Oh baby, baby...

One of my favorite memories with that bike was one Sunday afternoon when we lived on Long Island, I asked my daughter if she wanted to take a ride and get some lunch. She was about 8 or 9 at the time and loved to hop on the back. So she ran to her room and put on her black boots, black jeans, her black leather jacket, American flag bandana, helmet, sunglasses, and got her "Fat Daddy Rope" She couldn't get her arms all the way around me so we had a short rope with 2 loops spliced in the ends so she could wrap it around me and hold on.

I took her down to the Clam Shack, a little place on the harbor with not much more than a dirt parking lot and a bunch of picnic tables. Order your food at the shack and wait for them to call your name.

We pull up to the parking lot and there were 30 to 40 big Harleys there. My bike looked tiny compared to them. There was also an equal number of big, ugly, mean looking bikers there from some biker gang. They all had their girlfriends with them and many of them were just as scary looking. My daughter was a little scared to get off the bike and I can still hear her worried voice saying "Daaaddy" in my ear. Admittedly, I was a little put off myself.

When she jumped off the bike you could see how tiny she was. She took off her helmet and her long blonde hair fell out. She had her bandana tied around her head like a doo-rag and sporting her aviators. She was absolutely adorable. All the bikers and their girlfriends took notice and started giving her the thumbs up, high fives, complimenting her, and making her feel really welcome.

We ordered our food and went and sat at an empty table to wait for them to call our name. A couple of them came over and sat with us. They pretty much ignored me but they chatted up a storm with my daughter. How long you been riding? Love your outfit. What kind of bike are you gonna get when your old enough?, etc. They were sharing their fried shrimp and clams with her and really made her feel special. She probably met more than half of them by the time we were leaving.

As we left they were all saying goodbye, "see ya on the road", "ride safe', etc. As we climbed back on the bike she looked at me , all excited, with a big smile and asked "Daddy can we come back next week?"

She still remembers it to this day.
 
moke123 said:
One of my favorite memories with that bike was one Sunday afternoon when we lived on Long Island, I asked my daughter if she wanted to take a ride and get some lunch. She was about 8 or 9 at the time and loved to hop on the back. So she ran to her room and put on her black boots, black jeans, her black leather jacket, American flag bandana, helmet, sunglasses, and got her "Fat Daddy Rope" She couldn't get her arms all the way around me so we had a short rope with 2 loops spliced in the ends so she could wrap it around me and hold on.

I took her down to the Clam Shack, a little place on the harbor with not much more than a dirt parking lot and a bunch of picnic tables. Order your food at the shack and wait for them to call your name.

We pull up to the parking lot and there were 30 to 40 big Harleys there. My bike looked tiny compared to them. There was also an equal number of big, ugly, mean looking bikers there from some biker gang. They all had their girlfriends with them and many of them were just as scary looking. My daughter was a little scared to get off the bike and I can still hear her worried voice saying "Daaaddy" in my ear. Admittedly, I was a little put off myself.

When she jumped off the bike you could see how tiny she was. She took off her helmet and her long blonde hair fell out. She had her bandana tied around her head like a doo-rag and sporting her aviators. She was absolutely adorable. All the bikers and their girlfriends took notice and started giving her the thumbs up, high fives, complimenting her, and making her feel really welcome.

We ordered our food and went and sat at an empty table to wait for them to call our name. A couple of them came over and sat with us. They pretty much ignored me but they chatted up a storm with my daughter. How long you been riding? Love your outfit. What kind of bike are you gonna get when your old enough?, etc. They were sharing their fried shrimp and clams with her and really made her feel special. She probably met more than half of them by the time we were leaving.

As we left they were all saying goodbye, "see ya on the road", "ride safe', etc. As we climbed back on the bike she looked at me , all excited, with a big smile and asked "Daddy can we come back next week?"

She still remembers it to this day.
Click to expand...
That's the good stuff...
 
