Todays thrilling episode...who was that masked man.

Today was another cold one. I got up late and the pups told me about it. As I let them out I noticed that it had rained last night. Glad the temperature hadn't gotten way down last night.
This was going to be a "real" morning. I discovered that I was out of coffee. Cold and no coffee... That wouldn't do. I finished dressing, got the pups in and headed out to the nearest store.
It really didn't seem too bad once I got out. There wasn't any wind and I figured what the heck, jumped on the bike and fired it up.
While I warmed up the bike I heard the sound of another bike coming and saw another bike down on the road go by. It was a couple and they seemed to be doing OK. Now convinced that it wasn't too cold to ride I plowed down my drive.
The first couple of hundred yards wasn't bad at all. As soon as I hit speed I began to change my mind and seriously thought about turning back. The wind chill had brought the temperature down to at least the middle teens. As I was starting to really decide to turn around I saw the big sign for the Conoco station pop up. I decided that I could tough it out and cranked on the throttle and hit 70 then let it just the bike wind itself down as I come into town. Pulling into the Conoco station I noticed that a couple of people looked me over real good. They had this look to them like they knew I wasn't playing with a full deck. Oh well, There was coffee inside and they could just live with it. Once inside I headed over and got a cup of hot coffee and sipped it continuously until it was gone. Now, slightly warmer I got another cup and took a little more time with it.
The girl at the counter has known me for years and just shook her head at me and with a little laugh said "who you tryin to impress"? I chuckle at hearing this and said "everybody".
After a couple or four cups of coffee and a cheese danish. I was ready to go and do battle once again. Filling up a couple of large cups with coffee for the road I settled up. Heading for the door I noticed the bike that I had seen earlier pull in. The riders were frozen! Thinking real fast I stepped out, nodded and handed a cup to each. Turning back to the store I got another couple of cups to go and told the girl to be easy on them when they come in. I walked out to my bike and tied on the coffee and gave her a gentle kick to life and eased out on to Highway45. Thinking that it was the same distance home no mater which way I went I opted to ride up through the Jay sub division and let some of my buddies see that I was out and riding. Also it would be a slower ride and therefore less cold.
Pulling back in at the house I noticed that my Little Republican Quartet were all in the window looking at me. I like them even more this morning as they didn't look at me like I had lost good sense. Setting the coffee in the microwave and thinking that I need to shower and all that I looked around at my pups and they all looked at me as if to say "ahemmm, you forgettin something?" I kind of laughed and fished them out a treat.
After getting all my normal morning routine back on schedule I thought I'd jump in the car and go get a few groceries. The Grocery store was it's usual and I loaded up and headed back to the house. As I came into town I noticed that I needed some gas and slid in to the Conoco station and topped off. When I went in to pay the girl at the counter started laughing. This was the same girl from earlier and my coffee run. Thinking I had left my zipper down or something else like that I asked here "what"?
She told me that the couple on the bike from earlier had finally gotten off their bike and came in to warm up and got another cup of coffee. She said that they were from Fayetteville and confessed that they weren't cold weather riders. They also said that they had seen me riding the other day, That they had followed me over to Springdale, and figured that if I could ride without a windshield then they could with one. According the clerk the woman said "boy was we wrong!"
They stood around for a while and finally started zipping back up and getting ready to head home when they both asked at the same time. Who was that guy on the bike that gave us the coffee? The clerk said it struck her as being too funny and she drew a blank. Finally, she told me that it just sorta popped into her head and she said nobody knows who he is. He's the "Lonesome stranger". She also said that a few of the locals were in there and it was all they could do to keep from cracking up as they laid a business card on the counter asking her to give it to me. She handed me their card and really busted up laughing. I paid for my gas and picked up the card and headed out.
At least they had the stuff to get out and try. Think Ill give it a few days and give them a call. Maybe on a warmer weekend?
Looks like I'm going to have to get some chrome head bolts to leave behind.
Hope to catch ya on the road

Bikes, Blues & Barbeque 08

Proud Member Of The 365 Group
(I rode mine today)


The 9th annual Bikes, Blues and Bar b que officially started today.
From all over towns in North West Arkansas people rolled out of jobs, schools and other assorted interests early to be a part of the biggest party of the year.
Dickson street in Fayetteville was host to a bike rally along the lines of Laconia and Sturgis. It has been said that this particular rally was the 5th major Motorcycle Rally in the United States.

