Bikers Have Big...Hearts!

Santa briefs Toy Run Participants

I was reminded on Saturday during our annual Toy Run that bikers have big hearts and despite their sometimes-rough appearance, they are good people.  It’s sad that society as a whole tends to judge people by the way they look and dress.  Based on my experience (limited as it may be), I find those who ride are some of the kindest most generous people I know.  Even the toughest motorcycle clubs and 1%’ers give back to their communities by helping raise funds for all types of charitable causes.  Less than two-weeks ago a group of Hell’s Angels members waited in line 5 days to buy bikes on Black Friday to give to needy kids in Fresno, California…proving even the baddest aren’t always bad.

Loaded and Ready to Go

I’m encouraged when I see a group of bikers working together for a good cause…like the annual Toy Run.  Saturday was cold and it looked like the sky could open-up any minute, but almost 60 braved the weather to participate.  On the road, the group stretched out for more than a ¼ mile as Santa led the way to three pick-up points in the New Braunfels/Canyon Lake area.  Even though the weather wasn’t the best, everyone was in good spirits and eagerly gathered toys then bungee’d them to their bikes and stuffed them into saddlebags and tour-paks.  Once the bikes were loaded, the overflow was packed into a cargo trailer. It didn’t matter if you rode a Honda, a Harley, or a Spyder…everyone worked together knowing they were doing something good. The toys and money collected will be distributed through the local Sherriff’s office and will hopefully brighten more than a few faces this Christmas. This holiday season and throughout the year, I will always be thankful that bikers have big hearts! 

Do you have a story about big-hearted bikers?  If so, please share it.  With all the craziness going on in the world, it’s nice to celebrate the positive.   Until next time -- Live Free. Ride Hard. Be Happy!

Lies Your Ol' Lady Tells You

Note: The use of "ol' lady" is not intended to be disrespectful or derogatory towards women. In the biker community it's used as slang to describe your significant other.

Lie #1 - “Sure babe, it’s comfy back here, let’s do another 100 miles.”

Riding pillion on most motorcycles isn’t very comfortable and on some it’s down-right painful. Nevertheless, there they sit, arms wrapped around us with a smile on their face.  Women who ride two-up, especially on smaller bikes, should be commended.  The next time you hear this lie start looking for a good place to pull-over because what she’s really saying is, “Damn, I love you but my butt is on fire and I need to get off this bike now!”

Lie #2 - “Of course, I think your belly’s sexy.”

What did you expect her to say?  She loves you too much to tell you, “No, your belly’s not sexy.  The truth is you’re a fat mother fu*%er who needs to eat less and hit the gym…a lot.”  Sadly, there are quite a few Harley riders out there (myself included) that are all too comfortable believing this lie.  Every now and then, we need to hear the truth…even if it hurts.

Lie #3 - “Your beard? I love it. Every time I see it, I just want to kiss your whole face.”

Yeah, beards are cool and they give you a rugged, bad-boy look but she isn’t really excited about kissing your bearded face.  She tells you that crap because she loves you.  The whole time you’re making out she’s thinking, “God, please don’t let me find left-overs from dinner last night.  That would be so gross…ewww.”  Ever wonder if you’d get more lovin if you were clean shaven?

Lie #4 - “You can refer to me as your ‘Ol' Lady’ anytime.”

 Although she won't embarrass you in front of your friends for calling her that , you can bet if she's over 30 she's thinking to herself, "If he ever calls me that again in public, I'm going to stick my spiked heel motorcycle boot so far up his butt he’ll need a tow truck to pull it out.”  

Or maybe, just maybe, the next time you’re out, she’ll make a really big deal and introduce you as her “Fat Mother Fu*%er.”  Love is a funny thing isn’t it?

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If you’ve been told, or have told, a little lie like the ones above, I’d like to hear them.  Who knows, sometime in the future I might post an update and add to the list.  Until then, Live Free. Ride Hard. Be Happy! ☺

Life Lesson...Don't Become Your Own Worst Enemy

If you’ve noticed, I haven’t been posting much lately…the reality is I’ve been busier than normal at work and at home I’ve been focused on building my grandson a motorcycle rocker. The time I’ve spent in my shop has been enjoyable, but it’s left little time to write, ride, or take photographs. I miss those things. Unfortunately, it’ll be a while longer before I can fully get back to them. When I started working on the rocker seven weeks ago, I had hoped to finish it as a present for my grandson’s first birthday. That didn’t happen.

