DEDICATION:

THIS BLOG IS DEDICATED TO ALL BIKERS HERE IN THE UNITED STATES AND WORLDWIDE. TO ALL THE VETERANS, THOSE LIVING AND TO THOSE WHO GAVE THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE; TO THOSE CURRENTLY SERVING AND TO THOSE IN THE FUTURE WHO WILL SERVE LONG AFTER WE HAVE GONE, TO PRESERVE THE FREEDOM THAT THOSE IN THE PAST, WE IN THE PRESENT AND THOSE IN THE FUTURE, HAVE ENJOYED , ARE ENJOYING AND WILL ENJOY, AS WE RIDE FREE AND ENJOY LIFE ON OUR CHOSEN MODE OF TRANSPORTATION: MOTORCYCLES.

JOHN
NORTH TEXAS BIKERS



IF YOU WANT TO SEE THE PICTURE BIGGER, JUST CLICK ON THE PICTURE.

















Wednesday, July 7, 2010

TED GIVES ME A CHECK RIDE AROUND THE AREA 7-7-10

Tuesday, 7-6-10, I got released by my Doc to resume normal activities. So, after notifying everyone Tuesday night, I was asked where I wanted to ride to for my first ride back since March 6, 2010. I didn't know and said for them to decide. We went to bed not knowing. Then at 8:30 a.m. yesterday (7-7-10) morning Ted calls and says to be at the Shell Station at Windthorst/US287 at 10:00 a.m. and we were going for a ride. I tried to get hold of several folks but most were still asleep and others couldn't make it. So I met Ted at the Shell Station. Scroll down and follow along as he gave me a check ride thru the area to make sure I could still handle the bike and camera. REMEMBER: IF YOU WANT TO SEE THE PICTURE BIGGER, JUST CLICK ON THE PICTURE.






I arrive at the Shell Station and Ted is already there and waiting.









Ted was asking me about the foot as we waited to see if anyone else was going to show up.







Ted takes the picture of me and we decide to head down to Henrietta Texas to Four Stars Motorcycle Ranch to check in on Sissy & Charlie.








Here are Ted's 2010 Harley Road King and my 2001 Harley Heritage Softail






Ted's helmet







Ted's Eagle passenger.







When you see Ted's bike, there is no way you can't know he is a proud member of the PGR (PATRIOT GUARD RIDERS) and one of our North Texas PGR Ride Captain's. For more on the PGR or if you are interested in joining the PGR, see this link: http://www.patriotguard.org/








Ted's Harley






My Harley








We start out towards Henrietta Texas and head South on US 287. Here is Ted in my rear view mirror






Here is Ted behind me. Thankfully, I have retained my picture taking skills at 75 mph, one handed, on a motorcycle. I was curious after 4 months of not riding, if I would be rusty at it. I'm not..








Missed centering Ted on the first pass and had to try a second time.




Nailed it the second time. All is well with me now.. Ted still doesn't mind me taking pics of him on the bike and with his wife, Inez, all the time because I send them up to Vickie, his daughter in Colorado. Vickie runs an OUTSTANDING motorcycle blog called OUR HARLEY DAYS. Check it out at http://www.ourharleydays.blogspot.com/







Been too long since I've had this view of Southbound US 287 while on the bike. Feels great to be back. The smells, the sights, the riding with a good friend, the wind in my face again and the feeling you experience while the engine sings it throaty song... It just don't get any better than this. I love it!!!







We arrive at Four Stars Motorcycle Ranch, and go in. I take a pic of Robert's Screaming Eagle Harley





The engine on his Harley is the 110 cu. in. Screaming Eagle Special..





We then get with Charlie- sales manager, Sissy-sales and web Internet guru, and Ted.






Here is Charlie, Sissy & me inside the Four Stars Motorcycle Ranch.






Here is Charlie, Danny (Sales), Sissy & Ted





Charlie, Danny, Sissy and me.






Here is Steve's bike, another Screaming Eagle, for sale on consignment down at Four Stars Motorcycle Ranch. He has just 10,394 miles and this is a 2009 model






The consignment card with the asking price. I think this is a pretty good deal..





Since the Four Stars Motorcycle Ranch is co-located with the Four Stars Auto Ranch, they have this baby I would give body parts to own. A new Dodge Hemi Challenger. BEAUTIFUL CAR!!






The Challenger logo...





The Hemi lettering on the hood





Front view




The Window sticker with all the options and final price. I never thought I'd say this, but I would sacrifice getting my beloved Mustang for one of these BAD BOYS.








Sissy hard at it in her office.





