When you can’t ride, BOLT ON!
by Corn Dog on March 3, 2008
in Mods & Equipment
We took advantage of the 60-degree temperature on Sunday as best we could… putting all the chromey bits on the Picky Bitch that I’d gotten for Christmas! Here’s what we added:
- Belt guard cover
- Front axle nut covers
- Rear master-cylinder cover
- Pullback risers
A note on the pullback risers… last fall, my wonderful husband purchased and installed Ape Hanger handlebars for me (you might remember the story about how I didn’t seem to notice!). I noticed after a little riding that my shoulder blades were kind of aching, so we talked about pullback risers. The bike is looking awesome with the risers on there, so I’m really hoping those solved the shoulder-blade problem. Guess we’ll see… in a MONTH or more! (What IS IT with this @#$ winter??)
Almost 60 today…
… but we couldn’t ride… the first picture below shows what’s at the end of our driveway – an 8-foot wide swath of ice! This end of our yard and driveway are not in the sun, so they won’t be clear until probably late April! (Also, we are getting another winter storm tonight so the whole @#$ yard will be back to ice by tomorrow morning!)
Then, this picture shows the road on the other side of our house. It’s unpaved, and the picture doesn’t even begin to tell the story of how rutted and sloppy it is. So, while we did see a few bikes while we were out and about today, we certainly didn’t get to ride.
Capitol City Customs Swap Meet & Bike Show
UPDATE Feb. 12: Wow, Stephanie at Iowa Harley Girl has a HUGE selection of photos from the Capitol City Customs Bike Show! Be sure to visit her blog to see all the neat customs from this past weekend!
If a crowded swap meet is a sign that Iowans are getting sick of winter, then this year we must all be on the edge of insanity. Not only was it nearly impossible to find a parking spot, it was difficult to even walk the rows of merchandise – I’d say this event has outgrown the 4H building at the Fairgrounds, where it’s been held for many years. As always, this event featured many used parts, leather dealers, and other bike-related booths, plus the custom bike show that I thought was a little larger this year. We missed one bargain – a quick-release windshield that might’ve fit Kristin’s bike for only $65 – and ended up not buying anything at all. But it was nice to get out and shop for bike-related stuff anyway. I took a few pictures of some of the custom bikes and put them on Webshots. Have a look, but don’t be fooled – the swap meet is wonderful but it’s no substitute for getting out there and RIDING!
Pay because you ride: The Iowa Legislature hates bikers
by Corn Dog on February 1, 2008
in Blowing a Gasket
In researching a state legislative bill on a non-motorcycle-related topic, I found out that last year’s Iowa Legislature introduced two biker bills that could come back for debate this year: one was the obligatory helmet law, requiring motorcycle riders under the age of 18 to wear helmets (HF465). The other proposed a “safety helmet surcharge” (appropriately, HF666) on motorcyclists – $5 or $10 per year of license validity.
That’s right, a tax on being a biker.
I was livid. For years the argument for requiring helmets on all bikers was that “the public” shouldn’t have to pay their medical bills if a rider has a helmet-less accident and happens to be uninsured. (“Why should we have to pay for your stupidity?” has been the cry, as if helmets were the key to preventing all death or serious injury on a motorcycle.) So, our state apparently wanted to charge $5 extra per year of license validity if the biker declared s/he and all passengers on her/his bike would always wear helmets. $10 per year if they wouldn’t make such a guarantee. Point being, as a biker you were going to pay extra whether you wore a helmet or not.
This is absolutely an unfair proposal that singles out one group of legal vehicle operators for no reason. Except for this: the state of Iowa offers a deep discount on vehicle licensing fees to people who drive pickup trucks. In the old days, when pickups were used as farm vehicles, lawmakers of this largely agricultural state thought it would be helpful to offer this price break to poor farmers who couldn’t afford to pay the standard annual registration fees on their “working vehicles.” These days, of course, Iowa’s urban areas are large and growing. All kinds of people drive pickups for all kinds of purposes – even as family vehicles. But the state doesn’t have the balls to reinstate the normal registration fee because the ag lobby is still very powerful. So they’re looking for any and every way to force other vehicle owners to cough up more money to make up the difference.
Which is chicken-shit, especially because bikers get the short shfrift when money goes out, too: another bill in the 2007 session would have offered tax credits to individuals who purchase “fuel-efficient vehicles.” But guess what: motorcycles, which typically get anywhere from, what, 30-50 mpg? – are excluded. So bikers get hit with the helmet surcharge, but they don’t get the benefit of the tax reduction for riding a 40-mpg vehicle. Nice.
When you put this with the disturbing trends in road repair I reported on last summer, it adds up pretty quickly: Iowa legislators view bikers as some sort of expendable cash cow. We don’t deserve a smooth ride on the highway, we don’t deserve help with medical bills if we are uninsured (even though non-bikers who do stupid things probably do), we don’t deserve the tax credit for our fuel-efficient bikes. But we DO deserve to be stuck with an exhorbitant fee tacked on to our driver’s license just because we choose to ride, and we DO deserve to have our freedom of helmet choice taken away.
Four words to sum this up: Thank God for ABATE.
And two words for the Iowa Legislature, but I’ll let you guess which two they are.
