Eerie morning motorcycle ride.

January 19, 2011

Woke up this morning just like every other one, got dressed for work, checked the weather, mid 40’s, ten percent chance of rain. Perfect day for a motorcycle ride to work…Well, so I thought?


It had been around 4 days since my last ride due to rain and carrying my kids to school in the morning, but my bike fired right up and purred like a kitten as I put my gloves, helmet and sunglasses on.


Ok this is where things get a little strange…as I was pulling out of my driveway; this since of fear came over me for some reason.

I guess it left me wondering, "does this happen to other bikers from time to time, as it has happen to me two or three times over the years I’ve been riding. "


It’s hard to explain, but here goes… it’s really more of a strange feeling, more than fear, here are some examples; I normally roar


Yea, Right!!!


out of my driveway and fly down the streets in my neighborhood on my way to work. This morning I found myself looking at a small puddle

on the road at the end of the driveway and inching my way to it ever so slowly. Then once passed thinking to myself, wow I survived that,

then at each curve

found myself slowing to a crawl. To make matters worse it felt like the bike was fighting me the entire time and it was winning.

Things like dogs even the ones 100 yards from the road give me the feeling of uneasiness.

Then as I entered the hwy (this is a very straight road that takes me almost to work)

safe right…NOOO!!! First it seemed that the car behind me was tailgating

(it really was not) not to mention the cars waiting to pull out on the hwy just seemed like they were going to pull right out in front of me,

Sorry I could not help myself, been holding this photo to long.

It would cause me to lower my speed big time. As I went to turn off the hwy on to a city street, I found myself looking at the small pile of gravel in the middle of the road,

thinking I hope my front tire does not slide out in the turn. Then I crossed a railroad track, again I kept thinking I hope I don’t fall over while crossing the track. Finally I make it to the office and start backing my bike into its parking spot, again having the feeling of dropping my bike.


Whew, off the bike and safe inside my office. Hmmm strange right? I guess what puzzles me is this has never happen while doing anything else in life, like driving a car, a boat or just life in general. I guess the really strange thing is when I got back on my bike to go home, it was like it never happen, I was roaring down the roads like it had never happen before.

I talked to a biker co-worker once inside to see if he had ever experienced anything like this before, he told me he sometime had a fear of deer late in the evening sometimes…

my guess is we are talking about two different kind of fears… but not sure, maybe it’s the same.


Oh well


Till next time


Big AL

Motorcycle accident anyone???

Friday…Wow…not your average Friday. Got up early Friday morning somewhere around 4:00am and drank a couple of cups of coffee

(little did I know this would be the only normal part of the day) as I was getting ready for work I started feeling a little sick to my stomach. Went on to work, but after sitting for awhile I started too feel more ill. I decided to send my boss Randy an email stating I needed to go home for a few hours until I started feeling better…once home, I did start to feel better and around 10:00 am got on my bike and headed back to work.

Then things got crazy

real fast…about one block from my driveway there is a four way intersection with two yield signs…I had the right of way, just as I started to make the turn I looked up and a lady in a cage (car) was in my lane heading right at me. OH NO!!!! I have to admit I never saw her…well here is where things went bad, I hit my brakes (harder than normal) remember I was in a turn already with a car closing in on me at a fast pace. Then it happen…my back tire broke lose and I went into a severe fish tail, as the bike was going down (just out of reflex) I threw my mighty left leg out, to stop the fall…well my friends let me put it to you this way…I might have a mighty left leg, but let me assure you that at 20 miles and hour on a 800 pound bike…well you get the point. Ha-ha.

I did manage to save the bike from a fall…hmmm but at what cost? Well once I got the bike back under control I could see the lady looking at me in amazement, I’m sure it was a site to see, I waved her on her way. Right after that while still in motion I went to put my left foot back on the foot board to shift gears. Hmmm not working (the leg) I was finely able to get my foot up but found I could not shift gears. Something was wrong…I had to limp the bike down the road until I could find a place to turn around, and ride back home in first gear. As I went to step off the bike I learned real quickly the leg would not hold my weight. This meant I had to step off the bike to the right side…try it sometime, not easy.

Well as luck will have it my dad was walking out to his car to go play golf and I told him the story as I limped inside…well dad did what any man would do….FOUR!!!! He left to go play golf.

(It a guy thing you ladies would not understand. Ha-ha.) But before he left he did call in the Calvary…

MOM!! Seconds later mom was in my house babying her son like any good mother should. Ha-ha.

It was soon decided that a hospital visit was needed…sounds good but how to get to the car…I came up with the great idea of using a mop for a crutch…

to my surprise it worked. Once at the hospital

the waiting game begins. After 30 minutes I hear them call my name…this is just to psych you out, they just bring you in a room get your information and ban you like an animal,

then they send you back to the waiting room. 3 hours later I get the call to see the doctor. Then a quick trip to x-ray proved I do have a mighty left leg, no broke bones. The doctors thinking is I may have pulled some ligaments some loritabs were prescribed along with crutches and a monster knee brace.

I also found out that hospital beds were not meant for guys like me, my feet were hanging off at least six inches…ha-ha.

Ok here is the moral to the story…first I have no ill feelings for my neighbor (unlike my wife who want to get a lynch mob together and track her down. Ha-ha)

who ran the yield sign and almost killed me. Why you ask, first it was an accident and second it’s my belief as motorcyclist we need to take extra steps to prevent things like from happing. Truth is I have driven this road so many times I became very lacks in scanning the road ahead of me. I should have seen the car and planned my escape long before this happen. Lesson well learned. I also learned that my very first thought after I realized my leg was hurt…honest truth…DAM…How long will it be until I can ride again?… I realized that day... I am a true biker.
Until next time
Big Al

Biker want a be???

