Ride it Wrench It

Ride Strong Wrench Proud

The Patriot Guard- West, Tx Memorial Service

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At some point in all of our lives we experience “something” that is so emotional and moving that it becomes difficult to put our feelings to words.  On Thursday April 24, 2013 I attended the West, TX memorial services for the first responders of the fertilizer plant explosion with The Patriot Guard Riders.  Its difficult to even know where to start this post because of my emotions.

The Fort Worth meeting spot for the mission was at the QT off 35W South.  Arrival time was 6am.  I topped off the tank and parked in line for the parade style ride to Waco.  The region captain who is also the state captain introduced himself and some others in the Patriot Guard.  I told him this was my first mission and his reply was, “Prepare yourself, the first one is always the most difficult.  None of the missions get easier but your first one will never be forgotten”.  Upon hearing that I honestly did not understand the impact the mission was going to have on me.

We had a mission briefing and lined up for our 0655 departure time.  Our group was right at 70 bikes.  The trip to Waco went well and we arrived at the meeting area right on time.  Other Patriot Guard riders were already there and more continued to arrive for another hour from different state regions. At this time everyone was allowed to unfurl their big flags if they had them on their bikes. There were riders from different MC’s, RC’s, and Independents that came to show their respects and support The Patriot Guard mission. We had another mission meeting that provided details of our role for the memorial service now that all the regions were together.  We left the meeting spot with secret service and Waco police escort to a staging spot that was about a mile from Baylor University auditorium where the services were to be held.  President Obama was attending the service so the secret service was everywhere.  At this point we were about 300 bikes strong.

After another hour we departed again but this time it was for the parade ceremony.  We rode to the campus, past the auditorium, then on to a blocked of street where we parked 4 bikes wide from which the line extended almost half a mile long.  We were followed by emergency response vehicles who were also part of the parade.  Once we parked our orders were to hurry and get flags from the flag trucks, unfurl them, and head for the flag line area.  We set up our flag line directly across from the auditorium where the services were being held.

The flag line extended about half a mile along the road.  Emergency vehicles continued to roll past in parade formation for over an hour.  I heard there were over 400 emergency vehicles at the ceremony.  After the last truck went by the area became completely silent.  Thousands of people and no voices, music, cell phones, birds, cars, nothing made a single noise.  It was beautifully respectful.  Then far off in the distance from where our bikes were parked, we heard the bagpipes.  Slowly they approached from afar with the music getting louder as they moved closer to the flag line.  When they arrived at the auditorium they stopped momentarily, the base drums did a short deep drum closure which you could feel in your chest, and they moved off in complete silence.  I was having some difficulties during all of this controlling my feelings.  When you understand the magnitude of what is taking place it can become difficult to hold back the tears.  I would often become overwhelmed and feel that lump rise in my throat to be followed by uncontrollable tears.

Next came the most difficult part for me, I have never experienced something like this in my life.  Fellow firefighters slowly walked past holding the helmets of their fallen.  Some of the helmets had the officers name on it, some had burn marks, large scrapes, and other visible damage.  This is where the cold hard reality really took hold.  There was once a person wearing that helmet that gave their life to save others.  The helmets of first responders were carried followed by a fire truck representing the department they had worked for.  Following that were other representatives of the department marching in sync.  All you heard was the low rumbling of the trucks idling by and the stomp of boots marching together under the occasional instruction of military personnel saying ” Left, Left, Left Right Left.  I stood there holding my flag with tears flowing out from under my sunglasses.  Though I didn’t know these people, the gravity of their sacrifice took hold of me.

After this came the families.  You could see the hurt and the loss in their faces. You could only hope that the minute contribution of holding that flag out of respect might give even the slightest comfort for even a fleeting moment.

This marked the finalization of our role in the ceremonies.  We marched back to the flag trucks in single file and furled the flags upon arrival.  Here we were dismissed.  I was invited to lunch with a group of Vets from Haltom City which is very close to where I live.  They were wonderful and I am honored to have spent time with them.  They were stopping off at West, TX on the way back so I rode home alone.  I couldn’t seem to shake the feelings the day had brought upon me and often teared up again while riding home.  Even when I pulled into the garage at home an hour and half later I couldn’t keep my composure.  My wife greeted me as I got off my bike, asked how it went, and I looked at her and cried.  I talked just enough to say “I’m not able to talk about it right now”.  She just held me while I sobbed uncontrollably.

