Gunning for a helmet law in ’08

Oh boy, here we go – I’m betting we’re in for a helmet law here in Iowa in 2008. How do you ride, with or without? Should they be mandatory? C’mon, let’s hear it!

Last ride of 2007 season, November 4

We took probably our last ride of the season over the weekend – Sunday was beautiful, sunny with a high in the mid-60’s… so we took a scenic ride with Kristin, Hollie, Howard, Brenda and Cassie down to Indianola and Lake Ahquabi just a few miles south. Fall colors are nearly done (there are still a few really amazing trees here in town, though), and it’s getting dark pretty early what with Daylight Savings Time over… plus it’s the height of lust-crazed deer season and that always makes things interesting – but we had a great day riding with no troubles.

I’ve got a little over 13,000 miles on my bike now – it had 4900 when I bought it. I put the saddlebags back on recently and I’ve got some thoughts for things to do/add over the winter, so we’ll see what the PB looks like come spring.

So what’s in store for the off-season? Oh the usual shopping for chrome, leather, etc. LOL But also, I’ve put my name in the hat to be an officer in the local HOG chapter (new member ambassador – does that sound like me or what??) so I’m looking forward to see if that comes to pass.

I also have lots of blogging fun in store so hang in there with me, just because it’s too cold to ride doesn’t mean the blog goes quiet!

More soon!

Benefit ride for Theresa, 10-20-2007

Photo above: a stitched-together panorama of the bikes gathered at Kung Fu Tap & Taco.
Click here for the full album!

This was a near-perfect day in so many ways. After last weekend’s Toy Run rainout, I was anxious to see what the weather would have in store for Theresa’s benefit ride. I needn’t have worried – our high for the day was in the upper 70’s, with a beautiful bright blue sky. This in late October, in Iowa! The ride was scheduled to begin around 11 a.m. at Big Barn Harley Davidson, where Theresa works in the Warranty Service department. We arrived shortly after 10 a.m. to find there were already around 100 bikes gathered. By 11 that number had doubled and they were still coming in, so the ride start was bumped to Noon. Eventually I think they had almost 300 bikes and probably 500+ people.

Around Noon the bikes started leaving, and we made a very impressive and continuous mile-long column traveling down 2nd Avenue toward downtown Des Moines. (If you’ve never been in such a column, I don’t know how to describe the feeling. But it can be a little emotional realizing that all these people are gathered for the same big-hearted purpose.) Bikes in the lead blocked intersections so we could pass through as a group without worrying about cross traffic. (Probably illegal but what the hell… we’re bad-ass bikers, we’re supposed to do shit like this!) As we approached Downtown, traffic got a little heavier and around Court Avenue there were lots of pedestrians – the Farmer’s Market had just closed, and lots of those patrons were standing around watching us pass, some taking pictures or shooting video. There was a police officer at 3rd & Court who held off the cross-traffic there for us to pass through the intersection as a group.

Just south of the Iowa Cubs triple-A baseball stadium, we turned and headed toward the home of Theresa’s sister Vicki, where T is recuperating. Family members had arranged for T to be outside when everyone arrived – I’m not sure they were expecting quite so many of us! All those bikes took up probably two full blocks! After a short benediction and opportunity for as many as possible to meet and greet Theresa, we took off again, this time for the Kung Fu Tap a few blocks away.

The stop at Kung Fu was really just an opportunity for us to hang out while Theresa’s family helped transport her to the site of the actual pot luck dinner waiting for us at the end of the ride. We were there long enough to enjoy a beverage and then the group took off again.

Our final stop was the clubhouse of the El Foresteros. This is an old-school motorcycle club; these are the folks who actually hosted the ride and dinner. They certainly don’t normally open up their clubhouse to the general public – it’s a members-only gathering spot. I for one appreciated their hospitality and willingness to let non-members show their support for our mutual friend.

As for T herself – she’s doing pretty well but still has a long recovery ahead. I wish her the very best, and I’m really pleased to have been part of such a great turn-out for this event!

