tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post837890542224501491..comments2023-12-11T03:32:58.722-05:00Comments on Twisted Roads By Jack Riepe: How To Choose A Riding Partner...Jack Riepehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07531160098262862027noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-83322903920583743492009-02-23T19:48:00.000-05:002009-02-23T19:48:00.000-05:00You are lucky to have a list of good and trusted f...You are lucky to have a list of good and trusted friends.<BR/><BR/>There are two men I will ride with in a heartbeat. Both are fellow professionals. We trust each other enough we could ride handlebar to handlebar. Often we do, actually. They're also good friends and we are in synch otherwise. Except for Ray who never has to pee, of course.<BR/><BR/>Otherwise I ride alone. By popular demand, I think. However, I salve my wounded pride by quoting Groucho.<BR/><BR/>"I'd never belong to a club that would have me as a member!"irondadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17821323482397075170noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-73649222663779742082009-02-20T20:28:00.000-05:002009-02-20T20:28:00.000-05:00Gina Lolobrigida would be a good name if I rode a ...Gina Lolobrigida would be a good name if I rode a Ducati.....<BR/><BR/>But being the good Teutonic motorcycle that she is, Brigitta fits just fine.<BR/><BR/>All part of the "Sound of Music" theme I follow with my vehicles....redlegsrideshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10927757855921321097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-39090470753576707092009-02-20T19:48:00.000-05:002009-02-20T19:48:00.000-05:00Dear Charlie6 (Dom):It would be the ultimate pisse...Dear Charlie6 (Dom):<BR/><BR/>It would be the ultimate pisser to see my bike posed with Gina Lola Brigetta, or whatever your bike is called, with Cacti and buttes in the background -- ON YOUR BLOG! Hah!<BR/><BR/>(See, it is starting already!)<BR/><BR/>Fondest regards,<BR/>JckJack Riepehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07531160098262862027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-69280900063276350642009-02-20T16:09:00.000-05:002009-02-20T16:09:00.000-05:00Jack,consider the waiver signed, it should be fun,...Jack,<BR/><BR/>consider the waiver signed, it should be fun, not to mention I could abandon you as the rest are apparently in the habit of doing if necessary for my sanity. :)redlegsrideshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10927757855921321097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-49336852021507092932009-02-20T14:43:00.000-05:002009-02-20T14:43:00.000-05:00Dear Steel (Steve):I gave up drinking to help lose...Dear Steel (Steve):<BR/><BR/>I gave up drinking to help lose weight. I just went cold turkey. I was assisted in this achievement by a number of hangovers, that lasted two days owing to the fact that I can no longer take aspirin or Advil for the pain. <BR/><BR/>I will be back at the house by 6pm easy. I'll send you my contact numbers for the call.<BR/><BR/>Fondest regards,<BR/>JackJack Riepehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07531160098262862027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-58912760642210556762009-02-20T14:40:00.000-05:002009-02-20T14:40:00.000-05:00Dear Charlie6 (Dom):Why not? It would be really co...Dear Charlie6 (Dom):<BR/><BR/>Why not? It would be really cool. What I would ask you to do is to reread this blog on choosing a riding partner and sign a waiver acknowledging how badly you are about to get hosed. And if this trip comes off, you may find yourself getting tortured in my stories like Bregstein. <BR/><BR/>Actually, I think it would be fun riding with you. I have no idea how long this arthritis is going to let me have fun. I want to do this trip this smmer. And Steve Asson is a real pisser too. <BR/><BR/>Fondest regards,<BR/>JackJack Riepehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07531160098262862027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-71141928895156453762009-02-20T12:42:00.000-05:002009-02-20T12:42:00.000-05:00I see it forming Jack...Shootout at the Twisted Ro...I see it forming Jack...<BR/><BR/>Shootout at the Twisted Roads Corral.<BR/><BR/>If I had to guess right now, your phone will ring sometime between 6:30 and 7:00 Eastern time Saturday evening, give or take an hour. By that time you might be passed out underneath the tailgate...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-62502052722648436942009-02-20T11:33:00.000-05:002009-02-20T11:33:00.000-05:00Deadwood? Dodge City? Hey that's within riding r...Deadwood? Dodge City? Hey that's within riding range of my piece of the empire!<BR/><BR/>Can I ride along if you make it out that ways?<BR/><BR/>or is there a Dodge City out in PA?<BR/><BR/>domredlegsrideshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10927757855921321097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-88998748302106390842009-02-20T11:28:00.000-05:002009-02-20T11:28:00.000-05:00Dear CPA3485:I'll keep you posted of our plans. No...Dear CPA3485:<BR/><BR/>I'll keep you posted of our plans. Not only would it be fun to compare bikes, but we could do a ride together too.<BR/><BR/>Fondest regards,<BR/>JackJack Riepehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07531160098262862027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-21448751786583421962009-02-20T11:26:00.000-05:002009-02-20T11:26:00.000-05:00Dear Steel (Steve);Honda, Kawasaki... They're all ...Dear Steel (Steve);<BR/><BR/>Honda, Kawasaki... They're all the same in the dark. <BR/><BR/>I will be at a tailgate party until about 4:30pm (EST) on Saturday. My phone will be set to loud and buzz. I'll email you my cell number. <BR/><BR/>I'm thinking Doge City, and then a run up to Deadwood. The decidig factor will be how well my weight loss, arthritis treatment, and new bike seat all work together. Of course, I could be sucking eggs if my job heads west.<BR/><BR/>It will be great to talk to you guys.