willia in tex.
New member
back in 1977 i decided i wanted to start riding motorcycles. i had bought 69' bsa 650 from one of my army buddies but then i blew the head gasket and sold it to another buddy who fixed it. the hot new bike was the kz1ooo, so i decided thats what i wanted.
i went down to the dealer in fayetteville n.c. and was going to buy one. when i walked in whoever waited on me didn't act like i had any business there so i left. not a problem my sister was getting married the next month so i'd just go home and buy me a motorcycle, i lived in california and always wanted to ride a motorcycle across the country.
the next month came and i took leave and went home. i thought i'd stop by and look at the harley's first. i went in there not knowing any thing about harley's but the owners were nice so i bought a sportster. they extended the front end, installed pullbacks, and a sissy bar. i was ready to ride.
after a couple of weeks at home it was time to leave, i wanted to attend a family reunion in arkansas on the 4th of july. guy's never think what they need to take with them they just go. i did think to take a gallon gas can and oil. but clothes i just took what i had on, jeans, t-shirt, jacket, so i take off i'm feeling like the king of the road.
that didn't last very long. i wasn't used to riding for very long periods and after a couple of hours i started getting sore. so i'd ride a couple of hours rest an hour, i wasn't getting nowhere. so i would stand up, try to change positions nothing worked i was just going to have to get used to it. ' wishful thinking '.
brilliant idea #1 i decide i'll get me a good sun tan. so i riding down the road somewhere between bakersfield ans barstow, look down at my arms and their beet red. maybe this trip isn't going to be as much fun as i envisioned. i pull into barstow go to j.c.penny's and buy me this $3:00 long sleeve shirt, i take it back off, it's amazing how hot it get's in the dessert i was one sunburnt kid.
i pull into needles at 12 o'clock midnight it was 101 degree's. it usually takes 7-8 hours to get to needles, from my house it only took me 13. i'm beginning to think i shoud have left a week earlier. i keep on riding until i get into arizona, then pull into a motel, the guy working there looks at me and say's you've had a long day haven't you. i just shake my head yes.
day #2 got a earlier start on the second day. wasn't very long before i started feeling my saddle soreness. wind was blowing quite hard and i had to lean way over to keep the bike going straight down the road. this wasn't bad unless a truck came by and blocked the wind. i thought i was going to get sucked under a trailer twice, i finally figured out how to avoid that situation.
the next excitement i had was on this 2 lane section of I-40 while they were working on 1 side. i was riding along and there was a semi comming my way, then all of a sudden another semi decides to pass him. i didn't have nowhere to go but off the road. so thats where i went. was i ever mad i called him everything i could think of and a few thing i couldn't, didn't do any good i don't know if he ever saw me.
rode all day and that night i was riding along and there was no one on the road but me. as far as i could see there was not another person on the road, just me and the stars it was a strange feeling. after about an hour i noticed some lights way behind me. they weren't car light and i couldn't make out what they were. i just kept watching them in my mirror getting closer and closer. now i don't believe much in ufo's but the thought did cross my mind and i was begining to be a little concerned. i kept thinking what is this iv'e never seen anything like this. there were all these different colored lights comming at me. now i was flat scared.
they finally came right up behind me and i just knew it was the end. then they went on by me and when i looked it was a fully dressed harley with dozen's of different colored lights all over it. needless to say i was relived. i thought i was about to make the cover of the national enquire. that was enough excitement for one day i pulled into a motel and went to sleep.
day 3; took off on 3rd day and knew i had along way to go to get to my grandmother's house in arkansas. after over 1200 miles half of it standing up because my backside was so sore i couldn't take it any longer. i pulled into a department store in amarillo found the biggest pillow they had , and that i'd ever seen and bought it. this became my new seat. pride and style just lost out to comfort. this pillow was really big 2ftx5ftx10"thick not exagerating either. it almost touched the ground on both sides people laughed but i was comfortable.
i rode hard all day then as the evening aproached the clouds came over it really cooled off alot i was off I-40 in the hills,curves, nice scenery riding was fun. then about an hour away from grandmother's it started raining. this sucked big time. i didn't think i was ever going to get there. but i did just as it stopped raining.
1800 miles in 3 days of hard riding. tired,dirty,wet. and i was just a little over half way to where i was going. spent 3 days with relatives and took off again.
riding on the back roads of arkansas was a lot of fun, was in no hurry just ejoying everything. then some where i got back on i-40 just west of memphis. it was a real thrill crossing the mississippi going into tennesse i'll never forget how big and wide that river is. if you're east/west in tennesse you don't think you're ever going to get to the other side it's a long state.
as i was going along in comfort on my extra long,wide,thick pillow i only had 1 discomfort remaining, it was this visor on my helmet. every time i turned my head it would fly up. brilliant idea #2; i'll just throw it away. the next time i stopped for gas i just took it off and threw it in the trash can. problem solved i had my sun glasses with me so i just put them on. there are certain glasses that are good when you're riding, and i was sure wishing i had a pair of them instead of these styling ray bans i had on, these things just funneled wind into my eyes. no matter how i turned my head it didn't help.
neither did the mother of all bugs that hit me right in the bridge of them glasses and splattered into both eyes. it took me 3 days to get all of that bug out of my eyes. and it only got worse. can't see very well at night with sunglasses so i take them off. good idea bad results, 14,762.456,845,523 bugs on i-40 east in tennesse and they all wanted to be on my face. i was down to 15 miles an hour and that was to fast. finally a semi passed me and i got right on his tail and stayed there all night. he was probably fairly mad because i wasn't no more than 3 ft off his bumper.
pulled off at a motel for the night and the next day finished the last leg of my journey. the last days journey was uneventful i pulled into fort bragg around 4 o'clock in the afternoon. i can't say it was a fun trip but it was something i always wanted to do and i got all those memories.
