The Blog and it's direction

Direction? Whats that? I am struggling with what to write, how to write it  and just powering through doubt and writers block. Lets start with writers block. First things first. I am not a writer, It's not my profession and I know this. That said, it's my intention to get better through just Powering through and reading a great deal more than I do. Time is a constraint for me or I would enroll in a writing class.
I might come across as being down on myself but no!, I have know where do go but up, as in getting better. Sentence structure and organization are a huge obstacle that I need to overcome as well as direction.

I think of something to write about but when it comes to laying it out, I hit a wall of frustration not willing to power through when I just need start and complete. I sit down in the evenings and jot down rough drafts on paper only to crumple the paper and try to hit the garbage with one shot.

So what do I do? I think my best course of action would be to simply sit down and write. It would be helpful if someone was to respond with constructive or destructive criticism from time to time. I'm a big boy and can take it and Lord know I've got it coming. I know several people that write for a living and I have been reluctant to let them read all this rubbish.  People of Note; Eric Williams, Sports writer for the Tacoma news Tribune and great neighbor, Reg Kittrelle, Entrepreneur and word smith of countless Moto publications.

Direction with the Blog
It has always been my intention to write about Motorcycle journeys, events, and adventure. I am not going to write much about past trips and adventure as there done and my recollection may not be accurate, Instead writing as trips unfold and memories are fresh. I started the Blog at the start of winter when the Northwest weather puts a damper on most things moto. This doesn't offer fuel for content. Or does it?

Time will tell as spring offers up weather worthy of good adventure's.  I guess this sums it up. If your looking to read words spun like a true writer, articulate and crafted with words that boggle the mind, you might want to wait until I get better.  If you don't mind the writing's of a soon to be retired construction worker, Stay tuned.

One last thing. Maybe I have trouble comprehending what I read? I say this because as it turns out, I'm not a very good editor either. I still find spelling errors while reading past posts.  It is my belief that a person that teaches ones self to do something, generally do it wrong and get real good at it making it hard to change all the bad habits that they have perfected. I worry I may fall into that catagory and am trying hard to avoid it.

Later

Winter depression

I guessI shouldn't say depression but it's similar in nature and most likely
suppression. Something is missing that makes me happy and content. The lack of
daylight and warmth coupled with the wet just don't make for a great days. There
are rays of light that shine through the gloom though.
Great family and friends that help keep parts of the winter puzzle from falling off the table as
winter slowly grinds on.
Having a wife that rides is a huge help as there is someone to share a passion that burns like a roaring undampered fire. Motorcycle projects also curb the desire to spin out of control like a tornado in the midwest. Trip planning is always a good way to pass the time and calling friends to see if they have time to get away on some of the dream rides.
Even blogging about the lack of riding gets me excited...............in a suppressed sort of way.

Seattle International Motorcycle Show

It's that time of year again when the top motorcycle manufacturers and after market show off there goods. It's an exciting time as winter for me is like watching fingernails grow. I guess the damp cold and drizzle shouldn't get me down but hey, I work outside and get tire of being cold. Relieving the doldrums of winter comes in the form of get together's with friends about motorcycling and the planning of trips when the weather breaks in the spring.
One of the highlights for me is.......
http://www.motorcycleshows.com/seattle

I will be attending on Friday the 16th hoping to see everything I've been dreaming about.
More after the show.

Bikes in the Hood

If motorcycles were like people and they lived in neighborhood’s somewhere in the City of Motopia, they would be just like us, the same species but different from one another.  On the largest side of the bikes would be the Harley’s Goldwings and any other huge luxo-liner eager to travel thousands of miles in comfort. The Suzuki GSXR 1000’s and Yamaha R1’s would be the athlete’s and borderline bullies. Most of the smaller lighter 600 class of bikes would be the younger athlete’s fast and agile but with manners.

The smaller displacement bikes would be the little workers transporting there humans willing, able and reliable.  That leaves a few more species that do things a little different. Most manufacturers produce a vast array of motorcycles that perform a variety of duties. That brings us to the Dual Sport.

