THIS BLOG IS DEDICATED TO ALL BIKERS HERE IN THE UNITED STATES AND WORLDWIDE. TO ALL THE VETERANS, THOSE LIVING AND TO THOSE WHO GAVE THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE; TO THOSE CURRENTLY SERVING AND TO THOSE IN THE FUTURE WHO WILL SERVE LONG AFTER WE ARE GONE, TO PRESERVE THE FREEDOM THAT THOSE IN THE PAST, WE IN THE PRESENT AND TO THOSE IN THE FUTURE HAVE ENJOYED, ARE ENJOYING AND WILL ENJOY, AS WE RIDE FREE AND ENJOY LIFE ON OUR CHOSEN MODE OF TRANSPORTATION: MOTORCYCLES.
REMEMBER: IF YOU WANT TO SEE THE PICTURE BIGGER, JUST CLICK ON THE PICTURE!

Monday, August 22, 2011

A DAY IN THE LIFE..... 8-22-2011

Today, 8-22-2011, was another HOT day here in North Texas. It was the 86th day in a row with temperatures in the triple digits and the third week in a row of 105 degrees +. I turned on the cold water tap for a cool glass of water and the water is warm... And there is no end in site. So, the last few days I have been out and about on the bike or in the truck, at the Harley Davidson Dealership, Jim's Bike Detail Shop, All American Hawg Service and Eddie Hill's Fun Cycles where I bought a new leather vest which I will patch with my PGR patches and whatnot, and wear as my primary PGR vest. Some days I had my camera and some days I didn't. So today, I took the memory card out of the camera and decided I would do a post on the blog with what ever was on it from the past few days. Scroll down and see what was on the card and REMEMBER: IF YOU WANT TO SEE THE PICTURES BIGGER, JUST CLICK ON THE PICTURE.



Here is my current bike, a 2006 Harley Road King. After riding a 2001 Harley Heritage Softail Classic the last two years, I am starting to get use to the feeling and handling of the Road King. One of the main things I have to get use to is, when the Heritage was running (idling), other than the noise from the Vance & Hines Shorts on it, you couldn't tell it was running or feel any vibration or shaking. This was due to a counter balancing kit in the engine. On the other hand, the Road King, with it's rubber mounted engine, when running (idling), shakes and vibrates like an old 74 use to. It smooths right out when it's rolling, but the shaking and vibrating is something I have to get use to again, after all these years .


 This was my breakfast yesterday. Something I call the breakfast of Champions. No, it is NOT Wheaties. It's coffee and animal crackers..

This picture was not on my memory card but it was sent to me while I was doing this post. The is my brother, Bob, and his new (to him) Honda VTX1800C he just latched on to. The post after this post is of his VTX1300C that he is wanting to sell and it is in excellent shape just like this bike. Bob is a member of the Great Lakes Road Riders located in Michigan. They just bestowed membership to me because I ride up to visit and then ride all over with Bob and some other friends. And I am from there... Looking Good Bob!
Some days it doesn't pay to go anywhere in public. Check out the BIG dent to my Silverado's right side. Don't you just love hit & runs? Could've been worse though. It could have been my Harley that was parked and hit.

 Another view of the damage. Gotta go get an estimate tomorrow afternoon because, like Janice says, it is too nice of a truck to look like a demolition derby vehicle..

Next picture on the card is of my daughter, Amy, who is 6 months pregnant. The baby is due on her birthday, Nov. 18, and Janice has gone berserk buying clothes, toys, furniture, diapers etc. The baby will be a boy and our first grand child and they tell me it is very common for the new grandma's to be, to go nuts getting herself, her daughter and the baby ready for the day he pops out of the oven...

While down at Jim's Bike Detail Shop today, where I went to seek Jim's help in getting some stubborn parts I took off the Road King back onto the Road King, Dearl showed up on his new bike. Dearl is a member of B.A.C.A. (Biker's Against Child Abuse) and I am a member of G.O.C. (Guardians of the Children) and the two groups aren't exactly on speaking terms. But, Dearl and I and a few others talked and since we weren't part of either group when the fall out happened and were friends before joining our respectful groups, we would remain friends and not get into the politics of it.

Dearl was used for a model while I showed Jim how to use the camera.

Here is Dearl trying not to laugh. He maintained a straight face throughout most of it.

Finally, Jim got the hang of it and took our picture.


