Motorcycle Rider News, Reviews & Events

You may contact Luuezz at ..... Luuezz@rumblenews.com

June 31, 2008 Friday
Soon traffic was picking up steadily bout 50 miles coming into Atlanta Georgia. 2 lanes had become 3 and 3 lanes had become 4 the closer I got to the city I was now in 6 lanes of traffic in one direction. I decided to fuel up. I didn't need it but it was a good idea as I approached this city.
It was 2:45 pm as I rolled into town right ahead of rush hour as I'm on time. My heart starts racing for this city is HUGE and the 6 lanes had become totally filled with motor vehicles. Traffic was moving along....I picked a lane and held it steady to ride it through. My thoughts were it took 50 or so miles to be in the perimeter of the circle of the city limits and it was going to take another 50 after I reach the heart to get out. Not good. Traffic was moving this was all good as we kept it at 50 mph...A billboard sign hanging from above to report the road conditions up ahead were flashing yellow. As I got closer to read it my heart sank, oh.....nooooooo! Traffic is backed up for 6 miles you got to be kidding me I thought. I'm in some serious trouble at this point to what and how I am going to handle this situation in many ways.
First and foremost I am handicapped due to an injury as a child of 8 yrs old. I have lived all my life with my left elbow/arm. Twice once in 1968 and 1975 I faced amputee from the below the shoulder.I ONLY have 30% of mobilebility of my left arm. It is like a chicken wing. The surgeons never seen an arm like my x-rays and allot of main bones such as the ulnar has removed and half of my elbow has been removed the bone, this is how the saved it from being amputee. They tell me that it is a Miracle that I can do many of the things I do in my life let alone ride a motorcycle! I told them as a child I never knew I was handicapped my parents treated me no different, there just were things that I could no longer do ever again and I learned to compensate with the usage of what I had left growing up. And really not everyone can do everything.
Today It is Full of Arthritis the size of a baseball and that of a 80 yr old woman. I am 50. I am currently on strong NSAIDS and pain pills to hold the severe pain down and trying to hold out for as long as my body can hold, for a total elbow replacement. A very complicated surgery that has high possibly that I could still loose the arm. Sucks to be me!
For 3 yrs I had a Rekluse Centrically Clutch / Semi Automatic put in my bike to remove the strain of holding in the clutch at stops, the pain is intense as I have to hold it in with my right hand as well when the bike won't go in neutral. This is a great devise for one that is handicapped. This is not a way out for one who is chicken shit to handle a clutch. You still have to shift with the lever and with your foot but it has advantages to relieve the pressure off the muscles and ligaments holding the elbow in place. I had these clutches removed from my bike 1 week before this trip, due to the high maintance
of keeping the clutches adjusted every 3-5,000 miles. I only got around 3-4,000 before the clutches started to slip. A trade off to having this technology. I highly recommend the Rekluse it will make a difference to your handicapped however be prepared for the maintance it requires to maintain it. I am really missing it and I NEED IT RIGHT NOW to sit in this traffic. I also had a easy clutch installed in my bike when they put back in the stock plates however that still is not enough for me.
This summer I will be on the look for new technology to keep me in the wind to ease the shifting pull even more. If anyone knows of anything Please email me and let me know. Thanks! Luuezz
www.rekluse.com

