Time flies when your having fun

I just realized it’s been almost a month since my last post. Having been away on vacation, and then the post vacation madness, has been keeping old Crusty busy. Maybe it’s the credit card statement shock that has my brain fried? Living like a King for 10 days can add up fast! But its all good, Crusty is back from paradise, rested, relaxed and looking forward to next Summer when the future Mrs Crusty will become my wife.

Hey she didn’t get sick of me after being stuck with me 27/7 for eight days on board a cruise ship in the Western Carribean. So I think I passed the test!

She twisted my arm and got me to go on The Hogs On The High Seas Rally. Ok, the truth is she was already booked on the HOHS Rally before I met her. I could not bear to be away from her for 10 days so off on a cruise I go.

Anyone who knows about the HOHS Rally already knows it’s a eight day biker party. Anyone who doesn’t know about it, well all I can say is that you have to experience it at least once in your life. Yes I know, it’s a massive indulgence, and the credit card statement drills a hole in to skull when it arrives, but it’s worth it. The sights, the party, the fun and the craziness is something you will remember for the rest of your life.

I think for me what made it all worthwhile was the fact that I got to share it with the most wonderful woman in the world. After decades of Biker parties and crazy adventures, the last thing I would have guessed I was going to do was spend three grand on another one! But those days and nights on the boat with her is what made this vacation wonderful. Yes the parties, shows, 50/50 raffles, Bingo and Bike Shows were great, but spending that time with the woman I love is what it was really about.

Here are a few pictures from Labadee Haita, Jamaica, Grand Caymen and Mexico. We took to many to post all of them, so I choose a few that I happen to have on my computer at the moment. HHHmmmmm something is odd, I can’t seem to find the pictures of the drunk women taking their tops off as they boarded the ship each evening after visiting the different ports of call. I’ll have to ask the future Mrs Crusty what happened to those.

Just a few thoughts....

Let’s see, what’s been going on with old Crusty these days? Hhmm lots of things have been happening. Some good, some great, some shitty. I guess that’s just how life is these days. Overall my life is pretty damn good. Even if business continues to be a challenge, having a GREAT personal life (and a very sexy woman) to draw strength from, helps a man get through just about anything.

Business in the motorcycle industry was better this Summer then the year before, however this Fall it dropped off dramatically. My industry reps have told me that it was the case with everyone in my area. I think New England is still suffering badly and it will be some time before the local economy starts to improve.

I know of several shops that have closed up around me. You might think I would be happy to have less competition, however it is not a good thing to have fewer choices for consumers. That is why it is so important to do as much business with your local shops and not give your money to those giant mail order houses. Those operations are very much hurting the local Mom & Pop motorcycle shops that have been the backbone of the industry for generations.

The future Mrs Crusty has convinced me to take a much needed vacation. Something that I have not done in a long time is take a vacation. Maybe it’s just hard letting go control or maybe I’m just not used to allowing myself to have fun. When I have had to maintain control when all around me seems to be in a state of craziness, I just never seem to let my guard down. Even when business is bad, you can’t let this downturn eat yourself alive. What good is saving every penny, if the life your left to enjoy is empty?

My rides this Fall have been GREAT! Fall is the BEST time of the year around here for riding. Most of the panzi ass posers have put their bikes away. I can ride and not be bothered as much by them. The only problem with Fall riding is the season goes by SO fast! We turn the clocks back an hour this weekend. I HATE that...why don’t they just leave the damn time alone! I mean seriously....what good does it really do?

Crusty

“I’m an idiot, my bad, I screwed up, I didn’t know what I was doing, I’m sorry "

How to buy motorcycle parts 101 or another one of Crusty’s rants about the dumb ass customers that make shop owners and parts managers want to pull the 357 out from under the counter and put one right between their eyes.

ALWAYS take apart the bike (or component of the bike) apart first. Make notes of not only the year, make and model, but check to make sure it’s a stock/OEM part or if its an aftermarket part. Measure the part to make sure its standard or oversized where applicable. If you do not have an accurate measuring device like calipers, bring the part to the dealer and they will be more then happy to check it out for you.

