Bike Night At Quaker Steak & Lube

Here in the Omaha/Council Bluffs area, Quaker Steak & Lube has a weekly motorcycle night that regularly attracts several hundred motorcycle enthusiasts for food, drinks and fun.

I had the opportunity to go to the Bike Night on Wednesday the 5th of August with some neighbors and friends of mine. We had 4 motorcycles in our convoy - my bike, a Victory, a Fat Boy, and an Ultra Classic.

The ride over was great, and the first time I'd really ridden with a group. We stayed in staggered formation the whole way from Elkhorn to Council Bluffs and had no problems.

We arrived pretty early - around 5 or so - and managed to score some good parking up front. There wasn't much of a crowd to begin with, but the parking lot was sectioned off for the motorcycles - if you had a car, you were kind of out of luck, because you had to walk a ways.

ID checks were done on the front patio, with wristbands given to those eligible. I had a kamikaze and called it a night, drinking-wise.

We went inside to eat when the band got started, but I managed to get a bunch of pictures of the event. Here they are, in no particular order:

It was a great night, Quaker Steak and Lube made a point of having enough security on hand to keep everything running smoothly, the food was good and the people were friendly. After we left (a bit early, to take advantage of the remaining daylight) we had a nice 45 minute ride through Iowa's trees.

I'm looking forward to taking the wife with me next time we go.

Family Trip To Kansas City Made Even Better By Riding My Harley There And Back

It had been a while since the family had gone anywhere together, so my wife decided that it would be a great idea to have the family drive down to Kansas City, rent three family rooms at Great Wolf Lodge and enjoy four days both there and at Worlds of Fun.

Of course, the first thing that popped into my head when she brought this idea up to me was:

Oh, hey. I could ride my new Harley down there.

Now, I wanted to ride the Harley because it would be fun, because I hadn't been on a real "long ride" before and because I wanted to see how a Harley-Davidson touring class bike really "toured."

I didn't want to ride the bike because a nearly 3-hour trip with a 5-year-old, a 3-year-old and a 8-month-old in a confined vehicle would be crazy. That wasn't on my mind at all.

I swear.

So I brought the idea up with the woman in charge, and somehow, my awesome wife agreed to let me ride the Harley down to Kansas City, following them the entire way.

On the morning of our trip, our entire party loaded up 4 vehicles with 9 people and luggage - a Durango, a mid-sized sedan, a Honda CRV and my 2009 Road King Classic. Everything went smoothly, which was a surprise in a way and wasn't a surprise in another way - my wife's a master of organization.

To say that I was looking forward to this ride was an understatement. I've never taken a long trip on a motorcycle, the longest being about an hour ride from Tecumseh to Omaha on my father-in-law's Honda Shadow Aero.

Since we started out at 9:20 on a Sunday morning, the traffic was light. That, combined with the great weather, put me in a damn good mood and I settled into the saddle of my 2009 Road King Classic for a good long ride.

I will admit that after about an hour of riding, I started to get a little sore.

After a few minutes more, I wanted to pull over for a bit.

I just couldn't get comfortable! I'd move around on the seat a bit, trying to adjust the pressure points for comfort's sake - but nothing worked for long. I tried standing on the footrests, lifting my legs, resting them on the engine guards. At most, I'd have 5 minutes of comfortable riding before I had to move again.

I think that if I had gone and picked up some decent highway footrests, I would have been a lot more comfortable on the ride down.

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My Week Of Riding From The 11th To The 17th Of July

Saturday was a good day to ride the Harley. A little overcast but with nothing falling from the sky, it was the kind of weather that makes for interesting scenery as you chug along. I took the bike to Owen and Logan's t-ball game, following behind the wife as she drove the Durango. She did not want me to do this, but she had no choice, as I am the man.

Here's the bike as it sat in the driveway, waiting for the wife to come home:

Once I got home, it was time to get ready for work.

The weather in Omaha is...mercurial.

It changes, often quickly.

Quick changes in the weather can make my ride home not fun, so that's why I check the weather before I go. If there's a significant chance for rain on my ride home, I'll take the car.

No rain in the forecast for Saturday, so I took the bike.

There was rain in the forecast for Sunday, so I took the car, despite the fact that Sunday nights are the best day for riding home. Nobody on the road, nobody out drinking on a Sunday night, perfect riding conditions.

And, of course, it didn't rain like the weatherguys said it would.

So, despite the fact that there was a slight chance of rain in the forecast for Monday, I took the bike to work.

After I got home, I noticed that my new bike was creeping towards a nice, round number. A milestone, if you will.

I didn't get a chance to ride to work that next day, and I took off Wednesday, so I just rode the bike over to my mom's house on Thursday, following the wife as she carted the kids in the Durango.

When I got there, I got there.

Just got my first bill from the Harley credit guys, and I can say with all my heart that the 2009 Road King Classic I bought was worth every penny. I'm loving each day I get to ride it.

Riding To Work From July 5th To The 7th

We had a beautiful week for riding motorcycles here in Omaha, so I took advantage of it as often as possible.

I missed riding to work on the 4th of July due to the fact that it was a holiday weekend and I figured there'd be more than the usual amount of idiots on the road - especially when I was riding home at 11:20 at night. So the first time I rode this week was the 5th - Sunday.

Awesome day. Sky was clear, not too hot, not a lot of traffic. I took my time and enjoyed it.

The ride home was especially nice. Almost nobody on the road, so I could relax and enjoy the ride more without having to match speeds with traffic.

