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Viros
| Posted on Sunday, September 07, 2003 - 07:12 pm: |
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L.A to Milwaukee on my own It was just me and my XB9R and the Brag atlas book, this is the breakdown of the trip: Day 1: L.A to Las Vegas 335m Day 2: Still in LasVegas 39m Day 3: Vegas to Glenwood Springs CO 616m Day 4: Glenwood Springs to Denver 313m Day 5: Denver to Des Moines 717m Day 6: Des Moines to Milwaukee to Chicago 600m Day 7: Riding in Milwaukee 201m Day 8: Last day in Milwaukee 188m Day 9: Stuck in Davenport IO 200m Day 10 Still in Davenport IO 4m Day 11 Davenport to Oklahoma City 717m Day 12 Oklahoma city to Socorro NM 620m Day 13 Socorro NM to Los Angeles 875m 5425 total miles in 13 days. I kept a journal during these days and made somewhat of a 13 chapter book out of the whole adventure. For those who dont like to read just check out my best pics.
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Viros
| Posted on Sunday, September 07, 2003 - 07:16 pm: |
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Day 1: Off to Vegas. At 22 years old I've never been out of California other than Las Vegas & Tijuana MX. This was going to be my chance to check out some other major cities/states and being a big Harley enthusiast since the 6th grade I just had to go to the 100th party. I planned this all out December of last year after wrecking my X1. I had two long time high school buds jump on the idea and wanting to come along. We all had nine months to get a bike. After 7 long hard months with no bike I finally got my XB9R in April. One of my friends ends up buying a car but the other told me he is 98% sure he will come even if he has to rent one. When its time to go my 98% sure friend ends up not doing it. But they say they will drive up to Vegas to party with me on my first day. The first day already starts off bad when coming out of Target after doing some last minute shopping someone’s tipped over my XB9R. The turn signal fell apart as did the nipple on the peg, other than that it seemed to take the fall well with nothing major. I tape up the signal, and im ready to leave. I call to see where I'll meet my friends and they both find excuses as to why they cant make it to Las Vegas. I just say screw them and take off. Once in Vegas its only about 4 hours till ive lost $450 dollars. I guess everyone in Vegas comes up with reasons as far as why they deserve to win, I figure with such a lousy start to my trip I could make it better buy winning money after losing I just go to my motel to sleep since im tired and depressed after losing my money.
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Viros
| Posted on Sunday, September 07, 2003 - 07:19 pm: |
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Day 2: Time to have a good time in Vegas After yesterdays disappointment I try to have a good time. I visit local dealerships and walk the strip. I find a cool hotel where my good friend alcohol is waiting for me at only 75 cents a bottle. Also in 45 minutes a Elvis impersonator is going to come on stage. This is really what I want to see. I end up having a good time at the bar, I met some folks from Tennessee who were real nice and a few people at the bar were interested that im on my way to Milwaukee on my own. After a good show I go back to my room early since tomorrow I will try and do something I've never done, 750 miles to Denver.
