Still Waiting For Paint

I spoke with Jeff from Skip Fordyce regarding progress on the paint.  He stated that he had already begun the initial process of prepping the tank, but the weather we were having, with the rain and such, delayed things a bit. He stated that with all of the humidity in the air, it takes longer for the paint to cure and allow him to move from one step to the next.  This is understandable, but I cannot wait to get the parts back so I can put this thing back together.

I'll keep you posted.

Flames?

Not having the bike very long, I felt it needed something.  Some people are more than satisfied with a plain black bike.  Not me.  I need something to set it apart from the crowd.

I took the bike apart, removing the tank and front fender in preparation for some added color.  The tank came off fairly easily, but the fender, which should have been simple, was more of a bear.  The fender is only held on by 4 bolts, but there is a shim behind those bolts with the corners mashed up against the bolts that give you some difficulties.  Without much room to unbend those tabs, it took some effort.  I removed the brake calipers and lifted the bike in order to make room for the trusty screwdriver that would be hammered on in order to free the bolts.

Jeff from Skip Fordyce Harley Davidson in Riverside will be adding some airbrushed true flames to the pieces.  I've seen some of his work and it's very nice.  He's also giving me a pretty decent deal.

I'm looking forward to getting the parts back and restored onto the bike.  I think it's going to look great and with additional ideas to make the bike stand out, it's going to be one cool ride.

Here's a picture of the bike in my brother's garage with the tank and fender removed.  It's kind of sad, really.

Law's Restaurant Tonight

Law's restaurant in Riverside, Ca is having a bit of a shindig tonight.  Rumor has it there will be about 25 vendors on site.

I'm hoping to find a couple of things there tonight.  First, I'd like to find a seat guy.  Occasionally, a couple of guys show up to these events with custom upholstered seats for reasonable prices, and I'd like to get my hands on a reach seat for my newly acquired Road King.  Second, I'd like to find a pinstriper to create some flame magic on my tank and front fender in order to break up the monotonous black - especially since I had taken the time to remove those bedazzled looking HD logos.

If I manage to get anything of this sort accomplished tonight, I'll have to post some pics of any changes to the current appearance of the bike.

My Road King

Well, 7 weeks to the day I totaled my bike, I purchased another.  I was looking for something bigger than my Softail that would be more suited for traveling.

The Road King is the smaller of the Touring line of bikes from Harley.  It comes with saddle bags for storage and can be fitted with other amenities, such as a fairing, windshield, and Tour-Pak.

As you can see in the image below, this one is quite simple compared to the Heritage that I once owned not long ago.  It has a simple black paint, and an ugly logo which will be removed soon enough.

I've been scouring the internet for ideas to transform this thing into something more pleasing to the eye.  Well, at least my eye.

I've already put close to a hundred miles on it - even with my gimpy leg.

The first thing that I need to get is a reach seat.  My feet sit flat on the ground with a bit of effort, but I'd like to be even a tad closer to the pavement.

Here it is in all its splendor.

New Bike

7 weeks after my accident and totaling my bike, I found a replacement.  That's right, I'm going to ride again.  This one's an upgrade in a sense.  It's a touring bike with bags, a Road King.

The bike is nice, with a mere 4700 actual miles.  It's an '05 model.  The only problem is that it's kind of plain compared to my last bike.  No flames.  Nothing that really stands out.  Just a clean black bike with a Harley Davidson logo that appears to be bedazzled.

The wife sat on the bike and instantly loved the seat compared to that of my Heritage.  She said that it was much better.  For a woman that suffered a broken tailbone over a couple of years ago, she still complains of discomfort.

I haven't ridden it, yet.  I plan on picking it up from the dealer tomorrow after taking care of getting some insurance on it.  I can't wait.

I'll post pictures of it when I can get some - possibly tomorrow.

Renegade Classics 2010 Anniversary Bash

Renegade Classics in Riverside, Ca held their Anniversary Bash last night.  The event consisted of a model contest, a bike show, raffles, food, music, and bike games.

There were a lot of cool bikes on display and some unusual ones.  The music was decent with covers of some very popular rock tunes, including "Have a Drink on Me" from AC/DC and "The Wall" from Pink Floyd.  The raffles were plenty with prizes of clothing and accessories.  The food consisted of nachos, snacks, and lasagna with garlic bread.  The bike games had some of the best participation I've seen in quite some time.

Here are a few images from last night's festivities:

This is the parking area, complete with bikes and vendors.

A contestant in the weenie bite bike game.

 Here's a custom chopper that was entered in the bike show.

A couple Yamaha 650 bobbers were also on hand.

As mentioned previously, there were some unusual bikes in attendance, but none would top the bike with the horse theme.  Check out that mane.  The kickstand is also quite the conversation piece.  The owner proudly explained that he also had a tail that he would fashion to the fender on long trips.  He invited me to sit on it and testthe comfort of the saddle.

I hope you enjoyed the words and pictures.  Ride safe.

American Heat in Palm Springs, Ca 2010

Having missed American Heat last year, I was sure to go this year - bike or no bike, I was going to be there.  I'm glad that I attended and the heat probably nearly killed me in the process.

There were many cool bikes present.  The streets were being combed over by the large gathering of motorcycle enthusiasts.  Traffic was unbelievable.

