Motorcycles are like snakes. At least my wife thinks so. There is a park close to her workplace where she often goes for lunch. I was talking to her on the phone one day while she was there when our conversation was interrupted by a loud bike going by her.
“I’ve seen a bunch of bikes today,” she exclaimed. “This is the first day I’ve seen any.” Then she continued, “You know how when you see the first snake after winter they’re suddenly everywhere? It’s the same way with motorcycles.”
I can’t say I’d ever thought of it in just those terms, but she is on to something. I suppose it’s for the same reason. Motorcycle riders, like snakes, don’t come out as much when it’s cold and wet. But the sun warming asphalt is irresistible to both.
And as the summer goes on, bikers, again like snakes, go through a molting process. Riders braving early spring will be encased in warming layers, usually of leather. Those that eschew helmets are still likely to have some kind of warming head gear. But as the days get longer and warmer, the outer layers begin to slough off. As just as the dull, old skin of the snake comes off to reveal the bright vibrant pattern of each particular species, so the black winter garb coming off may reveal bright vibrant patterns of the biker’s tattoos. And just as the distinctive patterns on reptiles may warn of danger, so too can the the identifying markings on a one-percenter warn of potential lethality.
Drawing this tortured analogy to a final point, the end of summer may see the epidermis of the sun-loving biker truly resembling the reptilian scales of a snake. Dry glassy eyes squinting from a dry leathered face, cracked enough to look like scales, is a common sight at July and August rallies.
So as you head out on the road, keep an eye out for snakes and bikers. Please don’t run over one of them.

— Guy Wheatley

Riding boots or dress shoes

There are several events this summer that will require many of the participants to travel some distance to attend. The forums are buzzing as attendees anticipate the fun to come. As people begin to coordinate their plans, invariably the question arises of whether you’re going to ride or trailer your bike.
For some, there is no question. I’m surprised at the number of bikers who see trailering as a shameful option. “If I can’t ride it, I just won’t go,” some say. There is something to be said for riding your bike 500+ miles to an event, and the organizers will usually acknowledge the participant who rode the farthest. But holding another biker who elects to trailer their motorcycle in disdain is taking it a little far and often misinformed.
I know one rider who hoped on his GL1000 and took off for Colorado back in the late 70s. That’s a 2000 mile round trip in the days before windshields and saddle bags. He and his wife still routinely log 300 to 400 miles on a Saturday day run. He’s put well over 100,000 miles on various motorcycles in is time. He’s going to trailer his bike to an event this summer.
I’ve ridden with him and his wife. Like me and my wife, they prefer small winding roads. When I asked him about trailering his bike, he said, “It straight down the Interstate to the meet. Why do I want to ride my motorcycle on the Interstate, and through Dallas? I just want to ride the fun roads in the Hill Country. If I take the trailer we’ll have room for more gear and be comfortable while we’re there.”
This guy rides for the enjoyment of it. I don’t think he’s ever put a mile on his bike as part of an endurance test. If it’s not enjoyable, he doesn’t go. If he thinks conditions aren’t right, he doesn’t go. If he’d rather be doing something else, he doesn’t go. I don’t think I’ve ever met anybody who enjoys a motorcycle as much as he does.
I’ll ride to some events, but I’ll stick my bike on the trailer in a heart beat.

— Guy Wheatley

Riding boots or dress shoes

One of the guys on a forum asked about footwear. He wanted good ankle protection and a safe, firmly gripping sole for the motorcycle part of his day. But he also wanted something that didn’t look like a motorcycle boot once he got to work.
Those of us who ride to work routinely face that problem. We need safe and protective clothing while on the bike, but don’t want to look like a biker sitting at our desk. I once rode up to Hot Springs on a day trip for work in October. It was a beautiful fall day and the scenery was amazing, but the weather was unusually cool with temperatures in the upper 40s when I left that morning. I dressed for work in dress pants, shirt and tie. I then slipped a heavy pair of jeans over my pants and a flannel shirt over my dress shirt. I topped that off with my riding leathers. Once I got to the meeting, The leather jacket, vest, chaps, jeans, and flannel shirt got stuffed in a saddle bag. A friend from another location who was also at the meeting looked at me when I came in and said, “You didn’t ride your bike?”
My usual commute is just 9 blocks. I rarely need more than gloves and a good, heavy jacket. I’ll often wear my riding jacket. I don’t have to have a sport coat or blazer at the office, so I can just hang the riding jacket up and work in shirt and tie.
I used to keep a pair of dress shoes in the saddle bag and change when I got to work. Now I wear a pair of boots from Wolverine’s Garrison line called the Montgomery. These resemble WWII combat boots. They have leather uppers and can be kept well shined. Covered by pant legs, they look like dress shoes. They give good ankle protection and have a sole that gives adequate traction for riding. They are also surprisingly comfortable when it comes to standing for long periods.
With more people riding, I’m surprised that there aren’t more offerings that meet the need of working riders. I suppose most riding is still recreational and equipment manufacturers don’t see a demand for “formal riding wear.”

