Colorado Riders Thread

[Brewer]

See you all 01-16-2016 at 6:00 PM at the Golden Corral 15775 E. Arapahoe Rd.  Centennial 80016.

[DarkSideR]

See you all 01-16-2016 at 6:00 PM at the Golden Corral 15775 E. Arapahoe Rd.  Centennial 80016.

Yeah, brother Brewer is in. (Camber Thrust!)

[Brewer]

Camber Thrust for the win!

[Misfit]

I got ahold of Mike and Tracy from up north and he said he they will try and make it Saturday. That would be cool. Everyone drive safe. 

[Valk-Obsessed]

It was nice being able to meet a bunch of you this evening!  I'm looking forward to warmer weather and meeting up for some rides.

Regards,

Chris

[Valk-Obsessed]

BTW, I changed my username...formerly FJR 9.  I've never even owned a Yamaha lol...Valk-Obsessed is much more fitting (just ask my wife! )

Chris

[MarkT]

GOOD MEETUP!   Had a good evening.  Good to see y'all again and some new faces too!  Mike & Tracy, looking fwd to some rides!

COME ON SPRING!!!!!

(Otto says Go Packers!!!)

[Tailgate Tommy]

Bev and I definitely had a great time! It was good to see everyone!
Tom

[Misfit]

Thank you all for coming. It was a great turnout and and as always a good time. Chase said he counted 38 that attended.It was good to meet Chris and his family. I look forward to riding with you. I was also able to meet Marta and Bev(again). Thanks to Wrangler for your efforts and help in getting this off of the ground. It was fun hanging out at the hotel last night and again this am.
  Seth I hope you are feeling better. Deadpan you were missed but I totally understand. It's hard to loose something that you care about. I thought about you a lot. Hang in there brother.
  I'm glad that I caught Mike and Tracy at the last hour and that you two were able to show up.
  On another note if there is enough interest I would be willing to do this again in, say March. Let me know what you think and we will put something together that fits the masses.
  One last thought. I will be putting something together for Memorial weekend so if you can leave you're scheduals open. Thanks again to all for the good time.
PS. Sorry about your Steelers Dana. 

[BeastMaster]

Great time.  Thanks to all who put together.  We should be able to make March.  Memorial day weekend is out for us this year.

I'll pass along your condolences .

[Wrangler]

Misfit; thanks for your efforts in making Saturday nights gathering a success!  It would not have happened without your "special" pull. It was great to see all of you that I met at Inzane and many new faces.  Lets keep it going and meet up in March.  Warm weather should be just around the corner.  Who's planning on going to Morgantown for this years Inzane?

[Misfit]

You're welcome Bill. It was a good time, and I too am in for a March gathering. As far as Inzane goes I'll be there. It would be cool to have a good size group from CO show up in WV. You may want to post your idea for getting to Inzane and see if you could round up three more bikes. 

[Tailgate Tommy]

I'll  be  at. INZANE!

[Misfit]

Denver Dave, Josh, Deadpan, MarkT, and Pastor Dean have all told me that they plan to go. I hope it works out. Chase will go if work allows and McKenna will go regardless. She is taking care of shirt sales this year. Have not heard Seth's plans yet. I have been working on Phil to commit but I think it's a long shot for him. 

[MarkT]

Been keeping this quiet.  Now I'm gonna go ahead and tell the world.

This is my story and I'm sticking to it.
 
Did you know George Jackson?  He was a pillar in the local Valkyrie community. From the earliest days, a fabricator, gearhead and perfectionist.  Altruistic, loved by all.  We used to ride together in the High Country Cruisers, and a handful of closer friends.  He was friends with and supported an animal rescue charity down south of Florence.  We used to ride down there and visit and donate.  Later the club did an annual George Jackson Memorial Ride down there, and raised and donated funds in his name.
 

George Jackson around 2000
 
George built a gorgeous blown bobber and asked me to build custom pipes for it around 2001.  I declined as I was up to my ears in orders, with a 2 month backlog, thought that would be bad for me to put off others for the time it would take.  So he went with Super Trapps, the best OTC pipes at the time for his custom.  George’s bike won a number of trophies in bike shows.
 
Then he got colon cancer and it killed him pretty quick in May 2003, within a month of my getting my first CCW permit. It was a beautiful non-denom service at a chapel up near Evergreen.  I realized what a great guy he was with all the friends that attended and the fabulous eulogies given by several.  We did a commemorative ride to the chapel.
 
