Laughlin, Let the Games Begin

Thursday morning, the weather is fine, there's a little wind, but after breakfast we head for town. There are huge parking lots full of motorcycles and more arriving all the time. We find a parking spot at the first casino, The Riverside Casino. The first vendor is the Harley Davidson Motor Co. exhibit. They have all their bikes to show and offer test rides. Marie likes the new Sportster called the Nightster. I like it too, I like it a lot.
Next we hit the shopping areas. There are hundreds of vendors in each of the casino parking lots all along the strip. I am looking for an LED taillight, a hat and some t-shirts, but there is so much to look at.


















When we start to get hot and tired we end up at a Mexican restaurant across the street from The Riverside Casino called Casa Serrano. From there we can look down at the main street and watch the bikes and assorted entertainments while sipping cold margaritas. Life is good.

As night begins to fall we head back out, there is nothing so good as riding on a warn desert evening.








Tomorrow I'm thinking a little ride to the grand canyon.

Laughlin River Run 2008

We had intended to leave on Tuesday the 22 but were delayed to Wednesday, so we decided to go all the way to Laughlin in one day. That's a long ride, 700 miles, and if Hwy 50 is the loneliest highway in America, Hwy 5 may be the dullest. We left home in a slight rain and the ride was quite cool to Bakersfield.
My parents grew up in Bakersfield so I feel an attachment to the place, besides there's a real hot rod and motorcycle culture in the town. We cut through Bakersfield and up over the Tehachapi Grade, where we picked up a tailwind. Maybe it's just the pessimest in me but how often do you get a real tailwind? We did 85 mph and still got 50 miles to the gallon.
When we got to Ludlow, even though we were getting tired, we took the old Route 66 road. It turned out to be the best choice we could have made. The road goes through the towns of Siberia, Bagdad, Amboy, Chambless, Summit and Essex. They are all gone except Amboy where there is a gas station.
While riding down the old highway my mind wandered back to my childhood, my Dad had a '55 Olds, Rocket 88 and we were heading to Needles on the old Route 66, he passed the last chance gas and ran out of gas about 8 miles out. We were traveling at night to avoid the heat. My mother was mad at him for passing the last gas station, but probably madder when he put the car in neutral and coasted all the way into town. Then cool as could be, he coasted past the first gas station. My mom, watching the gas station going by, got excited all over again but my Dad said, "I'm going for stamps." He coasted up to a pump in a station that gave S&H Green Stamps. Cool as it gets.
Marie and I got into Laughlin just after 10pm and stayed just across the river with our friends Sherrie and Gary.

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Heading for Laughlin

We're heading for Laughlin. I'll have lots of photos when I get back.

Lizard Bike

I went to Custom Design Studios in Novato to see the Geico motorcycle unveiled. There were a lot of custom bikes there, and here are a few pictures. I put up a couple of videos, which I haven't done before, one of the unveiling and one of guys doing wheelies in the street. I visited with old friends, saw a lot of great bikes, had some food, saw a few smokey burnouts and guys defying death doing wheelies. It was a lot of fun.

Those mascot costumes give me the willies.

Too Much Fun

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dddddEvery year a bunch of friends go to a lake in the Sierras for a few days. I'm the new comer of the group, most went to high school together and have been friends their whole lives. Everyone brings motorcycles, dogs, quads, kids, boats, tents and plenty of food and adult beverages. We fish, we ride, we sit around the campfire. The dogs swim, scrounge around for food and generally act like dogs. It is a wonderful time.

I got to ride Scott's 450 GasGas and it was good. That's me, incidentally, riding the bike and trying not to run over my dog, Fargo. I don't have much experience with late model four stroke dirt bikes, but I think they must not have the raw power of the old two stroke bikes. This is not to say that this bike is not powerful, it is. I think that the way the power comes on is different than a two stroke, much more controllable and predictable. The bike it is very comfortable to ride and is street legal. Electric start on a dirt bike is the best invention since the light bulb. I really like this bike.

I can't wait till next year!

How About that Arm?

When I got to the camp Scotty had his arm in a bandage and the first thing he said was, "I tried to impress on her to turn off the throttle."

It seems that Scott was going to teach his daughter, Delaney, to ride the little red Chinese Honda like thing. He impressed on her the need to shut off the throttle, and you know where this is going.

Delaney shot across the field and made a big loop around at full speed, while Scott screamed for her to turn off the throttle. Delaney came around in a big circle and hit Scott. Delaney's speed was arrested by Scott's body and she was able to stop normally. Scott not so normally.

Sounds a little like Lee vs The Taco Stand.

The Road to Enlightenment

Half the world is searching for enlightenment. The eastern religions are based in the search. Many hours are spent in meditation seeking to rid oneself of ego, to achieve the liberated mind that no longer clings to the self. The sage tells us that ego is a deeply compulsive fascination with one’s own image and sense of oneself. This translates into an unwholesome emotional and psychological enslavement to a profoundly self-centered relationship with oneself. Upon reaching that point in which ego is eliminated one reaches a state of nirvana.

