THE GRAND KID'S MOTORCYCLE

THE GRAND KID'S MOTORCYCLE

If you have grand kids you understand the situation.

The grandson found a motorcycle at a good price.

Of course, it was not all together, or it is what we call a

basket case.

"Grandpa will you help me fix it?"  You know the rest

of the story.  He bought it.  I put it together.  Then after

it is together and running then you find out what else

is the matter with it.  So, I had to take the engine and 

transmission apart at least twice to fix one thing or 

another.

No, I did not do the paint job.  At least he did that

much.

THE LOW WATER BRIDGE

In my lifetime I have lived in about four different

States.  But the one I live in now is the only one 

that has "low water bridges" that I know about.

A lot of these back roads cross creeks.  So, they

put in a "low water bridge" like the one below.

This one is crossing "clear creek" near Clifty,

Arkansas.  I cross this one often going to my 

"hide out" about fifteen minutes from Clifty.

You may not have noticed, but you have to be

careful crossing these bridges or you will not 

make it to the other side.

One morning after a good nights rain I was going

over to my "hide out" on my motorcycle.   In this

area after a rain like that it often is real foggy the 

next day until about mid morning when the fog will

finally life.

Those of you who ride motorcycles will understand

the next problem.  When riding in foggy conditions

your windshield wipers will not work on a motorcycle.

So, your glove on your left hand becomes your wind-

shield wiper.  Every little bit you reach up with your 

left glove and wipe the fog off of your visor so you

can see where you are going.

This particular morning I knew I was getting close

to the creek when suddenly the road completely

disappeared.  I could not see anything to ride on.

So I parked the bike and took a good look.  The 

fog had hid the low water bridge which was 

completely covered with water.  So after carefully

aiming the motorcycle I rode across with about three

or four inches of water coming over the top of

the bridge.

The image below is the same day after the fog 

lifted and I was on my way home.

I have to thank God often for keeping this old man

out of trouble.  And this was one of those times.

NORTON MOTORCYCLE

A NORTON MOTORCYCLE.

Back a few years ago a group of us got together every

New Years day to go for a motorcycle ride and lunch.

That is in North West Arkansas.  True, some years we

did not ride much further than to a place to eat.  And

other years a good ride after lunch.

Back about 2012 a chiropractor from Kingston, AR.

Joined us.  That is his Norton above.  I confess I have

forgotten his name and the model of the Norton.  But

to this old man a Norton motorcycle was a big deal.

Back when I was young [Early 1950's] the Norton

motorcycles were used a lot for racing.  They were

out of reach for most of us young guys, but were 

highly revered as a motorcycle.

FAKE MOTORCYCLE

Did you know that Ford made a motorcycle?

They didn't.  That is just an old Kawasaki that

I stripped down to have some fun with.

Beware though.  There are a lot of people like

that old motorcycle.  They will try to make you

think they are something they are not.

2

One of our "low water bridges" in Madison County.

This one is at Clear Creek near Cliffy, Arkansas.

According to the Forest Service "topo." map it is fed

by two springs about one half of a mile up stream 

from this point.  I have been driving over it for over 

five years now and have never seen it dry yet.

One foggy morning I was coming down this road on

my motorcycle when suddenly I could not see the road

at all.  After stopping, clearing my face shield and

 looking around I could see that the water was running

over the bridge as in the picture above.  It was running

over only about three inches deep so it was no problem.

NEIGHBOR NEEDS HELP

It was a nice day.
But the old dead tree could not wait any longer
and fell just before the neighbor went out to get
on his bike.

Only one scratch on the bike.

It had him thanking God for that.

But,
still he could not get out with any of his bikes.
That was why he called for me and my chain saw.

MOTORCYCLE STAGES

Any good motorcycle goes through

stages. This is what mine looked

like when I bought it.

The first week I took off the kitchen

sink, the linen closets and the barn

door. That saved over 70 lbs.

Rode it like this as a work motorcycle

for years.

Then I retired. Got board and turned

it into this.

Was fun. But being retired I went to

riding a lot of back dirt roads and into

the National Forest.

Bobbers do not work well there.

So!

Came this. Works good. Enough

stuff on board to live in the woods for

several days if necessary.

Depending on some "pending" circumstances.

This may change.

Possible motorcycle prototypes to consider below.

The high gas mileage motorcycle.

Or the camouflage model.

What is your suggestion for the next

generation of this motorcycle???

???