Charlotte, one of Sissy's friends arrives. She rides a Harley Heritage like mine only she has a front fairing put on her's. Here she is sitting on a custom Wild West bike. She said if her Harley was paid off, she would get this bike for an around the city hopping bike.






Another view of Charlotte on the Wild West bike. If she gets it, Charlie will be the salesman who sells it to her.




The signature WILD WEST logo on the back fender. I thought these bikes were expensive. You can imagine my surprise when I looked at the tag and saw the asking price.





This was a 2004 Wild West Dragoon and they only wanted $13,998 for it. That may be too much for some, but I think it's a great price. I wouldn't mind getting one at that price.








A couple of other Custom bikes for sale at Four Stars Motorcycle Ranch/Auto Ranch in Henrietta Texas






The large Four Stars Auto Ranch sign that can be seen from North & South Bound US 287 at TX 148




They have quite a few models for sale, in the cruiser line from Road Glides, Street Glides, Heritage Customs & Classics, to Ultra Glides and Screaming Eagle versions of many of the same models






Some more of the Ultra's & Road Kings







Tell ya what, these bikes were priced to sell. With the economy the way it is, it is a buyers market for motorcycles, especially for those who love Harley Davidson's






I'm pretty sure this purple Harley is a Road King





Another view of that Challenger...






Just before Ted & I left, I interrupted Charlie & Charlotte as they were discussing that Wild West bike, for a final picture. Good luck Charlotte, I hope you can get that bike one day...







Ted & I decided to shoot up TX 148 to Petrolia and then head North to Byers Texas, where we were gonna stop by the Byers Cafe to have a bite to eat and talk to the owners. They are sponsoring a benefit Bike Run this Saturday and we wanted to get more info and a flyer.
If you would like a good used Harley or other motorcycle or a great new car or used car, check out Four Stars Auto Ranch/Motorcycle Ranch at http://www.fourstarsautoranch.com/ . you can call them at: toll free at 800-299-4782, the Auto Ranch at 940-538-5678, or the Motorcycle Ranch at 940-538-4400. or stop by and see these great folks at the FOUR STARS AUTO/MOTORCYCLE RANCH at US Hwy 287 & TX Hwy 148 in Henrietta Texas. You'll be glad you did.





We pull out of Four Stars Auto/Motorcycle Ranch and head North on TX 148. Ted is leading the way.




We continue North on TX 148. The sky was partly cloudy with the white puffy cumulus clouds and the temperature was about 93 degrees. The humidity was up. I didn't care. I was having a great time.





Apparently the grasshoppers in the area didn't get the word that their numbers were supposed to be low this summer due to our cold winter with the ice & snow we had in December 2009 and January 2010. I got nailed by quite a few of those things plus an unknown critter that was full of red blood. Thank God for the windshield..Check out the mess. They didn't just go splat, those things exploded!!






If you click on the pic and look at my finger, one of those big grasshoppers hit my finger and exploded. It went into my glove, and splattered down on my pants and right saddle bag. By the time we got to the Byers Cafe, I looked like I had been in a bug slaughter house.






We were moving along at a decent clip along the two laned TX 79, which we had turned North on to when we arrived in Petrolia Texas. Byers Texas is five miles North of Petrolia Texas






We arrive at the Byers Cafe which is located at Main St (TX 79) and Central Dr. in Byers Texas. Here is the new sign..





The front entrance to the Byers Cafe. They had a flyer up about the Benefit Run this Saturday, 7-10-10







This is the owner of the Byers Cafe, Tracy, and her daughter, Nicole





Trevor , Tracy's son, made the mistake of coming out of the kitchen to see what was up. It took some doing but with Tracy's help, we got him in a picture. Here is Tracy, Trevor & Nicole. They run a very clean establishment with a friendly atmosphere and GREAT home cooked meals at VERY REASONABLE prices. Janice & I are going up there to eat Sunday afternoon if they are open.







Ted, in the Byers Cafe, enjoying a COLD glass of ice water. I opted for a cold glass of iced tea.





As we get ready to leave, Ted gets some gear out of his saddlebags.





The Byers Cafe at Main St (TX79) & Central in Byers Texas. I highly reccomend this Cafe. It has the perfect setting inside, clean & friendly, GREAT home cooked meals at great prices. Stop by and see the folks there or you can call them for your catering needs. The Byers Cafe phone number is 940-539-6570.







Before we head out, Ted checks in with his wife, Inez. I checked in with Janice while we were waiting for our order. And thank you Ted for lunch. The next one is on me.






If by chance you miss the Byers Cafe sign, just look for this Texas Flag on the building cady corner from the Cafe. If you are North bound on Tx 79, there is no way you can miss it.





