Kickstand's Motorycling Blog


Well, today wasn't so bad. I ended up buying a new battery for the Ninja, and now it seems to be running really well. I hope I will have a long period of trouble-free operation before the next issue comes up. I will need something to ride while the Harley is getting repairs. The new noise coming from the rocker covers is alarming, and I would be majorly pissed if that bike goes down for a long period. Anyway, my girl and I went for a ride from Kelseyville to Finley, then to Lakeport, and then over Cobb Mt. to Middletown. We came back home on Hwy 29 through Lower Lake. It was a beautiful day for a ride. We have very little traffic up here, and perfect roads, for the most part. Actually, the worst roads are in town. The cities of Clearlake, Lakeport and Middletown have roads that would be considered bad in Afghanistan. It's too bad, because there's definitely tax money to fix the roads. I ride with some local road workers, and they say they're too busy fixing potholes, instead of just repaving and not having to deal with it for years. Anyway, we look forward to next weekend. I hope I have a bike to ride. By the way, if you're a person who has decided they want to give their bike away, I accept. I am also willing to accept donations toward the purchase of a new bike. :) Oh, and please check out some recent pics from Summer 2006 at my website HERE

Kickstand's Motorycling Blog

Well, what a day! We left too late in the day to get all of the things fixed that I'd planned, so we just went to dinner at a place called Angel's. It's very good Mexican Food. Whewww!...When I pulled into the restaurant, my bike lunged forward, stalled, and wouldn't start again. It acted like the batter was dead. I was with my Girlfriend, and she let me leave her at the casino down the road while I took her bike home to get the parts I thought I'd need to fix the Ninja. I got back, tried to replace the fuse box with another one I had, and NOPE!!!....It wasn't the problem. I have to go back again tomorrow to fix it.

Kickstand's Motorycling Blog

Hello,

What a great day for a Friday. I went to work, the chiropractor, the podiatrist, and then the fun began. My Girl and I came straight home from work, got on the bikes, and went to this month's NBMA
meeting. After the meeting, there was still time to hit the Lynyrd Skynyrd concert at Konocti(4 minutes from my house). What a great show! We didn't see the entire show, but when the closed with "Free Bird", we felt right at home. It was a nice crowd, and lots of bikes showed up for this show. It surprised me that there were that many bikes this weekend from the Bay Area, when we have the 'Takin' It To The Streets' weekend at Konocti. The turnout for that weekend is phenominal every year.

Most people are unhappy about the fact that The Doobie Brothers aren't playing there this year. Obviously, the name of the event is based on the Doobies' song "Takin' It To The Street". One thing that makes up for not having the "Doob's" is that "The Steve Miller Band" is playing instead. If I could think of any band that came close to the "Doob's", it would be Steve Miller. They're both Bay Area based bands from the same era, and they are both GREAT! It would be really cool if the "Doob's" were to make a surprise appearance. That would be the show of shows. Actually, the show of shows would include those 2 bands, and it would have to also include "The Eagles","Bob Seger" and, of course,"Pink Floyd". Anyway, I got some pics of Skynyrd, and I will post them to my pic post right away, but I still have to clean it up and put a link to it from here. That will happen soon. Thanks for reading, and Ride Smart.

Kickstand's Motorycling Blog

Well, I haven't been so consistent with my blogs, but whewww have I had a good time! Finally, since my broken foot, I have been out and doing things, since the pain level has allowed more mobility. This weekend was the annual "Boardstock" event at "Konocti Harbor".near my home. They have a plethora of concerts there during the summer in their outdoor amphitheater. During the Boardstock event they have a great lineup of performers. Last Wednesday (Aug 16th, 2006), was "Staind and Crossfade", and one other band whose name I can't remember the name of. What a show!.... Then, they had "Counting Crows and Firehouse" on Thursday, which we didn't have time to get to. On Friday was "Kid Rock", and he had "Pamela Anderson" with him. We got pics of them landing, each in their own helicopters, right where we usually park the bikes. It was unusual for them to block off that area, and it made most of the bikers have to leave their scooters out of sight. I have pics of the event on my website at Walshtek.com.) We ride there and it's great because you can see your bike from where you sit. In fact, you can go back to your bike without losing sight of the stage or the sound of the music. People there are GREAT, overall. Security is usually very easy-going, and you don't have a bunch of "gung-ho" wannabe's harassing you. They tend to cater to bikers. There is also an incredibly delectable buffet across the parking lot, at which you can hear the music if it starts before you're done eating. I feel very fortunate to have this place so close to my home. It's less than a 5 minute drive for me, and whoa, it's a beautiful drive too. It's a lakeside run with "twisties" that are world-class. Also, the cleanest air in California, and vineyards lining countrysides everywhere you look. So, I rode my Harley there, and it ran fine, but I forgot my cane and crutches, so I didn't do a lot of getting around. So, that was friday, and then Saturday we did a charity Poker Run for "Hospice". It was put on by "Old Coots on Scoots" and "NBMA". We ended up hanging out with NBMA members at Konocti Vista Casino playing "Ultimate Texas Hold 'em" until midnight. That's where the run ended up, and we had great tunes and food and genuine hospitality. We usually do better in the raffles than we did that day, but my girl got a big Margarita Glass, and we both had a great time. There's a lot of mutual respect between clubs around here, and it makes for a very relaxed atmosphere. Tonight, Sunday August 20, 2006, "Alice in Chains" is playing at Konocti. We are too tired to go, but I wanted to make it. Having a broken foot makes it hard to get around too much. At any rate, I have to get to emails. Good Night!

