-Buddha
December 25, 2010
December 22, 2010
TMRA2 "Legislative Day"
The Texas Motorcycle Rights Association (TMRA2) has selected Monday, January 24th to be "Legislative Day." They are putting out the call for any and all Texas bikers to meet up and ride to the capital in Austin just to let the legislature know that bikers are aware of the issues and will hold our elected officials accountable for their votes (with our votes). What better way to make sure that rider's rights are respected than to have a few thousand bikers show up at the capital?
Here is a quote from the open invitation to all Texas bikers:
Let your pipes, voices and pipes be heard in Austin!
Here is a quote from the open invitation to all Texas bikers:
"We have long ago determined that our Legislators cannot read our minds. They need people to tell them what is expected of them and they do welcome your input. Unfortunately most people don't bother to talk with their Legislators. The people the Legislators see all the time are corporate lobbyists who typically don’t care anything about us. Since we know Bikers will go to events that they can enjoy the company of their Brothers and Sisters. We decided to have an event that occurs for the very purpose of gathering people and getting them to talk to their Legislators."For more information check out the information page here: http://legislativeday.tmra2.org/
Let your pipes, voices and pipes be heard in Austin!
December 20, 2010
The Harley Tree (Part 2)
I started thinking about this post and and my tree and came to the conclusion that I really left out some good parts of the back story of the ornaments on this tree.
I received the first ornament, the 2006 Street Bob, for this tree as a gift. It is one of the Hallmark series of Harley Davidson ornaments from four years ago. Now, at the time I didn't know there was a Hallmark series of ornaments. In fact, I didn't even have a bike at the time but I was really wanting one, and the Street Bob was high on my list. I didn't have the money and Wonderful Wife was dead set against it so there was not going to be a bike under my tree. Feeling bad for me and to help sheer my up, one of my co-workers saw the ornament at the Hallmark Store and decided to get it for me in place of the real one. That was a really great gesture and a nice thing to do. It still makes me smile to think of it.
The second ornament came from the next year and is a 2008 XL1200N Nightster. I still didn't have a bike. Instead of the Street Bob I was now wanting a Nightster. Another of my coworkers had purchased one and I fell in serious lust with this bike. Mean, bad, and black with very little chrome it had become the bike of my dreams. But money and continued resistance from Wonderful Wife (weaker after a year of whining though) meant it would have to wait a little longer even though the Nightster was significantly cheaper that the Street Bob. Again, to help bring a little cheer to my holiday without a bike and in sympathy for my plight he gave me a Christmas ornament of his motorcycle. Another really nice gesture from another really nice guy.
Last year's ornament was the 2009 Rocker C. This time I had my bike. Instead of wither the Street Bob or the Nightster I bought an XL883N Iron. It is not as mean or bad as the 1200N but with even less chrome it looks like it is. I was (and am) in love with that bike. I have more fun riding that bike than I have any other motorcycle I have ever owned! That time around it was my sons-in-law who were now infected by the bug and were wanting bikes. So, in a pay it forward sort of idea I bought each of us a Harley ornament for Christmas. I am not sure if it meant as much to them as the previous two ornaments had to be but they seemed to get a kick out of it. In fact Moose has his on display in his man cave (garage) along with other biker paraphernalia.
This year I bought myself an ornament, the 2009 Cross Bones. Na paying it forward. I had the idea about the tree so I decided another ornament would be needed to populate even a small tree. There is some meaning to this ornament as well though. This is the bike that was used in the military salute tribute H-D did last year. I absolutely love the looks of this bike and appreciate what and who it celebrates. It definitely deserves a place on this tree.
The other ornament from this year is an XR750 and I probably would have bought it too if they hadn't already been sold out.
The spirit of Christmas is one of giving and caring for those around you. Many of the messages we are bombarde with during this time of year either bury that spirit or try and twist it into something more materialistic and trite. Some who have seen this tree assume this is the case with my Harley tree as well but to me anyway this tree represents and captures that spirit. Each ornament represents a gift either of those who care about me or or those I care about.