Sound difficult; think that one must go on a spiritual quest that might well last a lifetime, or many lifetimes? Nonsense! Buy an Electra Glide and hit the highway. That’s the road to enlightenment.

Many times while driving down the highway I will suddenly become self-aware. I suddenly realize that I have been a person of pure thought and have not been aware of myself for some time. Even though I am unaware of myself, I function in the world, as evidenced by the fact that I have negotiated the road without crashing or simply running off the road into another spiritual plane, which I do not desire at this point in this existence.

The Road to Enlightenment is Actually a Road ..................... and You Thought this Stuff was Hard.

I Get Gasgas

Here are the photos of us picking up Scott’s bike at a Compton shipping warehouse. Scott bought the bike at Kauai Harley Davidson in Lihue, Hawaii. The bike is no Harley, it’s a 450cc dirt bike made by a Spanish company called GasGas. The bike is designated as a Gasgas EC450FSR. GasGas is known for making trials bikes, but the company also makes motocross, supermotard, quads and enduro bikes. Scott saw the bike while on vacation and was intrigued. The bike has fuel injection, which is just being introduced by the Japanese on their dirt bikes.

Modern computer controlled fuel injection is one of the best things that has happened to the gasoline engine. Fuel injection makes engines run better and last longer. The Gasgas Company has been putting fuel injection on dirt bikes since at least 2003. GasGas has a “no battery” system that runs the fuel injection and saves weight, all pretty cool.

Scott made a deal and the Harley dealer put the bike in a Harley Davidson shipping crate, the crate was then shipped to Long Beach and trucked to a warehouse in Compton where we picked it up. The big Harley box got a lot of attention on the road. The trip to pick it up was quick, one day down and one day back, so we didn’t even uncrate it when we got back. We are going on an annual camping trip next weekend and I’ll ride the bike then, take some photos and let you know what I think.

Click on the photo to see the carnage.

LA, LA, LA

Finally some excitement. I'm heading to Los Angeles with my friend Scott. We're going to pick up a dirt bike he bought in Hawaii. Got to be a story there, right? It came into Long Beach in a shipping container. Can't ride the bikes down but I am so happy to be going somewhere. Adventure!

Photos and Adventure Story When I Get Back, Promise.

He Wanted an Airplane

By now you should be able to tell that I like odd and unusual vehicles. Here's an escapee from Air Force custody. We saw this vehicle waiting to light the afterburner in San Rafael. We’re on you six, Maverick!

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nnnnnBut He Also Wanted a Motorcycle.

All God's Children Got Less Troubles

Back on March 17th I wrote about how my motorcycle had developed a serious vibration problem. The vibration then caused an annoying noise that was coming from the passenger seat. Marie and Lee both noticed it and complained that the backrest and passenger footboards had a high frequency vibration. Well the problem was a broken motor mount. So I fixed the problem and all is well.

I also checked the cam chain tension pads and they are half way through their life span. I’ll check them again in about a year.

Marie and I took off for a short ride just to make sure the vibration was gone. We rode out to Sebastopol on Gravenstein Hwy, came back by Hwy 12 and down Hwy 101. It’s a short loop but we had fun. We stopped in a little tea shop called "Infusions" and bought some loose tea for the homestead.

The day was cool but felt good. It was threatening to rain and did rain a little but the rain was more of a misty rain and we didn’t get wet.ddd
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Fixed the Garage Door as Well.

Yea, I got a Beef

I just today posted The Unknown Collector; well I’ve got a bone to pick with collectors. Collectors are not often enthusiasts. Enthusiasts help promote and share a passion for what they do. You don’t even need to own a motorcycle to be a motorcycle enthusiast. Enthusiasts would find no pleasure in having something so that someone else could not have it.

The Unknown Collector

Inside this storefront in Morro Bay is a major motorcycle collection. I was passing by when I saw it and at first thought it was a motorcycle shop but when I looked closer, I saw that the bikes were all collectables and in great shape. There is no sign that might indicate who the collector might be and when I asked at neighboring stores no one knew anything.

The bikes against the left wall are all Triumphs. The ones at the front and middle are Ducatti and MV Agusta bikes. The bikes are all lined up but there is no real attempt to display them. Sure does bring a lot of questions to mind.

It's Called a Gizmo

I saw this little electric bike/trike/car in Cayucos, California. I don't know if it is a one off or a vehicle manufactured by a company either with a sense of humor or without one. It only holds one person. The driver would be protected from the rain and wind . I don't think the thing has a heater but it does have a windshield wiper.

Lee vs. The Taco Wagon

My daughter Lee and I were riding north to Clearlake. As we passed through Middletown we saw a scooter dealer, and I have a soft spot for scooters, so we stopped. The place had Chinese scooters at very seductive prices. Forget about repairs or parts the price was too good. After all, the owner said these scooters were made by Honda in Chinese factories. Honda didn’t put the Honda name on them for a real good reason.

