Toystoretom
Living Legend
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2006
- Messages
- 2,449
A sad attempt at a Joker style story:
Here in Kansas City the winter has been colder and wetter than we have had for the past few years. Normally we will have several days where it will warm up enough to go out and sneak in a ride, but not so this year. Not until this last Saturday that is, when the local temps got up into the low 70's F. The big problem though was the wind, out of the south with gusts up to 35 plus miles per hour. These are almost tropical storm velocities.
I go down to my garage and roll the bike out into the driveway. It's covered in dust. I get the garden hose out and wash it. I gather up my jacket and helmet and hit the starter button on the Rocket. It cranks for a long time but it starts. I've had the charger on the bike off and on over the winter and it pays off. I ride up to the gas station and fill it up.
I ride south down 7 Hiway and I meet a few Harley boys who are riding north and I wave at them. Of course they don't wave back, which is about normal. I head east on Colborn Road which is actually a nice scenic twisty motorcycle road. The wind is just awful but the Rocket's long wheelbase and weight help it to navigate. I look in my mirrors and I have a bike behind me but he's not gaining any ground. So I slow down cause I want to play a little, but he still doesn't catch up. I'm watching him to see what kind of bike it is and I notice he's getting blown all over the road. He pulls off, no action here.
As I ride out towards Odessa I meet a group of oncoming Harleys, a bunch of them (Maybe 20?) and these guys actually wave. I continue on and spot a bike a ways off in front of me and I light it up so maybe we can play a little tag. I'm charging hard on him but he turns off also. I guess I'm not going to have any fun at all...
I get to Odessa and head south on 131 and motor on down to 50 Hiway. The Rocket is purring, its making that happy triple whine. I think its glad to be out.
50 Hiway is a major 4 lane that is almost an interstate and is heavily traveled. The speed limit is 65 but I keep bouncing off of 75. I really don't want to get too much above that because of the famous local speed traps. Before I get to Lone Jack I crest a hill and am hit with a wind gust that pushes me out of my lane. I kind of puckered up on that one, so I backed down to 65. Not too much farther down the road I see a bike pulled off on the shoulder so I stop behind him to see if I can help. This guy is riding a chopperized Goldwing that has some interesting home made stuff on it. I actually kind of liked it. He had a rear fender strut that had come loose and I guess the rear tire was rubbing on the fender, but he already had fixed it. He was amazed that I had stopped to help, and he said some Harley riders walked over to him and offered help also. He pointed over to a whole group of them parked on a side road about an eighth of a mile away. It was same group that I had met back before Odessa. I asked him whats up with them and he said they had pulled off of the road because of the wind. The had a few girls riding Sportys and I guess they weren't doing so well. What are ya gonna do? Suck it up and get out there, the wind isn't gonna die down anytime soon. The Goldwing guy and I take off but after riding at 50 for about a minute I wave at him and take off. I'm accelerating away and not more than a few seconds later here's a cop radaring me, I look down and I'm already doing 70. I back off and he stays put. I guess that wasn't worth the hassle of pulling me over. He probably wants a big SUV running 80 in this wind.
I ride the rest of the way home with nothing going down at all. The wind was blowing everyone off of the roads. Maybe my next outing will present some victims.
I did see a '70 Challenger for sale... $5500. Didn't stop to check it out, it looked a little rough and it probably was a 318 car at that price.
Here in Kansas City the winter has been colder and wetter than we have had for the past few years. Normally we will have several days where it will warm up enough to go out and sneak in a ride, but not so this year. Not until this last Saturday that is, when the local temps got up into the low 70's F. The big problem though was the wind, out of the south with gusts up to 35 plus miles per hour. These are almost tropical storm velocities.
I go down to my garage and roll the bike out into the driveway. It's covered in dust. I get the garden hose out and wash it. I gather up my jacket and helmet and hit the starter button on the Rocket. It cranks for a long time but it starts. I've had the charger on the bike off and on over the winter and it pays off. I ride up to the gas station and fill it up.
I ride south down 7 Hiway and I meet a few Harley boys who are riding north and I wave at them. Of course they don't wave back, which is about normal. I head east on Colborn Road which is actually a nice scenic twisty motorcycle road. The wind is just awful but the Rocket's long wheelbase and weight help it to navigate. I look in my mirrors and I have a bike behind me but he's not gaining any ground. So I slow down cause I want to play a little, but he still doesn't catch up. I'm watching him to see what kind of bike it is and I notice he's getting blown all over the road. He pulls off, no action here.
As I ride out towards Odessa I meet a group of oncoming Harleys, a bunch of them (Maybe 20?) and these guys actually wave. I continue on and spot a bike a ways off in front of me and I light it up so maybe we can play a little tag. I'm charging hard on him but he turns off also. I guess I'm not going to have any fun at all...
I get to Odessa and head south on 131 and motor on down to 50 Hiway. The Rocket is purring, its making that happy triple whine. I think its glad to be out.
50 Hiway is a major 4 lane that is almost an interstate and is heavily traveled. The speed limit is 65 but I keep bouncing off of 75. I really don't want to get too much above that because of the famous local speed traps. Before I get to Lone Jack I crest a hill and am hit with a wind gust that pushes me out of my lane. I kind of puckered up on that one, so I backed down to 65. Not too much farther down the road I see a bike pulled off on the shoulder so I stop behind him to see if I can help. This guy is riding a chopperized Goldwing that has some interesting home made stuff on it. I actually kind of liked it. He had a rear fender strut that had come loose and I guess the rear tire was rubbing on the fender, but he already had fixed it. He was amazed that I had stopped to help, and he said some Harley riders walked over to him and offered help also. He pointed over to a whole group of them parked on a side road about an eighth of a mile away. It was same group that I had met back before Odessa. I asked him whats up with them and he said they had pulled off of the road because of the wind. The had a few girls riding Sportys and I guess they weren't doing so well. What are ya gonna do? Suck it up and get out there, the wind isn't gonna die down anytime soon. The Goldwing guy and I take off but after riding at 50 for about a minute I wave at him and take off. I'm accelerating away and not more than a few seconds later here's a cop radaring me, I look down and I'm already doing 70. I back off and he stays put. I guess that wasn't worth the hassle of pulling me over. He probably wants a big SUV running 80 in this wind.
I ride the rest of the way home with nothing going down at all. The wind was blowing everyone off of the roads. Maybe my next outing will present some victims.
I did see a '70 Challenger for sale... $5500. Didn't stop to check it out, it looked a little rough and it probably was a 318 car at that price.