Merry Christmas Ya'll
-Buddha
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| 2006 Street Bob ornament |
 |
| 2009 XL1200N Nightster ornament |
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| 2009 Rocker C ornament |
 |
| 2009 Cross Bones ornament |
The other ornament from this year is an XR750 and I probably would have bought it too if they hadn't already been sold out.
The spirit of Christmas is one of giving and caring for those around you. Many of the messages we are bombarde with during this time of year either bury that spirit or try and twist it into something more materialistic and trite. Some who have seen this tree assume this is the case with my Harley tree as well but to me anyway this tree represents and captures that spirit. Each ornament represents a gift either of those who care about me or or those I care about.
Merry Christmas Ya'll
-Buddha
December 19, 2010
The Harley Tree
Yep, I have officially become a fanboy; I have Harley tree in my office at home.
Jokes and secret envy can start now...
Merry Christmas Ya'll.
-Buddha
 |
| The Harley Tree |
Merry Christmas Ya'll.
-Buddha
December 16, 2010
Colin Edwards interviewed at Superbike Planet
Colin Edwards is a great racer and a true Texan. Read his two-part, no holds barred interview over at Superbike Planet.
Part 1:
Hang in there
-Buddha
Part 1:
Part 2:
 |
| Texas Terrors: Ben Spies and Colin Edwards |
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| Colin Edwards and Ben Spies on track together |
 |
| This is what I call looking through a corner! |
Hang in there
-Buddha
December 14, 2010
Motorcycho Patches
Want to show the world that you are crazy about cycles? Like patches?
Check this out from the guys over at Motocycho:
Get more information here: http://motorcycho.blogspot.com/2010/12/motorcycho-enthusiast.html
Hang in there
-Buddha
Check this out from the guys over at Motocycho:
 |
| Motorcycho patches! |
Hang in there
-Buddha
The Harvest Classic 2010
Given the fact that this is my absolute favorite motorcycling event of the year and given the fact that I had an absolute blast of a day I can't understand why it has been the toughest event to write about since I started blogging. Maybe it is because so much has happened since the event (probably not, since I started the first draft within a few days), maybe it is the fact that it was such a great event or maybe I just need to let Jack "The King of Motobloggers" cover this one for me. I don't know, but here we go with round five of an attempt to write up this event…
Growing up, one of my favorite movies in the world was Willy Wonka; the Gene Wilder version, of course, not the creepy Johnny Depp version. One of my favorite scenes in the movie was the one where Wonka introduces the kids to The Chocolate Room accompanied by the song "Pure Imagination." If you are too young or just missed seeing one of the greatest movies of all time this is the scene where Willy Wonka takes the winners of the golden tickets through into a room of chocolate and candy; a room where everything is edible, or eatable. The kids and even the parents go crazy eating everything in sight right up until Augustus Gloop falls into the chocolate river, is sucked away and the Oompa-Loompas sing us a lesson about gluttony. I can still remember the wonder and amazement I felt as I saw that room up on the big screen for the first time. It made the cherry sours and Coke my Mom bought at the concession stand seem a little, well, lacking. There is no way I can describe the feeling I had when I saw that room. It was like Christmas morning, Easter morning and recess all rolled into one warm and jittery moment. It is one of my fondest childhood memories and for years getting into the Chocolate Room was my favorite dream.
As I grew older I lost much of that wonder and awe. The dreams of the Chocolate Room were gradually replaced with other dreams and wants such as girls, and cars, and girls, and bikes, and girls, and girls, and...(sorry, I got carried away there). But none of those seemed to carry the innocent, happiness that came from that scene in the Wonka factory. All that came afterwards seemed to come with some sort of extra baggage; guilt, worry, guilt, stress, guilt…(I was raised by a Catholic Grandmother who was very, very good with guilt).
