| Author | Message | ||
     Etennuly |
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| Pwnzor |
On a side note regarding travelling BadWeBers, there has been a Mr. Grumpy sighting in Atlanta today... He texted me from the truck stop so I ran down to meet him for a burger. Crusty, if your trip brings you down this way, I expect to hear from you! | ||
| Ourdee |
 me too | ||
| Froggy |
    | ||
| Crusty |
Real Quick I’m in a Macca’s in Clearfield, PA. There are no electrical outlets in this location, so I’m running on battery power. I need to make this short and sweet. I had to stop and get a coffee and wake up. I didn’t sleep well last night; I was awake and reading until after midnight, then I woke up at 5:30 this morning. I was pretty pumped about getting back on the road. I decided to just blitz down the slab to Springfield, so I’ve been on the Interstate all day. I’m tired. My ass is really dragging. I’m hoping to get to a Corps of Engineers Campground at Lake Shenango, PA and camp for tonight. As tired as I feel, I might just get a motel room, if I can find a cheap one. I’ll write more later. | ||
| Ourdee |
Oh ya. | ||
| Pwnzor |
 | ||
| Crusty |
Another Quick Note I’m in a McDonald’s in Ohio having my standard Sausage McMuffin and Senior Coffee. This location also doesn’t have electrical outlets, so I have to be short. I didn’t make it to the COE campground, last night. I was nodding on the bike, and I saw a Motel 6 sign off the interstate, so I pulled in. I slept from around 8:00 until 6:00 this morning. I got up and put about 50 miles on, then stopped for breakfast. I was just so stiff when I woke up that I could barely move, but after an hour on the bike, I feel pretty much back to normal. I have a hard day’s ride ahead if I’m going to make it into Springfield for tonight. Of course, I can always stop, then ride into Springfield tomorrow and I might just do that. One good thing is that I’ll be able to stop and eat at Rudy’s BBQ in Springfield, Ohio. I’ve eaten there a few times, and the food has always been top notch. OK, Gotta go. | ||
| Pwnzor |
Crusty, I'm looking at Rudy's menu and I see something called "scalloped corn". I am very interested in that item. | ||
| Crusty |
Springfield And Memories Well; I’m in Springfield. I rode Interstates all the way. The Interstate is the quickest way to get from point A to point B; it’s also the safest. However, it isn’t fun when you’re in bumper to bumper traffic going 70 MPH and you’re stuck behind some huge Bulgemobile that you can’t see through or around. I won’t rant about Elephant Races or the trucks who like to take two lanes miles before the Merge Point. Some of my friends are Truck Drivers, and I have a lot of respect for them; but some “Professional Drivers” would be better described as Professional Jackasses. The good news is that I won’t be doing much Interstate riding from this point on. I ate at Rudy’s Smokehouse for Lunch/Dinner. I got a Pulled Pork sandwich and Baked Beans, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. They have a $6.99 Lunch Combo that’s hard to beat. I forget what the other choices are, I just automatically order my standard favorite. It was quite tasty; though nowhere near as good as the pulled pork was at Mark’s parents’ house at the W. Va. Rally last year. Once I got through Indianapolis, and onto I-74 traffic lightened up and I was able to relax and reminisce about other trips to Springfield over the years. I first came to see the Mile in 1984. The race got rained out, but I got a good look at the track on the day before, and I knew it was going to be a Spectacular race. When I came back the following year, the race was everything I was hoping it would be. That trip in 1985 would have been memorable, even without having a great race to attend. I was leading a group of four bikes, and none of them had taken a long ride before (one was a novice rider who didn’t have a hundred miles total on a bike!). I’d been taking long trips all my life, and expected everyone else to have the same mentality as I had. It made for a truly memorable experience, and we still talk about it. There was the year that eight of us rode from Massachusetts, Trying to keep such a large group together and focused was um, taxing. George copped an attitude first thing, before we even started out and left 15 minutes before the rest of us. saying, “I’ll meet you at the motel in St. Clairsville tonight.” Kathryn’s bike