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Viros
| Posted on Sunday, September 07, 2003 - 07:20 pm: |
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Day 3: Things go from Bad to Worse. I wake up at 3 in the morning and leave at 4am. Once you leave Vegas that early the desert sure is dark. I mean pitch black. As long as the bike doesn’t break down ill be ok. I plan on making it to Denver in 10 hours. Early in the morning the winds seemed high, and im on one long boring straight away. The one thing on my mind is getting to Denver. If I do that im almost halfway to my destination... Milwaukee. With that in mind I fail to watch my speed. I see a cop drive right up next to me and tells me to pull over. Shit. A speeding ticket is the last thing I need, So I plead with this guy and tell him my whole story and where im heading, his license plate shows he is a Utah officer. He searches me then makes me wait while he checks my driver’s license. He then comes back and asked me to put my arms behind my back. I thought he was going to search me again, and then he gave me the biggest surprise of my life when he says, "your under arrest for reckless driving" How the hell can I be reckless with no one else on that road. I can’t kill anyone but myself on a bike and to suggest he cares more about my life than I do is great insult to me. He goes on to tell me how I don’t know how to ride one of those things. I keep it cool and I don’t say anything stupid. He puts me in the passenger seat of his car and has his dog sniffs my bags. He then searches my bags by hand. The tow truck shows up and hauls my bike away, and im off to jail. Now I know how Rambo felt when cops harassed him. Any girl, even a ugly one would of just gotten a speeding ticket. But a guy on a motorcycle with a black leather suit and bandana, well I guess he's just asking to go to jail. They make me undress and take my stuff. Im left wearing just a shirt and the spandex cycling shorts I bought to help me through this long trip. I planned on not ever letting anyone see me in those shorts but at least they made me look like I had a massive upper body. They put me in a small individual cell with a concrete bed. They told me I would see a judge tomorrow if not the following day. After having my picture taken and fingers printed I decide to post bail since there is no way in hell im going to sleep in that cell for one or two days. Its $555 bail, so I decide to charge it . They don’t take credit cards and there’s no ATM so I have to pay a bail bonds guy $93 dollars for him to get me out. He is nice and takes me to get my bike where I have to pay another $140 to get it out. The whole thing was about 5 hours. I ate my healthiest meal all week in there. Ive never been to jail before but there’s was some scary looking guys in there. They put a Charles Manson looking like fellow in my cell because they knew I was leaving. He was nice though, he was just some drifter. After its all done I still want to make it to Denver. I figure things can’t get any worse after this. I have a destination to make and there’s nothing stopping me. So three hundred miles from Denver a thunder storm stops me. Im not scared of riding in the rain, but being a city boy from LA, im not used to seeing & hearing lightning bolts. Each time one went off the only thing I could imagine is one electrocuting me. So I pulled off in a town called Colorado springs since I didn’t want my bad luck streak to continue. I'll be in Denver tomorrow.
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Viros
| Posted on Sunday, September 07, 2003 - 07:22 pm: |
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Day 4: Colorado I remember a lot of the riding through Colorado felt like you were on mars. With the red rocks and all. It was a little more excited on the way to Denver. I got there, and decided I would go to High Country Harley Davidson. I wanted to see there RR1000 and see if I can meet some friendly people. During the whole trip so far, it felt like no one wants to talk to a biker wearing a bandana and a black leather suit. I was noticing people were quick to look the other way and I was being judged on appearance. I bought a Buell hat at High Country to touch up my appearance and took a couple of pictures there. The girls there were nice but it seemed dead like no one was there so I just left. I got a room and rode around Denver. I liked that town. It also felt good to ride with no helmet. I never thought I would do that because of the danger but when you have a stiff cramp on the back of your neck it feels nice to have the wind blowing through your hair. The next day I was going to try and make it to Waterloo. I wanted to get the 7500 maintenance done on my bike. It was running real solid so far and I wanted to keep it that way.
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Viros
| Posted on Sunday, September 07, 2003 - 07:23 pm: |
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Day 5: Iowa I left early in the morning around 5:30 but I didn’t take the time zone change into effect, so by the time I was in Des Moines it was pretty late. I didn’t think I would make it too Waterloo for service since it was getting late, so I went to Zooks. They told me they had lots of Harley’s breaking down but If I brought the bike in at 8am they could do an oil change and have me done by 9. I checked into the motel right behind Zooks and decided to check out Des Moines. Again I rode with no helmet jeans and my vanson jacket. This town was real dead. Everyone stared at me and the bike like I was a celebrity. I was trying to find a good spot for a beer and to view Des Moines finest women. But it was like the whole town was in mourning. A lot of the bars were empty, and a lot of the women I managed to see looked real similar, fat with short haircuts. Oh well, tomorrow is it. I will be in Milwaukee. Just one more day and I did it.