The Harvest Classic, though, comes pretty close to bringing out that same level of excitement. I was, in fact, giddy as a schoolboy as we pulled into the parking area. Wonderful Wife, ChaCha and BA who accompanied me to The Classic were all a bit taken aback. I don't think they have ever seen me that excited.
Yes, I have been that excited, many times. In fact, I was way more excited at the birth of my youngest child, the adoption of my oldest children, the birth of my grand baby, my wedding to Wonderful Wife, etc. but all of those also came with a certain degree of stress and worry. Questions and concerns over whether I would be a good enough dad, whether I would be able to provide for them properly, whether I would be a good husband, were they healthy would they stay that way all tempered the joy of those moments. Wonderful Wife says this is a character flaw that I need to work on.
Back to the Harvest Classic.
I was like a kid on his first visit to Disney and to be honest it really was like being a kid again. Just like an excited child I found myself running ahead to see what I could see and forgot to wait on the rest of my little group. In fact, I had to go back and find the family on three different occasions before we even made it out of the parking area!
Let me explain a little something about the parking area for the Harvest Classic. There are more cool and interesting motorcycles in the parking area (which is a big empty field at the edge of the little town of Luckenbach) than are to be seen at most motorcycle events. There were dozens of cool old BMWs, Triumphs, Harley's and most any other make you care to name out there in that field. Most all of which had been ridden there by some lucky soul. At the end of that field of motorized dreams is a big test where you pay your money and pass through to the motorcycle equivalent of The Chocolate Room. The admission fee, which benefits the Candlelighters |Link| organization that has been helping children who are fighting cancer for over 40 years, is money well spent regardless of the event.
In addition to the parking area attractions, the Classic is one of the few places you can see actual trials motorcycles being put through their paces. These riders demonstrate absolutely incredible balance and throttle control. Have you ever seen a motorcycle ridden up a staircase of unfinished logs? You should. There are also local vendors there with their wares on display as well as plenty of food and beer. Ducati has, for the past few years, brought out the demo van and provided not only a visual display of some of the most stunning sport bikes available today but have provided the ability to take them on test rides as well. Hmmm, think about it, test riding a Ducati on some of the best motorcycling roads in Texas. But wait, there's more!
The real draw, for me, of the Harvest Classic is the bike show. In another field out on the other edge of town you will find a showcase of some of the most interesting, eclectic and amazing motorcycles anywhere. The show and the displays are broken up by category. The categories include some special classes for scooters, sidecars, and customs as well as being broken down by decade for more mainstream bikes. It is in the bike show that my family lost me repeatedly. They even joked (I hope) about tying a balloon to my collar so I would be easier to keep up with and I have to say that is something they really might want to think about for next year…
Although the bikes are organized by decade and laid out in a logical order creating a rather irregular rectangle it is really tough to make the tour of the show in any a methodical or logical way, at least not with a grown up kid like me leading the way. We started with a collection of about a dozen "rat bikes" in a special class of their own but before you knew it I was distracted by a 1914 Harley-Davidson, then a BSA from the 50's, then a Ducati Paso from the 80's, then an Indian and a pair of Harley's from the 30's , then back to the customs, oh and check out that Ural sidecar rig complete with a machine gun mounted for the passenger, or the Art Deco Sidecar rig next to that, then a Yamaha RZ500 that sent two stroke chills from my belly to…well…ahem...look a collection of Honda CBX inline sixes, and that Triumph (dang it), and…I could go on for hours which is the amount of time I spent bouncing from one beautiful motorcycle to another before food and foot pain had my family dragging me out of the display area. My crappy snaps cannot do these bikes justice but I will post a few to give an idea of the range of pure awesomeness that is to be seen at this event.