Which brings me to the next rule in buying motorcycle parts. BRING THE OLD PARTS WITH YOU! It is amazing how many people don’t even know what year, make an model bike they own! They believed that guy they bought it from that they were buying one year bike when in fact its two years older! NEVER, EVER assume its what you think it is unless you bought it brand new off the show room yourself. This goes double from those E-bay specials that have one year engine, a different year frame and wheels off of something else! If you want to insure you get the right parts on the first trip, bring the old ones with you. Oh and if this motorcycle is Chinese made....FORGET IT. Its worthless, junk it and buy another one, if that’s the kind of bike you want. (cruel but true)

"Oh but I don’t have the time, I need to buy parts and put them in for the weekend. Can’t you just look it up?" Sure, but that doesn’t mean they will fit. In today’s world, with so many different aftermarket modifications and accessories you just never know. There is no guarantee that what the book says fits, will fit YOUR particular bike. You got to also understand, that it’s NOT like the automotive industry where many, many models cross over and parts fit many different years and applications.

"I knew the last owner, he is my best buddy, he told me it was stock" Yeah right! I have heard that a million times as the guy was returning parts because he claims I sold him the wrong ones. And while we are on THAT subject. WHY IN HELL would I knowingly sell you the wrong parts? Of course you are going to bring them back! Do I REALLY want to get them back? Of course not. Nine times out of ten, it’s a lack of information or wrong information that leads to the wrong parts being sold.

"I put the parts on my bike (or installed them in my bike) then I realized I picked up the wrong ones. You will take them back right?" Ahhh NO! You have USED them kiddo...so know you own them. "But I never started the engine, why cant I return a piston kit I bought from you?" NO, they are USED! Weather or not you started the engine or not. Once the parts are installed they are used. Would YOU want to buy parts somebody else has already installed or mounted for your bike? NO of course not. You want BRAND SPANKING NEW, unused, untouched parts just like everyone else. "Oh so I guess I’m stuck with them then huh?" Yeah, well you fucked up! Because you were to lazy to take the old parts with you, you made the decision to gamble on them fitting and they didn’t. Greasy oil covered, dirty parts = USED. Parts mising the packaging = USED . If I can’t put them back on the shelf and resell them I consider them USED.

"Why is there a 20% re-stocking fee to return a special order part for a refund?" If you fucked up and now want to get a refund, the industry standard is a 20% return fee. If I had to special order it, just for you, then it’s not a part I usually stock. I either have to keep it or return it to my vendor. ALL motorcycle parts distributors have the same basic 20% re-stocking fee to do this. I have to employee a shipping and receiving person and pay the shipping charge to return YOUR mistake. If I made the mistake, then of course there is no fee to exchange or return it.

"That’s not what I call customer service!" You want better customer service? You’ll get that when you go to the mall and return your skirt. This is where men come to buy motorcycle parts. You act like a man, you get treated like a man. Apparently your Dad never took you to the parts store when you were a kid so you could see how men act.

"I’m an idiot, my bad, I screwed up, I didn’t know what I was doing, I’m sorry can I return the used parts now?" Yeah you screwed up, but the answer is still no. Saying you’re an idiot won’t make it all better. I’m not your momma, and I’m not gonna tell you everything is going to be ok.

As John Wayne said - "Sorry don’t get it done Dude"

Culture Clash

Lets face it, Scooter people are a little weird. I don’t mean that in a negative way. Maybe I should re-phrase that to say, Scooter people are a little "quirky" Yeah that’s better. They belong to a sub-culture of moto enthusiasts that also includes Moped people. Moped people are even stranger, but are fewer in numbers outside tourist areas of the country.

Scooter people don’t follow the normal mode of motorcyclists thinking. They see their choice of transportation as perfectly logical for their budget, their type of riding and the statement they want to make to the rest of the world. They are more geek then gear head. This is the reason they sometimes clash with most main stream Bikers and Motorcyclists intellectually and philosophically. Bikers tend to look upon Scooter pilots as squids. Bikers are not the most tolerant bunch out there, or the smartest.

Just like with everything and everyone else out there, this world has plenty of room for everyone if we would just mind our own business and play nice.