As the 90* sun is beating down on my leathers, chaps, coat & helmet I am getting miserable quickly. Traffic is barely moving. I creep along at 10mph for a few miles thinking ok this is better than a halt, no sooner did I think those thoughts traffic STOPPED! 6 lanes of bumper to bumper traffic at a stand still. WTF I see no off ramps in sight, cops hanging out on the brims of the highways here and there in these what looks like an ambulance but later see that they are patty wagons to haul your ass off to jail in... I decided I would tough it out before I was ever going to pull along the side of the road and be at their mercy to screw with me even though I was legal, I could just see them picking me apart!
As I approach the 6 mile hold up of traffic there was a tractor trailer pulled over by the Police "Right in the middle of the road!" I couldn't believe it as my left arm was in sooo much pain I was nearly in tears at this point, sweat pouring under my leathers on my already clammy dewy skin and here is this cop standing right in the middle of 6 lanes with their so many patty wagons spattered across I-20 as I followed the highway. WTF I'm thinking you can't pull these guys over to the brim of the road and try to keep the rush hour traffic moving as much as possible? I seen their tactics about 6 times as I waited in different parts of the highway. I will never come through that city again let alone visit there. I truly think that they enjoy this part of their day.
After holding in the clutch on and off for 6 miles and shutting the bike down and pushing the bike up by hand to the next open space I finally seen an exit up above...I take the ramp and head to a restaurant to get out of the sun and out of my leathers. Soon I call GG and tell her why I'm going to be late. I only had 200 miles to go to Greenville SC.
After about 2 hours I attempt that ramp again hoping that by 7pm it is cleared, as I approach the ramp it was if I never had got off....grrr....grrr...but lucky me I was coming on a new ramp and that ramp hadn't connected to the already cluster f so it took me up and around and put me on I -85 and I was sailing along at 85 mph.
As I was fueling up in a service station I met Michael L. Banks another Pro Photographer recently retired. He made popular movies out of his helicopter business called Discover Aviation. Michael told me lots of interesting stories and we shared the road the next 100 miles to Easley, Sc where he part time resides. It was a pleasure to meet you Michael. Have a great ride.....Keep in touch...
9pm I rolled into GG's. Not having met her before but spoke a few times on BON, Her profile and I related. Electricglide001 called me the night before I left Texas and told me that she and I are sisters but with different mothers. Electricglide had met both of us on his 2 week road trip journey as he left San Antoine Texas may 2, 2008. He said it was on my way home however it was not on my way home, GG was 600 miles out of my way! I had to go the extra miles to meet her for there are only 3 in woman in my circle that really ride it.... solo.
Electricglide001 told me on the phone that he has met woman that ride, woman that ride with their boyfriends and husbands and then you meet the real woman who ride the journey solo.
One would never have never had known as if standing in the background that GG and I were meeting for the first time. We hit off the sista hood instantly. I felt like I had known her all my life as we told and listened to each others stories of life, yes different mothers and sistas Electricglide001! We laughed till we had tears in our eyes, was on the same page of story telling journeys, we shared pictures and drank our freshly brewed ice tea. 1:30 am came all so quickly I just arrived at 9 pm, not enough of time to spend with my new sista as sleep called for my journey home.
Saturday morning was sunny and temps were rising. I showered had my coffee and was packing up the bike when GG asked me if I had the time to take some pictures of her on here bike. I said sure...I'll give you 1 hour of shooting time then I must hit the road. Deal she said.
In the street I lay on the black top and snap away at different angles. We were laughing and having a blast as the camera snapped away. I told her watch for cars coming around this bend that I don't get run over, lol...then it was my turn... with my bike. I'm never on the otherside of the camera felt strange...Thanks GG the pictures you took of me are great!
Said my farewells...time to ride....I'll be back sista! Thanks for your hospitably.
I had just passed a big exit called Wytheville in Virginia. I was undecided to whether to fuel up, I still had 50 miles to go...so on I went...I was heading towards the Appalachian Mountains heading towards the Jefferson National Forest pass. 20 miles past the exit I was going to get fuel at it turned very ugly very quickly. The skies up above that mountain we blacknblue with white caps in the clouds telling me it is a severe thunderstorm cell. Now what am I going to do I though...I should have got off that exit that I played with in my head, now I'm nearing the mountains and there is no exist in site and no under passes. Not a place were I want to be when this thing lets loose, all of a sudden I see an exit lucky me I thought...As I get off this lonely ramp with no services I see a Roadking along the road, I pull over and see what I can do to help him...He informs me he has a flat tire and his father is on his way to get him. I tell him over his shoulder is a severe cell approaching him and he better tell his dad to hurry up! He thanked me and picked up the phone.
He informed me there was nothing on this exit except for a campground, I don't want no sticking campground in this cell unless it was my last resort, so I rode the 20 miles back to Wytheville and got a motel. And was glad that exist was in the middle of no where...It was severe as I watched outside my motel window.
I had called SilentEchoes in West Virginia as he was my next meet and greet. He informed me to stay where I was at for the night. Tornadoes and Severe thunderstorms cell were tearing up Pennsylvania and West Virginia and I was coming right up through both of them states to get home. He said it was hailing there as we spoke. My mother called and told me to stop my trip it was extremely bad there red cells everywhere they were under tornadoes warnings...I told all that I was safe as I nearly missed one, I would venture out in the really morning for Pittsburgh bound home!
As I took pictures from the hillside of the sky I seen 3 bikers get off the ramp as they now seen the storm I seen 20 miles up, they exited and hit the south bound lane to venture back, I got pictures of them.
Now it is Sunday morning I should have been home Saturday night by 7pm. Not happy that the weather coming up is not cooperating with me as the weather down was the pits! This ride was a endurance ride of weather conditions on riding a motorcycle. And I was going to do the Iron Butt ride coming home, I mastered it in other ways.
Sunday morning I awoke to sunny blue skies. In my heart I'm getting the sad feeling that I my journey is almost over and I will be back home. I plan on moving south one day in my future.
I fuel up and hit the highway as I approach the mountain I see that the storms are still in that mountain blacknblue skies AGAIN. I'm NOT happy, I need to get over this pass to get home, I have to go to work Monday morning! I get off at that empty exit and high tail it back 20 miles to a truck stop.
Once inside I started to talk to the drivers if anyone came southbound from that pass and what is it doing up there...They said you riding that motorcycle? I said yes. "You don't want to be on No motorcycle going up through them mountains right now...It's very bad up there....There are allot of thunderstorm cells coming thru with tornadoes warnings....seems what was coming through yesterday is now coming south right in my path to get up that pass! The drivers told me to give it an hour to let it go through...I gave it 1 1/2 hours.
I ventured off for the third attempt to get up that pass. The skies were clear sailing and I go through 2 sets of tunnels and when I came out the second one I instantly seen I was in some serious trouble!!! black n blue skies twisting with clouds twisting in masses. It was if it was 9 pm and it was 8:30 am. I had nowhere to stop or turn around. I was blinded by the driving force of the hail the size of dimes and rain. The hail was beating the shit out of me and my bike was taking the hits as I cringed to think what it was doing to my tins! No time to dwell on what my bike is going to look like, I needed to stay focused to how in the hell I was going to keep my bike up and not wreck. What a nightmare!!! Trying to find my 4 ways I'm praying to God to get me through this, I have to get up and over this pass but this is a little too much. Ice is building up on the brim of the road and on my bike. I'm going slow, I can't see my Speedo. In fear of the truckers speed to push me off the road with the drafts, I can't see shit! My arms are soon tiring of fighting the force of the winds to keep the bike in my lane. My body is really taking a beating of the hail. I was trying to feel with my legs for my highway foot pegs to push them up as my bike is really leaning to the right, I don't want them to hook the pavement and take me down... this went on for miles.....up and down the steep mountains and around the twisty bends, I was so scared so much for all my flat straight roads I had came across, now I was being put through the test of endurance and menurving my riding skills through dangerous road conditions that I don't what to attempt again any time soon. I have rode through the Monsoon Rains out west which about now are the same.
Up ahead I seen blue skies as I rode into the sun once again....Thanking god and my angle getting me through it in one piece.
My Roadking is ok and no damage from the hail thank god, still can't believe their is no damage.
During the 4 th Severe thunderstorm, I again was blind and crawling at dangerous speeds of cage and truckers who have no worries blew on past me and the winds from the force of the driving rains threw me around and I had a hard time keeping the bike in the lines.

