Mikedbike2002 breakfast rides

[mikedbike2002]

A friend in Northern Cal that is a semi retired champion Super Moto racer is building it for me. Lisa's squeeze. The wheels alone cost over 3 grand & the front brake set up close the that. He's using factory stuff from his race bikes. He is setting up the suspension for my poundage & I'll probably tweek it a bit.. With luck it will be here soon.

[Tetge]

No Aprila engine? But, I am sure that it will be very quick as KTM's seem to make good power. I was just saying that a humble DR-Z can spoil a person as the DR-Z is a very forgiving bike to ride, and, confidence counts for a lot. I am scared of my KTM as it is a very quick handling machine and it makes significantly more HP and torque than the DR-Z. But, at least, it has good brakes although I am not very impressed with the stock nonadjustable suspension. I keep remembering that Husky that you had and wondering if my switch to a KTM might not have been similar. But, it is too late now, so I will just have to deal with what I now have. But, the DR-Z spoiled me for other bikes, it seems as Suzuki really got it right with the DR-Z. And, I didn't even have a hotted up big bore.

Now, we have to wait to see if Brakelate actually shows and what Sunday's weather will be like. So far, no concrete news of Brakelate, and Sunday's weather should be OK.

[xbacksideslider]

My bike riding days are over for now at least. See pics.

Recent discovery and diagnosis of cervical stenosis, or a pinching of the spinal cord in my neck, in three places, hurry up surgery scheduled for 3/25

First pic is of lower back, not neck, but similar hardware

Second pic - Count right to left, the first vertebra is #2 (#1 is at the skull) and you see pinching at 3/4, 4/5, 5/6, and 6/7. People get neck surgery for one, let alone 4, and the one at 6/7 is particularly severe. I shouldn't be walking and I should be incontinent but because it has been 40 years since the trauma the constrictions have come on so slowly that my spinal cord has adapted.

[Tetge]

That looks pretty serious but hopefully they have made the customary advances that they seem to have made in so many medical procedures, for such surgery. So, I will keep my post serious as well out of consideration.

1) Are you still going to Fillmore on Saturday?

2) Why didn't the doctor fix it when he had it out showing it to you in the first picture?

3) Does this mean that you aren't going to buy my 690 Duke after all?

[Tetge]

And, as for a breakfast ride Sunday, led by Utah Brakelate? I spoke with him yesterday and the fates are not smiling on him because the Dodge Boys took his truck hostage weeks ago for warranty work and they still have it. Apparently they had to wait for parts, or something. So, he is without a means of motorcycle transportation, other than riding the bike, and, with the uncertain weather conditions this time of year, that would be foolhardy.

So, I guess, there will be no Sunday ride to Leona Valley as the window to set one up has closed. Of course, knowing Brakelate, he may just strap his DR-Z to the hood of his Jeep Rubicon, like a deer, and bring it along. Or, put it in the backseat area as the back seats fold down. One can never tell for sure when dealing with madmen.....

[Tetge]

Brakelate alleges that he rode out to Fillmore from Utah packing double with his wife on his BMW and that he is currently in Fillmore. He also spoke of riding tomorrow or the next day, although, there were no firm plans. His wife will not be riding back to Utah with him as she has arranged for alternate transportation. It is said that her toes may be saved from frostbite if she drinks enough tequila to warm them up.

I called BS on this, but Brakelate insisted that he has the BMW in Fillmore. So, I will see if that is true and post about a possible ride later this evening after gathering more information later today.

[Tetge]

Brakelate said that he intends to ride Monday, Mar, 14. He did not state at what hour he is going to ride, but he did say that his tires were squared off due to never going around corners, and that they needed attention. I will say that the BMW actually has chicken strips, something that I have never seen on a Brakelate machine previously. So, if there is any interest in a Monday ride, chime in, and I shall attempt to get the agenda from Brakelate sometime Sunday afternoon and post it. We were working on BSlider today to take some time off Monday for one last romp prior to his surgery, but, I am not sure if he bought in or not. I do know that he has a suitable axe for a ride with Brakelate, as he has a KTM, but, if that is too fast, he could bring his 1000RR.

[xbacksideslider]

Can't make it

[Tetge]

There was no Monday ride due to a change in Brakelate's vacation plans. But, now, Brakelate is on his own in Calif as his passenger got a cage ride home with a friend, and he saying that he is riding Tuesday, 03/15, for sure. He has agreed to leave at 10 am Tuesday, and he wants to hit the Forest Hwy and the Crest. I have hammered on him that we need to have a plan, so, hopefully we will roll at 10 am from the Antelope Valley. But, even now, I could not say what the exact route will be, nor when we will be at places where people could meet up with us. Supposedly Brakelate will call in the morning by 9 am, and then I should have a route and time. I know that he wants to get lunch in Wrightwood, so, it should be the Forest Hwy to Upper Big T, and then up to the Crest.

But, who really knows at this point? The hope is that the roads will be pretty deserted on a Tuesday, so no squids, other than Brakelate, and no grant funded CHP doing max enforcement.

[Tetge]

OK, the ride is on for today, Tues, Mar, 15. Brakelate is being evicted from his motel by noon, for rowdy parties and disturbing all the other guests, and we will ride out to the Forest Hwy and then up Upper Big T to the Crest. He says that we should be at the junction of Big T and the Crest at approx. 1 pm. We will then roll to Newcombs and stretch there, but he says that we will go on to Wrightwood for lunch and fuel. So, that is the ride agenda were there to be anyone among the huge readership interested in ambushing us. I expect that they would have to be at the Big T/Crest junction by 12:45, as we will guarantee that we will not roll through there prior to that time.

Of course, this assumes that I don't zip over a cliff attempting to follow Brakelate at his madcap pace as I am still scared of the KTM and I have no mad skills, while Brakelate remains the master rider that he has always been. And, his BMW is one mean sounding and mean looking scooter. In fact, I am out of my league, but, he promised to wait up for me now and then, and, if I don't show up, he will ride back and look for me.