STFlyer
Member
So, hey there everyone...
A buddy turned me on to ADV riding and after careful research... I ended up with a new (to me) Tenere. So, I thought I'd go ahead and post up an intro. Kinda long, but at least it has pics!
Been riding motorcycles since I was 6 and I've been a wingnut (Goldwings) since I was 17 when I used to ride my dad's GL1100 to school. Not many kids rode a custom gold-painted bike, fully chromed with 54 lights and a stereo system on it to school... but, I did. Well, I did up until I flipped it on it's side and slid it into an intersection due the leaving the kickstand down as I left the gas-station, thus effectively destroying my Dad's pride and joy.
(Yes, that's me at the ripe old age of 14, about to take a trip with Dad to Branson).
My dad typically took a very "active" roll in my punishments when I did something wrong, so on this day, I felt my life was over. However, when I called him up to tell him what happened, his only words to me were: "Are you OK son? Good, that's all that matters.".
Those words hurt more than the belt... as I wasn't expecting that sort of kindness. Adding insult to injury, he never got another bike after that.
I carried that guilt inside of me for 18 years, when I finally bought him a really nice 1985 GL1200 Limited (appropriately chromed and lighted). I had always remembered him saying how much he liked them when I was growing up... and when he retired, I couldn't think of a better gift than that.
18 years of guilt washed away when I rode up to his house on the Limited and tossed him the keys. He had a huge smile on his face as he started it up then whipped around the block several times. It was the first time he had ridden a motorcycle since I had destroyed his bike 18 years prior.
In college I had a GL500 SilverWing that got me through those years, and I experienced my first "IronButt" on her when I drove her non-stop from Lubbock, TX to Grand Rapids, Michigan to see my folks for Spring Break. Lots of memories on that bike... I even taught my girlfriend (now my wife) how to ride on that bike. After college I traded it in on a new 1991 Jeep Cherokee that I still own today.
I rode mostly dirt bikes from then on up until several years ago when I found a great deal on a 1988 GL1500, with 140,000 miles, in Florida. I bought it sight unseen and my Dad (who was wintering in Florida) picked it up and rode it to DFW for me. I had since put many more thousands of miles on her, and affectionately named her the "Gray Ghost".
My dad's ride from Florida to Texas renewed an interest in him to do some more riding. As a result, him and I started coordinating a yearly family ride in Gatlinburg. Uncles, Aunt's, Cousins, Brother's, Sisters, and great friends from all compass points meet up in Gatlinburg each year in the fall for an awesome time on two wheels. We just had our 10th year of our Gatlinburg Family and Friends ride last October. Here's a pic from our 2nd ride in 2009:
Despite the rocky times my dad and I had while I was growing up (typical teenage rebellion), I'm now incredibly blessed to have him as a best friend and a great riding partner.
Unfortunately... or "fortunately" depending on your point of view... a really good friend of mine let me ride his 2008 GL1800 one year in Gatlinburg... and that was all she wrote. I was very content with my old Gray Ghost up until that moment. The kicker was the wife talking to me on the headset saying... "Ya know... we can afford an 1800 if you want one."
Fast forward to about a month and a half later when I found another craigslist deal in Florida on an '06 Titanium. I flew out there and rode 17 hours straight back to DFW on her.
I've since sold that one and bought a 2014, affectionately named "Ol' Blue":
I've also ridden for years on Dirt before I started touring, in fact I still own my 2000 YZF426 and just recently gave her a make-over:
OK... the other type of riding I've done for the past several years is Track Riding/Racing. I'm also a member of the CMRA and here's my stead:
Finally, here's my stable as of last spring:
Now... why am I here? Well... if you can remember back to the beginning of this post... I recently bought a new (to me) Tenere. I'm starting a new adventure in riding that I hope will bring a lot of new experiences while meeting lots of interesting folks like yourselves along the way.
Soooo... I like to ride. But, being a man of a "certain age" with 3 young girls at home, it doesn't happen as often as I'd like. But... I'm hoping that will change for the better once I start down the ADV path and put my Tenere through it's paces.
Thanks for humoring me everyone.
Ride safe!
