DATE: 23 Dec 2007, 8:23 pm / MOOD: Elated

Santa Claus brought me a Victory Vision this year. He must've needed room in the sled, cause I got it last week....

(I got the best hubby in the world.....)

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DATE: 12 Jul 2007, 8:04 pm / MOOD: Eager to ride

Well, my hubby, Black Wing, and I arrived in Bar Harbor, ME today to begin our journey with the Kyle Petty Charity Ride acroos AMerica, to raise funds for the Victory Junction Gang Camp. We will journey through to Hollywood, Fl over the next seven days. Some stops include Woodstock, VT, Saratoga Springs, NY, Gettysburg, Hot Spring, VA, the camp itself, in Randleman, NC, Augusta, GA, St. Augustine, FL, and then, finally, the Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, FL.

We look forward to the journey over the next week. Come to one of the stops, bring some spare change for the spare change side car! Say Hi! (I'll have my pink on and I am on the only Honda ST 1300 on the ride!)

Here is the ride route:

http://www.kylepettycharityride.com/route.php

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DATE: 16 May 2007, 8:22 pm / MOOD: Elated

Well, I did it.... I traded in my beloved pink pinstriped 2003 VTX 1300  and my 599 for a brand spanking new 2006 VTX 1800 Neo today! My hubby bought one last fall. I've ridden it several times and loved it. My 1300 X hasn't been running right ever since it was wrecked last fall. I had it in the shop several times, but they still couldn't figure it out. Getting frustrated that I couldn't ride it more than 40 miles without it giving me major fits, I decided to trade it in. Now, we have 'matching' bikes (somewhat....). I have a Hypercharger and Power Commander ready to put on it now. I have Roadhouse Dooleys, Tsukayu bags, Lindby crashbars, a Corbin seat and a Memphis Shades Hell Cat shield all on order, to be here within the week. I rode about 100 miles today. Woo hoo! What a blast!!! I'm leaving in the morning to go out of town for a week. I can't wait to get home and ride my new baby!!!

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DATE: 17 Jan 2007, 7:17 am / MOOD: Disappointed

Argghh! I took my brand new ST out for it's first fun run on Monday, MLK Day (I picked it up last Wed....). I rode it about 140 miles, not dogging it, just a pleasant run from NW Savannah, GA, to Beaufort, SC, and back, the back way. It got up to about 77 degrees F here that day. I kept thinking that my knes were feeling warm.... but, not being familiar with the bike and the unseasonably warm weather, I just kept an eye on the temp. guage (It never got into the red..). When I pulled into my garage, it had blue gray smoke pouring out from it! My huband was out riding with a friend, so I called him and got a hold of him. When he got home, over an hour later, then heads were still very warm to the touch, and there was still smoke lingering in the air. We looked, oil was low, but couldn't see a leak. Called the dealer, and trailered it in first thing the next morning (ther are 252 total miles on my ST at this point). I had also been having a problem with the keys. I thought the first one was rough, having problems turning it in ignition, even for my hubby. I switched to the second key, which was fine at first, but then, after about 4-5 uses, it was getting tough to turn and rough on the tip, too. So, dealer called me last night. It has blown the valve cover gasket, and has a defective tumbler in the ignition. They will need to get a whole new set of locks. I really don't want to have a whole set of keys for this bike. My VTX must've had this problem somehwhere along the way, and it now has 3 keys for all the differnt locks). They hope to have it fixed by next Wednesday..... So, I'm bummed, new bike, and not able to ride. At least it's while this cold front has moved into here. This would hurt a lot more if it was still 80 degrees....

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DATE: 10 Jan 2007, 4:41 pm / MOOD: Elated

Well, me and my hubby went to our local stealer and I got a new, 2006 Honda ST1300!! We want to do some long tours this summer, and this bike will be the one. man, it is comfortable and FAST. I have already ordered a new Corbin seat, to add heat and lower the seat height, slightly (I have a 29\" inseam, and the seat height is 31.1\".....). I was able to get the piping on the seat done in \"Raspberry\", which looks alot like \"Trixie Pink\", as my own little touch to this bike, since it's not nearly as customizable as a cruiser! In 2006, they were only offered in black, which was good for us, since, as the #5 horse in our stable, it is the 5th black bike. Welcome to the Darkside, ST1300! (I opted not to get a 2007, since they are only available in silver.... wouldn't want it to stick out in the garage ans get made fun of by the other bikes!)

