Changing Priorities

Today, while cleaning out a spare bedroom, in order to make room for potential guests from out of town, I realized how much that spare room and my priorities have changed over the years.

At one time, that room was used primarily as a playpen for a cat. Then it became a storage room, a bedroom for my son, then storage again, then a bedroom for my son and granddaughter and finally a storage room again. Now we are converting it into a guest room for visiting bikers from other states.

As I went through the many boxes of papers and other miscellaneous items found in that room, my mind started to drift back and forth through time and every item I ran across seemed to remind me of era's that were once priorities in my life.

Some items reminded me of a time when my top priority was my "club family", trying to support and raise a biological family, businesses I owned, hobbies my wife or I enjoyed and old friends and family members that have passed away over the years.

I am not sure if it was the fact that one of my wife's best friends passed away last night, or that my Doctor just put me on some new meds that may have a negative effect on my ability to ride a motorcycle, or the fact that my wife and I just got back from a road trip where we road almost 2, 000 miles on our bike and almost half of those miles were spend on two lane roads through the mountains, but something reminded me of how mortal we are and how much MY priorities have changed as I have gotten older.

Would like to invite the true bikers, who have survived
the hardships of life and those who have an interest in
riding when riding wasn't even cooll to check out PIeces of My Heart

Many years ago, when I was younger and I was working as an over the road truck driver, I tried to make preparations for my family in the event I was ever involved in a fatal accident. I made arrangements in advance as to who would raise my children in the event my wife and I were both gone. I also made sure another family member living in a separate house had a copy of my will and all my final requests.

As the years went by , my assets changed and so did my priorities.

Life is about making choices.

Last Saturday, when I woke up, I had to make a choice. The temps were only supposed to be in the 40's all day long, so I could stay at home where it was warm, and do one of those nasty 4 letter words "w-o-r-k" OR I could get on my bike and go to a bike scavenger hunt. I choose to go on the bike scavenger hunt.

Kinda knew to this stuff. Not sure i know what i am doin

Hello,,I am new to this site.. My nickname is silver rabbit..I ride a 2007 ulta classic touring bike and i love it.. I have been living Lubbock,tx
for the 26 yrs and been married to wife,janice,
for the last 25 yrs..I have drove semi-tractors trailers (otr) and farm the most of my life until my co- driver decide to doze off for second then total wreck the trk..I mean total wreck..

I started riding a bike back in the 60's, before I got married and had children. At that time movies about "biker gangs" were real popular and since I was a "wild child" I ended up joining a club and spent most of my time with my fellow club members and really enjoyed the connection and camaraderie I shared with them.

As I matured, I eventually got married and like many other family men, ended up having other obligations in my life such as a job and children that placed limits on my free time including the amount of time I could spend riding.

By the time I was old enough to retire and free to ride whenever I wanted, I discovered myself in a new town where I did not have any friends to ride with, so I started going to poker runs, hoping to meet other bikers I could ride with. Unfortunately there just isn't enough time during these runs to build a relationship with others,

I AM AN OLDER BIKER

It took me many years to become part of this elite group and while I don't know how many more years I will be able to enjoy the rides, I am thankful for each and every time I get to enjoy the wind in my face, the variety of fragrances that fill my nostrils and the awesome beauty of nature that surrounds me.

I and my fellow members come from all sorts of backgrounds. Some of us risked our lives on foreign soil, fighting for the freedom we all enjoy, while others placed their lives in danger protecting us from the criminals that wanted to harm us. Still others helped produce and deliver the products that make your life more comfortable. But regardless of the differences in our background, the common bond that unites us is

Why You Should Ride With A Club

Why you ride and the type of riding you do, will have a major impact on your decision to join a club or not. Since I am not involved with hill climbing, races, or moto-cross, I can not speak to those types of riders. However if you ride a cruiser and like traveling down the highway on your bike, then I will be happy to let you know why I choose to ride with a club.

SAFETY

Cars WILL turn in front of a motorcycle.
Drivers are in a hurry, they don't see you, or they just don't care about you. Regardless of the reason whey they turn in front of you, the fact is that I as well as many of my brothers have laid down our scooters in order to avoid hitting a car broadside. By riding with a group of bikers, you greatly reduce the risk of having cars pull out or turn in front of you.

If you have never attended a Motorcycle Rally or camped at one, you may want to conduct a bit of research before you go. I would also very highly recommend that you go "with" a group or club instead of traveling by yourself.

Transporting a tent
Unless you are towing a trailer behind your bike that you can transport your tent in, I would suggest you strap a tent to your handlebars, (if you don't have a faring) or carry it standing upright on your passenger seat if you have a sissy bar to strap it to. My reason behind these suggestions is because it is almost impossible to find a tent short enough to fit crossways behind you, without blocking the view through your mirrors unless you can position it where it will ride above or below the view from your mirrors.