developed an ignition problem, Peter hit the starter button on his bike when it was parked in gear; the bike started and idled away riderless, almost taking out Billy and Chris, before it fell over. I was dealing with the knowledge that my wife was moving out while I was at the race. Add in the personality differences, and resulting frictions, and I was right at the edge, mentally. I remember, when we were riding through Indy on the way home, seeing the sign for I-65 - Louisville and I had a real tough time not going that way. After I remarried, Terri and I would take the two girls and pile in the car and go. One year after we got back, Megan kept talking about Chinese Cats. It wasn’t until the following year, we found out she was referring to the High Tension Power Line towers we’d see coming across Indiana and Illinois. If you look at them right, they look like cats wearing one of those flat conical hats favored by oriental farmers in movies. And the Race. Some of the high points over the years are wonderful. I saw Jay Springsteen finally win here. He’s still the greatest Dirt Tracker of all time in my eyes, even though both Scott Parker and Chris Carr chalked up more wins. I remember Scott Parker running about seventh going into turn 3 on the last lap, and passing everybody in front of him to win by inches. I saw Will Davis dominate the race until the white flag, then his engine blew and he rolled to a stop in turn one. I saw Davey Camlin pull a move on Ricky Graham that put Ricky on the ground in his heat race. In the Semi, Graham returned the favor. He didn’t knock Camlin down, but he pushed him off the groove, and Camlin went from first to last. I’ve seen more photo finishes than I can recall. They’re the norm at Springfield. I’ve gotten to take Parade Laps on the track a few times and I can’t explain the feeling I get while running down the back straight at a palsy 70 MPH. Ricky Graham used to be known as “Mr. Springfield”, then Scotty Parker came and dominated. Parker may just be the greatest Miler of all time. Springfield is a track that nearly all the racers love (though I met one who didn’t like it that much. Then again, he always had bad luck strike him here). Springfield is the kind of track that makes good racers better, and at the same time lets great racers shine. It brings out the absolute best in the racers and in the racing. Tomorrow, I’ve got my usual front row seat near the finish line. I’m really looking forward to it! (Message edited by Crusty on May 28, 2016) | ||
| Pwnzor |
Great report, sir... keep them coming. I can now go about the rest of my day. | ||
| Figorvonbuellingham |
I remember 30 years ago my first trip to the Mile. Hearing the roar of the bikes, but first the smell of race fuel burning was heaven. That smell has stuck with me all these years and every track I go to, the first whiff takes me back to that day. A few years ago I was reading some road racing magazine and I can't recall which one, but they were interviewing top Moto GP riders and posing the same question to them: "What is your favorite corner?" Lorenzo say turn 6 at Jerez (not what he said but you get the gist, I can't remember exactly) Pedrosa....turn 3 Aragon Marquez....turn 13 Indy Nicky Hayden....turn 1 Springfield mile....lol Haydens is the only one I remember. The others I am just filling in the blanks because they left no impact on me like Haydens response did. Soooo funny, and I know what he means that first turn is pretty amazing. | ||
| Crusty |
Sunday Morning Rambling I’m having a little bit of trouble getting back into the “Tramp” groove; I’m not quite sure why. I think it’ll all fall back into place in a day or two, and I’ll be wondering just what was wrong with my head. The session with my Cardiologist and the resulting Nuclear Stress Test kind of rattled me. I’m feeling my mortality a lot more than ever before. I’d think that would strengthen my resolve to see the things I’ve never seen, but I think the opposite has happened. Not enough to stop me from going, but there’s a tendency to just park my ass and do nothing. That ain’t gonna happen. If my time is drawing to a close, I’m going to live as much as I can until the whistle blows. Yesterday was a kind of weird day. I didn’t feel like sitting in the stands and watching 92 different classes of bikes go through practice, qualifying, heats, semis, ad nauseum. I love watching racing, but sitting in the stands for 12 hours