Music
Blues, Allman Brothers, Walter Trout, Doobie Brothers, etc.
Message
Retired. 70 years old. I rode all over North America back in the late 60s. It was a wild time and I never knew where I would end up on any day. Those times were the adventure of a lifetime.
Back, then, I rode a Triumph Bonneville and a 1950 HD chopper (panhead, hardtail, springer). In the mid 70s, I sold my bikes while raising a family and having other things on my mind. My kids are all grown now and long gone. I have nine beautiful grandchildren.
A couple years ago, I got the itch to get back in the saddle. I almost bought an HD but put it off until the following spring. The itch came back and I went to my dealer that carries HD, Triumph and other brands. I took one look at the Triumph Rocket III Touring they had and that was it. (I have no need at all to have what everyone else has. I like HDs and Triumphs and any other great machine.) I absolutely love the beast. It's bigger, faster and more powerful than any HD except possibly one that has had major performance upgrades. They say there's no replacement for displacement and this beast is 2300 CCs. That's 140 c.i. for you HD riders. It's a torgue monster! (I get a kick out of how some HD riders refuse to even look at it. Hey, folks! We're all Americans and we all like to ride. I don't care one bit what anyone else rides and I always compliment any beautiful bike no matter what make it is. HDs are great bikes and I tell HD riders how beautiful their bikes are all the time but some HD riders - not all - really have an attitude.)
I rode the Rocket solo to Oregon (from Illinois) last year to see my son on the OR coast and then rode it all over the west including the entire length of The Lonliest Road in America, highway 50 across Nevada. (If you ever get a chance to ride that road, do it! It's a great ride.) I saved a HD rider in trouble in the middle of nowhere. Brotherhood. But he wouldn't even acknowledge that my bike existed because it wasn't an HD. Talk about an attitude! I see that too often among HD riders. When I rode HDs, I never was like that.
I ordered a trailer last week so we can head south and ride in the winter months.
I do all my own work on every machine I own. I always have. Being an old-school kind of guy, I'm amazed at how so many bikers these days don't do their own work and some even have to take them to a shop to have the oil changed! What's this world coming to? :-)
Lovin' it all!
This is a great site and I check it often to see what rides are happening. But, to tell the truth, I hesitate to go on some because of that HD attitude that some have. I've even heard of HD riders spitting on non-HD bikes. Come on! Then again, I've never really been one for riding in groups but most runs are for good causes and you guys give bikers a good name when you ride for good causes. Keep it up! Just be nice to non-HD riders, please. We all love to ride. We have a lot in common.
