onions, roses, and sand between our toeses
Well the mini rally was an earth-shattering event of triumphs, goodwill, brotherhood, and preachin' the MB.c gospel! It's so hard to know where to begin, when really in my soul it has yet to end. I keep reliving every moment, over again and again in my mind.
It was a whirlwind; a blitz of riding and comraderie!
I started out monday morning by shutting off my alarm clock, and oversleeping my planned day.
Monday is really my saturday as I work friday, sat, and sunday- three twelve hour days that really take their toll, so mondays i usually lay about all day recouperating. Nuff' said there...
Anyway, I looked over my stable and really the only bike that was running, mostly complete, and had capability of being semi-reliably road (and weather) worthy was the Whizzer. BUT i had lost my license plate on the road somewhere, so I dug through all my junk until I found the current registration. I had errands to run prior to hitting the highway including getting new registration and plates at the DMV (fun!
).
SO to shorten this tale and get to the meat and potatoes of it all, I loaded the WHizzer on to the bike rack on the back of my Dart, and I didn't leave Tacoma at 8:30 a.m. as planned but around Noon.
It's all good. I called ahead to let my comrades know the score...
Three hours later, I rolled into Ocean Park with "Guitar Town" by Steve Earle blasting out the speakers at unneccesary levels and with a "canary that ate the cat" grin on my face to boot!
(see pic. in Augi's post)
I was greeted by Augi and Beach cruisin' at the front entrance to MB.c PNW Central, and once the formalities were taken care of, we we popped a top and got straight down to brass tacks- the serious business of looking over each other's rides and discussing MB.c fun!
Shortly after, Wavygravy stopped by for a quick hello and to have look at the bikes! So there we are, doing what we were all born to do- living, breathing, hangin- all about the bikes and friends!!!
After a short bull session, I was told i had to ride Sabrina, to get a feel of who she is. Okay then, I can dig that!
Now before I go any further, I feel I
must place a word of disclaimer here:
I test rode Sabrina 2.1, in the pictures you will notice that I am not wearing a DOT approved helmet. While I
firmly believe in the freedom of choice, letting those that ride decide! I personally believe in wearing a helmet and want to say that I nearly always do. But this test ride was right in front of the 'mad pad', and at a very low speed. I just didn't want to give the impression that I condone or promote unsafe/illegal riding practices.
Okay, so I had the priveledge of test riding Sabrina 2.1! Boy, I'm already sold on the GEBE kit for another build- it has the same rack feel of my first few motored bikes, but the firm drive of the belt set-up similar to the whizzer.
It's really a great system and I'll probably have one by next summer's national rally...
Well the rains were coming, and we needed to ride! So we suited up in our rain gear, and then hit the road. I was given a brief whirlwind tour of some of the local hangouts, and of some of the places we would explore more the following day. The skies then opened up. Didn't bother us, we didn't melt so forward on my brothers! We kept the movement, the momentum. In a bit of silliness I was riding down the road with my mouth open and tongue hanging out catching rain! I live for fun, and this,my friends, is it!!!
At one point, it was raining so hard the belts on my whizzer began to slip and I was revving up but only moving at around 25 M.P.H.
So what, we're moving and moving together. There was an electricity in the air and the sounds of exhaust. The ringa-dinga buzz-buzz of the GEBE bike, the ring-ring whaaa buzz of the happy time, and the lubba-lubba whavroom of the whizzer- we were drenched, smiling ear to ear, and sounded like maniacal mechanicals buzzing down the roads!
Now by this time darkness had settled in to drown the day's light, but we were good, and we all pretty near naturallly settled into a safety chain riding order- Augi in front with his bright headlight, Cruisin center man with moderate headlight, me in the rear with bright headlight and bright tail/brake lamp. We stopped by Quay and Crusin's place to catch our breath, and these gracious hosts were not phased one bit by us dripping in the front room of their home. How cool is that? They must be motorbikers, no?!?
Well, tenative plans were made, and we were once again off to live the life; free, fun, and just rolling where the winds would take us. Augi and I headed out to the store to pick up a few supplies and I was introduced to a fan who worked at the store. Real nice fellow who really needs to get up and rolling in the saddle himself- he's got the natural enthusiasm and curiosity that smacks of a lifelong love affair of motoredbike and rider...
Anyway, we rolled past MB.c Central, dropped of some of the supplies, used the facilities, then headed back to Cruisin'/quay's clubhouse.
(By the way, that bus would make the perfect PNW-MB.c clubhouse guys-hint, hint!
LOL)
When we arrived we stripped out of our layers of rain and riding gear, and settled in for pizza, pepsi, and great, fun conversation! New friendships were forged, brotherhood was catalyzing!
After a few, we rolled out, rain was still a happening, and we still didn't care. It would have taken a jack hammer to remove my permagrin!
We roilled back to Central, where Augi and I settled in for the night. We discussed MB.c business, and the plans for tomorrow's coming, the first of which being to use the PNW club's new tool kit to install the rear fender on Sabrina, so that the ol' Augidog didn't have to ride around all day with a 'skunkstripe' of road grime up his back.
Let me, if i may, interject a moment here-
The PNW riders are a rare breed in today's world- these folks hearken back to the earliest days of riding two wheeled engines. They all share and share alike, the are truly a community, they give to each other, and give freely, with no thought of return. They help each other out, swapping parts and tools; everything is done with, and from the heart. **** these folks might as well have been the same folks of post war california...* who are the legends of the biker world, it is the same sense of commraderie, family, friendship, and perhaps above all else- fun. What's the point in breathing, if you're not having fun, right?
Anyway, sorry for that moment, but it's important that y'all understand that. these riders and the way they live is the epitome of what we are all about and trying to promote. Yet, They don't just talk it, they freakin' live it every single day of their lives. I wish I could say the same, but I'm tryin, you know? I try...
After a sound sleep I awoke with einstein hair, and grabbed some coffee. We chilled for a little bit, and then started in on getting that fender on.
Part way through, we heard the familiar buzz of a happy time engine...
Yup! Cruisin' was back and ready to roll. We finished the delicate surgery of fender trimming and mounting, and we were off...
Sorry folks but you'll have to wait a little bit to hear the rest. I have to go take care of today's business before I lose time and light.
Chack back this evening for gory details of the rest of this adventure...
* please read the book: "the true stories of the real wild ones- tales of the boozefighters motorcycle club" you'll understand my reference point.
And it's a darned good book!