is just too tough on me. Plus, I really don’t find little Billy on his Suzuki 50 going 15 MPH exciting in the least. So I went into town. I decided to find a meeting. and got an address from the internet. I went there, and they were having a pot luck BBQ. It was a clubhouse, and the people were friendly. The food was delicious. (I’m a sucker for damn near anything cooked over charcoal) I ate way too much, and had a couple of fairly interesting conversations. One was with a guy who was fascinated by Whitey Bulger and all sorts of Organized Crime. He also was about to go on a political rant, but I headed that off. (he really doesn’t like Hillary) Another conversation was with a guy who wants to travel. We had a good long conversation about the places I’d gone to and the places he’d been to. It was pretty nice talking to him. I stayed for a couple of hours and ate a Bratwurst, a Burger and a small pork chop along with some BBQ beans and a couple of brownies for dessert. I felt like a glutton, but it sure tasted good. After I left, I went back to the Fairgrounds and watched about 20 or so different amateur races. At 7:30 PM, the races I was interested in started; the Experts and GNC2 racers started their heats. There was some pretty good racing and I enjoyed watching them. One little bonus was that there was lightning off in the distance, and they sped the program up so as to get the main in before the weather hit. The Main was an excellent race. Jared Mees won and his lead was never threatened, but I watched Henry Wiles pick people off and eventually he finished second. If he’d gotten a better start, I think he would have won it, but he didn’t and so he didn’t. The Roadster has all kinds of eye tracks all over it. I saw one guy on a Japanese Harley clone pull up next to where it was parked and just stare at it for about ten minutes. I had a Harley dealer asking me what kind of bags were on it, and how I had modified the racks. It’s a real eye catcher. Maybe because it’s trying to be a real motorcycle and not just a piece of butt jewelry. I think that once I put some decent suspension on it, it’ll be close to ideal. OK; Practice for the Mile starts in less than an hour, so I ought to head over in the general direction of the track. If possible, I want to get a picture of the Water cooled XG 750 that Harley is developing. It would be cool if it made enough horsepower to be competitive with the Kaw that Brian Smith is riding. I’m tired of seeing him dominating the Miles. I don’t think they’ve got the XG fast enough yet, but I can hope. | ||
| Tootal |
Well Crusty, my plan was to head up this morning and surprise you but I'm afraid racing got in the way. I'm helping my brewing/racing partner build the engine and I figured we'd be done on Saturday but as is par for the course, it didn't work that way. I ended up spending the night and continuing this morning. Then we hit the major road block. Our head gasket was too thick for this block. The old one had been decked a couple of times and this one had not. So the head was so tall the timing chain was too tight with no adjustment left! So we have to order the proper head gasket. If we had figured that out yesterday I would have made it but that's the way it goes. Have fun at Homecoming! | ||
| Crusty |
Memorial Day Morning Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day with just a few scattered fluffy clouds. Temperatures were in the mid 80s (30 - 31º C) and there was a very gentle breeze. The track was smooth and fast; at least, it looked smooth from the stands. It definitely was fast; the top riders were clocked in the 34 second bracket. The racing was close and there was plenty of action throughout the day. Brian Smith won again by something like .050 second. Jared Mees was second and Brad Baker finished third. You could have literally thrown a blanket over the three of them; they were that close. I’m tired of seeing Smith win on the Miles, but nobody gave it to him; he won it the hard way. I got a bit of a sunburn on my arms, neck and face, which surprised me. I thought that between being on the road all last summer, combined with being in Australia for 3 months, I had enough of a residual tan and I wouldn’t burn. I was wrong. Still, I think it is good for my general health to get a bit of sun. Last night, I slept better than I have in a while. While at the Race, I went into the pits between Qualifying and the start of the Heat races