As I headed out toward Dickson street I was impressed by the number of motorcycles I saw on the road. At every little stop I was having to wait to get out into traffic. Group after group of bikes were thundering in to the point that even rural two lane roads had taken on the look and feel of crowded city traffic. I finally got on the road and hammered toward Fayetteville falling in with a group with Texas tags. Most of these bikes were loaded down with camping gear and it looked like they were just getting to the area. I had an easy ten miles into town and left the Texas bikes at North street, where map quest had told them to turn and hit Highway 71, and ran on up to Dickson. Since this was the first day there wasn’t as much going on as I had hoped there would be. I rode down and found a parking space just across the tracks and felt real lucky. Last year I couldn’t get this close at anytime. Looking down Dickson street I estimated that there a Thousand or more bikes. Parked and running around. The rumble of big v twins filled the air like smoke in a closed room. Everywhere you looked there was a bike, mostly Harleys, and most of them were making some noise. The riders were taking the opportunity to rap em off legally and that’s what you heard. Even the sport bike riders were winding theirs up. Several times I expected to here one go thump from being over taxed. Before the weekend was over I would witness a couple do just that..
I started down the street with the intention of photographing as many bikes and riders as I could. This was compounded by the sheer numbers of people that were on the street. Most appeared to be local and they jammed the side walks to the point I couldn’t even stop and take a picture. I tried walking in the street and doing it that way until a cop ahead of me told some people they had to stay on the sidewalk. Not wanting to start off with an argument with the cops I looked for other ways to get a few shots. Most of the

pictures I took were quick snaps so they aren’t as good as they could be.
Most of the venders had their tents set up or were putting the finish on them as I made my way through the different areas. I saw lots of leather, jewelry and patches. Most every tent had similar stuff to sell. One tent that I stopped at was operated by an oriental man that razzed me about carrying two cell phones. He said “your as important as me”. We chatted for a few minutes and when he found out that I lived in the area and had just ridden up he showed me a box of pins that he was selling that said “I RODE MINE FAYETTEVILLE ARKANSAS RALLY 2008”. I bought one. Since I really didn’t need anything The vender tents were fun to look through but that was about all. Lots of people were buying and that’s what they are there for.

I crossed the street and started making my way back to my bike. I figured I’d make an early night and hit it again tomorrow when things were running a little better. Everything reminded me of a Carnival that had just opened in a big hurry before the customers got away. As I eased down the street I saw that each of the clubs that I passed had live entertainment and a few of these guys were really good. It took me a lot longer to make my way back as I found that I was stopping and listening to some really good blues and southern rock. At what used to be our hang out during this rally there were a couple of guys that really were worth just hanging around and listening to. One of the bouncers that knew me told me that they usually put on a good show . I think these guys would be worth going back on a normal weekend to see.
For all the hype about Barbeque I didn’t find any at any of the food trailers. But as I said earlier a lot of them were just getting set up. Being hungry for some barbeque I decided to go and get some real GOOD barbeque and when I finally got to my bike Penguin Ed’s was on my mind. This is a total plug for Ed’s!! Best barbeque in town. While I was getting my camera stowed away a couple of couples came by and asked if I was leaving as the party according to them was just getting started. I told them that I was a local and I was hungry for some barbeque and going to the best in town. After a few seconds of discussion they asked how to get there. I told them and they moved on. Finally I was able to get into traffic and while sitting and waiting on the light to change everyone started reving their engines up. It started like a wave and continued to grow. Most had rev limiters on them but one poor soul kept taxing his shovel head and then it happened. A loud THUMP! Smoke and what looked like oil started coming out the pipes. When the light changed and we started up Dickson St. his bike seemed to be out of power. I went on up into residential Dickson St. as fast as the cops, crowds and other bikes would allow, heading to mission and Penguin Ed’s

As I pulled into Ed’s I saw a few bikes in the lot and that the place was packed. Seems everybody else had the same idea. I got my order and had a great, as usual, meal. just as I was finishing I heard the thumping of a Harley pulling in. One of the couples I had talked to earlier about Ed’s had decided to try it. About half way through their meal the wife called over a thanks for telling them about the place. Hey! It’s the best barbeque in town. My ride home was great! Not too much traffic and cool. The only draw back was after coming off the mountain. Wet ground fog. By the time I got home I was cold and wet. All in all it was still a great ride.

