introductions

Hey Terry, I am a Motorcycle Crossroader who I think will be here quite a bit... Just kinda waiting to see if the rest of the crowd makes it...... HEY FOLKS, WHERE ARE YA'S ???

Hi Shane, Dennis here, just like the name says. Wonder if others from xroads will show up? We're here, thanks for this spot to hang out. Dennis

HEY! It works! Any port in a storm...Thanks to all involved for a decent place to rest. The CrossRoaders know I'll be back!

Good to see some familiar faces... I'll start a fire.. Someone else get the beer and we can get back to the business of shootin the stuff. I didn't get to use the "New" Crossroads much... Dang corporate firewalls... :-) Look forward to seeing ya'll again soon....

Hi guys looks like some of us are starting to gather from the old crossroads

Alright, some of the Crossroads folk are already here. This place is like that little out of the way pub nobody knows about. I see Dennis has stopped in. Hope he has fun at the dealer convention in Orlando (where he's in route to right now..lucky dog). Good scoops coming soon I hope. Hey Frank good to see ya and Shane..I'll take a brew. Paul, did you set this place up? Jon pointed us here. Love the out of the way location.

Out of the way! Ya mean we're some backwater hangout? Well, we're trying to change that. We got our childrenstory site on WebTV's main list and the main Spring page got about 60k hits in the last month, and the rest of the Spring gets about 5,000 to 10,000 impressions a day. We are getting diverse when motorcycles and bikes co-exist with Emily Bronte and women drooling over move and tv stars.

Not in the least Paul. I shoulda finished the sentence. This place is like that little out of the way pub nobody knows about, a new find that's a cool place to go and meet new people. With all the other conferences here to check out it'll cover most folks varied interests. Backwater..heck no. Where'd the name Spring come from. I got relatives north of Houston in the Humble area just south of Spring, TX. Any correlation? Lots and lots of pine trees. After three years in Texas, if I had to move back..it'd b Austin. Big city that's not too big, jumpin with a good night life, high tech companies for work, and some great hills and country roads all around for riding.

No, Kevin, it's out of Austin Texas, which is a long way from Spring. Better ask Terry where it came from. And you're right about Austin. I considered a position in Austin recently but decided that Colorado is home. There is better riding in the Texas Hill Country than in Colorado. The scenery is not as magnificent, though.

Better not let Stacey that dig at Colorado, she's our transplanted Austin Colorado gal (you'll usually find her in the food and fitness conferences). She doesn't have a bike, but she has some mean rollerblades. The name Spring didn't come from Spring, Texas, it came from a play on the WELL (another conferencing system) and from Barton Springs, Austin's famous watering hole. And I just liked that name and got it registered early in the game.

Hello all Another xroads soul doing the transfer, thanks to all involved in making it possible Sheb

Glad to see you Sheb, you're also on my AOL list (shebhd?)

Hey Paul... I do so have a bike. I just have to use my own power to make it go. I've ridden on the back of a motorcycle once. Scared the bejesus outta me at first but then I rather enjoyed it. Unless, I'm reading it wrong... nobody dissed Colorado. And power bike or not, the Texas hill country does have better riding. I do Love these mountians though!

Howdy Stacey! Yeah, riding on the back used to scare the bejeezus out of me too--riding on the front is much more fun.

Wish I had a bike when I was in Texas. East of Austin was so pretty with the hills and trees, then west of Austin had less foliage, but almost canyonland like along the Colorado River. I'd leave the Killeen area and head west on the way back to California to visit home and took the back roads as far as I could before hooking up on I10. Never did slide north to I20 and go thru San Angelo. I do think the ride all the way to California would be long on a bike..at least near the interstates. You'd have to hea thru N.NM and N.AZ. Colorado would be cool (literally and figuratively). I work for HP and there's a couple of sites there. Ft. Collins (N.W. of Denver) area and Colorado Springs. I could transfer. I'd have to get a snowmobile for sure then.

Why does everything have to have a motor? Speed is relative and if your crusing down a mountain on a mountain bike (all season BTW) you feel like you are going pretty damn fast!

But then you get those hills & inclines, and big cages...

When I moved out of NYC I used my old Ross 10-speed as daily transport, until a carload of "kids" bounced me off their door for laffs. That day I got a friend's little Yamaha 175 and *rode* to school for the rest of the year.

Stacey, I've never understood the "Motorbike Vs. Bike" argument. It's two entirely different deals. What you do is compare "Motorbike vs. Cars" and you'll find for the fun factor the motorcycle comes out WAAAY in front. Most people own cars and many people own bicycles (which I also enjoy), but Motorcycling puts you in a small and elite group. And besides, bicycles are suited for some situations and motorcycles others. Sure you can cover 600 miles on a bicycle and have a good time, but if you've got only a few days to spare and want to visit, say, Colorado, which are you going to take?

Good point. And yes, I would prefer motorbike over car (if I were a competent rider). Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintanence was a favorite read simply because they were on a trek to enjoy it not just to get from point A to pont B. I guess I just get my feathers ruffled because when I lived in Austin, MTBs and motorbikes would compete for some of the same trail space. Guess who lost? Here's a question. If anyone of you lays your bike down (accidently of course) can you get out from under it easily? Is that part of how you judge what is appropriate for you to ride? Or is it simply, the bigger the better?

I can think of no situation where any rider couldn't atleast get out from under the bike. Sure, I'm 6 foot 180 pounds and if I dropped my GoldWing I wouldn't be able to get it vertical again, but I wouldn't have a problem getting out from under it.

Where abouts in Colorado are you located, Stacey?

I live in Englewood and work in Denver. In case you're unfamiliar with the area, Englewood is just south of Denver and about 10 minutes from the foothills of Littleton. The area is beautiful and I've found several excellent trails within a very short distance from my home. Every morning I drive east into the tising sun and every afternoon I come home toward the mountains and the sunset.

Your ears must have been burning up, Stacey! I run in to Austin with the sun at my back in the morning on Hwy 71 and back to Cedar Creek with the sun behind me at night. It's a nice drive too. I saw a guy on a motorcycle this morning and he was really cruising along, couldn't tell the make/model though. It had those high bars. What do folsk think of high wide bars?

I know where Englewood is. I do contract work for a company in the Tech Center, but I live in Bailey. It's awesome to be up here in the mountains.

It's good to know we have another place to meet and still have the same good company. I plan to be posting more now that the weather is deteriorating in the East. The SWing has been sold and I have two empty spaces in my garage for junk to fill. I had an erie experience the other day watching someone else ride my bike.... Is that what it's like after your first bike? Anyway, I'm enjoying the Voyager and hopefully will try to start a chapter in the Mid-Atlantic area for the American Voyager Associatio . Tell your friends...................... Voyager

Well, here I am on this list. It's good to see a lot of the x-roaders here. I'm not on ICQ yet as my hard drive is so full I don't have enough room to download anything. Its not too good when you have less than 2 megs free disc space. As soon as I get a new one (I'm looking at a 6.4 Gig to replace my 500 meg)I'll give you all my ICQ #. Kathryn has been after me to get on ICQ for ages now. For those of you who don't know me, I live in Burnaby, BC, right next to Vancouver, about 125 miles north of Seattle. ride a '92 Goldwing, kind of an ironbutt sort of rider as I prefer long distance riding to short day trips. I sing with a men's Barbershop music chorus (at our last competition in Indianapolis,we placed as the best singing chorus in Canada, 17th in the world). I also enjoy photography and work for the local phone company in their data test center. Hope to hear from the rest of you X-Roaders quite a bit now that we have another home.

Another Xroader. Equal to myself,always late but there. Yves

I've heard of Bailey but am unsure of its exact location. Next time you're in the area, let me know!

