You know for most sport bike riders the apex of riding is getting your knee down.  Besides chicken strips it’s the measure of just how “GOOD” of a rider you are.  I can still remember the first time I got my knee down. The sound of that plastic scraping across the tarmac.  The shock that “IT” finally happened.  The grin that slowly spread across my face inside my helmet slowly pushing my ears to the back of my head. “I DID IT!”. Of course I had to turn around and do it again, same corner, same speed, knowing that the tires would grip and I could actually repeat something I had prayed I could do for a long time.  And then there’s the walking around where other guys could SEE, that’s right buddy, those pucs have been dragged thru a corner.  

Ya ever been riding with you buds and things are starting to string together. The road is clean and familiar. The bike feels great. You’re one with the machine, you can feel every bump and pebble in the road. Every turn you nail from entry to apex to exit and it feels SOOOOO good. It’s like you’re flying instead of riding. Just about then you start to think how good this feels and you don’t want it to end, but end it does. In the moment of enjoying that perfect ride you lose just a little concentration of what’s going on around you. Let’s just hope it doesn’t end like it does for Pappy and Lu. Make not mistake though, they’ll ride again. 

Remember those little things you were going to do this winter to make your ride just the way you wanted it. You know, you got that one Gel seat you wanted for Xmas or scored that shock on ebay for an absolute killer price because who’s thinking about riding in the middle of winter. What better time to tear into the bike and get some things done. Your buds won’t call asking if you want to meet up down at the cafe, it’s cold outside. Yeah man, fire up the garage heater and spend some quality time with the machine. You didn’t do it did you? That stuff is still sitting on the workbench isn’t it? Well, get busy! It’s not too late! 

Sometimes we get more involved in the little things and forget the big picture.  

Ya gotta love em. The gadget guys. They gotta have it all.  And with the size of their bikes and the volume of their panniers they not only get to have it all they can take it with ‘em too. It’s a long way from when you threw a few things in a knapsack and hit the road.  Heated grips, heated vests, radar, GPS, fresh clothes for a week, stereo systems, and more.  But come on, we luv ‘em. Sooner or later we all end up with a good assortment of gadgets, whether it’s carbon bits on our sportbikes or billet on our cruisers.  Truth be known, I ride with a guy who has radar, heated gloves and vest, chatterbox, MP3, video camera and more on his GSXR.  Man life is good on the road ain’t it.

Who’s the fastest guy you’ve ever rode with?  Maybe some young buck with more guts than brains.  A local racer who always says “Naw, I never go fast on the street, too dangerous. Save it for the track.” But puts you to shame just the same.  Could be a girl who will flat out leaves you in the dust.  But it’s those old guys with the raggedy, scuffed leathers who fly by you on their 20 year old bikes that will really make you wanna hide in shame.   

Yeah, it’s almost as bad as that tire ya just can’t get rid of. OK, maybe worse. Those freakin’ chicken strips, the tell all of who rides a bike even close to the limit. It’s like trying to hide that loud mouth alcolholic aunt who pokes her head into the garage when your buds are over checkin’ out the new bling you just put on the bike. Yellin’, swearin’, cigarette hanging out of the corner of her mouth. Why ME? Why can’t she just go back inside, nope, not gonna happen.  No matter where you go, there they are .  The only place they seem to get lost is after a good day at the track or on that familiar canyon road on a sunny summer day.  And now that summer is almost here we ain’t gonna be eatin’ no more chickenstrips.

I’ve got a riding buddy who can’t stand having chicken strips on his tires for more than a few miles.  But it’s true isn’t it?  They are the tell all, show all who can ride and who can’t.  Who’s going all the way and who’s the big chicken.  There’s no way around it, if you’ve got em we all know how you ride and how daring you are.  OHHHH, but then there is away around it if you’ve got the courage, just buy some take offs from your friendly racer.  Besides it’s for a good cause, someone need to support the guys who don’t have a tire contract yet.  CB HATES chicken strips, Zooks couldn’t care less.