I started to think about this whole Scooter jazz because of a story I saw today about the Vectrix Scooter Company that was started here in New England and just recently filed for bankruptcy. They had offices and Massachusetts and Rhode Island. In concept it was a great idea. An electric scooter that had the performance of a gasoline powered scooter. Sounds wonderful until I saw the MSRP was TEN THOUSAND BUCKS!!!! Holy freaking Mother of God!! I remember saying to myself. What dumb ass, super geek ever thought they had a snow balls chance in Hell of selling them to anyone other then Segway owners!

This is a perfect example of how two different world can clash. I’m sure in the Scooter geeks mind a ten thousand dollar super scooter was no big deal. They are the type that must have the latest and greatest micro chip the moment its released on the market no matter what the cost. And what’s the big deal, Harley Davidson sells motorcycles that cost three times that much. Most Bikers looked at that and like me, thought it was the dumbest thing on the planet at this time and for that price.

Some day electric scooters and motorcycles will be a great idea. The jury is still out on weather or not hybrid cars are really all that green. I doubt very much anyone will develop much of a relationship with an electric motorcycle. Electric anythings don’t have the same type of soul that an old bike has. When was the last time you heard of anyone giving their phone, or computer or toaster a nickname? Except for calling it a piece of shit when its infected by some virus or mysterious gremlin. When that happens we shit can the thing and get a new one. Electronic gadgets are disposable. Motorcycles touch our lives in a special way that sterile electric gadgets never will. Gas powered motorcycles stimulate a very ancient place in our brains. Man was not meant to evolve to far from his beginnings. I think that is why Harley Davidson motorcycle have survived. Lord knows it’s not because they have evolved a whole lot! It’s the same reason the Indian brand won’t RIP.

Random Thoughts & Crap Like That!

In case anyone was wondering, I have been having a good Fall so far. When you live in New England, you see exactly how quick time passes when the Fall riding season gets here. Mornings and evenings start to get more and more chilly as September turns into October. You dig deeper and deeper into the closet to layer your riding gear. Your fair weather friends are less eager to join you on rides and you hear many of them say stupid things like "I guess its time to put the bike up for Winter".

If your like me you ride year round if the roads are safe to do so. Of course I don’t ride if its dangerously cold, but I don’t take my bike off the road. I have been surprised in every Winter month by warm days now and then. After weeks of not riding, even a 10 mile ride around town is enough to stay sane and keep the bike from developing Winter rot.

Ok, back to me and the last few weeks. I have been busy helping the future Mrs Crusty set up rides on our free weekends. We have developed several great loops of back roads throughout New England for our close friends. Life for me has changed dramatically since I have met her. Not just because we are planning our wedding, but because she has changed my outlook on life and helped me redefine my priorities.

This past year has been one of the happiest years I have had in my life. Business has certainly not been great. Relatives and close friends are dealing with serious medical and aging issues. I myself am dealing with getting older and the challenges associated with that. If this was a few years back, I doubt very much I would have been able to get through some of these problems with my sanity in tact. So why has this year been so happy for me? Its simple really. I found the perfect woman to share the rest of my life with. It took many years, and a lot of trial and error, but she is the one that I dreamed about all those decades ago.

So here I am looking at another October. The traditional last month of the riding season around here. Of course I’ll be doing some riding in November, and even December. But in those months, daylight is short and temperatures are slow to rise and quick to drop. The riding then is kept to "quickies" around the local area.

HHHmmm as you can tell, this post is more of a "ramble" then anything else. I started to write this with no particular plan or theme. I just started to type and think and see what flowed out of my brain. Which is sometimes a very scary place!

There has been a lot of "chatter" or talk about the new season of The Sons Of Anarchy. I’m not a big TV guy as you may have guessed by now. I do like the History Channel and the Discovery Channel. The future Mrs Crusty did get me started watching the "SOA". I really think it’s a little over the top. It’s the same way in which "Cop Shows" are not much like real police officers lives. SOA is not a lot like what real Bikers lives are like. Even those who choose to associate with certain "elements" would not have such things happen to them on a weekly basis! Unfortunately, in this day and age (or "reality" might be a better term) we are already under attack from State and local governments. Having a sensational show like SOA on the air can only hurt us in the long run. Why should we as Bikers/Motorcyclists, support a show about something we are trying to convince the State and local authorities doesn’t exist?