This year I noticed a lot more women riding in by themselves a few that I spoke with said things like their husband-boyfriend wanted to check out something else and was meeting them later for b, b & bbq later that afternoon or in the week. I also noticed through out the entire event that women were doing more by themselves riding and the men were either riding along or absent altogether. Quite a change from years past as heard several people say. Another thing that caught my attention was what appeared to be new riders. There has been a rumor around that people were renting Harleys for area dealers just for this event. From the looks of several that I saw it looked as if the rumor might be true. Brand new still creased leathers and a bright shiny new looking Harley . Most looked like 883 sportsters. The riders were out in traffic with an unsuredness of someone just starting out. I think that if I were going to try something like that I would pick lighter traffic routes. But they were out in the heaviest traffic of the day. Also there were more and more late running strays. People with a motor home and a trailer with there bike. The few that I spoke to said that they had taken their vacation and due to time constraints this was their only option as motels had filled up quick.

Thursday…
I had wanted to get an early start but as usual it didn’t happen. I had wanted to take a few roadside shots along the way in but there weren’t any and I ended up just riding around and ended up just outside Joplin Mo. As I was gassing up it donned on me that I had gotten comfortable and had been following the “herd“. As I chuckled to myself I noticed another “herd” heading back toward home. So I fell in and had a good ride back

Dickson St. was lively when I got there. I couldn’t shake how this year it reminded me more of a state fair midway than a bike rally. People were everywhere and all were crowding for space. Mostly the crowds looked like locals that had come down to be part of the action. Since I didn’t have anyone to party with, I just spent my time hopping from club to club and checking out the live music. Some of these had hired groups that were very good. Others were kind of middle of the road. I did notice at each of these clubs people would come in and drink and whoop and holler for a few minutes then they would pick up and leave. Another group would move in and they would whoop and holler. Just like shift work at a large factory. As I crossed by one of the small bars there was a man with a loud speaker, preaching about the sinning that was going on during this rally. He made some points and I was reminded of the Hank Williams Jr. song “a country boy can survive”. The lines “the preacher man says it’s the end of time”. and “you only get mugged if you go down town”. I didn’t see anyone get mugged but I did see the local police take a man out of the crowds and put him into a patrol car and head him to jail. No one seemed to know what he had done.
As I walked around through this entire event, all four nights, but especially on Friday night. I saw several prime specimens of IDKW’s (I don’t know what) Purple hair, Butt cracks and a guy that I heard someone call Elmer that was wearing a full length evening gown. It was just an assortment of oddities. Seemed like each crowd that came through had some. Wondering about this and how it was so out of theme for a bike rally it suddenly fell into place. Nothing new for some. This was the only drag on a Friday night in a small college town. The hundreds of bikes were just an added extra. Spice as it were to an average Friday night.

For all the hype about Barbeque I couldn’t find any on the street. Lots of the lunch wagons were selling all kinds of fast food but I didn’t see anything that I considered barbeque. I wasn’t able to get over to the Big Barbeque contest so I looked for someone selling it on Dickson St. More than likely there were some selling barbeque…I just found only Turkey legs and Hot dogs and Hamburgers. All of which were moving at an alarming pace. For a while Bud spent some time with me and as we walked around we only found Nacho’s. They were good as I was hungry and getting into one of the bars or small cafés or Beer gardens was out of the question due to the crowds. So it’s NACHO’S that got my vote. During most of the time I spent on Dickson St. I walked around and looked over the bikes. That was my main interest and I could really indulge myself. If you like to see what’s out there I highly recommend that you take an afternoon at one of these rally’s and get out and look. I saw every imaginable kind of motorcycle from Harley - Davidson to homemade customs. Some were the very high dollar customs and some were obviously put together without harming bank accounts or credit cards or car washes utilizing duct tape and rattle can paint jobs. Those are my particular favorites. They appear to be daily riders. Ones that you don’t worry about getting dirty or scratched or whatever. Nothing against the high dollar customs but deep down I thing you have a little nagging fear of something happening to that $10,000.00 paint job. Some people call them Rats. Others call them Dailies. I could be a little biased as mine fit’s the Daily category. But, I ride mine everyday. It was such an experience that at times I found myself forgetting to take pictures. Like I said, it’s something every person that is interested in Motorcycles should do. This Rally got my vote. It’s a time for the gathering of the all those with a kinsmen like interest in motorcycles. A time to meet old friends and make new ones. To see new products and pick up new ideas. I’m looking forward to next year and number 10. I hope to do a better job getting pictures and seeing all that there is. I’ll note here that I didn’t see any of the famous bike clubs or any trouble of any kind that people always associate with these gathering. It was a big party where everyone I saw was having a good time.
Total mileage 310
Hope to see ya on the road

Shake down ride.

29 August 2008

Today started out hot with a thunderstorm rolling in. A quick look at the sky suggested that I would be riding ahead of the storm. So I didn't get in too much of a hurry as I made last minute adjustments to my ride.