— Guy Wheatley

Taking a break at a road-side park.

The weather is warming up and the road is calling. It’s time to start planning weekend trips to some of the festivals in the area. Weekend rides are different from my daily commute in one important aspect. Most of my weekend riding is two up with my wife, and that changes the dynamic in more ways than just weight distribution on the bike.
Most of the time when I’m on my own, the bike is just the mode of transportation I’ve chosen. Even though I thoroughly intend to enjoy the commute, there will be an event or destination that was the impetus for the trip. The weekend, two-up trips are as much about the ride as they are about any particular place we’re going. We’re usually not on a schedule so we can hit the road whenever we get around to it. We’re also likely to take a more leisurely route.
Since we’re not in a hurry to get there, where ever “there” may be, we’ll take soft drinks and snacks along. If we get a little tired, or just see a pretty spot, we’ll pull over and take a break. This is not the riding that gets your heart pounding. This is riding that lowers you blood pressure.
With the saddle bags and T-bag, we’ve got a good amount of storage, but we can’t load the bike up too much. We might need some room once we get where we’re going. There are vendors at these little summer festivals, and we’ve got to leave room for some of their wares. One of the disadvantages of going on the bike is that you’re limited in how much you can haul back home. Or wait! Maybe that’s actually and advantage.
Other than spending time with the grandkids, I can’t imagine anything I’d rather be doing than riding with my wife on the seat behind me. It’s funny how adding a rider makes the bike lighter.

— Guy Wheatley

Olive drab military design on a 1997 Suzuki Savage.

We’ve got some guys coming up from the Dallas area this weekend. These guys belong to the Magna Owners Of Texas (MOOT) forum. We actually have MOOTsters from all over the world. It turns out that the wrenching talent on this board is incredible and worthy of a future blog topic on its own.
Part of that talent resides here in Texarkana, and that is the draw for this weekend. We’ve got a local guy who’s a virtual Michelangelo with body putty and a Picasso with paint. So a lucky MOOTster with a new-to-him bike is journeying to see the master and get his bike painted.
So, what color? Well, these guys are riding high revving, multi-cylinder machines, so we need a fast color.
“What’s a fast color,” you ask. The short answer is red or yellow. And there is actually some scientific basis for such a claim. It turns out that red, orange, and yellow photons have longer wavelengths that allow them to travel slightly faster through air than colors with shorter wavelengths, such as green or blue. This only applies if you’re a photon, traveling close to the speed of light, but that’s just nit-picking. Besides I believe that some of the guys try to reach those speeds, so the rule still applies.
But science aside, there is a lot of friendly debate on the fastest color. Some like the hot colors, the reds and yellows, while other go for the cool ones, the blues, greens, and purples. I suppose it depends on whether you want your bike to look “Hot,” or “Cool.”
But which ever school you belong to, the paint must be applied with technical perfection. And that’s where the real magic lays.
I’ve read a lot about painting. It’s funny that I keep reading the same sentences about finishes from topics as diverse as polishing shoes, to building boats. A beautiful finish requires a lot of patience. Many thin coats, be it polish, paint, or resin, are superior to a few thick ones.
Prep, sand, paint. Prep, sand, paint. Prep, sand, paint. There’s just no replacement for that part of the formula. But this part also requires experience and talent.
There is more to preparing a surface than smearing on some filler and hitting it a few licks with coarse sandpaper. Getting the paint the right consistence to go on cleanly and smoothly also requires skill. You compound the issue greatly when you start using additives like pearl or metal-flake. Put that in a clear coat over a decal or an air brush design and it gets even more complicated.
Did I mention decals, air-brushing, and ghost flames?
After extensive reading and studying the subject, I’ve discovered the secret to a beautiful paint job. Call a MOOTster.

