A real bike?

[SeaCat]

I took the bike to work today. Now there's nothing special in that. My wife and I are doing this on a more and more regular basis. It saves us money on gas and we enjoy the riding. We parked the bike and locked the helmets before heading in for work.

When we came out of work this evening I fired up the bike and we grabbed our gear. I had just pulled on my jacket and vest with the bike grumbling quietly next to me when one of the X-Ray Techs comes wandering over.

He watches me and my wife pulling on our coats and unlocking our helmets as he looks over the bike. Then he looks at me and smiles before asking me when I'm going to get me a real bike.

Now I know what he's thinking. My wife and I aren't real Bikers. We wear leathers and helmets. Worse we can't be real bikers because we don't ride a real bike, we don't ride a Harley.

I smile at him while making sure he sees me looking around. Then I ask hime where his ride is. He hems and haws and then tells me he doesn't ride before he leaves. I back the bike out of the parking spot and my wife climbs on. I kick it into gear and we rumble through the parking garage. I slow and wave as we pass the Tech as he climbs into his car.

I'm strill smiling as I grumble my way out onto the road and head home. Real bike indeed.

Cat

 

[TE999]

In Texas they refer to a dude like him as 'All hat and no cattle.'

 

[R. Richard]

Probably the ass hole wouldn't be satisfied with just a Harley, but would want a big V-twin chopper.

 

[Trinique_Fire]

He's just mad you actually have a bike and he doesn't.

 

[DesertPirate]

Probably the ass hole wouldn't be satisfied with just a Harley, but would want a big V-twin chopper.

Except he couldn't handle it on his best day

 

[Gizzmotick]

Except he couldn't handle it on his best day

Probably not.

Seacat - While I don't ride a motorcycle, I am an avid bicycle rider. Many times I have been told to get a "real" bike - and I always challenge people to hop on a bicycle and become thier own motor... they usually shut right up because most people know they wouldn't be able to handle it.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

As a sprout, I worked on a spinal column injury ward. Y'all be safe out there . . .

 

[galaxygoddess]

Maybe he thought you needed a "crotch rocket".











I totally have one of those... under my bed

 

[Trinique_Fire]

Maybe he thought you needed a "crotch rocket".











I totally have one of those... under my bed

Sick fuck.

 

[Stella_Omega]

Hey, Cat, how's it looking these days? My son wants to see a picture.

I read him your story about riding with the cops-- he loved it!

 

[R. Richard]

Except he couldn't handle it on his best day

Only in his dreams.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I figure the kid nailed CAT right.

I remember hot rods from the 50s. Most were paint, chrome, mudflaps, and fuzzy dice. It was rare for a guy to have a machine that could actually blow your doors off.

CAT likely has one of those Pussy ELECTRA/STREET-Glides with a side-car.

 

[The_Fool]

I saw a way cool restored WWII motorcycle with sidecar the other day. Didn't have time to see if if was an HD or an Indian.

Had an inkling for a Big Dog at one time, but that is primarily because they are made here in Wichita. I figured that if I got pissed off enough about it, I could go choke somebody at the factory. But I would probably buy that BMW 5 series before I would spend that much on a motorcycle. So I will probably do neither.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I'm betting it was an INDIAN.

 

[glynndah]

Ah, Cat. You seem to be having a lot of fun on your "imaginary bike".

 

[SeaCat]

Hey, Cat, how's it looking these days? My son wants to see a picture.

I read him your story about riding with the cops-- he loved it!

No big changes that can be seen at least. About the only visible change on it so far is the windshield. If it doesn't rain tomorrow I'll try to get a picture of it.

The biggest change is in my skill and comfort on the bike. I now trust the bike to do what I need it to do even though doing these things still scares the crap out of me at times.

A good example of this is a move called the "Swerve". This is a fairly violent escape or evade manuever that basicly moves the bike quickly from one side to the other. I was first introduced to this move in the safety course on a small bike at low speeds. (A GZ250 at 20 MPH.) After I bought my new bike I practiced it at slow speeds on the big bike in parking lots. It was spooky at first then I got used to it. Then I again practiced it with my wife on the back of the bike. Again it was a bit spooky because the bike handles differently with the extra weight. We both got used to it.

Then the other day we were cruising down the road at 45 MPH and a car pulled out in front of us and just stopped. He came out of a small space between two cars. I didn't think about it, I just reacted. I didn't touch the brakes, I didn't roll off the throttle. Instead I pushed the left hand bar hard then pushed the right hand bar just as hard. We could hear the tires screaming as the bike seemingly levitated several feet to the left, straightened up and we cleared the car. (The move happened so fast my wife didn't have a chance to even start leaning into it, she was in the perfect position for the manuever, straight up and down.)