Same riding atmosphere for Monday the 6th of July - a little more traffic, but that meant I could change lanes a bit more. The Road King Classic is riding like a Cadillac. It doesn't have much in the way of lean, but it's as stable as anything I've ever ridden.

I was a bit more rushed on the 7th. I intended to try out my other helmet - a 3/4 Harley Davidson Jet II helmet that I'd bought a while back from Holstein's Harley.

After I was all suited up and ready to go, I put on the Jet II and rode to work.

A few things I liked about the Jet II:

• It feels like it would protect better if the bike goes down
• It cuts down wind noise
• The face shield protects against bugs and rocks
• It would be great in the rain

Yeah, it feels more solid than the 1/2 helmet that I have. Right after I got on the interstate, I was hit by a small rock or a large bug - right in the face. If I hadn't had the faceshield, it might have hurt a bit. As it was, I just saw it, it hit, and then it was gone. No harm, no foul.

The wind noise was very different while I had the Jet II on. I hit 75 miles per hour without even blinking twice, and it felt like I was moving along at about 40 miles per hour. About a 30 mile per hour difference there.

A few things I didn't like about the Harley Davidson Jet II:

• It cuts my hearing down by at least 60-70 percent
• You can't feel the ride as much

Wearing the Jet II made me feel like I had a pair of earmuffs over my ears, it cut down the noise so much. It wouldn't be so bad if there were maybe...earholes...or something. Like a football helmet. My wife says that would look really, really silly, but she has a white and turquoise half-helmet that looks like it came out of a Barbie catalog, so what does she know?

After riding with the Jet 2 helmet, I didn't think it cut down my vision at all, but I did feel like I wasn't part of the ride. There was a definite disconnect between me and the road that I didn't like at all.

I'll be sticking with the half-helmet in the future, unless the rain is coming down.

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More Women Riding Motorcycles Than Ever

If you're like me, you've been trying to get your wife to try riding her own motorcycle for a change instead of sitting on the back of yours.

Some people manage it, others don't. For those who have succeeded in getting your wife on a motorcycle of her own, you're not alone.

I came across a great story featured in the El Paso Times this afternoon and had to share it with my readers - who may or may not be surprised by the numbers shown in the article.

Apparently the Motorcycle Industry Council has released statistics showing that more than 5.75 million women have made the move from the passenger's seat to behind the handlebars.

From the article:

Tim Buche, who represents the Motorcycle Industry Council, Specialty Vehicle Institute of America, and Motorcycle Safety Foundation, said that in 1998, the percentage of women riders in the U.S. was only 8.2 percent, but it rose to 9.6 percent in 2003 and 12.3 percent in 2008. Even more significant, of about 2.5 million people who rode motorcycles in the United States in 2008, 23 percent - or 5.75 million - were women.

Very nice! I would imagine that more of those women would be in their 40's or older, especially with the cost of entry barrier that a Harley has, but those more mature women can hopefully lead the way for their younger counterparts.

From the article:

Cindy Barba said she enjoys the independence that riding a motorcycle gives her. According to Barba, "We are a small group and we help support each other," she said. "I am a single mother, so this is my time, this is my hobby, this is my alone time. All these girls are doing the same thing. This is their time on the bike and we all share the same interest, just being out there on our own with the wind in our face."

Sounds good to me. The more people that are on the road with two wheels, the better off all motorcycle enthusiasts.

Link to Original Story: Worlds colllide: More women taking to road on motorcycles

First Week With My New Harley Absolutely Rocked

After riding my 2009 Road King Classic into work for a week, I have come to the conclusion that it's the best way to get to work I can think of. I've actually been looking forward to going to work, because I get to ride the bike there.

Of course, when I'm there I can think of nothing but when I get to leave and ride home...

I filled up the gas tank on Sunday the 28th of June. Love the flush-mounted gas caps, especially since the fuel level is nicely presented in blue LED's on the left. When I stopped for gas, I had to take a few pictures. And yes, the iPhone camera sucks and blurred most of my pictures, so here is the best one:

From what I can tell, people seem to like the bike as much as I do. Quotes from co-workers went along a pretty constant line:

• That's a sweet-ass bike.
• I've so got to get a motorcycle, man.
• I love the color of your new bike.
• The vote is unanimous. That's a nice bike, but it's far too nice for you.

Problems?

When I originally came home at night, I had to get off the motorcycle and use the keypad to open the garage door, then start up the bike again and wheel it inside. Since the motorcycle is a bit loud, there's a good chance I'll be waking up the baby - at which point the wife will go to sleep and make me stay up with the baby.

I need some easy way to open the garage door while I'm approaching the house. I'm open to ideas. Until I figure something out, I'll keep the car's garage door opener in my jacket pocket. I just feel around for the button through my jacket and press it.
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My First Ride To Work

Rode into work on Saturday.

I'd already ridden for about an hour that morning.

I made a quick stop to check out the new Dillon Yamaha/Honda/Suzuki/Kawasaki dealership that opened up today right next to the Dillon Brothers Harley-Davidson dealership.

I quickly realized a few things:

• Don't let your shirt hang open while you ride. Button it up. Sucks at highway speeds to have your shirt blowing around.
• Secure saddlebags before you go.
• I need the Detachable Solo Luggage Rack ASAP.
• If you have the Harley Profile Sunglasses/Goggles, don't forget to bring the case containing the clear lenses for the ride home at 11 at night.

Great ride home. Lots of fun. I went the long way, via surface streets and took my time.

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