— Guy Wheatley

My fantasy bike, a shaft drive Victory Vision with the KMV4 power-plant

As an older guy rumbling around on cruisers I’m not going to trying to hang with a bunch of busa riders. My Magna will do 140 mph. That’s about 60 mph of overkill. I don’t really need a lot of power, but I like knowing it’s there if I want it. I’ll admit to having some fun sitting on my little 750 cc bike as some guy with twice the displacement potato-potatoes up next to me, then leave him watching my tail light get smaller in the distance and wondering why his $20,000 machine can’t keep up with my $2,000 one.
My 1500 cc bike has plenty of power and, with the oil cooler, doesn’t overheat idling at stoplights in July. I can load it up with 600 pounds of riders and equipment and the bike acts like it doesn’t know we’re there. While I can still pull away from most bikes of the porcine variety, I won’t be leaving any Magnas or Valkyries at the stoplight. But I can load it up and maintain highway speed going up hill in the middle of summer without overheating. It delivers that power through a noisy V-twin. I’ve got mine muffled down to reasonable levels, but that just means I can hear the engine noise. I once described it as sounding like chains rattling around in an oil drum.
A bike that I think has beautiful body lines is the Victory Vision. I’d call the style future-retro. The bike looks futuristic with classic curves reminiscent of cars of the 1930s or 1940s. The exhaust pipes fit snuggly under the molded hard-bags giving the bike a sexy, curvaceous and wasp-waisted look. I’ll describe my reaction to it as pure lust. But that clunky V-twin sitting in its chest bothers me. This bike should purr before it growls. Think kitten, not pig.
I blogged a while back about the new bike coming from Motus. The thing that fascinates me about this new bike is the engine. Somewhat reminiscent of the Chevy short block engines of the ’70s this is still a high-tech power plant. It’s a 1650 cc V-4 that is expected to deliver up to 140 HP using gasoline direct injection as well as other advanced technologies. What’s more, Motus plans to mount it longitudinally on their bike, the same way a V-8 would sit in a car. The bike they’re designing is a sport tourer, though, so the ’70s muscle car look is muted.
So what if we took this powerful, high-tech, beautifully retro-styled engine and mounted it longitudinally in the high-tech, beautifully retro-styled Vision, with a shaft drive?
Nirvana!

— Guy Wheatley

An interesting custom sidecar

I’ve never understood the desire for a sidecar. That doesn’t mean I think sidecars are bad, it’s just that somehow the idea never generated any excitement in me. The addition of a side car means the addition of another wheel and that’s where you lose me. If you’re going to have 3 wheels, why not just go ahead an trike it.
Now if you could get a side car that was easy to attach and detach, I might go for that. There might be times I’d like the additional storage. I could see having one if I could drop the hack and ride on 2 wheels again when I didn’t need the extra room. But then again, isn’t that what a trailer gives you. And at a lot less cost. And with a trailer you don’t lose as much width as you will with a side car. Finally, it is my understanding that a bike has to be trimmed for the side car and wouldn’t ride very well if you just pulled it off.
But as with trikes, there is a faithful following of sidecar enthusiasts. Like the folks at the United Sidecar Association. These riders don’t see sidecars as a joke. They appreciate them as serious and legitimate motorcycling equipment. And, I must admit, lurking in on their forums I am starting to appreciate some of what attracts them to this particular style of biking. There could be some advantage in having your passenger at your side as opposed to at your back. You can also use a sidecar for children or others who may not be safe or able to ride behind you.
I have seen some side cars that got my attention. I’ve posted photos of some of them on the Texarkana Bike Night forum. Texarkana Bike Night forum. In some cases, the craftsmanship is amazing. Few of these are offered as practical solutions to riding problems. They are mostly curiosities done for laughs, or advertising promotions. But some of these do look like a lot of fun.
Still, I think I’ll be contented to just look at other people’s sidecars. Neither Vic nor Maggie will be sporting one.

