Pappy and Slick on Smokey

Below is a picture of Slick and I on Jordan's new bike (aka Smokey).

Until next time and enjoy the ride!

Pappy

Ride to Chesterfield South Carolina

Yesterday was a great ride with my son. Jordan and I took a trip to Chesterfield SC. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing in Chesterfield but it was a good excuse to ride. Plus, it gives Jordan bragging rights that he visited another state. That is 3 now that he has ridden in since he started riding if anyone is keeping count (NC, SC and VA).

Jordan and I headed down highway 85 to highway 109 at Thomasville. We rode most of the way on 109 until we got to Wadesboro NC where we jumped on 145 South to the SC border. There it gave Jordan an opportunity to snap a photo proving he really did visit SC.

When hit the southern part of NC and into SC you could tell those areas were pretty poor and basically there isn’t crap there, except for good places to ride motorcycles. Once we got into Chesterfield we found a Sub place to get. The food was okay but the place was a little nasty. It even had flies in the winter time in the place. Now that is pretty bad.


Once we ate we cruised around Chesterfield for about 5 minutes. I did mention there was nothing there, right? Next we jumped back on 145 north and back in to NC. Of course, Jordan needed a photo of that state sign too.

After the photo, we headed north to highway 74. Once on 74 we headed east to jump on highway 220 and then 73 west to Troy NC and highway 109 north. There Jordan wanted to stop and get his photo at a sign that he thought was kind of cool, so we did that. It also gave us a break and a chance to snap some other photos.

Next we headed north through the Uwharrie National Forest. There is not much there except it is a pretty big area and has some great 2 lane roads to ride. We also snapped a picture there too.

All-in-all the entire trip was great. I got to spend quality time with my son and he got to enjoy riding Smokey. Actually, he didn’t complain too much. He did say it was ticking him off that I was cruising down the road listening to the radio and CD’s and using my cruise control. Actually, I told him he needed to not ride beside me so much because his loud bike was making it hard for me to hear my music. He also whined about not having cruise control on Smokey and his hand was cramping (what a whiner). I think his next purchase will be cruise. He will need it before we head to the beach and to Wing Ding in South Carolina in July.

Overall we rode 250 miles. I enjoyed the ride and I hope we get to have many more in the future. Good times!

Until next time and enjoy the ride!

Pappy

Heading to SC with Dudley

Tomorrow, Jordan and I plan to hit the road to Chesterfield SC. There is nothing there but it does give us a chance to ride somewhere. I was looking at the route and a lot of the route is rural and back roads. It should be a good ride. The high is going to be around the mid 60’s and sunny. It will be a great day for riding and snapping a few pictures of the trip. Jordan mainly wants to get a picture showing he has been to South Carolina on Smokey. I had been there once last year on Big Red. Of course, Slick would have freaked out if she had known I had been that far without letting her know. So course, I don’t say anything until I got back home. This time she knows.

Until next time and enjoy the ride!

Pappy

Gerbing Gloves

This morning I tried the Gerbing heated gloves for the first time. Man, were they great. My hands were nice and toasty for the 35 degree morning. Now I am set for the cold weather even though spring is almost here. Thanks to my good buddy Craig I am ready for next year and the cold weather. Who knows, I may even break my record for riding in 17 degrees weather. With the new gloves I will have no problem doing that.

I also would like to thank Craig for adding a group of stuff on Big Red last Friday. He put on my trailer hitch and the wiring, the wiring for my new Gerbing gloves and the grills that go behind the shark fins. He really likes installing those grills….NOT! Craig is amazing. There is nothing that old goat can’t fix (except a computer).

Until next time and enjoy the ride!

Pappy

Dudley Gets a New Toy…Smokey

Well, Jordan (AKA Dudley) got a new ride this weekend. He and I headed to the Cycle Center in Asheboro to look at bikes. When we arrived we happen to see the same bike that we both thought was a great deal about 5 weeks ago. The bike was still there and I thought I would try to grab it before someone else did. It is a nice gray Honda VTX 1300. The bike was such a great buy because it had a lot of the accessories that Jordan wanted already on the bike. So last Saturday I bought it and this past Saturday Jordan and I went to pick it up.

