9-13-2017
Hwy. 412 or old Hwy. 68 bridge at Huntsville, Arkansas.
Out riding around taking pictures and generally just screwing off. I'm kind of interested in old bridges and buildings and this was in a great location for some night fishing and what have you. Spent the night and caught no fish. But it was still a really nice place.

9-5-2017
 (finally have the time to get back to this)
New rubber.
 Was in bad need of new tires for Biscuit. Made arrangements with Godfathers Powersports in Harrison, Ar. for what I needed. They got me in and out really quickly freeing me up to run around the country side with (sir) Hoedawg LLC. and his Mean Green machine... The guys at Godfathers are highly recommended.

It was a good short ride of around 250 miles.
catch ya on the road.

New ride

Every so often you run across a deal that just speaks to you.
  I had been interested in the 1100 V-Star for quite some time. Honestly don't know why, just was. I had been looking at Craigslist and other places, toying with the idea of buying one for a long time. As per my usual "wish book" method of operation I pulled up the local Craigslist. This time one of the ads jumped out at me. At a bike shop in a neighboring town was a V-Star. Looked like new. Low miles and a low price. Looking the ad over I decided it was at least worth a look.
 I rode over the next day and found it to be better that the ad described.

That started a lot of scheming in my mind and I started talking seriously with the shop guys about the bike. Seems they had had it for about a year with no one having any interest in it.
  Even though I had four motorcycles and really didnt need it, (thats what I said about Clementine) I bought it.

As it is it's just about good. It only has a couple of details that need a change. Smaller, less bulky fenders. Oil filter relocator and a different type of handle bars. It's big, heavy and a blast to ride. So far I'm happy.

"always seek the adventure."

catch ya on the road

10/9/14

  Gun running through the hills of Northwest Arkansas....

 

catch ya on the road

April 21, 2014

     My brother-in-law called and said he was riding up from Fort Worth to visit mom.  He has a newer Harley-Bago that he was itching to get out and ride.  Sounded good to me and I arranged to take the coming Friday off to go down and visit.

     My ride over was a good one.  The temps are getting warmer and it went quick.  I pulled in and parked next to Harley's offering to the world of motorcycling and got in a few jabs at my brother-in-law about how his Winnebago was missing most of it's wheels.  We visited for a while and decided to make a run through the hills.  We managed about a hundred miles in really great weather.  The traffic was light and the roads were fun.  I headed back to the house and a really good ride.  It was just a great day for getting out and putting on the miles.

     On Saturday I spent the day working on a couple of project bikes.  I actually made some progress on one of them.  The other not so much.  I'll have to get it to the shop where they have more specialized tools.  I made arrangements for the shop and call Saturday a day.

    Sunday I gave mom a call to check on her and see how she was holding up under a house full of visitors.  I also wanted to find out when my brother-in-law Ray was heading back.  Mom said she was doing pretty good but Ray was going to be staying for a while.  Ray got on the phone and explained that he'd went out riding and managed to roll his Ultra Classic.  Nine broken ribs.  One broken ankle and several staples in his head.  Apparently Ray forgot that the curves here are a tad bit different than what he was used to in Texas.  The next morning I saddled up and headed down to moms to check on everybody in person.  This just seemed a little wild to me for some reason.  I had a good run through the hills and even managed to stop and visit with my Norton riding Doctor. 

     I pulled into moms drive and saw quite a sight.  On one hand a regular sight in this area....Harley on a trailer.  On the other hand I can't remember ever seeing one of Rays bikes on a trailer.  Or all torn up either.  From the looks of things most of the damage was cosmetic.  I looked it all over and there didn't seem to be any damage to the bike itself.  From the looks of everything the crash bars and saddle bags took the most of the wreck.  From what I could find out from a couple of shops in the area and different people, probably around $10,000 in cosmetic damage and shop time.  I didn't get to see Ray as they had taken him back to the hospital for further checking.  I visited with mom and then headed back to the house.

  

     This early spring in the hills makes for some great riding.  People come from all walks of life to vacation and ride through our mountains.  They create memories that last a life time on a motorcycle....Just like my luck as hell brother-in-law Ray.

remember the next ride is just a kick or two away....

April 7, 2014

     I walked out this morning to light rain.

     It was supposed to be rainy off and on all day today.  The temperature was about as good as it gets.  Somewhere in the middle 40's early and in the middle 60's later in the day.  The bike didn't give me too much trouble and before I knew it I was bouncing along like normal.

     The trouble with days like this isn't the bike and all that "two wheels vs four wheels" junk you always hear debated.  It's the people with the four wheels and their lack of general intelligence.  They tend to drive like they do everyday and that causes issues for people like me that don't drive at all.

    This morning I was lucky as I hit one of those spots in traffic where there wasn't anyone on the road but me for the first four miles or so.  I had a local that knows me pull up behind me as I came up on my turn off the highway.  Coming up on my turn off I looked back and saw their signal light come on.  I made my turn and they honked and went straight.

     I dodged the rain along my route to work and really enjoyed the ride.  The best part was just feeling of riding a good ride.  Cool, damp and the bike purring with no hiccups.