It took a full day for me to be able to talk about the experience completely.  This was one of the most memorable experiences of my life and I will never forget it.

I want to thank The Patriot Guard for their support of our veterans and emergency responders.  I also want to thank them for allowing me to take part in their missions.

As you know I usually have a bunch of pictures or a video.  I did not take my camera or GoPro this time.  I went to support The Patriot Guards mission and out of respect I did not take any media of the ceremony.  I did however take a few pictures with my cellphone of the gathering of the Guard and flag trucks.  If you want more than that I am sure the Internet is full of pictures and media from the news stations that were on site.

The Patriot Guard: West,TX Memorial Service Slideshow

Cowtown Bluebonnet Trail Ride

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Bluebonnets!  Yar, its bluebonnet time in Texas!  As you might know the bluebonnet is the official state flower so what better way to celebrate our states flower than to go on a ride to see them!

Here is a bit of history behind the bluebonnet. The bluebonnet was designated the official state flower of Texas in 1901. Also called buffalo clover, wolf flower, and el conejo (spanish for “the rabbit”), bluebonnets are to Texas what the shamrock is to Ireland. Texas has also designated an official bluebonnet city (Ennis, Texas), a festival (Chappell Hill Bluebonnet Festival), and bluebonnet trail (also in Ennis which we rode). The bluebonnet flower is named for the color and sunbonnet-shaped petals.

The peak blooming time for these extraordinary flowers is late March through mid-April.  This year has been unseasonably cool later into the year so we didn’t quite get the full bloom on the ride but it was good none the less!  Riding up on large patches and fields full of the flowers brought color, fragrance, ooohs and aaahs.  We rode the Ennis Bluebonnet Trail and made quite a few stops to take photographs and play in the flowers.  The ride ended in Ennis, TX where a bluebonnet festival and an antique car show was taking place.

Margaret took some pictures while we were riding this time since we weren’t going at high speeds.  As usual I got some video as well.  Media wise we captured a LOT.  It can be difficult trying to decide what to post and leave out.  This time since there was so much good viewing I did a slide show and video of the ride.

A big thanks and thumbs up to Randy and Windell for the planning, pre-riding the route, and leadership on the ride.  All went smoothly and without issue.

It was a perfect day.

Cowtown Bluebonnet Trail Ride Slideshow 2013

Cowtown Bluebonnet Trail Ride Video 2013

The Patriot Guard Riders

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When creating this blog the original intent was to focus on my personal riding experiences since getting my Harley.  This post is a bit off track from that intention but I was compelled to post it. Upon browsing some sites and videos I found a particular video that REALLY moved me.  My personality is kind of hard, cold and non-emotional but I lost that composure when I saw this video.  I have known about the Patriot Guard Riders and what they do as a riding group, even considered joining their missions when I could.  I never did though.  Something personal, fun, or selfish always comes up for most of us to make an excuse not to participate in humanitarian causes.  It is in our human nature to be this way.

Then I watched this video and it gave me a deep understanding of the important role The Patriot Guard has with our veterans.  The flag lines, funeral escorts, send offs, welcome home escorts, blocking off protesters, respect, and honor are all pieces of what this group is about.

Americans in general don’t appreciate the freedoms we have in our own country.  We take our lifestyle for granted simply because we wear the citizenship tag.  We have this idea in our head that we deserve the things we have and deserve the life of freedom we live. We rarely consider the sacrifices our soldiers have made both past and present which has helped create and defend our ability to “freely” abuse our privileged lifestyle.

I have not served in any branch of our armed services.  There is some regret that comes with that because I enjoy the freedoms we have without having put my life in harm’s way to attain that freedom.  I have however lived and travelled across a good portion of the world.  Living and going to school in Belgium, Holland, and Egypt allowed me to see and involve myself with other lifestyles, cultures, and freedoms that people outside America live in.  Travelling Europe, the Middle East, and South America expanded my world view.  From my experiences I can proudly say there is no other country in the world I would rather live in and be a citizen of than America.