Bike show pics:
After refueling with some pretty good Chilli, home made potato chips, quesadillas, a Lone Star (come on, it's Luckenbach it has to be a Lone Star beer!) we (ok, I) was ready for more. Before heading back to the bike show we strolled through the campground only to see another great collection of rolling motorcycle porn. The Triumph guys from Austin tend to show up in pretty good numbers to this event and had a little compound set up that was surrounded by a really nice collection of Triumphs old and new, classic and modern. The largest group of attendees has to be the BMW boys.
There were also guys who travel in more minimal style; tarps strung over branches or bikes with a blanket underneath, pop-up mummy tents and good old fashioned campfires. These guys were usually on something old (call it a classic), that looked like it had seen real miles and real use for decades. Regardless of the campsite and the level of technical sophistication everyone there was friendly and ready for a quick chat about the event, the locale or the bikes. There were plenty of adult beverages around but no one was getting rowdy, well not so rowdy that I was concerned about any of the kids in attendance. This event is billed as family friendly and that is definitely the case. It seemed a throwback to a simpler time when people could actually get along without a lot of drama. Reality motoblogging star Jack Riepe would have been very disappointed at the lack of sex and violence.
After the sun goes down and the stars come out so does the portable movie screen, courtesy of The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, and the night is capped off with a showing of a classic motorcycle movie out in the same field where the bike show was situated just a few hours before.
The Harvest Classic is truly a motorcycle event like no other I have experienced. It draws me back to a simpler and less stressful time when pleasures were not guilty. When excitement and pure joy ruled. When a little boy could feel his heart racing in anticipation of the next wonder to be seen. When The Chocolate Room was real.
If you can make it to the Texas Hill Country next October you owe it to yourself to check it out.
Hang in there
-Buddha
Growing up, one of my favorite movies in the world was Willy Wonka; the Gene Wilder version, of course, not the creepy Johnny Depp version. One of my favorite scenes in the movie was the one where Wonka introduces the kids to The Chocolate Room accompanied by the song "Pure Imagination." If you are too young or just missed seeing one of the greatest movies of all time this is the scene where Willy Wonka takes the winners of the golden tickets through into a room of chocolate and candy; a room where everything is edible, or eatable. The kids and even the parents go crazy eating everything in sight right up until Augustus Gloop falls into the chocolate river, is sucked away and the Oompa-Loompas sing us a lesson about gluttony. I can still remember the wonder and amazement I felt as I saw that room up on the big screen for the first time. It made the cherry sours and Coke my Mom bought at the concession stand seem a little, well, lacking. There is no way I can describe the feeling I had when I saw that room. It was like Christmas morning, Easter morning and recess all rolled into one warm and jittery moment. It is one of my fondest childhood memories and for years getting into the Chocolate Room was my favorite dream.
As I grew older I lost much of that wonder and awe. The dreams of the Chocolate Room were gradually replaced with other dreams and wants such as girls, and cars, and girls, and bikes, and girls, and girls, and...(sorry, I got carried away there). But none of those seemed to carry the innocent, happiness that came from that scene in the Wonka factory. All that came afterwards seemed to come with some sort of extra baggage; guilt, worry, guilt, stress, guilt…(I was raised by a Catholic Grandmother who was very, very good with guilt).
The Harvest Classic, though, comes pretty close to bringing out that same level of excitement. I was, in fact, giddy as a schoolboy as we pulled into the parking area. Wonderful Wife, ChaCha and BA who accompanied me to The Classic were all a bit taken aback. I don't think they have ever seen me that excited.
Reality Break
Yes, I have been that excited, many times. In fact, I was way more excited at the birth of my youngest child, the adoption of my oldest children, the birth of my grand baby, my wedding to Wonderful Wife, etc. but all of those also came with a certain degree of stress and worry. Questions and concerns over whether I would be a good enough dad, whether I would be able to provide for them properly, whether I would be a good husband, were they healthy would they stay that way all tempered the joy of those moments. Wonderful Wife says this is a character flaw that I need to work on.