There duties  involve traveling legally on the road to get to the dirt  where they work wonders on both terrains. Some of these bikes would be the KLR’s, BMW’s or KTM’s with a large range of displacements and sizes.  There are so many choices of motorcycles nowadays and you would have a hard time buying a bad one.

Another bike evolved through the years in the form of Adventure tourer’s. These bikes are a blend of Dual Sport and road touring.  They can be ridden on gravel roads and have long travel suspension for soaking up all the rough stuff our ageing roads have to offer. The beast’s will eat miles of road in comfort and most will do those duties fast!

One Bike in particular is the Triumph Tiger 1050.  The Tiger leans more toward the duties of road travel but will handle the occasional gravel road. I chose the Tiger for my bike because of its sporting  prowess with longer legs for comfort.  All of  the Adventure Tourer’s  are very accepting of doo-dad’s such as GPS’s, extra luggage and lights. The sky’s the limit with the aftermarket.

This is just a quick summary of motorcycles in general and totally my opinion.

This was a trip to Utah with a group of friends last year.

Ron, with his BMW R1200GS Adventure.

I must say that at this point in the day, Ron was spent. He had just navigated a road that would have given a dedicated dirt bike a hard time. Impressive to say the least!

Bikes of recent interest

My style of riding has evolved through the years and as of late it's been Dual Sporting and Adventure Touring.
I have been playing the odds, odds that something catastrophic was going to happen to me if I didn't start slowing down and start seeing some scenery. I had spent at least 12 years riding like public roads were my personal race track. Close calls, Oh shit's and watching friends crash, some with serious injury.

The logical next step would be to ride and enjoy seeing all of the great sites afforded from sitting on a vehicle and not caged by steel peering through glass. God only knows there are probably 9 years of ribbon that have been races on with no awarness of my surrondings. You don't have to be good at math to figure out, there's a lot of country I havent seen.
 The two bikes prior to the Tiger was an 07 KLR 650 and the latter a 04 KTM 950 Adventure. The KLR was a total Compromise bike meaning that it didn't excel at anything but would do just about everything well. I really loved the bike.
The KTM was for me just plain fun. It did everything well but was more suited to be ridden by a seven foot tall Scandinavian. A rangy one. The KTM also didn't help in the get humble and slow down department. It was like the little devil sitting on my left shoulder taunting me to be stupid.
The little devil must have done something to the little angel cuz I never heard another voice.

Selling the KTM was in my best interest and buying something more suited for touring would have to happen.

More to come................

Two Wheels

My thoughts on Motorcycling

Throughout my life motorcycles have been a huge factor in one way or another. As a youngster, my first bike was a Honda mini trail 50.  The first time I threw a leg over it I was hooked and even the smell of the new bike was amazing. Those are the memories that never go away, they last a lifetime.

A few years later, my Brother Joe built a twin engine Briggs and Stratton Mini bike chopper. It was amazing and just looking at it mechanically was at that time, mind boggling. Both engines had chrome slash cut straight exhaust pipes and chrome velocity stacks sticking straight up atop the carbs. It had to be push started and once it fired it sounded like a Big Twin. One crankshaft finally broke and I believe it was just put to rest.  It was that Mini bike that fueled the passion for mechanical dreams and aspirations.

As the years went by my life took many turns, most of which I don’t care to share.  I had a few Motorcycles through the years but really got serious after a divorce and meeting my wife Debbie in 1987. We sold a jeep I had and bought a 1969 Sportster. Side note, I’ve owned several Harley’s but could never buy into the so called Biker life style or sport all the leather, chains and garb.

I could go on and on about the bikes through the years and probably will from time to time while blogging. My current bike is a Triumph Tiger 1050. I’ve racked up 10,000 miles in 12 months from great rides in the Northwest and elsewhere.

More later.........................

Home.

Home from Long Beach.  Oh, it just hit me....Work tomorrow!  I guess I'm beginning to be a work hater or maybe I'm just burned out with what I'm doing. Either way, I would rather be on my way somewhere that I haven't been.
Later....