Our military personnel both past and present who have fought for our freedoms are often forgotten or victimized by self-righteous, indignant, and ungrateful protesters.  Our deceased veterans are often overlooked and forgotten and their funerals go unattended.  The families of veterans, while suffering the loss of a loved one are sometimes harassed by ignorant and hateful protesters.  The Patriot Guard was formed to combat these issues and have made an extraordinary positive impact by filling a serious need.

Watch the video from start to finish, don’t skip through it, take it in, reflect on what the speakers are saying, and feel their emotion and hurt.  It is very powerful and will give you an appreciation for things you may not have considered being thankful for.  I reflected on it for a good week, I just couldn’t get away from the feelings that were provoked.  Yesterday I registered with The Patriot Guard and began receiving mission emails that I can attend if available.  I work full time and have to in order to support my family so it is impossible to make every mission.  I will participate in missions when I can though.  At least in some way I can give back something to the families and soldiers that have given their life and defend the freedoms we all share.

Fort Worth HOG April 2013 Chapter Meeting

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This months meeting heralded hot tempuratures and clear skies.  There was a great turnout with the parade having 59 bikes.  We took the usual route through the Fort Worth Stockyards and conducted the meeting at Billy Bobs.

This weekend will be a busy ride weekend with Saturdays Chapter meeting and Sundays ride to Thurber, TX.  I’ll keep this post short since there will be another soon from Sundays ride.

I tried sticking the GoPro to the top of my helm this time.  Not sure yet what I think about that position.  I found you have to really keep your head straight or the video goes crazy every time you even check your rear view mirrors!  Still got some good clips though.  Enjoy!

Fort Worth HOG April 2013 Chapter Meeting

Passing Lamps

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Due to weather, personal things, and groups not doing much, I haven’t done any riding since the last post.  However, last month I purchased passing lamps for my bike and we took a few pictures of the installation process!  I saved this post information for a time of inactivity and here it is!

The lamps and the brackets I wanted were right at $400.00 at Harley.  We had planned on getting these at the right moment and that moment was now.  Last year at our chapters picnic Margaret and I did very well in the bike games placing in 3 of the 5 events.  The prizes were gift cards to the dealership.  I had saved those along with some gift cards we had won at other chapter events so with the gift cards I only  had to spend $150.00 for them out of my own pocket.

I knew there was going to be quite a bit of work involved to install them.  What better way to learn a bit more about your bike than to do something you know is gonna be extensive!

The instructions provided were minimal and lacked detail.  It wasn’t all that hard to figure out though.  The only problem I ran into was where to get power for the lamps.  That small detail is not noted anywhere in the basic instructions provided.  I had to go to the dealership and ask Jake for that info.  He was great about it and told me it was the grey wire from each of the turn signals that is not used from the factory.  Harley put that power there specifically for passing lamps to be installed later.

1) Remove windshield

2) Remove front of fairing.  After removing the Torx screws remove the headlight connector.

3) Remove ignition switch.  You have to remove this to get the switch control panel off.

4) Remove switch control panel.

5) Install switch into a blank area of control panel

6) Wire switch power feed both in and out and ground into the harness according to diagram. The picture below is the back of the harness which points towards the switch controls.  You have to stick the new switch wires into the specifically labeled holes to route power to the lights. I purchased the independent lighting control harness as well.  That way you can have your brights on at the same time as your passing lamps.  That was the easy part of the install, disconnect the wiring harness from the switch panel and snap the short harness in between.  It is clean, sealed, and makes the necessary cross connectsso you don’t have to cut and solder wires.

7) Reassemble switch control and ignition switch.

8) Assemble lamps and brackets

9) Remove existing turn signals because you will use your existing housings.  This is where it started getting a bit tricky.  Your supposed to feed the turn signal wires through the new mounting bracket along with the power wire for the passing lamps.  First you have to cut the connector off of the turn signal wires.  You will have to make a new one with the provided component’s later. The problem is that the turn signal lamp wires have been sealed in a plastic material that adheres to them.  You cannot just simply pull that sheath off to expose the wires and with the sheath on it is too big to fit through the bracket hole with the passing lamp power.  And its not just a hole, its a 6 inch long little hole you’ve got to push all the wires through.  I had to take a utility knife and very carefully slice the sheath off the turn signal wires without cutting through to the copper.  This picture is before cutting the connector off to feed the cables through the new lamp bracket.  You can kind of see how the wires are sealed inside a plastic sheath.  That sheath had to be split carefully with a utility knife along the entire length to get the wires out.