This is the flyer for the Benefit Bike Run this Saturday 7-10-10. Click on the picture to enlarge it so you can read it better.If you are in the Wichita Falls area or passing thru, you all are invited to attend this run. I will mail this flyer out to the 170+ folks on my ride notification list. if you live in the Wichita Falls Texas area or Southern Oklahoma area (Lawton Vicinity) and wish to be placed on the notification list (rides, runs & events are sent out to the folks on the list) just send me your name & email address and I will add you. My email address is: jbailey6@sw.rr.com





The Byers Texas Water Tower can been seen from quite a distance. To get oriented, it is about two blocks North of the Byers Cafe




We leave the Byers Cafe and head out via the back roads to our next stop, RED RIVER HARLEY DAVIDSON in Wichita Falls Texas. Red River Harley Davidson is hosting the 2010 Texas State H.O.G. Rally this year from Sept.2-5, 2010. For more info check out :


http://www.redriverharley-davidson.com/







I think we were on TX FM-171 (West) and it had a lot of curves. We maintained about 60 mph and had to slow down considerably to make a lot of the 30 mph curves. A great ride thru the country. Plus the grasshoppers in this area must have gotten the word, because there weren't any there with suicidal tendencies. This was our 100 mile mark in the ride and I still had a little more than half a tank of gas left.






The odometer showing 100 miles and the gas gage showing the little over a half a tank of gas left.




We took FM 171 to another FM road, I can't remember the numbers of and then we turned West onto Daniels Rd which runs just South of Burkburnett Texas. We took Daniels Rd to I-44 and then went West on I-44. Here is Ted leading the way on Westbound I-44 as we continue to the "Harley Shop", Red River Harley Davidson.





We got off of I-44 and went North on US 287 to the City View Dr. exit. Here is Red River Harley Davidson as seen from the service road. Red River Harley Davidson is located at US 287N & City View Drive in Wichita Falls Texas.







My splattered windshield. Ted's was virtually clear. How he missed all those grasshoppers is beyond me. Unless the bugs don't like black bikes...






We go inside and are greeted by Erin who works as sales person in the Motor Clothes Dept. and Amber, the Motor Clothes Manager. It was good to see everybody there again. Most of you regular viewers know Amber. Erin (in the black H-D shirt) is new and she replaced Samantha, who landed a job in a bank..





Most of you regular viewers also know Ginger, who is one of the Motor Clothes sales staff and a great person to know. She is friendly, knows her job and is a lot of fun to be around. We really like her. To be honest, we like everyone down at Red River. A great place and some great folks there. They haven't killed me or smashed my camera yet, so you know they have to be great folks.





Red River Harley-Davidson is partnering up with the "Project Back To School" folks and are selling these great backpacks, normally $25, for $13. For the $13 price, you can purchase a backpack for a child who would not normally have one due to circumstances beyond his/her control. When you buy one, they give you a card that you can write a message to the child receiving the backpack. They put the card in the backpack so the child can read it when they get the backpack. This is a great project they are doing and if ya'll can, stop by the Red River Harley Davidson and participate in this cause and make a child happy. I was so impressed I bought one at normal price for Janice. These back packs are made very well and not cheap like some that you see a lot of .. These have the Harley Davidson logo on them so that should tell you of the fine quality and workmanship..






I always check the models of the Harley's they have. I am looking for a Black Heritage Softail Classic, so I can buy it and add it to my collection of bikes I have on the wall in our computer room. The didn't have any black Heritage Classics, but they did have these red Road Kings like Ted's bike. I told him about the models and he already knew about them.. So............







The showroom was full of 2010 Harley's. All models too.







Some more of the bikes in the showroom.







They had plenty of vest extensions and Gremlin Bells. What's a Gremlin Bell , you ask.. Check out this site to find out what Gremlin Bells are and what they do: http://www.gremlinbells.com/







Two more of the hard working folks at the dealership are: Choyce a great salesman. When I get another bike, he will be my salesman. He is a great guy and I value his friendship. and in the black shirt is Brandon, the service advisor. This was the first time I have met Brandon.





Choyce and me before we got ready to leave Red River Harley.





Some more of the great 2010 Harley's in the showroom






This is Ed. I always thought he was the accessory/catalog sales guy. He told us his official title was Chrome Consultant. He is a lot of fun to talk to.









We walked to the back to get a drink of water and who was just returning from lunch? My favorite sales person, Wendi.. She always has a smile and is a hoot to be around. And yes..Janice knows I think the world of Wendi and has met her.





Ted and Wendi. I didn't know it but Ted and Wendi's Dad are friends and Ted has known Wendi since she was a kiddo. Her Dad races cars and is quite well know...






As we walk toward the exit, I spot these door mats. I'm gonna try to talk Janice into getting me one.. I already know where I am gonna put it.






