A Winter's Ride

I went for a nice ride today... heck, it’s January 17th, how could it not be great to be able to ride. The sky was blue and with a ton of rain overnight, the air had a distinctive flavor to it. It was windy with some rather strong gusts. Every so often  a gust would knock me in the head and it’s like; “Hey! where did that come from?” But it was fun.

I was cruising down a long stretch of a two lane highway. I glanced down and noticed that I was rolling at 65 and then looked up at a white car heading my way in the left lane. As it quickly approached I could see the large black body of a dog standing in the passenger’s seat. His head was poked through a partially rolled down window. They passed and that dogs tongue was hangin’ out and his ears were pinned back by the wind and I laughed! “I feel ya dog!” I yelled as I blew by the driver’s side door. The rest of the way home I smiled thinking about that dog and our kinship of stickin’ our noses out in the wind, tongue hangin’ out, ears pinned back, and joy in our hearts. Ride on!

Destination Daytona or Bust

Ace is here in Ormond Beach, which happens to be during the time of Bruce Rossmeyer’s funeral. It’s a sad thing when one loses a brother. Bruce was a lot of things to a lot of people and, good or bad, probably interacted with the lives of as many people in a year that most people do in a lifetime. The Brotherhood of One respects him for his accomplishments and mourns for his family in their loss.

An aside to Mr. Rossmeyer’s story is that six motorcycle officers were involved in a crash while escorting Bruce Rossmeyer's family to his funeral. They had a chain reaction incident and none of the officers involved were physically injured, but their egos are permanently scarred. They picked themselves up and continued to the funeral. The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating exactly who was at fault in the crash. We here at the Brotherhood are sure that NO tickets will be issued, and the screwup will be deemed righteous.

You Never Know

I ride and I ride and I ride and I wonder when I should turn around... cause I really don’t wanna. The reason being, I want to see what’s over that next rise, just beyond the horizon. And every time I get there I see it’s a part of America that we take for granted, that may not be there some day. Some times I stop and take pictures before riding on, on and on. I want to see what’s just beyond the horizon. And every time I get there I see it’s a part of America that may not be there forever. Things change, people change, society changes, climates change, morals change, values change, ethics change, laws change... you never know.

Let Me Do It

My riding style is laid back. I don’t get to ride as much as I’d like, I have to travel a lot for work. So when I do get on the bike, I try to take it easy and enjoy the ride. I like to look around. I like to experience all I can. I try to be conscious of the wind on my skin, the smells that wrap up around my brain. I like to feel the temperature change. I like to hear the roar of my pipes.

Every once in a while I find myself haulin’ ass, not paying any attention to the speedometer I’ll look down and be doing 15 over. And I realize at that moment that I have that same feeling I used to have when I was young and wasn’t supposed to be riding on the road; and that was one of the best parts of riding; was that danger or thrill that you were getting away with something. That just goes to show that somethings never change; and why should they? I don’t hurt nobody, and it makes me feel good, and its my own business. Let me do it.

Bobber? Just Wonderin’

I have been thinking about building my own bike. I’d really like to build a bobber. I read all the biker rags and pour through all of the pictures. I get online and look and look and look. I look at chassises, rolling chassises, parts, complete bikes. And here’s the thing--I’m just wonderin’; why are bobber’s so freakin expensive? I mean, they are stripped down bikes, all but the necessities removed, and they cost as much as a fully dressed Harley. So how does a working stiff like me afford a bobber? All I want is a barebones bike. Any ideas?

It’s Like Deja Vu All Over Again

Every time I go for a ride, for an instant, it happens. I get the feeling of deja vu all over again and I’m the little guy riding my stingray bike with the banana seat and sissy bar, sailing down the street with the wind in my face and that feeling of total non-responsibility. Remember the imaginative thoughts of every little boy? Winning the motorcycle race as the crowd goes wild? Riding across the wild West at breakneck speeds just one step ahead of the law? Not a care in the world; nothing to worry about, your only concern is if your friend is home.

Every time I go for a ride, for an instant, it happens. I get the feeling of deja vu all over again and it inspires me to come home and write about it, to tell everyone how great it feels!

Every time I go for a ride, for an instant, it happens. I get the feeling of deja vu all over again and I just want to go get on my bike and go for a ride!

Thank a Cager

I went for a great ride today. Between the weather, the road, and the scenery, it was awesome! You know how when you get out and ride and you begin to ponder ideas? I had one today I thought I’d share. By nature I’m a polite person. I might kick your ass, but my mama taught me to be polite about it. So as I was riding on a beautiful two lane country road, I noticed a car up ahead in the left lane waiting to turn across my lane into a driveway. It’s like your radar goes off before your mind recognizes it and you become alert and assess closely if they are going to cut fatefully in front of you. This person sat and patiently waited for me to drive by. As I passed I instinctively waved to them to thank them for waiting and respecting my space. Wow, what an innovative idea! We bitch and moan about how we had this close call and that one. We plaster bumper stickers all over that plead, “Watch Out For Motorcycles!” But do we ever acknowledge the driver that does the right thing? We should extend positive reinforcement to those who give us respect and encourage them to always do the right thing... watch out for motorcycles.