Here is a generic pic from the Honda website. I'll add pics as soon as I take some this weekend!


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DATE: 26 Oct 2006, 7:13 pm / MOOD: Elated

Woo hoo!!! I finally got my X back today! She was wrecked on 9/9/06, been in and out of the shop (mostly in) since then. They mystery problem in the electrical system ended up being a short in the fuel relay switch. SO... I rode her to Bike Nite tonight. Wow, what a change from the 599!! It was much easier to get on that and ride first!! I really had to readjust to Betty!! But she fealt so good!!

So here is a pic of her, with her new handlebars, chrome rims. We have to rewire the neon lights. When they put the wires back on, they put those back in the wrong spots, so they look kinda funny now... oh, well, it gives her charcter!!



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DATE: 23 Oct 2006, 5:06 pm / MOOD: Elated

This past weekend, my hubby was going to ride up to Front Royal, VA area to pick up a Unigo trailer that he was buying used from a guy in Boston (Northern VA was about the halfway point). Since hubby has ridden up to the Deals Gap/Knoxville area twice in the past ten days, I decided to go with him.

My "Big, comfy couch" (The VTX) is still in the shop (mystery problems with the electrical system), so I trailered my 599 up to my parents house in Lynchburg, VA (central VA- about 430 miles from my home), while hubby rode his Golg Wing up. We spent the night, our son stayed with his grandparents, and then hubby and I continued on the last 200 or so miles up to Stephens City.

We rode up the four lane (29) to just north of Amherst, VA, then took Rt 151 through Piney River to Waynesboro. From there, we took back roads up to Stephens City, a couple of which I was afraid would turn to gravel!!! The leaves were beautiful!!
(This is a road that we opted not to take, as it was "too straight"- the alternative was wonderfully twisty!!)

We tried to stay on twisty roads, since the roads down here by Savannah are beautiful, but very flat and strait!!!
We spent the night in Stephens City, after meeting Kevin & Gigi from Boston (You meet the nicest people on a Honda!). On Saturday morning, the rode down the Skyline Drive with us, and then down the Blue Ridge Parkway to Rt. 60, where we parted ways, hubby and I heading back to Lynchburg, Kevin & Gigi riding back up I-81 to Front Royal to spend the night.
(My baby looks so small between those big Wings! But Boop had no problem keping up!!)

I about froze my hands off on the ride!! The Gold Wings didn't have that problem (My hubby has heated grips! *grrrrrr*) I had on some Alpine Star gloves, with some fleece liners under them, and still had to stop about every 45 mins or so to thaw out. All in all, it was a good ride. That little 599 is a blast in the mountains! I can't wait until next summer! I will trailer both my VTX and 599 up to the Drago, so I have the choice of which one to use. Small to have fun through the Dragon, or comfy for the 200 miles loops through the Cherohola Skyway, etc.

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DATE: 10 Sep 2006, 12:45 pm / MOOD: Hurt

Well, I became an official member of the club last night....
Marty & I went out riding last night with a few friends. Marty was leading on his Wing, then "D" was on his Sporty, then me on my X, then "T" on my old Shadow (she has only a learners permit, hasn't taken the MSF course), then her hubby "T" on his Wide Glide, then "C" & "N" on our old Wing. We hit a spot on Hwy 21, just South of I-95, where they were repaving. Earlier in the day, when I had come through in my cage, the left lane had been repaved. "T" was worried about going through there, but I told her not to worry, it was paved in one lane. We got there, and both lanes had been milled (apparently didn't pass specs, and had to be repaved). We came to the first over pass, and the contractor had not put any asphalt on the joint to the bridge, and there was about a 2-2 1/2' inch drop. I was doing about 40 mph, braced up and rode through it fine. About 1/4 mile later, there was another overpass, and I could see that there was still no asphalt on the joint, no marker signs, and this drop was worse, about 2 1/2-3". I rolled off of my throttle, and was fixin' to brace up to take and rise. "T" didn't realize I had slowed, panicked and locked up her rear wheel. She started to fish tail, came flying by me and knocked into me (I was to the left in the lane at this point, she was to the right) and got me loose. I was maintianing ok, riding it out, when she swerved back and knocked me again, just as I hit the ridge. My bike started to go down, high sided me. I went flying, landed on my right elbow and lower back and head. I started to roll. The bike started to roll and slide. Then, the engine guard caught it, luckily, and made it spin, which is the only thing that stopped it from rolling on me. Fortunately, no vehichles were following too closely to us. Thank god for safety gear. My elbow is pretty banged up, I have a knot on my head, my whole a$$ cheek is scraped and bruised, through my thick jeans, and my knee is pretty banged up (the knee that is all screws and rods to begin with!), but otherwise ok. It knocked the wind out of me at first, but I basically walked away. My Joe Rocket mesh jacket with armour saved me, as did my helmet. "T" finally came to a sliding stop,, and her engine guard saved her bike. She tried to catch it and bruised her leg, too.