O.K., Jon, I took your advice and am here. As the XRoaders know, I have two bicycles that work and a motorcycle that doesn't. I am currently over 1000 miles away from the bike and one of the bicycles, and will be until early next month. The bicycles are used for short distance commuting and general transport. I intend to use the motorcycle to travel long distances (> 10 miles) and over mountain roads to expand my horizons in my native Jamaica (I'm in Queretaro, Mexico now). I'm sorry that Faffi won't be here, but I expect to see most of the rest of XRoads here, at least until XRoads MkIII is ready (Are you listening, Jon?) 'Bye 4 now and Ride 4 Ever, Sam Blob

Man I feel like I walked in on a good party! Great going!

I forgot my password and re-registered.

*giggle* good going.

*giggle* ?? Jon, did you tell her what we do people that giggle? *grins* BTW, I thought the summmer was over. It was 89 degrees out today and mid 80s all weekend here in the Big Valley. What am I to do? There's a charity event both Sat and Sun called "Wheels & Hooves". It's a mc/horse rally charity that takes young people who need counseling and they give them a horse to take care of..one that was abused itself and has been taken from a negligent owner. It helps the young folk learn responsibility and self esteem and helps save horses who have been abused. Sounds interesting.. ove horses and motorbikes.

Yeah, Kev, we're tough bikers. We do not giggle!

Hehe, it is kind of refreshing though...

I am proud to be a giggler, cackler, chuckler, grinner and laugher. Any combination of the aforementioned actions seems to brighten the bright times and make the darker days go by more swiftly. *smile*

What did you do, Terry, go to the Whole Life Expo just to take pictures of the women? (Grin)

Mostly, as you can see I had a great time there. I got a great massage from one of the best. I got zapped, tinctured, potioned, hyssopped, candled, rocked, taroted, i-chinged and you name it! What a fun event. It may be the best event of the year in Austin.

Typical Paul... typical! *smile*

What, no giggle this time?

I have to be tickled in appropriate places to constitute a giggle!

Uh, how about *here*?

LOL That was almost too funny, deserved more than a giggle.

hello, i am over here from Terry's link at the Well, i have enjoyed seeing all the webcam events on the Spring front door, thought i should stop in and say hi. i am considering buying a small motorbike next spring, is there a particular topic i should be posting in, to ask questions and get some suggestions?

Welcome in the marvelous world of motorcycling. People over here aren't close minded and so are topics. So feel free to post were you think is best but it's not that important. Or ask Terry to add a new topic for newbiers. Yves

Great idea Yves, it's topic creation time. Would you like to create a new topic mirmir? Glad you're joing us, welcome!

Have you ever ridden a motorcycle before, Mir? If not, have you ever ridden a bicycle? I'm a beginner myself; I have been for most of this year. I bought a non-running bike from my employers and was going to get it fixed (after having done all that I could do myself!) when I left home for a four-month course in M�xico (I go back home this Saturday!) I do NOT recommend that you do what I did (unless you have masochistic tendencies!) What I do recommend is that you take some test rides (I hear that dealers don't allow this usually, but that test rides are available at bike rallies) and see what you like. You say you want a small bike; I would therefore suggest you try the Honda Nighthawk 250, the Rebel 250, the Yamaha Virago 250, and the MZ Silver Star (discontinued, but still in showrooms). If you are interested in dual-purpose bikes (for use on- or off- road), Yamaha, Honda nad Suzuki all make small D-Ps (but Kawasaki doesn t, and Yamaha only makes small ones.) If your pocket is shallow, as mine is, you will probably be buying a used bike. If you have any friends who ride, get their advice about ANY used bike you're interested in, especially if they maintain their own rides. This will help you avoid pieces of old junk posing as prospective rides and may lead you to a bargain that the seller doesn't appreciate. Do NOT buy a bike on impulse or emotion (I learned this the hard way!) Jon and the others should have something to add; they have experience with may different kinds of bikes and gan give you more details as to what to look for and what to avoid.

started topic 16 and copied some posts over there.

Great, notice americ just introduced himself in the vc conference, I hope some folks welcome him!

Hey I'm a 44 year old geezer who should know better but in process of buying 93 ZX 11.

Oh yeah, my wife hates motorcycles

Hey, terry. I came over here from the Well. Cool spot. I'll stay.

Hey Bub, good to see you. My wife also thinks bikes are for undergrown adults. Remember, keep those magazines away from her, or the ZX might disappear!

Hi! I've been reading here the last couple of weeks and finally realized I haven't posted as yet. As a CrossRoader, it's good to see so many in this spot. Kathryn.

Howdy, I've been looking for a place to talk about riding. I have been riding motorcycles for 37 years now, still can't get enough. I know there are others out like me. My wife and I just got back to Virginia after picking our bike up in California. It was a great trip as all are. Always meet the nicest people on a motorcycle! I'm looking forward to kicking tires with you. Ride safe.

What bike did you have to go to California to get? Tell us more.

Larry, great to "see" you here! Sound like a riders' rider! Would love to hear of a cross country excursion from somewhere other than a Salvadori article!

Larry Mueller...You're not with U2, are you (then again, is anyone in U2 old enough to have been riding 37 years?) Cannonballing the U.S.; that's probably more riding than I'll do all of next year! Sounds interesting!

Hi there, It's great to be here, it sounds like you guys have been around the block once of twice as well. We have been on BMW's mostly however had to leave them when we moved to Virginia 5 years ago. We inherited the Susuki GS850L that we picked up in California. That's one tough bike for those of you not familar with them. It's an 1983 modle and had been in storage for 6 years before jumping on it and heading East. What a ride, as always it was to short, only 3 thousand miles. Just a note about the trip then I have to hit the hay (I work nights). We left the San Francisco bay area, almost due East up to Sonora CA and on over Sonora Pass. I have been all over the states by bike and there are few Passes that compair, just all around beatiful. From there into Carson City, NV. There is a story here I have to tell. So I'll finish for now and see you all later.

Anyone gonna call Nick?? (o;}

Eirik might be interested too, but he's kicked the bulletin-board habit :-}

Yeah, what happened to Nick?

Howdy Jon, Blob, Frank, and company. First post here. Decided to take the plunge since XRoads was fritzing on me (hope it's not gone?). Anyway, for those who don't know me, I'm a 36 year old economist (what's that?), married, no kids (none planned), have two awesome dogs (a Doberman and a Beagle), and I ride my Harley Road King whenever, and where ever I can (trailers are for boats)! Aren't introductions awkward? Where's the chips and dip? hehe

The bold symbols will work here too, Brad! Yep, XRoads is gone! I e-mailed Jon this morning and he said that either they pulled the plug or the page has crashed; and there's no-one left to fix it.

Brad: "I ride my Harley Road King whenever, and where ever I can (trailers are for boats)!" That doesn't include to & from work, does it? What does an economist carry to & from work that can't fit in an RK's saddlebags?

Oh, sure it does Sam. At least on dress down day! hehe It's about a 90 mile round trip for me, along a very nice parkway, so I really enjoy it. As far as what I need to bring--just the briefcase, which tucks right into one of the bags just fine--leaves room for chaps, etc...in the other one. Can I check your ID buddy!

Yup, that looks like the Brad we XRoaders all know! Welcome aboard!

Good to see ya Brad! We need more!

Thanks Sammy. You're a true scholar and a gentleBlob! ;-]

Don't worry, they'll come when they realize XRoads is gone. Jon, d'ya have any idea when (or if) another XRoads (Mk III) can be floated?

Glad to be on (this) line Frank. BTW, enjoyed the wrap session this morning. XRoads R.I.P.

