can get a WiFi at the the hotels.

On a separate note, you are probably wondering why I posted a video of a cigar plant. As my luck would have it, I won a trip to the Dominican Republic. I assume that I will be visiting the area that is posted in the field.

Due to one of my nasty habits, cigars, I put my name in a box at the local cigar shop. Arganese Cigars is hosting the trip. All I had to do was buy a few cigars and my name entered. I don't have all the details yet but I know they are paying for my airfare. I also know that it is for four nights while they put me up some nice large bungalow. I will pass the details along as soon as I get them. I wonder if I can rent a bike down there.

Guess What The Horn Sounds Like?

2008-05-28T06:26:00.002-05:00

Water Buffalo vs Lion Vs Alligator Vs Water Buffalo

2008-05-27T09:42:00.003-05:00

A co-worker passed this on to me. I have never seen anything like this. Sure I have had my share of National Geographic and other documentaries where Lions attack other animals but to watch the retaliation of the water buffalo was just amazing. Oh, and watch for the alligator in the water.

Less Then A Week To Go

2008-05-26T09:25:00.002-05:00

How To Catch A Pheasant With Your Motorcycle

To bring you up to speed, I am heading out to the Deals Gap aka Tail of the Dragon this Sunday. My partner in crime, Bandit Brother Matt, will be joining me on this trip.

Here is a rough outline of the trip:
June 1st- Sunday: 6:00AM, Pointing the bikes south. Plan on staying around the Lexington area.

Monday- Deals Gap ( think Smokey Mountains at the Tennessee/North Carolina state line)

Tuesday- Tearing up the Gap and the surrounding area

Wednesday- Birmingham Alabama, home of the Barber Vintage Motorcycle Museum spread out over five floors.

Thursday- Heading Home... not sure the route yet. Might take two days to get home.

Friday- Hopefully home in one piece.....

Stay Tuned

Next Trip Is In The Works - Deals Gap Anyone?

2008-05-14T06:33:00.003-05:00

Welcome to the Tail of the Dragon aka Deals Gap!

It's the middle of May and I have not been on any decent rides. A year ago, I was riding south into Indiana with Matt and Pat. I am getting the itch again to get out, getaway and just ride.

I have a few destinations that I have been bouncing back and forth. They are the Black Hills in South Dakota, Eureka Springs with the local bike club, and going down the Great River Road of the Mississippi River. Every time I start planning something out, the above keeps popping up, the Deals Gap.

As you can see, it borders the states of Tennessee and North Carolina. The Tail of the Dragon at Deals Gap, with 318 curves in 11 miles, is America's number one motorcycle paradise. The nearby Cherohala Skyway is 60 miles of scenic mountain highway with altitudes of over 5000 feet.

Right now the trip is planned for three, maybe four days in early June (1-4) between Trent's baseball schedule. I might spend the whole time out in the area or even head west on the way home to ride along the Mississippi River. Thats the great thing about riding alone. (or even with a few other guys). No plans, no reservations, you just go as you please. You see the road less taken and you take it.

Right now the trip is solo but I am hoping to a couple of riders to join me. Is it you?
Of course I will be posting pictures from the trip. Stay tuned....

This is Dedicated to...

2008-05-07T21:59:00.000-05:00

You're so vain
You probably think this post is about you
You're so vain, you're so vain
I'll bet you think this post is about you
Don't you?
Fuck you!

Pope Giving Mass in Green Bay

2008-05-07T20:09:00.002-05:00

Father Nelson sent this image to me from his recent trip to Green Bay

When that thing hits 88 miles per hour...

2008-05-07T06:30:00.000-05:00

The Women of Austin's: Girls, Girls, Girls

2008-05-04T23:11:00.011-05:00

The Jagermeister Girls were Out in force today

I took the following pictures for a few people, who will remain nameless. They couldn't make it to the show so this is the least I could do for them. For the record, I don't approve of promoting alcohol at bike shows, selling shots to bikers, then they are expected to get back on their bikes and ride home. I don't understand that logic but I never really understood most of the Bike Pirates in the area.

Come On Grandma, Get Off the Bike

Your Daughter called. She wants her shorts back.

