| Author | Message | ||
     Ferris |
Jim, one should book lodging for next year's Laguna the day following THIS year's Laguna. Not sure of the exact arrangements, but i know there's a pretty strong contingent of Buellers camping out at the track for the weekend -- maybe you could snag a spot to call home, eh? Highway 1 is the Ultimate 1, whether "they" know we're coming or not -- anyone who has never ridden it has not a clue what they're missing. what'ya say we hook up in SLO on Friday the 11th? FB  | ||
| Sparky |
What a surprise! When Jen & I arrived at the Autry Museum's Beach Party Festival, we ran into Erich Martin & friend as they were leaving. Was Agent Orange too energetic for them? No way, she's a new rider on a Blast with a bit of a ride ahead. We saw the Surfaris play their classic surf music to a crowd of at least a thousand. It makes me feel young again hearing my favorite music live. Mark your calendars -- The Surfaris are scheduled to play the Harbor City HD/Buell event on Saturday August 9, 1 pm. It's remarkable that the Autry Museum considers the culture of The West is not all about cowboys but recognizes that surfers, the beaches & surf music is a big part of it too. So, the Autry is planning more of these free concerts. To find out where the surf bands are playing locally, click here. Slacktone plays their brand of awesome, energetic, original surf music at Baja Cantina, Marina Del Rey this Wednesday, 6/25, 7 pm. Bike parking free. Sparky | ||
| Jim_sb |
Very tempting. Not sure if I can make it so soon after my upcoming long riding weekend (Friday I'm heading down to Ortega Highway, up through the San Berdoo Mountains towards Big Bear, over to Wrightwood, Angeles Crest, Big Tujunga, Angeles Forest, etc. followed by riding again in the mountains North of Ojai most of the day Saturday). We shall see. Very tempting indeed. | ||
| Sparky |
Here's as detailed info as I can find on last year's Laguna Seca trek including Motel info in Buellton. JJ would like to do pretty much the same route, schedule & accommodations again this year, AFAIK. My plans for Laguna Seca are shot this year with a Manx Club camping trip I've been wanting to do for years. But I'd like to take a day off and ride up with y'all on Wednesday. Sparky | ||
| Ferris |
cool Jim, keep me posted. all: my cell number is 760/379-7883. it's the best way to reach me in a hurry these days, as i'm only online every few days (or weeks) lately. hope to see some of you at (and on the way to) Laguna. FB | ||
| Jim_sb |
Hi Ferris, I just got off the phone with the Warden and I can't do the Laguna trip. She has a family weekend planned at the lake with friends. My mantra is "kids first" as they're both in high school now and I want to enjoy spending time with them as much as I can. So I must pass. Maybe next year, I know you're going to have a great time. PS. I rode the 58 (both ways) between Atascadero and Taft with my Amigos last weekend. The western end has been freshly oiled and gravel is on there. No worries, it actually provides a pretty fair riding surface. Just take it a little easy. Timbo's Firebolt tossed a rock or two my direction so I just allowed more spacing between the bikes. Still an awesome road to ride!  | ||
| Ferris |
hey Jim, first time online in awhile, sorry you can't do Laguna, but know about how important the kids are. my son Wade ships off for a 5-year gig in the Army (Military Police) in a little over a month, followed very closely by a stint at the CHP academy. it seems like just yesterday i was changing his diapers. someday soon, he'll be writing me speeding tickets. heavy sigh. this ride (16 days, including Laguna Seca, 4-Play, SPLASH, and AfterGlow), is the first vacation i've taken since '99, and i am SO ready! all: i'll be at Laguna by this Friday p.m., and leaving on 4-Play Monday morning from Bubba Gump's in Monterey at 0830. my cell is 760/379-7883. ride to lean, FB | ||
| Ferris |
ps Jim: thanks for the heads up on 58, that's the way we're heading west on Friday morning... | ||
| Jim_sb |
