schlagging.com

Drunk girls

Posted on June 30th, 2007 by Josh.
Categories: motorcycle.

So I’m leaving my friend’s apartment complex tonight, and I notice a troupe of girls with their hair all done up and dressed all nice (slutty). They’re getting out of their car, drunkenly going on about this or that.

One of the girls sees my bike and exclaims, “Motorcycles should totally not be allowed to park in parking spaces!”

She then turns and sees me approaching. She says to me, “You shouldn’t park your bike in a parking lot here, because there’s nowhere to park.”

I look around, and see ten empty spaces in front of me, and then I realized: wait, didn’t she just get out of a car parked three spaces away from me? Never mind that though my bike is smaller than other vehicles, I have every right to park in a parking space and not on the sidewalk if I feel like it Wait, I thought the argument was usually the other way around? I’m confused.

Poor angsty girl probably wasn’t successful at luring some guy (any guy) with her all too short dress. I just couldn’t bring myself to reply. I just laughed, put my helmet on, and wheelied past them while doing a handstand as I left the complex. *

* I don’t know how to do a wheelie, nor do I know how to do a handstand on or off of a bike. Yes, that part was entirely made up.

1 comment.

Flying solo

Posted on April 16th, 2007 by Josh.
Categories: sports, motorcycle.

There was a time when I would see someone sitting in a movie theater by himself and feel pity for him. Couldn’t he get a friend or two to come out that night? How sad.

I don’t see it that way anymore, though. As an adult living in a capitalist society, I know as well as any the pressures and stresses that can come in any given work week - personal and business related. Sometimes you just have to take a break from it all, and you don’t even want to put forth the effort to be social with even your closest friends.

When I want some time on my own, I’ll often take the bike for a spin around the city. This isn’t always the most relaxing thing, though, as riding a motorcycle requires you to be rather attentive to the task at hand. That’s why I love baseball season. It’s easy to head down to the ballpark, plop down a George Washington and an Abe Lincoln and catch a Dbacks game. I’ll usually grab a hot dog, some sunflower seeds, and a soda/beer. Then I’ll get my scorecard ready, and soon enough it’s time to zone out for a couple of hours. Win or lose, it’s a nice relaxing atmosphere. Even if there’s a row of junior high kids behind you, it’s usually easy to move over a section or two into some empty seats - so you don’t even have to put up with that.

I did this on Saturday night, and I noticed I wasn’t alone. Looking around, I spotted a guy in his 30’s hanging out with a bag of peanuts and a margarita. Another guy was listening to the radio broadcast and was sprawled out over a couple of seats.

So obviously I’m not alone in this. To me, baseball games are a guy’s version of going to a day spa. We have some of our favorite things in endless supply - sports, food, and drinks. Who could ask for more?

That’s all that guy in the theater was doing: taking a little break from the stresses of life to just relax a bit and enjoying some alone time.

That, or he’s a pedophile searching for his next victim at the latest Disney flick.

2 comments.

My first wreck

Posted on April 9th, 2007 by Josh.
Categories: motorcycle.

I figure I should address some of my latest flickr pics, so you guys know what’s up. Already had a couple people see them, and with stories like this - I get tired of telling them over and over.

On the way home from my parents’ house in Mesa, I decided to take the 202 home instead of the 60. The 60 is a boring straight shot, and the 202 has a few bends in it, which makes it a bit more exciting.

Anyway, once I got near the on-ramp, I ran into some trouble.

I hit the left-hand turn going onto the on ramp at about 30 mph - which is normal for a bike - they corner faster than cars - which would probably take the same turn just a little bit slower. As I was turning, something felt wrong - it felt like the bike was slipping out from under me, and I couldn’t do much about it. That’s exactly what happened. Next thing I know, I’m on the ground, and so it my bike - just a few feet away from me.

I got up, shook out my arms and legs to make sure I didn’t break anything - and I hadn’t - just a few scratches as far as I could tell.

Got all 500 pounds of my bike up off the ground and pulled it over to the side of the road to let cars go by. I sat there for a minute or two as I gathered myself and tried to figure out what I did wrong in the turn. I’ve learned to trust my tires, so that can’t be it. I didn’t brake while cornering. What could I have possibly done wrong???

Then a Harley guy pulled up by me. “Hit that gravel, huh?”, he said to me. Dammit. I turned back and saw that the intersection was full of gravel. Apparently there’s a gravel yard not too far from this intersection, and the gravel trucks dump gravel all over the road when they drive off with a full load. Fantastic.

