Bikers

I don't usually rank, honest but this will be one... sorry stop reading now if you like :)

There are a lot of RIDERS out on the streets now, they like to think they are Bikers.  They are not! plain and simple.  I have long heard the saying $30,000 and a leather jacket does not make you a Biker.  Well you know what, a motorcycle of any kind and whatever you wear on it does also not mean that you are a biker either.

I am truly tired of these silly little 'biker clubs' also that seem to be springing up everywhere lately.  I'm sure you all know the clubs, 'Family Friendly', anyone can join we don't care what you ride. The idea of finding like minded individuals to ride with is great and I actually like the idea that I will be easily able to identify these riders when I see them also so I guess thanks are in order.  One of my main issues with these organizations is that they put rules around how they ride together and think that now that they know these rules they are bikers and can lead others.  They then go and say people that know these rules real well can be 'Road Captains' or 'Tail Gunners' ( I always laugh at that one), they don't care how you ride, how long you have ridden, hey they passed the test, let them lead they know the rules.  One of the clubs around here I take a personal dislike for, it's really too bad also because I know there are some bikers in this group.  I know for a fact that they have 'promoted' people that can not ride to save their lives (I have seen it first hand) become 'Road Captains' and 'Officers' of the club.  For this, I paint the whole club with one brush stroke, wrong to think this way, yes but too bad, if they knew better they would say something.

I know you can find like minded individuals to ride with, anywhere.  It comes from talking with them, riding with them, then decide.  And after more riding, talking, if they are not like minded get on your bike and go the opposite direction.

So why the rant.  Today I rode my bike in a funeral procession for a biker. Yes I said biker, not rider.  he didn't have the best bike, was not even the type of person most people would bother to get to know. but he didn't pretend, he rode, whatever the weather and whenever you needed him and rode well.  He didn't call himself a biker others did, see there's the secret.  We led the procession, something I thought was wrong, it was his last ride he should have been in front, but I didn't know all the bikers see it was bad weather that usually separates riders from bikers but unfortunately a rider was leading the bikes, I was in the middle.  We took off, the procession was not up with us, the motorcycles were taking off and leaving my buddy behind.  NOT COOL!!!  I dropped back, that line was never more than 30 meters behind me, if a car came between us I got them out of there, that is what needed to be done. We finally caught up to the rider leading, he didn't think anything was wrong, I turned away, I had to say goodbye.

There are lots of codes out there, ways to 'be a biker', know a biker etc.  I got only one thing to say about that.

Your a biker when a old, good rider, biker introduces you as a biker he knows.  that's it, that's all.

RIP brother, you will always be a biker in my eyes.

PAWS

PSA & MRFD

May the 4th be with you... ok it's a cheesy joke but hey it is the 4th.

I did something today for the first time ever.  I went and had a PSA test done.  As you may have seen every spring I do the MRFD, and this year will be no different.  But this year they held their second annual PSA clinic.  Now the MRFD is a great organization and they know how to do things right, no excuses.

They advertised all over, Saturday May 4th will be their clinic, sent out emails, posted on Twitter, Facebook, radio etc.  It was only going to be for 2 hours (9:00am till 11:00am, remember this is all volunteers.  So at 10:00am I remember, only 1 more hour of the clinic so...  I jump on the meanie and head over. I entered the hospital grounds and in true MRFD fashion there are signs pointing straight to the free parking every 50' or so.  In I went, parked my bike and the volunteers directed my way.  Smiling faces everywhere, I was in sitting in a chair in not less than 5 min.  The nurse was FANTASTIC, can I say that again, FANTASTIC, another couple minutes I was done.  On my way out of the building and more volunteers saying THANKS to me for showing up?  Strange eh, they might be saving my life and they are saying thanks.

So within 10 min I have had the blood drawn for the test and am on my way, no rubber glove, how could you not go.  I will be telling all my 'older' male friends next year come this time to come with me.  How can you not get checked knowing it is this easy.

Thanks to all at the MRFD PSA clinic, I will continue to get checked!  Here's hoping for good news from the test results.  Now to go raise more money for this great organization.  The ride this year in Ottawa is June 1st.

PAWS

ever have one of those days

so what is worst, knowing that it is going to snow on the 12th of april or work just sucking...

work won out today, the worst day ever for me professionally, I didn't get 'canned' but I'm really wondering why I am still with this company, stay tuned, I could just pack it all in and head for the hills.

The upside would be that I could ride a heck of a lot more, the downside...  I still owe way to much on too many things.

Wish me luck
PAWS

Spring Riding

I took the little bike out of the shed about 2 weeks ago, actually right after our little trip to Montreal.   Then it decided to get real cold again, the kind of cold that gave us another 5~10 cm so snow.  But this week the temperatures started to rise again and now about 1/2 the snow on the front lawn is gone (yes the pic shown is with 1/2 the snow gone, we can now see the neighbours house ) I once again went back out to the bike shed.