i went down to the dealer in fayetteville n.c. and was going to buy one. when i walked in whoever waited on me didn't act like i had any business there so i left. not a problem my sister was getting married the next month so i'd just go home and buy me a motorcycle, i lived in california and always wanted to ride a motorcycle across the country.
the next month came and i took leave and went home. i thought i'd stop by and look at the harley's first. i went in there not knowing any thing about harley's but the owners were nice so i bought a sportster. they extended the front end, installed pullbacks, and a sissy bar. i was ready to ride.
after a couple of weeks at home it was time to leave, i wanted to attend a family reunion in arkansas on the 4th of july. guy's never think what they need to take with them they just go. i did think to take a gallon gas can and oil. but clothes i just took what i had on, jeans, t-shirt, jacket, so i take off i'm feeling like the king of the road.
that didn't last very long. i wasn't used to riding for very long periods and after a couple of hours i started getting sore. so i'd ride a couple of hours rest an hour, i wasn't getting nowhere. so i would stand up, try to change positions nothing worked i was just going to have to get used to it. ' wishful thinking '.
brilliant idea #1 i decide i'll get me a good sun tan. so i riding down the road somewhere between bakersfield ans barstow, look down at my arms and their beet red. maybe this trip isn't going to be as much fun as i envisioned. i pull into barstow go to j.c.penny's and buy me this $3:00 long sleeve shirt, i take it back off, it's amazing how hot it get's in the dessert i was one sunburnt kid.
i pull into needles at 12 o'clock midnight it was 101 degree's. it usually takes 7-8 hours to get to needles, from my house it only took me 13. i'm beginning to think i shoud have left a week earlier. i keep on riding until i get into arizona, then pull into a motel, the guy working there looks at me and say's you've had a long day haven't you. i just shake my head yes.
day #2 got a earlier start on the second day. wasn't very long before i started feeling my saddle soreness. wind was blowing quite hard and i had to lean way over to keep the bike going straight down the road. this wasn't bad unless a truck came by and blocked the wind. i thought i was going to get sucked under a trailer twice, i finally figured out how to avoid that situation.
the next excitement i had was on this 2 lane section of I-40 while they were working on 1 side. i was riding along and there was a semi comming my way, then all of a sudden another semi decides to pass him. i didn't have nowhere to go but off the road. so thats where i went. was i ever mad i called him everything i could think of and a few thing i couldn't, didn't do any good i don't know if he ever saw me.
rode all day and that night i was riding along and there was no one on the road but me. as far as i could see there was not another person on the road, just me and the stars it was a strange feeling. after about an hour i noticed some lights way behind me. they weren't car light and i couldn't make out what they were. i just kept watching them in my mirror getting closer and closer. now i don't believe much in ufo's but the thought did cross my mind and i was begining to be a little concerned. i kept thinking what is this iv'e never seen anything like this. there were all these different colored lights comming at me. now i was flat scared.
they finally came right up behind me and i just knew it was the end. then they went on by me and when i looked it was a fully dressed harley with dozen's of different colored lights all over it. needless to say i was relived. i thought i was about to make the cover of the national enquire. that was enough excitement for one day i pulled into a motel and went to sleep.
day 3; took off on 3rd day and knew i had along way to go to get to my grandmother's house in arkansas. after over 1200 miles half of it standing up because my backside was so sore i couldn't take it any longer. i pulled into a department store in amarillo found the biggest pillow they had , and that i'd ever seen and bought it. this became my new seat. pride and style just lost out to comfort. this pillow was really big 2ftx5ftx10"thick not exagerating either. it almost touched the ground on both sides people laughed but i was comfortable.
i rode hard all day then as the evening aproached the clouds came over it really cooled off alot i was off I-40 in the hills,curves, nice scenery riding was fun. then about an hour away from grandmother's it started raining. this sucked big time. i didn't think i was ever going to get there. but i did just as it stopped raining.
1800 miles in 3 days of hard riding. tired,dirty,wet. and i was just a little over half way to where i was going. spent 3 days with relatives and took off again.
riding on the back roads of arkansas was a lot of fun, was in no hurry just ejoying everything. then some where i got back on i-40 just west of memphis. it was a real thrill crossing the mississippi going into tennesse i'll never forget how big and wide that river is. if you're east/west in tennesse you don't think you're ever going to get to the other side it's a long state.
as i was going along in comfort on my extra long,wide,thick pillow i only had 1 discomfort remaining, it was this visor on my helmet. every time i turned my head it would fly up. brilliant idea #2; i'll just throw it away. the next time i stopped for gas i just took it off and threw it in the trash can. problem solved i had my sun glasses with me so i just put them on. there are certain glasses that are good when you're riding, and i was sure wishing i had a pair of them instead of these styling ray bans i had on, these things just funneled wind into my eyes. no matter how i turned my head it didn't help.
neither did the mother of all bugs that hit me right in the bridge of them glasses and splattered into both eyes. it took me 3 days to get all of that bug out of my eyes. and it only got worse. can't see very well at night with sunglasses so i take them off. good idea bad results, 14,762.456,845,523 bugs on i-40 east in tennesse and they all wanted to be on my face. i was down to 15 miles an hour and that was to fast. finally a semi passed me and i got right on his tail and stayed there all night. he was probably fairly mad because i wasn't no more than 3 ft off his bumper.
pulled off at a motel for the night and the next day finished the last leg of my journey. the last days journey was uneventful i pulled into fort bragg around 4 o'clock in the afternoon. i can't say it was a fun trip but it was something i always wanted to do and i got all those memories.
Vrooom Vrooooom!
Great story, thanks for the ride!