Jordan was a little nervous about riding the bike from the Cycle Center so he asks me to ride it first. It was a nice ride but man is that bike loud. Everyone can hear you roaring down the road. It ran great and had a lot more power than the Honda Shadow Jordan was riding before. By the way, guess who will be riding the little Shadow now. That’s right, good old dad.

Anyway, after leaving the Cycle Center I rode the bike back to the house. Jordan was getting a little ticked at dad because the thought I was having too much fun riding the bike and taking my sweet little time getting back home. Of course, he was right.

Once home, Jordan and I took the bike over to a local parking lot for Jordan to get the feel of his new toy. He adjusted to the new bike just fine and now is enjoying his need freedom on ‘Smokey’ (he hasn’t given it a name yet, so I thought I would for now).

So next time you hear a loud roaring steal horse riding though you neighborhood, take a look, it may be Dudley cruising through. Don’t forget to wave, he most likely will not be able to hear you.

Below are a couple of photos of Jordan's new ride:

Until next time and enjoy the ride.

Pappy

Coldest Ride to Date…17 Degrees

Well this morning I rode Big Red and it was a brisk 17 degrees. My original record for cruising in the morning to work was 19 degrees. Of course it got down to 17 and I felt the need to break my own record. I guess I figured 19 degrees wasn’t cold enough for a real biker like me. Now don’t get me wrong it was cold but not quite cold enough to prevent me from riding. Most people think I’m nuts. I just had to ride! Of course, I didn’t see anyone else feeling the same need.

Until next time and enjoy the ride!

Pappy

2007 Total Mileage on Big Red…11,786!

Well, I just calculated my mileage for Big Red for this year. I was a little shocked that put on 11,786 miles on the bike in one year. That is pretty amazing. It was due to our trip to Ohio at the Honda Homing, a nice 3 day trip to the NC mountains with my old Harley buddy Paul, local rallies, a lot of mini trips with Slick on the weekend and of course me riding the bike whenever I could. The miles really did add up.

This year we plan to put even more miles on Big Red since we will be getting a trailer to haul stuff from our trips. Slick has already made me commit to some flee markets and other shopping trips. Oh well, that is why we got the bike to start with. To travel and put our extra junk in the trailer when we travel. Slick said she would not get too much stuff, but I know how that goes.

We also plan to take a few trips to the beach this year. One trip will be to the out banks. Other trips include traveling more rallies and to other states. Of course Jordan will go with us. That will be cool too. We just need to work in getting him a larger bike. His little Honda has to refuel ever hour and a half. That is good for him though. His butt needs a break too.

Until next time and enjoy the ride!

Pappy

New Stuff Coming Soon!

Well, it will not be long before I get all my remaining parts for fixing up Big Red. I am waiting on my mud flap and Gerbing heating accessories. So far I have my mounting parts for the mud flap and my trailer hitch. Hopefully, I can get with my old motorcycle buddy Craig to hook all the stuff up. He is an amazing guy when it comes to Goldwing’s and anything mechanical. He is not a computer geek like me but he is getting there. I am really looking forward to getting the Gerbing accessories to keep my hands warm this winter. Once I get all that stuff hooked up and wired in I will be set for old man winter. It will be nice to have some warm hands for those mornings when I ride to work and it is below 20 degrees.

Another thing I am looking forward to is our new trailer in late spring. Slick and I plan to get a trailer and use it for our mini-trips that will last over 2 days. Plus it gives her an opportunity to load the trailer down with stuff she finds when she shops while we are on the road. She says she will not fill up the trailer but those of us that have wives no better than that.

Until next time and enjoy the ride!

Pappy

Jordan's Longest Ride Yet!

This weekend was a good weekend for riding. Jordan and I rode on Saturday for about 2 hours. It was a little nippy but not too bad for a little ride in the country. The biggest ride for Jordan as on Sunday. Slick, Jordan and I rode from Greensboro to Lenoir NC for Slick's dad's 70th birthday party. It was a good day to ride and a Jordan got to get some experience on the trip. He got the chance to ride on interstate 40 which is always a treat (by the way, Jordan now understands why most bikers don't like interstates). He got to experience a little ride in some lite rain. He got the chance to ride in the dark on the interstate and some back rodes and why having cruise is so cool. The ride was a little long for Jordan. He realized that when you ride any bike it is a good idea to take a break about every hour or so. Jordan noticed that his back and his butt needed a break too.

