Sturgis

Being the grandson and son of bikers, it means I've been to Sturgis.

Thrice when I was riding.

First on a Honda VF500 Interceptor and last two on an GODS-FORSAKEN-PIECE-OF-SHIT-AMF-SPORTSER.

The ride was far more miserable on that Sportster than the Interceptor.  I still thank the Gods that it only had a 1.5 gallon tank so I got to stop often and get gas.  Everything was numb from the vibration.

But the experience at the destination was surreal in the difference.

I could park that fucking Sportster anywhere I could find a space.

The Honda?  Best be prepared to hoof it.

Dad snuck his Yamaha XS650 in that year because he'd stripped off anything from it that said RICE and the big springer front end disguised it's nature.  People were asking if it was a Triumph!

I don't know why this bubbled up.

Things You Can't Do Anymore

In 1984 or 1985 the motorcycle gang club my dad was a member of decided to do a winter road trip to Mexico.

We started in Minneapolis.

In WINTER.

If you rode the whole way, you got a special patch!

Since I already had all the winter gear from riding three-wheelers in the snow, I opted to ride the whole way.

I, foolishly, left my patch jacket with my dad when I moved back to Iowa. 

However, this story is not about that!

This is 500 bikers descending on Mexico in January for three weeks.

Actually, it's not a story.

It's mentioning that I climbed the Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacan.

That is no longer allowed.

I can understand why.

Still, it's neat to be able to say I did something like that.

It also occurs to me that seeing both the Teotihuacan site and several Egyptian pyramids (though from a distance) makes me a bit unusual.

The trip to Egypt was taxpayer funded and the whole battalion got to go play in the desert with our tanks.  The exercise was cancelled because of a terrorist threat, so it was really camping in the desert with tanks rather than a real joint exercise.

The ride on the ship across the Med was fun.

Bimmer

Thanks to a conversation with Technomad I am thinking about Motorad BMW.

The pictured R65 is not the bike the Bimmerkundt rode when I was, initially, on an AMF Sportster or VF500 Interceptor.

Post-service I was a Suzuki person on a GS500L.

I'm happy at the half-liter level.

I can almost see myself with an R65.

The Bimmerkundt rode something like an R90S or R100.  They shunned a simple, normal riding position bike like the R65.

Now, I wonder if such things are even remotely affordable.  Ebay don't seem to have any listings...