Just one look (that's all it took)

I just spent the previous post defining the difference between a "Biker" and a motorcycle enthusiast or in some cases, those who are known as RUBS. (Rich Urban Bikers) I will actually give much more credit to the "enthusiast". At least they put effort into riding their motorcycles.

But this entry is actually not about taking my little potshot's at these individuals.

Nope. Today I wear my heart on my sleeve. The photo of my motorcycle in my previous post was actually taken about 2 years ago. This past Saturday evening a "solid" bro and myself were up till 4:00am giving the old girl a new paint job. Here is the end result:



another angle:



and one more:



Not bad eh? Tribal flames done up in my club's color's. Black, yellow, and white. So why the "heart on my sleeve" statement? Well, after working on the old gal till the wee hours of the morning, after just a few hours of sleep, I was up Sunday morning heading out with the BOYZ enjoying their envious, green eyed, salivating looks of hidden jealousy.

My bike has never looked so good and I was quite pleased with how "she" turned out. But for over a year now I have been considering a change. As much as I love to ride my loud, lean, mean, and nasty machine there is one drawback. My wife cannot be with me due the small tiny, teensy weensy seat on the back and the overall narrowness of the frame. It was simply to uncomfortable for her and I missed her on the back with me.

So I prayed to God that he would help me first to sell the bike, get more then it may be worth, and set me up to purchase the next Harley (of course) without incurring any debt.

He is a good, faithful, and trustworthy God. I came home Sunday evening and placed an online ad. The next day I recieved one call from a young fella about 4 hours away from where I live. I e-mailed him some photo's. I suspect he wet himself as he showed up the next day (today) with cash in hand ready to pay full asking price. Because of high fuel prices and the fact he had to drive 4 hours here and then back I knocked off $200.00 so he could have some extra fuel money.

God answered this prayer with such smooth transition and quickness that I struggled letting her go (sniffle!) :(

...even though it was exactly what I asked Him for.

Think about it...painted Saturday, rode it Sunday, and sold it Monday! What a whirlwind. But the new bike is already lined up and has a wider frame, a much bigger and more comfortable seat, and of course a bigger LOUDER engine with sreamin' eagle pipes. (Woo Hoo!!!). I am confident in it because I rebuilt the engine on it myself. (I am buying it from another buddy).

It was hard seeing the old gal that I had invested so much time, energy, and money in, drive away for the last time. But I thanked God for helping me out and hearing the sincerity of my prayer.

Then I picked up my bike helmet and looked at the back of it....



...and somehow everything seemed a whole lot better.

Until next time...

It's that time Harley :)

No, it's not actually a movie review you are about to read. It is that statement that I say to the "other" lady in my life every spring. The statement itself just reminds me of one of the greatest movies of all time. Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man. In the movie, Marlboro uses the line "Harley...it's that time again." They then hop on their bike's and get into all kinds trouble. Cool ;)

Two weeks ago I walked into my shed and said those very words (my other spiritual side) "Harley...it's that time again". Rolled over the engine and drove over 200kms in +1 tempatures at breakneck speeds of....nevermind, my wife might read this.



That's my baby! She's LOUD and proud. I built alot of her. Some of it over and over again. Ride an engine hard and fast and you'll spend alot of time blowing it up and re-building. It is no hobby, it is a way of life. Not many understand.

Oh sure there are alot of bike's on the highways and alot of different ride groups. But most are NOT bikers. Motorcycle enthuasists yes, but biker's no way. What defines the biker?

He is set apart in many ways. He is not one of these types like your typical RUB (Rich urban biker) who can be spotted a mile away. They are the one's with the shineist bike's (i.e. no bugs! due to lack of riding) and the cleanest leather's you have ever seen. RUB's like to drive their trucks to the nearest motorcycle rally with their bike's in the back. They unload their bike about a block away, put on their leather's and their "I'm a big bad ass biker for a day" attitudes. They are so obvious it hurts. Sometimes it can hurt them as a "biker" does not buy it and usually expresses that to the individual.

I must credit some of them though..at least they stop to roll around in the ditch first to give off the "appearance" they rode a long way. But a true biker will ride long distance's in the rain, wind, and cold along with the nice weather. Personally, I once did 6 hours straight in the rain. Not as enjoyable but if one consider's themselves a biker then get on the dang thing and ride it!!!

A real biker "Knows" his bike. When broken down he can actually pull his bike apart on the highway and do the required maintenance. Unless of course he blows the engine. In which case he get's a RUB to go home and get his pick up so he can take it to his "own" garage and fix it himself. When other biker's talk "engine" talk a biker actually understands the conversation taking place. He participates and does not just nod his head like a dumbass who has no clue as to what you are talking about. A real biker knows the difference between a "bro" and a phoney.

He has an established group of "brothers" who he is tight with and who understand one another. They understand the hunger and craving to be on the road with the raw power of Harley horse power rumbling underneath.

A few weeks ago I was still suffering the symptoms of PMS (Parked motorcycle syndrome) but today is a brighter day. Time for me , the Harley, and the highway to become one again. Time to feel alive again.



Until next time...