We all rode for about 200 miles on Saturday and Sunday. The weather was great and this week it is supposed to be even better with the highs in the upper 70's. Did I mention it is in the middle of December. I know I plan to take advantage of the great weather because I know it is not going to last. But hey, I don't care. I will be still riding no matter how cold it gets. The question is will Slick and Dudley be crazy enough to ride too.

Until next time and enjoy the ride!

Pappy

Father and Son Cycle Center Trip

Saturday was a fun day of riding. Jordan (aka Dudley) and I took off for a nice Saturday morning ride to the Cycle Centerin Asheboro NC to checkout the new Honda VTX's. Jordan plans on buying his own bike which will be a VTX in the next year or so. After leaving the house Jordan and I headed first on highway 421 toward Liberty. Liberty has a nice small stretch of road with some pretty fun curves that I thought would enjoy. So we headed toward Liberty and took on the road. Jordan enjoyed the road but I think he would have liked it more if he wasn't so worried about running out of gas. The Honda Shadow he rides now is not the best for gas since it has a small tank and can only get about 120 miles before you have to fill up again.

After finishing up the Liberty run, we headed for the gas station and got the gas before I had to go find some for him. After filling up we heading to the Cycle Center. We finally got Jordan some gloves for the winter. He was always complaining about how his hands got cold. I told him my hands don't get cold and I wear my summer thin leather gloves. He said that is because I practically ride a plane on 2 wheels and the cockpit protects me. I told he need to get a Golwing. He said when he is old and turns 50.

After getting Dudleys some gloves we looked around the Cycle Center at the VTX's. I wanted Jordan to sit on a VTX 1800 to see if he liked them. He didn't. They were way too big for him and he said they were too uncomfortable. I sat on one myself and I felt the same way. It made me appreciate Big Red. Jordan sit on a VTX 1300. Those fit him nicely. We actually found a steal of a bike which was a 2004 VTX 1300 for $7500.00. It already had a backrest, large windsheild and new leather saddle bags. That was a great buy. It is too bad the timing is not right for the buy.

After leaving the Cycle Center we headed back home. Of course half of the trip was on the 4 lane highways where the speed limit is 65 to 70 mph. Not a big deal for me, but for Jordan it was not that great. The little Honda Shadow he rides can get pretty cold when the temperature is only 50 degress and on the bike it feels like 30. Of course Jordan complained about being cold. I just don't get it. I felt fine!

Now Dudley has some new winter gloves. We even got him some Frogg Toggs Sunday and he plans to get some thermals this week. Maybe then he will not complain about the cold so much. Besides frostbike is over-rated and not that bad, right?

I really enjoyed my ride with my son. It was a great time and we plan to have many more trips in the future. Some of our future trips will include the beach and Wing Ding in July. That will be fun.

Below is a picture of Jordan and I (aka Shake and Bake). Jordan bought the shirts. Pretty cool, huh?

Until next time and enjoy the ride.

Pappy

Jordan Became a Biker Today

Today Jordan took his first motorcycle ride on his 600cc Honda Shadow Deluxe and officially became a biker. It was a greatday for a proud father to see his son take his first ride and be a part of that experience. The weather was great but a little on the nippy side. We actually didn't get started until we did some checks on bikes. I am glad we did. Big Red's tire pressurewas pretty low due to the cold weather.

After getting the tires ready, we were ready to roll. I figured the first thing to show Jordan was the joy of riding on some of the back roads near our home. It was a great day to hit the back roads and see a lot of the great fall follage. The colors were awesome! We took a ride for about an hour on the back roads and Jordan did great. At one point, I looked back and noticed Jordan was trying to get my attention. It seemed his hands were a little on the frosty side. So we took a little break so his hands could thraw out and he could warm up. After the break we headed back toward the house and I decided to take Jordan on highway 421 and 85 so he could experience the joy of riding on the highway at 65 mph on a little bike. Of course with the cold weather, wrong gloves and windy conditions, he just loved that.

