Like a line for an old "Traffic" song: if you where given a wish would you ask for another chance
Thoughts on why we ride
- Thread starter MrTim
- Start date
I've thought about that very question. There were sure parts of my life that weren't fun, but all of them have offered me a chance to learn, change, and grow. I've concluded that I wouldn't go back if I had a chance. But that doesn't keep me from thinking that it might have been nice to have made one or two of the choices I've made at an earlier stage of my life. But "nice" and "possible" don't fit together too well. At this stage, I'm content with the choices I've made and hope to keep making choices that will be life-enhancing for the next 20-30 year.
Raised on the Isle of Man, and if God didn't want us to ride, he would have put handlebars on a car. Owned quite a few bikes from Suzuki AP 50 to NSR400.
My thoughts are with all you guys and gals stateside, wishing you stay safe and agreed that there is blue sky on the horizon soon. Craig T-S
My thoughts are with all you guys and gals stateside, wishing you stay safe and agreed that there is blue sky on the horizon soon. Craig T-S
A Manx, eh? Do you still live on the Isle? A trip to the Isle to see the TT has been on my bucket list since I first heard of it in 1965. It doesn't look like I'm gonna get there but I can enjoy the race on TV and several travel documentaries I've seen.
Mike
Hi Mike,
Not now unfortunately, moved some years ago to mainland UK. However, you should make it a reality as nothing will prepare you for the adventure of a lifetime.
Back in the day, I was a doorman on the club scene and TT week was jam packed with good humoured visitors and well behaved bikers. The key is to book early and hire bikes mainland and ferry across, when I say early at least a year in advance.
Likewise Sturgis is on my bucket list. This I will do before my time is up.
Craig
Not now unfortunately, moved some years ago to mainland UK. However, you should make it a reality as nothing will prepare you for the adventure of a lifetime.
Back in the day, I was a doorman on the club scene and TT week was jam packed with good humoured visitors and well behaved bikers. The key is to book early and hire bikes mainland and ferry across, when I say early at least a year in advance.
Likewise Sturgis is on my bucket list. This I will do before my time is up.
Craig
I was saddened to learn this year that the TT has been cancelled due to the KungFlu. That has to hurt the Isle in a big way financially. If you do get to come across the pond on a Sturgis visit, be sure to let us know as I'm sure many of us would love to host you for an evening during your visit and learn about motorcycling on your side of the pond. I have been thru Sturgis several times but never during the "event" and I really have no desire to do so. It is really a "spectacle" that you must see to believe but not really my cup of tea. I hope you enjoy it. While you are there, there is some wonderful scenery and great roads that make the trip to the Black Hills worthwhile.
Mike
Craig, +1 to what Mike said. My family met my parents near Mt Rushmore one Monday in August, 1980. I had never heard of the Sturgis Rally at the time. We met at a KOA campground and there was hardly anyone there at 11:30AM. We went to Mt. Rushmore and came back to their new camping trailer. There were still very few campers. At about 3PM, a motorcycle pulling a trailer came in and that unleashed the flood. Before long the whole campground was full of motorcycles, tents, and people. I went to the camp store to buy some ice and asked a guy wearing leathers what was going on. He looked at me like I wasn't very bright and said, "Sturgis." I said, "Sturgis? The town?" He said, "No! The rally." I had never heard of the rally at that time. He explained that it was the biggest rally in the world. That year they were expecting about 500,000 people.
When I got back to our trailer, I told Mom what it was and she wondered if we needed to leave. Nobody was making racket, nobody was running naked through the camp, and as far as I could tell, there was hardly any rape and pillage.
The whole campground was asleep before we were. We were in the area for about three days and had no trouble. But there were a ton of motorcycles! The rally has grown larger now.
The ST/NT-Owners have had a Rally in Spearfish, near Sturgis, since 2012. We've been in early July or June, and we're a small group of maybe 25-30. Even away from the big Rally in August, there is a lot of motorcycle traffic in the area, which is one of the best places to ride in the country. Personally, I don't want to be there with 750,000-1,000,000 folks! But I know people who wouldn't miss it and have a great time.
Like Mike said, if you ever get to this country, you'd find a welcome from many members of this forum. We'd give you beds, meals, and riding partners for much of your trip.
When I got back to our trailer, I told Mom what it was and she wondered if we needed to leave. Nobody was making racket, nobody was running naked through the camp, and as far as I could tell, there was hardly any rape and pillage.
The whole campground was asleep before we were. We were in the area for about three days and had no trouble. But there were a ton of motorcycles! The rally has grown larger now. The ST/NT-Owners have had a Rally in Spearfish, near Sturgis, since 2012. We've been in early July or June, and we're a small group of maybe 25-30. Even away from the big Rally in August, there is a lot of motorcycle traffic in the area, which is one of the best places to ride in the country. Personally, I don't want to be there with 750,000-1,000,000 folks! But I know people who wouldn't miss it and have a great time.