Thanks Sammy. You're a true scholar and a gentleBlob! ;-]

BRAD!!! Man, have I missed our Harley banter... Good to see ya bud... Shane

Maybe I need a little help here. Should I be posting my ride in another area or is this just for introducions? As you Know I'm new here. thanks

I don't know what happened to XRoads MKII, and there are no plans currently for a MKIII. Right now I'm working from home so it wouldn't be possible, with my 28.8 modem, to run it here. Perhaps in three or four months. Spring is great in the meantime, though. I didn't know you were an economist. Of what school of thought? Not a Keynsian, I hope.... ;-)

We don't follow the topics too closely, Larry. There is, however, a "my current ride is a ________ " section, which you may want to use. But don't worry--no one is going to get mad if you post it here.

Well, amazingly enough, XRoads Mk II is back, but I don't know for how long.

Shane--glad to be here and see you too--thanks! Jon, I am of my own school of thought, but I was trained in both Keynesian (under grad) and Classical (grad) approaches. Of course, now most theories about inflation, unemployment, etc. are less valuable than the paper they were written on. Then again, economists have always be great at making up new theories to explain the future based on what they didn't know about the past! hehe Back to the Future, Part 3?

Hi all, been away but would like to continue my story of my trip to VA from CA. I had last mentioned riding into Carson City, Nevada. Here we had some trouble with the carburetors , as you may remember this bike had been in storage for six years before starting our trip. We had completely cleaned the Carbs or so we thought. We found a place and mechanic that is worthy of lavish praise. The place Carson City Yamaha, the mechanic is Jack. The work and charges were great. Jack is a trained motorcycle mechani from the old school, this means to me, one who gets you back on the rode (somehow) with out gouging your wallet. I highly recommend if you should ever have bike problems in their neck of the woods, look them up, no matter what machine you're on. Headed east on Hgwy.. 50, mighty lonely road out there, for those of you unfamiliar with it. As Jack the mechanic said he's seen Jack Rabbits out there carrying canteens. Actually today there are watering holes about every fifty miles, so not as bad as I had remembered from five years earlier when my brothers and I had made that same run. This is still no place to be low on gas or with out a bottle of water. The weather was definitely on our side, not too hot or cold. We stayed on 50 right on into Utah. This where Nora caught up with us, but was pretty much played out. We had a sprinkly ride through some gorgeous country in Utah, anyone that's been their knows. Hgwy. 50 is a little north of the really beautiful scenery that Utah has to offer but no complaints here. We are only averaging 300 miles a day, we don't like to rush when ride. I'm sorry I hadn't mentioned it before but where that bike and I go so go s my wife. She loves to ride (only as a passenger) almost as much as I. From the sounds of some of the other riders whose wives don't even like bikes, I consider myself very lucky. Have to run, to be continued. Ride Safe.

Hey guys. Am I the last XROADer hold-out? I think they pulled the plug just as I was doing a wonderful response to Brad...it was a little long...answering Brad about his statement for turning a shovelhead into a decent ride. Anyway, over here, thought I would try a real name for a while. I have completely come down in steps...first it was Master Blaster, then the Blast Man, then Blaster Ed, and now, jsut plain Ed. It is hard to grow up. Anyway, good to see familiar faces here. For SheBee...Any plans solidifying for you making it over here for Sturgis? The Gold Wing will be ready to roll...I am leaving VA BEACH the PM of 31 July. Guess the "official" dates for Sturgis '98 is 3-9 August. I expect to roll in the evening of the 4th. Anyway folks, glad to be here. Ed

Not taking the Harley, Ed?

Yeah Jon, the Harley is going, but I had offered up the Gold Wing for SheBee's use when she said she would like to come over and go to Sturgis, but didn't know about a rental bike (I offered it up for her use for the price of a new front tire). Last time she and I posted direct, it was still a very up in the air thing...whether or not she thought she could ride an older Wing, due to the nature of the seating. Ed

Hi Ed, Thought I'd introduce myself, I'm Larry and I too live in Virginia (Fredricksburg). Please excuse my ignorance but I have no idea what a XDOADer is, can you fill me in. I've got a few years of riding under my belt and always curious. Hope you have fun in Sturgis.

An XRoader is someone who used to hang out at "Motorcycle Crossroads", a bulletin board for bikers (like Ed) and others just interested in bikes (like self, though I hope that'll change by Christmas!) I got on XRoads on Friday, in Mexico, but I can't seem to get it here! I'm not entirely certain that it's down for the count, but it seems to be on a standing-8 just now!

Hi Ed. Gee, sorry I missed your response on Shovels at XRoads. As I remember, Shebee pointed out that despite the AMF reputation, not all Shovels were $^%$. I agree. In fact, everything I read and hear suggests that the AMF Shovels can be made very reliable if you know what you're doing. Would love to get your perspective on it. Glad to see you here. Call me a Blockhead, but I'm certainly not afraid of Shovels! hehe

Hey Ed, long time no see, good to have you here on a board I can actually access..... hehehe Shane

Hey Shane, Brad, Larry, Sam...good to see you all. Larry, I always have fun at Sturgis, and other places, too. Fun is where you make it. Brad...I figured the AMF Harleys got a bad rap. Harley made some compromises that cost them, but it was still HD engineering, and HD parts. The shovelhead was more advanced than the pan, and certainly better than the knuckle. Just like anything, if you use it hard, it wears out. When that happens, you either get rid of it, or fix it with something a little bit bett r. Thanks for aftermarket! Because of the direction HD has gone, they don't have to play to a tough crowd. I want to stay off my soapbox here, because I know this is introductions. Catch you in some other thread. Ed

"Home is where the heart is"? No, "Fun is where your bike is". For those keeping up with the XRoads saga, I don't know why it's been coming and going, but they're going to take the server completely down "sometime in the next two weeks".

Greetings ! My name is Stu, and I work at Motorcycle Mechanics Inst. in Phoenix, AZ. Good to see a number of X roaders here keepin' the Faith ! Looking forward to join you all as soon as I catch up !

Hey Stu! Ain't seen you in a while. Good to have you back.

Looks like the gangs all here for the most part. Yeah, I noticed XRoads going in and out. Just logged on and there are no new posts to read. Guess I'll just stop looking there and coming here instead. Larry, great ride cross-country. I did Colorado from California this year and came back on the Loneliest Highway (US50). Gas about every 100 miles..don't miss filling up. Can't wait to read about the segment from Utah to Virginia. I see Brad finally made it in here along with Ed and Kathryn..Stu too. It's nice to see some new blood as well. Hope us bikers don't keep the women out..very nice to see those posts.

What are you talking about? Shebee and Kathryn are always sure to keep us in (out of?) line!

And I'll post frequently enough to be the monkey in the wrench!

Watch it she'll throw a monkey in the wrench.

Hey Stu good to see ya, Katherine Howdy as well.......

Hey, Stu...good to see you hear. Ed

Just looked at my last post...can't seem to spell as good here as I used to in XROADS....I am so embarassed... Ed

That's O.K., Ed, we know you ain't that stoopid.

Hoping that we are not on a spelling exam, I'll never pass Yves

Sure, Yves, but atleast you have an excuse, unlike Ed hear. ;-)

Well, I've had a chance to continue my story about my trip across the states. At last writing I left off leaving Utah, still following Hgwy. 50. Just getting close to Colorado and the Rocky Mountains is enough to perk me right up. I think most will agree it's always a great ride when you roll through those mountains and this was no exception. The weather was on our side and I don't take that lightly in Colorado. All along the way we had been watching the Aspen turning to yellow as fall was under way. You can't help from being impressed as you approach the Rockies, they really are majestic. I have been over this route a few times and I can assure you, you never get tiered of it. We stayed in a small town called Salida, it epitomizes the warm hospitality of the people who chose to live in the mountains. If you find yourself in that part of the country, stop and take in this little slice of heaven. It was necessary for us to head into Colorado Springs and pickup Hgwy. 24 up to Interstate 70 and into flatter eastern side of Colorado. Moving right along into Kansas. Ok, what can I say about Kansas, if you've been there you know my dilemma. As luck would have it just about the whole stretch of Hgwy. 70 was either under construction or needed to be, badly. Then there is the wind! We spent almost the whole trip across Kansas leaning to the left, the wind is always coming down from the north. I have to a mit the endless fields of sunflowers is quite a sight. It was on one of those many stretches of construction where we hit a "dump" and trunk which is also the back rest flipped right off. You can imagine my wife was none too happy with that. The next day we pulled into a brake shop (the only thing around) and asked them to drill a couple of holes through the trunk and its frame and bolt it on, they did and only charged five dollars, most mechanics can't even write out the bill for that! I will stop here and finish our story tomorrow. Have fun, ride safe.