Overall, Jordan did great. He rode the bike like a pro. Heck, he even wanted to take a ride through town and back on his own. He did that great too. I was really proud of Jordan for doing such a great job riding today. I know he is already hooked and he is looking forward to both of us riding to the beach this March.

So next time you see a small Honda Shadow around the Greensboro or High Point area, look close. It might just be Jordan. He will even wave at you if you watch for the wave. He likes the biker wave thing. Like I said, he is hooked.

Until next time and enjoy the ride!

Pappy

Dudley Can't Look Back

Well, Dudley strikes again. My wonderful son Jordan (aka Dudley) was practicing yesterday at our favorite parking lot yesterday and was doing great. Of course, until I noticed that he wasn't riding the bike. I happen to be walking while he rode the bike. All was going well for him. He was making some great stops, turns, etc... and then it happen. He dropped the bike. It was no big deal except he broke off his left side mirror. I actually felt bad for him because he said he was doing so great with all his riding techniques. He dropped it. Big deal. We bought the bike to practice with and it will get dropped again.

The good thing is the piece that broke off only cost $15.00. The best thing is Jordan is paying for it. I told him, hey, it's your bike. I also wanted to remind him to not look back and dwell on the things you do wrong when you drop your bike. Just learn from it.

Besides, he can't look back right now because Dudley doesn't have mirror. He broke it.

If you read this Dudley, hang in there. Dad still thinks you are the best.

Until next time and enjoy the ride!

Pappy

Bike Display and Chapter Charity Event

Saturday was a great day to ride and do a little charity work for kids at Christmas. All of our chapter members did a bike show in Randleman NC. The event was held at Walmart and we had some nice drawings for those that wanted a chance to win them. Some of the prizes included a $100.00 gift certificate from the Cycle Center in Asheboro, NC. Jordan and I were trying to win that. Of course, neither one of us did. Another great prize was a $100.00 gift certificate from Walmart. We had one lady that bought $100.00 worth of tickets and she told us to put the tickets in the drawing for that prize. Can you believe that the poor lady (actually she looked loaded) didn't win. Fortunately, a guy whose wife had pasted away a week prior did win it. That was good for him because he had to move back in with his parents. So, he probably needed the Walmart gift certificate. Good for him, right?

I also took some photos at the event and some bikes. Jordan and I actually tried to help Craig sell his bike. We bought for sale sign and put $5000.00 for it. We can't beleive no one would buy it. Below are some photos of the bikes at the bike display.

We had a great turn out. We raised $371.00 for the kids and we had a great time. I am sure next year we can do better.

Until next time and enjoy the ride!

Pappy

Dudley Strikes Again

Jordan had his second day of motorcycle training yesterday. He did really well except for on incident where he pulled a Dudley and dropped the bike again. Actually, he just laid it down. No harm no foul, right? Anyway, he did great and he is picking up riding a bike really fast. He will have no problem in the course in 3 weeks. Below is a photo of Jordan (aka Dudley) on his bike. He looks really cool, don't you think?


Until next time and enjoy the ride!

Pappy

Jordan's First Ride

Yesterday Jordan and I got the tag for the motorcycle and of course, it was time to ride. So we took off to the GTCC parking lot for practice time. Once we got in the parking lot the fun started. Jordan strapped on the really cool helmet that I have and my gloves.Jordan mounted the bike and was ready to roll. He had a lot of practice in my garage riding forward and backward, so of course, taking off was going to be a breeze for my little man. NOT! He took off and within 10 seconds he was heading right for the only car in the parking lot and it didn't appear he was going to stop. Luckily because of his superior motorcycle skills he was able to stop within 2 feet of the car. He said later he felt like Dudley in the Wild Hogs movie. Actually, he looked like that too. Way to go Dudley!


After both our hearts slowed down and got back to normal, we were ready to try the whole thing over again. With a little coaching and a little demo from the old man, he got on the bike again and soon was starting and stopping like a pro. We worked on take offs and stops, turns, quick stops and countersteering. We practiced for about an hour and a half.