10) Here you are supposed to put this wire sheath on now that you have the bracket work finished.  But, the wire sheath Harley gives you is HUGE, as in it could go over 15+ wires, and its not shrink tubing!  Horrible.  I went to Auto Zone and bought a roll of shrink fit tubing and covered them properly from the exposure point on the bracket all the way up to where I had to build the new connector.

11) Install passing light assembly on forks

12) Build the new connector.  This means stripping the jacket off about 1/8″ of the end of all 4 wires for each turn signal and passing lamp. Then your supposed to crimp the provided pins on the wire and snap them into the new connector.  I soldered mine on instead to insure good contact.  Then stick the pins in the correct positions in the new connector and reconnect to the feed in the fairing.  This is where you get the power for the passing lamps.  There is an extra grey wire on the feed connector that is originally unused which is now used for the passing lamps.

13) Try them out before finishing re-assembly.

14) Re-install front of fairing and windshield.

15) Wash the bike.  (Why not right?)

The installation took 3 hours start to finish and that included my trip to Harley to find out about the power feed.  Not bad for not having done it before.  They look great and work great.  It really shoots light out to the sides which is great for safety.  On my morning commute to work which is always in the dark I can come up right beside a car and see the light from them lighting up the driver.

Albany & Fort Griffin

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Destination: Albany & Fort Griffin

This weekend was perfect timing for a nice day long ride with temperatures peaking at 92 degrees!  You could not have asked for a better day.  Cowtown Motorcycle Group planned a trip to Albany, TX with a historical stop at Fort Griffin.  Once again, Cowtown did not disappoint!  It was a perfectly planned and executed ride with wonderful stops and historical content added. Again I met some more riders who were very sociable and friendly.  For the second time riding with the group I felt completely welcomed and comfortable. Everyone has been real and true to character. In all honesty this group is simply “Amazing”.

We met at 8:00 and took off around 8:30am.  The sun was behind our backs heading to our destinations and on our backs when returning.  Gotta love that!  It was a bit windy but not so bad as to spoil the ride.  The group was 17 bikes strong this time.  We had a combination of road types on this trip, highways, farm and market roads, little back roads, and even some dirt roads rounded out the experience.  If you had a preference on type of roads, this ride would meet your expectations.  We got back into Fort Worth around 7pm. It was a dawn to dusk ride tallying in over 300 miles for the day.

After a couple of stops along the way we stopped to have lunch at the IceHouse in Albany.  Historically it was an old ice house that has been converted into a restaurant.  We visited the courthouse area and some replicas of older building styles that would have been around during the founding of the city.  After that we headed out to Fort Griffin.  Windell, one of the organizers, had researched the old fort and gave us a very informative history account about the place upon arrival.  We also visited some replicas of the buildings that once stood at the fort.  The jailhouse was the original masonry and stood in the same place as when it was first built.  Definitely not the type of jails were used to seeing in our modern civilization.

On the trip home something happened to my GoPro video cam.  It locked up completely.  I couldn’t even turn the thing off without taking the battery out, and after doing that, it wouldn’t turn on!  Because of this setback I was unable to record the beautiful scenery for part of the route home.  Fortunately none of the previous footage taken was lost and I was able to make a video of the majority of the ride. After researching the problem with the camera I found out it is a common issue and most people had to contact GoPro and get a replacement.  “Sigh”, looks like Ill have to deal with that this upcoming week.

Fork Fix

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I had to take off work this Wednesday for personal reasons and decided to work on the forks to get that gushing leak fixed.  We wouldn’t want Margaret to be parted from practicing too long. Honestly, I was apprehensive before getting down to work on this task.  I know its messy and the bike is old so parts are difficult to come by if something goes wrong and breaks.

We began by raising the front end with a floor jack and a 2×4 under the frame. Then we removed the calipers and zip tied them to the frame to keep them out of the way.  Doing this prevents having to drain the brake fluid and bleeding the brakes when reassembling.  Then off came the wheel and fender.  I removed the fork oil drain plug from the left side and then realized we had not taken any pictures.I drained most of the fork oil out of the left side on this picture.  There wasn’t much oil left.  Each fork takes 11.9 fl. oz. and there was barely enough in there to even coat the bottom of the oil pan.