I went down to Red River Harley Davidson and took a couple presents for the new grandson to be, to get wrapped. It was a pair of black Harley Davidson booties that Janice bought and, during a weak moment, I bought him an infants Black Harley t-shirt that says "Too cool to drool"  it. Here is my favorite salesgirl, Wendi, doing the honors. She even took a moment to smile for a picture or two.


 And here is Wendi showing off the finished product. Wendi, you are GOOD,, GIRL!! We will have pictures of the baby in that Harley stuff, and when he gets older, we will show him the pictures of Wendi wrapping his presents up before he was born.. For more info on EVERYTHING that's available at the dealership from infant's clothing to the new Harley's that get me to drooling, check out this link: http://www.redriverharley-davidson.com/. If you are live in the area or just passing thru, stop in and say hi to the great staff they have working there and browse around and check out the new 2012 Harley's. Or pick up a Harley T-shirt or Jacket or whatever you might want or need. They have it all and if they don't have it, they will find out where to get it for you! I love hanging out there and talking to the folks..


 Here is another picture of me & Dearl.  I left shortly after I got a picture of Jim & Dearl. It was starting to warm up and already 102 degrees and that vest was getting warm. But once I started rolling out on US82, it wasn't that bad.

And last picture on the card is of Jim and Dearl. Dearl works part time for Jim and is a good friend. I really value both of their friendships. If you are passing thru or live in the area and you need your bike or car or truck,  inspected, (Texas State  Safety Inspection),or the bike  serviced or detailed, give Jim a call at: 940-232-4181 or 940-691-1121 and see what he can do for you. He does outstanding work and 99% of his business is from word of mouth and he does stay very busy which should tell you the kind of work he does and is known for. Three of the top award winning bikes in the bike show at the 2010 TEXAS STATE HOG RALLY were detailed by Jim prior to the competition, and let me tell you, you don't win awards at a BIKE SHOW with a dirty, nasty bike.

   
Scroll down for more rides, runs and events and don't forget to click on the "OLDER POSTS" at bottom of each page or underneath the last post on the page,

Continue to pray for ALL of our troops both in and out of Harms Way; especially for Che Whitaker, Chris Drage and Fred Hughes, all of whom are serving in the Afghanistan Theatre of Operations and  for Pattie Jackson who has been deployed to Qatar..                                                                                             

 Until next post, ya'll be careful out there, keep the rubber on the road, keep your head on a swivel, and most importantly of all.............................RIDE SAFE.......................JOHN
                                                                                                                                                                   

Thursday, August 11, 2011

BIKE FOR SALE CANTON MICHIGAN AREA 8-11-2011

As you all know, the North Texas Bikers blog series is viewed the world over as well as all over the U.S. When I was contacted by my brother, Bob, in Michigan, who asked me to put his bike on the blog, in hopes of selling it, I readily agreed. So, the following info is on a great looking bike that has been garage kept, never dropped and is in showroom condition. Scroll; down and check it out and REMEMBER: IF YOU WANT TO SEE THE PICTURE BIGGER, JUST CLICK ON THE PICTURE.


                                      
For sale, in the Canton Michigan area:   a 2006 Honda VTX1300C, metallic gray in color and only 24,400 miles on the engine and this would put it as a low mileage motorcycle.

It has foot boards for the rider and pegs for the passenger and also, a tall backrest that a Tour Pak could easily slide over and be secured to.


This bike has an upgraded 2-piece seat modified by MCC (Mean City Cycle) For more on MCC, go to this link: http://www.meancitycycles.com/

The bike have custom mounted road pegs and as you can see, is very well kept.

A closer look st the foot board and the chrome back brake lever

The bike has a Memphis Fats Windshield and ISO grips, which keep you hands feeling good on those long hauls as well as when on local rides. For more on the Memphis Fats Windshield, go to this link and then click on "Fats/Slim" www.memphisshades.com/  . For info on the ISO grips, go to this link and be sure to go to the Honda Metric area.  http://motorcycle-accessories.cruisercustomizing.com/accessories/Iso%20Grips?utm_campaign=sitechampion&utm_medium=sli&utm_source=yahoo

If you are seriously interested in this bike, it can be yours for $5,100 OBO.  Just for your information, the Kelly Blue Book value on a 2006 VTX1300C, before adding on the extras, is $5,740 if in excellent condition and this bike is in excellent condition. Contact Bob today because at this price, it will not be for sale long.

Call 734-905-7258 and ask for BOB. If you rather contact him by email then his email address is:  rkbailey001@yahoo.com.  This will end this post.