Ahh, Larry, thank you. I enjoy reading about such travel, especially since I just finished scraping sleet and ice off my buggy this morning!

Larry, I've been to Kansas and know you're dilemma. It's hard to hold your nose and steer at the same time!

Greetings to all X-Roaders! I see that X-Roads is about to go through the dying quivers. Thanks to Jon for providing the forum. Your time and efforts certainly have been appreciated! Right now we have about 2 inches of snow on the ground in Northern Wisconsin. It will no doubt stay until the meltdown in April. The swapmeet season for me starts on Nov 30th. I am looking forward to the numerous swap meets even though they are nothing like they used to be. The swap meet bargain of the year (for this last year) was a pair of Indian dirt bikes for sale for $150 (for both). They didn't run, had no titles, had many missing parts, but both had a beautiful Indian gas tank. I had just bought a Kawie Spectre about 20 minutes earlier and had no room on my pickup (or so I thought). I walked around the swap meet looking for other goodies. After talking it over with my friend--I decided to buy the Indian dirt bikes. Guess what--they were gone! I wound up buying a near mint exhaust system for a 79 Sports er. Harley only made this exhaust system for 1 year. Finding this for $125 was a real bargain. The police chief in my town now has it for his 79 Sporty. Glad to be on this new forum!!! Hoop

Hi Hoop, good to see ya again.... Is the Spectre going to be a Big Project?? Nice looking machines and they ran like hell.... Are you going to stick to the Black/gold paint pinstripe theme?? Someday the time will come that I will be able to afford about 2 project bikes a year... the Spectre is on the list...

Hey good to see you Hoop! Y'know, there are almost NO swapmeets for bikes here. Just car stuff. I'd love to get in on one at some point. What's the overall intention for the Spectre? i seem to remember 'em as excellent bulletproof streeters when not abused by draggers.

The Spectre is not a project at all. It's a 1982 1100 in stock condition with 12k miles on the clock. Its my go fast bike. It needs nothing. I know the newer bikes put this to shame, but I'll stick with this--thank you very much. Believe it or not, I prefer the Spectre to the 73 Z-1 I had. A friend has a 73 Z-1 that is sitting outside rusting!! Numerous attempts to get him to take care of the bike (or at least sell it to someone who will) have proven fruitless. The swap meets are numerous in Wisconsin. After all--we have to have some bike events in the long winters to keep from going bonkers. 90 % of the bikes/parts at the swap meets are Harleys with Triumph making up the difference. I thing nothing of traveling 200 miles to go to a swap meet. The swap meet heritage is colorful. 20 years ago you could put together a complete bike from various booths at swap meets (buy a frame here, a tranny there, a motor and electrics here--and behold--a swap meet special) The swap meets have changed drastically in the last 5 years. About 4 years ago, German nationals bought up enormous amounts of panhead and shovelhead parts--thus driving the price through the roof. The price has since dropped--but never again will drop to the pre buying spree days. The people that have booths are searching other booths for underpriced items so they can resell them at a profit. As with anything in the world we live in, money dictates everything. There is a Japanese/European swap meet in our area that is growing every year. By the way--I like all motorcycles from Kawasaki to BMW to Harley. Some of my many friends that own Harleys think I'm nuts for owning bikes other than Harleys. The ones that yell the loudest are the ones that ride the least (or not ride at all--they just own a Harley) !! I have ridden a chopped Harley to a Gold Wing event and a Kawasaki to a Harley event--guess what--nobody cared!! I have this desire to keep trying different things when it comes to motorcycles. My next project (this year or next) will be to put a sidecar on my R100 Beemer. Who knows--I might even like it!! Regards Hoop

I think you are entirely justified in your thought of liking the Spectre better than the 73 Z1... The early Z1's had some serious frame deficeincies that came with putting all that power into a bike of the early 70's. Because of this they handled poorly and frame stress could be critical. IMHO, you lucked out getting a Spectre in such fine shape... Most who bought them rodded them to no end and they ended up trashed... What did you pay for it and when can I have it?? ;o) You also should have your fri nds head checked.... Jon and I know a guy in San Angelo that has a whole collection of Z1's and they bring a premium when restored to stock, not to mention the fact that they are Primo Drag Bikes.... Sounds like your philosiophy on bikes is very similar to mine.. If it's a bike, I proably want it... hehehe

Stacey, we aren't in Kansas anymore.

Interesting, Hoop, that the speculation crap hits even swap meets. Cycle World has a little article on a couple who lives from one meet to the next, and in so doing found a way to restore a 1929 HD with Goulding sidecar, a beautiful piece.

Thank god!

Hi all, I thought I would try to wrap up my ride out to Virginia. Nowe are not in Kansas anymore (Stacey ;-) The ride through Missouri, Indiana and points east start to run together after a couple of days. Don't misunderstand me it's great riding but how many time can you say that. Once we started getting into the sort of typical soft rolling hills characteristic of the eastern states you couldn't slap those silly grins off our faces. Compared to Hwy.. 50 through Nevada where the road always stretches to the next horizon, this is a riders paradise. I love the way the eastern states ribbon their roads through th country side. Fall was in the air and we felt we could ride like this for ever. We had by this time slid into a very comfortable routine. We would start the day around 7AM with about an hour and a half ride and then stop for breakfast. After a couple more hours and a few sightseeing stops it's time to grab another bite. We like nothing better than to find a small town and look for where the locals seem to be hanging their hats, you can get some good eats that way. We would then asses how the day has prog essed and try to determine where we thought we'd spend the night, tough huh. One thing was for sure once we were off the bike for the day we walked and it stayed put. As we rode into the state of West Virginia we knew our trip was drawing to a close. Be that as it may, we had some terrific miles in front of us. We stayed in a motel on the Kanawha river in Charleston, West Virginia, it was gorgeous. It's the first time I had ever witnessed a barge being push up a river. I still can't believe that pilot did what he or she did. That barge or more precise barges, I think there were five of them hooked together and one little tug at the end. That pilot had to turn right th re in front of us and what a maneuver, the tug would stop and this huge barge, would by the current, start to swing around. This was all done at night and I mean it was dark and they would shine these big spot lights on the banks for a sense of bearing. We sat out there and watch this for an hour until they got that thing swung around and heading up the middle again, quite a site. We were home a day and a half that. We have a ton of good memories and a solid resolve to get to know the east coast as well as we know the west coast. Thank you for your interest and an opportunity to share this with you. Have fun, ride safe.

Sounds like a mind cleansing, spirit lifting experience!

Spoken like someone whose been there!

Larry, that sounds like a great trip. It seems like every part of the country has something unique to offer riders. Living in DC, it's easy to forget how nice I have it with attractions like the Blue Ridge Parkway, and rural West Virginia so close by. For me, the only part of the East Coast I haven't seen much of is New England. I hear nothing but rave reviews of Upstate New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. In fact, I am bound and determined to attend the Laconia rally in New Hampshire one of these years. It's the oldest rally in the country, with incredible scenery and spectacular riding. You can't see it all, but you can sure have fun trying!