and checked out the XG 750 R. Development is coming along. First year Expert Davis Fisher (#67) is riding it for the H-D Factory. He rode it well enough to put it into the Main, and he finished 8th, which is pretty damned impressive. All in all, it was a typical Springfield Mile. Photo finishes are the Norm and not the exception here. Local people are surprised that the race is so famous. I talked with one local who was amazed that he’d met people from Australia who had come to the US to see the Mile. Not being a motorcyclist, and having never seen the race himself, he didn’t know what a world renowned event it was. I’ve said it many times, and it’s still true; if I knew I could only attend one race for the rest of my life, I’d choose the Springfield Mile in a heartbeat. Davis Fisher's XG 750 R  | ||
| 86129squids |
"XG"...? Not having followed HD product offerings much since I left the biz, is this motor based on the same as the new "Street" models? Looks like it, and it's got a teeny radiator! Glad you're having an awesome time, O Crusted One!   | ||
| Greg_e |
It is the new Street model, the have 750 and 500. Liquid cooled and injected. | ||
| Crusty |
Watching And Waiting I just looked at the weather radar. Even though the sky is really dark south of here, the thunderstorms are moving south and not towards me. However, there’s a line of storms a few hours away that are heading in this direction. I hope they die out before they get here. I’ve decided to stay here in Springfield until Wednesday morning. Camping here is 15 bucks/night, and the Country View Campground (near East Troy) is 24 bucks/night. I’ve got to start squeezing my nickels a little bit tighter. The 9 bucks I’ll save is food for a whole day. Plus, the campground here at the State Fairgrounds is now almost empty. It’s going to seem weird not hearing drunken party goers being loud at 2:00 AM. Of course, if the noise of party boys is replaced by the sound of thunder, then I don’t think that’ll be much of an improvement. I’ll just have to wait and see. Last year, I got to see corn crops go from tiny plants to full grown, then dead plants that were cut down. I noticed some corn as I came into Springfield on Friday. The plants were just about ankle high. Today, I rode past that same field and the plants were a few inches taller. At the rate they’re growing, they’ll be a lot more than “Knee high by the Fourth of July”. Another memory from last year is that I left Springfield as soon as the Mile was over. Unfortunately, I ran into Tornado weather. I spent Sunday night under a COE picnic pavilion in Missouri. The wind was blowing the rain sideways a good 30 feet under the pavilion roof. It was scary weather, for sure. I’m in the midwest, which is Tornado country, so I’m keeping a wary eye on the weather. Remember when we were kids, and the grumpy old farts would complain how bad the youth of the day were? I’m starting to feel like that. Yesterday, at the Mile, I bought a Rib Eye Sandwich and a Lemon Shake up. the total for the two items was $11.00. I handed the kid a 20 dollar bill and a one dollar bill, so I could get a ten back as change. The kid, about 10 or 12 years old was completely discombobulated. It took two other women there to get him to understand what to do. Then, I was buying dinner at Micky’s and the total was $5.42. I gave the kid at the register a $10.00 bill and two pennies. I had a pocket full of pennies and I was trying to get rid of a few. He gave me a 5 dollar bill back as change. I felt a little guilty about accepting the five without comment, but I really didn’t want the hassle of explaining the math to the kid. Don’t they teach basic math in school any more? Or are they making sure that no child is left behind to the detriment of the students who are smart enough to learn basic skills? OK; rant OFF. I need to find a Used book store. I’m almost finished with the book I brought (I, Robot by Isaac Asimov which is nothing like the movie) Books have gotten expensive over the past few years; I need to find a cheap replacement. Well, that’s enough for now. I really hope the storms miss us. | ||
| Greg_e |
We need to get Crusty a Kindle, one of the "paper" style so the batteries will last for weeks. | ||
| Froggy |
Crusty, regarding the change, you probably just threw him though a loop and he thought you gave 42 cents, not 2 cents. It is an easy mistake when you are doing hundreds of transactions a day. I can math just fine, but as they say shit happens and I've made the same mistake. | ||
