Bill and friends ride

Bill my across the street neighbor made his way back from Michigan from where he spent Christmas with his extended family. Apparently after he had broken his ribs from our last ride and was healing up over Christmas he also had a stay in the hospital for a more serious but totally unrelated injury. But back in AZ he was his old self again and ready to ride which is the type of indomitable person I like to hang with. Bill is also the kind of person you can count on with a friendly favor not willing to take advantage of a friend over money and yet always wants to offer something for my services, never accepted of course and as it should be.
   Bill's Brother and son happened to be in town so we planned an all day trip on the recent rout I had taken with my daughter last time she was here. Since Bob was still a little sore from his last fall on his tall CRF450X we decided that he would ride my little Suzy RM100 which would provide me a objective opinion on how my modifications really to it paned out. I would ride his Honda CRF450X to get an all day evaluation in as a potential future bike for me. Unfamiliar with the terrain Bill's brother and son would ride the quads and bring up the rear. 0800 Friday morning it was a beautiful day for a ride as we were preparing for the trip packing the usual survival gear into the quads water, snacks, guns, GPS, cell phones,extra clothing, and most importantly BEER!
   My other "next door neighbor" Sam I will call him, was also in town for the weekend loitering around his open garage fiddling with his Yamaha Rino waiting for us to offer an invite which I would have offered if I hadn't forgotten that he tried to swindle me on the block wall construction that partitions our property, a long story. Albeit, I was ready and willing to have him come with us but expected him to get by his conscious and make the effort to ask, but although I could see on his face he was wrestling with the idea, stubbornly retreated back into his home closing the garage behind him, too bad as I have never let an apology stand in the way of friendship.
   The trail ride was great in all aspects from the ride to the rest stops with beer, snacks, great conversation, anda little target practice. Bill enjoyed the trip more then I expected as the Suzy RM100 allowed him to place both feet on the ground flat if needed and the soft seat I had recently upholstered worked great for him and Bob was especially impressed with the power of the bike in such a small package. After riding Bobs 2005 CRF 450 which is completely different from the 2003 and earlier models (night & day), I must admit it's impressive agility, light feel, and what seemed like unlimited power. Having said that the bike after 2 hours of riding is brutal on your ass and brain as plushness is not in this bikes vocabulary and a good all day trail bike it is not. By the half way point my ass felt like an anvil and my head was throbbing from all the brain vibration due to the bikes poor high frequency dampening, making me wish I had brought pain killers or just ridden my slow and heavier Suzy DRZ400 with its Cadillac plush ride, an excellent all day trail bike, not a racer.

I will close this entry by thanking the only true and wise God and son Jesus the Christ who's name is above every name, for the blessing of enjoyment of good company and his creation.