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Viros
| Posted on Sunday, September 07, 2003 - 07:25 pm: |
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Day 6: Milwaukee After 10 am and Zooks still not having done anything with my bike I decided Id better just take it and stop by Waterloo. The guys at Waterloo were real nice folks. They had my bike ready in a little over a hour and did the whole 7500 mile maintenance. I then headed to Milwaukee and got there in good time. Its Thursday and theirs a shit load of bikes. The city looked nice, and stuff was happening everywhere. I decide I better find a room. I knew I wouldn’t find anything in Milwaukee So I go to the city behind it which is Waukesha. I find a Days Inn and the guy says he can still give me a room. I soon left when he told me it was $179 a night. I remembered asking around for advice before I left and Jerry Johnson told me if I didn’t have reservations I would probably have to get a room in Chicago. So I finally make it to Milwaukee and then I have to ride 90 miles away to Chicago. Once there I decide to ride another 40 miles or so to check out down town Chicago. I liked this city, It was the closest city to have a similar LA feeling. I see a Holiday Inn so I stop and ask a local guy where all the other cheap motels are. He told me where to go and once there this hotel was like in Chicago’s bad area of town. As soon I was there some guy tried to sell me a power saw, so I decide I better leave. I just ride through the streets check out the city, I feel like the biggest spectacle in town. With my black 2 piece vanson suit and black helmet/visor I looked like Darth Vader on a tiny motorcycle with luggage. I decide to leave downtown Chicago and go back up to hotels I passed along the way. It got to about 1 am and I really want a room now. I start seeing some lightning so I decide I will get whatever I find next. It was a nice hotel but was kind of pricey so I only got two nights and figure I will get another two nights somewhere else cheaper. Tomorrow I decide to go to east troy to see where my Buell was made.
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Viros
| Posted on Sunday, September 07, 2003 - 07:27 pm: |
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Day 7: East troy The Buell assembly plant was only 60 miles from my hotel room. I take a few pictures and do a tour of the assembly plant. It was really great experience for me. I talked with a few people and decide to come back tomorrow to meet Erik Buell and for the Brag tent. So I go to Milwaukee to test ride a XB12R. They were full for the 12R so I demo a 12S. The motor is nice, feels like my old x1, just a touch faster because ' of the lighter weight I figure. Its a awesome machine, but at 11k Id rather keep my XB9R and go out and get a modified S1 or X1 for the 4-5 grand range. I go to Hals and do a couple of other things. All the things happening in Milwaukee seemed to be like 30 miles apart and there was lots of traffic. Im not used to sitting in traffic so after going in between cars I start getting people honking and I pissed off some Harley guys. After a lot of walking It only took about 4 hours till I was all Harley'd out. I think I had enough. It got old real fast. I thought that in Milwaukee the Harley guys would respect Buell riders a little more. Instead I got unfriendly stares, after the way some guys looked at me I didn’t want to talk to anyone. I want to hear some music so I go to the summerfest grounds but I cant get in because of my back pack. At the swap meet that was there I was a little irritated when at the Russ Brown tent the guys kind of laughed at me when I told them about my Utah incident. They told me im screwed, but there’s no way in hell im going to let reckless driving go on my record without a fight. Ive fought tickets before and im 2-0, so if I have to drive to Utah, then that’s what I'll do. I walked around the street block party. All the high priced beers started to piss me off. After tomorrow I decide I will leave. I don’t think I want to stay here for four days.
