Gone, thank goodness, are the days of excess. I never really understood people who measured the desirability of a motorcycle based on “relative values.” Is it really important if your bike’s 300 rear tire is larger than the other guy’s 280? They are both fat, probably too fat to safely toss a motorcycle through a tight set of curves on a mountainside. And does the chromed-but-nonfunctional thingamabob on one person’s motorcycle make it better than the other guy’s bike without a chrome thingamabob? I don’t think so.
On the other hand, I know a lot of people with bone-stock motorcycles who love them and ride the wheels off them year-round. Most of us live somewhere in between the two extremes, with lightly modified motorcycles. Some are personalized with bolt-on items, others prefer handcrafting parts. Personally, I prefer my motorcycles — older or newer — set up the way I want them, which is not necessarily the way the factory designed them. My 2000 Harley Ultra Touring bike appears mostly stock until you look a bit closer: low Klock shield, Rinehart exhaust, Screamin’ Eagle heads, and big-bore kit, etc. All subtle changes, but each was done to increase my enjoyment of the bike the way I like to ride it. Somewhat less subtle changes were made to my 1931 Indian 101 Scout, which was upgraded to a recirculating oil system (stock was total oil loss) and a 12-volt ignition (stock was 6 volts). This is no museum piece, but is pretty enough to be one. I prefer these modifications, which are not easily noticeable, because they make the bike easier and safer to ride. And I do ride this bike a lot.
So, why am I mentioning this here? Only a small percentage of our readers own Harley Ultras, and I can’t imagine many of our readers own 1930s Indians. My point is, regardless of what you ride, make it your own. Ride it, enjoy it, and the heck with anyone who can’t understand or appreciate the experience. If you want to ride, and I have to believe you do or you wouldn’t be reading this, do it. Who cares if you can’t afford or justify the latest and greatest? Ride and enjoy what you have, or buy what you can afford. Sure money is tight, but for the cost of a tank of gas, you can get in the wind with an ear-to-ear smile all day long.
If you have a bike that’s a bit rough or hasn’t run in awhile, spend some time sorting, tuning, and cleaning it up. Start with the basics, like battery, plugs, tires, and brakes. Once you have it running, wash, wax and detail it from top to bottom, and then go out and ride it. Nothing like riding a well-tuned and spotlessly clean motorcycle on a bright sunny day. If your bike already is a strong runner (as it should be if you keep up on the tech articles in this magazine) put down the mag and go riding. If you have an old beater leaning against the garage’s back wall, spend the time to get it running or sell it to someone who will. And remember, it’s up to you to do what you want with your motorcycle. Leave it stock, customize it with bolt-on catalog parts, or make your own. It’s your bike, and that means it’s your call. Even a rough and rusty Ironhead Sportster or Shovelhead with a little maintenance can give you a lifetime of fun without costing much money. Unless the economy improves faster than most of the so-called experts predict, I suspect we’ll be seeing a lot more old iron on the road, and that’s fine with me.
Upcoming Events
I’m looking forward to attending a couple of anniversary motorcycle events in the next few weeks and possibly meeting you at one of them. The first is the J&P Cycles 30th Anniversary Open House in Anamosa, Iowa. Visit
www.JPcycles.com for more info. Bring your bike and enter our show.
American Iron Magazine is honored to sponsor a ride-in custom bike show on Saturday, June 28. I’ll have my camera and hope to shoot a bike or three for feature articles in the magazine.
A few weeks later I am planning on riding my 1924 Harley JD in the AMA’s parade as part of its 85th anniversary Vintage Motorcycle Days celebration the weekend of July 24-26 at the Mid Ohio racetrack near Lexington, Ohio. As this issue goes to press the AMA is still looking for a few more bikes for the parade. For more details visit
www.AMA-cycle.org.
Ride safe, ride smart, have fun.
July 2009 - A Motorcycle Is A Terrible Thing To Waste 
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