Topic: 25 Rides in 2025, Frank's New Years resolution that we can all enjoy.

[Kelly E]

Thanks guys!

I'm really hoping I can ride in the last two weeks between infusions. I have done pretty well dealing with the effects of radiation so I have some hope. If I have to I'll make my buddy's pull the Concours out of a parking spot. I've already proven that I can ride half dead, I just have trouble backing up my 700lb bike. Even though I have gained back a little weight I'm still only 138lbs. 

Riding and working on the bikes is what keeps me going. Well that and the wife and kids. My son is 50 years younger than me and I'm about to turn 66yo. I want to be able to take the boy out on the road with me. We'll put him on the 84' Honda Sabre 700S with the sport touring package.

[Kevin D]

It’s good to see all checking in whether you are riding or with a snow report or a Doctors report or a beach report. Kelly maybe your pals can take you out for bike night and you will have another happy picture like this one. I have ridden with my son, but not travelled with him. It’s on MY bucket list but not his, maybe I have missed my chance for that.

My bride won’t ride with me, but occasionally I will take her in the car on my motorcycle routes. Last year I took her and her 96 yr old Mom in the car to the Portage Lake Parlor. We all enjoyed the country roads and the monster brisket sandwich, all discovered in the pursuit of Franks Challenge 24 in 24.

[RAFster122s]

Keep us in the loop Kelly, prayers for your treatments to be effective and you not have too many lasting side effects so life improves...
Rooting for you!
Lash, Gotta love the tough love jgger is sending, hope you heal up well and praying the surgeries were effective in addressing the issues. Do your PT and keep things clean and tidy so no secondary issues.

Our sunshine is giving us an extreme taste of early spring here in the desert SW with 86F couple days ago and 83 on tap this afternoon. Will drop into 80 range for weekend before drop next week. Rollercoaster temps are common in early spring here as the temps start to settle into early spring. Might be boding for a scorcher of a summer.
We are now hot and very dry this year and we had some colder temps this year, more than in previous few years.
Many of you would love to be seeing our warm weather as it is excellent riding weather temps for most of you, your normal summer riding temps. You wouldn't want to experience our summer riding season, Terry and a spotty understand as Melbourne has humid high temps, whereas we have dry temps which are still miserable hot but dry is much more tolerable and easier to cope with IMHO.

Stay healthy fellows or get healthy and take care of family and friends. Check in with your friends by phone or in person, your contact with them can make a difference for them and or you. They might need that to help them get through another day or week.

David

[Kelly E]

Keep us in the loop Kelly, prayers for your treatments to be effective and you not have too many lasting side effects so life improves...
Rooting for you!
Lash, Gotta love the tough love jgger is sending, hope you heal up well and praying the surgeries were effective in addressing the issues. Do your PT and keep things clean and tidy so no secondary issues.

Our sunshine is giving us an extreme taste of early spring here in the desert SW with 86F couple days ago and 83 on tap this afternoon. Will drop into 80 range for weekend before drop next week. Rollercoaster temps are common in early spring here as the temps start to settle into early spring. Might be boding for a scorcher of a summer.
We are now hot and very dry this year and we had some colder temps this year, more than in previous few years.
Many of you would love to be seeing our warm weather as it is excellent riding weather temps for most of you, your normal summer riding temps. You wouldn't want to experience our summer riding season, Terry and a spotty understand as Melbourne has humid high temps, whereas we have dry temps which are still miserable hot but dry is much more tolerable and easier to cope with IMHO.

Stay healthy fellows or get healthy and take care of family and friends. Check in with your friends by phone or in person, your contact with them can make a difference for them and or you. They might need that to help them get through another day or week.

David

Thanks buddy!
I'm no quitter. My riding buddy's I do local riding with will help me and my long distance riding buddy will as well. I've helped him home a few times when he got sick on the road. Leave no man behind, ever. Even if we have to stay another night somewhere.
I'm very fortunate to have more than one friend that will be there for me. My long distance buddy always says "you have more than the six friends you need in the end. But you're so small you'll only need four". 

[RAFster122s]

I've opted to be cremated so one person can handle the box/flask/urn. Don't wish to stress 6 lugging me and a coffin around however short a trip that might be...
Let's not need those services for a while, a good long while.
But, if God decides it is time I think I'm ready for the new body...

[willbird]

I've opted to be cremated so one person can handle the box/flask/urn. Don't wish to stress 6 lugging me and a coffin around however short a trip that might be...
Let's not need those services for a while, a good long while.
But, if God decides it is time I think I'm ready for the new body...

A high school classmate of my wife passed and we went to the funeral home, he had passed away while far away from home and maybe was cremated there ?? Anyway at the funeral home viewing there was a vintage Coca Cola machine, no coffin...his ashes were inside it, he liked the Coke stuff and had picked out that one in advance I guess.

Bill

[Terry in Australia]

Well ride #6 was a bit ordinary yesterday. I was supposed to be working from home, but my defence account had been disabled due to a security review, so I decided, after twiddling my thumbs for 4 hours, to go for a ride. My wife's last words to me as I walked out the door were, "Make sure you ride something that will get you home".

 I remembered that the throttle grip was still slipping on the KZ750, so first did a visual check of the K0's regulator, rectifier, and electrical connections to try to diagnose the charging system's problems, but couldn't see anything obvious. I pulled the throttle grip off the Kawasaki and dipped some paper towel in the gas tank, so I could clean the old glue off the throttle tube, and out of the hand grip, then wiped them dry. I then applied some contact adhesive, and walked up to the Italian Club to have a drink or two while waiting an hour for the glue to set.

I walked back to the storage place and pulled the Kawasaki out, and hit the button. The battery (which I'd swapped out from the K0 and fully recharged) was pretty flat. At this stage it was almost 2PM, and I had a telehealth medical appointment at 4pm, so didn't bother to swap batteries out, and kick started it instead. It stalled a couple of times and interestingly, after running for only a few minutes, the electric starter worked fine to start it again, so that gave me some unearned confidence that I'd be fine. I didn't ride to the gas station but instead rode to my local Hamas ran tobacconist to buy some ciggies, and when I came out with a carton shoved down my 35 year old "Brando" jacket, I hit the starter, and nothing happened. Poop.

I kicked it half a dozen times (way harder than most CB750's, not including my K0, which is harder than the KZ750) and it eventually fired up. I rode back to the storage place, put the cigarettes in my truck, and took off again for a 50-odd mile ride. I didn't dare stop for pics, but it ran fine. I rode it back to the storage place, took a pic, then jumped into the truck and headed for home in time to have the doctors appointment. I'll order a new Motobatt battery, the one in it was an old el-cheapo lead acid battery that Spotty gave me a couple of years ago, so no biggie. Happily, the throttle grip didn't come off in my hand, like last time..........

KZ750 Tuesday 11 February 2025 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr     

[RAFster122s]

So, is the KZ turning into a keeper?

Glad you made the ride and overcame the challenges it presented. An escape on the bike beats one in the car most of the time.

[Terry in Australia]

Thanks David, as much as I would like to keep it, once the Ducati is registered I’ll be selling it. Great bike, but if it was a choice out of the two, the Ducati would be the one I’d keep.