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Viros
| Posted on Sunday, September 07, 2003 - 07:28 pm: |
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Day 8: Last day in Milwaukee I decide I should try to have a good time In Milwaukee since I came all this way. I ask my hotel for another night and they are booked. They told me to call in the morning I decide to stay one more night only if they can get me another room. Otherwise im leaving right after meeting Erik. They were able to let me stay one more night so I meet Erik shake his hand and talk with a couple of local area Buellers. One told me it was illegal to ride in between cars in Milwaukee, which explained why everyone was honking at me. He also told me that Harley guys don’t respect Buell guys out here. He even told me the sport bike riders don’t like Buell riders either. I felt a little let down. Ive been a big Harley fan since I was just a kid in the 6th grade. I was the first kid in the school to have Harley boots at that age, and to end up buying a Harley product and riding so far to celebrate their 100th birthday, I started feeling like the biggest sap in the world. Harley sure got me good, the millions of dollars they spend on marketing and advertising told me I had to be Milwaukee more than a year in advance. I really started to regret missing the Buell 20th. I wanted to leave a week earlier but I could only get a 2 week vacation, and I thought I would be a fool to miss the 100th. After I left the factory I was sitting at Veterans Park when I saw some guys who rode in from Mexico. They were cool and gave me some tequila and we all went to the summergrounds to hear some music. The summer grounds were sold out, so I told my new friends goodbye since they all had tickets already. Once leaving I decided to try my luck, I usually have good luck at sneaking in places. I got into the front of the Metallica concert last month and earlier this year I snuck into the Pitts at Laguna Seca. So I just observe and look for someone who might be cool. I see a black guy with dred locks at the exit gate. Before I even approached him a group of young kids were asking him if they could get in. They were from Jerusalem and were showing him their passports, so I also butted in and showed him my California ID and told him I came all the way down from LA on my own. He was cool and let us all in. At this point I didn’t want to buy an expensive 100th shirt so I wasted my money on 5 dollar MGD's. I sat at a bench and drank my beers there staring out at Lake Michigan. I had made it. I called my mom, then continued to drink my beers there. For almost a year I would drink MGD's at my local bar and would tell myself one day Ill drink one on these in Milwaukee. After a certain amount of alcohol, I do something real pathetic when I stare at the MGD bottle and think of different stuff it could stand for, like My Girl Dumped me. This night I came up with Milwaukee’s Great Dissappointment. Just like in sport bikes, I learned that in the Harley world there are just as many posers. I saw a lot of rich yuppies who think that being able to buy a Harley and wearing a HOG vest automatically make you some badass biker. I was surprised how many people just towed their bikes in. People who were only a few hundred miles away. I know there are some hardcore Harley guys out there but there is also a good portion of posers, and to have a lot of them look down on you was a big upset. The local HOG chapter at my dealership I saw once had like 30 guys on a Sunday morning, and they were all going to Denny's. If you ask me that’s just lame. I have much more respect now for the serious sport bike guys. These are the riders with talent. After my Firebolt is paid up in 30 months, my next bike was going to be a Harley. After my trip, Ive decided to get something different. You look at some of the guys with there new Harleys and there’s thousands of guys there with the same bike. And who wants to pay for overpriced chrome bits to try and customize it. They all started looking the same to me. My first cruiser will probably be a custom bike. Also the next new sport bike I buy wont be a Buell. Im no longer the narrow-minded person who only wants to ride American. I have local Costco's bigger than the assembly plant where Buells are made, and even though Buells will always be special to me and I’ll always have my Firebolt, I’m ready for something else. I’m tired of having to wait longer for service because the Buell techs not there, also a lot of the Buell dealerships I went to, when I asked where are the Buell shirts? they looked at me with a chuckle and had a, "is this guy serious?" attitude. I know I wont have to put up with that with any other sport bike model. After sitting there thinking for a hour I left and saw a comedian. He had me laughing out loud and brought my spirits up. I then heard music, and I went to see who's playing. It was Styx, and they were playing a good song. I then got on a table and had a good time at the show. I grew up listening to only Howard Stern and classic rock on the radio, when ever I heard Come Sail Away by Styx I couldn’t stand that song. But this time was different It had been 8 days since I heard any music and after all those beers, I was singing along to Come Sail Away like it was my favorite song in the world. I ended up having a good time my last day in Milwaukee.I was glad I stayed another day, and now I was ready to go home.