This was going to be a shake down run, not too far from home but enough to see if the repairs and modifications would hold up. I had been having a real rough running time the last couple of days and ended up putting everything back to original factory settings. I had built a new exhaust system and seemed to be experiencing a little vibration that I couldn't seen to locate a reason for. So this would be a short but thorough run over the mountains.

I topped off my tank at the one stop and left out the acetone. I figured to run a hundred or so miles on plain gas and see if I noticed any difference at the factory tune up setting.

I got out into traffic that was surprisingly heavy for a Friday morning and settled into a smooth 55 mph. It seemed to be purring perfectly for the first 10 miles. As I got on to Hwy 412 and headed east traffic thinned out and I had the opportunity to open the old twin up a little. I was pleased at the engines performance at a wide variety of speeds. I guess that maybe I was trying to get a little too much out of a stock ride. I was really beginning to like this new ride sensation. Factory settings, who'd of thought...? One of the best non factory parts of trip is the Glass packs. They are for a small car or truck. The sound is awesome and I really enjoyed it all throughout this ride. (I'm also sure everyone in earshot did too) That is also one of the best things about a twin, V or side by side, they always sound good.

About 30 miles down 412 a light raid started. I pulled over at a small gas station figuring to put on the pants for my rain suit as they are hard enough to put on when it isn't raining. As I rolled in I noticed a Vrod and slid up beside it. It's owner was coming out of the store and asked if the rain was any lighter behind me. His name was John and he seemed relieved when I told him I hadn't had any rain until I got to this store. John said he had ridden through heavy rains in a couple of places that was so hard that he couldn't see. John was from Houston TX and had been riding around Arkansas for the last week. Now, on his way back home he was hoping to go back through Oklahoma and miss the worst part of the storm. I got into my rain gear and wished him well and we took off. For the next 40 miles I rode through light rain and cool damp air. Man! It was nice.

Since I was close I stopped off and had a bite to eat with my mom and visited a couple of hours.

Before I pulled out I had looked over a website that had indicated a big bike rally at the Hub. So I headed in that general direction. The Hub is Is Bike oriented Motel and convention center with a really good restaurant called scooters. I rolled in to the Hub in the early afternoon and realized that I had either read the website wrong or someone had mixed up the dates. The big rally was no where in sight. However, the Free Masons were having their international ride in. There was about 70 or eighty bikes around the motel and the restaurant was full. These riders, The Free Masons, were a good bunch of people from several walks of like. Just about all of them I came in contact with stopped to talk a little and offer a handshake. This atmosphere made the wait for something to eat a pleasant wait. While waiting I had another nice surprise, my niece Katy came through and I found that she is working at the restaurant until she leaves for school.

The food was good, as always and the added plus of my niece sitting with me and of course a room full of bikers made this one of the better meals of my life.
After eating I visited with the Hubs owner and found out what was planned for the next couple of weekends and decided to head out. As I headed over the hill on Hwy 7 spur I couldn't resist, I let the engine hold back in third gear all the way down. Just to make sure everyone got to benefit from my nice old truck sound. I hit Hwy 7 and back to Jasper, topped off my tank and made a slow lazy climb up the mountain. The Newton County Fair was going on and I stopped in for a quick look around. I saw a few old friends that I hadn't seen in years and visited and caught up a little. I had planned on heading towards Clarksville to spend the night but I guess homesickness took over so I headed back to my place at Deer and visited with the family and got a good nights sleep.
30 August 2008
I had a quick breakfast with mom and visited with my brother and pulled out. There was NO traffic on hwy16 and that always amazes me. I let the hammer down on my old twin and started putting miles on. The bike was running better it seemed than it had yesterday. I floated down the road for about 20 miles and came up on a couple on a big Suzuki cruiser. They seemed to be slowly taking in the area and I zipped by with a wave. Over on the Boxley mountain I fell in behind a group of riders that were riding in the herd.Going along slowly. They were 10 of them riding all different kinds of big tourers and cruisers. I'm not knocking them but they would speed up for a mile or so and then slow down. This got old after 12 miles. When we got to Kingston I pulled over and let them get about 20 minutes ahead of me. That worked for a little while. I ended up following them to Huntsville where they headed for Eureka Springs. the rest of my little ride was nice and moved along smoothly. I got back home in time to help the son put new tires on his bike. Really, could it get any better?
Total of 284 miles. The repairs held nicely.
Next weekend if the Guard doesnt send the son to do Hurricane relief we are planning on hitting the big bike ralley at dogpatch @ The Hub.
Proud Member of the 365 Group.
(I rode mine today)