I can personally vouche for the dependability of this bike. I rode up to Michigan from Texas and did a      Michigan motorcycle tour with Bob (on his VTX) and a lifelong friend Rick and Bob's bike ran perfectly. He had absolutely no problem with it and it ran like a top. He just purchased a VTX1800 and that's is why he is selling the VTX1300C.

Scroll down for more rides, runs and events and don't forget to click on the "OLDER POSTS" at bottom of each page or underneath the last post on the page,

Continue to pray for ALL of our troops both in and out of Harms Way; especially for Che Whitaker, Chris Drage and Fred Hughes, all of whom are serving in the Afghanistan Theatre of Operations and  for Pattie Jackson who has been deployed to Qatar..                                                                                             

 Until next post, ya'll be careful out there, keep the rubber on the road, keep your head on a swivel, and most importantly of all.............................RIDE SAFE.......................JOHN

RED RIVER HARLEY-DAVIDSON 8-9-2011

Tuesday, 8-9-2011, I rode the Harley down to RED RIVER HARLEY-DAVIDSON, here in Wichita Falls Texas, to see the folks there, look at the new bikes and drool, and to take pictures for a post on the blog. I had forgotten that this week past weekend had kicked off the Sturgis rally and a lot of the staff had gone up to attend. But, a few of my favorite folks and friends had stayed behind to keep things rolling at the            dealership. Join me on this short visit and REMEMBER: IF YOU WANT TO SEE THE                             PICTURE  BIGGER, JUST CLICK ON THE PICTURE.                                                          



RED RIVER HARLEY-DAVIDSON is located at US-287 & City View Rd. which is on the NorthWest side of the city.The actual address is 4514 NorthWest Fwy, Wichita Falls Texas. The phone number to the dealership is: 940-264-7743. Look for this signature sign either North or South bound on the freeway and you're there..

 The front of RRHD as you pull in off of the service road. Motorcycles can park on the other side of the horse and cars & trucks on the service road side.

My Harley parked in the motorcycle parking area at RED RIVER HARLEY-DAVIDSON..


                                     
Another view of my bike at the dealership motorcycle parking area. I got there right after they opened because it was supposed to get to 111 degrees out this afternoon and I wanted to be back at the house before then.
  
 Some of the outstanding used bikes are parked out front.

 Some more used bikes. There is no shortage of new or used  Harley's here at RED RIVER HARLEY-DAVIDSON.

 More used bikes out front and they are priced right for just about anybody wanting to get set up with a Harley and join the ever growing family of Harley-Davidson owners.

There are plenty of Ultra's and Classic's there also. I really like this Screamin" Eagle Ultra Classic..

Here is Amber hard at work in her office. She is smiling more than usual because her son is returning to the United States from his tour in Afghanistan. And as a PGR member, I am very proud that Amber supports our military and raised a son who is patriotic and willing to sacrifice his time and go in Harm's Way to serve our Country. Thank you Amber and thank your son, for all of us in the PGR, for his service and dedication to the United States and for doing his part to keep us free.;.

And here is the always happy and hard working, Ginger. I really like her be cause I am usually lost when I go in there to buy some t-shirts or accessories, and she will go out of her way to look for what I need in the         back if I can't find it.Usually, she just walks up to me and points to an item on a shelf right in front of me         where the item I want is located. I am the same way at home. Feel free to ask Janice about this when you see her. I can't find anything and more times than not, it is right in front of me where she said it was....

 And here is my favorite sales person there at RED RIVER HARLEY DAVIDSON, Wendi. I asked her what happened to her foot and she twisted it when she fell down. Tell you what, she was walking, talking and looked like she was in a lot of pain. But she maintained that she was ok and pressed on with her work.. Now that is the kind of dedication that is common with most of the employees at RRHD. They all like working there and they meet all kinds of characters and that would be enough for me to be happy. I like meeting folks and most of the ones I run into are a hoot!

I had to go back to RED RIVER HARLEY DAVIDSON on Wednesday 8-10-2011, to drop some colors off with Terri at the service counter to be sewn on a vest (will be on the Guardians of the Children-Red River Chapter blog at: http://rrgoc5.blogspot.com) and I went to Wendi to get a picture of her tattoo. So, here she is, showing her ink. Looks good Wendi!