| Pwnzor |
Froggy, I think you're giving that kid a little too much credit. The situation Crusty is describing is WAY too common these days. Kids cannot do math, simple as that. Crusty, my mom has one of the older style Kindle Paperwhite models, and I have her linked up to my Amazon account. She's not tech savvy like you are, so when she wants a book she sends me an email and I can go on Amazon, find the book, and put it on her Kindle no matter where she is because it has the free built-in 3G connection. You can get them used for really cheap. Even cheaper if you don't mind ads. I got my mom the one "without special offers." Special offers is what Amazon calls ads to fool you into buying the slightly cheaper model so they can force feed you links and banners for products. | ||
| 86129squids |
 Ummm, looks like he rounded up from $4.60? Dang. | ||
| Tootal |
Boy Crusty, you hit the nail on the head. I've done that so many times and they give back the wrong change and when I tell them that, they have to find the calculator. I tell them how to count back change but they ignore me like I'm trying to screw them when in fact they are screwing themselves. I worked in a gas station with a changer on my side and a wad of bills in my pocket and I swear I could give you change back faster than any computer could! | ||
| Ourdee |
You could Greg. I worked at Wake Up pumping gas. I have trouble believing how fast that changer was. It takes just as long to work a calculator and the money is in your hand. Thanks for the memory. | ||
| Greg_e |
The 3G Kindles are end of life and end of support... Sprint is turning off the 3G service so they will no longer get connections. My mom's DX is no less useful and they have not made the big model with new parts. The bigger display is really nice to have, for now she is using an ipad and it's only OK (the android app is better). | ||
| Crusty |
Overture I enjoy listening to Classical music a bit, on occasion. One of the pieces I like is Rossini’s William Tell Overture. I like the whole piece; not just the “Lone Ranger” theme. I like the “storm” and I like the “Morning” segments, as well. That morning segment describes this morning here in Wisconsin. It’s a beautiful day that is full of anticipated delights. Today, we’re headed over to the Factory, then to a dealership and a bunch of other stuff. It promises to be a great time and I’m really looking forward to it. I haven’t written anything for a couple of days for a couple of reasons. First, I wrote two Snippets on Monday, and I wanted to take a break on Tuesday morning. Then, there were a lot of Thunderstorms that came through Springfield on Tuesday. The first storm hit mid morning, but after it passed, the weather cleared up and the rest of the day looked pretty good. I got my laundry done and bought a couple of books. I went to a BBQ joint for dinner, the Hickory River Smokehouse, or something like that. I got my usual pulled pork sandwich with BBQ beans. The beans had a chili flavor that wasn’t overpowering, but I could taste it and it added to the overall enjoyment. The sign said it was “Authentic Texas BBQ”; I’m pretty sure it’s a chain, but the food was good. I’ll go back, next time I’m in Springfield. One of the things I did during the afternoon was pay for another night’s stay. Originally, I paid for Friday through Tuesday morning. When I was in the office, the guy there told me that nothing would have happened until Wednesday afternoon if I hadn’t paid. In other words, I could have stayed another night for free without repercussions. He told me that after I’d paid the 15 bucks though, so I’ll just file it away under: Hmmmm; next time. I retired to my tent with one of the new books and read for a while until I fell asleep. I woke up about an hour later to the sound of heavy rain hitting the tent fly. I listened to it for a while, and checked to make sure the tent wasn’t leaking (it wasn’t; it’s a great tent!), then went back to sleep. An hour later I was startled awake by a very loud crash of thunder. That kept me awake for a while, then the rain slacked off, and the thunder receded into the distance and I fell back to sleep. An hour later, it happened again. this continued every hour all night long until I finally got up at 6:00 AM when the last storm had passed. I hurriedly packed my gear while watching the black clouds of