Awards and responses :)

I would first like to thank all of you who participated in my previous post "What about you?" It was interesting, fun, and funny getting to know some of the intricacies of you people. I had a number of laughs on some of you.

I did say that I would respond to the questions posed to me but first I would like to hand out a few awards to some of you, not because one person's response was better then another's, but because it keep's the whole thing interesting. And should I ever do another "Fun" blog it may inspire more to participate. Let's begin...



Best "Pet Peeve" award goes to Nog for his short but to the point answer - "Heathens"

Best "most embrassing moment" award goes to Aaron ( I laughed hard for about a minute strait on this one) - " Falling down an entire flight of stairs my freshman year in college - and starting to cry."

I can relate Aaron. As a biker, when I see that first snowfall of the year and I have to put my bike in the shed for the winter I start to...uh ...ahem...you know what? Ummm...never mind. Moving right along...

Best "something nobody know's about you" award goes to Marco - "I wrecked a newly rented car with Hertz's entrance door"

Another good chuckle. Nice one Doc! :)

Best "Funny runner" award goes to Mandora - "probably, cause it usually means I'm being dragged by two big dogs"

The mind visual alone was enough to earn you the nod for this prestigous award.

Best "question's for God awards goes to Truth seeker a.k.a Q - " Why did you let the serpent in the garden? Who did Cain and Abel marry? Who shot JFK?"

The JFK is driving me nut's. I HAVE TO KNOW!!!

And finally...

The Best "I suck at... but convince other's I am good" award goes to the Queen bee herself, Queen of light an joy - "Adding really quickly without a calculator but I’m getting better"

This gave me another chuckle because I envisioned someone asking you a difficult equation and you just bursting out an answer so convincingly that they would take it at face value even though it might be the wrong answer.

Now on to your questions:

The Queen asked:

" How much do you love me?"

The Intolerant One (TIO) said:

Unconditionally :) As far as the east is from the west!

Truthseeker a.k.a. Q asked:

" where did you get your attitude from?"

TIO said:

I would say that my attitude has been influenced by the crowd I grew up with. I believe we are all influenced and shaped to some degree by the enviorment and people we tend to surround ourselves with. In my case I have always been around biker's and other "roughnecks". There are no shades of grey with these types. Everything is strait up and no pussy footin' or sugar coating is welcome. If one has something to say then "say it and say it to my face" is the motto. I will credit Jesus Christ for helping me develop a way to channel that attitude in a far more productive and constructive manner. Before I would just hit you if I did not like what you had to say. Now I see the importance of learning about the things you choose to stand for. Know why you support or do not support something, like an ideology or belief for example. Educating one's self and gaining knowledge are actually good things to do. Christ has also taught me the importance of effective dialogue. People may not see eye to eye with you but your getting nowhere by smashing them in the mouth. As the scriptures say "Come and let us reason together" says the Lord - Isaiah 1:18

Marco ask's the question I assume directly aimed at me:

" Whys does a smart person not accept the theory of Evolution?"

TIO said:

I had a chuckle with this one Marco. I knew you would bring something like this up LOL! For the number of debates we have had on this topic I would answer your question with the identical question. "Why does a smart man such as yourself believe evolution with all it's indescrepancies?" I already know your response as you have explained it before.

I am not convinced of this theory because the science is refutable and often contradictory. What once supported this theory 20 years ago has been cast aside due to other scientific discovery. It has no solid foundation. Good arguements but nothing concrete. Therefore I will continue to reject it as the ONLY valid answer to man's origins. For the record, I rejected this theory back in high school long before I ever became a believer in God.

Nog asked:

" If you were allowed to choose your country of birth, would you even consider choosing Canada before the United States?"

TIO said:

Yes I would still consider choosing Canada. But that does not mean that I would have gone with it. There are pro's cons on both sides of the border. But I do not feel I would be disappointed with either choice. I think highly of the United States and would be just as proud to be an American as I am a Canadian.

Mandora ask's:

1.)What's your first name?
2.)What makes your faith in God so strong?
3.)What do you think is the single most important trait in a human being?

TIO said:

1.) Kevin, but let's stick with TIO or Q-TIP

2.) There are so many reason's I could write a blog series. But I will try and sum it up. If you have ever read the Bible about the apostle Paul's infamous "Road to Damascus" expeirence found in the book of Acts then that would be similiar to what I expeirenced back on July 20, 1997. Except I did not go blind for 3 days. It changed my life in a literal instant. At that very moment I walked away from a life of hard drinking, drugs, and very hard/fast living (I was a bit of a naughty boy!). No regrets. I will never make bones about it, there really is no other God except the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. And Jesus Christ is the son of the living God who paid the price for mankind and without Him there is no salvation. Period. Every other faith/religion is just a deception to draw people away from the true God.

3.) Loyalty

And late comer...ahem...Vile Blasphemer (hey, the guy has been very polite) ask's the question:

" Will there be Oreos?"

TIO said:

Do you mean in heaven?

If there is something I failed to respond to please let me know. This has been a refeshing breather from my usual political rants and scientific/moral debates.

On a side note I have considerd everyone's recommendations on what some of my future posting's should be. Thanks to all for the ideas.

Until next time...