A lot of Bike shops are closing their doors. I read the reports from the Dealer Associations. And I hear what my industry reps are telling me. Volumes are way down and new unit sales are way off. Parts and accessory sales are also suffering across the country. Now is the time you need to help support your local shop more then ever! You know that guy that answers a thousand questions for free. That guy that stays open a little late so you can buy a $5.95 bottle of oil. The little shop owner that has given away products and made donations over the years to all the clubs that have twisted his arm for their particular charity. He is the guy you should be spending the few bucks you have to spend on your bike stuff. Yeah he might be a couple of bucks more on some things, but he was always there for you and will be. That multi-national corporation that owns the big mail order house online won’t help you figure out what’s wrong with your bike or give you a tip about mounting a tire or listen to you tell stories about your last race.

Ok this would not be a Crusty post without at lease one bitch. CELL PHONES! ARRRGGHHH! We all know they distract auto drivers, but they also make it hard for us on the other end when you call up and pick our brains for information. Yeah , yeah I know your i-phone is the latest in technology and can do everything include wipe your ass, but it sounds like shit on the other end when I pick up my land line. I get so tired of having to have people repeat what they said and have them call me 3 times, for one simple question, because your signal fades in and out.

Ok now I feel better. -Crusty

Shhhhhhhh! QUIET PLEASE!

Hope all you Massachusetts riders saved your stock pipes...you will need them!

Legislation has been filed for the 2009 2010 Legislative Session and a hearing is expected to be scheduled in October 2009 concerning House Bill 3332 filed by Chairman of the JOINT COMMITTEE ON CONSUMER PROTECTION AND PROFESSIONAL LICENSURE STATE REPRESENTATIVE THEODORE C. SPELIOTIS of Danvers, Massachusettts.

House Bill 3332 provides the following:

AN ACT FURTHER REGULATING MOTORCYCLE SOUND LEVELS.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

SECTION 7U of chapter 90 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2004 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding the following sentence:- "The use and sale of any exhaust pipe that increases the sound emission of any vehicle including motorcycles shall be prohibited. All motorcycle exhaust pipes must conform to 82dBA maximum noise level measured directly to the rear exhaust outlet at a distance of 12 inches. The angle of measurement shall not exceed 30 degrees. Sound measurements taken beyond 12 inches that exceed the requirements are not acceptable. Violation of said decibel level, or illegal retrofitting, will result in a license suspension for six (6) months and/or a fine not to exceed two hundred and fifty dollars ($250)."

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

The last couple of weekends have been disastrous in Massachusetts for motorcycle relations with the general public. Also this past Monday was deadly for one Cape Cod woman while heading to the 911 run in New York City. I have said it before and I’ll say it again. WE ARE OUR OWN WORST ENEMIES! We are bringing down on ourselves the attention of the State and local authorities by our actions. It’s not loud pipes, this time its reckless riding. Last week in Taunton MA a group of crotch rocket meat heads held a fund raiser for Pop Warner football. Great cause, but they neglected to tell the local police and proceeded to pull 60mph wheelies and ride reckless. Several people in the run were appalled as to how the event was run and complained to the organizers. Their thug buddies stopped them from voicing their objections. They had no choice but to contact the local police the next day and tell them what went on. The Taunton police are now investigating.

Yesterdays fiasco happened when a group of riders heading from Cape Cod to Hopkington MA to participate in the 911 run to New York City got tangled up on the highway on-ramp leaving town heading to NY. Two bikes went down and one woman was killed. I happen to have been invited to this event and ended up backing out because I was told the group "white knuckles it" down there. If I don’t know someone, there is no way I’ll trust my life to a bunch of yahoos "white knuckling it" anywhere! Well I’m glad I backed out of that disaster also.

These are just the sorts of things that will force the State to come down on motorcycles like a hammer. You think the loud pipe regulations are a pain in the ass, just you wait and see what happens when every charity run, poker run, or any organized event will require a special permit and license and proof of liability insurance!

Enough is ENOUGH! We MUST control ourselves and act and ride responsible.