The great ones seem to leave us too soon.

IT'S ALIVE!!!!!!

I thought this dirty old bike would fight back tooth and nail when we tried to bring her to life. Once J.J. figured the wiring out she came to life like she had only been parked a three or four days, not three or four years. I really can't believe how nice the bike runs too. For a bike with such a bad reputation and that had been neglected like this one had, it's hard to believe that she runs at all. Well I guess this is where all the fun starts. Now I can get to the business of taking her down to her bloomers and addressing all the rust and corrosion. Hey Red, here is the video you requested. Used a little slight of hand, it really didn't start after sitting all that time with one kick. We got her up and running and all warmed up before putting the boot to her. But when J.J. did, she did start with one kick.


Till Next Time.................

Episode 10 San Diego

This week Jason and the boys are in San Diego and will be stopping by the USS Recruit/Nimitz Bridge, Grand Horton Hotel, Gas Lamp District, Shelter Island, Harbour Island, Tuna Harbor, Ocean Beach Pier. Only on SPEED, check your local listings for air times.

Pretty Freakin' Nice

Check out what Jason of Vintage Customs did with his XS500. If you get a chance, check out his bikes. That boy got the talent.



This bike is currently for sale on ebay.

Till Next Time...........

And Now For Something Completely Different

I not only love motorcycles, I also am very fond of bicycles. While watching a program on PBS called Under The Radar Michigan, they profiled a unique furniture maker named Andy Gregg. Andy had been a bicycle mechanic for quite some time when he came up with the idea to make furniture out of used up bikes. Well, he not only had a damn good idea, he turned out to be one hell of an artist as well. His furniture creations are nothing short of art works. His shop is located in Marquette Michigan, one of the best cities in Michigan (if you ever get the chance, you'll love it there). Andy's shop is a great reason to plan a trip there.
If you can't find an opening in your Filofax to visit Andy's store, the are a couple of ways to buy his creations. First you can stop by his website Bike Furniture Design. Call them at (906) 361-2483, drop them a line at Bike Furniture Design P.O. Box 11 Marquette, MI 49855. Send them a email at info@bikefurniture.com. Any way you slice it, it is worth checking out his unique furniture.

Till Next Time...........

This weeks Stealth Rider focuses on New Orleans. The boys visit Lower 9th Ward, Mardis Gras World, Lafayette Cemetery, Bourbon Street, Canal Street. Check your local listings for air times in your neck of the woods.

Flying Pilgrims R/C Club

My Nephew belongs to a giant scale R/C club called the Flying Pilgrims. They have a yearly two day airshow and usually have a pretty good turnout. This years shows were hampered a bit by the weather. Yesterday, was pretty much a rain out, today the wind was blowing 20-30mph so quite a few of the pilots were understandably gun shy. I attended last year and there was quite a bit of action including someone destroying his B-17. The weather seemed to limit the field of participating fliers, I really missed the helicopters, however a hawk showed up and seemed interested in the warbirds that were flying with him. Despite the weather I did get a couple of shots of few planes whose pilots were brave enough to send them up. Due to their size and speed, these planes make for a difficult subject. I used my 300mm lens and focused manually. Here are a couple of shots from the show.

Episode 8 Preview

This week the boys are in Houston and are hangng it out at the Enron Building, Sabine Street Bridge, George R Brown Convention Center, Jones Plaza. You a can catch the action tonight at 8:00pm Eastern on SPEED.

Man it's Been Hot

I don’t need to tell y’all it has been like a lake of fire out there this summer. This hot and humid weather pattern has prompted me to do something I thought I would never do. I have forsaken my traditional leather jacket for a textile hide. Now as I have stated before, I’m not a all the gear all the time kind if rider. But I do like to have some protection in the way of jacket, gloves and helmet. I’m also kind of a traditionalist and really like my old worn leather better than any other piece of gear I own.
This summer changed all that. It has just been way too hot to wear my leather on a regular basis. I guess I could have, but I would have been sopping wet everywhere I went and would have went through a fifty five gallon drum of Old Spice grooming products. With the fear of alienating every one I came within a nose shot from, I knew action needed to be taken. So I picked myself up a Joe Rocket Phoenix 5.0 textile jacket in black. I sat by the door wringing my hands in eager anticipation of the UPS truck to come to a halt in front of my house. I sprinted to meet my surprised delivery man and snatched the package out of his grip like a line backer stripping the ball out of the hands of the running back he just leveled. I ripped the package open like a five year old at Christmas. What I found inside was a well built light weight jacket with a removable liner for those cold mornings and armor in all the right places.
I quickly slipped it on and headed for the garage. I found that the mesh of the jacket let the air pass through like a summer breeze through a open window. With it’s light weight you barely know you are wearing it. The CE approved shoulder and elbow armor along with the dual density back pad gives you confidence that you're protected in the event you find yourself sliding down the road.There also is reflective piping across the front and back and down both sleeves so you don’t disappear into the night. Another neat feature is the sunglass pocket built into the left front just inside the zipper. It is fleece lined so it won’t scratch your favorite pair of shades.
So far I am happy with the Phoenix 5.0. It’s comfortable and light, offers the protection I was looking for and won’t empty your bank account. I ordered mine from Riders Discount for $157.49 not a bad price and also a Michigan based supplier. All in all I am pretty damn happy with this jacket and wear it all the time. I’m not going to completely kick my old leather to the curb. I will still wear it when the cooler temps of fall and spring arrive. I still love that old jacket, while I may stray from it when the when the summer temps threaten to cook me like a pig on a spit. It will still have a place among the gear I utilize in my day to day riding. I just will be spending a bit more time with my new found riding partner.

Till Next Time...................

Only in Detroit