RickkciR

Too good not to share! 12 Laws Of Motorcycle Restoration   Personal reflections on 5 0 years of motorcycle restoration   1. Everything is broken. Trust in this and you will never be disappointed.   2. Someone in the past has done something to the bike that has the potential to kill you. Your job is to find out what that is and fix it before it does.   3. Do n’t believe the “for sale” ads: b e prepared to be very disappointed when you actually see the bike in person and up close . A claimed “rebuilt engine” means the spark plugs were changed….maybe.   4. Get the manual before you do anything. You have no business touching the bike until after you have read the manual cover to cover……several times.   5. There is no substitute for the right tool. Break down and buy one since you’ll probably need it more than once.   6. Nothing on a motorcycle requires the use of a hammer. Anything struck with a hammer will break regardless of how lightly hit.  

Several years ago I was fortunate to meet Mike and Carolyn Tomas.  Mike IS Kiwi India n, running his company since the 80's.   He not only restores Indian Motorcycles from the '01-'53 time frame but he builds replicas and has a booming parts business.   In a time when 99% of us riding Indian Motorcycles are on the modern versions, this is a thriving niche business that has done them well and continues to do so. Over the years I've stayed in contact with them, but rarely getting the quality time I wanted to spend with them.  A couple of years ago they were in Galveston for Lone Star Rally and we got to ride with them to some beach side joints and visit, but still not enough time.  I missed the opportunity this past spring to meet with them in the Hill Country at an event and that one was a heart wrencher for me.   I'd hoped to see them all weekend and even bring down my 1947 Chief and see if Mike could give it some TLC.  This past weekend I found myself in

Weekend with CVMA ________________________________________________ Early last year I'd joined the CVMA and got patched in with 23-11 here in East Texas.   Since joining, my circle of friends, Brothers and Sisters has expanded.  I've been retired from the USAF for 20 years 2018 - Brought the Cart working in the commercial world.  Though my job has me tied to the Federal space and my old 2018 RV Setup program, the CVMA has brought me back to my military roots.  One of our members has been putting on an event here in my area for the last nine years, but I was unaware of it until last year. Apparently many others are unaware and I've been trying to spread the word.  He's got acreage out in Campbell, and at the back of his property he's created his own stage that has grown over the years; Clancy's Saloon.    It's dormant most of the year, but as September looms closer he spends about a month prepping it for the big event; Wounded Warriors Benef

I just blogged about this over in the other Blog: Corporate is now on board! Gotta' tell you, I'm a notch excited.  I've been hoping for this to happen the last two months for various reasons and now, Indian Motorcycle has jumped into the fray.   Advertising is always the bitch.   Now, with over 550 folks signed up the question is how BIG will this actually get?  Yes, some local folks have had a small event the last five years or so that this tagged onto..  Yes, the IIRA is rolling in with a big group.  But make no mistake,  this is 100% due to Rob Gregory and his team at the dealership pushing this.  It's 100% thanks to folks like Tamara Smith whom have pushed hard! With less than a month to go, we'll have a new record in place.  One can't help but wonder, had Indian jumped in early, could we have topped the HD record that is being attempted in Paris,TX the same day?   Won't happen this year the way things have timed, but makes one wonde

Lucy had been asking me "where we going for your Birthday this year?" which brought us back down to Galveston.  Next year I've got 'big plans' but this year, the Island was calling my name.  On a bad note, it was Labor Day weekend which means lots of tourists.  On a positive note, the weather couldn't have been nicer!   Waters were calm and blue, skies where clear and blue, and being Texas, it was HOT! Polaris General A nice lil twist this year was Jimmy got some extra time off and rolled down there with us last Wednesday.  Rozzie after work would roll later during the week, and we all were planning to stay through Monday.  Nice long weekend! But before we left, I had a present coming in from Gregory Polaris / Little Rock AR.  Momma' got me a Polaris General for playing in and it was due by noon.  I'd called Rob the week earlier and he had one on the lot with my name on it; now Todd was en route and soon we had it unloaded, test drove, parked and