Proud Member of The 365 Group
(I rode mine today)
This weekend has turned off cooler than the weather channel had said it would.. But for early spring it's not too bad. I had another Doctor visit on Friday over at Jasper and I figured that I do it and spend the night with my mother and maybe work on my brothers bike. It quit running on him and he doesn't have time to go through it and figure it out. It was a real good day for riding about 55 degrees, bright and sunny. I thought that I'd probably see a few bikes on the road since the weather was so nice. I guess everyone was working, I only saw one other bike during the 110 mile trip over to Jasper and none from Jasper to Deer and my brothers. (All along this ride the roads were in good shape. No bad spots and no construction.)
As it worked out my brother was busy on the farm and we didn't get to put any time into his Suzuki so we made a tentative date for next weekend to get into it. I did some of the minor maintenance on mine and had a good visit with my mother.
Saturday morning I got a late start on getting out of bed and had to scrap some plans I had to check out some of the back roads in the areas. I have been planning on running some of them so when people ask me about riding in the area I can add a little extra scenery to their trip. Maybe next weekend?
My trip back was a great one! I gassed up at Deer at Claborns grocery and had a good visit with Cheryl. While I was chatting I noticed about 80 or so Sport bikes tool by. Riders out enjoying the curves in the areas. If you like curves and two lanes this is one place to check out. One thing I like about this station is they are currently cheaper on gas than anyone around home. This will change no doubt but it was nice. It's also a nice laid back little store located just about right from the Fayetteville area. Your close to about ready to get off and have a coke when you roll in.
after visiting with Cheryl I headed out for home and it was a stark contrast to the day before. Bikes all over the road. It was warmer too so that no doubt brought out a few more. Most were double up riding. My old scooter was just humming right along. I think I've almost got it all back like it should be. At 70 mph it seemed to just float along. Hopefully before long I can get a day or two to finish up. (Starter motor and carburetors. )
I made good time coming home. Roughly an hour. One of those trips that ends so fast that you wish it hadn't because everything was going so well. Ahhh well only 187 miles total but they were sweet.
I did get to spend some time in the shop after I got home. My new starter for my Yamaha came in and I put it on. I'm almost done with the repairs on it and I am ready to ride it again. Should be finished with it next weekend. I also managed to get my son Bud's ride out and put a few miles on it to change the gas so to speak. Bud is in the guard and deployed so i have been trying to keep it loosened up so he wont have to do anything when he gets in other than ride.
I had a banner of a day yesterday... I visited with a couple of people that has old bike junk yards and found a petcock for my wife's. While I was fooling with my Yamaha she put it on and looks like hers is done. Now she can hit the road when she gets in the mood.
My winter time to do list is getting smaller. With Gods help and Luther's friendship I'll accomplish it all before next winter rolls around.
Now if I can just get the son home for any length of time. We got a riding/fishing trip planned.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008
First trip of the year
Proud member of the 365 group
(I rode mine today)
I took my first trip of this year this past week. I had a doctors appointment in a couple of nearby towns so I combined them and made one three day trip.
The weather was perfect for riding, although I didn't see any other bikes on the road. Lightly cool when I started out and turned to down right warm as the days wore on.
My first stop was Harrison. About 80 miles down hwy 412. Over the last couple of years this stretch of road had been under construction and was slow in places. Now it's mostly back to normal and I made good time. (About an hour and a half.) While I was in Harrison I met some people that said they were riders and had a lot of questions about Bikes, Blues & Bar B Que. I tend to get that alot. People all over seem to be interested in B,B&BBQ. I have developed a standard answer for them when they ask about the different attractions. I tell them, "You need to come and see". B,B&BBQ has steadily gotten bigger each year in all areas from food to manufacturers and is worth getting out to see.
After my Doctor visit in Harrison I pulled out for Conway down hwy 65 and just got lost in the ride. Hwy 65 is kind of fast paced like it wants to grow up and be an interstate or something. Lots of traffic and not too much road work going on. It was a nice ride and I made good time for just taking my time. I managed to get through with the Doctor by about 2pm and went out to grab something to eat a Sonic. Now a sonic drive in on a motorcycle is a sure fire grin producer. The girl that brought my burger out said that I was the first bike she had ever waited on. While I was munching my burger a group of younger local guys drove by slowly and finally circled and started asking questions about my "Dodge". All of them said that they owned bikes, mostly Harley's and although I didn't ask, had reasons why they weren't riding. One of the main questions I hear about my bike is "how old is it"? When I tell folks that it's 31 years old they kind of take another look at it. Usually that is followed by "you rode that all that way"? Then usually all kinds of questions about wasn't I worried break downs and how does it run. Most people now a days only know of the newer sport bikes and the chopper type V twins. Most are younger and weren't around when this model was the sport bike of the day. It does tickle me to see their reactions when they see an old 70's bobber style beater that's still running strong.
I pulled out of Conway and headed back up 65 in a lazy fashion. The evening was warm and I was headed over to my place in Deer to spend the night. Everything felt good as I buzzed up the road. The rest of my trip over to Deer was the kind of ride you always hope for. Just a comfortable uneventful ride. This is the perfect time of year to be getting out and taking trips, long or short. I highly recommend it.
