The POW*MIA Rally has ended

We led about two hundred riders on a short but scenic route yesterday then stopped at the Veterans Home to visit the vets for about an hour. Our HOG group provided homemade scones and coffee and all were pleased. In the afternoon the bike rodeo, show and shine, and other activities and last night a concert with two bands. Through it all, a steady stream of visitors arrived to see the Moving Wall. The Wall remains in place today for the public and will be taken down tomorrow. My daughter and I will visit again this afternoon when she gets off of work. My wife visited yesterday and found the name of a high-school classmate who gave all. She was moved.

A personal note and editorial comment. The rally was supported by many local businesses and the local Big Dog dealer, Pocatello Cycle, was a major sponsor. Big Dog sent their truck and tent and numerous new bikes to be displayed at the rally and they were a major and popular presence. The owners of the local Harley Dealership and the parent Idaho Falls dealership did absolutely nothing . Nada. Zip. I was tempted to say "cheap bastards" but as I surveyed the parking lot yesterday with maybe a thousand motorcycles in evidence, the vast majority Harley Davidsons, I'm leaning more towards "dumb bastards." Pocatello Cycle closed down for two days to be at the rally. The absence of the Harley dealer was noticed and even commented on during the opening ceremonies on Saturday. Does the phrase "marketing opportunity" mean anything to these people?

Anyway, the rally was a great time and I can see it growing every year. This is the seventh year and at this rate there will be many more. Here are a few pictures. That POW*MIA flag in the picture was huge, 60' x 30'. Brought down from Minnesota by the T-shirt vendor.

2008 Harleys

Three new models and some new featured. Check out the trick seat on the "Rocker C". Also some 105th Anniversary special paint jobs and gee-gaws on selected models. A new Anti-lock Braking System too. The downside, for me at least, is that it looks like they've done away with my beloved Road King Custom. Video, pics, info here

Keep on keepin on

My Sweet Ride

Is is possible to be in love with a motorcycle? The flowing, sensuous curves placed between my legs, responding with a powerful thrust to my touch, my command. I do love my ride.

Keep on keepin' on

The Three Legged HOG

Several riders and I left Friday afternoon to Ride the first Three Legged HOG Challenge. The three legs come from the three Eastern Idaho chapters that were involved. The Magic Valley Chapter from Twin Falls, the Grand Teton Chapter from Idaho Falls, and my group, the Portneuf Valley Chapter. We all gathered for a meet-and-greet at the Challis Hot Springs resort on the Yankee Fork of the Salmon River. Some camped at the Hot Springs campground while others took advantage of more luxurious accomodations in the nearby town of Challis. My daughter Andrea and I shared a tent.

Saturday Morning after breakfast, about forty bikes staged in Challis and then broke into two riding groups. The Magic Valley crew rode north to Salmon and on up into Montana and then returned. The other two chapters headed west and followed the river down to the Beautiful Stanley Basin below the Sawtooth Range. The is amazing country, equal in beauty in my opinion to the Tetons and Jackson Hole in Wyoming and, while it's not exactly empty, the Stanley Basin does not suffer the heavy tourist traffic of Jackson. After a rest stop in the small town of Stanley ($4.06 for premium) we rode on for a brief stop at beautiful Redfish Lake, then to Smiley Creek Trading Post for lunch. (highly reccomended--good inexpensive food and excellent service). From Smiley Creek we rooled up to Galena Summit where we stopped to enjoy the view. You can see the headwaters of the Salmon from Galena Summit. We then rode down to Ketchum,Idaho and Sun Valley where we mingled with the super-rich for a couple of hours. Then back along the same route to Challis. All of this ride, about 240 miles round trip, rolls through some of the most scenic country in the U.S. with enough curving, winding road to satisfy any rider.

That evening we all gathered at the Hot Springs campground for socializing, cold drinks and a feast of barbecued beef brisket, chicken, and all the trimmings. Needless to say we all had a good time.