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Viros
| Posted on Sunday, September 07, 2003 - 07:28 pm: |
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Day 9: Going home I wanted to stop by St Louis on the way home, but I had to change my whole route home due to weather. I had to head out through the same boring highway I took to get to Milwaukee. I was headed toward Omaha when I still got wet. It came down hard at times but there was no high winds or lightning so I just kept riding. I knew it would stop raining ahead since Omaha weather was going to be fine, but after a little over 200 miles the Firebolt had its first problem of the whole trip. It just choked and the RPM's all went down and it cut off. I quickly moved to the shoulder and found myself stuck on the side of a bridge on the 80 highway. It didn’t want to start back up, and had similar symptoms to when it didn’t start after washing it. So I just called my Brag roadside assistance, and after 30 minutes in the rain the tow truck guy came. The guy had a thick Iowa accent and took me to Wieblers HD/Buell only to find out they were closed and would be closed for Monday also because of Labor Day. I had to have to tow truck guy take me to a hotel across the street. It was a nice place and with the tow truck outside with my bike I asked for a stranded biker discount and she brought it down from 89.99 a night to 55 dollars. I got two nights and stayed there. After only a few hours I went outside and the Firebolt started just fine. It fired right up every time. I noticed a small oil leak around the 2 steel hoses. I figure I better not try to leave without any dealerships open for the next two days. I play it safe and spend two nights in Davenport. I really want to get back home at this point.
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Viros
| Posted on Sunday, September 07, 2003 - 07:29 pm: |
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Day 10: Still in Davenport I plan on going home in three days and I spend a lot of time watching a American Chopper marathon and the weather channel. I find where its not going to be raining and plan my route that way. While in Davenport I did ride a little, I went to a local pool hall and had a few drinks. Im more of a shy guy than a social guy so I didn’t talk to any one and left a a couple of hours later. They had a computer at the hotel and I read some encouraging words that went along way for me over at Sac Borg. Im dying to get home, I want to be at Wieblers as soon as they open then I’m off to Oklahoma City.
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Viros
| Posted on Sunday, September 07, 2003 - 07:29 pm: |
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Day 11: Oklahoma City I woke up early and had took my bike to Wieblers. I told them what happened and they checked out my bike and fixed the oil leak by having the steel hoses that rubbed replaced with new ones of a show room bike since they didn’t have any in stock. They got me on the rode in a hour and a half and it felt good to get some good service. I then went on a very long ride to Oklahoma City. I passed through Kansas City, which was cool, I kept hoping I wouldn’t run into any tornados like in the Wizard of Oz. I ended up riding late and rode for two hours through dark farm land till finally arriving in Oklahoma City around 10pm. My jacket and helmet both looked like a sesame seed bun covered with tiny bugs that I guess all flew toward the light. All I wanted to do was get a room and change. I found a room and I liked Oklahoma City, lots of things to do, but I was too tired and was going to try and make a 1040 mile ride to Tucson AZ. So I went to bed earlier.
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Viros
| Posted on Sunday, September 07, 2003 - 07:30 pm: |
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Day 12: Socorro NM I know I can ride 1040 miles, but after 4 hours of sleep and having rode 717 miles the previous day, 620miles to Socorro is all I could do. I stopped by Amarillo TX and bought a belt buckle. I really wanted one from TX and it looks real cool with my cowboy boots. Making it too Socorro felt good since I got there early and I knew I could rest up and I can make it to Los Angeles tomorrow. I got off the major Highway and took a shortcut through NM. I took the 60, which is real scenic but flat out in the middle of nowhere. I mean If you were to get stranded your looking at 4 hours till someone gets out there. The bikes running real good so far and it looks like I just might be home tomorrow. I might actually get to sleep in my bed tomorrow, and have a beer with friends. Socorro is a small town and lights started going out in the city around 10pm so I went to bed and prepared for the longest ride of my life 875miles to LA.