Hmmm, I hear that phrase a lot and it seems to me that hardcore bikers and people in general seem to think you are either a full time biker or you’re a biker want a be. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cs22KAw8Woo This brings up many questions in my mind and I’d love your feed back (I’m sure I’m going to get it. Ha-ha). Let's take myself for example; I’m a 46 year old male that has never owned a bike (except for a few dirt bikes and scooters) before, but have always wanted one. Truth is, I just never had the extra cash (wife, kids, mortgage) and none of my day to day friends ride one. So I ended up spending my extra cash on fast cars, boats and jeeps and things. Well a few months back I was diagnosed with type two diabetes and in my mind figured life is short; time to get my first bike.

My first thought was go get yourself a Harley Davidson!

But, after considering the price of one, I was not sure if I would ride it enough to justify the cost. One of my problems is I’m a big guy 6'5”, 270lbs., so buying one of the smaller models like a sportster (under 10 grand new) just would not work for me. I thought about buying a used one, but again I have no friends that ride or work for a dealership where I might get things fixed cheaper on an older bike. So I decided to look at the metric bikes. “True story” a buddy and I stopped by the local cycle dealer, Hattiesburg Cycles, hattiesburgcycles.com (metric bike dealer) on our lunch hour and I asked the salesman what kind of bike can I get that was over 1000cc’s and under 10 grand. The next thing I knew he was pushing a 2008 Yamaha V Star 1100 (fully loaded)

out for me to take a better look…it was love at first site…I came back the next day and bought it…the price you ask…$ 9,500.00.

After I bought it, the salesman threw me the keys, my wife wished me luck getting it home and I was off. I admit I was very shaky as it had been over 15 years since I had ridden a street bike and did not even have a motorcycle driver license, nor did I know I had to have one at that time…breaking the law…breaking the law!!! Ha-ha.

Ok, all that said now getting back to my questions, I’ve had my bike around 6 months now. I ride it almost every day back and forth to work ,each day to rally’s, long weekend rides and almost anytime I get the chance, hot or cold days (not much into the rainy day riding but have done it too) I consider myself a fair rider (and no I don’t think I’m Evel Knievel

or anything like that) but I truly believe I can hold my own with most day to day riders. Why do people think people like me want to be a Harley guy or a hardcore biker? Truth is I could care less…I just like to ride. Now don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the company of hardcore bikers and Harley riders…but I enjoy the company of metric riders and even the scooter guys and girls just as much.

(ok I admit it, I do make fun of the scooter guys…but its ok because I have one myself. Ha-ha.) Why do people have to always fall into classes, why can’t people just be people?

Here are some of the reasons I came up with;

One; it’s like the great Ford and Chevy debate, Ford guys love Ford cars and Chevy guys love Chevy…hmm, I am a Chevy guy, by the way, but drive a Ford truck…go figure.

Two; I think a lot of my non-bike riding buddies see and hear me talking about wearing leather jackets and even leather chaps (that always gets a laugh). They think that it is someone trying to pose as a tough Harley rider on a metric bike, (Too much of the Fonz).

Little do they know , that the leather is one of the only things that will keep you warm on a cold day and give you a little protection if you hit the road doing 50 mph. Truth is, I wear a blue jean jacket most of the time, unless its really cold outside.

Three; people tend to stare when I’m dressed in khaki pants and an AT&T shirt (required work uniform for management) on my way to work and back. I’m way to lazy to wear biker gear and change once I get to work and change again once I get ready to go home. I swear even if I wore a suit and tie everyday, I would still ride with my tie flapping in the wind. I think sometimes people would rather you not ride if you can’t dress the part (biker gear) not me buddy…I’m going to ride.

Four; why would you ride a bike that is not made in America? Let me just say you don’t get more American than me (I’m all about hot apple pie and baseball)

but there are very, very few of us who buy all American. I actually heard a guy at a rally telling another guy that his bike was made in the good old USA, “true story” the bike was sitting in the back of a Toyota pickup. I hear this all the time from Harley riders, as I look at their foreign made cell phones, helmets, boots, and clothing hanging on their bodies. It just makes me laugh inside.

When I go back and review this, it looks like I picking on Harley guys and girls. This is not true at all. I hear these kinds of remarks mainly from non-riders. To me there is nothing better than the sound of a Harley with aftermarket pipes; it’s a sound once you hear it you will never forget it. It reminds me of a race car with un-capped headers.

As I mentioned above, I bought the bike I have now partly because I was not sure if I would ride it enough…well I have proved to myself I have bike riding in my blood and am now dreaming of a bigger bike. And yes, most likely it will be a very large Harley as I would love to ride one all across the USA.

Ok, I’m sure some of you are asking yourself…after all that, why would I buy a Harley…first I have nothing against Harley or Harley riders…second, I love the sound…third, now that I know I love riding, I don’t mind the extra expense of owning one…fourth, I love the aftermarket products…fifth, it is an American made product and as Americans we should try and support American made products as much as we can, just don’t get caught up in the hype that buying a Harley will save America's economy.

Hmmm, I wrote this post (above) about a month ago but just never got around to posting it, other things kept coming up. Well the other day at work something happen that might change my mind on what kind of bike I might want to buy now. Stay tuned….