In the spring of 08', I bought a slighly used 06' Honda VTX Retro 1300 (6000KM). At 55 yreas old, it had been some 40 years since I last rode more than a couple miles, and then it was on a Suzuki 120. As you might imagine, I was at least a bit taken back by almost everything about this big V-twin cruiser (big to me). Now I just can't get enough! Living just 60 miles from the U.S. boarder (49th) and a bit more than that from the mountains, opportunities for beautiful day rides are endless. We have countless miles of twisty, winding roads through the foothills & mountains, just a few minutes away.

November 09' - After two really great riding seasons perhaps I'm a bit less of a novice than before. I've managed to stay upright & pretty much out of trouble, so I'm taking that as alright!

There have been some changes to the VTX over the summer and last winter. In the interest of safety, I added some Cobra highway bars & a Cobra light bar up front as well as the Kuryakyn Brake/Run/Turn module for added visibility from the rear. The passenger seat & backrest served as little more than a place to put my tour bag & stuff, so away they went in favor of a new Mustang Solo Seat. That one addition has proved to be the very best investment I have made thus far, and should have been the first! Behind the new solo seat I added a very cool luggage rack from RIVCO Products, and I  added a Tach, also from RIVCO. It was a bit of an impulse thing, but has turned out OK.

I'm sort of in the market for a new exhaust system but no one makes a swept exhaust for a VTX Retro. So I am looking at some 2 into 1's, more specifically the ROADBURNER VELOCITY. I tend to be a bit frugal (some say cheap) so I am weighing the cost of power & performance against being able to afford more ride time. There certainly are merits to riding more.

My bike had already been dropped, or whatever, before I bought it and it had a nasty rash on the lower right corner of the windshield. Needless to say, that bothered a bit. Not enough to spring for a new windshield (see frugal above) right away, but enough to cause me to seek out a creative solution. Over the winter I sanded and buffed and polished until I had about 90% of the marks out. It looked OK, but not perfect. I thought  sand-blasting or bead-blasting something in this space might be cool. I considered everything from Charlie Brown to Che' Gueverra to flames & skulls. If I wrecked it totally, then I would spring for the new windshield. Well, our Carribean vacation became the inspiration for the artwork that would ultimately cover up the remaining imperfections. I sandblasted a big ol' palmtree from the bottom and up along the side, then added my little motto: Live Life!  Not that I had never seen a palm tree before, but it came to represent living life to it's fullest. Funny how a bit (a lot) of rum & sun can affect someone.

I really want to ride the Pacific Coast Highway and I also want to see Mount Rushmore. I fully intend on riding west out to Vancouver and also through Saskatchewan to the east and  through central & northern Alberta.  There are at least a few CC members I'll likely stop & meet along the way. Alas, we all have to work (at least I have to work) to make these things happen. So, I'll do some next summer, more the summer after, and probably more the summer after that.

Live Life!

Occupation:
Photographer

Company:
Self Employed

College:
College/Tech School

Status:
Married