I regretted turning him down ever since and now it was too late. His wife put the bike up for sale - I wished I could buy his bobber and keep it in perfect shape as a tribute to him – but it was just not in the budget. Others felt the same.
 
A decade went by.
 
A guy named Chuck called and asked me if I knew anything about a blown bobber he had acquired.  He had heard from someone I was friends with a previous owner, maybe the guy who built it.  I thought of George, and asked more on the detail of the bike.  Yeah – it could only be George’s bobber.  But it had fallen on hard times, was in bad shape.  Had been kept outside, that beautiful House of Kolors paint job was trashed and the chrome corroded, and other damage.  I filled him in on who George was, who else was friends with him, where he could get history and pictures.


George's bike back in the day with the fabulous House of Kolors paint.
 
Meanwhile Chuck told me he was managing the business side of a colleague of his, laser engraving guns.  Turns out he is a big 2A guy – so am I – and they were about to set up a booth at the grand opening of Douglas County Guns in Castle Rock.  Yeah, he would barter some engraving for me in exchange for some machine work.  Awesome!  They engraved a bunch of mags and receivers for me, with my MOLON LABE and Spartan helmet graphics (now stitched onto the Russell seats of Jade).  Never did bring the parts for my work – they found a CNC powered mill instead.  Mine’s manual.
 
Another year went by.  Got a call from Chuck again.  He wanted a one-off custom exhaust for the George bike, and had heard I was the guy.
 
KARMA!   Here’s my chance for redemption.  
 
You bet!  Let’s talk about how we can do this.  Later Chuck told me, he was directed to contact me from two different directions.  And here I was being asked to build pipes for this same bike from two unrelated people a decade apart.
 
Chuck had restored the bike to it’s former glory.  All rechromed, and a beautiful paint job from an outfit in Golden who does all the custom paintwork for the HD factory.
 
I built the custom pipes to his order – surely the best I’ve ever built, the epitome of my craft with handmade hybrid SS wool and glass, elbow curved glaspacks, configured in the best mandrel-curved 5” stacks angled 45° down, and with crossover incorporated.  Matched to the flow the blown engine needs.  Have a great sound, not too loud, not too quiet, pleasing rumble.  Esthetically perfect for this bike.  I was happy, figured George was smiling down on us, if you believe in that sort of thing.  Both at Chuck and at me, for respecting his masterpiece and restoring it.  Chuck rode his George bike to the Great Brisket Ride to Elizabeth, if you recall.






 
 
Now this Saturday I happened to be surfing Facebook – which I almost NEVER do. On the VRCC fb site. And here was Chuck’s George bike, in the Colorado Motorcycle Show at the Expo Hall.  Entered in the competition and up for sale.


 
 
Turns out, Chuck has enjoyed the bike for a couple years, and now says it’s time for another to enjoy it’s charms.  He’s looking to move out to Burlington to a ranch where he has much better privacy; can shoot on the property as well. I’m thinkin he can use the money.  Right now the bike has only 32k miles on it. Lots of money in chrome, polishing, exhaust, paint, blower, tuning, two custom seats, one-off fab’d metal parts.
 
So Chuck sold it to me.  Said he is really pleased it will be in my hands, not neglected again.  Even wondered why it didn’t occur to him immediately to give me first bid on it.  
 
Don’t want to put too much emphasis on this, being rather secular and all, but what made me go to fb and see this listing before anyone else had seen it and made an offer?  Why does Karma want me to have George’s bike?  Am I supposed to do something with it?  Maybe join PG Riders or CMA and inspire jailbirds?  Seems like something we can't see is going on here.
 
Hmm.  Like I said, not religious.  Even with a preacher father and brother.  Maybe I’m supposed to be?
 
So now I have three Valkyries.  Gonna be selling the wing to make room.

And man I wish I didn't have 3 blocks of dirt road to get to pavement.  Maybe I can find a neighbor with pavement, who will rent me a corner of his garage.
 
Cheers.  Mark

[Misfit]

Cool story. I was wondering when you were going to let the cat out of the bag. I almost let it slip a couple of times. Ride safe. 

[DarkSideR]

I would give my left nut to give that a spin.

[Jess from VA]

Nice story Mark. 

Nice bike too. 

Do you do sound clips?

[MarkT]

I would give my left nut to give that a spin.

Hmm.  We might have to find some other item.  Not sure I want your left nut.  We can probably work something out.  Maybe we can do a spin up to Severence - Bruce's Oysters - and I can get both nuts.