Anyone read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance? There's one bit in the book on the difference between motorcycling and travelling in a car. The former is where you're part of the landscape, can smell the grass and trees whereas in a car you're in a bubble and looking at the surroundings like on a screen.
 
I took many motorcycle trips from RI to races in Laconia, NH, (Triumph Bonneville, Triumph Cub), Cape Cod for scrambles
(Triumph 21) Long Island, NY (Jawar)(ran out of gas on NY thruway). Most memorial was to baseball museum. (Suzuki)
 
Cronk said:
Anyone read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance? There's one bit in the book on the difference between motorcycling and travelling in a car. The former is where you're part of the landscape, can smell the grass and trees whereas in a car you're in a bubble and looking at the surroundings like on a screen.
Click to expand...
Yep, read that. Great book. And I confer with its preachings. Driving a car is just like more TV, looking through a screen. When I hired a bike whilst on holiday in Corfu, I suddenly got a hairy chest and never felt so free in my life!
 
You been then? Great mountainous terrain with fantastic views. Some of those windy steep roads were difficult ride because they were so sharp and steep, the bike was nearly falling over. Had to stop many times.
 
Jon said:
You been then? Great mountainous terrain with fantastic views. Some of those windy steep roads were difficult ride because they were so sharp and steep, the bike was nearly falling over. Had to stop many times.
Click to expand...
Twice during the summer while I was a sailor in the US Navy. We stayed by the beaches mostly but you cant help but notice the mountains and windy roads while you are getting from point A to point B.
 
moke123 said:
See ya there NG?
Click to expand...
Could be...let me check out the link. NH is a LONG way from VA. I might have to do it the wimp way and tow the bikes the majority and ride in...


Edit;
Sorry Moke, it's in June on the same week I am going skydiving...I finally got down to a weight that will allow me to do a tandem jump - one more check off the bucket list. Hopefully it wont be the last. What's that saying - "If at first you don't succeed, maybe skydiving isn't for you"?
 
Last edited:
NauticalGent said:
Could be...let me check out the link. NH is a LONG way from VA. I might have to do it the wimp way and tow the bikes the majority and ride in...
Click to expand...
Funny you should say that. The Last year that I went, my Dad who was a motorcycle dealer, once had a motorcycle race team, came down with lung cancer (three packs a day), and could not drive all the way to NH. I drove his Triumph Bonneville, and him and my mother drove up in his Pontiac (yup Bonneville). Once we got up there, I rode on the back of my friends bike, (a Norton) and my parents rode the Bonneville from hotel to the track. One year in Laconia I witness a wedding at the track. The groom drove up to the alter on a Indian chief, and the bride rode up on an Indian princes.
 
Anybody ever been to dirt track motorcycle racing in Keene, NH. My Dad had customized a British paratrooper bike and at 4 years old I learned to balance on that instead of a bicycle. When I was only 5 years old, before the races they put me in front of the grandstand.
 
Dick7Access said:
I rode on the back of my friends bike, (a Norton)
Click to expand...
As a kid I worked at our yacht club and one of the other members left on a boat trip and left his Norton at the club. Big mistake leaving the keys with us. We couldn't even drive yet but had a great time in the parking lot.
 
My first street bike was a (I think) '04 Honda Shadow. That proved a bit cramped with a second rider but was a nice learning bike. I upgraded to a '02 Honda VTX 1800. Thing was an absolute monster compared to the Shadow but was so much more pleasant to ride. Also was interesting to learn a nearly 900lb bike could very easily pop up onto one wheel with that 1800cc V-Twin.

I sold it when I bought the house and started having kids and still regret getting rid of it to this day. Was Hondas limited edition Uranium Green and it was gorgeous. I hope to own a Honda Rune someday once the kiddos get older.
 
NauticalGent said:
We go to pick it out/order it on Saturday...pics to follow!
Click to expand...

giphy.gif
 
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