Then all of a sudden my bike quits running, motor shuts down!!!! WTF NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO....Not Now! yup, I coast off the highway in the pouring hailing rain, the skies swarm around me in black and blue color and I'm trying to get my bike off the road on a hill. I try to start it and it wont start 5 times, it's pouring on my head and I cant see as I stand on the brim of the highway...I can't use my phone for help in this downpour to kill it so I stand there as if I'm in my shower...then as if I had a angel with me the rain quit raining on me, but it was still pouring 10 feet away, like Florida rain... then it quit and kept moving to the east.
As I stood along the highway in sunny skies 3 Harleys rode right on by me and waved as they did. MF'ers. I had even tried to wave them down but they kept going. I stop for everyone at any time, even if I'm late for work and they rode on by, don't call yourself a biker if you don't stop to help another motorcycle rider along the road!
Had a short meet with Silent Echoes. He apparently had got caught in one of the rain cells riding over to meet me, was totally soaked to the bone. Wished we could have talked longer but we are close enough to ride again...Johnston Is Coming soon...Until Then....
Anyway I tired the bike again and it started and I got on it and rode it down the road to a gas station exit and as I did I seen another severe cell coming right at me...
I put some fuel additive in the gas tank, fill it up and just as I was getting ready to pull the plugs, 2 Honda bikers { Curt Byrd and Lonnie & Barb Sherman from Erie}
came up to me and heard I was having problems, Hondas imagine that.....huh.... not Harley riders but Honda riders...is that right.....turned out they ask me if I wanted to ride with them, I said sure I would feel allot better if I piggy backed up the highway with you two and they said yeah it would be better, if the bikes quits again, one of us will stay with you while the other goes for help....Hondas were covering my back! Imagine that....
We all rode 100 miles together as I branched off to Pittsburgh, the bike ran fine, no hail / water downpour.missing ran like a champ, so I figure water must have got in the plugs or carb or where ever during that flood of a downpour.

