This is some seriously bad news. The rider was very lucky, and managed not to say what I am sure was on his mind.
Thanks to Robert Jackson Bennett for throwing the clip my way via twitter.
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Showing posts with label The Bike. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Bike. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Thursday, June 17, 2010
June is a very busy month for me, MMA, and World Cup Soccer!
Been very busy, but nowhere near busy enough to warrant the lack of production in writing I have had the last few weeks. It seems that summer is a slow time for the creative juices.
The new bike is growing on me as I break it in. Got the fly screen yesterday, making this morning's ride in much more comfortable.
Watching the Swiss hold the Spanish off and win was a heart-rending experience. Having lived (and loved living) in both countries, I was on the fence for the most part. My love of the underdog kept me rooting for the Swiss more than Spain, but God, what a match!
I watched the Strikeforce fights last night, and while the card was short, it contained some very good fights:
KJ Noons has been overbilled, I think. He is a great boxer, but Heun, who took the fight on less than two week's notice, took his shots and kept coming, showing a better mix of MMA skills than Noons. Heun kept coming, pressing Noons the entire fight, controlling the cage, he had one effective takedown, the only one of the fight. He took a beating, his face looking like hamburger by the end. The judges decision went for Noons, which I felt had more to do with the promotion's hopes for Noons than how well he did in the cage.
Cyborg destroyed Zaromskis. Full stop. A few great exchanges and it was over quick.
Tim Kennedy handily won his match, submitting Prangley a lengthy set of scrambles on the ground. He's now training full time, and may become a serious force to be reckoned with.
In the main event, Bobalu Sobral fought very well last night, edging out Lawler, who seemed to have no plan. Sobral also took a beating, while Lawler looked like he could have fought another opponent.
The new bike is growing on me as I break it in. Got the fly screen yesterday, making this morning's ride in much more comfortable.
Watching the Swiss hold the Spanish off and win was a heart-rending experience. Having lived (and loved living) in both countries, I was on the fence for the most part. My love of the underdog kept me rooting for the Swiss more than Spain, but God, what a match!
I watched the Strikeforce fights last night, and while the card was short, it contained some very good fights:
KJ Noons has been overbilled, I think. He is a great boxer, but Heun, who took the fight on less than two week's notice, took his shots and kept coming, showing a better mix of MMA skills than Noons. Heun kept coming, pressing Noons the entire fight, controlling the cage, he had one effective takedown, the only one of the fight. He took a beating, his face looking like hamburger by the end. The judges decision went for Noons, which I felt had more to do with the promotion's hopes for Noons than how well he did in the cage.
Cyborg destroyed Zaromskis. Full stop. A few great exchanges and it was over quick.
Tim Kennedy handily won his match, submitting Prangley a lengthy set of scrambles on the ground. He's now training full time, and may become a serious force to be reckoned with.
In the main event, Bobalu Sobral fought very well last night, edging out Lawler, who seemed to have no plan. Sobral also took a beating, while Lawler looked like he could have fought another opponent.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Hard Things, Good Things
Yesterday morning I got a call from Jim at Ace. He apologized to me, telling me he was very sorry, that the bike had yet to arrive and that he didn't know what had happened. He was clearly frustrated because he had waited until late the night before and the warehouse was closed, so he couldn't learn whether an emergency had arisen or they were planning on delivering that morning. Jim went on to say there was a chance the bike would arrive, but he didn't know if it would be early enough to get it prepped for me and didn't want to give me bad information.
Having worked in sales, I how hard a thing it is to make this kind of call. Jim did it, and while disappointed, I was certainly not disappointed in him. I told him I would wait for word.
Two hours later he called and told me the bike would be ready around two. I told him I would be in after that. He thanked me for my patience and apologized for the scare, to which I said, "I much prefer being told bad news up front, so thanks for that."
I showed up with my wife and daughter, who were made to feel very comfortable. Both were eyeing a Vespa, which kills me.