Outside, there are all kinds of used Harley's and other makes & models for sale






This 2005 Ultra Classic has 20,000 miles on it, all the bells & whistles and the asking price is only $16,000





We get ready to leave and Ted is heading to the house. Inez is on the way home from shopping and Ted was heading home to help her unload the car. I was heading out to see Jim, down at Jim's Bike Detail Shop. for more info on Red River Harley Davidson and the 2010 Texas State H.O.G. Rally that RRHD is hosting, go to their site at http://www.redriverharley-davidson.com/. Or stop by and visit and check out the bikes at RRHD located at US287N & City View Dr. Wichita Falls Texas or give them a call at 866-441-7743 or 940-264-7743. You'll have a good time and they all are very hard working, knowledgable, friendly and a lot of fun. Stop in today or when you are on a road trip and passing thru the area and say hi.







I leave Red River Harley Davidson and shoot downtown to see my good friend Jim, who owns Jim's Bike Detail Shop. He moved from out by my place on Southwest Parkway to 1001 Holliday Street Wichita Falls Tx. His business phone is still 940-691-1121. He is located right under the Southbound US287/US281 overpass. Coming into Wichita Falls from the North on I-44, take the Holliday St exit and stay in the left lane. He is at Holliday & 10th Street. If you are coming in from Northbound US287/US281, take the Broad Street exit, get in the left lane & go to 9th St. Turn left at 9th & go one block to Holliday. Turn Left on Holliday St and get in the left lane and Jim's Bike Detail Shop will be on your left at 10th & Holliday St.

Jim does bike & auto Texas State inspections, he does complete bike detailing ($60), washing, vacuuming, oil changes, clutch & throttle cable adjustments and other services.






The front of Jim's Bike Detail Shop. For appointments call Jim's Bike Detail Shop at 940-232-4181. Jim will get you scheduled and he will answer any other questions you may have about his services.







This is Jim. He always is in a good mood, well, usually in a good mood, and he is excellent at what he does. He gets a lot of business by word of mouth and we all know that if a business stays busy by word of mouth customers, then that should tell you how well he is liked and about the exceptional work that he does.





Jim gave me the grand tour of the shop. This building is alot bigger and nicer than the one out on Southwest Parkway, and it would appear that he is staying busy. This is the wash, vacuum and bike detail area.




This bay is two fold. He uses it for tuning up vehicles and the Texas State Inspection area. Jim's Bike Detail Shop is Biker owned and biker operated. Jim rides a 2007 Road Glide (I think) and he has 55,334 miles on it. He does not let moss gather on his tires. This man rides and he rides distances too, not just the local rides, runs and events. We need to continue to support Jim & his business because he does a great service for the biker community and we need to keep him in business. Great biker business's are hard to find and Jim's is one of the best.









The Texas State Inspection area. Jim does a lot of these inspections.






If your in the area and need Jim's services, stop in or give him a call. If you are in the area and are good on everything, stop in anyway and say hi to Jim and let him know he is appreciated for the service he does for the biker community.





This is the speedometer/odometer on Jim's Harley. I stand corrected. He's gone 55,344 miles, not 55,334 miles. Sorry about that..






Jim's bike. He went to Oklahoma and found all the bugs that missed me. He was gonna give his bike a bath and get the bugs cleaned off. He always keeps his bike clean and chrome shining. If he does this to his bike then you know he will do the same for you. Jim takes pride in his work and all his customers are a testament to that fact.







Jim also sells bikes on consignment. Here are a couple he has for sale.




The bike info & prices they are asking. For more info and the bikes, give Jim a call and he can give you all the pertinent info on each bike.




One of the bikes for sale. This is a 1997 Heritage for $7,800. Call Jim for more details.



Another view of Jim's bike. After all the years I have been doing the blog, I discovered a couple of weeks ago that my computer has a program that I could cover tag numbers with paint, ink or whatever method I wanted to do. So, those of you that I ride with and get pics of, no longer will your tags be displayed.





Another view of the 1997 Heritage for sale for $7,800




This 1996 Heritage Cusom is for sale at $7,000. Again, if interested, call Jim and he will give you the other info on the bike.





Jim's Bike Detail Shop hours are: Monday-Thursday 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday & Saturday by appointment only. Again, Jim's Bike Detail Shop is located at 1001 Holliday St Wichita Falls Texas phone: 940-691-1121 and 940-232-4181..





As I get ready to go, I take one last picture of Jim thru the window, as he talks on the phone to a customer.
This will conclude this post. I had a great time today, riding with Ted, going to the different biker establishments and seeing old friends and meeting some new friends. It is great to be back in the saddle again.



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