The Out of Towner Tour
Wednesday, April 8, 2015 at 5:59PM I just had a great time riding with a few buddies from out of town that came for a visit. Of course they all brought motorcycles why else would they visit? The characters on this trip were Terrmeister (Terry), Recon (Don), Gino Belino (Gene) and #33.
We had a great time on a 3 day romp through the desert stopping of course along the way for burgers and tacos respectively each day. The first day included a stop by a local shop, B&M Cycles that happened to be having a vintage show/get together. Terrmeister and Gino could both really appreciate this because they both have quite a collection of vintage bikes, some beautifully restored. Recon liked it pretty well too because there were FREE Cookies and Drinks. Anything free to eat is like a flame to a moth when Recon is involved. He is all over it!
I was astounded that there were 2 bikes, a 1914 Indian and a 1914 Flying Merkel that were perfectly restored and valued at a minimum of $150,000 Each! Wow, I even touched one. There was a whole slew of Maicos, Triumphs, Harley road racers, Honda Elsinore’s, and a bunch of others. Cool stuff, some of which I remembered I rode when they were new!
Then it was time to ride, as Recon would repeat several times over the next few days, “I just wanna ride!” So we head out for a half day orientation ride to get the feel of the desert with no traction, lots of rocks and lots of miles. I cautioned the boys to be careful in rocks and used my left hand as a reminder. I had warned Gino to buy some elbow guards and he did, smart boy. Terrmeister didn’t have any so I loaned him a pair of hard plastic guards. He had no idea how grateful he would be later. Our first ride went pretty well with no one getting too carried away but a few tip-overs on slippery off cambers and hills. I discovered a couple of things about the boys on our first outing. Gino was the hill climber, Recon liked to go fast in the sand washes and Terrmeister wanted to escape unscathed. But then he is the wisest one in the group at 68 years old!
Our second day was our longest day and turned out to be about 160 miles and almost 10 hours by the time we got home. We saw some scenic places, an old restored cabin, a defunct mine that Recon and I explored with flashlights while I am pretty sure Terrmeister and Gino took a nap! We then stopped for gas and a burger at a roadside stop called Wikkieup. But just before the lunch stop, at about 90 miles, Terrmeister had a tip over in a tight sand wash that was fairly rocky in spots. Unfortunately he picked one of the rocky spots and gashed a hole in the left side radiator on his borrowed Honda CRF-X 450. Terrmeister is a motorcycle mechanic by trade and was about to remove the damaged radiator and cap the openings. He figured he could get it home on one radiator without too much problem. Gino and I said maybe we should try to patch it first, but we are Okie trailside repair kind of guys. Recon just stayed the Hell out of the way since he doesn’t do any more wrenching than absolutely necessary! Since I carry Quick Steel putty in my tool pack I told Terrmeister I had repaired side cases with it before. Terrmeister looked at me kind of crazy and then said ok if I really thought it might work. So I gave him my putty and told him how it worked. He made a patch and started the bike, it leaked. But we could see where he had missed a spot. So he added some more and extended the patch to cover the damage, filled the radiator with water, fired it up and no leak! Away we went to lunch and completed the rest of the ride with the patched and twisted radiator.
On our way home it was getting late in the day and we were beginning to show signs of fatigue. Gino exceeded his limits of traction a couple of times and did an imitation of a baseball player sliding into home plate. We made it home with only a few scratches and no real injuries. We fixed the stuff we bent and broke and got ready for the Monday Taco ride.
Mondays are a short (45 mile) rip over to Golden Shores for dollar tacos at a place called Hooch’s Bar and Grill. We met up with two more riders Capt Don (Don) and Montana John aka M.J. After a half hour or more B.S. session we head out to ‘get our grub on’ as Recon would call it. We maybe make 3 miles when Recon starts flagging us down. He has a rear flat tire (nail) and since he is running a Pirelli trials tire we have to fix it right now. With help he is back on the trail in about 30 minutes. We make it to Hooch’s with only a couple of tip over’s and get our fill of tacos, tostadas and beverages. On the way home we divide into 2 groups, Terrmeister, Capt Don and M.J. make up one group and they deal with a flat on the way home. Recon and I make the other group and we have no mechanicals but do our best to get lost a bit while trying to find a small canyon I had been in before. We eventually all make it home safely, visit for a while and say our good byes.
Recon, Terrmeister and #33 do a short road ride home, put the bikes away, load Cheryl up and head out for a farewell dinner. We eat out on the patio of a restaurant overlooking the lake. Good Times, Good Friends.
#33
‘The last thing to age on somebody is their heart’
Reader Comments (2)
I have to defend myself on the, "not wrenching unless absolutely necessary". Me trying to wrench with pro's like Terry and Eric around would be like Eric getting in my way at a buffet. Terry maybe just as good at eating as he is at wrenching.
I must say that hanging out in the desert with old geezers is a lot of fun. I guess that's why I keep going back.
Thanks #33
Recon
If he's anything like I remember Macgyver would call on him for roadside assistance !! Lol
Hey "Ironman/Geezer".. In the words of the great Mr.T. I'm gonna come knockin on your door someday sucka !! .... And I wanna go riding !! :)
Tell "60 Cents" I said hi 😃