With the temps around 5c I decided I had to ride.  I hooked up the wiring for my heated vest ( a little luxury that I picked up at the motorcycle show this year ), I will be able to wear it on any of the bikes, I have wiring sets for all of them and went out for a ride.  I decided to take a quick pic before I headed out on the road.

I went down and around the Rideau river to a little town near us, about 45 kms round trip.  The roads were pretty wet around hilly areas and I was a little fearful of Black Ice which I have hit in past springs and it is not fun.  The one year I hit it was on a morning ride going to work, it is/was the only time I have had the thoughts going through my head "I'm going off this bike, when should I go to cause the least impact", yes that time I was very much thinking this thing is going to go down and I don't want to go with it.  There was also a point where it started to rain, another bad thing for spring riding, you don't want to be cold and wet.

But I have to say the heated vest did help the ride.  I had heard how the vest will keep your 'core' warm and in that way your extremities will also stay warm.  I'll admit I was a little sceptical, but about half way through my ride my fingers were cold but got no colder.  So I have to say I am now a believer and will use the vest for all my cold riding days.

It is so great to be out riding again!  Bring on the warmer weather, one bike out, 2 to go and one project  bike to get started on.

PAWS

Weekend Away

The winter may finally be going, well at least we can all hope and we should all be riding soon.  It was decided that we ALL needed a weekend away.  Of course with our busy schedules that was going to be tough but, you don't know my wife.  She picked a weekend, got the Monday off (I had already got the day off for the kids March Break), found a place for the pooch and then booked a room in Montreal.

Like all good planning my work started to get in the way.  A release started to go long, I tried staying as late into Friday as i could before dropping off the pooch but...  it didn't look good.  The look I got told me we were going no matter what.  It was the 'suck it up princess' look, we booked the room lets go.  Off we are, we had a nice time yesterday, as we came into the city my son got to check out a lego store that he has been wanting to get to Brick Republic to pick up some very specialized pieces.  Then it was off to the hotel.

We are staying downtown, at the Hilton Bonaventure and as you come in you get to see the attraction the kids are waiting for, the outside pool that is open year round.  'Yes' we tell them we will go swimming, 'No' we tell them not right now.  'Yes' we tell them before you go to bed :).

We check in and then it's off for a walk around downtown, a little shopping, dinner (with a few emails from work, but it looks to be done now) and then back to the room.  We went for the swim, it was great to be outside on a cold March night in downtown Montreal, looking at the stars and swimming outside.  Everyone got to bed and now the sun is up and I have gone for coffee, on my way I pass the pool, it looks even nicer early in the morning.

Siting here my coffee is done, people are moving, time to get exploring!  What are you doing on the laptop dad ;)....  off we go!

Where's my bike is what I'm thinking now, it is in the + degrees this morning :).

PAWS

Snow

I guess I should not really be surprised by a snow storm coming through the great white north in February, but somehow I think 25 cm is a bit much, it was just starting to feel like we would not have to shovel again.  On top of that my 30 + year old snow blower has decided to finally roll over and die.

This is what my back yard looks like.

Can you guess where my bikes are kept?  I make sure a path is there so I can get them out even if the snow is not all gone :).

Come on spring,
Later
PAWS

Drifter

So pictured above in the title bar of this blog is my last bike, it is a 1999 Kawasaki Drifter. I sold it a couple years ago (yes I need to update the photo, I'll get to that this year), and I think it may have started me wanting to get my old bikes back, I still miss riding that one.

I had a lot of custom leather work that I did on that bike, Tank bib, mud flaps, side tool bag, grips, braided leather on the levers and a rear fender bib.  While I was working the motorcycle show in January the guy I sold her to came by, I immediately asked if he wanted to sell her (I had to try :) ) he said no way, but maybe if he ever got his Harley,  I told him I would be interested if he did.  We kept talking and he let me know that the Fender Bib I had done for him (I took the one off I had on it, I didn't think he would want one with PAWS on it) had fallen off one ride this summer.  So I volunteered right away to make him a new one, this worked out well for me as I now have an email address and a point of contact.  You know just to keep in touch, in case he ever wants to sell, I'll keep asking, maybe he'll sell it to me just to stop the harasment.

Here is the progress of the custom fender bib for HillBilly.  I hope he likes it.
Started with laying out the outside boarder pattern:

Then the tooling was done, I kept it simple, sometimes that is the best:

Next came the dying, he said he may paint the bike a flat black so I thought I should get some black in the design:
Finally the lacing, this takes a while but I think it sets my work apart:

I'll let you know what he thinks.
Till next time,

PAWS