Overall, he did great. Actually, he did better than I did in one hour than I did in one month. He did drop the bike for the first time. Actually, it just fell over because he lost his concentration on a simple stop and was too busy looking at his mom when she came out to watch him. But oh well, I have dropped my bike 3 times. I am still riding. Hey, I will probably drop it some more. That's life on a motorcylce, right?

Today we will be practicing some more. The plan is for him and Slick to practice for the next 3 weeks. Both Jordan and Slick will be taking the motorcycle course on November 2-4. That will be fun for both of them especially since they get to practice for a few weeks prior to the class.

After a little more practice Jordan and Slick will be ready to get their licenses and then everyone needs to watch out.

Until next time and enjoy the ride!

Pappy

Jordan and Slick's New Ride

Checkout Jordan's and Slick's new ride.

Slick

New Riders Hitting the Road Soon

Yesterday I finally found a bike that would be great little cruiser for Slick and Jordan to practice with. It is a very nice 2002 Honda Shadow 600cc Deluxe. I found it in Thomasville. Slick and I did take a look at another bike a couple of days ago that was nice but not like the one I found yesterday. The new bike has just a little over 2400 miles on it and looks practically brand new. The guy was selling it because he wanted a bigger bike and the bike wasn’t getting ridden enough and he really didn’t need it. He wanted more power. That was perfect for Slick and Jordan. They get a great bike out of the deal.

Slick and Jordan plan to practice with the new bike for about a month and then take the basic motorcycle course together. I thought that was very cool. I mean, think about it; how many mothers and sons take a motorcycle course together? The plan is for me to work with Slick and Jordan in the same GTCC parking lot that I use to practice at for a few weeks in the afternoon and weekends. They will take the course and then eventually have them venture out on the back roads and highways to get use to the traffic.

So be looking out for a couple of new cool Honda riders soon. It should be fun!

Oh yeah, pictures are coming soon.

Until next time and enjoy the ride!

Pappy

Lost and Stepping Back in Time

Yesterday Slick and I took a little 4 hour trip on Big Red. The original plan was to head up toward VA that then hit some of the back roads through the country. Will we did that but we got a little off course and realized the best part of riding a motorcycle is not the planned trip and the route; it is the fun of getting lost and finding our way back. The original trip was to take only about 2.5 hours. But we ended up off course and it was nice. It was nice to see some of the old towns that we have never heard about. In some of those towns in was like going back in time 30 years. Actually, we stopped a gas station to fill up (luckily that was before we got lost), and I stepped into an old store and I felt like I stepped back in time 30 years. Even the floors had the old wooden planks and I noticed a lot of old products you hardly ever see anymore.

After we filled up we hit the road and quickly we realized we took the wrong turn. So we continued for a few miles and ran into Hanging Rock State Park. That was nice for us because we had heard of the park before but we were not sure how to get there. Once we found the entrance to the park we rode through it. It was a nice park but it was pretty empty due to the summer season ending. I did notice they had a lot of camping sites there and some nice hiking trails. I may be going camping and hiking there next year. It also looked like a nice place to go and see the fall foliage this year.

All-in-all we had a great time. It was nice to ride the bike through the country and we will probably be taking that route again. If not, there is a good possibility that we will get lost again and find some even nicer roads and old towns. There is nothing like riding in the country. It is Slick and my favorite way to relax and forget the stress of home and work. I just wished everyone could experience it. They don't realize what they are missing.

Until next time and enjoy the ride!

Pappy

Riding with my Son

I had a great time this weekend with my son, Jordan. He and I went to the Asheboro Cycle Center and took a look at some bikes. We orginally went there to check out the small Honda crusiers, but Jordan fell in love with the Honda VTX 1300cc bikes. So it looks like he will be getting his own early next year.

I got a chance to take Jordan on a ride on Big Red. Of course, that made him want a bike even more. We took a ride for a couple of hours and had a great time.

Jordan will be coming back to NC to stay in early October. That will be great. Our plan is to find him and Slick a nice small bike to practice with before they take the basic motorcycle course at GTCC. That will be nice to see him at the course. He is looking forward to that and so am I.

Until next time and enjoy the ride!

Pappy

Great Example of Road Rash

Here is a great example of why you should away have protective clothing.

Until next time and enjoy the ride!

Pappy