All total I got in almost 400 miles and had a blast.
Hope to see ya on the road.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
A friend, a real rider
The last few days have been a trip. The weather has been so erratic that you just didn't know what to try and plan for. Sunny and 70's one day and cooler and heavy rains the next. There has been lots of flooding in my area and lots of people saying over and over that they are "tried of this *%#$".
The riding has been good for me. The warmer days work wonders on my arthritis and all that and it even brings out some unexpected fun.
I have a friend that has a 1972 Harley Sportster that he hardly ever rides. I tease him a bunch about it and the not riding. The truth of it all is he is so over worked that he just doesn't have anytime to get out and do any. However he jumps up and surprises ya once in a while. One of the warm days this past week he rode in and it worked out where we took a little time to go to a parts house close by to get him a head light bulb. In the process of leaving the parts house his bike started dumping out oil. Lots of oil!! Seems that a check valve was sticking and as the engine got warmer serious amounts of oil began flowing out on the pavement. Funny thing is that after much grunting and groaning and warming up it just stopped.
After we got back to work it had quit leaking altogether. I wrote it off as one of those thing that happens when your engine is cold. We were both convinced what the problem was and that it was an easy fix over a beer on a weekend to come and decided to grab a burger on the way home and went on back to work.
When the day finally ended I tooled around back to wait thinking we'd leave together and maybe miss some of the traffic. All was going good until he fired up and the oil started flowing again. This time it didn't quit after it warmed up and it looked like a serious problem was in the making. Now here is the deal about a (in my opinion) real rider. He seemed to know just what he needed to do to correct his problem and after listening to him, hey, he convinced me. And we got started.This check valve needed a real side of the road cleaning. So that's just what happened. We put together what tools we had and started to take everything apart. Once we got it all apart and looked it over it was apparent the there was some trash in the system. After cleaning it out and putting it all back together It fired up and cleaned out in a couple of seconds.
The ride to the burger place was a good one. Like most, just didn't last long enough. But hey, you get a ride wherever you can.
As I said before,in my opinion, a real rider is one of those that has a good knowledge of his bike and is willing to tackle a problem beside the road. I truly enjoy riding with guys and gals that, like myself ride a machine that you can actually still work on and aren't afraid to get into them when necessary. Most of the newer bikes are all computerised and there is very little that you can do yourself if you have a problem. Everyone says now days that they are just like a car and you don't have any problems any more. That worries me when I start thinking about taking a trip. "your in the bad lands some where and you develop a hiccup. How do you reboot"?
I like the fact that mine still uses carburetors, that I can stick a screw driver in and peak if the climate changes, that it still has a kick starter for those times that your battery turns up dead. The pros in my opinion for the older bikes goes on and on. Next time You see me just ask and I'll tell you all about it.
Well the temperature here has finally gotten to 50 today and I gotta head for the shop and put on a starter motor for those times the lazy streak in me comes out.
Note: No car washes or Credit cards were harmed during this adventure
The riding has been good for me. The warmer days work wonders on my arthritis and all that and it even brings out some unexpected fun.
I have a friend that has a 1972 Harley Sportster that he hardly ever rides. I tease him a bunch about it and the not riding. The truth of it all is he is so over worked that he just doesn't have anytime to get out and do any. However he jumps up and surprises ya once in a while. One of the warm days this past week he rode in and it worked out where we took a little time to go to a parts house close by to get him a head light bulb. In the process of leaving the parts house his bike started dumping out oil. Lots of oil!! Seems that a check valve was sticking and as the engine got warmer serious amounts of oil began flowing out on the pavement. Funny thing is that after much grunting and groaning and warming up it just stopped.
After we got back to work it had quit leaking altogether. I wrote it off as one of those thing that happens when your engine is cold. We were both convinced what the problem was and that it was an easy fix over a beer on a weekend to come and decided to grab a burger on the way home and went on back to work.
When the day finally ended I tooled around back to wait thinking we'd leave together and maybe miss some of the traffic. All was going good until he fired up and the oil started flowing again. This time it didn't quit after it warmed up and it looked like a serious problem was in the making. Now here is the deal about a (in my opinion) real rider. He seemed to know just what he needed to do to correct his problem and after listening to him, hey, he convinced me. And we got started.This check valve needed a real side of the road cleaning. So that's just what happened. We put together what tools we had and started to take everything apart. Once we got it all apart and looked it over it was apparent the there was some trash in the system. After cleaning it out and putting it all back together It fired up and cleaned out in a couple of seconds.
The ride to the burger place was a good one. Like most, just didn't last long enough. But hey, you get a ride wherever you can.
As I said before,in my opinion, a real rider is one of those that has a good knowledge of his bike and is willing to tackle a problem beside the road. I truly enjoy riding with guys and gals that, like myself ride a machine that you can actually still work on and aren't afraid to get into them when necessary. Most of the newer bikes are all computerised and there is very little that you can do yourself if you have a problem. Everyone says now days that they are just like a car and you don't have any problems any more. That worries me when I start thinking about taking a trip. "your in the bad lands some where and you develop a hiccup. How do you reboot"?
