Epic fail, the laws of Physics, and the ways of good friends.

Chains... Can't live with 'em, can't afford the kind of bikes that don't have 'em. 

I'm a bit late posting this blog, but I've had a lot going on as of late. Family time, work, and a few personal things all kept me from really having the time to write all this out. 

A little over a week ago I had a glorious, yet very UNSAFE ride to work. I've had my head in a dark and smelly place lately, and decided to have some fun with a very shiney new Corvette. We both decided the back-country road we were on would be a good place to test the limits of our machines. 

Anyone who really knows me will tell you this is very un-characteristic of me. I'm normally very reserved, and respectful of most speed laws. For some reason, however, I've had a real case of the stupids as of late, and saw my bike bouncing from the rev limiter in top gear. 

What does that mean? 185mph indicated on a road known for woodland critters crossing at whim. This was not a smart idea. I made it to work, thought about it for a few, and pushed it aside. I had a blast, and rode home obeying the speed laws... mostly. 

The next morning I woke up, followed my morning routine, and headed out the door. The bike roared to life, and after a minute or so of warmup, I was off.  I knew I was going to need fuel before coming home, so I decided to stop on the way to work. 

I made it to the road just in front of the gas station, and heard a loud snap as I started the turn-in. This was immediately followed by a loss of power and clutch action. I flipped the kill switch, and the chain bound the rear wheel just as I was pulling into the parking lot. 

I managed to keep the bike upright, and put down the side stand so I could get off to survey the damage. I figured my fresh clutch had just let go and locked up my trans. What I found was much worse. 

I looked down, and saw my chain laying on the ground. I also happened to see a rather large puddle of oil forming under the bike, and pieces of the side cover all over. I knew then, it was not going to be good. 

I was running late for work at this point, so I called my wife to come rescue me. After work, a good friend of mine took me out to retrieve the poor ailing Suzuki. 

Upon getting home, and further inspecting the damage, we found that the chain had actually gone through parts of my lower crankcase. So much for it being a cheap fix! That chain had effectivley destroyed a very fresh, very expensive stroker engine. 

At that point, I was ready to find the degenerate at the Suzuki shop that had put the chain on, and use it to do some fairly serious cranium damage. 

That's when the whole thing came crashing down on me. Not 24 hours prior to the chain breaking, I had been doing nearly 200mph on that machine, in a very dangerous place to crash. That chain should have given out then and there. Had it done so, I would most certainly not be typing this blog today. It's amazing how one rash decision could have such an impact! 

So now the big Zuk sits alone, in the back of my garage, dripping life-blood into a catch-pan. It's a sad sight, to be sure. Because of someone's inability to properly complete the simplest part of their job, I now have to find her a new heart. I've called every cycle salvage yard in the Midwest to no avail, and even followed up on some leads for privateers. You know where they are all going? 

SPRINT CARS AND GO KARTS!!! So, to all of you people out there hijacking all of these engines, could you please back off a bit!? Seriously, there are plenty of other engines to pilfer besides these! Use the oil-cooled ones that ran for an additional 10 years and counting! 

I guess it isn't all bad. The same friend that rescued my poor baby, also rescued me again. He had recently purchased a new bike, and sold me his 600 GSXR on very easy terms. Honestly, this guy has been a closer freind to me in the short 9 months I've known him than people I've know for my whole life. He's there to be a comforting ear, but he isn't afraid to be a voice of reason either. If I'm acting like a fool, he's more than happy to let me know. I need that sometimes. Granted, my wife does it well, but anyone who's been married for more than 10 seconds knows how we tend to tune out our spouses, and dismiss their advice as nagging. 

You know I love you, right honey? I really do! 

So, I continue to ride, at an infinitely slower pace. And to quote a song with a lot of meaning to me:

"And the road becomes my bride, I have stripped of all but pride. So in her I do confide, and she keeps me satisfied, Gives me all I need. And with dust in throat I crave, only knowledge will I save. To the game you stay a slave. 

ROAMER, WANDERER, NOMAD, VAGABOND, call me what you will!"

The beauty before the storm, or how to spend a nice day not riding...

We had an absolute beautiful day last Friday. Temps were in the mid-80's, and aside from some early a.m. showers, it was gorgeous out. 

I decided to brave the small amount of rain in the morning to take the bike to work, just so I could enjoy the ride home. I ended up very wet for a good prtion of the morning. A slight bit of discomfort for a warm and sunny afternoon ride? I can handle that. 

The ride home was great! The bike was running wonderfully after the clutch swap, and the roads were clean. It was my nicest commute ride this year. 

Now, you may ask why I'm writing about riding when the title says I spent the day not doing so. Well, my 15 mile commute was all I got. My wife had an appointment after I got home, so I got to play Mr. Mom to my 2 young children. 

So, what did I do? Well, what any good motorcyclist would do. I let the kids run crazy in the yard while I pulled out the cleaning and maintenance supplies. My trusty GSXR-1100 was about to get the Harley treatment! 

It all started with scrubbing off the chain and wheel grime. No joke, I think I used half a can of degreaser on just the chain. Who would have thought it would get that nasty.

Then came a thorough hand washing. I scrubbed off every spec of bug gut, dirt, grime, and "other"(don't ask...). There really is blue paint under there!! 

Next, I busted out the wax. We're talking multiple coats and all hand applied, and hand buffed. You could swim in that paint now! 

The final cleaning step was the hardest. You see, I have a lot of polished bits and pieces, so I thought it would be fun to get out the Mother's polish. Boy, let me tell you, "fun" is not the word for it. I carefully applied the cream, and rubbed it in with the tip of my fingers. Then, I grabbed the clean cloth and buffed it all off. Its taken me 2 days to recover enough to type this blog! 

The rest was just adjusting and lubing the chain, and checking various nuts and bolts for torque. By this point, I was absolutely done with cleaning for the rest of the season. This is as clean as she will be for a long time! 

So, bascially I spent the entire afternoon and early evening cleaning and polishing. By the time my wife got home, the storms that were forcast for the weekend were rolling in , and I got the bike in the garage just in time to not get rained on. The rest of the weekend? Cold and rainy. Go figure... 

At least she looks good sitting in the garage.

It's only water...

Well, here we go with this blog thing. I figured I'd try it out. I'm also working on a podcast to back it up, so keep your eyes open for updates.

I'm an avid motorcycle rider. Ok, I'm an addict. I'll ride just about any time, and any place. It isn't unheard of to hear me taking off in the middle of winter, even. I ride a lot!

After a long and frustrating weekend visiting family, and no bike to disappear on, I decided I needed to ride to work. I woke up to cool temps and a bit of rain, but nothing that would even dampen my jacket, so off I went.

The ride in was nice. I have a short 15 mile commute, but it takes a back highway through some nice scenery. The weather was wet, but not bad. To be honest, I love to ride in the rain, so it didn't bother me one bit.

Now, I live and work in Harley country. The people around me spend so much time talking about their bikes that you would think they never got off them. Why is it when I walk in with my helmet still on, and water still beading up on the visor, people look at me funny? I'm the only one who has a bike in the lot today. I was the first bike in the lot after the new year. Hell, I'm usually the only bike out there unless its sunny and 70+ degrees out!

Water dries, an good gear keeps you warm and not-so-wet. You never see a motorcycle in front of a shrink's office, so I'll keep on with my "twist of the wrist" therapy, rain or shine.