[Valkorado]

Definitely kismet that you got that bike.  And I'd give one of Josh's nuts to give it a spin as well!  

[MarkT]

Nice story Mark. 

Nice bike too. 

Do you do sound clips?

I haven't ridden it yet.  Waiting for the swamp to dry out.  Not sure of the best way to capture it.  I have Hero cameras.  I'm guessing a photo bike or a super-selfie stick might work.  If I knew someone with a drone with skyview or follow-you ability that would probably make a great video.  Together with other views and some great editing.

[Tailgate Tommy]

Cool story Mark. Give me a holler when you go for those oysters! Bruce's is right down the road a bit from me.
Tom

[DDT (12)]

Yep, great story indeed! I also believe in Karma, Kismet, or whatever one chooses to call it. I agree there appears to be something at work here. No surprise to many of us who know you however; you seem to me to be cut from the same bolt of cloth George was as per your description... One of the many blessings in my life has been meeting folks like you, and I know I would have liked him, as well. So, I'll look forward to seeing that bike one of these days when I'm back out that way. Don't want to donate a nut, though, so I reckon a lingering gander will have to do...

DDT

[MarkT]

Hey Bruce - lookin fwd to your next trip this way. Im sure Ill get George out for at least a local ride. Also plan to make Inzane but that will be on Jade. Every time I get to braggin up our rides I point to your 500k+ ride w/o overhaul!

[Valk-Obsessed]

Beautiful bike, and it is in good hands once again!  I got a nice look at it, when it was at the expo a few weeks ago.

[Misfit]

After talking with some of the fellas this weekend the consensus was to have another Colorado riders dinner before the GOTF. This doesn't leave us much time to set a date so I am just going to pick a date and hope for the best. I'm thinking March 11th or 12th. Same location for supper and maybe a different hotel for accommodations. The last hotel was fine but folks are wanting a place that has a lounge to hang out in after the meal to have a drink and socialize a bit. The other option would be to stay at the la Quinta again and bring your own. So far those that said that they will come are.
Me/Kim
Chase
McKenna
Mark/ June
Dean/Kris
Dick
Donovan/Belinda
Ron
Phil/Lupe
Tom/Bev
Last time we counted 38. It would be cool to break that. Unless this doesn't work for the masses I will contact the Golden Coral in the next couple of days and reserve the room. 

[Valk-Obsessed]

We're down!

[Brewer]

I am not able to make the 11th or 12, but am only a maybe any other weekend. Do not change based on me.

[Brandonvalk01]

12th works for me!

[Disco]

Very cool story, Mark!      Sometimes the universe doesn't seem so random after all...   

[DarkSideR]

Misfit, MarkT, June Bug, and Deadpan

Good riding with you today. I was on some roads that I had never been on before, so today's ride was a treat. Sorry I had to leave early. Oh yeah, I did have my challenge coin on me.

[Brewer]

Hey everyone, A friend bought a Valk Standard not running, turns out it has the hydrolock curse. Do any of you locals have the special tools to loan? He is considering doing the work himself and will also price having a shop do it.
Thanks
Brewer

[Misfit]

Hey everyone, A friend bought a Valk Standard not running, turns out it has the hydrolock curse. Do any of you locals have the special tools to loan? He is considering doing the work himself and will also price having a shop do it.
Thanks
Brewer

I do. 

[Misfit]

Misfit, MarkT, June Bug, and Deadpan

Good riding with you today. I was on some roads that I had never been on before, so today's ride was a treat. Sorry I had to leave early. Oh yeah, I did have my challenge coin on me.

Nice ride today. I was going to hook you up with my new one when we stopped but you headed south. No worries. I will have one for you. 

[Brewer]

Hey everyone, A friend bought a Valk Standard not running, turns out it has the hydrolock curse. Do any of you locals have the special tools to loan? He is considering doing the work himself and will also price having a shop do it.
Thanks
Brewer

I do. 

Perfect, How much work is it? He does most of the work on his other MCs but this requires pulling the engine right?

[Misfit]

Right. Pull the motor. Remove the clutch and the rear case. Replace the starter gear, idler, and a new rear case. Replace clutch and replace motor. Plum simple. 

[Brewer]

Right. Pull the motor. Remove the clutch and the rear case. Replace the starter gear, idler, and a new rear case. Replace clutch and replace motor. Plum simple. 

Dismissing a saga with a paragraph Would that be a day, two ?

[Misfit]

That depends on your skill set, tool set, and work space. 

[Brewer]

Fair, can you get it done in a day?

[Misfit]

Check your pm.