     I got a few looks from folks safely tucked in the cars at traffic lights.  Always do when it's the least bit cool or damp.  At one light a lady in a car beside me made gestures like it was cold.  I looked  at her, grinned and patted my back seat.  She cracked a large smile and shook her head no.  I could see in her eyes, she did think about it for a brief second.

     Riding in this area is a lot of fun.  You can manage to ride most of the year if you really want to.  There is a down side to it though.  Seems that there always is.  A man that worked at the sister operation to the one I work at hit a gravel patch on a curve and flipped his bike.  He was 56 and really enjoyed riding.  My thoughts and prayers go out to his family.

     My ride back home was just as good.  Dodged rain and just enjoyed it.  I hope that tomorrow is as good.

catch ya on the road

April 6, 2014

     Sitting here in the nerve center of Fort Awesome wondering if the weather is ever going to get warm enough to rip around the country without a jacket.

     Today is overcast and much cooler than yesterday was.  I managed to get a few things done to my bikes yesterday.  I got a makeshift cover done for the seat and started on trimming down signal light stems to replace the missing front ones.  That in its self has turned out to be more of a job than I first thought.  My tubing cutter doesn't go deep enough so those smooth cuts I had envisioned will just have to end up a little ragged.  I have maybe located all the things I need to put the magic push button back into play.  If the weather had held I could have run through it and maybe been leading the life of luxury with a shiny hardware store push button.  Ahhhh well, the next ride is just a kick or two away.

     As soon as the weather gets steady I have a couple of projects bikes to get stared on.  One in particular is a special project, an 85 Yamaha Virago 700, as I had waited 15 years to get it.  Now that I have another special reason in a daughter to fix it up for.  She's even said she wanted to help with it. Can't beat that now can ya?

     Today hasn't been a total loss.  There are parts to hunt and a few miles to get in here and there.  Who knows I may even get lucky and find everything on my list.  That would be nice, just put it all together and let her start riding.

catch ya on the road

April 5, 2014

     My solo seat on my daily beater has started to show it's age badly.  After looking around locally for a replacement without any luck I started thinking of a temporary cover till I could come up with one.

     Since the seat is always exposed to the weather I don't really put a lot of expense into it.  This last one was only $9.99 and shipping from E-bay.  Anyway looking around I found an old canvas money bag from a vending company.  The seat appeared to be about the same size as the bag.  I pulled the bag on the old seat and it made a tight fit.  A few zip ties took out the slack and I had a pretty decent looking seat again.  Looking around again I found a new can of scotch guard stuff.  Three treatments of the stuff made for a nice water repellent solo seat again.  The best part of the whole thing is the seat rides like it always did.

  Since I already had everything it really didn't cost me anything so the price was right.  The down time was about an hour and since I'm riding it full time while Clementine is vacationing in sunny south central Texas, that was pretty alright too.  My pups came by and sniffed the whole process and not one of them acted like it was a fire plug (I took that to as a good sign) so I'm happy with the whole thing.

catch ya on the road

4-22-09

365 Group



Pulling out to go to work this morning was another real battle. Today is forecast to be another perfect day for riding or really anything, besides work.
As I got to the end of my driveway my bike just shut off. I hit the starter and nothing. I had a problem with a blown fuse a couple of days ago and so I started with my fuse box. Sure enough. The main fuse was blown again. Thinking that this is getting to be sort of like work, I hot wired it together and limped down to the Gas station.
Putting in another fuse I had a realization come over me. My bike is 32 years old and that means old, brittle wiring. It also means that I'll be spending a weekend replacing some of the wiring harness. Once I got the new fuse put in the old gal fired up and ran smooth all the way to work.
This mornings ride wasn't as bad as yesterdays. The traffic was considerably lighter and seemed more lazy. I made real good time and even rode a few miles with about eight or nine other bikes that I rode up on. It was fun. Like we were just picking up strays as we went and making a big herd. Running up 412 cars kinda moved over for us and let us have the outside lane.
I peeled off the pack and pulled into work. Hoping that quitting time wouldn't necessarily take eight hours to get there. I parked and ambled in to another day of watching traffic go by.
As hard as I tried, it still took eight hours but quitting time finally made it and I headed out into traffic. Pulling up to a traffic light on 412 I was joined by a rider that I kinda knew from the area. He said he was going to look at some older bikes that were for sale on the edge of town and asked if I knew anything about them. I didn't but was now curious and decided to tag along and look things over. Never know what you'll find tagging along.
Just outside the actual city limits on the east side of town I followed along down a dirt road for about a mile and a half. After some confusion and looking at notes my guide finally announced that we were here. Here was a house with lots of kids bicycles laying around the yard. As we got off the bikes a lady came to the door and after a few moments we were instructed to go around the side of the house to the car port type building.
Inside this garage of sorts we found three bikes. All older, 70's models, Japenese bikes.
Mostly they were rolling parts bikes. It had been several years since anyone had done anything other than take stuff off these bikes. The only one that showed any promise was a 74 RD 350.
The lady that owned them said she was trying to get rid of them and quoted a price that was a little on the high side for me since I wasnt needing parts. Mac said he wasnt interested in them at all. He was looking for a runninng wreck t o work on for someone to learn to ride on.
After talking to the woman about some of the local online auctions and ebay and all that, we headed back out to 412.
At a convenience store over a coke and a heat and eat burrito, Mac told me he was looking for a small bike for his girfriend to learn to ride on. I told him that I would keep and ear out and took his number.
Since I was already on the road to Hindsville I decided to just head on down and make the loop to go home.
It was a fairly quick trip since the highway was all but finished. It was a nice smooth ride like all new roads are. Give it a few months with all the truck traffic and it'll be back to normal.
Pulling into my drive I could hear my pups barking. Letting me know that I was a little late. There always a happy bunch of Vermin. Parking, I gave my bike the end of ride once over and thought that today had been a good riding day. Wish I could have done more of it.
Ah well, my little ankle bitters still love me.
Hope to catch ya on the road.