Iowa Motorcycle Safety Forum is March 14
The Iowa Motorcycle Safety Forum takes place on Friday, March 14 from 7:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the Sheraton West Hotel in West Des Moines. Participants will have an opportunity to ride the Impairment Simulator, get a legislative update from the American Motorcycle Association, visit a variety of vendor booths and see the Orange County Choppers E-85 Farm Bureau Chopper. Pat Hahn, author of Ride Hard, Ride Smart
BaggerWorks to reveal ‘Kids & Chrome’ benefit bike February 2 at V-Twin Expo
by Corn Dog on January 29, 2008
in Other news
Tom Binyon of BaggerWorks Custom Touring Motorcycles in Wichita, Kansas has announced he’ll reveal his charity bike, “The Dakota,” on Saturday, February 2, at 9:30 a.m. at the Duke Energy Center during the V-Twin Expo in Cincinnati, Ohio. If you are in that area, I really hope you will go and see Tom’s creation, which benefits the Children’s Home Society of the Black Hills Region as well as the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame.
“The Dakota” will be the featured auction item during the Kids & Chrome 2008 benefit dinner and auction on Wednesday, August 6, in Spearfish, South Dakota at the Spearfish Holiday Inn and Convention Center.
2008 Sturgis Rally Mayor’s Ride – sign up now!
If you are making plans for this summer’s Sturgis Rally, the Mayor’s Ride is now signing up participants. This year’s ride includes Vanocker Canyon, Mt. Rushmore and Custer State Park. There are several commemorative goodies included and proceeds benefit the Sturgis Volunteer Fire Department. Registration is limited to 250 participants. Here’s the Sturgis Mayor’s Ride website for complete info!
Biker Chick Buzz: Happy Birthday, Brenda!
by Corn Dog on January 21, 2008
in Biker Chick Buzz
Just thought you would like to see the wonderful birthday cake Brenda had this past week as she celebrated a birthday numbering somewhere between 20 and 45… her sweetie Howard made this awesome confection, complete with Brenda look-alike riding the frosted bike! The colored squigglies are the candles – sure brought real meaning to the phrase “light ’em up!” Brenda’s a true biker chick from right here in Des Moines – she’s been riding an older bike nicknamed Lumpy (an ’84 Honda 700) for a couple years… then this summer she got this beautiful ’05 Honda Aero 750. Happy Birthday, Brenda – we sure had fun celebrating with you!
2008 Des Moines, Iowa, and national biker events – so far!
Yes, yes, I admit it, I’m ready for riding season to start. Well, who isn’t with this @#$ crazy weather?? So I’ve been online doing a little Googling, and came up with a few ride, rally and event dates to share. This info will be handy if you are the “go-to gal” (or guy!) for your li’l group of riding buddies. You know – the one they always turn to and say, “Hey, when is _____?” Well, now you’ll know!
Capital City Custom Cycle Show & Swap Meet – February 9-10 at the Iowa State Fairgrounds.
Daytona Bike Week – February 29-March 9 in Daytona, Florida.
Blessing of the Bikes – April 19 at Big Barn Harley Davidson, 81 NW 49th Place, Des Moines.
Indianola Bike Night (“Bike Down to I Town“) – April 18, May 16, June 20, July 18, August 15 and September 19 on The Square in Indianola!
Honda Hoot – June 17-21 in Knoxville, Tennessee
Iowa State HOG (Harley Owners Group) Rally – June 20, 21 in Bettendorf, Iowa.
ABATE Iowa Freedom Rally – July 3-5 near Algona, Iowa.
Sturgis Bike Week – August 4-9 in and around Sturgis, South Dakota.
Hawgstock Rally – August 21-24 near Winterset, Iowa.
ABATE Toys for Tots Toy Run – October 12 at the State Capital in Des Moines.
Biketoberfest – October 16-19 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
If you have an event that’s either held in Iowa or is a major event of interest nationwide, let me know!
Tailgating *ssholes and you: a few coping strategies
by Corn Dog on January 18, 2008
in Riding Tips
Whenever we are out on the bikes, my husband likes to ride sweep – which means he likes to be the last rider in the line-up. (Here’s what happened when I tried riding sweep last summer.) He has said he does this because he wants to keep idiot cagers at bay – you know, the ones who insist on driving so close to the vehicle in front of them that they couldn’t possibly stop in time to avoid a rear-end collision.
I was thinking about this the other day while driving to my dad’s, and noticing one of those really huge pickup trucks that was so close on my bumper I couldn’t see his headlights in my rear-view mirror. The whole thing made me wonder what I would do if, in fact, I had someone tailgating me on the bike.
It seems to me there are a few options:
1). Tap my brakes and hope they get the hint before they actually rear-end me.
2). Give a wave or other appropriate gesture which says, “You are too close and should back off.”
3). Ride with a .38 Special tucked visibly into the back of my waistband. Good only if no cops happen to come up behind me.
4). When safe, pull off to the side and let them pass.
5). Pull up to a stoplight, shut off the bike, put the kickstand down, and walk back to the offender and ask them just what the hell they think they are doing.
Another one I’ve heard bikers talk about is to throw small objects from your pocket at the vehicle. Of course, you don’t throw your housekeys or other personal effects – you carry something specifically for this purpose. Examples might include small ball-bearings, chunks of busted ceramic material from old spark plugs, small pebbles, glass marbles, frozen peas, or even Skittles. While I can relate to the sense of glee one must get from exacting revenge in this way, it seems to me that these days you might only be provoking someone’s sense of righteous road rage.
What I usually do in the car is slow way down so I’m at least 5 mph under the speed limit, and wait for them to get impatient and go around me. I’ve never had that not work, so that’s probably what I’d do on the bike – followed by hand gestures if necessary. Or maybe even if not necessary.
How about you – what’s your best strategy for discouraging tailgaters?