End Reality Break
Back to the Harvest Classic.
 |
| BMW cafe racer in the Harvest Classic parking area |
I was like a kid on his first visit to Disney and to be honest it really was like being a kid again. Just like an excited child I found myself running ahead to see what I could see and forgot to wait on the rest of my little group. In fact, I had to go back and find the family on three different occasions before we even made it out of the parking area!
 |
| Interesting scooter |
 |
| Classic Triumph Bonneville |
In addition to the parking area attractions, the Classic is one of the few places you can see actual trials motorcycles being put through their paces. These riders demonstrate absolutely incredible balance and throttle control. Have you ever seen a motorcycle ridden up a staircase of unfinished logs? You should. There are also local vendors there with their wares on display as well as plenty of food and beer. Ducati has, for the past few years, brought out the demo van and provided not only a visual display of some of the most stunning sport bikes available today but have provided the ability to take them on test rides as well. Hmmm, think about it, test riding a Ducati on some of the best motorcycling roads in Texas. But wait, there's more!
The real draw, for me, of the Harvest Classic is the bike show. In another field out on the other edge of town you will find a showcase of some of the most interesting, eclectic and amazing motorcycles anywhere. The show and the displays are broken up by category. The categories include some special classes for scooters, sidecars, and customs as well as being broken down by decade for more mainstream bikes. It is in the bike show that my family lost me repeatedly. They even joked (I hope) about tying a balloon to my collar so I would be easier to keep up with and I have to say that is something they really might want to think about for next year…
Although the bikes are organized by decade and laid out in a logical order creating a rather irregular rectangle it is really tough to make the tour of the show in any a methodical or logical way, at least not with a grown up kid like me leading the way. We started with a collection of about a dozen "rat bikes" in a special class of their own but before you knew it I was distracted by a 1914 Harley-Davidson, then a BSA from the 50's, then a Ducati Paso from the 80's, then an Indian and a pair of Harley's from the 30's , then back to the customs, oh and check out that Ural sidecar rig complete with a machine gun mounted for the passenger, or the Art Deco Sidecar rig next to that, then a Yamaha RZ500 that sent two stroke chills from my belly to…well…ahem...look a collection of Honda CBX inline sixes, and that Triumph (dang it), and…I could go on for hours which is the amount of time I spent bouncing from one beautiful motorcycle to another before food and foot pain had my family dragging me out of the display area. My crappy snaps cannot do these bikes justice but I will post a few to give an idea of the range of pure awesomeness that is to be seen at this event.
Bike show pics:
 |
| BMW "rat" bike |
 |
| Classic Triumph bobber |
 |
| Honda CB450 |
 |
| Aeromacchi/Harley-Davidson racer |
 |
| Kawasaki 900 in mint condition |
 |
| Triumph chopper |
 |
| Yamaha RZ500 |
 |
| Honda NS400R |
 |
| Honda CBX Sport Tourer |
 |
| Who knew Indian made scooters? |
 |
| A Vespa ready for a picnic in the Roman hills |
 |
| Art Deco sidecar rig |
 |
| A Ural equipped for Houston traffic |
 |
| Perfectly restored Indian Chief |
 |
| 50's scooter and matching trailer |
 |
| 1926 Royal Enfield |
 |
| Yet another cool old BMW |
These guys must have a sweet life. The number of cool gadgets and gizmos in this area is enough to make any technerd or Jack Riepe drool for hours. There were two bedroom tents with carpet and A/C that fit into slab sided aluminum panniers, bedrolls that could fit in touring bike's trunk but expanded to a king sized mattress of space age foam, portable bike wash systems for the road going beemers, mud daubing machines to make sure the GS crowd looked their adventurous part, microwave camp stoves that run of a motorcycle power outlet and I swear I saw at least one espresso machine. I don't know where they get the money for all these high tech toys but damn I need that job!