Do Vermont in the fall! Amazing colors EVERYWHERE!

When were you there?

Spent many summers around Lake Champlain as a younger guy, very beautiful place. Saw an original 50's Ferrari Barchetta haring around there several times!

Rodehogger you are so right, everyplace you go you can find something interesting. I don't think there is a state that doesn't have something to offer if you take the time to find it. fortunately I've had the opportunity to have seen a good majority of them by motorcycle. Thanks for the tips on places to ride on the east coast. A few years back my wife and I flew out to Boston on vacation and drove a car :-( to up-state New York where she was born. This was in the fall and it was beautiful. We knew for sure one-day we would return with a proper mode of transportation and see area the way it was meant to be seen. She also is the one that got me down to Virginia and once here I didn't want to leave. We had no idea in two short years we'd be living here. Now that we have the bike we can explore to our hearts content. I would highly recommend to anyone a tour of the Civil War battle fields in and about Fredericksburg. I live and work here and never get tiered of them. A little run over to the Chesapeake Bay for a some spiced grab never hurts either.

Larry, I went to undergraduate college in Fredericksburg! Neat town--really liked it. My buddy rented a house that was a Civil War hospital, and as you know, the college (M. Washington) is built along Sunken Road, where the Confederate troops mowed down the Union forces who were advancing from the river up the hill. Of course, many locals there still refer to the Civil War as "The War of Northern Aggression"! Honey, why are you loading that musket?

Hey! I do too!

History books are generally written by the winners...

Very, very true. Which is the exact reason why the north weren't a bunch of valiant crusaders fighting for slaves' rights, as I was taught in grade school. But I suppose I may have just opened up a big old can of worms.

We love those cans of worms, they start conversations.

I have a bulletin for ya all, some folks here are still fighting the civil war. As a Yankee transplant I know this all to well. Still a beautiful place to live. Happy Thanksgiving!

Same to you and everyone else, Larry. Happy Thanksgiving.

Hi, Iam BJ Ondo, been riding for 20 years and have had many brands and style of bikes. I love to watch motorcycle racing and wish I was only 22 in great health so I could ride sportbikes but Iam 42 and have tendonites in both wrists and elbows so I have tried everything in motorcycling. My last bike was a Triumph ThunderBird but the bike I really loved was the 95 Triumph Speed Triple, I traded in. If you look at me you'd swear I rode a GoldWing or a Electra-Glide but I like bikes that will have fun in th twisy's. Currently Iam looking at buying a 883 Sportster and working it into a CAFE RACER, a 70's XLCR look a like or a used S2 Buell (gave up on the Beemer). Yes, Jon (ie:Triumph) thinks Iam crazy but he's the one buying a old Triumph twin, ha ha! Iam a AMA, ABATE, and MORA member, I firmly beleive in "IT'S NOT WHAT YOU RIDE BUT THAT YOU RIDE", that makes us all Special. Tailwinds BJ http://members.tripod.com/~britrider/index.html

You still have the Honda, BJ?

Yeah, I may be crazy, but you can't beat the style of that bike for $3500. Only a HD or certain Ducatis (many are butt ugly) match the pure style of a Bonneville--and they're all going to cost you more.

Can't Argue with your statement's on the Triumph Jon, they are excellent looking machines! No, the gas tank kept leaking and the idle was a real problem. So since they wouldn't get me a different tank, I just returned it and got my money back, Iam bikeless once more, RATS. $3500 would only buy you a "total basket case" of a Harley-Davidson and Duc's would probably be higher also! You might be crazy but you have taste my friend. Tailwinds, BJ

Jon: Only a HD or certain Ducatis (many are butt ugly) match the pure style of a Bonneville- Two words here: Silver Star.

Hey, Bone! What was that? I can't hear you!

Welcome Bone. Anyone have ol' Eirik's regular mail address? E-mail me.

Hey BJ, Welcome!! Shane

Still just a manual bike rider but I did go down to San Diego last week and see a BUNCH of old Harley's cruising Mission Beach area. Sadly enough, it all it's reality, I thought of my virtual springers!

Hey how are you?

I'm groovy. New job, greatly rested and looking forward to a mini vacation in Sedona this weekend!

What new job?????? This is a surprise. Wow! In California?

Not in California, that was just a little sun, sand, warm weather excursion! New job is: self-contained ED (emotionally disturbed) teacher at Knight Academy. Same school as before, new classroom, new students BIG learning curve!

Sounds tough. I'm sure you'll be good at it.

Jon, you've touched on the number one key to effective classroom management -- confidence! And yes, I think I'll be good at it too.

What's the difference between this job and the other? You're narrowing in on emotionally disturbed children? Sounds like it will be pretty trying and stressfull, but probably rewarding as well.

These kids have been determined "too severe" to be in a regular envioronment. They have been deemed "a danger to themselves and others." Most of them have been severely physically, mentally, emotionally and sexually abused and have taken all the baggage with them (at a VERY young age). They have VERY limited, if any, appropriate social abilities and it shows! But they are all neat individuals really searching for a chance (although that desire may be buried down deep)

WOW! I'm impressed. It's great that we've got folks like you who are willing to take on a challenge like this.

and folks like me to remind you to wear a helmet! JUST KIDDING JON!!! *smile* Have a really happy holiday, Jon if I don't get the chance to tell you again!

and folks like me to remind you to wear a helmet! I thought Jon said he always practiced safe sex? hehe Turtle in a shell

Oooooh Brad, LOL. You mean in a state like Colorado it's legal to NOT practice... *GRiNs* Stacey, I definately admire what you're doing. It takes a heck of a lot of patience to handle all those kids..which I'm not sure I could do. Sounds very rewarding (which it'd have to be), because I know you and most teachers are smart enough to make better money elsewhere. So you're doing this because you want to and that's cool.

Thanks Kevin. Always nice to be appreciated!

Kevin: You mean in a state like Colorado it's legal to NOT practice... *GRiNs* Who knows, they might soon start the Junior Anti-Sex League... 1984 was 13 years ago, but 1984 is still a possibility!

Uh, yeah Brad. Merry Christmas, Stacey. Are you going home? My parents were supposed to come up but they didn't. I may go home.

Better go to Texas before your snowed in there Jon. Merry Christmas to all.

Hee. Actually, Kevin, it hasn't snowed in two weeks and it's melting everywhere. Amazing. Still snow around, no doubt, but lots of places are basically snow free (on the south facing hillsides).

But if I do go home I'm going to go riding with my old riding buddies--I'm sure he'll find a bike to loan me.

Hey, does anyone know what happen to Tony??

Tony Pan?

Tony Scatton. Hmm. No, I wonder what happened.

I have mailed him a couple of times. Last I heard he was very busy with his shop, but still very much alive and well! ;-) Tony the Scat!

Yeah Jon, with your luck though, the day you want to leave it'll dump over a foot of snow. *GRiNs* If you make it to Texas, I'll bet your buddy finds something to ride. At least you got the little 4WD in case it does snow.

That's right, but if it was like the "Great Storm of '97" where even the snowplows were getting stuck, I'd have to stay. A foot ain't no biggie, though.

So are you going to Texas? Does this Spring site load as slowly for me as everyone else? I'm on a LAN at work and most things download in a matter of a few seconds, but this site loads no faster on the LAN than it does at home with my 56k modem.

Yeah, for three days, and yes, it does run slowly. I think Terry's running off of ISDN from his house, but that's just a guess.

It's gotten slightly slower for me just recently, and I run 14400bps. Jon did you know there's a site for great roads of Texas?

Intro - I feel A lot more at ease around a camp fire than a computer but i,ve injoyed the site so far.I ride a 72 BSA Lighting chop here in Wi , no snow yet still on the Road.