Kickstand's Motorycling Blog

Hello, I'm just checking in. It's been a hectic week trying to go back to work. I will blog more regularly starting this week.

Kickstand's Motorycling Blog [BLOGGER PREVIEW]

I have begun my venture today. I am passionate about bikes (motorcycles), and that is why I have decided to keep a blog as a 'journal' of my experiences. I love all motorcycles. The way I feel about it is, there are certain motorcycles for certain purposes. Functionality always outweighs cosmetics. Well, I hope to be posting at least once a day. One of the reasons for my having time to do this is I have a broken foot right now from my 1986 Kawasaki Ninja 600 falling on me while I was working on it. My foot was broken on June 11, 2006. It was the day after the Redwood Run we did on Saturday the 10th. I had ridden my 1983 Harley-Davidson XLX-1000 Sportster to the Leggett exit, 12 miles south of the festivities at the Redwood Run (Piercy, CA). I spent the rest of the day taking my primary cover off twice to find a leak that was noticed by some of my fellow "Old Coots on Scoots"(http://www.oldcootsonscoots16.com) upon arrival. After trying several methods to help me get right back on the road, the rest of the Old Coots went ahead while I stayed to do repairs. In fact, I had to borrow 2 wrenches to get things done (thanks guys!). My girlfriend was on her own bike, so she stayed behind with me (thanks Babe!). We were very lucky to have broken down there, because the locals were phenominal. We were at the only little gas station for miles, and there was a privately owned, closed down resort next door. There was also a general store on the other side of that. They were all very helpful. Barbara (my gf) and I actually had a fine day for 2 people who were kind of stranded far from home. As we wrenched in the parking spot, we got to know the people who owned the resort, and who ran the gas station nextdoor. Between the 3 parties, we were able to try several fixes that day without driving anywhere. We finally decided to head straight home just in time to arrive there at dark. We only stopped to refill my primary case twice. The bike made it home just fine. Since I arrived home that night, I put it up on the lift and I haven't touched it since. That is only due to my injury the next day. After a day of wrenching, when I had spend tons of time and cash over the 3 weeks leading up to that weekend, I wanted to ride. Since the Harley would take work to ride comfortably, I decided to take one of my sportbikes. I did a safety inspection and noticed a loose kickstand, so I went to tighten it up. I squatted down on my toes next to the bike, and held it upright with my left hand, while tightening up the bolts with my right hand. When I set the bike back down on the kickstand, as soon as all the weight was applied, it snapped off and landed in my lap. Again, I was squatted on my toes, so they were instantly pushed up to my upper shin. I went the the ER that day, and spend the second half of the day there waiting for an X-Ray, only for them to tell me it's not broken. I took the next week off of work in serious pain, and I rode my bike a few times during that time because I was told that it wasn't broken. A week later I was able to see the only available podiatrist in my area. He was recommended highly. He had his own X-Ray machine in his office. As soon as he saw me and asked a few questions, he seemed to know what was wrong, but he had to confirm his suspicions. After seeing the X-Ray, he found he was right. My foot was broken in several places, and I have what's called a "Lis-Francs" injury. I had surgery 4 weeks ago, and I have pins in my foot now. I will have a second surgery this month to remove the pins, and then a cast for a few more weeks before I start physical therapy to walk on my own two feet again. I am thankful for my job. I work for a great organization that covered all of the benefits so far, and I still have a job to go back to when this is all over. Phewww!....That was a close one, because 2 months earlier, I had not had medical insurance since 1999. I was self-employed all of those years, and couldn't afford it. Okay, enough for today. I hope you've enjoyed reading about my recent triumphs and misfortunes. Keep checking back.