I like the fact that mine still uses carburetors, that I can stick a screw driver in and peak if the climate changes, that it still has a kick starter for those times that your battery turns up dead. The pros in my opinion for the older bikes goes on and on. Next time You see me just ask and I'll tell you all about it.
Well the temperature here has finally gotten to 50 today and I gotta head for the shop and put on a starter motor for those times the lazy streak in me comes out.
Note: No car washes or Credit cards were harmed during this adventure
Sunday, April 6, 2008
The saga continues
The kid got some time off from the Guard and made the weekend a good one.
Many thanks to my good friend Luther for the use of tools and shop. Friends like you are a true blessing from God.
I finally got to get into the shop and do something constructive. I got started on a couple of projects and actually made some head way. I am hoping to have my wife's Bike (green '78 KZ 650) up and going sometime within the next week. She is starting to make noises about riding now that the weather is getting warmer. Not too much to do on hers. A new gas petcock and general tune up.
Mine on the other hand is a little bit more involved An 82 Virago that needs a starter. If you you know anything about the Virago line they were known for having a "weak" starter. If UPS don't let me down I should have everything by the end of the week and then it's just a matter of finding the time to bolt everything together.
Today was warm and like a mild summer day. Lots of riders out. I visited with a few and most were fair weather types but I did meet a couple of "hard cases" like myself and had a good time just shootin the breeze. That's one of the things I miss through the winter. Regular riders. But summer is a coming. This is a local that I know in passing. he's one of those that has been riding, like me, forever.
Many thanks to my good friend Luther for the use of tools and shop. Friends like you are a true blessing from God.
I finally got to get into the shop and do something constructive. I got started on a couple of projects and actually made some head way. I am hoping to have my wife's Bike (green '78 KZ 650) up and going sometime within the next week. She is starting to make noises about riding now that the weather is getting warmer. Not too much to do on hers. A new gas petcock and general tune up.
Mine on the other hand is a little bit more involved An 82 Virago that needs a starter. If you you know anything about the Virago line they were known for having a "weak" starter. If UPS don't let me down I should have everything by the end of the week and then it's just a matter of finding the time to bolt everything together.
Today was warm and like a mild summer day. Lots of riders out. I visited with a few and most were fair weather types but I did meet a couple of "hard cases" like myself and had a good time just shootin the breeze. That's one of the things I miss through the winter. Regular riders. But summer is a coming. This is a local that I know in passing. he's one of those that has been riding, like me, forever.
Bud Your bike is ready to be ridden. It faired better than the others.
I did manage to get in a few miles over the weekend. Weather was on again off again but it was still nice.
There is something about an older bike. One that isn't all automatic. Kick starter, headlight that you have to remember to turn on. Carburetors that don't automatically adjust...for some reason the ones you have to work on and know something about are more fun to just take off on. Also they seem to do OK if you just ride right on by that car wash.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
The 365 Group
I was asked today by a younger rider what the 365 group was. For those that don't know. The Group is a world wide group of people that ride enough of the year to be considered an all year round rider. One that rides no matter the weather or other influencing conditions. I tried to explain that it wasn't an organised group like some of the more famous bike clubs. It's kind of a loose nit honorary group. You become a member when other riders look at you as "one that rides all the time". I have met several members through out my riding life and usually they are people with similar views on most everything. One thing that stands out is the feeling that it isn't what you ride, but more that you ride. Any way, in a nut shell that's it. One more note. I maintain a roll of group members. If you would like to be carried on the rolls as a member contact me and we'll talk it over.
Today was a great day for local riding. I messed around until the morning traffic rush was done and then took the long way into town. What is normally a 15 to 20 minute trip took about an hour this morning. I got in around 85 miles around the lake and surrounding areas before I headed in to work. Truely a nicer way to start the day. The weather is so fickle right now that it's back to being cooler in the mornings and for me that is one of the best times to ride my old air cooled twin. Just seems to run better and I enjoy it more. As we get more into spring and summer I am making more of a trip of my local travels. Makes em more fun and not as drab when you can make a real ride out of going to the store for milk and bread.
I'm still trying to get a good full day or two in the shop. Got to get the wife and kids bike ready for the summer as well as my big bike. "Oh come on warmer weather".
"hope to see y'all on the road"
Today was a great day for local riding. I messed around until the morning traffic rush was done and then took the long way into town. What is normally a 15 to 20 minute trip took about an hour this morning. I got in around 85 miles around the lake and surrounding areas before I headed in to work. Truely a nicer way to start the day. The weather is so fickle right now that it's back to being cooler in the mornings and for me that is one of the best times to ride my old air cooled twin. Just seems to run better and I enjoy it more. As we get more into spring and summer I am making more of a trip of my local travels. Makes em more fun and not as drab when you can make a real ride out of going to the store for milk and bread.
I'm still trying to get a good full day or two in the shop. Got to get the wife and kids bike ready for the summer as well as my big bike. "Oh come on warmer weather".
"hope to see y'all on the road"
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