the next storm approaching. I got the bike packed and beat it out of there. I got to McDonald’s just about 2 minutes before the next Thunderstorm hit. I sat inside and surfed the web and had my morning coffee. I was too tired to write anything coherent. I did Interstates all the way. All the roads here are straight lines, but on the Interstate, the speed limit is higher. I felt like one of the Riding Dead. I got to the campground and set up my tent, then Ourdee and Loose1 and I rode over to Gus’s Drive In. Gus’s was a good scene There were good people, good conversation and lots of beautiful Buells and EBRs Of the group there, my Roadster was the only non- Buell/EBR, but nobody gave me any grief about it. I saw some old friends and made some new friends, Talked with people from the factory and Learned a few things indirectly by what was NOT said as well as by what was said. I think I’ll be on an EBR when I get my next bike. Just before sunset, Mike Kirkpatrick asked me if I felt like going for a ride. A group of four of us set out for a half hour ride over some wonderful roads. Mike is a genuinely Good Guy, and he’s also a good rider and a definite asset to EBR (IMO). He’s also got an 1190 SX that he’s set up for himself. Lots of neat and subtle improvements along with some not so subtle changes like Ohlins forks and shock. It’s a beautiful bike. Today, I hope Erik brings his personal SX to the factory. He’s got taller bars and lower foot pegs on it. That, combined with a windshield and Hard bags, would make a really nice Tramp’s bike, I think. I don’t know if they’re going to build it, or even make things as accessories, but it sure would be nice. (Nudge, nudge, wink, wink; know what I mean?) I’m writing this at the Campground. There’s no WiFi here, so Hopefully, I’ll get somewhere where there is WiFi soon, and I’ll post this out. | ||
| Crusty |
But Wait! There’s More! I’m sitting in Macca’s in Mukwonago, and enjoying a cup of coffee. The WiFi here is pretty lame; it takes forever for anything to load. But it’s a lot better than having no WiFi at the campground, so I really shouldn’t bitch. I can’t seem to get onto the Sportster Forum, so I haven’t posted the latest Snippet there. Yesterday was busy. I went to the Factory and took the tour. Nobody would say anything about upcoming bikes, but I’m pretty sure I know what’s coming. At least one bike that’s coming; there’s always the possibility of other bikes. I know what I want in a bike, and I’m pretty sure I know what my next bike is going to be. It will be made in Wisconsin and it will handle like a dream. It will be comfortable for long rides and will have hard bags. It won’t be a Sport Tourer in the sense of a Yamaha FJ, Kawasaki Concours or any other fully faired bike; it will be a Sportfighter with a windshield and hard bags. Maintenance will be a lot easier than on a plastic covered motorcycle, or a motorcycle with a valve train that was inspired by Rube Goldberg. It will be a Basic motorcycle that handles like a dream, has superb brakes and makes me a better rider. It will make almost three times the horsepower of my Roadster, and will deliver much higher fuel mileage. I was looking at Erik Buell’s personal 1190 SX. The handlebars are a bit taller than the stock SX, and it had a set of Knight Design lowered foot pegs. That, along with a windshield and some hard bags would be really close to what I want. In 1996, I went to Daytona Bike Week. While there, I test rode a number of motorcycles that I had any interest in. I took a Buell S2 out, and thought it was a nice bike. Later, I took an S2-T out, and it felt like the bike had been designed specifically for me. The bars were 1” taller, and the foot pegs were 1” lower. Those minor changes took a good motorcycle and made it a superb motorcycle for me; even though the rest of the bike was identical. I don’t know that similar changes to an SX will feel as improved, but I really think it will. I did discuss hard bags with a couple of employees, and they both denied that they were coming. One, in particular had a look on his face that plainly said, “I’m lying about this, but I have to say that”. From the factory, we rode to Action Powersports in Waukesha and were treated to free food and a stunt show. I ate a Brat and two cheeseburgers. That, along with a couple of cookies, was all I had for solid food all day. Even so, it was more than I should have eaten. If I don’t get a little more