Motorcycle Pastimes in the August Sun

It's been a slow week. Maybe people have finally decided to take a motorcycle vacation since gas prices are starting to inch downward again. Some have gone to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally but I hear that vendors and attendance there are taking a hit this year.A lot of people are taking staycations this year. I guess I'm one of them. I have to save up to be able to participate in the Polar Bear

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Biker or not?

What makes a biker?

I read a lot of other people’s blogs and comments about what makes one a biker and what makes one a poser, or just a bike enthusiast.

I think the word “BIKER” and what it means is subjective to opinions.

The term “bar hopper” comes to mind right off the bat. Many times, I’ve read: not quoted, but implied, that if you have a bar hopper, and don’t go touring that you are not a true biker. I’ve recently read a post where the blogger himself decided he was not a biker, just a bike enthusiast because of the way he looked, versus the way one of his friends looked. To me it is more, how long you've been riding, how much passion you have for riding, how much burning desire you have to ride, even when you can't ride. If you get in a motorcycle accident, and live to ride another day, do you ride, or hang it up? When you see a bike, no matter what kind, is there a part of you that thinks, “That’s cool, I love it anyway”? If the burning desire to ride, consumes the back of your brain while you are doing something other than riding, and if every ounce of your soul says “I am a biker”. Well then my friend, in my book you are a biker. To me that is more of a biker than not. If you judged a biker by the way they look, or how often they “get” to ride, then you may as well judge them by what they ride, the color of their skin, the price of their motorcycle, what kind of house they go home to, Etc. Etc, Etc……

Re: The above statement about judging a biker by their looks....

Those who read my blog regularly will likely think of the fact that in the past, I have posted and criticized about some bikers looks, or the way they choose to dress.

I'm human. I notice this stuff and I never said they weren't bikers.

If you look like a dork, you look like a dork. Weather or not you are a biker, has nothing to do with what you wear, or don't wear.

I post this because, I do own a bar hopper, but I go for long rides when ever the opportunity strikes, and pay the consequences in lack of comfort. I do not do long tours. I desire to, but my family life and job at this time, limits this. I am actually planning on one for next year (ON MY BAR HOPPER). I've been in three motorcycle accidents in my 20 some years of riding, and two were pretty severe, and I still ride. I can't imagine not riding. I tried to give it up after my first accident. That didn't last long before I couldn't stand it anymore. For me life without riding is not a life at all. When I do ride, although not nearly as much as I'd like to... I'll be soaking it all in and think to myself. This is livin. This is what it's all about. This is why I ride.

I am one of the people I described above.
Ladies and gentlemen, ……..I AM A BIKER; are you?

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Biker joke

Friendship among regular folks:

.

A man didn't come home one night.

The next morning he told his significant other that he had slept over at a friend's house.

The woman called his 10 best friends.

None of them knew anything about it.

Friendship among Bikers:

.

A biker didn't come home one night.

The next morning he told his significant other that he had slept over at a friend's house.

The woman called The biker's 10 best friends.

Eight confirmed that he had slept over, and two said he was still there.

.

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Fisherman's Picnic Weekend photos

The photos here, should have been attached to my last post, but I had my head up my arse.

These photos were taken by my wife. She so gracioulsy allowed me to borrow them, and post them for you to see.

I hope you like them. This is just a glimpse of the beauty that is Grand Marais, MN , and the Gunflint Trail.


Grand Marais, MN Harbor


Grand Marais, MN Harbor


One of the many beautiful lakes in the Gunflint Trail


An alien creature spotted in one of our cabins


We went moose huntuing...(pics only). We do this each year.
This time we only managed to see this little jumper. But
notice, if photographed closely, even a grasshoper can be
beautiful in it's own way.

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Grand Marais Fisherman's Picnic Weekend

Been gone for a while.

Thursday last week, I was cleaning up some loose ends at work. I took Friday off, and headed up north to Grand Marais, MN with my wife.