Here is Choyce and one day he will be the salesman that puts me on a new Harley. I was going to buy the new 2012 Harley Switchback until Steve (friend and former co-worker) called and wanted to sell me his bike. He had gotten injured and messed up his back and couldn't ride any more. He made me an offer I couldn't refuse and that's how I ended up with my 2006 Road King.


This was the 2nd time I told Choyce I was going to let him sell me a bike and the second time I got offers that I just couldn't pass up. I apologized to Choyce for doing that to him and told him, yet again, that he was going to be the one to sell me my next Harley. Being the friend and person that he is, he accepted my apology with a " you don't need to apologize, I am happy that you got what you wanted and that it was a heck of a deal you got".

This is the Harley Switchback I wanted. I figured since Janice isn't going to ride with me anytime soon (my accident remains fresh in her mind, and I don't blame her) that this bike would be great for me to ride solo, local and cross country.But the Road King with work... This is Larry & Alice, and they are fellow members of the Red River Chapter 1757 of H.O.G. And they go on a lot of rides with us and they ride a Harley Tri-Glide and they sure do love that trike!


For all of you frequent viewers and readers of the North Texas Biker blog, you will recognize this guy. He was the manager of the FOUR STARS MOTORCYCLE RANCH in Henrietta. When Four Stars closed down the motorcycle sales, Charlie (above) moved to RED RIVER HARLEY DAVIDSON. You will be seeing a lot of Charlie on the blog because I spend a lot of time at the dealership and Charlie's office is in the middle of the showroom, so you can 't miss him.

Some of the new bikes on the showroom floor.

 This Ultra Classic has the same paint scheme as my Road King. This red might be a little lighter red than my bike, but it's close enough.

 More of the new bikes on the showroom floor.
They also carry baby & kid's clothes. We bought our future grandson (due to be on the planet, breathing air, on Nov 18, 20110) one of these wooden Harley Rocking chairs, a "too cool to drool" Harley T-shirt and a pair of black Harley booties. I'm not sure how my daughter & son-in-law feel about it, but ol' grandpa here is gonna keep him in Harley attire until I depart from the planet.

 More new bikes on the showroom floor. There is no shortage of bikes here. If you are looking for a Harley and live in the North Texas/Southern Oklahoma area, go visit the folks at RED RIVER HARLEY DAVIDSON and they will help you get the ride of your life. There are many motorcycles out there and I will not dis any of them, but, personally, there is NOTHING that compares to a Harley. and before the comments start, I have  owed and ridden, Honda's, Yamaha's and Kawasaki's and enjoyed them all, But, if I have to explain why there is NOTHING like a Harley, you probably wouldn't understand anyway. Just sayin.....

 Much to my delight and many others, RRHD is expanding their biker patches with a lot more to choose from.

I plan on getting one of the Harley rings in the foreseeable future. They have quite a selection of rings and other biker jewelry also. The ladies will love all the bling there. So guys, be prepared when you go to RRHD with your spouse or girlfriend..

When I left RRHD, the flags had been lowered to half mast. I asked Choyce, who had walked out with me to look at my bike, why they lowered the flags and he told me the bodies of the 30 Navy Seals that were killed in the helicopter crash in Afghanistan, were being returned to the United States today. If you all would pray for the family's of these American Heroes, it will be  appreciated by all concerned and ALL of America should pray as these men/women died while serving to protect us.

This will end this post. I enjoyed going down to RED RIVER HARLEY DAVIDSON and seeing Choyce, Amber, Wendi and Terri. If you are ever in the area or live in the area, stop in and say hi and take a bandanna with you because you will drool on the great looking bikes there!

Scroll down for more rides, runs and events and don't forget to click on the "OLDER POSTS" at bottom of each page or underneath the last post on the page,

Continue to pray for ALL of our troops both in and out of Harms Way; especially for Che Whitaker, Chris Drage and Fred Hughes, all of whom are serving in the Afghanistan Theatre of Operations and  for Pattie Jackson who has been deployed to Qatar..                                                                                             

 Until next post, ya'll be careful out there, keep the rubber on the road, keep your head on a swivel, and most importantly of all.............................RIDE SAFE.......................JOHN 

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

HANGING AT ALL AMERICAN HAWG SERVICE 8-8-2011

Saturday, 8-8-2011, I decided to ride the Harley over to All American Hawg Service, Wichita Falls newest biker owned & biker operated business. All American Hawg Service is owned by our friends Mike & Gloria Toney. Scroll down and join me on this short visit and REMEMBER: IF YOU WANT TO SEE THE PICTURE BIGGER, JUST CLICK ON THE PICTURE.


