The Age and the Motorcycle

This entry isn't what you thought. It's a personal comparitive study of age done through the motorcycle. I won't be doing a thesis on this one. When I was young, about 20, I had a wreck on my bike. Headed to a split in the road I had already committed to the left when a white van came up the lane towards me with another white van parked in my lane. In a split second I had to decide whether to hit an oncoming van headon, a parked van, or try to jump the curb. I found there was no good choice as I selected the curb. My riding buddies said it was cool. The bike and I flew about 50 feet as we made it about 20 feet in the air, landing about 10 feet apart. Somehow, I had the wind knocked out of me, broke my helmet (required in PA then), and had some minor abrasions. I got up and walked away from all that only to dismiss all the others so I could catch up later. I found then that my bike had a critical injury (broken rear axel) and couldn't make the trip. Now, the comparison here isn't about the bike. It's the age. Yesterday (about 32 years later) I finished mowing the lawn and put the yard equipment away. I usually ride the bike in behind it, but decided I would just push it into its little garage. In the process, I bumped the kickstand up without knowing it. So, standing on the left in the cramped space I started to rest the bike on the kickstand that wasn't there. It was past 45-degrees before I knew what happened and caught the weight with my left hand still on the grip. I got the bike up fine, but not without severely spraining my left wrist and suffering pain that just doesn't fit the description. The difference is the years. It sucks getting old. A simple thing that would have been a laugh at stupidity 30 years ago now took away a long weekend of riding. It really sucks! My point? Ride every minute you can. If you're not old now, you will be. Enjoy riding like I did when I was young... almost every day. When you've earned your years, be careful. It doesn't take much and all those "walk-away" injuries of our youth remind us daily with delayed pain. I hope everyone has a safe, long weekend of riding.

Rolling Thunder 2004

Rolling Thunder 2004
Originally uploaded by bootbearwdc.

We're coming up on a part of the year where a great deal of patriotism is displayed. Motorcyclist, as a group, seem to have an abundance of veterans and current military among us. The pride and respect of our country and those that have fought to preserve our freedoms is evident in many riders and groups.

This month on Memorial Day, take some time to say thanks to a vet on a motorcycle. May is just the beginning of our patriotic season. June 14th is Flag Day. Take some time to learn the correct way to display the flag on your motorcycle. Shortly after that we hit the grand-daddy of our country, July 4th. It's a great day for family, special events, parties, picnics, and hopefully long rides on our bikes. On your ride, think about the road we took to get here today.

This is a great country. We're lucky to have this birthrite. Show your pride and remember to thank those that have fought to preserve your way of life.

The System

Several weeks ago on a sunny afternoon, a friend of mine was riding his Harley Davidson along the beach through the small town of Juno. He wasn't speeding, in spite a the low 25 mph speed limit. He wasn't driving wrecklessly. He was simply cruising along the beautiful beachfront road when he was pulled over by an officer of the law. The offense: his pipes were excessively loud. Now, as a biker I'd be the first to admit that some pipes may be excessively loud and don't belong in a residential neighborhood at 3:00 AM, but these were dealer installed pipes that had baffles. They aren't "excessively" loud, but they have that enhanced rugged sound. Needless to say, this went to court. He was prepared to ask the difficult questions of "how the volume was measured" and "what standards are in placed to define excessively loud", but he also learned how the court system works. There are three pleas one can go with: guilty, not guilty, and no contest. In the first scenario it is a waste of time to be there for a traffic violation. The second allows you to ask questions and challenge your accuser. The third gets an immediate decision from the judge. Well, the beauty of this is the result. The judge asked my friend to produce any one of three results. The first being that the defective part had been identified and corrected. The second was that the motorcycle pipes were too loud and the situation had been corrected. The third is that there was no problem. In all three situations it required nothing more than a letter from the local motorcycle expert (the dealership) to this effect. It seems there is no problem with the motorcycle pipes. Hell, I could have told them that! There may be readers that say this was not justice. The fact is that the traffic stop was an injustice. That isn't to say that there are not those that may abuse motorcycle exhaust systems by putting on loud pipes. The problem was in the fact that this officer in this situation cited that problem on pipes with baffles that were not excessively loud unless he happened to be suffering from a migraine headache. I feel confident that a realignment of police priorities will focus on those traffic incidents that can actually cause harm to innocent bystanders and remove the responsibility of officers to cast opinions on the volume level of exhaust pipes.