Last Friday at midnight, after making a 17-hour push to finish, I realized   there was still too much to do to have it ready for his birthday party that   Sunday. The realization was devastating. I was so disappointed with myself for not having started sooner or working harder. I felt as though I was letting him down. I felt guilty…I had completed special gifts for his sisters for their first birthdays, but he’d have nothing from me on his special day. I was a bad grandpa and not in a funny, Johnny Knoxville, kind of way.

Core of the Motorcycle Rocker

Sherry and I left for San Angelo on Saturday morning with the motorcycle rocker laying in pieces all around my shop. It was a sad sight and I still felt bad for not finishing, but in the light of a new day, I knew everything would be okay. When we opened the door at my daughter and son-in-law’s house, we were greeted by our three smiling grandchildren. Not one of them seemed concerned with the absence of a shiny new motorcycle rocker. They just seemed happy that we were there. That made me feel good.

One Happy 1 Year Old

On Sunday at the party, my grandson received so many gifts that he didn’t know what to look at or play with first. He was happier than a pig in slop. At that moment, I knew he wasn’t missing anything by not having a motorcycle rocker built by his “Pop-Pop”. His feelings weren’t hurt. He didn’t care about what he didn’t have because he was focused on what was right in front of him. All my worrying and beating myself up had been pointless. At the end of the day, the only person who had been concerned about finishing by a certain calendar date was me (okay, and maybe my wife).

Part of the Front Wheel Assembly

Later that day on the drive back to San Antonio, I felt a sense of relief. Gone was the self-imposed pressure to hurry-up and finish…and the guilt for not finishing in time for the birthday party. After some much needed reflection, I realized over the past several weeks I’d become my own worst enemy. I grossly underestimated the time, complexity, and effort involved in building the rocker and ignored my wife’s early reminders to get started. Once started, I didn’t realistically evaluate my progress and pushed myself until I could no longer deny that it wasn’t going to be ready. I focused so much on finishing that I lost sight of what it really means to Live Free, Ride Hard, and Be Happy.

I don’t know how much longer it’ll take to complete the rocker but I do know I won’t be so laser focused as to neglect other things that bring me joy and happiness. I’ll stop being my own worst enemy and enjoy taking the time needed to build a custom “bike” my grandson can proudly hand down to his children one day. After all, a well-built motorcycle (rocker) should last for several generations, right?

I hope you never become your own worse enemy and lose sight of what it means to Live Free, Ride Hard, and Be Happy!

Riding River Road...Life Lessons

Have you ever noticed that sometimes things become so familiar that you fail to appreciate them?  It occurred to me on Sunday while riding River Road in New Braunfels, Texas that maybe I had begun to take this stretch of asphalt for granted.

River Road starts about a mile from the Gruene Harley-Davidson dealership off State Loop 337 and winds its way along the Guadalupe River, crossing it four times before reaching FM 2673 in Sattler. With tree-lined banks of cypress, maple, sycamore, and sumac, it’s one of the most scenic routes in the area.  Depending on the time of the year, you can ride in almost complete solitude or be stuck in traffic as tubers and tourists flood the area.

I remember how I felt the first time I made the 12.9 mile journey.  I was excited and nervous at the same time.  It was quite the experience slowly making my way around the many twists and turns as part of a Gruene Chapter HOG ride.  The views of the river and the bluffs overlooking it were absolutely spectacular…that is, when I actually felt comfortable enough to take my eyes off the road and the rider in front of me. The way the air smelled and the light danced through the trees was almost magical. It was an adventure, maybe not a grand-adventure, but an adventure still.

I’ve ridden River Road many times since then. On Sunday, I realized that sometime between then and now the road felt different…it’s magic and allure had faded with familiarity.  I no longer anticipated its curves or river crossings; I knew where they were and what to expect. The sense of surprise and wonder of that first ride were gone. I felt a sense of sadness at this revelation and wondered what had changed.  Was it the road or was it me?

After a little reflection, I knew the road hadn't changed but that my outlook and attitude had. Since that first ride I had stopped looking for the extraordinary along the route. The road was just as exciting as it ever was, I had just stopped seeing it. In a way, River Road is a metaphor for life. No matter how many curves our lives throw us and how exciting things are we have a tendency to want more...so much so that we become blind to what is right under our noses.

On the way home, I decided to resist letting things become too familiar. I decided to look for the extraordinary in all things...and to stop every now and then to appreciate what I have and what I have done. River Road helped me to better understand what it means to Live Free and Ride Hard.

To view my River Road route click on the Where Did He Go? link.