Cyclerides.com Weekly Update
7/20/05 

Greetings Riders,
 
Well, if I had to give this newsletter a name, which I will when I post it on the front page of Cyclerides.com, I would have to name it "Never Say Never". No, it's not a prequel to an old James Bond movie, but a motto that I might have to adopt. For those of you that have read the letter for a while, you might remember that I was not an advocate of having a windshield on my bike. The fact is, I have never had a windshield on any bike that I have owned. A lot of you over the last several years have tried to impress upon me how nice it is to cruise down the road being shielded by the wind and other elements of the road. I politely declined to listen and always maintained that I was doing just fine without one. I was wrong! The fact is, I was doing alright, but I didn't realize there was something that much better available for me.
 
I'm not sure what happened. I don't know if it was that the realization that on my next birthday I would be half a century old and I needed a bagger, or the fact that my riding style has changed and the need for speed had gone away, or that all of a sudden I just got smart. It might have been a little of all of those reasons, but I think mostly it was because, I just got smart! It wasn't something that happened over night, it had actually been building for a while. My first real taste was when Bill Nash from Arizona Motorsports Group loaned me his tricked out Electra Glide for a few days to try out. This bike was fantastic to ride and great blend of comfort and power with the 103 engine. I'd have to say after a few days on that, I was a serious candidate to defect from the performance bike to the comfortable touring bike. But there still wasn't that special "something" to make me take the plunge and I really didn't know what that was.
 
A bike that I had always been enamored with was the Harley-Davidson Road Glide. I liked the fixed fairing, dual headlights and the sleek look of the bike, but still that special "something" just hadn't shown up to get me to make the move to the "other side". The thought of having horsepower as the topic of conversation being replaced by how comfortable of ride I had just taken, wasn't something that I had worked up to just yet. There had to be that perfect Road Glide out there somewhere that would push me over the edge, but I hadn't found it yet. Scott Pasmore was also looking for a Road Glide in Black Cherry and found one at Chosa's in Mesa. He knew of my interest in a Road Glide and called me from there to tell me that they also had one in "Yellow Pearl" on the floor that looked really good as well. He took a picture from his cell phone, emailed it to mine, and I knew right then that I had found the missing link. It was the Yellow Pearl color that put me over the edge.
 
I showed it to Mrs. C. and we both agreed that after 5 years with the same bike, this was the one for me. At the end of a model year like this, I was fortunate that a yellow one was still around. Chosa's quickly added my accessories, tied some balloons to it and I coincidentally took delivery of my new 2005 Road Glide on my birthday last Wednesday the 6th. What better way to near 50 years old than to get a bagger. Thanks to Ron and Debbie for all their help. Scott picked up his Black Cherry version of the Road Glide on the 3rd. 
 
After 140 miles around town to get some break-in miles I headed out Monday morning to really get a good idea of what I had gotten. To beat the heat I headed out at about 6:15am for Wickenburg, Yarnell and the back way to Prescott through the forest. I was in Prescott at about 8:15am at a cool 80 degrees. I have been on this road several times over the years, but it is funny that no matter how many times you have ridden a road, you always see something different. Here is a picture I took of the bike in front of  an old gas station as well as some other pictures of the road along the way. I found out I could have gotten a coffee for 25 cents, so it was definitely not a Starbucks, and gas was a lot cheaper than it is today. If you haven't been on this route lately. The vegetation growth from the fires a couple of years ago is coming along great. So if you want to get out of the heat and take a great ride, you can still do it by leaving early and getting back to the valley before it reaches 100 degrees.
 
Needless to say, the bike performed great, and I have now gone to the "other side". To those of you that were trying to tell me the virtues of a windshield and bags, this is my time to say that you were right. After 225 miles I was not fatigued at all and ready to go another 300 miles.
 
Now you know the reason for the title of this story, "Never Say Never". I never thought I would get a bagger, but never is a long time. Things can and will change as we go through life. We just have to learn how to be humbled once in a while and accept the life cycles and changes as they come. We might even find that change is a "good thing". It is hard to see my bike go after 5 years, but for those of you that are still in to the performance side of a cruiser, my Titan is now priced to sell. Click Here for the picture and the information.
 
The new bike is now being shipped to Seattle where Mrs. C. and I will begin our 2005 trip where we will quickly add about 2300 miles to it. We will start in Seattle and go up to Hwy. 20 where we will cross Washington through the Cascades on our way to Coeur D' Alene, Whitefish, Glacier National Park, Yellowstone Nat. Park, Jackson Hole, Wyoming and back home through Utah. If you have any suggestions of can't miss places to see, eat, stay or roads to take, please reply to this email and let me know your suggestions. Or email to info@cyclerides.com . I would appreciate any tips that I could get. As usual, there will be plenty of pictures and video of the trip when we return. 
 

For special deals see the Extras column below.

Next Week 

Saturday, July 30th
Bikes and BBQ at Buddy Stubbs. Join Buddy Stubbs Harley-Davidson from 11am - 2pm for a free BBQ lunch and meet Amy, the Arizona Dream Girls Calendar Cover Model. There will also be a Free Bikini Bike Wash, Free Motorcycle Museum Tour hosted by Buddy Stubbs. Free Pool Tournament starting at 11am, signup begins at 10am. 50/50 raffles hosted by Phoenix H.O.G. Chapter 93. Discounts and Specials throughout the dealership. Buddy Stubbs is located at 13401 N. Cave Creek Rd. in Phoenix. 602-971-3400. 

Extras 

It's time to get your scoot ready for Sturgis! If you are going to ride that many miles on one trip, you don't want problems with your tires. Now through the end of Sturgis, Copper State Cycles is having a HUGE TIRE BLOW OUT SALE to get you ready to ride. All Dunlap, Metzeler and Michelin tires are on sale at 30% off retail. On top of that, we'll install them on your scoot for $35.00 flat fee plus tax. If you don't need your new tires now, take advantage of our lay away program. Pay for them now to take advantage of these huge savings. We'll install them when you wear your current set out! Need to get the rest of your bike ready to go? We will change all your fluids, check and adjust everything, lube all your cables, and detail your scoot for $250. Think about it! Your bike will run like new! Call Copper State Cycles for these specials or any other needs you might have to get ready to ride. Copper State is located at 8245 E. Butherus Dr. in Scottsdale. or call 480-596-6820.
 
Evil Twin Custom Cycles has found a way that your wallet can TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE HOT WEATHER! Evil twin offers one dollar off our normal $55 per hour service rate for every degree above one hundred degrees per day. For example Wednesday the temperature was 110 degrees, therefore the discount would be ten dollars off service for the day. Evil Twin Custom Cycles has factory certified service technicians to expertly take care of all of your needs. Rinehart exhaust is the hottest thing on the market. You can also take advantage of Rinehart true duel exhaust on sale at $686.00 as well as many more in store specials. Stop by the first Thursday of every month for a meet and greet with free ice cream. Bring your bike and come and see what we're building, starts at 8pm, first Thursday of every month. Visit Evil Twin at 2534 W. Broadway in Mesa (that’s just East of the 101 on Broadway) or call them with questions or to make an appointment at 480-784-0040.