360Bikers Event Planning Stage

Part of 360Bikers' goal is to be an active part of our communities. Whenever possible we will carry our 360-degree, full-circle theme into events we plan. Our first 360 event is being organized for South Florida bikers. The first annual SoFla-360 will be a 380 mile ride for a yet-to-be-determined charity. Sponsors are being solicited already and the route details are being worked into a day-long event that will begin with breakfast and culminate with a late-night party. The general ride will be across Florida at SR80 and Alligator Alley with north/south rides on I-95 and I-75. The corners will be in Miami, West Palm Beach, Fort Myers, and Naples. We'll reach both the east and west coasts of Florida and travel from major metro areas to remote regions along the way. The target date has not yet been set and will be coordinated with our sponsors. Our goal is to have 1,000 bikes participate in our first event. Other future events will include the the Florida360 (Jacksonville to Pensacola to Naples to Key West to Miami to Jacksonville) and the 360-There-and-Back (a BikeWeek Daytona event from Daytona to Orlando to Tampa and back). We'll also be planning events in states as offices are created. Look for something near you.

Cool Stuff

Yes, there really is cool stuff coming soon. So, what can you expect when 360Bikers has the formal site released? Just for starters...

• 360-degree views of motorcycles from our office areas and special events
• Great competitive prices to show or sell your bike
• Search bikes by features you would look for in a real environment
• Special featured motorcycles in both 360-degree and normal catagories
• Easy start up to place an ad
• Control over the content of your ad
• A store with feedback so you can let us know the things you're really looking for
• A calendar of events for bikers
• The "Bike Barn" where you can save your favorite motorcycle ads
• Biker Event photos like Daytona Bike Week and more
• Resources for insurance, finance, and manuals to maintain your motorcycle

Lots of cool, behind the scenes things, too. 360Bikers is designed for show, sell, look and buy. It's about the bikes. It's about the ride.

Suicide King

bike week daytona beach fl 2005
Originally uploaded by 360bikers.

This is one of the nicest custom motorcycles we saw at Bike Week in Daytona Beach, Flordia. The theme, paint, chrome and overall design is outstanding. Keeping in the theme, this motorcycle uses a suicide shifter. You can see more photos from Bike Week at www.360bikers.com.

Gifts of Weather

I am fortunate in many ways to live in South Florida. Our motorcycle season lasts about twelve months making it one of those few states where you can enjoy riding year 'round. Of course, we have other weather that can put a crimp in your ride, such as very regular afternoon summer thunderstorms and the occasional hurricane. But overall, it is motorcycle paradise. Our seasons are divided like the weather in any other state with the exception that we only have two. The first is simply called "Season" and represents the time of the year that the "snowbirds" migrate south to live at what they call winter homes. The weather in South Florida is amazing with highs rangng from the 50's to the 70's with an occasional venture at both extemes. It's also our dry season. During the time from November 1st through April 30th there are typically fewer than 25 days with any rain at all. A bikers dream. The rest of the year is like much of the northern hemisphere with summer temperatures hitting the high 90's and the lows rarely dipping below 70. At sea level, where most of this State resides, you don't get mountain breezes or Canadian cool fronts. It gets hot and humid and stays that way. The reason I wrote this entry is that today, May 8th, is that we're still getting lows in the 60's. It has been so incredibly beautiful outside that typing this inside is almost painful. I just did a few errands yesterday, but I rode the bike. The night before I just took a ride to the ocean, rode along the water several miles and then rode back. It's a great time to be on a bike. It's rare for us to have this kind of weather at this time of the year. It's definitely a riding gift.

New Affiliations

While the grueling processes of creating the new data-driven web site race against the pains-taking construction of the motorcycle rotator I've been keeping ahead of them all with new business opportunities that benefit our clients. The most recent additions include JC Whitney motorcycle accessories and Sunglass Hut. JC Whitney has always been well known in the automotive world. Now they cover the motorcycle world with great prices on all kinds of accessories from exhaust to LEDs. Special deals on shipping made this extra attractive at this time. The parts and accessories look great and there are a lot of customizing features that are not only very affordable, but easily installed. This is definitely worth the click to see what they have for your bike. We went with Sunglass Hut to bring you the opportunity to buy the latest in eye protection. Face it, we ride most often in sunny weather. Great eye protection is a must and that doesn't mean it has to be goggles. Take a look at the great sunglasses they have at the Hut!

Affiliation with Clymer Manuals

We know you sometimes need the right manual for your bike to make those basic repairs or to do a major overhaul. Well, 360Bikers has created an affiliation with Clymer Manuals to get you the right information to do the job. Clymer has manuals for Harley Davidson an all other major motorcycles. Just click this link or one of the links from the web site and you're on your way to getting the manual you need at reasonable prices.

Clymer Repair Manuals - Best Selection - Discount Prices