What makes an old man smile?

Rodney has a big smile on his face since he picked up his new Suzuki 2006 Boulevard C50 Cruiser. As the fall season sets in, it will be a long cold winter while the new metric cruiser awaits to hit the open highway of the Texas Panhandle.

On the trailer

I went to Wichita Falls to pick up my newly purchased (eBay) motorcyle today. I was a little unsure of my tie-down job, so I was constantly checking my rearview mirror to see if the straps were still tight. This allowed me to develop an emotional bond with the bike on the way home, because it was like being followed home by a big chrome-steel-and-leather cyclops puppy.

Pannier bags

I made some pannier bags (saddle bags) out of a pair of musette bags (official Army designation: M-1936, so named because they resemble a small French bagpipe called a musette) from an army surplus store. I got the idea from an internet article.

I went the extra step and made a Honda emblem stencil, and then took a double extra step and made a reverse image so that the wing would appear to be going forward on both sides of the bike. Then I took the whole apparatus and incorrectly installed them backwards so as to negate all my extra steps. However, the whole assembly will be very functional and convenient for carrying small loads and should visually appear logical so long as I am rolling backwards.

Paradigm Shift

Ron & Linda went to Santa Fe and brought back this beautiful, brand new BMW R1200RT. It is a magnificent machine.