If you ever get in the neighborhood of Cut N Shoot Texas stop by:
Cut N Shoot Choppers on 12852 Hwy 105 E
Cut N Shoot, Texas 77306
1/2 Mile East of Loop 336N
Ron had built Herbies and Nikki's Motorcycle. One of the best looking choppers that my eyes have seen in some time.Eye candy lookin machine that will catch ones attention, right now!
And you'll be staying who built that chopper?
Ron Lee's unique design choppers are rare it's worth a visit to check them out.
Ron Lee has 25 years Experience
stop in and check out Cut N Shoot Choppers and tell him Luuezz sent ya!

Thelma and Luuezz visited the Texas Prison Museum in Huntsville Texas! What a interesting place to visit and just visit! The Prisons are located in the foreground of the museum. I also visit Cemeteries on a regular visit in my daily life. Much history in there that attracts me to ones grave. We went to the Prison Cemetery where they bury the prisoners from Execution, Lethal, Old Age or Dieing from another's hands. Most of the families leave the burial cost on the state to bury their loved ones due to cost. There are rows and rows of crosses and small tomb stones. Some have names etched in them crudely, no bells or whistles, mainly most have their serial number assigned to them as their new name as they enter the prison walls. On a cross it states 4-19-2008 7568964 that's all it says. Made me think as I stood there reading the crosses.

As I walked among the rows of crosses they were all in order by each yr that they were buried...1934, 1935 1936 1937, 1968 1969 1970, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008. Kind of gave me the Arlington Look of the rows and rows, but this was no military cemetery. One had to earn his way into this resting place.
The prisoners work the Cemetery every day until 5 pm under Police Guard with Rifles. As time had it we had just missed the prisoners by 15 minutes, which was fine by me. Don't know how things would have went down as Thelma and Luuezz came riding up on their Harleys to the Prison Cemetery!
 

What a ride..... 4,147 miles! May 15 - June 1 - 2008
 

Luuezz

You may contact Luuezz at ..... Luuezz@rumblenews.com