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Viros
| Posted on Sunday, September 07, 2003 - 07:30 pm: |
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Day 13: My ride home This was without a doubt the longest and toughest ride I've ever been on. I woke up earlier than I thought it was about 2am. I left a little after 3am heading toward home. After I left Socorro there were no lights on highway 25. It was dark, scary dark, there was no Moonlight and the stars were all behind me. The only lights were the ones on my bike. There was no other traffic and my lights would hit reflectors on the highway showing I was going uphill then down hill then some turns but mostly straight. After this I thought leaving this early was a real bad idea and I wanted to find a diner where I could eat and let some time go by. I hit the sign that said 60 miles to Truth or Consequences NM. I wanted to get of that dark highway and eat there. Once I saw city lights I skipped the first exit since it looked spooky and I thought Id wait for the next one. The next one was 30 miles away in a whole other city. At the gas station the guy said nothings open this early. I had planned on saving miles and skipping Las Cruces and taking another one of my middle of nowhere shortcuts to Deming. It was only forty miles but I made it to Deming and ate a Denny’s. The 10 west was right outside ready to take me home, I figure smooth sailing from here. Once in Arizona after the sun was out and I hit 100+ degree weather. It was 108 in Phoenix so after passing through Tucson I take another short cut to skip Phoenix. It was still extremely hot and boring with nothing but cactus. The shortcut to skip phoenix was worth it since I didn’t get any 18-wheelers passing me at high speeds. It felt real good when I finally saw the sign that said 340 miles to Los Angeles. I’m home free, only another 4 hours or so. After about an hour I hit an isolated thunderstorm that scared the hell out of me. It was like a shock straight to my heart when I felt those violent winds. I slowed down to 40mph and they still sent me sailing to the shoulder. I saw a car with a hitch waiting under a bridge on the highway so I pulled right behind him. It was the closet thing to a tornado I’ve ever been to, I thought I would never make it home now. I waited for a little over 30 minutes then the winds settled. It was still raining a little hard but I could see on the opposite side of the road there looked to be sun down the highway. I decided chance it and ride as fast as I could through the rain & dark clouds. I did around 70 mph to pass the storm then my Fuel light went off it was 11 miles to the next town but I made it. I was back in scorching heat and humidity. With the dark clouds behind me they seemed to be moving west like me so I quickly fueled up and rode around 80mph as the dark clouds kept trying to block the sun, so I was riding fast to beat it. I finally passed the California border and there were more mountains with dark clouds to the left of me. These clouds also kept moving and blocking the sun, but I want to be home, I was hit with rain again, but then it stopped the more miles I passed. I wanted to pass this desert and get in a city, I knew in a city the winds wouldn’t be so bad. When I finally made it to Indio I knew it was all over. I did it in just under 17hours and made it home safe and sound. It felt good to be home. I love LA. My bachelor apartment with no bedroom felt twice as big after sleeping in all those motels. It took a while to come back to earth and realize it was all over. This trip was definitely not an easy thing. It was more like biker boot camp. I would wake up at 4 in the morning and ride 6 or 700 miles on an empty stomach. I would tell myself I will eat in the next big city then once there my appetite would leave. I drank lots of water and eat beef jerky on my gas stops. I did this trip because I love riding, adventure and a challenge. Even though my bike was not designed to ride 10 hours in a straight line, it’s the only bike I have. It took a lot out of me, when things got really tough I thought about how ill be home soon drinking a beer. I thought a lot about how people one day might take the time to read about my story. The fact that I made it to Milwaukee then back home safe and sound made it all worth it. The lessons in life that I learned on this trip have really had an impact on my life and will last with me forever, especially the ones I learned the hard way.