"Where do you put the quarter in?"

What's better then one shot of Jager? (see answer below)

Two shot of Jager!

Two words... Each One Syllable.. are you a Bug Shield?

What not to do when riding a bike

"If you show your tummy, you can sell more beer"

Austins IronHorse Round Up: The Show That Didn't Happen

2008-05-04T22:38:00.013-05:00

As stated in a previous post, Austin's Bike show was canceled late Friday afternoon. Their permit was revoked after the Lake County sheriff received information that there might be a disturbance between the Hells Angles and Chicago's Outlaw motorcycle club.

As it turns out, the motorcycle community came together to show support today at Austins. I would hardly call it a show. With exception of a Budweiser beer wagon and Jagermeister on site, there were no vendors, no bike builders, no one selling anything. Just a bunch of riders hanging out in the parking lot conversing, gawking at bikes and girls for that matter. The bands played on in the Fuel Room including Vince Neil in the afternoon.

What I found humorous was that 95.1, Tom Keefe was broadcasting from the parking lot.
"The bike show is canceled but we are hanging out here at Austins in the parking lot..." The local police were everywhere but the crowd of a 1000 plus was pretty calm the during the time I was there. All in all, it's a shame the plug was pulled, but it was good to see people from all backgrounds to come out in support of the show. Here are some pics from todays event.

I saw this same patch on the back of someone's jacket. If you have any info on this club,please pass it along. I know some Village Officials who may be eligible to get in.

Austins PreShow Ride or Pick On Josh Post

2008-05-04T22:06:00.009-05:00

Taking a break in Burlington, Wisconsin

Today was an unusual day but a good one. First, the weather was excellent. I have been looking forward to a day like this all winter. Getting together with friends, catching up, and going for a ride.

You can tell the single guys from the married guys. The married guys are up at the crack of dawn. Sleeping in is anything past 7:00. Single guys are trying to figure out who is in bed with them at 7:00 AM. Married guys, show up on time. Single guys show up when they roll out of bed, with the help of a call or two. OK, I could go on but then Josh would start taking it personally. Sorry, Josh. You ran late and I have ammo. It's all good.

As the last paragraph stated, we all waited on Josh to start our day. With a good breakfast at WildBerry's, in Libertyville, we went up the street to Austins Saloon. We pulled in across the street to see if a bike show was going to take place. As luck would have it, they were setting up tables and staging for something to happen. Being early in the morning, ok, almost 10, the group conscientious was to go for a ride.

I lead the group to Burlington. About 10 minutes out, Josh realized he may turn into a pumpkin if he rides his Harley for more then 2 hours so he returned home.

I usually take a dedicated route consisting of scenic views and some twisties but that all changed. We were heading into Wilmot and caught up to three Harley riders. They were doing way under the speed limit. I think they were trying out for the local Shriners Parade. Knowing that there would be nowhere to pass them, I changed up the route a bit. I will pat myself on the back with another good choice.

Once in Burlington, the group split up due to other commitments. That left Scottie and P-Dub. We decided to go back to Austins to check things out. To my surprise, they had a real good turn out. Check out my next post on the show that didn't happen.

P-Dub and Scottie (Did you lose your ponytail in your helmet?)

Grayslake Officials Pull Plug On Iron Horse RoundUp aka Austins Bike Show

2008-05-03T20:08:00.005-05:00

Grayslake Police Department received information, late Friday afternoon that the guy above was heading in from Mianus Connecticut to the show. To stop the good people from going blind, Village officials revoked the permit for the show to take place.

In all seriousness, here is the press release from the Village of Grayslake web site on Friday at 4:40 PM:
Based upon law enforcement information obtained today, Grayslake officials have cancelled the permit for the Ironhorse Bike Show event that was to be held Sunday, May 4th at the Lake County Fairgrounds.
Based upon the information obtained, the Grayslake Police Department became concerned about circumstances which threaten the health and public safety of those attending the event and the people of Grayslake. In light of this new information, Grayslake officials felt that adequate protection could not be maintained and the cancelling of the permit for the event was in the best interests of the health and safety of the public.