Face down in the Guthrie County mud

As it turns out, there’s one more thing The Picky Bitch is picky about: road surface! She likes paved highways, and she will tolerate fine, hard-packed gravel as long as it’s dry. But she will throw herself to the ground in a temper tantrum (and take me with her) if she’s forced to slough through the kind of slimy mud we encountered on Saturday.

We debated going out at all – chance of rain was 50-50, it was cloudy and cool. We didn’t particularly want to ride in the rain, but decided to chance it. The plan was to ride over toward Panora with Howard, Brenda, Hollie and Kristin, where we were going to look at a possible new bike for Brenda at Jackie’s house.

We put on full leathers and I chose not to wear my brand new jacket because I didn’t want it to get wet. I’d later be thankful for that decision. We headed out Hickman Road in Des Moines, which is old Highway 6, and took that all the way to Adel. We then proceeded west on F60 to Redfield, F59 to P28, and then north on P28 toward Panora. This is a really pretty ride, and was a road we’d taken a couple times before – once on our way to see Albert the Bull with Garry and Shirley, and once last summer when Coyote and I traveled to LeMars.

At some point just south of Panora, we turned onto the road that led down to Jackie’s house. It was gravel… fine hard-packed, clay-based gravel, and it was wet. We had to travel on it about a quarter-mile, but it was a downhill ride with a curve. The first couple hundred feet were okay – I’d loosened my grip and slowed way down. But toward the bottom of the hill, where the curve set in, there was a spot where I could see that the gravel was actually mostly mud. Slimey, rutted clay-based mud. As I started through it, going probably less than 5 mph, I thought, wow I could drop the bike pretty easily through here, better be careful. The next moment, I was splatted on the ground face down, arms out-stretched ahead of me and the Picky Bitch laying on my @#$ foot.

I wasn’t hurt, but I couldn’t pull my foot out from under the bike. I looked up the road behind me to see my fellow riders all trying to safely get whoa’d on the mud-slimey hill (THANKS, everyone for not running over me! I still have no idea how they all managed to get stopped in that mess without going over)… Steve came running up asking if I was okay and I said, “I’m alright, just get the bike off my foot…” so he and Howard pulled the Bitch up and then helped me up. My gloves, my jacket, and my chaps were covered in mud slime – my knee and ankle were a little sore, but no serious damage to me.

As for the poor Bitch – totally destroyed front turn signal (not just the lens and housing, but also the post that mounts it to the triple-tree), broken back brake linkage rod and dangling/bent brake pedal (cobbled back together for the ride home), and – !@#$- bent my brand new ape hanger handle bars!!

We got the bike down to the garage at Jackie’s house, she and her family helped me get cleaned up a bit and the guys managed to get the bike put back together enough that I could ride it home (THANK YOU!!). Brenda did make that bike trade, so she got to ride home on her new-to-her Honda Shadow Aero 750… and yes, I rode The Picky Bitch back through the slime up the hill to the road and home.

A few things I’m thankful for:

1. I’m thankful I was dressed for the fall. I have a burn mark on my chaps (they’re branded!) where the hot pipes were laying across my leg and pinning my foot; my gloves protected my hands from serious harm; and my poor right boot (yep, my red cowyboy boot) has another battle scar.
2. As noted, I’m thankful I wore my old jacket and I’m thankful that Steve had just put the saddlebags back on the Bitch on Friday – they probably protected the back end of the bike from serious damage.
3. I’m thankful, obviously, that I wasn’t hurt and that none of my friends were hurt trying to get to me – this could have turned into one big pile of broken bikes.
4. I’m thankful for Jackie’s hospitality.
5. I’m thankful for the friends who were with me and eager to help.

All of this is why I missed the 2007 Toy Run; I need to get the bike back together in time for the benefit ride next weekend.

Carole, Judy and two guys travel to Utah

Carole wrote in with a quick report on her recent trip to Utah with Judy (oh, and, their hubbies!) – wow, it looks like a must-ride! Thanks for sharing the trip with us, Carole!