Bob
A buddy turned me on to ADV riding and after careful research... I ended up with a new (to me) Tenere. So, I thought I'd go ahead and post up an intro. Kinda long, but at least it has pics!
Been riding motorcycles since I was 6 and I've been a wingnut (Goldwings) since I was 17 when I used to ride my dad's GL1100 to school. Not many kids rode a custom gold-painted bike, fully chromed with 54 lights and a stereo system on it to school... but, I did. Well, I did up until I flipped it on it's side and slid it into an intersection due the leaving the kickstand down as I left the gas-station, thus effectively destroying my Dad's pride and joy.
(Yes, that's me at the ripe old age of 14, about to take a trip with Dad to Branson).
My dad typically took a very "active" roll in my punishments when I did something wrong, so on this day, I felt my life was over. However, when I called him up to tell him what happened, his only words to me were: "Are you OK son? Good, that's all that matters.".
Those words hurt more than the belt... as I wasn't expecting that sort of kindness. Adding insult to injury, he never got another bike after that.
I carried that guilt inside of me for 18 years, when I finally bought him a really nice 1985 GL1200 Limited (appropriately chromed and lighted). I had always remembered him saying how much he liked them when I was growing up... and when he retired, I couldn't think of a better gift than that.
18 years of guilt washed away when I rode up to his house on the Limited and tossed him the keys. He had a huge smile on his face as he started it up then whipped around the block several times. It was the first time he had ridden a motorcycle since I had destroyed his bike 18 years prior.
In college I had a GL500 SilverWing that got me through those years, and I experienced my first "IronButt" on her when I drove her non-stop from Lubbock, TX to Grand Rapids, Michigan to see my folks for Spring Break. Lots of memories on that bike... I even taught my girlfriend (now my wife) how to ride on that bike. After college I traded it in on a new 1991 Jeep Cherokee that I still own today.
I rode mostly dirt bikes from then on up until several years ago when I found a great deal on a 1988 GL1500, with 140,000 miles, in Florida. I bought it sight unseen and my Dad (who was wintering in Florida) picked it up and rode it to DFW for me. I had since put many more thousands of miles on her, and affectionately named her the "Gray Ghost".
My dad's ride from Florida to Texas renewed an interest in him to do some more riding. As a result, him and I started coordinating a yearly family ride in Gatlinburg. Uncles, Aunt's, Cousins, Brother's, Sisters, and great friends from all compass points meet up in Gatlinburg each year in the fall for an awesome time on two wheels. We just had our 10th year of our Gatlinburg Family and Friends ride last October. Here's a pic from our 2nd ride in 2009:
Despite the rocky times my dad and I had while I was growing up (typical teenage rebellion), I'm now incredibly blessed to have him as a best friend and a great riding partner.
Unfortunately... or "fortunately" depending on your point of view... a really good friend of mine let me ride his 2008 GL1800 one year in Gatlinburg... and that was all she wrote. I was very content with my old Gray Ghost up until that moment. The kicker was the wife talking to me on the headset saying... "Ya know... we can afford an 1800 if you want one."
Fast forward to about a month and a half later when I found another craigslist deal in Florida on an '06 Titanium. I flew out there and rode 17 hours straight back to DFW on her.
I've since sold that one and bought a 2014, affectionately named "Ol' Blue":
I've also ridden for years on Dirt before I started touring, in fact I still own my 2000 YZF426 and just recently gave her a make-over:
OK... the other type of riding I've done for the past several years is Track Riding/Racing. I'm also a member of the CMRA and here's my stead:
Finally, here's my stable as of last spring:
Now... why am I here? Well... if you can remember back to the beginning of this post... I recently bought a new (to me) Tenere. I'm starting a new adventure in riding that I hope will bring a lot of new experiences while meeting lots of interesting folks like yourselves along the way.
Soooo... I like to ride. But, being a man of a "certain age" with 3 young girls at home, it doesn't happen as often as I'd like. But... I'm hoping that will change for the better once I start down the ADV path and put my Tenere through it's paces.
Thanks for humoring me everyone.
Ride safe!
Bob
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. I actually like the look of the black panniers better than my silver ones. 