To all the great people involved here Have a Merry Christmas!

Welcome Pat, man dude that's pretty hardcore a good old Limey chop! It been pretty brisk with light snow on and off here for a few days on the plains of southern Colorado. Iam picking up a 98 CB750 Nighthawk in Jan., had NO RIDE for most of 97 and it plainly "sucked". Again welcome to the group, nice diverse folks here that just plain love to talk bikes. Happy Holidays BJ Ondo

Hey Pat, welcome. Haven't seen a chopped Brit for a while...long long ago in a galaxy, etc. etc. I built a chopper out of a '68 Bonneville basket case. That is all behind me...at the moment, riding an '81 HD shovelhead that started life as an FLT, and a Honda Gold Wing ('82) that I stole this last summer. I also ride long as the roads aren't icy, year 'round, but I think it is probably easier to do here in the Tidewater area of VA than it is up in your part of the world. Hope to share a fire with you ometime down the road...ride long, ride safe! Ed Hamblin (Blaster Ed)

Pat, Welcome to the site from a fellow Wisconsinite (near Eagle River). I haven't ridden since the first week in November. Good to hear that you have a classic Limey scooter!! One does not run across BSA's very often. Hoop

Welcome Pat....

What's the URL, Terry? 14,400? Geez. I think I can dig up a 28,800. If I can, do you want it?

The Spring conference is running off a 14.4k modem? You can get a internal 56k one for under $100 now..a 28.8k one goes for $30-40. Jon probably has a couple laying around somewhere.

I thought I had access to one, but it turns out I don't. Sorry. But for $30, it wouldn't be worth the cost of shipping.

What was that Ed?

Jon... I am at a loss. I didn't mean to respond...guess I pushed the wrong button. I did go back and review...see where I have a blank. Call the uh-oh squad! Ed

Here's a hint I'm not sure anyone uses when browsing the threads here. When the motorcycle conference comes up..choose 'Activity within last week' instead of all. Then when it comes back up..change the '../-7' to '../-1' in the address or location field of your browser and hit . This will bring up only the conferences that have had posts submitted in the last day or 24hrs or something like that. This is great if you check in everyday. If only once a week then no need to change to -1. If every other day..make it -2 or how ever many of the last few days worth you want to see. Either way..I bookmarked it at -1 and I'm able to only see the last days postings. Make a couple of bookmarks at -1, -3, -5 to pick from depending how long it's been since you logged in. Hope this helps, SK (Happy New Year)

PS - It loads quicker the less days you view.

Thanx 4 the tip! (I usually hit "new" anyway)

Mines marked at "new", unless I want to post to a topic not currently active I get all the posts within the last 24 hours or so.

If you have a conference list set up, then you only see what you haven't seen before. And you can use the "next topic" and "next conference" to cruise along. Of course, regulars here also get offered shell accounts if they want to cruise along at warp speed.

When I bring up the conference I only saw the All and Last Weeks Worth links. I just went further back and got it to list the New and Forgotten links too, plus I clicked the Mark All Read link and I think now I'm in business. I guess I never checked out the features here before. So I'll bookmark the URL for new now and it should be better. This site sure could use a faster modem though.

Jon, did you get back to TX for any of the holiday season? And Paul told me someone had an accident... who?

Yes, I did. Had a nice, but short time. I e-mailed you a while back asking about a concert. Did you ever get it?

never got it. what concert? Who? Where? When? (Why?) a new motorcycle in your possession yet?

Who--Buddy Miles. Where--The Little Bear. When--yesterday (Thursday). Why--I bought two tickets and didn't want to waste the second. You didn't miss anything, though. Buddy Miles, for the uninitiated, was Jimi Hendrix's drummer. He is an o.k. drummer, but has crummy taste in music and played a bunch of whiney pseudo-funk, pseudo-blues stuff. Yuck. I guess it was worth the price of admission to see the guy who played with Jimi Hendrix, but the show was pretty lousy. Have you ever been to The Little Bear? I can't remember if we've talked about that. That's where I was supposed to see Bo Diddley and forgot about it.

George "Buddy" Miles, of the Buddy Miles Express, was a blues man who whrote and originally performed the song "Them Changes". He later became part of the Band Of Gypsys, formed by Jimi Hendrix after the Jimi Hendrix Experience. The Band Of Gypsys broke up without ever releasing a studio album and is known from their live concerts, one of which was recorded on New Year's Night, 1969-70 and released as the album Band Of Gypsys. Buddy Miles later reformed the Express, and at one time performed wit Carlos Santana. Miles is a mediocre singer (and is therefore rather better than Hendrix was), but he did O.K. with the Band of Gypsys version of "Them Changes" (erroneously titled "Changes" on the album). But, for the record, when one speaks of Hendrix's drummer, one usually refers to Mitch Mitchell, who could easily keep up with, and actually at times surpass, Jimi's playing. After the Band Of Gypsys broke up, Jimi restarted the Experience with Billy Cox from the Band of Gypsys and Mitch Mitchell from the original Experience. "Them Changes" has also been covered by James Brown.

Again, Whoa! The human Archive! You almost know more about Miles than I do about Hendrix! Whoa! I mentioned to Jon that it's simply amazing that some of the 70's guys physically survived, good playin or not. Miles was never the greatest drummer, he just had a momentary and tenuous connection with the best guitarist on earth at the time, and never let it go.

yes, I've been to the Little Bear. No show, just lunch after a nice hike. Sorry I didn't touch base with you earlier, a drive up to the mountains would've been nice. Too bad the show wasn't better... *frown*

The snow? Did you go skiing or something? I went on Saturday and had a nice time.

O.K., I'm embarrased now. The "show" wasn't better! Hee. (Pink faced grin)

BTW, the "snow" was great this weekend. Yeah, the Little Bear has some good, big name shows. Do you want me to check with you the next time a good show comes to town?

sounds groovy! (you sure have the white powder on your mind!)

Speaking o' which, what happened to "El Nino"? He turned out to be a big sissy--it's been a month since it snowed here.

Well, I am enjoying skiing. I would like to have someone to enjoy it with. Half the fun is sitting around having a beer at the end of the day and saying "yeah, and then I came around this bend doing about 110 and came *that* close to kissing a tree". And "oh my arse is hurting...." :-)

You mean like after a good ride, right Jon? At least that's what *I* usually sound like...

A Top Ten of how to prepare for the ski season (and to assist non-skiers in determining whether they wish to take up the sport). 1.Visit your local butcher and pay $30 to sit in the walk-in freezer for half an hour. Afterwards, burn two $50 bills to warm up. 2.Go to the nearest hockey rink and walk across the ice 20 times in your ski boots, carrying two pair of skis, accessory bag and poles. Pretend you are looking for your car. 3.For ski boot simulation, put a pebble in your street shoes and tighten a C-clamp around your toes. 4.Buy a pair of gloves, and immediately throw one of them away. 5.Go to McDonald's and insist on paying $6.50 for a hamburger. Be sure to wait in the longest line. 6.Clip a lift ticket to the zipper of your jacket and ride a motorcycle fast enough to make the ticket lacerate your face. 7.Drive slowly for five hours - anywhere - as long as it's in a snowstorm and you are following an 18-wheeler. 8.Fill a blender with ice, leave the cover off, hit the pulse button and let the spray blast your face. 9.Dress up in as many sets of clothes as you own and then proceed to take them off, with your gloves on, because you have to go to the bathroom. 10. Repeat all of the above, every Saturday and Sunday, until ski season starts.

LLLLLL.O.L

Really funny!

A poor imitation of Peter Egan.

