Terry47147's (aka Gobbler) Motorcycle Blog
Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 12:55 am
Hi all, I'm Terry47147 (aka Gobbler). It's 2009 and I'm 50 years old. I live in Southern Indiana (47147 is my zip code) on a 160 acre farm. I'm retired from the Air Force and I'm finishing my bachelor's degree in Elementary education. I was married for a couple of years back in the 70's, but otherwise I've flown solo for most of my life. I owned a wedding DJ business for many years and when I first retired from the Air Force I bought a little beer bar in Enid, Oklahoma. When my father died, I sold my bar and home in Oklahoma and moved back to the family farm so that my mother wouldn't be living alone out in the country.
I have lived in Hawaii; Wichita Falls, TX; Sicily; Dayton, OH; Saudi Arabia; and, Enid, OK, as well as here on the family farm near New Washington, IN.
Over 23 years ago my HD Sportster was stolen and because of the trauma I swore I would never own another motorcycle. Well, a lot has changed in those years and I have come to realize that just because I lost something doesn't mean that I had to throw out all of my desires.
Two things happened this year that convinced me to get back into motorcycling. First, in April, I had a quadruple bypass. I wasn't feeling bad, just having some pain when I'd be working hard. But I happened to mention it to my doc and within a week I'd had surgery because everything was over 80% blocked. I was lucky in that my heart wasn't damaged.
The second thing that happened was that my best friend, James, came across a '84 Honda V45 and we put it in my garage. Once we had it running I took it for a ride around the yard. That's all it took and I was hooked again.
Now, I know this guy that works on motorcycles. He's somewhat of a loner and everybody around agrees that he's aces when it comes to motorcycles, and just flat-out being a human. So, I gave him a call and sure enough he knew someone that was selling a good starter bike. I called the number he gave me and set up a meeting time.
The farm where Big Boy was at was beautiful. A shady lake by the house and really caring people. Big Boy actually belonged to the people's son. He had gotten married and had adopted a child. While the adoption was being finalized his wife had their own daughter, so they had two babies that were just months apart, which left little time to ride. So, Big Boy had just sat in the Garage collecting dust. Big Boy is a 2000 Honda VLX 600.
When the lady opened the garage, and I saw this bike, I knew I was meant to ride him. Even though he was coated in a year's worth of dust, I could tell that he still looked as good as the day he came off the showroom. Leaned over on his kickstand he simply looked relaxed. His saddlebags looked a little worn, but not worse for the wear. His seat looked inviting. I felt him connecting with me.
I pulled out his choke, turned the key, and pressed his starter button. Big Boy came to life! He was ready for new roads and new adventures.
That was just a little over two weeks ago and in that time Big Boy and I have rode together for almost 1,000 miles. We've been taking it easy, just getting to know each other. It's been many years since I've ridden and we're working through that.
Yesterday, we rode out through the country and included some time on a superslab, and some time on a windy road. All told, we went for 136 miles. My confidence is improving with each ride. I'm feeling less aprehensive and more relaxed, and twisties are becomming fun!
The weather is supposed to be nice this week, and I keep hearing Big Boy tell me that he loves camping, so we might try an overnight trip.
I have lived in Hawaii; Wichita Falls, TX; Sicily; Dayton, OH; Saudi Arabia; and, Enid, OK, as well as here on the family farm near New Washington, IN.
Over 23 years ago my HD Sportster was stolen and because of the trauma I swore I would never own another motorcycle. Well, a lot has changed in those years and I have come to realize that just because I lost something doesn't mean that I had to throw out all of my desires.
Two things happened this year that convinced me to get back into motorcycling. First, in April, I had a quadruple bypass. I wasn't feeling bad, just having some pain when I'd be working hard. But I happened to mention it to my doc and within a week I'd had surgery because everything was over 80% blocked. I was lucky in that my heart wasn't damaged.
The second thing that happened was that my best friend, James, came across a '84 Honda V45 and we put it in my garage. Once we had it running I took it for a ride around the yard. That's all it took and I was hooked again.
Now, I know this guy that works on motorcycles. He's somewhat of a loner and everybody around agrees that he's aces when it comes to motorcycles, and just flat-out being a human. So, I gave him a call and sure enough he knew someone that was selling a good starter bike. I called the number he gave me and set up a meeting time.
The farm where Big Boy was at was beautiful. A shady lake by the house and really caring people. Big Boy actually belonged to the people's son. He had gotten married and had adopted a child. While the adoption was being finalized his wife had their own daughter, so they had two babies that were just months apart, which left little time to ride. So, Big Boy had just sat in the Garage collecting dust. Big Boy is a 2000 Honda VLX 600.
When the lady opened the garage, and I saw this bike, I knew I was meant to ride him. Even though he was coated in a year's worth of dust, I could tell that he still looked as good as the day he came off the showroom. Leaned over on his kickstand he simply looked relaxed. His saddlebags looked a little worn, but not worse for the wear. His seat looked inviting. I felt him connecting with me.
I pulled out his choke, turned the key, and pressed his starter button. Big Boy came to life! He was ready for new roads and new adventures.
That was just a little over two weeks ago and in that time Big Boy and I have rode together for almost 1,000 miles. We've been taking it easy, just getting to know each other. It's been many years since I've ridden and we're working through that.
Yesterday, we rode out through the country and included some time on a superslab, and some time on a windy road. All told, we went for 136 miles. My confidence is improving with each ride. I'm feeling less aprehensive and more relaxed, and twisties are becomming fun!
The weather is supposed to be nice this week, and I keep hearing Big Boy tell me that he loves camping, so we might try an overnight trip.