Backyard Ridin

Today I didn't have anything going on and decided to run the local back roads around home. I find it help full to keep up with the road conditions locally. Anyway, I took off around 9 am just puttin around.
About half way into my ride brought me back to an intersection in the middle of the town I live in. Since it was getting close to lunch I drifted up to a local gas station that has a decent cafe and ordered a burger. After giving my order to the girls at the cafe I wandered back outside to sit at the picnic table while I waited. Most of the morning it had been very hot and muggy feeling, like it was going to rain and just as I sat down it did. Man! It opened up and poured. Glad I was under the awning.
As I sat there watching the rain a big Yamaha cruiser pulled in and the rider looked very relieved to be out of the rain. Also, at this time two young guys walked out of the store and began talking to the Cruiser rider. After a few minutes of listening to them talk I noticed two sport bikes parked next to the building in the rain. Their conversation centered on the riding they had been doing and how bad it had been. I learned that the Cruiser rider had just left his home and had ridden a total of eight miles before he was forced off the road by the rain. The two sport bike riders had about 20 miles in when they noticed the sky getting dark and headed for cover. Absent mindedly I checked my trip meter and my total for the morning was 126 miles.
The conversation finally drifted my way with one of the sport riders asking what kind of bike I had. I told them all about my antique and one asked if it was a bobber as it looked like something was missing. I explained that compared to when it was new a lot was missing. That I striped off everything I didn't like. So, I guess you could call it a bobber. At hearing this the other sport rider began to show some interest and started asking questions. As we were talking one of them noticed my mileage and asked how long it had taken me to put 126 miles on it. When I told him a couples of hours or so this morning they both acted like they were hard of hearing and said "huh"? About this time, Mary, one of the girls from the cafe brought out my burger and started telling them how I always ride and junk like that. They were kind of caught short so to speak and said that they didn't ride much, just around town and that 20 or thirty miles was a big trip to them. I told them that I understood. Life sometimes gets in the way and you do what you gotta do.
Both of the sport riders were seriously giving thought to our conversation and looking over my bike and the big Yamaha as well as their own. They seemed to have a question on their minds but suddenly changed gears and went back to chatting about bikes in general.
I finished my lunch and offered to let Mary kick start my bike. She grinned and passed. The cruiser said you have a kick starter? Pointing it out I offered to let him start it. Mary started giggling and he got red faced and I guess thought better of the idea saying no. All three said that they had no experience with anything other than late models. None with a kick starter.
I couldn't resist and flipped out the pedal and kicked it to life. I let it idle a few minutes and switched off. About this time we all agreed on a couple of things. It was time to go and electric starters were sooo much easier.
All in all it was a good day totaling 207 miles. It's funny what you can get into just puttin around your on Back yard.

Proud Member Of the 365 Group
(i rode mine today)

A stormy weekend

Proud member of the 365 group
I rode mine today


This weekend, for the most part, has been a great one for riding or just doing nothing at all. The weather was on again off again warm and rainy. Even had a few thunderstorms and a few tornado's reported. We opted out of the charity poker run as my wife had a funeral to attend. So I worked in the shop and had a pretty good time.
My Yamaha is giving me real fits in that I cant get any fire through the system. After checking the entire electrical system I am at a loss. Guess it's back to the books on it. Maybe I got in too much of a hurry to get it back on the road? But in my defence, it is a lot of fun to ride.
As the weather gets better I am planning several trips through the hills. Scenic rides with lunch or dinner at the end of the first part. Then back home on a different route or sleep over at a park or rec site and a different route home the next day. Maybe even a fishing trip? Nothing big. A couple of hundred miles or so. Sort of like the old "Club runs" of the 60's.
I have been talking to a lot of people that are looking for a good way to kill a weekend and just get away. This will do it. Just take off and leave the cooking to someone else. All you'd really need is a sleeping bag. With gas prices soaring it would be a good cheap vacation.
Well it's time to get back to the grind and go tighten the chain on my Kawasaki. I have began to hear it hit the case and since right now it's my main ride and all, that's not good. Another reason I'm in a hurry to get the Yamaha going. It's shaft drive and I'm getting lazier by the day.
Hope to see you on the road.

Summertime is getting closer...

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.