The Real Old Faithful!

I'm sure your Harley is a fine bike. I'm not going to put you down and say you don't ride a real bike just because you don't ride a Honda. I'll always wave to you as we pass bikes on the highway and I will never wear a t-shirt that belittles your manhood because your bike doesn't sound like mine. I will encourage you to do the smart thing and sell that loud, shaking hunk of wish-I-were-status and buy a Honda. With the money you save you can buy a helmet to cover that do-wrag wrapped peabrain of yours.

I put over 2,000 hard miles on her and she never once complained or failed to do what I asked going through the mountains on this past trip. It has over 30,000 miles on it total and has never given me a lick of trouble. It's as low-maintenance as an anvil but alot prettier.

I did learn something on this trip, though, and I hate to admit it but it shows how tough that bike is. I learned that, while it is always best to put the kickstand down when you get off, that is not a necessity. In fact, if you start to get off and you have not put down the kickstand it will help you off in a hurry! I stopped to adjust the load bundled on the back and just plain forgot to put the kickstand down. By the time I realized it was still up, it was too late and I wound up in the middle of the road squealing like a little girl. Evidently, when I tried to stop it from falling over, it was too late and all I did was wind up pulling the hamstring muscle in my left leg and the bike fell on my ankle. That was the second day of my trip and the rest of the time I had to pick up my leg by the pantsleg every time I got on or off of the bike.

I'm sure it didn't help the healing process when I broke my leg a week later but incredibly the bike seems to be in good shape even after being on the ground twice. My friend Ed called me in the hospital to tell me that he would pick up the bike while he was on vacation trailering his bike through the mountains and would bring it back at the end of his vacation. I haven't seen it in two weeks now. I bet Ed's bike is on the trailer right now and that Honda is carrying him through the mountains in style! For his sake, I hope he puts the kickstand down when he stops.