Being an organizer for the Round Lake Fest, the last several years, and also being a fellow "biker", I don't want to jump conclusions. I have read many comments in locals news feeds. I think a lot of people are jumping to conclusions. Not that I am backing the Villages decisions to pull the plug but here are my points in no particular order:

- If the Village of Graylake really thought by having 20,000 plus riders (creating havoc) at the Fair Grounds, they never would have issued the permit.

-The local police knew well in advance what the plans were. Even the organizer of the event made that statement on his own site.

I was told by a source (reliable?) that the Hells Angels had some "issues" to deal with another rival biker club, the Outlaws. That the Hells Angles were on their way to the Show to be confrontational. I also read that in two different sites.

If you go back and read the press release, it states "Based upon law enforcement information obtained today.....". The last thing anyone Village Official wants to do is revoke a permit. I am glad I was not the one making the call but in the end, you need to keep the public, as well as the people in attendance at mind. Not that this is a family event but it is an all ages event. Do you really want your kids and family mixed in with 40,000 people (notice I didn't say bikers) when a potential riot may break out? Again, that last comment is all in speculation that the source may be true. I am sure the Police have a good explanation. I have a feeling this is not the end of the story.

Choosing a President Made Easy

2008-04-25T06:14:00.003-05:00

"Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right....."

As I see it this year there are 3 choices for president:

We have a woman lawyer married to a lawyer
vs
A black male lawyer married to a lawyer
vs
A war hero who is a married to the heir to a national beer distributor

Seems to be a fairly easy decision.

Did You Know

2008-04-24T21:44:00.004-05:00

Yup, The Deer is Crappin' and This Image is Stolen (Duh)

So the family and I are driving back from Chicago on Sunday afternoon. We are driving west on Rollins near the forest preserve. I glanced over at the woods to see this above image. Non-nonchalantly, I say, "Look, honey, there is a deer poopin... and it is poopin like a dog". We did get a good laugh out of it.

This was a first for me. I never gave it much thought but I just assumed that a deer craps like a horse by lifting its tail. To see a full grown deer, squatting like a dog, plus what looked like a little strain on the face as the deers chin was pointing to the sky, is pretty darn funny. I don't care who you are. I was educated to say the least. So the next time your kid asks you if a deer poops, you can proudly say yes...... like a dog. Now you know...

I never said by reading this blog you were going to get smart unless you stayed at a Holiday Inn Express.

(edit..wow, I just reread what I wrote. Sorry for the grammar errors. No more posting until the first cup of coffee)

Hitler's Ride

2008-04-24T20:22:00.001-05:00

I admit, I found this pretty funny. Hopefully the non-riders that visit this site will appreciate the same humor.

Maintenance Day

2008-04-20T21:06:00.004-05:00

Meet Your Host.... John aka Bomber

On Saturday, I went to a bike maintenance meet up hosted by a John from our bike group, Sport-Touring.net.. My bike did not need any work but I went to learn some basics from the group. My first lesson…. When replacing a clutch and someone hands you the directions to read, make sure you read EVERYTHING, including what is in the parentheses.

My next lesson…There is a difference between inch-pounds and foot-pounds in torque. I told the wrencher, Nate (see picture below) the number that it had to be adjusted too not knowing it was inches and I gave him foot pressure. When that happens, POP goes the head of a screw. Luckily John was able to modify another screw. Good learning lesson indeed. Hey, I never took a shop class in my life… and it shows.

Nate , owner and noob mechanic, much like myself.

(all pictures stolen from RedCBBRRider of STN)

General Lee - Yee-Hawwww!

2008-04-17T10:55:00.003-05:00

More Weather Coming

2008-04-11T10:16:00.002-05:00

I have a busy weekend planned including working a wedding as well as Bandit Brother Matt's daughter christening. In hindsight, I don't think I will miss any riding since we are suppose to get rain all weekend mixed with snow. Next week looks promising with sunny days in the 50's.

I can't wait to scrub in the new tires. Have a great weekend.

Two Thumbs Up for Southwest Moto Tires

2008-04-08T22:08:00.004-05:00

I usually don't post about a company that I do business with but I have to share this one. As stated in my last post, I bought new tires on Sunday for my bike. I have been looking around and researching different tires for a while now. At the end of the day, I bought what you see above, the Continental Road Attack.

