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Children -
Crystal -25; Matt - 21
Age – Older-n-dirt 52
Occupation –Short Hill Design & Construction
Current motorcycle(s) – Honda VTX 1800 Retro
2002; Honda Shadow VLX600 Deluxe: Debbie's; Honda
VTX 1300-C: Debbie's NEW bike
How did you hear about the
SCRC and when did you join?
Best I can remember, I was at the Roy’s parking lot
and saw the group getting ready to head out on a
ride. Asked what grup it was and got a card from
Parkash with the website address on it. I think it
was in 2004..
How long have you been riding?
Since 1998 this time around. I did a bit of riding
back when I was a teenager but, I rode full throttle
or full brakes and knew I’d probably kill myself if
I kept it up. Decided to move on to old Triumph TR3
sports cars instead.
Have you ever taken a motorcycle
safety course?
Not an official MSF course but I’ve worked with the
MotorMan training course extensively.
What was your first bike?
I built my first “bike” in Junior high school shop.
It was a kit mini-bike that I customized with an 8
hp motor, springer front end, ape hangers, banana
seat and 5’ sissy bar. Terrorized the neighborhood
for a while on that and then worked on a 250 Yamaha
with a friend and turned it into a bobber.
How many bikes have you owned?
Picked up a Honda 750 in 1998, kept it for 2 years,
traded to a Honda 1100, kept it for 2 years and then
VTX’s hit the production line and I knew I had to
have one. Debbie and I were riding around on the
1100 and dropped into Winchester Honda. I wanted to
show her this new VTX. I said, “We should really get
one of these”. She said “OK”! That was unexpected
but, not to look at a gift horse in the mouth, I
traded the 1100 in right then and there and we rode
out on the VTX about 2 hours later.
Why do you ride?
I call it “Motorcycle Therapy”. It’s one of the best
things you can do with your life. I’m a contractor
so stress is a big part of my life. When I put the
1800 between my legs and turn the throttle, all that
stress just fades away. I become one with the road
and the world around me. Kind of a smell the rose’s
thing at 90mph!
Have you ridden with an organized
group before?
The first group I hooked up with was the Virginia X
Riders. It was originally all VTX 1800 owners. We
started a sub-group in Northern Virginia and I put
together many of the rides. They were basically
“catch me if you can” rides. I rode with Debbie on
the back and figured, if I could make it through
whatever the road was, everyone following me should
be able to do it as well. It was exciting but, we
scared off a bunch of potential members because of
the speed. We have tamed it down a bit and any kind
of bike or rider can ride with us now. Although, on
a prime set of twisties, well lets just say, we’ll
meet the rest of the pack at the next intersection
when they catch up.
What modifications have you done to
your bike?
Short of chopping the frame and rebuilding the
motor, I think I’ve done just about everything that
can be done to a VTX. Every winter since I bought
it, it would be completely torn down and on a jack
all winter. I’d go out to the garage and ponder it
then come up with something, head for the computer,
order a part I just had to have and wait for the UPS
guy. Best I could count up is 37 mods not including
the ones I have changed more than once. I’ve surely
spent more on the mods than I did for the bike!
What accessories do you want to add
to your bike?
Looking hard at installing VTX NEO fenders and
repainting it again. A rather large investment but,
if I do, they will be on there by the time good
riding weather happens again.
What is your dream bike?
I really want to do a custom pro-street chopper. I
have looked hard at what Crazy Jane’s can do and
like their style. I would probably work with them
and my brother at Custom Cycle Studio to come up
with the perfect custom ride for me.
What kind of riding do you like to
do - straight-aways or twisties?
I'm a back-roads kind of guy. I can spend all day in
the mountain twisties. I’ll do highway if I need to
get to some good twisties. Debbie and I have been
planning on going out to the west coast and doing
route 1 from Oregon to southern California and back
up through the Sierras. Maybe we’ll get around to it
one of these days.
If you have a nickname, how did you
get it? Tell the truth!
Easy Rider is the name. I picked it as it was a
movie that kind of cemented the notion of needing to
ride in my blood. Just had to get through the whole
family thing before I could do the motorcycle thing
again.
What is your favorite riding route?
Like I said, If it's twisty back roads, that's my
favorite route. I think I've worn some permanent
groves in the roads around here. I had to pick
a good local ride I would say the Blue Ridge and
Skyline although the speed limit is a bit low
Do you ride your bike to work?
I would but the X doesn’t do stairs well. I have a
home office.
What is the fastest you've ridden?
Well, I stopped looking at the speedo at about 125
mph. I know the X will do about 145 mph before the
rev-limiter kicks in and I didn’t get there.
Although, when riding with the X Riders, we passed a
speed trap going in excess of 110 on route 211
heading back from Skyline. He flashed his lights at
us and shook his head. We did slow down a bit after
that..
What is your favorite time of year
to ride?
Any time the temp is above 40 and there is no snow
and preferably no rain!
Have you ever been down? If so, how
were you hurt and what did you learn from the
incident?
Just slow speed or stopped lay-downs to date. You
know, that stupid stuff. Messed up my ankle pretty
badly trying to load my 1100 onto my truck when it
fell off the ramp but, that’s the only injury I’ve
had, yet... Laid that ol’ mini-bike into a telephone
pole, lying in a field, at about 50 mph back in the
day. That hurt a bit as I went flying through the
ape hangers.
Have you ever done an "Iron Butt"
ride?
No, not yet. I understand there is one that kind of
does the perimeter of Virginia. Might get around to
that someday.
If not, what is the furthest you've
ridden?
Haven’t done a lot of multi day road trips. Single
day ride, maybe 500-550 miles.
What was the worst weather in which
you've ridden?
Sleet. Sleet really sucks with a half helmet!
Do you know how to work on your
bike?
Yes. I do all the work on my bike. If for some
reason I need to put it in the shop because I don’t
have the tools I need, I will be right over the
mechanic’s shoulder working with him.
What is your favorite road song?
Maybe Born to be Wild but, I leave my music at home.
The best music while riding is the rumble of a good
set of pipes
What was your most adventurous
ride?
Every ride is an adventure if you do it right. Isn’t
that the point???
What rallies or events do you like
to attend?
Bike shows. I really like to see what creative
things people do with their rides.
Is there someone who rides "two-up"
with you?
My wife Debbie just loves to ride with me up until
last year when we got her that VLX600. I think she
prefers to ride on her own now. I’m pretty sure that
when we get her on the VTX1300 that will be the end
of her two-up riding. Since she started riding on
her own, two-up riding just doesn’t do it for her
any more. She is a great 2-up rider. She rides with
the bike and likes to go fast. I would forget she
was back there until I screwed up and I’d get a
smack in the back of the head!
Off the cuff from... Easy Rider
I really need to talk a bit about the Southern
Cruisers and any of the other riding clubs I am
involved with. Generally, a really great group of
like minded riders. We come from all walks of life
with a common love for riding on two wheels. We
share that ability and need to leave that work-a-day
life behind for a while and enjoy the open road and
the camaraderie of the group. A better group of
people I will not likely find elsewhere. On a
motorcycle, you are out there on the edge of sanity
and it is all consuming. I need that in my life as
we all do weather we choose to admit it or not. It
is the ability to really live as close to the edge
as you wish. It keeps me in touch with my mortality
while strengthening my morality. We have chosen a
path that many consider crazy but it makes us know
we are alive. As they say, the journey is the
destination. I choose to go there on two wheels.
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