No, much too low brow for Pete. I read a longer article by him this week in CW about a trip through (mostly) Germany to the Dutch TT. Good read--only mentioned motorcycles a few time, the trip took precidence. I *am* going to do a tour through Europe/Germany/The Alps, etc. on a motorcycle. Perhaps, if things go well, next year for vacation.

The list was hysterical Jon! Did you fit in any time on the slopes this weekend?

Not this weekend. I had time, but can't afford to spend $150 every weekend. Perhaps this coming weekend. Speaking of off topic, I bought a new mountain bike. It's a Kona. It was a '96 model that was still on the showroom floor, so I got a great deal on it. It's a little small for me (probably could use a 20", it's an 18"), but I like it.

Excellent! Ridden anywhere yet? I tried a couple of trails on Saturday ice fest... long painful slides... no good Sunday I gave up and hiked!

Hee. Yeah, exactly. I've ridden mostly on the road, with a little off road stuff. A lot of fun. Hiking is better in most situations in the winter, though a fresh snow (I've found) can be fun--you still have some traction. It sure has been a warm and relatively snow free winter. I've done more hiking in the past three months than any three months all summer.

That's one of the great things about living where I live--lots of places to hike and ride close by. Awesome place. I keep thinking I'll move to the city, but I don't.

if you don't have to... commute, social, family reasons... don't. I don't mind living in the city (as if!) in 10 minutes, I'm blissfully beyond civilization (and in a more civilized place)

Uh, you've got a point. I went from having a group of good friends back in Texas to being just "Jon the hillbilly up in the mountains by myself". I have zilcho social life. I do lots of stuff and stay busy (like Blues Jam night at the Little Bear on Tuesday, banjo lessions, jam night at The Buck Snort, etc.), but not alot of friends. The commute is an hour each way, but that hasn't been enough of a factor to make me move. And I'm not in civilization at all now, which is great. Just hang out in the mountains. Aaaaah.

Have you ever been to The Buck Snort, Stacey?

Today is "restaurants in Denver" day. Tonight I went to the first really super snazzy upscale joint I'd ever been to, a place called "Del Frisco". You wouldn't like it, Stacey--it's one of those "we love meat and we don't care what anyone thinks about that!" places. Ultra snazzy, though. About $80-$100 a person to eat there, valet parking (I told the attendants to please fetch my "Tracker Carrera"), perfect service, etc. They had good looking waitresses who fawned over me but would probably ignore me in any other setting. :-) It was fun, and the food was good, but you know what? I get about as much or more entertainment from a $10 evening at a little divey bar in the mountains. It's fun, but not to be done every day. And considering the look on the face of the VP who took us there when I ordered desert, that won't be a problem.

Stacey, I've sent you a couple of e-mails, but I don't think you got them. Our mail server has been doing weird things, like not delivering to certain addresses (about 1 out of 100). I wonder if it's having trouble with the Spring.

I've gotten them... and responded so it looks like you're going out but things are having difficulty coming back in. *frown* the restaurant sounded interesting -- you should post it in 'restaurants' (get out and explore a little, Jon). Was it a celebratory dinner?

No, we had a contractor that's going to help us design the new corporate website (and is also doing some work on the interfaces for the software). He was busy in other departments so dinner was the only time we could meet. I followed my supervisor's lead in really having a good time since I wasn't paying. :-) Explore? You mean on the Spring, or around here? Either way it's probably true, although I do enjoy doing and learning new things. I'll e-mail you tomorrow from my work e-mail and see what happens.

Hmm. I don't think that the folks in Austin care about restaurants in Denver, but I've got a mess of 'em I could post.

heck, I post 'em all the time... they don't seem to mind. besides, I'm trying to bribe people to come visit!

How does that work? I think of lots of good reasons to come to Denver, but I'd need more prodding than that to take off across the country.

I'll have to go check out that conference and see if I can find a new place to eat.

Been checking in & out frequently, surprised there are never any submissions here. I've passed the URL along to several different riders with no responses yet! I don't mind going from place to place to discuss my favorite topic, can I be the only guy? Let's keep this going! (o:

No your not the only one, but I hate speeking to miself, to much differents opinions. :o)

P.S. It's also very quiet in most conferences that interest me.

Well I'll be b******d, it works ! Just though I'd check it out in case the worst happens to XRoads. Hi each. Mike Stimson

Hey Mike. We have to convince Eirik to get in on this. I realize the interface can be daunting at times but better to was up on shore than go under. I'm going to see if maybe we can adjust things to have a similar topic list as XR, instead of plowing through 1000 things. Glad to see some posts!

Hey Stacey, how are things going in your life? How's the new job? I'm looking for work myself. Talking to a company based out of Hong Kong with an office in Denver. That would be cool (as long as the communist government doesn't nationalize the company or something).

I'm posting this here because I've given up on trying to E-mail Stacey, in case someone wonders.

Yes I was wondering. And I realised that it`s not my bizness if your just a bit off topic :o))))

Hi y'all! I'll join in... I'm Gena. I live north of Boston and currently ride a '93 ZX6. I bought it last summer after succumbing to a 20 year urge. My first bike was a 73 (i think) Yamaha 250. I must say, they have changed in 20 years! I love my ZX6, but once I have a couple more seasons under my belt, I'll look at spanky new models. Ride safe...

Shoot, the ZX6 is nice. I ride an old ZX-600R--a much less sportingly competent machine, and it's still all I can handle.

Mine's the ZX600E. It's enough for now. My best friend rides a Honda F3 and she comments on the 'quickness' of my non-race equipped bike. I don't know what I'll graduate to... may end up staying with Kawasaki. I doubt that I'll go over 900cc... may just stick to the 6's.

Famous last words eh, folks? (o; Welcome Gena; check out http://www.sportriders.com they'd love to see you sign on, and are good folks.

Frank, how about plugging our conference on Sports Riders?

Well I did a while back. Thing is they have a list (Biketalk) that lets the "club" communicate by e-mail. I'll give it a second shot.

Hey Jon! I guess this is our new forum... I have received and replied to all your emails, not sure why you aren't getting them. All is well here. Busy but with the lower country slowly thawing, I've been able to get a bit of outside fun in!

Hee. Yeah, something must be wrong with your SMTP server. Anyway, I've done some bicycling and hiking too. It's been chilly the last few days, though, but all in all a mild winter. Can't wait for summer, though. So much biking, motorcycling, off roading, fishing, hiking, camping, etc. to be done.

I'd say stick with the 600s. I like 'em myself--light, powerful and loads of fun. I really enjoy my beat up old ZX-600R. If I change bikes, it won't be to a larger displacement or because I feel it doesn't have enough power.

hey watch it! MY (???) SMTP server?!?!? How DARE you? *giggle* Everyone else seems to be receiving my messages just fine! *smile* This weekend is snowshoeing is Estes Park (as it stands now)

What's the snow like there? We've got nothing but ice around where I live. As soon as it snows again, though, I'm going cross country. Yeah, I don't know why I can't get your e-mails.

snow is white and fluffy... as it should be! They got about 6 inches this week so it ought to be prime. Stay away from avalanches!

Well, I'm looking for work. Interviewed with Software AG today and have an interview with ICG tomorrow (Friday) morning. It looks like losing this job may be the best thing that's ever happened to me.

Best of luck Sheb

any chance of negotiating acompany bike? :)

Company Bike?! I wish, I'd be a corporate tie-wearing a-kisser in no time! BTW, anyone seen the Virgin Atlantic "Limo-bike" thing? A pro picks you up on a BMW, dresses you for the conditions prevailing(!) and speeds you to your metro destination, cell-phone provided if necessary, etc. Whaddaya think?

We have used them for getting people to the airport in a hurry - works well! I nearly got my Tiger as a company bike, but just befor it was completely sorted we had a change in Financial director from one who was bike friendly to one who was seriously anti bikes. :( I got told take a Renault Clio or the money but you cannot have a bike - a clio is no use to me at all so I took the money! :) Sheb

good luck with the job hunt Jon!!!