The bike was ready, the final paperwork took a half hour, I bought my new helmet and jaw-jacked a little with both Jims at Ace. McLaughlin gave me a thorough once-over about new bikes and the specifics of working them in.
Then I took my new bike for a ride.
Wow, is it sweet! Rider position is perfect for me, knees less bent than they were on the Four and I am actually standing when stopped, a comfortable posture all around.
I didn't crack the throttle until I got out on Marsh Creek Road, and even then I kept it under the 5000 RPM mark I was told to monitor to break her in. She sounds a bit reedy until you do get a little higher in the RPMs, at which point a deep Bwwaa sets in. She handles better, has more power and is more comfortable than the old bike. All around, a good thing.
Nice, very nice.
Having worked in sales, I how hard a thing it is to make this kind of call. Jim did it, and while disappointed, I was certainly not disappointed in him. I told him I would wait for word.
Two hours later he called and told me the bike would be ready around two. I told him I would be in after that. He thanked me for my patience and apologized for the scare, to which I said, "I much prefer being told bad news up front, so thanks for that."
I showed up with my wife and daughter, who were made to feel very comfortable. Both were eyeing a Vespa, which kills me.
The bike was ready, the final paperwork took a half hour, I bought my new helmet and jaw-jacked a little with both Jims at Ace. McLaughlin gave me a thorough once-over about new bikes and the specifics of working them in.
Then I took my new bike for a ride.
Wow, is it sweet! Rider position is perfect for me, knees less bent than they were on the Four and I am actually standing when stopped, a comfortable posture all around.
I didn't crack the throttle until I got out on Marsh Creek Road, and even then I kept it under the 5000 RPM mark I was told to monitor to break her in. She sounds a bit reedy until you do get a little higher in the RPMs, at which point a deep Bwwaa sets in. She handles better, has more power and is more comfortable than the old bike. All around, a good thing.
Nice, very nice.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
A Very Pleasant Day
Dropped my bike off this morning for service, and was told it would be done by about 1630.
The wife and I went to lunch at Chow with my mentor and friend, Mark, as well as his wife, Syl. We rarely get to meet away from work, as they live in the city and the demands of family life and work severely limit our chances to just grab dinner.
Lunch was outstanding. Truly outstanding. The conversation ranged all over the place, and many a laugh was had. We were still chuckling away when, at 1600, the dealership called to tell me that they had only just started on the bike, and that they wanted to keep it overnight. This was not acceptable, as I have dinner tomorrow night with Isabelle's soccer team.
We called it an afternoon and I went to the dealership, where I gave the service rep a ration of shit for quoting me an incorrect time frame for the work they were going to do.
I then got the bill, and apologized. They had done all the work but replacing the hydraulic fluid in my forks. I had thought they had done almost nothing. I still need the forks looked at, but it can wait a bit.
I got home and just finished watching the Fox comedy The Good Guys, which I found very, very funny. Now I am watching a PBS program, Ground War, which plays to my military history interests.
Later, sleep.
The wife and I went to lunch at Chow with my mentor and friend, Mark, as well as his wife, Syl. We rarely get to meet away from work, as they live in the city and the demands of family life and work severely limit our chances to just grab dinner.
Lunch was outstanding. Truly outstanding. The conversation ranged all over the place, and many a laugh was had. We were still chuckling away when, at 1600, the dealership called to tell me that they had only just started on the bike, and that they wanted to keep it overnight. This was not acceptable, as I have dinner tomorrow night with Isabelle's soccer team.
We called it an afternoon and I went to the dealership, where I gave the service rep a ration of shit for quoting me an incorrect time frame for the work they were going to do.
I then got the bill, and apologized. They had done all the work but replacing the hydraulic fluid in my forks. I had thought they had done almost nothing. I still need the forks looked at, but it can wait a bit.
I got home and just finished watching the Fox comedy The Good Guys, which I found very, very funny. Now I am watching a PBS program, Ground War, which plays to my military history interests.
Later, sleep.
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