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