Really, good luck Jon!

Thanks, folks. No, but once I was on the way to a job interview on my Nighthawk with my pin striped, double breasted suit and wingtips and a guy pulls up next to me in a big work truck and asks "is that a company ride?" Hee. I wish!

Not in our Lifetime, I guess, eh?

Hey Jon were you dumped on today too??? Six inches so far, 10 more expected before dawn. *frown* and I thought Spring had arrived!

Exactly! Sprign *has* arrived, and from what I understand, "when it's Spring time in Alaska I'll be 6 feet below" or something like that. Pretty much a typical Colorado spring, from what I've heard, but you've been here longer than I. I didn't make it home this evening--I'm staying with some friends in Lakewood. I'm happy, though, as I should be able to do some cross country skiing--something I haven't done since before Christmas. I start my new job on Thursday. It should be interesting commute.

An interesting commute today. With the weather.

Should be no problem in the Tracker....

first day at the new job: how'd it go??? (and what/where is it?) lookit me! All dug out from under the 14 inches in our front yard (and driveway) and at work!

2.5 feet here. First day was fantastic. I'm off to a great start, my boss thinks I'm a genius, and I'm loving my work.

where are you working and how did you pull the wool over your bosses eyes in just one day?!?! *giggle* 2.5 feet... I guess that Tracker is mighty useful!

Oh yeah, I didn't make it home on Wednesday. I tried to get up 285 but traffic was a dead stop. I ended up staying in Lakewood with some friends.

No, the boss is just naturally observant. Hey, a fact's a fact.

Oh, it's ICG, off of I-25 at Dry Creek Rd. Do you know who ICG is?

No, but I know where it is. Right by Inverness, right?

Right--a big new building. They're a multi-million dollar communications company that has the market cornered in a couple of areas (like ship-to-shore sattelite communications) and is competing with the big boys (and doing a good job) in other areas like telecom, data, sattelites, etc. For example they own and operate several communications sattelites that transfer everything from phone traffic to TV shows.

building tilting forward (toward I 25) and lotsa glass? (lemme know if there are any good restaurants down there. Hankering for a happy hour soon)

jon. the mail keeps getting returned on jon_lind@icgcomm.com suggestions?

Try it again. I checked with the mail admin today and she had it set wrong. It should work now. Atleast you're getting some kind of response--that's promising! Hmm. Stanford's is pretty good for happy hour--they have a great feta cheese pizza for $2, but drinks are full price. We need to meet somewhere sometime.

Uh, yes, that's the building. Cool building, but boooring inside. The most impressive part is the fact that they imported marble from Europe for the entrance and lobby. It's crazy what these corporations will spend money on.

$2 cheese pizza?! How big is it? Where is this? (o;

WAY OFF SUBJECT BUT - spending money on crazy things goeas back a long time - allegedly when they built stonehenge they brought some of the stone across the sea from Ireland ! :)

Where's Stanford's? DTC?

Yeah, it's in the Tech Center off of Arapahoe and Yosemite. It's a good size pizza for $2--enough to more than fill me up. It's their happy hour--instead of cheap drinks they have cheap food (and good food, at that) between 5:00 and 6:00. Smart thinking, because if you have more than one drink, you've spent more than if you'd gone somewhere else and gotten cheap drinks with full priced food. And actually it's not cheese, but feta and Italian Sausage. But since I'm a vegetarian for Lent, I ask them to leave off the sausage. Eating vegetarian is hard! A vegetarian friend, when I told her what I was doing, said "how do you feel?" and I answered "like having a big old cheeseburger". ;-)

Have you tried to e-mail me Stacey, since the "so" message?

No, I've been home (just Thursday) with some yucko stomach thing and so I haven't checked the box at school. Sounds like I can get through now though! Surprising that cutting out meat hasn't made you feel better (more energy). Are you getting enough calories/protien/iron? More beans and more cheese will certainly help! Of course I went back to fish after I gave up meat because 1) I like fish and 2) I needed the nutrients. Lemme know how it goes!

Lots of calories and protein (I've more than made up for that with various cheeses), but I don't know about iron. A big old steak could fix that up just fine. 1) I don't like fish, which is part of why I left them in my diet. Sure, a good old plate of fried catfish (can you say "deep fat"?) can't be beat, and I like some seafood, but I'm not big on fish.

I have no scientific reason to believe that not eating meat will make you more energetic. It works fine for wolves, lions, cheetahs, etc.--they don't seem to lack energy. ;-) Eating a high-fat diet and sitting around being mostly inactive, however, will make you un-energetic.

MAN! Just loading up this topic and scrolling down to a "submoit' form took all weekend. Seems the season here is underway, yesterday I took a cold 10 minute ride to the Dairy, saw a few neat homebuilt cafe jobs, one a homebuilt Guzzi with sublime open megaphones. NASCAR has nothing on an open Guzzi sound! Nice 748. A few cruzers. Unfortunately I missed the get-together at MotoMarket in Acton, MA. From the photos it looked like a great place for a Sunday hang. Tell us, Gwen?

Frank, I'm suppsosing that is Dairy as in cow milking establishment but could it be "home of the white trash ice cream" (and one of my favorite places) DAIRY QUEEN?!?!?! On your big ride Jon?

1st, apology to Gena, I mixed up the name! Next, Marcus Dairy is in fact a big dairy in Danbury CT, close to my house. The production manager let his love for bikes get completely out of control, and Sunday gatherings have progressed from little groups as I described above to giant 4-times-a-summer bike-fests. There are always a few rides outside on Sundays however. The diner at the gate is one of the best-kept truck-stops in the northeast, and the coffee & ice-cream are top-notch.

"On your big ride"? Whuzzat mean?

weren't you going down to Texas soon?

Anyone coming to Texas, let me know and we'll be sure and party down.

Hee. No, I didn't get down to Austin. And the "Big Ride" had to be cancelled because I lost my job at Intergram. Instead I took a couple of days off to drive to Dallas and see the Nascar race. "You might be a redneck if...", but I don't care. ;-)

Jon, I've tried to email you by clicking on the blue "triumph" link here and it gets returned. I've tried both the hcds.net and diac.com and neither are working. Did you get out to San Angelo? (Your parents live there don't they?)

Nope, didn't get back to Angelo. My address (and this should work--though our mail server was down for a while) is jonlind@diac.com

Hey, Stacey, are you still there? Did you not come back from Georgia? Disappear off the face of the earth? E-mail to me quit working again?

e mail still working.. busy week! sorry happyhour next week???

Sounds good. Hee, you *still* haven't told me what was in Georgia, but I guess it's none of my business. :-) Just say when--any day is good for me.

Hey guys, Long time to...uh...read(?). I just got the 'net at work and spent the last week finding you. I have a friend coming in from Europe on the April 24 and we are going on the road June 1-10 (bought a GS850GL which I am loaning him). I'm thinking Colorado...any suggestions? onkel udo

looks like you don't need too many suggestions... you picked a great state! Jon and I both live here, but he's the one to ask about motorbike trips... I'm strictly manpowered!

Onkel Udo!? I forget the name exactly, not Mike K.?? I e-mailed to the above and it bounced. Try http://www.fp-webs.com:8080/~Xroads, or e-mail me at FnGG@aol.com if you have trouble.

I guess, in the summer, people ride instead of just talking about it

Has anyone heard from Jon Lind recently? How can I contact him?

He has not posted in a few years as far as I know (I usually keep up to date on stuff like that. Terry can tell you his last login address, most likely.

Thanks! I hope it's current; but I doubt it...

He never entered a valid email address when he signed up.