The guy made sure I was okay, and took off once he saw that I could get the bike started up again. I rode home on the 202, but it wasn’t the same amount of fun that I had planned on. I just cruised at a very conservative pace, and made it home fine on my bike. When I was getting off the freeway and downshifting with my left foot, however, I noticed that it was really slippery. I looked down and saw that my foot was covered in oil. Crap.

Got home, checked it out - and saw that a part (later to be discovered as the crankcase cover) was not only scratched, but cracked - and that is where the oil was leaking from. Did some research and found some help from my fellow Katana owners over at KatRiders, who helped to point me in the direction of an online merchant to buy a replacement part. Then Jerry (Devil Riders President) offered up his torque wrench to use when the part comes in, so the bike will be good to go within probably a week.

Later on down the line, I plan to remove the decals from my bike, and then sand/repaint the parts that got scratched/melted off in the slide. I would also like to add on some custom frame sliders at that point (hunks of plastic/rubber that wear away before the road can get near the frame).

Oh, and me? I’m fine. Feeling some bruises on my left side, and lost a chunk of flesh out of my ankle - but those will heal up soon enough. My watch got busted too, but just the glass on the front, which will be replaceable I’m sure.

To those of you who ride, I’d like to take this chance to reiterate the importance of wearing a helmet. My helmet had some minor scratches on the side from where my head apparently landed on the concrete. Those minor scratches probably would have torn up the side of my head and probably would’ve resulted in a concussion. Please please please never go anywhere without at least a helmet. Even in something minor like this, it could have been a lot worse without one.

There you have it - my first wreck - of any sort. I’ve never been in an accident at the controls of a vehicle, even with my car, in the past 9 years that I have been on the roads. I don’t plan to make a habit out of it, either.

One of the reasons I consider myself to be a good driver is that I learn from my mistakes. Luckily none of my mistakes have resulted in even the slightest fender-bender, and I have not repeated them after having made them. This will be no different.

Wanna see pictures? Here ya go: Lowside pics on Flickr

1 comment.

In Memoriam

Posted on April 3rd, 2007 by Josh.
Categories: motorcycle.

I have been lucky so far in my life, that I have not lost anyone close to me. My grandpa died when I was really young. My grandma died just a few years ago, but she was flown back to Wisconsin and all services were performed there. That said, I’ve never been to a funeral or a memorial service, until last night.

About a week and a half ago, Keith Wegner, a friend of mine from the Devil Riders Motorcycle Club, wrecked his bike on a ride outside of Prescott. He spent the rest of his life in a coma until this past Saturday, when he passed away.

I didn’t really know the guy too well, but he was a good guy. He was one of the first guys whom I met when I first came to the club last fall. He was fun to be around, and always knew how to liven things up. He was the type who jumped first and then looked to see where he was going. In that way, he lived a good life. It was just too short.

May he rest in peace and keep a watchful eye over the rest of us as we ride and live our lives.

0 comments.

On a steel horse, I ride

Posted on March 8th, 2007 by Josh.
Categories: motorcycle.

My recent experience of not having my motorcycle for over two weeks has taught me something.

Over the past year, riding has become an essential part of my life. I can probably go a few days without riding, as long as I’ve got other stuff to keep me busy. But if I go longer than that, I start to go kinda nuts.

Riding has become many things to me.

Kicking down into 5th and pulling back on the throttle gives me a rush of adrenaline I don’t otherwise get in my daily routine. Hitting the three corners on the 10 from work to home, at 80mph, gives me all sorts of joy you just can’t understand unless you’ve done the same thing. I will admit that I’ve become a bit of an adrenaline junkie, and sometimes I just need that fix.

Riding is also great stress relief. If something is bugging me, I can just hop on the bike and cruise around town (or just outside of town) for a while and I’ll be fine when I get home. When I ride, I have to concentrate on the task at hand, and whatever else might be getting to me suddenly disappears as I become one with the bike.

“One with the bike” - that sounds really cheesy, but I do feel that way. When I drive a car, I am controlling this big machine that I am sitting inside of. But when I ride, I suddenly have this power that’s a part of me - that lets me do things I could never do before. You really have to be in tune with the machine or you’ll be on the ground in no time.

