If You Can’t Run With The Big Dogs…

Today I needed to get out of the house for a few hours, so I jumped on my Road King and headed to my local Harley dealer. They had the Big Dog demo truck there today, so I demo’ed a chopper, sorry, I didn’t remember the model name. We rode for about a 1/2 hour, on local roads and the highway. Here’s my feedback:







My road King was much more comfortable and easier to handle. I guess choppers aren’t meant to be comfortable or easy to handle, only to look cool, which they did. They had plenty of power and torque, and there was no problem with accelerating, shifting or braking. Turning however, was a little tough. My forearms were sore after the ride, and I had to lean my body into the turns to make sure I wouldn’t become a statistic. The bike I tested had just over 500 miles, and there was a nasty, burning, break-in kind of a smell, that I couldn’t really identify, or tolerate for that matter. Even though this bike was a soft tail, the rear suspensions did little to cushion the bumps, so I got my kidney’s rattled a bit.








I found the foot controls interfered with the placement of my feet on the pegs. The hand controls and switches were fine, no complaints. The bike started right up and had a decent but not obnoxious rumble with what I assume was the stock exhaust. I also never got the price, but I assume mid $20’s. In the end, I found this little jaunt made me appreciate my Road King that much more.

Blug-chuga-lug

Yippee! I rode on Monday, Memorial Day, for the first time in I don't' know how many months. Why haven't I been riding? Well first of all the usual stuff, work, family etc. But also I had a really bad back injury, and for a while I couldn't walk. I had surgery at the end of March, and I'm almost as good as new. But before that, I knew I couldn't hold up a 750lb. bike at a red light or stop sign. I changed the oil & filter before I put it away for the Winter, and when I checked the oil on Monday, it was so clean, it looked like it came right out of a new bottle. I know technically I should change the oil again, but it's too clean and I'm too lazy. Ride on.

You Didn't See Me

I found this on the web...author unknown...


I saw you hug your purse closer to you in the grocery store line. But you didn't see me put an extra $10.00 in the collection plate last Sunday. I saw you pull your child closer when we passed each other on the sidewalk. But you didn't see me playing Santa at the local Mall. I saw you change your mind about going into the restaurant when you saw my bike parked out front. But you didn't see me attending a meeting to raise more money for the hurricane relief. I saw you roll up your window and shake your head when I rode by. But you didn't see me riding behind you when you flicked your cigarette butt out the car window. I saw you frown at me when I smiled at your children. But you didn't see me, when I took time off from work to run toys to the homeless. I saw you stare at my long hair. But you didn't see me and my friends cut ten inches off for Locks of Love. I saw you roll your eyes at our Leather jackets and gloves. But you didn't see me and my brothers donate our old ones to those that had none. I saw you look in fright at my tattoos. But you didn't see me cry as my children were born or have their name written over and in my heart. I saw you change lanes while rushing off to go somewhere. But you didn't see me going home to be with my family. I saw you complain about how loud and noisy our bikes can be. But you didn't see me when you were changing the CD and drifted into my lane. I saw you yelling at your kids in the car. But you didn't see me pat my child's hands knowing she was safe behind me. I saw you reading the map as you drove down the road. But you didn't see me squeeze my wife's leg when she told me to take the next turn. I saw you race down the road in the rain. But you didn't see me get soaked to the skin so my son could have the car to go on his date. I saw you run the yellow light just to save a few minutes of time. But you didn't see me trying to turn right. I saw you cut me off because you needed to be in the lane I was in. But you didn't see me leave the road. I saw you, waiting impatiently for my friends to pass. But you didn't see me. I wasn't there. I saw you go home to your family. But you didn't see me. Because I died that day you cut me off. I was just a biker. A person with friends and a family. But you didn't see me.

Same 'Ol Same 'Ol

A couple of weeks ago, I went to my brother's mother-in-law's home for some shindig. I cornered my bro and convinced him to actually put some mileage on his paid for 15-grand Harley.

"What time?"
"I dunno."
"Pick a time."
"I dunno. I'll ask my wife. Wife, when can I ride?"
"Brother, you're a grown man. You can go when you want."
"I wanted to make sure you didn't have plans for me!"
"Go whenever you want."
"When should I go?"
"Go at noon, you know you can't get ready before then."

Okay, so his wife set it up for noon. On the day, I start calling 2 hours before. Finally I get him.
"I'm in the middle of XYZ123. Come over."
"No, your gonna keep me waiting."
"I can't drop what I'm doing."
"Why are you doing? It's 11:45, we're supposed to ride."
"Yeah at noon. I'll be ready by then. "
"Fine get ready by noon, and ride over here. It'll be 12:15 and we can ride."
"OK."
Well he shows up at 12:45, ready to ride. Not bad for my brother. Then it rains. Ride canceled. No more scheduling rides with my brother.

My Brother's Keeper

As it was in the 70's in the New York area yesterday, I called up my brother to see if he had cleared up that little problem with his license. Not that it would matter either way, because he always has an excuse why he can't ride with me. He who talked me into ponying up for a brand spanking, not used, 2006 Road King.

"It's 70, got your license?"
"As a matter of fact, I do. But I can't ride with you today."
"Why not?"
"Well I don't have insurance, and the bike isn't registered."
Groan. "I thought we took care of that."
"I did, but that was a year ago. I missed a payment, and they cancelled my insurance. And the registration expired. I'll take care of it on Monday. Anyway they're coming to sheetrock tomorrow and I have to finish the wiring I'm doing. "
"It'll be cold again on Monday."

All that was to be expected. I wasted $45 buying him a membership to HOG for Hanukah. I convinced his wife that it would be good for him to ride on Sundays, to let out stress. She agreed, and because you need to be a HOG member to go on HOG rides, I signed him up. Needless to say, you also can't go on an official HOG ride unless your license, registration and insurance are up to date as well.

A little more than a year ago, after talking me into buying the bike, he actually rode with me. We were supposed to go around 10:30 AM, so I started calling around 9:00 AM. After an hour or so of no answer, I suited up and headed over. I arrived at 10:30 AM and rang the doorbell. My nieces and nephews greeted me at the door, wearing their pajamas and carrying around their breakfast.

"It's Uncle Rosey!"
"Where's Dad?"
"He's in the bathroom."
"He's sleeping."
"Go get him."

Remember, we were supposed to leave at 10:30. I don't know where he was, but he was in a state of disarray and undress.

He dressed and proceeded to get the bike out of the garage. First he had to move all the junk out of the way. Then remove the cover, only to discover that he had a flat tire and the bike was covered in dust. I thought that was the end of it, but the tire just needed air, and conveniently he has an industrial compressor for work, with an attachment for tires. So he started up the compressor and filled up the tire. Then he had to wash the bike because he couldn't be seen in public on a dirty Harley. Then he had to dry the bike of with a combination of compressed air and warming the engine up. Since this is a '98, it's carburated, so it it has to warm up good.

Finally we're ready to ride and it';s 12:30PM, the time I promised my bride I would be home. I called her, and she was like, it's okay, it's your brother. So we rode. And that was more than a year ago, and we haven't ridden together since.