Alrighty then. Let us begin. I have a story to tell, I'm in the middle of it, and I have no idea how it will end. Call it a saga, call it an odyssey or an old man's dumb-ass fantasy. Whatever - to me it's a huge story that will culminate in what may be the biggest adventure of my life.
This is a quick video taken in the high desert somewhere near Sparks Nevada as I was riding my 1941 Harley Davidson UL, a 74 cubic inch Flathead. The plan was to spend the night in Virginia City then press on to Dixon CA for a swap meet run by the AMCA, the Antique Motorcycle Club of America. I was running with five other guys, four of whom were also riding pre-1950 Harleys, dating back to 1932. This was my first run with these guys, but for them it's been an annual event for over a decade : a small group of guys riding ancient Harleys from Seattle to Dixon CA or Davenport IA to look at, perhaps buy, old motorcycles or parts. Or just look and wallow and absorb.
When I bought the Flattie in 1999 I was content with the notion that I would just ride it around town, on back roads where I wouldn't have to run the old baby more than 45-50 MPH. When I could get it to run, that is. Then, a friend turned me on to Bob aka The Wizard, the guy who builds these old things to RUN. He told me about the annual trips and I asked to join. No problem. Then, one day in June 2009, I found myself screaming across the desert at a terrifying speed of 60 miles per hour. That's 88 feet every single second. On a 68 year-old machine. Fast.
I hope to add more details later, but this video was taken about 4 days into the trip. I was a very happy man in that moment. I was running across the high desert on a deeply cool old bike, sharing the joy with 5 like-minded men, and life was perfect. God, I felt like a kid on a swing for the first time. WHEEEE!!!!
These old bikes are very simple machines, everything is manual; cables and pushrods move levers, they push and pull controls, and they make the bikes stop and go. One very critical control is the spark advance, the left twist grip which affects the ignition timing. Even as I was taking this video I'm sure I was letting the ignition slowly move to the retarded position. Right then the motor was running like a sewing machine - smooth and clean. By the time we arrived in Sparks I had melted a piston and fried the motor. Awwww shit.
Two months and four thousand dollars later, the engine was put back together. As of today I have about 2500 miles on it and it's back to running like a sewing machine. By the way, the ignition is safety wired to fully advanced, it's staying right there. I have one problem solved.
We're leaving for Dixon again in about three weeks. I'm doing it again and if I break down again I'll be back next year and the year after that. And so on, and so on, until I can't ride any more. I love it. It's all about the ride.
Here's the best part. Depending on how our schedules work, Bob, his wife and I intend to tour the United States, either next year or in 2012. And we will be doing it on ancient Harley Davidson motorcycles. Cool, huh? Wanna watch?
Hey Mikie! Great website. Glad to be the first to comment, but I hate (yeah, right) to tell you that you're wrong (that's really in italics, underlined and in 8 font bold)...it's not Sally, but Lucy that pulls the football. And you know how much alike we are! Heard that the first leg will have more of your buds going. I even got invited!!!! AT LAST, I'm one of the GUYS! But alas, I can't go. Maybe you knew that when you invited me....hunh, have to think about that one. But, our 2011 trip is just around the corner and I am looking forward to riding the Tail of the Dragon on my '57. Love ya.....Paula
ReplyDeleteHey Paula, glad you like it! Sorry you can't go but our turn will come soon enough. Tail of the Dragon, Blueridge Parkway, Natchez Trace, Million Dollar Highway . . . yeee HAW!!
ReplyDeleteAND - I KNOW it's Lucy! I even named my dog Luci because she tormented her littermate so badly we almost named him Charlie Brown. I have no idea what happened in my brain when I wrote it but it's all fixed now.
Just to clarify - I fixed the Lucy part, not the brain part. Too late for that.
ReplyDeleteAnd another clarification. Yes, you can be one of the guys but you'd probably have to get a burr cut. Not a burkha. That would be different. A burr cut wouldn't flap in the breeze but a burkha would. That's the difference.
Sometimes my neck skin flaps in the breeze and it didn't used to. Now it does. But that's a different story.