Now that I ride, I don’t think I can ever quit. When I find the girl I want to marry and have kids with, I will be able to give it a break for a while if it comes down to that. It would be selfish of me to put my riding ahead of the well-being of my own children. But when my family is no longer truly dependent on me, you can be sure that I’ll be back on two wheels - probably riding a Harley to Sturgis with my brother.

0 comments.

Devil Riders Bikini Bike Wash

Posted on March 4th, 2007 by Josh.
Categories: youtube, beer, flickr, motorcycle.

Done in conjunction with Superior Racing Development, AZCovergirls, and AZ350Z. Bikes, beers, and babes.

Lots of fun! Next time I’m bringing sunblock, though.

Photos:

Suzuki FA50 scooter burnout (sorta):

Jerry’s circle burnout:

0 comments.

Town And Country Motorsports (Chandler, AZ)

Posted on March 1st, 2007 by Josh.
Categories: motorcycle.

In case you are bored and want to read about my latest motorcycle drama, go here:
http://devil-riders.com/vb/showthread.php?t=1783

It’s kind of long. So in short, I am disgusted by the service department at Town and Country Motorsports and will advise anyone to avoid them. A lot of people have a problem with their retail side - I don’t, personally - I got a good deal. But their service department?

*shakes fist*

Shake harder, boy!

2 comments.

Hypothermia: not all it’s hyped up to be!

Posted on February 3rd, 2007 by Josh.
Categories: games, motorcycle.

Okay, so last night/this morning I did probably one of the dumbest things I’ve ever done.

Last night I rode my motorcycle down to Tucson for a Halo LAN party with Fred. Yeah yeah, I know. Whatever, it’s my sorta thing, and I had a lot of fun.

Anyway, I had planned on riding back after playing a few hours. And I did. At 2:30 am.

For those of you who aren’t aware, it gets awfully cold in the middle of the desert at that time of night from December-February. Like freezing cold.

I kinda ignored this little fact when I made my plans, and I didn’t realize how bad it really was. Like.. really bad. It must have been in the 30’s when I was riding from Tucson to Phoenix. It took me probably over two hours.

Why would it take so long? Because I kept making stops to try and warm myself up. My hands got so numb that they started to hurt and eventually I couldn’t feel them. My legs were losing feeling and shivering like crazy unless I rode in a certain position.

Every time I pulled over - be it at a truck stop or rest stop - I found walking to be awkward because of how numb my legs had gotten. When I stopped at truck stops, I would get a coffee and sit for 15+ minutes trying to thaw out a bit before continuing on. At the rest stop between T-town and PHX, I must have used the hot air dryer for 5-10 minutes on my hands and legs.

When I’d start getting really cold and start to lose feeling, I’d just start yelling like a crazy man, trying to get the adrenaline pumping. Which I think I was successful in doing. That’s really what got me through it.

I got home, drew a warm bath, sat in it for a while, got out, and started shivering even harder than I was before the bath. My teeth were chattering beyond control. I was honestly kinda scared. I looked up hypothermia on wikipedia, and I definitely was experiencing phase one hypothermia, with a bit of phase two on the way.

I laid down in bed with some blankets on and eventually warmed up enough to get comfortable and fall asleep.

I still feel kinda funny now, but I’m fine.

The moral of the story? I’m an idiot. But I have learned my lesson. Hypothermia is not what it’s hyped up to be!

Yes. I know. That makes no sense. That’s all I could come up with though right now in my current state.

2 comments.

Saturday! Saturday! Saturday!

Posted on January 14th, 2007 by Josh.
Categories: sports, motorcycle.

Went to the Supercross event last night at Chase Field. Well, since I’m lazy and pictures say a thousand words:

Hover your mouse over the top for controls and the bottom for thumbnails of all the pics.

0 comments.

Every weekend should last three days

Posted on September 18th, 2006 by Josh.
Categories: sports, motorcycle.

Just wrapped up a fun and busy weekend. I wish I had more time, before having to go back to the office. Oh well.

To recap: Friday night, met up with some guys (and girls) from Devil Riders, socialized a bit, and made the South Mountain run in the dark.

Saturday, trekked to Tucson and tailgated like a champ. The football game wasn’t half bad either, especially once Tuitama got his snaps in.

Today, went to Bike Night at Hooters downtown. Met yet more people from Devil Riders, as well as quite a few from AZ Sportbikes. Sounds like it will become a regular occurence every other week.

Not sure if you can tell, but I’m way excited to be meeting other sport bike riders. Good to make some new friends and go out on rides!

0 comments.

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