I made the purchase, on-line, at Southwest Moto Tires. One of the selling points to me was the free shipping for two tires. I was afraid that the tire prices would be inflated (nyuck nyuck) to cover the shipping. Actually, it was just the opposite. Southwest Moto Tires had the best prices as well. This was a no-brainer.

When I came home tonight, to my surprise, I found my new purchase sitting outside the door. I couldn't believe it. It was just 48 hours ago that I made the purchase and remind you, it was free shipping.

Southwest Moto Tires, you have a customer for life. Good job!

Not so Full Moon

2008-04-07T20:36:00.005-05:00

Scotty checkin Seans new Pig... I meant HOG.
(picture stolen from http://www.the-continuum.org/)

Bandit Brother Matt and I were able to sneak away for a quick ride Sunday morning. It was one of the first real nice days we had with weather breaking the 60's. We went to the usual stompin' grounds at the Full Moon. I was surprised that there was not a higher turn out but an unusual amount of BMW's.

The above picture has two of my ex-coworkers Scotty and Sean. Sean traded in his sport bike for a Sportser. I don't get it. I am still scratching my head. I really hope your girlfriend is worth it even though there is not a spot for her to ride on( it has a solo seat for now). Hey Sean, hope you like lookin at my tail lights.

Since we were short on time, I talked Matt into Fratellos at 12 and 120. On the way there, we hit a lot of Sunday drivers. It would not be so bad but people driving way under the speed limit. That was a little annoying.

Other then that, I bought some new tires since I have a flat bald spot on the front. Decided to go with the Contintenal Road Attacks. Lookin forward for the shipment. I will let you know how they are after I break them in.

PS
Weather calls for rain, mix with snow this week. Blah!

I Sold the Bike - Not April Fools Joke

2008-04-02T16:13:00.003-05:00

Good Bye You Titleless SOB

As the picture gives it away, I did sell a motorcycle today but it was not the Bandit (are you crazy?) I bought this bike last summer in hopes of getting it to run. There was a little snag in this bike. There was no title. It was a bit harder to get a new one then I thought.

When it came down to it, it was not worth the headaches. The good news is that I did make some money on the deal.

Lesson learned, don't buy a motorcycle (no matter how cheap) unless it has a title.

Pizza Pizza

2008-03-31T06:37:00.005-05:00

Pizza!! Pizza!!

On Saturday night, Matt and I went to another Sport-Touring.net party. This one was five minutes away so we kind of feel obligated to make an appearance. OK, who are we kidding. Pizza is involved.

The original plan was to ride the bikes, naturally. I was able to get out during the day but Matt was not so lucky. He thought it would be fun to drop key parts off the bike and let it go missing. I am kidding Matt but you know you were going to get a ribbing. Lets so hope we can find those missing parts.

This was the scene at the house. I did not get an actual count but it was another good turnout.

Meet Breadman on the left. Vickie, our hostess is on the right. Breadman is a character. If this guy had his own show, he would be on between Everybody Loves Raymond and the King of Queens. Oh, and this guy loves bacon. I think if he could bathe in it, he would. Good to meet you Breadman. Can't wait to ride with you this year.

On a side note..... Coming home from Waukegan on Saturday, I notice my front turn signal is flopping in the wind. My first thought was that the nuts came off the bolt since I just replaced it last year. I get home to inspect it and I find that the housing is cracked. It was not that way when I left the house. The only thing I can chalk it up to was someone was jacking with it and punched down the signal. Currently, I have some black electrical tape holding it place. I wish I caught the culprit. I don't think it would have been a pretty site.

First Ride of the Season

2008-03-26T23:06:00.002-05:00

Mark it down. It's March 25th and I got the first ride of the season out of the way. It was in the low 30's when I left this morning for work but somewhere near 50 on the way home

Today's ride has been highly anticipated. It has been my hell week at work and needed an adrenaline rush. There is no feeling like opening the throttle of my Bandit and just letting it roar. I have to admit. Coming home from work, there was an unusual amount of traffic on 120. It made it difficult to have any fun if you know what I mean.