We stopped and Lee wanted to take a test drive. The owner said that would be no problem. Lee was ready to go, but I know that first time riders often freeze up and can’t seem to turn off the throttle. They will run full steam ahead until they crash into something like a parked car or a fence or worse, unable to stop or turn. Take for instance, my friend Blair when he was selling his Harley Sportster. Blair met the prospective buyer at a nearby 7-11. The guy then took Blair’s bike for a test ride right through the glass door at the front of the store. The prospective buyer then proclaimed that there was something wrong with Blair’s bike and decided then and there not to buy.

Lee had ridden a minibike and had ridden a scooter, with me on the backseat. So I thought if I really impressed upon her that when you first ride a scooter you have to turn off throttle to stop, she would do so. I told her several times, “Look, Lee, when you first ride you have to shut off the throttle people tend to freeze up and forget to turn off the gas.” I told her several times and showed her the hand movements required. I told her to go slow and only give it a little gas.

So the moment came she cracked open the throttle put her feet on the floorboards and away she went. About 5 yards later I saw a disaster about to happen, she put her feet down and tried to stop Flintstone style, skidding her feet instead of using the brakes. The front wheel of the scooter came up into the air and she rocketed across the parking lot toward a taco wagon. I yelled, “Get off the gas, get off the gas!”

I yelled once more, “Get off the gas!” I saw it coming, she was going to crash into the taco wagon. She wasn’t slowing or turning she was accelerating. Then I saw it. I saw her change, she forced herself back under control, she overcame panic, she turned off the throttle, and she hit the brakes. She used her will to overcome panic. That’s My Girl. I ran across the parking lot. She had stopped with the front tire about 1/2 inch from the wall of the taco wagon.

Bikes I Have Loved, My Old Hardtail

Oh yea! My little walk on the wild side. This is my old hard tail with a late style Shovel Head motor built by S&S. It had dual plug heads and high compression. You may notice that the exhaust pipes are straight and short, they were loud. The compression ratio was so high that I could barely kick start the thing. The seat had springs under it but when you hit a big bump it would stand you straight up and take your breath away.

Radical is a term that has changed over the years. Now, radical means cool, as in "radical ride, Dude." But to old hot rodders radical meant that the thing vibrated so much that parts worked loose all the time. All the safety wire and Locktite in the world would barely hold things together. This bike was radical in the "non-dude" sense of the term.

This was a beast of a bike, fast and loud, with all the primative nature that got Harley Davidson its bad boy reputation in the first place. When you started this bike it was like two hammers pounding on an anvil. It leaked oil and didn't apoligize for it.

Dead Skunk in the Middle of the Road

Ever ride by a road killed skunk, does it stink? Not for me. I'm about to impart some wisdom. Don't smell it.

It came to me to write about dead skunks and other noxious odors when my daughter and I were riding between Bodega Bay and Guerneville. We passed by a flattened skunk and Lee said something to the effect of "Wow, does that stink. I noticed that it did not stink, not at all and that was because I had not attempted to smell it. I guess the non-motorcyclist version would be someone at church leaning over and whispering, "boy somebody _____," fill in the blank. Immediately the non-rider would start sniffing to find out the volume and intensity.

Now one of the best things about riding a bike is that you get to smell things. If you are riding past a field of onions you smell fresh onions. New mown hay, fields of vegetables, orchards of fruit, and the Budwseier Brewery in Fairfield, all are real treats that only motorcyclists get to enjoy full force. I have also learned, and here's the point, when you first see the dead skunk, just stop sniffing. Slowly let out your breath through your nose until you are well past the offensive area.

No need to thank me, I just enjoy enlightening people.

All God's Children Got Troubles

We went for a little ride and while on the freeway Marie tells me she feels a vibration. She says she feels it through the passenger floorboards and the backrest. She says at about 80 mph it is so strong that the vibration of the backrest makes her back itch and she can barely stand to keep her feet on the floorboards. I of course feel nothing.

But then as we ride, I notice that the engine does not sound quite right. I can see vibration in the fairing. When we get home I checked the plugs and they looked alright. Clean and a good tan color, which shows they are working alright. I'm pretty good with plugs after having all those two stroke bikes over the years. It's not plugs.

Tomorrow I will check the motor mounts and pull the timing cover and check the pads that tension the cam chain. The photo shows the pads. I have heard that they often wear out at the 25-30k mileage area. If its not one of these two things, I don't have a clue.

Strange But Somehow Compelling

Marie and I were at Santa Rosa V-Twin the other day and saw the new Victory Vision. You have to hand it to the Victory Motorcycle Company; the Vision is not a Harley clone. The big Japanese motorcycle manufacturers all make Harley clones, it’s blatant, obvious and obnoxious. The Vision is something else, the Vision is something very different.