“I thought I would share a couple of photos from our two week trip to the west.  We had a great time with Gene & Judy and saw some absolutely beautiful country.  I must say that I envy those living in Utah with endless rides and gorgeous scenery everywhere!   Brice Canyon was my favorite of all places with Arches being close behind.  The mountain ride on Hwy 191 going from Arizona into New Mexico was awesome and I would love to ride it again without the rain.  Every turn there was a sign posted telling us to watch for wild game in the road ahead.  I was leading at the time and saw four deer, a wild hog, and turkey in the road.  No elk appeared in my headlights which I was relieved by even though I would have loved to see one off the road a ways!  If you have never traveled to Utah please do in the future and I guarantee you will love it!”

Biker Chick Buzz: Deb in Texas

Deb W. of Grand Prairie, Texas just bought her very first Harley Davidson around the first of September. Here she is with her 2008 Softail Deluxe! Deb says, “My husband decided to upgrade from a Honda VTX to a Honda Goldwing. I peered over his shoulder one Saturday morning and he was looking at the motorcycles on the internet. I calmly said if you decide to go get a bike like that then I am headed over to the Longhorn Harley Dealership and I am going to get my Harley!” Obviously, Deb got her wish. She mentioned that her previous bikes were a Honda VLX 600 and a 1300 VTX.

Autumn Rides

We’re well into Fall here; the leaves are in mid-turn but have not hit their peak yet, and the weather has been really nice. The past couple weekends we’ve taken some nice rides – last weekend we headed up to Jester State Park for a meet-and-greet with some of Kristin and Hollie’s friends, then took a scenic ride home from the Grimes area. Then this weekend we cruised up to Ames with Kristin, Hollie, Howard and Brenda to visit Zylstra Harley-Davidson, where the 2008 Model Year Open House was in progress. I am really enjoying my new handlebars – I feel like Chopper Girl! (Maybe I am shedding the “Rebel Biker Mom” image…?? LOL) One thing I hate, though, is Highway 69 that runs from Des Moines to Ames. This road is AWFUL!! Every spot in the road that’s been fixed is a significant bump for my Sporty.

Finally found a great leather jacket!

One thing I love – in addition to my new handlebars (and the guy who bought them for me)? My new HD leather jacket! Yep, Zylstra had a great sale on leather gear this weekend, and Steve called me over to the sale tent to show me a really beautiful jacket that he knew was my size. Now I’ve written before about the lack of nice gear in women’s plus-sizes, and the merchandise manager at our local dealership has been assuring me that more plus-sizes are coming. (And, she’s been right! There are more of the really pretty women’s tops in the 1W-3W HD sizes in stock since the new Fall stuff came in, and I’ve been rewarding this as often as I can given my budget! LOL) Because most leather tends to run small, I was fully expecting that the HD 3W size would still be too snug for me – but, this jacket fit so-o-o-o perfectly, so we bought it. Now I no longer have to wear my Walgreens leather (yes – Walgreens!) – although I’ll admit, it has lasted several years and looked more stylin’ as soon as I added a cool HD patch to the back.

Des Moines benefit ride for Theresa

The benefit ride for Theresa is scheduled for Saturday, October 20 at 11:00 a.m.  Registration will be 10:00-10:45 at Big Barn Harley Davidson in Des Moines, 81 NW 49th Place (2nd Ave. exit off I-80).  Donations will be warmly accepted and very much appreciated.  The ride will end with a potluck dinner and raffle.  All bikers are welcome – if you are in the Des Moines area, or traveling this way at that time, please join us!

If anyone would like to donate items for the raffle or food for the dinner, please send me an email and I’ll pass along your message.

Biker Chick Buzz: Shirley in Carlisle

Shirley P. from Carlisle, Iowa rides this beautiful Yamaha V-Star 650, red and silver. She bought it two years ago after having practiced one whole season (including a trip to Sturgis!) on a 250 Virago. She says that she and her husband Garry visited a dealership about 30 miles away where they found the bike, and the day they went to pick it up they were on his bike… so she had to ride it home without the opportunity to “practice” on it first – well she made it with no problems, and now this bike’s been to Sturgis twice already!

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