Hi Ferris, So if a CHP Officer named Wade Bueller pulls me over I'm tellin' him I know his Old Man!  Have a great vacation and enjoy the ride! | ||
| Sparky |
Four of us, Don, Al, George & myself left Bartels' at 11:30 taking all the twisties we could find on the way to the first stop at Ventura HD/B. There we picked up Gene who was waiting for Ebear & JJ to show up. Since they weren't coming he was glad to ride with us instead. After about an hour layover we took off for the spectacular reconstructed Balcom Canyon Rd & the twisties of 150 & 192 leading to 154 & 246 to Buellton. At the 154, I said goodbye and left the remainder of the ride with Gene who knew the way to Solvang. At the lunch stop in Ojai, Gene mentioned that he already ate at Chico's, the Mexican restaurant across the street from the dealer in Ventura. Doh! We'll hafta remember that for the next time. Thanks, Gene, for the tip. And we also need to let Jan or Paul at Ventura know when we are stopping there in the future for any of these rides, be it SCAB, BRAG or whatever. They have a keen interest in supporting Buell and are always looking to do something to show their appreciation for us Buellers including them in our activities. Don't forget -- they did provide a nice lunch on the Calif Touring Adventure last year. Have a good ride guys. I hope the route sheet I gave didn't get ya lost finding Hwy 1. See ya down the road the next time, Sparky | ||
| Ferris |
Jim, something tells me that mentioning my name will NOT decrease the amount of jailtime... Sparky, see you and the gang at the track! FB | ||
| Socal |
Sparky - the restaurant across the street from Ventura HD/Buell is Cisco's. I haven't eaten at the Ventura location - but I have in the Thousand Oaks and Westlake locations - they're pretty good. Jan (sales) and Paul (parts) are cool - just don't go there thinking you'd drop off your Buell for service. My first visit there, thinking I would drop off the motorcycle for service including a new rear rotor, pads and possibly an inspection - I was basically chased out of the service department with this one dude telling me, "Just install the pads yourself, don't worry about the grooves in the rear rotor - you hardly use the rear brake anyways, right?" Now you'd think, giving him the benefit of the doubt, that maybe he's just trying to save me some money and time. Nope. Scenario was, I walked into service and, before they knew I owned a Buell, started writing up a service ticket for a new rear rotor and pads. After the ticket was written, and almost scheduled, the guy says, "You have a Buell . . . (long pause) . . . lets go and see the rotor." We walk out to my S1, "Naw . . just install the pads (etc. etc.)." Whatever. I leave. The beginning of the wonderful world of Buell ownership starts to sink in. Next visit (a couple months ago) I bring a front wheel off of a '97 S1 I purchased. I couldn't get the FHCS loose so I figured the dealership might have the proper tools and technique. Ha ha. The guy behind the counter takes the wheel and proceeds into the shop where I thought he might get those bolts out . . before he could set it down the guy I dealt with on the previous trip takes the wheel from his hand, walks back out from the service area and says, "I don't know if we can get those out." I looked at him as if he wasn't speaking English. "This is a Buell dealership, is it not?" I asked him. "We might have to charge you a full hour labor, and I'm still not sure if we can do it." He replied. I keep my cool pretty well, and hear him out while he recommends I hop on the road and go down a few miles to the Indian Dealership in Ventura. 40 bucks later I have the bolts loose and a right pissy attitude. I'm not afraid to wrench on my motorcycles - in fact I enjoy it. But after solid 50-hour workweeks I don't always feel up to it. You'd think that if I'm willing to pay the money, they'd be willing to do the work. Apparently not. I guess when you've got twice-my-age, Yuppie-Davidson riders waiting in line to pay for overpriced service, then I'm a thorn in their ass. It irks me to give them ANY of my money now. Even though I'd probably qualify for 2 brand-new Harley D's nowadays. | ||
