New member, old bugger.
Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2018 12:47 pm
Most of you who visit other FJR forums know me as either Philharmonic {the name is not about music but trying to get along with people} or Philter. I started riding at 14, got a job and bought my first bike, a 90S Bridgestone, Rotary valve, rotary shift, 90cc speed demon that put me in front of all my friends with honda 90's, Yamaha 80's. Until Yamaha came out with the two cylinder Twin Jet 100 and my days as fastest guy in my group were finished. I had a few other bikes and then started having babies, five of our own and two adopted, 40 foster kids over a ten year period, and innumerable babysitting kids and daycare kids and ETC ETC. Did I mention my wife liked kids?
Fast forward 35 years and I am in a pawn shop in North Palm Beach, Florida, and right in the middle of the "showroom" is a 1985 Yamaha RED FZX700 with a genesis engine {5 valve}, and I was smitten, love at first sight. I got the pawnshop guy to take the price of rebuilding the carbs {400 dollars} off the 1800 dollar price tag and I was back in the motorcycle business. I was SO SCARED. First time I was on I-95 I stayed in the right lane and actually did the speed limit. {everybody else was doing 30 mph OVER the speed limit of course} all the way home. After dragging it on a trailer for 3 years in a row, up to Helen, Ga. where we vacationed every year, I was in Blairsville, Ga. {the place where I would live if I could afford a place there, and my daughters would move there with my grandkids} and I stopped in a local bike shop and there was the harlot that would cause me to divorce my beloved FZX700, a 2003 Silver FJR1300 with 62,000 miles on her. I immediately went back across the mountains to Helen and spent the next two days researching the FJR, driving the guys on the FJROwners forum nuts, and begging my boss to send me 4000 dollars. When I went to ride it, {had to give the guy the 4000 first}, I immediately realized they were right it was HOT, and I don't mean the engine or the top speed, I mean my balls were roasting. I stopped as soon as I could and filled the empty gas tank and that was better, but I knew I would have to find some way to make that situation a little better.
Three years later we retired, and moved from West Palm Beach, Fl. up here to Laurens, SC. The tenants that were living in the house my mother left me when she died, burned down the shed out back {they said it was an accident} when I evicted them for non-payment of rent. The nice insurance man gave me 6000 dollars to rebuild that shed, put a new roof on the shed next to it that almost burned down, and pay for the pump house roof. So I got a friend to rebuild the shed and roof, paid him 2400 dollars and "upgraded" my silver 03 to a Dark Cherry 07.
That is where I am today. Because I am so poor. {living on our SS checks} I have become a Darksider, and LOVE it. Very comfortable with everything about the CT, and especially not having to buy used tires and cheap tires, and riding them till the white strips show. I am near two prisons, where I can volunteer to my hearts content, doing Kairos Prison Ministry, and teaching classes etc. etc. I put a couple of flags on the back of my FJR and go to every Patriot Guard funeral that doesn't conflict with Prison Ministry, and now and then go up into the mountains, {1 and a half hours away toward Ashville, or 2 hours toward Morgantown} and scare the crap out of myself pretending to be Kenny Roberts. {yeah, I know, I am dating myself. LOL}
I did get to take ONE long ride, a couple of summers ago, I hooked up my Combi Camp camper to my FJR and rode up to Massachusetts, {by way of the Blue RIdge Parkway, and the Skyline Drive and 700 miles of Interstate highways} to say goodbye to my Aunt who was my last living "ancestor".
So I am the happiest guy you know, living large. My youngest daughter, and prodigal son both decided this year that Mom and Dad shouldn't live in that big house alone, so they moved back in. Nobody asked, they just moved in. LOL This brings a little more drama and stress into our lives but it also brings in their "rent' money, which means me and the wife have a little money on which to vacation, so all is good.
I hope none of you were bored enough to read all through this drivel, I did it mostly for my own enjoyment, and therapy, If you did, you maybe need to get a life, or go riding. Phil
Fast forward 35 years and I am in a pawn shop in North Palm Beach, Florida, and right in the middle of the "showroom" is a 1985 Yamaha RED FZX700 with a genesis engine {5 valve}, and I was smitten, love at first sight. I got the pawnshop guy to take the price of rebuilding the carbs {400 dollars} off the 1800 dollar price tag and I was back in the motorcycle business. I was SO SCARED. First time I was on I-95 I stayed in the right lane and actually did the speed limit. {everybody else was doing 30 mph OVER the speed limit of course} all the way home. After dragging it on a trailer for 3 years in a row, up to Helen, Ga. where we vacationed every year, I was in Blairsville, Ga. {the place where I would live if I could afford a place there, and my daughters would move there with my grandkids} and I stopped in a local bike shop and there was the harlot that would cause me to divorce my beloved FZX700, a 2003 Silver FJR1300 with 62,000 miles on her. I immediately went back across the mountains to Helen and spent the next two days researching the FJR, driving the guys on the FJROwners forum nuts, and begging my boss to send me 4000 dollars. When I went to ride it, {had to give the guy the 4000 first}, I immediately realized they were right it was HOT, and I don't mean the engine or the top speed, I mean my balls were roasting. I stopped as soon as I could and filled the empty gas tank and that was better, but I knew I would have to find some way to make that situation a little better.
Three years later we retired, and moved from West Palm Beach, Fl. up here to Laurens, SC. The tenants that were living in the house my mother left me when she died, burned down the shed out back {they said it was an accident} when I evicted them for non-payment of rent. The nice insurance man gave me 6000 dollars to rebuild that shed, put a new roof on the shed next to it that almost burned down, and pay for the pump house roof. So I got a friend to rebuild the shed and roof, paid him 2400 dollars and "upgraded" my silver 03 to a Dark Cherry 07.
That is where I am today. Because I am so poor. {living on our SS checks} I have become a Darksider, and LOVE it. Very comfortable with everything about the CT, and especially not having to buy used tires and cheap tires, and riding them till the white strips show. I am near two prisons, where I can volunteer to my hearts content, doing Kairos Prison Ministry, and teaching classes etc. etc. I put a couple of flags on the back of my FJR and go to every Patriot Guard funeral that doesn't conflict with Prison Ministry, and now and then go up into the mountains, {1 and a half hours away toward Ashville, or 2 hours toward Morgantown} and scare the crap out of myself pretending to be Kenny Roberts. {yeah, I know, I am dating myself. LOL}
I did get to take ONE long ride, a couple of summers ago, I hooked up my Combi Camp camper to my FJR and rode up to Massachusetts, {by way of the Blue RIdge Parkway, and the Skyline Drive and 700 miles of Interstate highways} to say goodbye to my Aunt who was my last living "ancestor".
So I am the happiest guy you know, living large. My youngest daughter, and prodigal son both decided this year that Mom and Dad shouldn't live in that big house alone, so they moved back in. Nobody asked, they just moved in. LOL This brings a little more drama and stress into our lives but it also brings in their "rent' money, which means me and the wife have a little money on which to vacation, so all is good.
I hope none of you were bored enough to read all through this drivel, I did it mostly for my own enjoyment, and therapy, If you did, you maybe need to get a life, or go riding. Phil
OMG, Phil's here...... the place is going downhill 