Sunday morning we were up and after saying goodbyes, our group went to breakfast in Challis and then took the beautiful ride north to Salmon where we cut back east to Leadore and then across the Northern end of the Arco desert (only bad part of the ride--horrible crosswinds in ugly country) after passing through appropriately named Mud Lake, we jumped on I-15 and headed south for Home. Late lunch in Idaho Falls, then back in Pocatello around six. Altogether we rode about 716 miles. We made many new friends, saw some great country and enjoyed the freedom of the open road, and that friends, is what it's all about. I'm posting a few pictures here.

VTwinBiker.com

Q-Ball over at VTwinBiker.com has published two poems of mine. There is getting to be quite a collection of Biker/Motorcycle poetry over there so check it out.

Keep on keepin' on

I Rode the Three-Legged HOG

Just returned from a 720 mile ride with a few of my friends and bros in the mountains of central Idaho. It was a fantastic weekend of fun. I'll offer more details later. Right now I'm still absorbing and recuperating. I'm a bit tired. Here's couple of pictures of some of my friends against the backdrop of the remarkable Sawtooth Mountains.

Harlcati? Ducavidson?

I picked this up today over at Beatnik Biker. A possible Ducati/ Harley Davidson merger. Evidently there is more to it than just rumor, and thinking about it it kind of makes sense.
HD would benefit from intro into the world market and association with one of the world's finest sport bikes and Ducati might gain financially form access to Harley's excellent procurement system. Of course it jsut talke right now and any merger would probably take a while to happen. The article said three years. The Kneeslider also has a complete report on this possible merger along with the fascinating statistic that "... half of all Ducati owners in the U.S. also own a Harley." Wow! Maybe some of the more strident critics of Harley riders are going to have to rethink what they think they know about us.

I know of one dealership that might be happy. Montana Harley Davidson in Missoula, MT is already an authorized Ducati dealer. Has been for years. They just moved into a beautiful new facility earlier this year. I first visited visited their store about seven years ago and I stopped in to look around a few weeks ago. Seems that, in Missoula at least, Harley and Ducati already go hand-in-hand.

I read an article somewhere else today( sorry, the source escapes me now) about Harley Davidson eliminating several models in 2008 in favor of water-cooled bikes. The models mentioned included my beloved Road King Custom. Some will cheer this move of course but "old school" purists are already screaming. The move has something to do with meeting Federal emissions guidelines. I'll tell you more when I know more.

Keep on keepin' on

ACE Cycle Car.

Up in Seattle a company called Liberty Motors manufactures a three wheeled car called the ACE. It looks a heckuva lot like the old Morgan three wheelers manufactured from 1910-1952, but this one is powered by a Harley V-Twin. Way Cool!

Keep on Keepin on!

National Motorcycle Museum

Win this Bike
Win this cool custom panhead bobber in a raffle being conducted by the National Motorcycle Musueum in Anamosa, Iowa. Tickets can be bought online and are only $5 apiece or six for $25. I visited the NMM in Anamosa( also the hometown of J&P Cycles) this past summer and it is a worthwhile cause. Some cool stuff there including the original Easy Rider Chopper and some fantastic antiques and collectables. Well worth the trip. Anamosa is in east central IA, not far from Ames.

Rolling Stoned

Far to many bikers see their motorcycles as great bar-to-bar transportation. Back in 1999, Motorcycle Cruiser magazine did a great story on an experiment they conducted with a group of riders and varying amounts of alcohol. It's a story well worth revisiting. Don't get me wrong. I'm no teetotaler, but I do want to get home alive and I want the same for you. Read it and think.

I luvs dem Baggers

Picked up these pictures of cool baggers over at VTwin Biker.com, a site worth your time. I do love baggers.

A Green Harley?

I know. The bike pictured here is blue, but I'm not talking color. I'm talking "green" as in environmentally sound and clean. The Hog Blog,
(I stole the picture there) has more info and some links. Check it out. Seems that it runs on electricity and uses a biodiesel engine to charge the batteries.

Custom MotorcycleTalk by Beachcruiser

The good folks over at Custom Motorcycle Talk by Beachcruiser have shown their good tatste by posting my rant, What's a Biker. Aside from their obvious discerning wisdom, they have a great motorcycle site over there and you should visit them

While we are on the subject of good and interesting sites, check out Ric Riccardi's Celebrity Build TV, a custom bike building show that airs on Fox Sports NE and on sattelite. Cool stuff