— Guy B. Wheatley

The Road to Freedom

In my previous post I attempted to take Harley-Davidson to task for a TV spot based on the bad-boy biker image. (see below) I asked the question, “Is this the image you have of your customers?” A few days later, I’m starting to wonder if it was the right question.
A business will grow by attracting new customers. To attract those new customers, it will need to appeal to the image those potential new customers desire. The real question any business should be asking is, “What image do our potential customers want to have of themselves?” So the question I should have posed to Harley-Davidson should have been, “Is this the image you think your potential new customers would like to have of themselves?” The answer to that question might be surprising. Whether or not I approve, the answer may very well be yes.
Kurt Sutter produces the FX show “Sons of Anarchy” about a fictional motorcycle gang, living just outside the law. It averaged 3.7 million viewers in the second season. In the crucial demographic of adults ages 18 to 49 it pulled in 2.6 million viewers and more than 4.3 million viewers caught the season 2 finale. According to Nielsen, the finale was the most watched show among men aged 18 to 49 in its time slot.
Watching a TV show about outlaw bikers doesn’t necessarily mean that somebody wants to be an outlaw biker. But it is a strong indicator of a fascination with the idea. Let us hope this is only escapist fantasy. But whatever the motivation, 4.3 million potential buyers is a darn good market for any company to appeal to. I can’t blame Harley-Davidson for aiming its sales effort at an existing niche. Where there is a demand, even for anarchy, somebody will offer supply.
But we as motorcycle enthusiasts and consumers might want to rethink the image we aspire to. What we demand, somebody will supply. And if the world we leave is filled with people modeling themselves after outlaw bikers, we may become the parants of anarchy.

Geared up for an early spring ride to the Magnolia Festival

I saw a helmet a few days ago that looked like the head piece of the Marvel Character, Iron Man. I told my son about it and he laughingly said that you could wear it with the Batman look-a-like motorcycle suit. I thought he was joking, but a quick search on the Internet and I found it. Superhero-inspired design isn’t the only variant on motorcycle gear. A rider was recently pulled over in Florida for wearing a helmet that looks like a Gladiator helmet. I’m not sure I understand exactly what statement somebody is trying to make by wearing some sort of costume while riding. To some degree, the bike itself is a costume.
The second I became a “biker,” there was something different about me. Not only in the way I thought of myself, but in the way other people thought of and treated me. Most of the people at work were surprised to see me on a bike. I’m the I.T. guy and I think most of my coworkers just thought of me as “the computer geek.” It was like I suddenly became somebody else.
One of our sister papers was temporarily without tech support, and I was filling in. This required several trips to the site about 90 miles away. During this time, my wife and I rode the bike over to the same town for a weekend festival. We were sitting at a table with some of our riding friends, all dressed in leather riding gear,when I noticed one of the ladies I’d been working with at another table. I gave a friendly wave and said “hi.”
The lady gave me a strange look and a standoffish nod. For a moment I thought I’d mistaken somebody else for her, but looking again I was fairly sure it was the person I thought it was.
“You’re name is Mary isn’t it?” I asked.
“Yeeesss,” she responded in a low leery tone.
“You work at the paper?” I continued.
Another slow, drawn out “yeeeess.”
“I’m Guy.” I finally said.
For about a second she continued to stare with a blank, uncomprehending gaze. Then she made the connection and her demeanor completely changed. I’d love to have heard the conversation with her coworkers the following Monday.
Don’t look for me in a Batman suit. The chaps and the jacket are costume enough.

— Guy Wheatley

Columbanus of Bobbio

In a ceremony that took place in the Italian town of Bobbio a few years ago, the Vatican officially endorsed Irish St. Columbanus of Bobbio as the patron saint for motorcycling. I don’t know much about how a saint is selected to be patron for a particular activity. St. Columbanus was born in 543, so I doubt he was a biker himself. So why this individual? It may have something to do with the man principally behind the push. England’s biker bishop, John Oliver.
A man of the cloth, the good bishop is also a man of leather. In sport-bike dominated Europe, he rides a Harley as well as Euro-sport bikes. He is also an outspoken advocate for ecology, calling for “radical lifestyle changes.” It’s very likely this motorcycle-riding tree hugger has been the cause of more than a little ecclesiastical indigestion. And so was St. Columbanus.
Born in Ireland, Columbanus was harassed by the ladies, irresistibly attracted to him, to the point that he fled the country. He rattled around Europe for the next few decades, leaving disjointed noses among the clergy and royalty until settling in Bobbio. King Thierry of Luxeuil had him forcibly placed on a ship to be returned to Ireland. A strange storm came up and blew the ship back to the continent, frightening the captain into releasing Columbanus and his crew. One of the miracles attributed to him was the multiplication of two loaves of bread and a little beer for 60 brethren. This is probably why he is remembered with a “Feast Day” every Nov. 23.
So what is the connection between a 5th century monk, a 21st century bishop and everyone who’s thrown a leather clad leg over a bike? Maybe a little rebellious spirit.