Fortunately, I went down in good company. "T" is a foreman with the GADOT in our county (the next county over from where this happened), as well as battalion chief for the VFD there. His wife, "T" is a professional EMT, "D" is a volunteer fireman and first responder and "C" is a mechanic with the company that has the contract paving that area (they were paving in the lanes going north bound, right across from where this happened at the time!) They should've had signs out for motorcycle warning about the bump on both sides of the highway and didn't, as well as asphalt at the joint. "T" had the cop note that in the report. They investigated and agreed that it was no fault of any of ours, no tickets were written. The paving guys came over and were like, "Ma'am, we are so sorry. We were meaning to get that asphalt on that joint, but we have been so far behind and working 24 hr/day to get caught up on this job, all we had time to do was put remilled material down" (Most of that was blown over to the side of the road, with all of the traffic from I-95 and the Ga ports in there.) The engineer in charge of the project was called and told what happened, and told them, yep, contractors fault. We had a camera with us, and took pics of the scene, noting no signs, the size of the drop off.

Meanwhile, my poor bike is unridable. It bent the handlebars, snapped the brake lever, snapped the windshield in two, bent the front fork, engine guard, brake pedal, throttle cable (we just put those on Friday, as well as risers!!), as well as cosmetic damage to the Beetle bags (bowed them out from impact, shattering the right brake light, plus about wore them through from sliding!), gas tank passenger peg, pipes, brake resevoir cover, mirrors, and it dinged my balls!!! My helmet is knicked, too.

My poor bike *sigh*, now I have to ride "b-yatch" for a few weeks. But at least I can ride again (and Brody was not with us, luckily!)
_________________

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DATE: 06 Sep 2006, 9:41 am / MOOD: Happy

Here are our pics from this past Labor Day weekend ride in the Smokies with the VTXOA board riders.


by trixieinva

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DATE: 04 Sep 2006, 9:11 pm / MOOD: Satisfied

We got back tonight from the Deals Gap area. We all had a blast!

Met a group up there from the VTX board that I go to... it was great to meet, ride, BS and have faces to put with nicks. I have never ridden in an organized group ride before and it was GREAT! At our peek, we had about 22 bikes on Saturday-20 VTXs, my hubbys Wing, and another guys wifes Suzuki. (I apologize for the lack of apostrophes, some glitch is making that key bring up my "find" function).

We had rain on Saturday. That sucked! I dont have much experience riding in the rain, but I got plenty of practice this weekend! And I realize if I can do it up there, on those twisty, unfamiliar montain roads, down here, at home should be "OK"!

We rode the Dragon on Sunday, with the group, one way (from the resteraunt up to the overlook), then hubby, son and I got up early on Monday, rode up there for breakfat, then up and down the Dragon before our check out time at the Fontana Village.

The Kickstand Lodge was "home base" for all of the rides for the VTX board, and that place is AWESOME! Fred & Mo rock!

There were so many great roads uo there. The Dragon was the most concise twisty road, but certainly not the only road. We road through the Hiawasee Dam, the Cherahola Skyway, up to Gatlinburg (ew! All the traffic!!). I wish I could remember the exact routes.... But there was no ride that I didnt enjoy, except for the rain.....

I cant wait to go back up there, maybe mid October...... my son has a long break from school....

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