In the off season, I bought some new riding pants. One of the better investments that I made. My legs were a bit warmer then I intended. I plan on taking the liner out once we get into the 50's.

I am looking forward to this season. Hope to see new places and ..... and check out a few dives along the way.

Safe riding everyone!

More Fricken Snow

2008-03-20T06:16:00.002-05:00

As I told my Dad yesterday, this blog is pretty much seasonal so sorry for the lack of posts.

If you own a motorcycle in the Midwest, it is guarantee that you will be storing it away for obvious reasons. Although I did start the bike up last week and literally rode around the block a few times, the bike will have to stay in the garage a bit longer. I saw the following on another local blog. I think she feels the same way. More snow...WTF!

Winter Storm Watch
------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------
Issued by the National Weather Service at 3:49 PM CDT on March 19, 2008

... Winter Storm Watch in effect from late Thursday night through
Friday evening...

The National Weather Service in Chicago has issued a Winter Storm
Watch... which is in effect from late Thursday night through
Friday evening.

Snow is expected to overspread the area after midnight Thursday
night and continue through the day Friday before diminishing early
Friday evening. There is a potential for storm total snowfall
accumulations of around 6 inches from late Thursday night through
early Friday evening... with a potential for some higher amounts.

A Winter Storm Watch means there is a potential for significant
snow... sleet... or ice accumulations that may impact travel.
Continue to monitor the latest forecasts.

Annual International Bike Show

2008-02-12T20:42:00.005-06:00

The Ducati 848. It just feels fast sitting on it.

Well folks. Long time no type. It is dead of winter. Snowing every other day here. I have not felt like posting since there is not much bike stuff going on...until now.

Last Saturday, Bandit Brother Matt, his friend Rich, and Rich's friend Jerry, along with with I, went to the annual bike show. Now that I have been riding for a year, I was looking forward to this years show. I figured I would be like a kid in a candy shop as far as buying some new goodies for the bike. I came away a bit disappointed.

Overall, I liked the show. The display bikes were good to check out and sit on, until Rich dropped one by accident. (he he, I had to throw that one in there). I think he only hurt his pride.

As far as merchandise goes, I did walk away with a new pair riding pants. Leather chaps with the ass cut out. OK, I am kidding. I did buy some mesh pants with added protective plates. The other big item that I wanted was a new pair riding boots. Unfortunately, no one carried boots to put over my tree stumps. The boots will have to wait. Matt and I might be checking out some area bike shops in the near future.

Here are a few pics from the show......

Welcome to the SHOW!

Matt checkin out the new Busa..Weeeeee

OCC's latest creation

My Favorite Bike from the show

Sweeney Floyd: The Dim-Wit Barber of Mayberry

2008-02-08T06:27:00.000-06:00

BMW Film - "The Hire" - Beat the Devil

2008-01-23T06:39:00.000-06:00

A couple of posts ago ( last nights post), I mentioned that I enjoyed the BMW short films. The one posted here is one of my favorites. It has music, the prince of Darkness, and a cameo at the end of another prince of darkness.........oh and a drag race on the strip in Vegas. Enjoy......

Hey Matt, OCC is Calling You

2008-01-23T06:25:00.001-06:00

The Teutuls

If you have always wanted to work for Orange County Choppers, now may be your chance as they are looking for two different types of people to come work for them:

CNC Programmer / Machinist

OCC has an immediate opening for a qualified candidate who would be responsible for the following:

* Experienced on HAAS mills and lathes
* Programming experience using Mastercam Version 9 or higher. 3D experience a plus.
* Manual machine shop skills Mill/Lathe
* Waterjet experience a plus

“Master Bike Assembler” OCC has an immediate opening for a qualified candidate who would be responsible for the following:

* Final Assembly of Bike- must be able to assemble a bike from the ground up

We are looking for a professional chopper builder. The candidate must have at least 2 years of experience in the chopper industry. Prior work at other chopper shops a plus. Serious inquiries only please. Benefits and 401K available. Chance for advancement.