This one is from the top cap looking down into the fork before removing it from the bike.  It’s easier to get the cap off while the fork is still secured before removing it from the bike.

And finally, the fork is out, now drained completely and ready to remove the old seal and slide the new one on, fill them with fork oil, and put them back on the bike.

Total time from start to finish for both forks was just under 3 hours.  Not bad, they work great and don’t leak anymore.  I also raised them an extra 1.5 inches in the triple tree so it would lower the bike a bit and hopefully give her a bit more foot on the ground when coming to a stop.  By doing this I also lost 1.5 inches in suspension travel but were not riding the bike hard and it would be difficult to bottom them out anyways.This weekend is supposed to be up to 80 degrees and I am looking forward to using the entire time dedicated to riding.  Saturday I have another ride with Cowtown Motorcycle Group and its about a 300 mile ride. Sunday looks like a good day to get Margaret back out for some more practice.  Our HOG chapter is having a skills day on Sunday so were going to take the Kawasaki out there to have some company while she practices.

New blog reports from all of this will be coming soon!

Fork Failure

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We went out again for Margaret to get some practice in last Sunday afternoon.  Temperatures were in the high 60’s which in my mind is a sign that we should be doing some sort of riding and not waste away the day drowning in the sofa and gurgling at the TV.  So off we went to the practice parking lot to progress some more.  It had been a couple of weeks since she rode due to cold and rainy weather so we started her off easy to get accustomed to the basics again.  This just wasn’t her day though.  She couldn’t get her confidence level up for some reason.  She kept walking the bike forward with her legs to get it moving instead of clutching, and was riding about 7 miles per hour.  I could see the hesitation and asked her what was wrong but she said she didn’t know.  After about 10 minutes of trying to get back into it she came to a stop and dropped the bike.  No harm done, but she was very upset so we called it a day and went back home.

All night she kept beating herself up about how badly she had done.  Even the next day she sent me texts about it and finally asked if we could go out for a little while when I got home from work.  She said she didn’t want to wait too long before riding again after having a bad experience for fear that she might give up.

When I got home we headed out on the faithful Kawasaki to the faithful practice parking lot.  She hopped on and took off like she had been riding for months.  Strange.  We didn’t do anything serious this time, just wanting her to build the confidence again.  She did get on the throttle a lot more than usual though while shifting through the gears and started coming out of corners laying on the gas!

During this short practice session, Murphy struck again!  She pulled up, came to a stop, and I just happened to look down at the front left fork.  Oil was gushing out, UGH!  Blew an fork seal.  See how hard she was riding it?!  Hehe, I rode it carefully back home and parked it.  For a bike that is 32 years old things like that are to be expected.  Well let Murphy off the hook this time. I already have the seals from an order I placed from when we put in transmission seals.  Just figured I would see how long the forks would last before tearing them apart.  Yuck, replacing fork seals is a messy job and I wont be looking forward to doing that.

Road to the Toad

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Destination- Cranfills Gap, TX

This time I rode with the Cowtown Motorcycle Group to the Horny Toad Cafe.  It was my first ride with them and I must say the group was fantastic!  Everyone was very welcoming, genuine, and full of life.  I met a bunch of new people that I look forward to spending time and riding with again. The ride was well planned having rest and fuel stops along the way for even the smallest tank.  We had a safety meeting and went over road protocols for safe riding for any new people that might not have much group riding experience.  I was impressed with the group and have already RSVP’d for another ride with them.  If your in the North Texas area, DFW and surrounding areas, I would encourage you to take a ride with the group, you will love it.  I want to make mention that you can ride any brand or style of bike with Cowtown.  It’s about the ride and people, not the type of bike.Jim called me Saturday wanting what I was doing Sunday and I told him I was riding with Cowtown to The Gap.  He was interested and signed up as well.  Jim, Pat, and I met up at a QT to fill up and ride together to the meetup spot.  We met up at the Texas Smokehouse II in Alvaredo with the group.  It was a good turnout, 14 bikes if I remember correctly.

Tempuratures in the early morning were reading 39 when I left the house with the forcast saying 70 for the high.  I bundled up well and headed out to meet Jim and Pat. With the wind chill I was a bit frosty when I got to the QT.  Exposed parts of my body had that hard cold kind of pain you get from extreme cold when riding at speed.  That situation went away quickly though and by the time the group took off for the ride I was able to remove my face mask.  Later it was warm enough to the point I even took off my jacket.  You couldn’t have asked for a more perfect riding day for February than we experienced.