My only complaint was the parking situation.  There was limited available parking for strictly motorcycles.  The area available was reserved for those bikes registering for certain events (it was unclear to me what those events were).  Otherwise, bikes were mixed in with the cages (cars for those unfamiliar with the term), lined along the main strip and side streets.  This made it difficult to get a good picture of a cool bike when there wasn't really enough space to capture all the components that a bike was fitted with.

There were plenty of vendors on site.  Most were selling some sort of clothing. I probably made it up and down the strip, including the vendor area, a total of 3 times - limping all the way.

Here's some pictures of some of the radical custom bikes on display.

These first three were made by a company called G & N Fabrication (if I remember correctly) in Pasadena, Ca.

Here's a cool Honda.  I'm not familiar with this one and can't tell you the model.  It looks like they copied a Victory.

Here's another cool chopper.

A couple of cool Indians were on hand as well.

All in all, it was a good event to attend.  There were bikes of many makes, which led to a nice variety to photograph and enjoy.

As always, ride safe.

Update

Well, I seem to be healing quite well.  The pain in my shoulder is minimal most of the time, allowing me to assume I will not need surgery to repair the torn rotator cuff.  My leg, however, is still giving me some grief.  My ribs and back also cause some pain when trying to get some much needed sleep.

As far as bikes go, I have been looking and have found some reasonably priced bikes and one insanely well priced chopper on Craigslist. I decided it was best to check out the chopper that was going for a mere $5900. It was cool and well worth the money with the powerful 117 cubic inch motor.  The wife disagreed.  She didn't like the idea of sitting her bottom on a seat affixed to the rear fender via suction cups.  How I wish she would have reconsidered.

I've been looking at other bikes as well.  There are quite a few good deals out there and I think when I'm ready to get back onto a 2 wheeled machine, I'll find something worthwhile that I'd enjoy as much as my ol' Heritage.

On a side note, I plan on attending American Heat in Palm Springs, Ca this weekend.  I expect this to be one cool motorcycle event.  Check back for some cool pics to be posted from the event.

As always, ride safe.

The Old Doc...

Yesterday, I decided to go to work.  This would be my first time back since the accident.  My wife tried to discourage me from returning so soon.  I've been out over a week and feel that I can manage.

I felt fine in the morning, having taken a couple of Motrin pain killers.  By the afternoon, the pain relief was non-existent.  I was beginning to feel the pain throughout the right side of my body, limping a little more and losing some mobility.

Today, I called in sick.  I needed to recuperate a bit and I have an existing doctor's appointment.  This would allow my wife to drive me, instead of me getting behind the wheel again.


After going to see the doctor today, I was told that physical therapy is necessary.  I head to the desk to make a future appointment with the suggested doctor and am told that I will not be able to see him until December 2 at the earliest.  I figure I should be fine by then and would need to cancel said appointment.  I really think I'll be over this by then.  Of course, I thought I'd be fine by now.

On the way home, I picked up my new prescription of pain relievers.  These should be better than the over-the-counter variety I have been taking since I didn't care much for my last prescription.

Anyway, I look forward to going to work again tomorrow.

Ride safe!

Bike Totaled...Totally!

I managed to speak to the service manager at Skip Fordyce Harley-Davidson in Riverside, Ca regarding the repairs of my bike the other day.  I was hoping to have a few improvements made, if possible.  One of them would be the addition of the Road King style freight train headlamp in lieu of the smaller Heritage model.  I figured since the current one was smashed and in need of replacement, I should be able to just fork out the difference and get the upgraded model.  To my dismay, I was told that the bike was in need of over $19K of repairs and would thus be totaled.

I called the Geico agent today and he confirmed that the bike would be totaled.  He would call me back later with a settlement figure.

Looks like I'll be in the market for a new bike when I can muster up the strength to do so.  This of course will be after the pain subsides.

One Week Later...

Well, it's been one whole week since my accident.  I can say that I've healed quite a bit, but if you were observing my methods of getting around and doing ordinary things, you wouldn't believe much has changed.  Today, I'm able to prepare my own shower and dress myself.  These were things the wife had taken care of previously.

I finally get to see how the other half lives, with the wife chauffeuring me around for a change.  I think I'm beginning to enjoy it - her driving still scares the crappolla out of me.

I still suffer from pain throughout my right side of my body.  My back, shoulder, upper arm, ribs, and leg are all giving me some grief.

The one good thing that I have to look forward to is one less pill starting tomorrow night.  That's right.  I'm done with my antibiotics.

My stitches in my leg are scheduled to be removed on Tuesday.  After that, the slow healing process of the remainder of my injuries will commence.

Ride safe.

Accident Update

My friend Donna visited me in the hospital and forwarded the pictures that she had taken of me while in E.R.  Most would say there aren't any pictures that are very flattering of me, but these are definitely not. Fortunately, they aren't pictures of my junk, which was exposed often throughout my stay.  Due to the popularity of Seinfeld, you often hear that cold water causes shrinkage - try extreme pain!  I'm glad those pictures aren't in the mix.


Take a gander below for the aforementioned photos.

I really feel that I'm lucky to have lived through it, let alone leave the scene with nary a broken bone.

Ride safe.