Motorcycle

I’ve owned a motorcycle ever since my 19^th birthday. Back in my college days I rode my bike everyday back and forth to school and work. Rain, cold and wind could not stand in my way. About the only thing that kept the bike parked was snow.

Back then I had a Honda CM400E. It was a great bike that never seemed to let me down.

After I got married and moved up to Fond du Lac, the bike was parked for several years. I tried to sell it a couple of times but was unsuccessful. The bike sat in silence in my garage slowly being covered with cobwebs.

During the spring of 1999 I got an email from my brother. It simply said. "It’s a H…..", and a picture of a motorcycle was attached. I was a little confused. Did my brother just buy a Harley? I gave him a call and he told me he was going through some sort of mid-life crisis thing and decided to buy a motorcycle. He told me he had been doing tons of research on the subject. He was reading all about different bikes, and visited several dealers around the Milwaukee area. He narrowed his choice down to this model of bike and found a Forum on the Internet whose main purpose was to discuss all aspects of this particular line of motorcycle. He told me it was a Honda Shadow Spirit.

That day I went to my local Honda Dealer and decided to take a look at the model in person. I was very impressed with the size and the look.

That same weekend I took a ride to my brother’s house in Muskego, WI. To my surprise he let me take his new bike for a ride. I was feeling good. I never drove a bike that big before and everything about it seemed right.

I was hooked. I talked it over with Patti, and she gave me the go ahead to buy one if I could sell my old bike. Well… it just so happened that one of the guys I worked with was looking for a bike to learn on. I gave him a good deal and headed off to the Dealer to pick out my new bike.

Here are some pictures of my Motorcycles and various trips I've been on.

My 1999 Honda Shadow Spirit

Mark and Matt on one of our rides

Mine and my brother's bikes on the bank of the Wisconsin River

These are a couple more pictures on my 1999 Honda Shadow Spirit

My brother's bike is on the left, and mine is on the right
That's Ernie on the back of my brother's bike

This is my BMW K1200 LT.
This beautiful bike was given to me by Alan Leduc from the MTF.
I no longer own this bike. As Alan did before me, I gave this fine bike onto
someone who's dream it was to someday own a K1200LT

This is my 2007 Yamaha Venture

2002 Honda Hoot

Mark, Matt and me (Rob) at the Honda Hoot in Knoxville, TN.

The PPP Run - August 2001

Click here for a larger version (217658 bytes)

We had a good time one weekend in August of 2001 attending the PPP run held by Kelly from the SRF in Furgus Falls, MN.

The Trip Down to the Honda Hoot in Knoxville, TN. 6/18/01 - 6/24/01

Mark waiting for Hwy 75 to be opened up after the road crew got done doing some blasting. The traffic jam that resulted in closing down Hwy 75 for a 1/2 hour

Meeting Shadow Rider Forum Members

Left to Right - Eric Rullan, Mark (Waterguy), Chris (Poetor), Bill, (BillBMW) Left to Right - Isprex, Chris, Al (Al2000)

SRF Dinner on Wednesday night. I had the Broccoli Cheese Soup. It was Great! I wish I would have taken more pictures of the event. There was another table of people that I missed.

The Honda Hoot Demo Area

They had a lot of bikes you could take out for a ride, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Honda, Suzuki, Aprilia, Buell, Ducati, BMW

This was my favorite ride. This bike had a custom lowered seat. It was TOO low for me. At the 1/2 way point I switched with someone who had a BMW K1200LT with an adjustable seat. That one fit me just right. This is what you look like when you forget your valid drivers license 700 miles away. None of the vendors would let Mark go for a ride.

The Hoot Grounds

This is the outside vendor area. Lots of pin striping going on on those Goldwings. The main parking lot at the Hoot

The Cumberland Gap Ride

This is a look at the town of Cumberland Gap from the pinnacle outlook. Only bikes were allowed on the main street of Cumberland Gap this afternoon.

Mark riding up to the Pinnacle Outlook at Cumberland Gap National Park.

Deals Gap (The Dragon)

One of the scenic overlooks at the beginning of the Dragon. Chris did a fantastic job of composing this shot.

Mark taking on one of the 318 turns that make up the Dragon on Hwy 129.

Mark and me at Deals Gap. (Click on the picture to see a better view of the smiles on our faces.)

Closing Ceremonies and Going Home

These were all of the people hoping to win a "Bike of your choice" at the closing ceremonies. I didn't win the bike, but I did win a Bushtec Trailer... and it was on my birthday to boot! All the people trying to leave the Hoot grounds after the closing ceremonies. As far as I know, I was the ONLY one that dropped his bike in the parking lot.