| Sarodude |
Tony- Don't even get me STARTED on Ventura's service department WRT Buells... Shameful. -Saro | ||
| Jim_sb |
In fairness to Service Dept.'s everywhere we must recognize that our Buell's weren't exactly designed for easy maintenance. How many bikes require pulling the muffler to drain the primary? (Besides mine?) OTOH, they are a Buell dealership; they should train their staff and price accordingly. If the work is harder they should charge more for it. But to run customers off is insanity. | ||
| Sarodude |
Jim- When I went to pick up my 02 Blast someone in service was Test Riding it and complained of a Hesitation. They Looked Things Over and took it for another Test Ride. The bike still Hesitated. As it turns out, the genius Test Riding my Blast had never ridden a Blast and couldn't fathom that a bike with less than 1/2 the displacement of a tuber and only 1 lung might be a touch slower than what he's used to. In this scenario, this raises 2 points: 1) How can you have someone working on anything mechanical with such a level of disconnect from what to expect? 2) How can you have someone TOTALLY unfamiliar with a Blast test riding it? Call me a hard ass but that is beyond insanity. Image you in a 152 when all you'd ever flown was your Bonanza. Man, that 152 sure would be a dog. -Saro | ||
| Socal |
Jim - no offense dude, but I don't care if the service manual said to stand on your head, sing Mary had a little lamb, remove muffler then drain the primary - I'd expect the BUELL DEALERSHIP to perform the service. And I wouldn't expect to pay a single cent more than ordinary - after all, aren't we dealing with the best of the best here? Wouldn't you think the dealerships weed-out the pretenders and employ the top technician? I sure as hell do, especially for their hourly labor rates - give me a break. I think the new Simi dealership charges $80 an hour flat rate!!! BITE ME SIMI HARLEY!!!!!!!!! Saro - that is a nutty story. Unreal. All I can do is shake my head.
That is a quote directly from their website. It is false. If the word "Buell" was removed from the paragraph, it might be true, but I wouldn't know because I don't own a Harley. | ||
| Jim_sb |
Yes it would.
Me too. I already said that.
Define ordinary. Ordinary for my Buell is going to cost more money (to change primary fluid, for example) than "ordinary" for my Sportster. Why? Because they would have to spend time to R&R the muffler. A job that takes all of maybe 10 or 15 minutes on the Sportster becomes more like 45 minutes on the S2. Like I said, they just need to price accordingly... | ||
| Socal |
Jim - I didn't mean to direct my rant towards you man . . don't take anything personal. I read my last entry over again and I could see how you feel I was going off on you - but I wasn't. It was mostly rhetoric. Just a means of getting off my chest what's been inside for a while. | ||
| Sparky |
Heavy Reverb this Friday at the Knitting Factory Alterknit Lounge, 7021 Hollywood Bl, (323) 463-0204. San Francisco surf band, the Mermen, meet the Insect Surfers from LA. $7 cover but bike parking free. Show starts at 8:30pm w/Insect Surfers & 9:30pm Mermen. The Mermen? Imagine Pink Floyd does Link Wray thru Jimi Hendrix's guitar -- great stuff! Also the Phantom Surfers play Baja Cantina in Marina Del Rey tonight at 7 pm. Free show, bike parking free. I Luv LA. Oh wait, that was Randy Newman. Sparky | ||
| Slaughter |
GS Brag-ers, One of my co-workers has a friend (female) who recently purchased a Blast after completing the MSF course. She was wanting to go along on rides but is intimidated by riding with "more experienced" riders. Maybe give her a heads up that we aren't all riding like bats outta hell and that we have a couple other ladies on Blasts who are regularly riding along. Give her an email and a word of encouragement - her name is Ronny - and yeah, we'll be having the last Sunday of the month ride out of Glendale again soon as we hear from Tim and Candice. Ronny's email is: RADColonial@aol.com Oh yeah, she is ATTACHED to a male of the species so don't go getting ideas! |