The front of  ALL AMERICAN HAWG SERVICE. There is no way you could possibly miss the big yellow building at 3905-A Wayne St. here in Wichita Falls Texas. The business number is 940-386-9100.

And here is the ever smiling, Gloria. She rides her own Harley and she also has just recovered from a recent motorcycle when she was hit by a pickup truck. She is one tough lady and is back in the wind on her new Harley. She can also help you if you want to schedule your bike for maintenance. She can help you with motor clothes and accessories. Remember, that they have just opened up for business  and they may have to order your accessories or your motor clothes items.

Here I am with Mike (with the big fu manchu) or as he is commonly called "BIG SEXY". I checked with Gloria before I posted his nickname and she is ok with it, so after 4 years of doing this blog, I am finally learning to check with the spouses before I post any comments that could possibly start a war between them.

Here is the work shop or bay area. Business has been great and these three bikes are all being serviced with more in line to be serviced.

 This Harley just arrived for servicing right after I got there

 One of the bikes being serviced. Boyd, the head mechanic, was not in the shop at the time I was so I don't have a clue as to what is being done to the bikes.

Here is another bike with the motor either being taken apart or being put back together. Like I said, Boyd wasn't in the shop...


Now this bike was getting a black set of handlebars put on it because I saw Mike walking up to it with the bars in his hand.

This is the little shop mini bike. Boyd told me awhile back that Mike can ride it and can get it up to, i think he said something like 62 mph. Now you've seen Mike and how big he is. This bike is a little bit bigger than the old mini-bikes of my era, that had those 5hp Briggs & Stratton engines on them. I will get a picture of BIG SEXY on the bike and post it in the near future,. It ought to be a hoot..

 While I was there, lo and behold, this familiar Harley Road King shows up for service, driven by none other than my good friend pictured below.

 It was none other than Tony aka TATU. He is the tattoo artist that is doing my tattoo work or as Janice says, he is turning me into an ink pad..LOL..  TATU sponsored me into the RED RIVER CHAPTER of the GUARDIANS OF THE CHILDREN and he is our National Rep. He is manager of  DesignMasters Tattoo Studio in Wichita Falls Texas.

The parking lot of ALL AMERICAN HAWG SERVICE is starting to fill up with bikes and the business with folks buying accessories or scheduling their bikes for service.

 The three bikes parked by the brown wall are Boyd's custom Harley, Big Sexy's bike is the Red Harley Ultra in the middle and my red Harley Road King on the end parked facing the wall.

 The wind was blowing pretty good and IO couldn't get the flyer with the for sale info to stay still, but if you have a paint program, click on the picture (or highlight the picture and click on "preview") and after it is bigger, click "open". then click on "paint". That will blow the picture up to a size you can then easily read the info.

 Not sure who this belongs to, but it is a good looking Harley Ultra Classic.

Boyd has added this skull mirrors to his bike. I ought to get a set for my bike as it has the Harley Skull's on every possible cap and cover and would look good. I'll call  Boyd and find out when he got them at.

Here is Big Sexy's Harley Classic. I thought it was an Ultra Classic but since he only has one antenna on his trunk, then this must be a Classic. That's how I can tell them apart. Ultra's have two antenna's and Classics have one.                                                                                                                                                    


 Looking at all the different Harley's from my bike. Business is good.

Here are Gloria, Mike and Boyd (back to camera) looking up some parts for a customer. And this will end this post.

I enjoyed riding out to ALL AMERICAN HAWG SERVICE today and seeing Gloria, Mike, Boyd and Tatu. I look forward to seeing them again in the near future and I recommend ALL AMERICAN HAWG SERVICE for your motorcycle service needs and accessories and biker clothes. They also sell items of interest to bikers and motorcycles on consignment. So, call Gloria today at 940-386-9100 and schedule your bike for preventative maintenance or any other service you may want and Gloria will fix you right up.

Scroll down for more rides, runs and events and don't forget to click on the "OLDER POSTS" at bottom of each page or underneath the last post on the page,

Continue to pray for ALL of our troops both in and out of Harms Way; especially for Che Whitaker, Chris Drage and Fred Hughes, all of whom are serving in the Afghanistan Theatre of Operations and  for Pattie Jackson who has been deployed to Qatar..                                                                                             

 Until next post, ya'll be careful out there, keep the rubber on the road, keep your head on a swivel, and most importantly of all.............................RIDE SAFE.......................JOHN