Please e-mail or send resume and if available pictures of previous work to the following:

Orange County Choppers
10 Factory Street
Montgomery, NY 10958

Or

mechanicresume@orangecountychoppers.com

Source: www.orangecountychoppers.com

Movie With A Twist: Morning Fall

2008-01-22T23:28:00.000-06:00

Online Videos by Veoh.com

I came across this movie on a motorcycle forum (STN) last night. It is less then 8 minutes but worth watching. It's one of those movies where you don't see the ending coming.

I have to note that I really like watching short films in general. The ones that keep you guessing. If anyone remembers the BMW short clips, you will appreciate this.

Meet the New Store, Same As the Old Store: My Trip to Lowe's

2008-01-15T08:57:00.000-06:00

This is not the Gurnee store but you get the idea....

This past weekend, the new Lowe's in Gurnee quietly opened. I say quiely because there was a small write in the paper about opening weekend. Plus as you pull into the parking lot, they still had old signs that stated "Opening Soon".

I admit that I was excited for a new hardware store I have always heard good things about Lowes. I was not sure what to expect but I had high expectations.

As I walked into the store, and went down the main front aisle, it quickly came to me. This is the same exact layout as the other local Home Depots. Where Home Depot's primary color is Orange, Lowes is dark blue. I couldn't believe it, it was almost identical. To me, the only thing that stood out was that the power tools were located in the front of the store. I am guessing for better visibility and security reasons.

I think Lowe's will be good for the local competition (Mendards, ACE, Home Depot). If you are looking for a particular product, Lowe's will give you the vendors that the other don't. This also gives you the alternative for bargain hunting. At the end of the day, it is what it is, a home improvement center, not Disney World.

Lesbian Gang Coming To A Town Near You

2008-01-09T17:50:00.000-06:00

Now just because this is a motorcycle blog, we can't assume that all gangs are biker gangs. The story was covered on Bill O'Reilly. It looks like these hoodlum gangs, that are made up of lesbians, are starting to pop up on the east coast. I just don't want to run into these girls when it's that time of the month.

Random Pic

2008-01-08T06:21:00.001-06:00

This was taken from the STN site. One of my more favorite recent images. The picture was taken last Saturday while riding hwy 25 in central California by "eye.surgeon"

It's January in Chicago. Break out the Swim Suits

2008-01-07T08:03:00.000-06:00

Normally, the above image would be typical for January in Chicago. It would be cold, a decent amount of snow on the ground and dreaming for salt free roads to ride on. The weather was recorded at a record high of 61 in the Windy City yesterday. We are expecting the same temps today as well. Although I did not ride yesterday, I did manage to get the bike out for a quick wash.

The above picture was taken from http://blogs.motorbiker.org. The rest of the caption read as, "A parked motorcycle is covered in snow in Bucharest January 3, 2008. Heavy snow blanketed Romania and Bulgaria on Thursday, cutting power to hundreds of towns and villages, blocking roads and forcing Bucharest's two airports and some Black Sea ports to close. REUTERS/Mihai Barbu (ROMANIA)"

STN Pizza Meet

2008-01-06T09:10:00.000-06:00

Last night, Bandit Brother Matt and I met up at Lou Malnati's in Buffalo Grove for the annual Sport-Touring.net (aka STN) winter meet up.

How about a piece of pie? Lou's is one of Chicago's world famous pizzerias.

This is one of our "hard core" riders. Rumor is this is his only mode of transportation. Way to get America green.

(pictures stolen from DavidLSI)

New Addition to the Family

2007-11-18T08:53:00.000-06:00

2002 Yamaha V Start 1100 Classic

My father in law, Daryl, traded in his Harley Sporter for the bike you see above. We did end back up at Lake Shore Harley, where is bought his last bike, but came home with a Yamaha.

Daryl's major complaint of the Sportser was that he was too cramped for him and he needs to stretch his legs out. I think he made a good choice. If he were to buy this same style bike in a Harley, he would have to spend another $10k. Congrats Dad!

Random Pic of the Week

2007-11-07T07:06:00.001-06:00

From Killboy.com

New Ducati Unveiled

2007-11-06T21:59:00.000-06:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, the 848!

Check out Bikes In the Fast Lane for more pics and news....