The ride was planned with more than just riding to The Toad though, Randy, the road captain, stopped at a couple of cemeteries along the way to look for resting spots of fallen soldiers so he could add them to his list for the Cowtown Motorcycle Group Memorial Day run.  They go to remote cemeteries and leave flags on the resting places of soldiers that may have been overlooked.  The thoughtfulness of this moved me and gave me a good insight of the heart of this group to be thinking of memorializing forgotten soldiers four months ahead of time.

We did the usual thing that bikers do upon arrival, talk bikes, experiences, laugh, eat, get to know one another, etc. before heading out for the trip home.  I want to throw this little piece of info in before getting to the video of the ride.  Jim made mention that I have only used rock style music in my previous videos.  You see, he is a HUGE fan of country music.  Well my friend! This ones for you! ENJOY!!!

Cowtown Motorcycle Group: Road to the Toad 2013

Margaret Rides Again!

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Yup, this was her 3rd time EVER to ride a motorcycle.  And I have to admit, not because she is my wonderful wife, she did fantastic!

It can be difficult for us seasoned riders to grasp the concerns, fears, and issues that beginning riders have.  We simply let the clutch out, roll on the throttle, let off the brake simultaneously and zoom away clicking up and down our gears without thought.  The new rider however has a completely different perspective on this process.  They are not familiar or acquainted with how all that works together.  They also mentally dwell on each task that needs to be performed just to get the bike moving, all the while being concerned about keeping their balance, tipping, or falling.  To the new rider taking off is like a task list where each action needs to be checked off and accounted for.

1) Slowly release clutch until engagement
2) Slightly roll on throttle
3) Keep my balance
4) What if I let the clutch out too fast?!
5) Let up on brake
6) What if I give too much throttle?!
7) Release more clutch
8) Keep my balance
9) What do I do if I start to fall?!

All these things and more are going through the new riders head and it can easily create a fog of thought that makes it even harder to get started.  New riders will overcome these issues at various levels, some are never able to get past them and consequently, and unfortunately, never ride.

The very first time I took her out to learn to ride she was able to grasp the basics of clutch and brake.  She wasn’t zooming around the parking lot, but she did ride and stop.  I would jog beside her, coach her, and be available in case of emergency. I got my exercises in for sure that day and lost a few pounds!  Only one time did she fall, and fortunately when she started going over, she pulled in the clutch and held it in place to keep the bike from propelling forward.

The second time we went out her skill level went up tremendously.  She just caught on to all of it. By the end of the day she was taking off and stopping without help.  She rode around the parking lot for a couple hours practicing clutching and braking.  She did topple a couple times, once due to popping the clutch and having the bike jolt forward, the other time she came to a stop and turned the handlebars which caused her to topple to that side.  No harm done though, she hopped right off and just let the bike go over.  It was a good experience for her to topple though.  In her own words, “Now I know I can fall over and not necessarily get hurt”.  She had a great fear that falling over automatically meant broken body parts.  Toppling safely helped over come some of her preconceptions about that.

The third time we took her out to practice was totally exciting.  Again she took a huge leap forward in her learning so I began pushing her riding skills.  By the end of the day she was shifting up to third and back down, weaving between buckets (I bought cones for future practices), and coming to quicker stops at a parking lot line.  It was quite impressive and I am very proud of her.

We have gone out a fourth time and again she accelerated her learning and skills. I closed the cone weave to be a bit tighter and had her perform more shifting patterns to accustom her to having to shift more due to traffic situations.  I also shook her up a bit by having her take off facing upwards on a slight incline.  That gave her some problems because she couldnt just let off the brake without rolling backwards.  It did help her learn to feather the clutch with more accuracy though and taking off on an incline is a real world situation that she needs to be able to do.  We’ll be working on that next time as well.

Going back to her third ride, I took the GoPro that day and shot a bit of video of her.  I did it so she could see how well she was doing.  Sometimes its not evident to yourself when your the one riding.  I had fun with the clips and put them into a short video with some music.  Its not some ultra exciting movie but that was not the intention.  I guess I’m just proud of how quickly she is taking to riding.