serious about my diet, I won’t lose weight before I see the Cardiologist on August 1st. Matt Loose’s Super Blast quit running along the ride. The new battery had died. Froggy rode back to his hotel and got his truck, and they loaded the bike up and brought it back to the campground. They left the Blast, and Matt jumped on his XB. then they all rode up to Action and joined the rest of us. Anyhow, from Action, we rode to The Iron Horse Hotel in Milwaukee and walked around admiring various bikes until about 7:15 or so, then we rode back to the campground. we all sat around the campfire shooting the bull for a while , then I retired for the night. After I post this, I’m going to go by a quarter car wash and clean the bugs and road phlegm off the Roadster, then I’m going to the Gathering On The Square in East Troy at Noon. Tonight is the Screamer’s Garage bull session. It’s should be a Good Time. | ||
| 86129squids |
... more popcorn, phleeeze... | ||
| Lake_bueller |
"I did discuss hard bags with a couple of employees, and they both denied that they were coming. One, in particular had a look on his face that plainly said, “I’m lying about this, but I have to say that”. " I had a similar conversation with an employee a few months ago. Anybody remember the SX with the windscreen at the launch party? I think is the test mule. | ||
| Crusty |
Now, How Much Would You Pay? I have found a third Mc D’s that doesn’t have WiFi. It joins the ranks of Burlington, Colorado and A franchise near Ocean City, Maryland. This one is in a Shell station right by I 43 in East Troy, Wisconsin. While I’m sure there are others, I hope I never encounter them. It kind of screws me up. I wanted to look at a weather radar map to decide whether I should head for Iowa or whether to hear for Road America. I know there are raid showers in the region; but I don’t know where they are, or how large they are. Also, I don’t know what routes to take to either destination. I’m going to finish this Snippet, then make a decision. Yesterday was the last day of Homecoming, and it was a good one. There was a Gathering on the Common in the center of East Troy. There weren’t a lot of people there, but they were all enthusiasts. The Patriotic EBR that’s being raffled off for Charity was on display in front of the Veterans Memorial It’s the first EBR built since LAP bought EBR, and it’s painted in an American Flag motif. It was a fitting place to display the bike, as the charity the money is going to benefits Veterans. We did a group photo, then went across the street to the East Troy Hotel which has been there since something like 1836. I got a chicken sandwich that was pretty tasty, while the people at my table cracked jokes about changing my handle to Crispy instead of Crusty. To everybody’s surprise, the factory picked up the tab. I don’t know why I was surprised, Buell has always gone way above and beyond and the people who I know there are all stand up people, but it’s a new company that’s doing small volume production, and they don’t have money to burn. The meal and the gesture were appreciated by everybody that I talked to. Last night was the gathering at Screamer’s Garage. It was another bull session, and we all talked about all manner of things Buell and EBR. Screamer has a collection of Buell stuff going back to the early days. I saw parts and accessories from the ‘90s to the present, as well as sales and service literature from the same period. he had magazines with Buell tests and articles, a collection of Fuell and Battle2Win magazines that I hadn’t seen in years and a magnificent collection of bikes. A few S2s, 1125s and others. I was very enamored with an all original Harley XLCR. I didn’t look at the VIN, but I think it was a 1978. The bike even had the original Goodyear A/T tires on it. The odometer showed 2600 miles. I was drooling as soon as I saw it. He also had an XR1200 that was mint, but the CR is the bike that grabbed me. We stayed until 10:30 or so, then beat it back to the campground where we sat around the fire for a while (a short while, in my case; I was beat). I got up this morning and broke camp and loaded the bike. I said goodbye to Matt, Steve and R D and came here to write this Snippet and check my E-mail. I’ve made my decision. I’m going to head south on I 43 until I see another Maccas; then I’ll stop and hopefully send this out and charge my battery. I’ll look at weather maps, then make my decision.} |