Like Mike said, if you ever get to this country, you'd find a welcome from many members of this forum. We'd give you beds, meals, and riding partners for much of your trip.
JustPassin'Thru, I know I'm a moderator and all that, so I'm probably s'posed to keep things ON-topic, but some of the most interesting things happen when we get OFF -topic, so I'll share one more story from that week in '1980.
My dad had decided he wanted to move us closer to Lead and Deadwood, and he found an opening at a campground north of Hill City on 85. My wife and kids and I had never been to the Badlands or Wall Drug, so we went that way in our un-air-conditioned Honda Accord. It was, not surprisingly, about 105 or hotter by noon and the wind was blowing a steady 25 or so from the NW. We had lots of pop and canned iced tea in a cooler. We'd pretty much seen the Badlands and had pulled into our last scenic overlook, when a really ratty-looking all black greasy Harley pulled in next to us. The rider was as black as his bike and wearing combat boots, cut-off jeans and a wife-beater t-shirt. He had a bandanna tied around his head. There was a blanket roll tied to the back of the bike. After he cut it off (straight pipes did indeed make a racket!), he put the kickstand down and just sorta' collapsed on the bike. Then he moaned. Then he tried to get off, but couldn't get his foot over his blanket roll. He moaned again, tried again and made it. He stood there rubbing his back and I said, "Are you OK?" He said, "Man, I'm sooo dry. I gotta' figger a way to carry water on this hog. I left St. Joe, Missouri this morning and it's been above 100 since 8:30. And this wind has been blowing the whole time."
I asked him if he wanted some water or pop or iced tea. He picked water. We had a Coleman 1 gal water jug that we hadn't touched. I got out and gave it to him. He started trying to get water into the cap from the little spout on the bottom, and I told him that none of had drank out of it and if he wanted to he could just drink out of the top. He did. He drank almost the whole gallon.
I noticed that he had a Virginia license plate and asked him where he was from. "Fairfax," he said. I told him that we had good friends who lived in Fairfax and that she was an auditor working for a USAF under-secretary of defense. I asked him what he did there and he looked around and when he saw that no one else was listening he almost whispered, "Don't tell anyone, but I'm a Senior Systems Analyst in the Pentegon -- except for two weeks every summer when I get on my Hog and terrorize white people all the way to Sturgis and back."
My dad had decided he wanted to move us closer to Lead and Deadwood, and he found an opening at a campground north of Hill City on 85. My wife and kids and I had never been to the Badlands or Wall Drug, so we went that way in our un-air-conditioned Honda Accord. It was, not surprisingly, about 105 or hotter by noon and the wind was blowing a steady 25 or so from the NW. We had lots of pop and canned iced tea in a cooler. We'd pretty much seen the Badlands and had pulled into our last scenic overlook, when a really ratty-looking all black greasy Harley pulled in next to us. The rider was as black as his bike and wearing combat boots, cut-off jeans and a wife-beater t-shirt. He had a bandanna tied around his head. There was a blanket roll tied to the back of the bike. After he cut it off (straight pipes did indeed make a racket!), he put the kickstand down and just sorta' collapsed on the bike. Then he moaned. Then he tried to get off, but couldn't get his foot over his blanket roll. He moaned again, tried again and made it. He stood there rubbing his back and I said, "Are you OK?" He said, "Man, I'm sooo dry. I gotta' figger a way to carry water on this hog. I left St. Joe, Missouri this morning and it's been above 100 since 8:30. And this wind has been blowing the whole time."
I asked him if he wanted some water or pop or iced tea. He picked water. We had a Coleman 1 gal water jug that we hadn't touched. I got out and gave it to him. He started trying to get water into the cap from the little spout on the bottom, and I told him that none of had drank out of it and if he wanted to he could just drink out of the top. He did. He drank almost the whole gallon.
I noticed that he had a Virginia license plate and asked him where he was from. "Fairfax," he said. I told him that we had good friends who lived in Fairfax and that she was an auditor working for a USAF under-secretary of defense. I asked him what he did there and he looked around and when he saw that no one else was listening he almost whispered, "Don't tell anyone, but I'm a Senior Systems Analyst in the Pentegon -- except for two weeks every summer when I get on my Hog and terrorize white people all the way to Sturgis and back."
I lasted 2 days on a SR 500.
Wallace has some good restaurants. Going for a ride tomorrow to see some of the scablands I havent been to in awhile. 200 mile day. Food water and "toiletries" is you know what I mean.