We went there for our now annual Grand Marais Fisherman's Picnic weekend to meet a few of my wifes friends, who have now become my friends. The scenery there is stunning. I'd like to retire around the North Shore someday, and lucky for me, my wife is totally on board with this

plan. We stayed in a quaint cabin just outside of downtown. We ate, we drank, and shopped in town, enjoyed the festival, had a camp fire dinner with our friends, and parted ways the next morning. My wife and I spent the last day there together, and just enjoyed each other's company. We saw some incredible scenery and views as we headed along the Gunflint Trail. I was so into the beautiful views in front of me, I was just, well, dumfounded, and too lame to take any pictures. I take that back. I have a few on my camera phone. Now if I can just find time to figure out how to get them off!

I got another souvenier knife.

I love knives, especially when I can tie it into being a biker knife, that makes it even better.

I got back from our trip to start work the following day. I spent the last two days in a training class, and got absolutely nothing done as far as my real job goes. Now I'm really far behind the 8-ball. I really don't even have time to be posting this. I'd like to lay blame on my temp. who did absolutely nothing while I was away, but... Oh wait.... I don't have a temp. All the work just piles up while I'm gone. As a matter of fact, I was even assigned more work while I was on vacation! Bastards. Nothing like job security right???

Please excuse my absence as of late, and in near future. I have much catching up to do. I'll try to catch up on my regular blogs I read, and we'll talk to you all soon.

Peace,

Mr. Motorcycle

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BMW Recalls Certain 2007 Motorcycle Models for Steering Damper Problem

BMW has issued a recall of certain 2007 F800S, F800ST, K1200GT, K1200R, K1200R Sport, and R1200R motorcycles.It is possible for the coating to separate from the inside face of the steering damper housing. If this happened, the coating could partially clog the oil bores within the damper. If this occurred, the steering damper could become stiff increasing the risk of a crash.428 units are

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A moment of shame that I had to bear for something I did not do.

I was at the Dodge dealership getting my Charger worked on for some maintenance.

The service writer, the service technician and I were going over what I needed to have done to my car. We started B.S.- ing about riding motorcycles, because they saw the Harley sticker on my car.

They asked, "Do you ride?", and the answer was of course, "Yes."

I asked, "Do you guys ride?" They both replied, "Yes".

Long story short....
The service writer was on his way back to the service writer's booth area to do some paperwork to put me in a free laoner for a few hours while they worked on the Charger. The Tech. lowered my car down from being hoisted, so I could get some personal belongings out of the car. While lowering the car, he asks me, "Do you have a Harley?" I proudly say "Yes."
He then replies, "I've got a bike, but it's only a Kawasaki." I say, "Only a Kawasaki?, You say that like you are ashamed of it." He says, "No, but it ain't a Harley." I told him, "Who cares! If you're into Kawasaki's, then you are into Kawasakis. You don't need to apologize." He said, "That's nice to hear from someone who rides a Harley. Because about 8 out of ten times I wave to someone riding a Harley, they don't wave back." I said, "That's Bullshit that that happens. People shouldn't care what you are riding as long as you are out there having fun. That's what it's all about, not what you're riding. Most guys I ride with, including me, don't give a shit about what anyone else rides. I love Harleys, but that's just me. I wave to people riding scooters."

At that particular moment, I truly felt ashamed to be associated with a crowd that acts this way. It's not what I see, but then again, I'm sure it happens too. Isn't what we preach that bikers help ALL bikers, no matter what? It's like an unwritten code of biker ethics or creed in the biker world. It is what the brotherhood of bikers is about to me. So why wouldn't you recriprocate this feeling of brotherhood to ANY biker waving to you? Any wone who snubs a wave for the sole reason of what the other person is riding, or not riding, should be completely ASHAMED! I guess what I'm trying to say here, is that we all have preferences on what to ride, and what we think is the best. But none of that changes the person who is riding it. We are all equal, even if we don't think the motorcycles each of us chooses to ride are. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Do I think Harley Davidson is the best damn bike on this planet... You bet! But just 'Cause I love Harleys doesn't mean anyone else has to. I give an honest and sincere statement here when I say, I don't care what you ride.

Peace to ALL riders!

Mr. Motorcycle

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