It seems that some members here think that I travel a lot. And those members think that I should share some of my past trips. I think that I will oblige them. 
First a bit of background. I got in to motorcycling later in life while I was "between wives" at the age of 34. For some reason I have always had a fascination with motorcycles but had not acted on getting one. At the time, I was working at a shop that also sold motorcycles when this little Vulcan 500LTD with less than 3,000 miles on it was traded in. I took her home after she spoke to me on a test ride. The words she spoke were "Take me home with you, I won't lert you down." No truer words have ever been spoken by anyone.
During the first few years I mainly tried fitting in with the local Biker culture. They were welcoming of me and my little metric cruiser but I was always wanting to go farther than others so I took off on my own a lot. No camping, mostly day rides. My very first long distance ride came about a month after I got her when I rode over 600 miles in a day to visit a friend. No windshield, no throttle lock, and an open face helmet with a bubble shield. I was hurting very much when I returned. A throttle lock was the very first accessory/farkle that I installed and it is still serving me today. I managed to ride an Ironbutt Saddlesore 1000 before our first anniversary. In the following years I tweaked her abilities and comfort levels. A set of highway pegs here, a backrest there, and the throttle lock. Today she is set up with an auxiliary fuel tank, driver's backrest, solo seat, gps', and really, really bright lights.
My real taste of competitive long distance rallying came in 2010 when I rode my first Long Distance Rally in New Mexico. I rode the 1,000 miles in 24 hours, but also stopped and took pictures of various items suggested by the Rallymaster of the event. I finished mid-pack in the standings but it lit a fire that continues to this day. I love Long Distance competitive events as they can take me places that I have never even heard of and the almost always have a great road to ride on the way.
Since that initial purchase we have visited 35 states and she has accumulated over 1/4 million miles without a major on-road issue and I wonder just how many more she has in her. Until that time I will continue to ride her without a thought of replacement.
In the posts that follow I will highlight some of the rides we have ridden and events that we have participated in and I will tell of the moment that I named her Hidalgo.
I hope that you enjoy reading about us.
IronbuttBill
aka BikerBill
First a bit of background. I got in to motorcycling later in life while I was "between wives" at the age of 34. For some reason I have always had a fascination with motorcycles but had not acted on getting one. At the time, I was working at a shop that also sold motorcycles when this little Vulcan 500LTD with less than 3,000 miles on it was traded in. I took her home after she spoke to me on a test ride. The words she spoke were "Take me home with you, I won't lert you down." No truer words have ever been spoken by anyone.
During the first few years I mainly tried fitting in with the local Biker culture. They were welcoming of me and my little metric cruiser but I was always wanting to go farther than others so I took off on my own a lot. No camping, mostly day rides. My very first long distance ride came about a month after I got her when I rode over 600 miles in a day to visit a friend. No windshield, no throttle lock, and an open face helmet with a bubble shield. I was hurting very much when I returned. A throttle lock was the very first accessory/farkle that I installed and it is still serving me today. I managed to ride an Ironbutt Saddlesore 1000 before our first anniversary. In the following years I tweaked her abilities and comfort levels. A set of highway pegs here, a backrest there, and the throttle lock. Today she is set up with an auxiliary fuel tank, driver's backrest, solo seat, gps', and really, really bright lights.
My real taste of competitive long distance rallying came in 2010 when I rode my first Long Distance Rally in New Mexico. I rode the 1,000 miles in 24 hours, but also stopped and took pictures of various items suggested by the Rallymaster of the event. I finished mid-pack in the standings but it lit a fire that continues to this day. I love Long Distance competitive events as they can take me places that I have never even heard of and the almost always have a great road to ride on the way.
Since that initial purchase we have visited 35 states and she has accumulated over 1/4 million miles without a major on-road issue and I wonder just how many more she has in her. Until that time I will continue to ride her without a thought of replacement.
In the posts that follow I will highlight some of the rides we have ridden and events that we have participated in and I will tell of the moment that I named her Hidalgo.
I hope that you enjoy reading about us.
IronbuttBill
aka BikerBill