This shows how quick we are to jump to conclusions.

For the few hours after seeing the above, I was questioning

the intelligence of the rider. But later it dawned on me.

That may be the popular brand of motorcycle that has a

reputation for being "trailered" every where.

That motorcycle may not be parked there. It might just

be at a trailer stop, or loading area waiting for it's ride

back into town. After all, it was two miles or better

out of town.

A TRANSFORMED MOTORCYCLE

The prospective: First I'm a gear head. That means to me

function is more important than form. Consequently, a

bare bones rat bike [I said bare. Not cluttered with all the

trash you can attach to it.] is far more interesting than a

mass produced collection of chrome pieces off a cookie

cutter assembly line. There are thousands of us that way.

If you are not one of us - just look down your nose at us in

disdain and pretend we don't exist.

I bought an old Goldwing so I could strip it down. Like

the one below. It looked like a push cart at the airport

coming down the isle with a load of luggage on it. Oh,

SORRY. I know some of you like it that way. That's O.K.

Get your polishing cloth out and have a great day.

I respect Goldwing engineering. They are good at it.

Also consider insurance. Compare it on the "wing"

to say, a Kawasaki ZX11. (No, I can't make it into a bike

comparable to the ZX) One more thing. The owner's

manual on that puppy says it has a pay load - accessories,

people, luggage and lunch - of 900 lbs. That means

this thing is going to be under stressed, even with a

man sized lunch on board. (Me and 700 lbs. of

lunch. You better get your bike and go along.)

So the first step (Just a few days after purchase.) was

to take the storm door off the front. The clothes

closets off the side. And the kitchen cabinet off the back.

That was 71 lbs. off the first round.

This is the stage I used it in as a daily rider to work -

year around - for years. It served very well. But you know

motorcycles are something to take apart and then put

back together the way you want them. So more was

needed off.

No I did not do anything to the engine. I worked on engines

for about twenty five years. It's not that much fun anymore.

So all the work to transform this was "external".

Hey, that is the way it is when we try to improve our selves.

We end up only changing the outside. It is only when we

turn ourselves over to Jesus Christ that the transformation

starts right down on the inside.

Guys like to see pretty girls. That why most motorcycle

magazines are not fit for public display. But click the link

below. It is a pretty girl telling it like it is. I think they

call it rap or rapping or something. Any way, your wife

will not mind you watching her. Might even wish you would.

A DODGE MOTORCYCLE

There. You can see

it with your own

eyes. A "DODGE"

motorcycle.

This belongs to a

friend so I knew

where to look for it.

I've ridden a lot

of miles with him and that old motorcycle. NO,

not on it with him. I was on whatever motorcycle

I was riding that day.

Here is more proof.

The name plate on

the right side of the

motorcycle.

Now if you believe

this, it proves two

things.

l. You do not know anything about motorcycles.

That's O.K. No hard feelings.

2. You are very easily deceived.

Things simply are not always what they appear

to be.

Kinda reminds me of a fellow I used to be

acquainted with. When I got acquainted with him,

we were both lonely guys. Our wives had dumped

us. They were a lot smarter than us. Had to have

been. Why else would they have left us?

Now he had a going business in a neighboring

community. And he drove a new American made

luxury car. One of the best. I didn't have either.

Some times we would be setting together in

Church. He had a way of putting in his offering

so every one could see the size of his donation.

Yep. It was about twice the size of mine.

He invited me over to his place to see his new

indoor pool. I don't think I ever told him where

I lived. It would not begin to compare.

We both got married within about a week of each

other. And yes, it just happened that our wives

were acquainted with each other.

Just about the time he returned his "luxury"

vehicle, to the dealership I worked for - so they

would not have to repossess it. I found out by way

of the "wifevine" that he did not have any money

after all. It was all a big show. I had always

suspected that his "new" wife was attracted by his

flamboyant ways. When she dumped him real

quick for someone else, I was even more suspicious

of it.

Things are not always what they appear to be.

Even The Book says, "Some people pretend to

be rich, but have nothing. Others pretend to be

poor, but own a fortune."

The next time you see some one who is pretending

to be;

• Rich
• Smart
• Strong
• Informed
• Spiritual
• Gifted
• etc.

just remember, they may not be a bit ahead of

you and me. Maybe even behind us.

Shakespeare said, "All the world is a stage. And

the people on it are actors."

If he did not say it, he should have.

We may fool others. But we sure don't fool God.