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17 December 2006
- This morning I went for a ride.
Just me and my ACE. It was a nice quiet cloudy Sunday morning with little
traffic. I'm lucky to be so close to many low traffic back roads.
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- Today was different though, a
little more than just a relaxing ride, this morning the odometer would make
that special roll, as the the little Honda that just keeps going and going
first hit that 99,999 number and then 100,000.
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- I'm sure the number of motorcycles
that make 100,000 miles is a small percentage, and if you take away the
large touring bikes, it's smaller still. I'm proud to be a part of this
special group, that ride and keep riding. I'm proud of my bike that's taken
me so many miles. All trouble-free with never a single mechanical breakdown,
only normal maintenance items. Chains & sprockets, brakes, so many tires and
probably thirty plus oil changes. I shouldn't talk much the maintenance that
was ignored LOL, valve checks: none; flushing of fluids: none; plugs and air
cleaners: once. Luckily, it's a Honda.
I remember that first ride home from the dealer, how I felt so happy, It took
weeks for the smile to wear off. I remember that very hot day, in the first
month of ownership that I stopped under some shade trees to escape the sun
for a moment and get a drink of water and my helmet slipping out my sweaty
hands and hitting and putting a dent in the gas tank.
I remember so many rides with friends. To the Ozarks, to the Smoky
Mountains, Big Bend and the Hill Country. The bike was great, the
experiences memorable but the friendships priceless. I think back about
joining the SCRC Conroe riding club, and how that changed my life as much as
the bike itself. The friends I've made, the good times we've shared. The
trips to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, the kids, the money we
raised.
I remember so many rides alone as well, just me and my ACE. Mile after mile,
the wind, the sky, this beautiful country. I often pushed it too hard, too
many miles in a single day, which probably lead to back surgery number
three. I remember staying behind for another extra day in West Texas, and
spending part of it on Pinto Canyon road, which was recently featured in
Ride Texas as a great off-road ride for enduro bikes. I had no business
there on a cruiser, but I did not know better and loved every minute.
I remember making a right turn and hitting some fresh-spilled diesel on
going down and sliding 30 feet on the pavement. This reinforced my belief in
wearing proper gear. And getting hit from behind at a stop light and getting
my rear fender dented. I certainly recall doing my bucking-bull riding
impression when attempting a panic stop on the freeway at 70+ going to
Memphis - losing the rear, then the front, but somehow managing to stay
upright. I hardly remember all the near misses that are just a part of daily
riding. I enjoyed the Safety class I took prior to buying the ACE and the
several refresher advanced courses I've taken since.
I think about feeling sad recently when I see the ACE parked too much in the
garage collecting dust and cobwebs. The Honda ST100 bike that I bought last
year gets the majority of the riding time now. But the ACE will always be
here, never to be parted with - waiting patiently to be fired up and ridden,
for another ride, working towards that next 100,000 miles.
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More ACE
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