 |
| and yet another cool old Triumph |
 |
| and a cool old Sportster |
 |
| Wonderful Wife in the roots of a little old oak tree |
 |
| one of the coolest little bobbers I have ever seen! |
There were also guys who travel in more minimal style; tarps strung over branches or bikes with a blanket underneath, pop-up mummy tents and good old fashioned campfires. These guys were usually on something old (call it a classic), that looked like it had seen real miles and real use for decades. Regardless of the campsite and the level of technical sophistication everyone there was friendly and ready for a quick chat about the event, the locale or the bikes. There were plenty of adult beverages around but no one was getting rowdy, well not so rowdy that I was concerned about any of the kids in attendance. This event is billed as family friendly and that is definitely the case. It seemed a throwback to a simpler time when people could actually get along without a lot of drama. Reality motoblogging star Jack Riepe would have been very disappointed at the lack of sex and violence.
After the sun goes down and the stars come out so does the portable movie screen, courtesy of The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, and the night is capped off with a showing of a classic motorcycle movie out in the same field where the bike show was situated just a few hours before.
The Harvest Classic is truly a motorcycle event like no other I have experienced. It draws me back to a simpler and less stressful time when pleasures were not guilty. When excitement and pure joy ruled. When a little boy could feel his heart racing in anticipation of the next wonder to be seen. When The Chocolate Room was real.
If you can make it to the Texas Hill Country next October you owe it to yourself to check it out.
Hang in there
-Buddha
December 7, 2010
Hey buddy, can you spare $600,000
or maybe more? Please?
On December 15th, Phillips de Pury & Co. will be auctioning off a 1925 Brough Superior. Not just any old Brough Superior either (as if there was such a thing) but George Brough's personal SS100 Alpine Grand Sport. This was the motorcycle that he rode to victory in the 1925 Austrina Speed Trials, the London-to-Edinburgh Trial and later the Victory Cup Trial.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Brough (shame on you!) these were some extremely special motorcycles produced in limited quantities from 1919 through 1940. Each one was meticulously crafted by hand and guaranteed to break 80 or 100 miles per hour depending on the model (SS80 or SS100). Before being delivered to the customer each Brough was tested by George Brough himself to ensure that the motorcycle was indeed able to perform as guaranteed. Such customer service was probably to be expected from a motorcycle that was referred to as the Rolls Royce of motorcycles and sold for more than the average house of the era.
So how about it? Anyone have an extra $600,000 to spare?
Hang in there
-Buddha
Photos: Phillips de Pury & Co. and the Internet
On December 15th, Phillips de Pury & Co. will be auctioning off a 1925 Brough Superior. Not just any old Brough Superior either (as if there was such a thing) but George Brough's personal SS100 Alpine Grand Sport. This was the motorcycle that he rode to victory in the 1925 Austrina Speed Trials, the London-to-Edinburgh Trial and later the Victory Cup Trial.
 |
| George Brough's personal SS100 Alpine Sport |
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Brough (shame on you!) these were some extremely special motorcycles produced in limited quantities from 1919 through 1940. Each one was meticulously crafted by hand and guaranteed to break 80 or 100 miles per hour depending on the model (SS80 or SS100). Before being delivered to the customer each Brough was tested by George Brough himself to ensure that the motorcycle was indeed able to perform as guaranteed. Such customer service was probably to be expected from a motorcycle that was referred to as the Rolls Royce of motorcycles and sold for more than the average house of the era.
 |
| Can you image 100 MPH on these tires? |
Notable Brough owners included George Bernard Shaw and T. E. Lawrence (you know, Lawrence of Arabia?). Lawrence owned seven of these bikes and was killed while riding the 1932 Brough he nicknamed George VII while his eighth was being built. He was also riding a Brough when he raced an RAF Bristol fighter plane...and won!
 |
| T. E. Lawrence on his Brough Superior "George V" |
So how about it? Anyone have an extra $600,000 to spare?
Hang in there
-Buddha
Photos: Phillips de Pury & Co. and the Internet
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