Another one was a turn we went into as we headed west on a road we hadn't been on before. The turn was a right hand turn with a warning sign. (IUt gave a speed limit 15 MPH lower then the posted limit.) I slowed and downshifted as we went into the turn. I was right at the suggested speed and loving how the bike was leaning. I was right on the white line and waiting for the turn to open out again when I realised it wasn't opening out, it was getting tighter.

I didn't freak and I didn't panic. I kept off the brakes and kept a steady throttle as I leaned the bike tighter into the turn. I could feel the right hand pegs scraping as I reached what turned out to be the apex of the turn and it started straightening out again. The bike handled that turn without a wobble and without a skid.

The bike handles beautifully and I'm learning to trust it as well as myself.

Cat

 

[SeaCat]

Ah, Cat. You seem to be having a lot of fun on your "imaginary bike".

Yeah the Ghost Bike does have a lot of fun in it. Amazing isn't it?

Cat

 

[DesertPirate]

Yeah the Ghost Bike does have a lot of fun in it. Amazing isn't it?

Cat

Cat, I won't ride anymore. Used to ride in the desert when I was a kid, got tired of pulling cactus out of my ass.
Never wanted to ride on the street because of the idiots in cars. I will be out on the roadside again this summer to see Kyle's Ride go by (Kyle Pettys fundraiser from CA to here, he lives about 8 miles from me). Over 100 bikes is a fun parade.

 

[SeaCat]

I figure the kid nailed CAT right.

I remember hot rods from the 50s. Most were paint, chrome, mudflaps, and fuzzy dice. It was rare for a guy to have a machine that could actually blow your doors off.

CAT likely has one of those Pussy ELECTRA/STREET-Glides with a side-car.

Nope the Cat doesn't have one of those Street/Electra Glides. The Cat doesn't make that kind of money. Hell the Cat doesn't even have a Hardly (Ridden). Instead he has an older Honda CB750.

On the other hand the Cat does ride quite a bit, nearly every day. The Cat is averaging roughly 300 miles a week on his poor little fake bike.

Oh and before you start in on the Hardly (Ridden) Wanna be bike, it certainly isn't. The engine is a completely different style. One that is much smoother.

Cat

 

[SeaCat]

Cat, I won't ride anymore. Used to ride in the desert when I was a kid, got tired of pulling cactus out of my ass.
Never wanted to ride on the street because of the idiots in cars. I will be out on the roadside again this summer to see Kyle's Ride go by (Kyle Pettys fundraiser from CA to here, he lives about 8 miles from me). Over 100 bikes is a fun parade.

I've been reading about his rides and find them interesting to say the least. Have you heard anything more about his efforts to ride between all of the tracks?

I started out riding in brush and trees. Might be why I like something in front of my face. Never ran into Cactus, I was too far north for that, but I did get plenty of chunks of wood stuck in my hide during this time.

The idiots in cars still bother me a bit but I'm getting used to them. (We call them Cagers.) There are things you can do to make yourself more visible but you still have to have fast reflexes.

Cat

 

[DesertPirate]

I've been reading about his rides and find them interesting to say the least. Have you heard anything more about his efforts to ride between all of the tracks?

I started out riding in brush and trees. Might be why I like something in front of my face. Never ran into Cactus, I was too far north for that, but I did get plenty of chunks of wood stuck in my hide during this time.

The idiots in cars still bother me a bit but I'm getting used to them. (We call them Cagers.) There are things you can do to make yourself more visible but you still have to have fast reflexes.

Cat

Kyle and Ken Schrader went from Daytona to California to Vegas to Phoenix to start the year. Haven't heard of any others this year. The camp is the coolest thing. Go by there and just look in from the parking lot. Seeing those kids smile is a real kick!

 

[SeaCat]

Kyle and Ken Schrader went from Daytona to California to Vegas to Phoenix to start the year. Haven't heard of any others this year. The camp is the coolest thing. Go by there and just look in from the parking lot. Seeing those kids smile is a real kick!

Seeing kids smile is one of the greatest joys.

One of the tings I love when riding is how the kids in the cars react to a bike. All you can see is smiles.

Kids and bikes just seem to go together. They see a bike and they smile.

On my ride home tonight I pulled up aloingside a car with several kids in the back seats. They looked over and saw my wife and I on the bike and started waving. I looked over at them and gave them the thumbs up and they laughed and smiled. When my wife waved back at them they were in heaven. When the light changed I kept my speed down and let them watch me work the bike up through the gears. They sat there with their faces against the glass and just watched. At the next light the kids were going nuts and the father looked over at us and smiled.

I was smiling for the rest of the ride home.

Cat

 

[DesertPirate]

Don't forget, all the kids at Victory Junction are very sick, many terminal. The whole idea is get them there and let them be kids and have some fun. They take kids with similar needs medically for a week at a time at no charge. Big time medical center there. It's part of Paul Newmans Hole in the Wall Gang camps. They are getting ready to build one in Kansas.