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Viros
| Posted on Sunday, September 07, 2003 - 07:33 pm: |
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Special thanks go to: -Buell Cycle Center in Waterloo -Wieblers Quad City Buell, -Sacborg -Badweatherbikers for having a place to put a story like mine. (Something tells me Fuell magazine wont like my story.) And finally here are some pics. |
Viros
| Posted on Sunday, September 07, 2003 - 08:21 pm: |
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you know your bored when you take pictures while riding
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Viros
| Posted on Sunday, September 07, 2003 - 08:25 pm: |
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more shots taken while riding
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Firemanjim
| Posted on Sunday, September 07, 2003 - 08:35 pm: |
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Victor,great story,sounds like quite an adventure.You put in some good long days of riding. |
Viros
| Posted on Sunday, September 07, 2003 - 08:35 pm: |
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this is the picture i pictured in my head for months
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Viros
| Posted on Sunday, September 07, 2003 - 08:37 pm: |
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Great story? did you really read the whole thing fireman jim????? |
Ezblast
| Posted on Sunday, September 07, 2003 - 08:47 pm: |
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Hey - I own a Blast and I knew all that you discovereed way before hand and it does'nt stop me from enjoying the ride and the good people I do meet - and it sounds to me in the end you felt the same way - your personal choices are yours - it sounds like it was a great ride though and that its one you'll long remember for the rest of your life for various reasons on various levels - lol - Still sounds like a great epic to me - great ridding! Got Thump?! Just Blasting on the Dark side! EZ |
Viros
| Posted on Sunday, September 07, 2003 - 08:48 pm: |
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Hals dealership was crazy Ukes is a nice place custom buell this is my bike in Denver this is my bike in Des Moines this is my bike in Milwaukee High Country's RR1000 my bike after 200 miles in the rain
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Viros
| Posted on Sunday, September 07, 2003 - 08:53 pm: |
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ill post more pics during the next few days My neck is still cramped from Thursdays ride. I need to get out of here. thanks for looking everyone. -victor |
Smitty
| Posted on Sunday, September 07, 2003 - 09:14 pm: |
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Great story and photos. Your luck sounds like mine. It was definitely an adventure. You now have loads of memories to reflect upon. I look back now and regret not doing something like that when I was younger. Thanks Tim |
Cjmblast
| Posted on Sunday, September 07, 2003 - 11:59 pm: |
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I really started to regret missing the Buell 20th. Wish you had made it to the 20th, Buell riders are much friendlier and helpful, way more so than Harley riders !! I read the whole story and it was great !! Wish I had known you were in Davenport too, have a sister there who would probably have put you up !! Anyway, quite an adventure, let us know next time you come back this way, should meet some of us !! CJ
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Firemanjim
| Posted on Monday, September 08, 2003 - 01:57 am: |
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Victor,hell yes,I read the whole thing.I am a fast reader and am stuck at the firehouse for 72 hrs so I need entertainment. |
Maverick
| Posted on Monday, September 08, 2003 - 02:51 am: |
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Viros... Most Buellers Post Here, ATC and SacBorg, as well as UKBeg, BCube and a few other international sites... what I am getting at is the Buell Community is small (compared to HD, BMW etc.) but we look out for our own... hell I did what you did when I was 21..except I did it an old s-10 Blazer...best thing you can do Drive/ride cross-country when your 21ish Hell I'm just about 30 now and my next plan is a 6-8 month tour of Europe...by Train, Bike and foot! Leaving next spring! and you better believe its people on these Boards I am going to visit. I just did a 800 mile trip on my Firebolt(I have an X1 too) and I am planing to ride up to Toronto from Cambridge, MA on the 10th...and after riding from Canada back to Boston this Morning, the Bolt aint that bad...infact the Buddy I was with was on his BMW RT1100 and his ass hurt just as little as mine did! great story though! anytime you in Boston, MA gives a ring..we can let you crash at our place for a few days no probs! |
Maverick
| Posted on Monday, September 08, 2003 - 02:53 am: |
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hey FMJ... should this guy hook up with the LaBusa's guys or what!! |
Dynarider
| Posted on Monday, September 08, 2003 - 06:12 am: |
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Buell riders are much friendlier and helpful, way more so than Harley riders What??!!! After all the help I gave during the 20th? Now I am hurt Too bad I didnt know Viros was going to be here. Could gave him the guided tour. |
Al_lighton
| Posted on Monday, September 08, 2003 - 12:41 pm: |
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Great story, Victor. Really. More than just a "I went here, I went there", you conveyed a lot of the feelings you had on the road. Bummer about the reckless driving rap, good luck beating it. Equally, bummer about the great Harley disillusionment. Funny how the road is, it calls to you while you're living your day-to-day life, and yet, once there for a week or two, nothing seems better than just getting home. You did the hardest kind, where you are just chewing miles on the superslab trying to get someplace very far away. I much prefer the kind where you are on twisty roads, focused on corner to corner instead of wandering thoughts to occupy the mind on the boring highway. Good adventure. Its the trip, not the destination, that makes a good motorcycle ride. And sometimes, some adversity in that trip is what makes it memorable. You'll still have the memories long after the ticket and credit card bills are paid off. Al |
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