<BR/><BR/>Better still, it wll be a pisser to ride along the old cattle trails.<BR/><BR/>Fondest regards,<BR/>Jack<BR/><BR/>Fondest regards,<BR/>JackJack Riepehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07531160098262862027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-79411180693356576712009-02-20T11:21:00.000-05:002009-02-20T11:21:00.000-05:00Dave:You bring up a good point, but one that is so...Dave:<BR/><BR/>You bring up a good point, but one that is sometimes in conflict with another great motorcycle philosophy, "Ride your own ride." <BR/><BR/>When two of us pair off on a run, as Dick Bregstein and I often do, we are never out of eyeshot of each other. The same holds true for paired runs with Pete Buchheit and Clyde Jacobs. But when we ride as a threesome, I'm delighted to let the other guys go. They are more interested in the technical aspects of the ride, while I prefer to dawdle. I wouldn't think of holding them up. Like me, they have been thinking of carving through the twisties months before we actually take the trip.<BR/><BR/>We all have each others numbers on our cells. They boys often get a good 20 or 30 mile lead on me... But they wait at the first turn intersection. And if I was longer than 30 minutes... They'd come back to loot the wreckage.<BR/><BR/>On my first 350-mile day ride, David Hardgrove and Jim Sterling placed me between them. I was very new at the game. It was a foggy day. We rode like this the whole day, and stopped often. But the purpose of that ride was to help me get my feet wet. <BR/><BR/>On trips we would take now, the purpose would be a little different. I used to think it was cool to ride in a long line of motorcycles. Now, I find it to be more of a pain in the ass. The biggest group I would ride in today would be 12 -- divided into 6 subgroups of two. <BR/><BR/>Did you ever notice in a larger group there is always one asshole with an empty tank? And his reason is, "He didn't like the brand of gas where everybody else stopped before." Well, that gets old fast. Riding to the lowest skill level is an unnecessary purgatory to enforce on everyone. That's why I always ask for volunteers to ride with me. <BR/><BR/>Wayne Whitlock accompanied me (to make sure I didn't kill myself) down to Maggie Valley for a rally. He told me his wife Lucy was riding pillion with him, and liked to stop. I thought, "Swell." My arthritis was hurting me and I'd be able to put my feet down a lot. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that Lucy could hold her water and ride my ass into the ground. Her idea of a lot of stops and mine were two different things. (I'd love to do that trip over again now. Wayne and Lucy were the best company.)<BR/><BR/>That's why I say it is critical to know a lot about those you ride with, and to pick them carefully.<BR/>It's a challenge to be all things to all people, and to ride your own ride as well."<BR/><BR/>Thanks for writng in, Dave.<BR/><BR/>Fondest regards,<BR/>JackJack Riepehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07531160098262862027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-33608771412060433262009-02-20T10:58:00.000-05:002009-02-20T10:58:00.000-05:00Dear Ihor:Every major publication employs proofrea...Dear Ihor:<BR/><BR/>Every major publication employs proofreaders and fact checkers to make sure statistics, spelling quotes, and other data are as correct as possible. This is because it is a well-known fact that the author is very often reading from an image in his head and not what is actually on the page. <BR/><BR/>Dr. Charles Angoff, one of my professors in college and the personal assistant of H.L. Mencken, once told a story of how he and a committee of other learned officials worked on a commemorative edition of the complete works of Edgar Allen Poe, to be commissioned in a leather-bound set. According to Angoff, they poured over the proofs for weeks. And when the first book came out, there it was embossed on every leather cover: "The Complete Works of Edgar Allen POLE." <BR/><BR/>They were horrified. And when they checked the blueline, there it was as plain as day. <BR/><BR/>I generally write these pieces after sitting at my keyboard for a good ten hours, writing the kind of shit that would break a man's heart. Two different spell checkers, one of which I detest, work over the text. They cannot tell me when the wrong word is used. For example, I used the word "one" when I meant "won" in a story. <BR/><BR/>When I went back to find the errors you had pointed out, I could only find three out of the four, but found three others that you missed. It generally takes me about 4 to 6 hours to write one of these pieces, and two hours to place the photographs and links. This story had no photographs nor links because I was too utterly tired to fuck with them. <BR/><BR/>I generally post these pieces at 3am in the morning. <BR/><BR/>My responses in the comments section have a gazillion errors in them because the typeface on the screen in the comments box is so fucking small, and my eyes are so bad. <BR/><BR/>Here's a point for you: The first thing I do after posting a piece is to reread it 6 hours later, and make about 40 changes before anyone else sees it. <BR/><BR/>I regret the process of producing these pieces -- with the amount of text that I generate -- is almost like a second full-time job that is very gratifying, but taxing. And believe me, when I am done with a story, I am generally sick of looking at it.<BR/><BR/>I appreciate your offer, but you would find my schedule very peculiar. <BR/><BR/>Fondest regards,<BR/>JackJack Riepehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07531160098262862027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-6294452084148025962009-02-19T23:16:00.000-05:002009-02-19T23:16:00.000-05:00Dodge city Kansas?If you go, please let me know. W...Dodge city Kansas?<BR/>If you go, please let me know. We could compare beasts. Not sure If there is a strip joint out there, but they are building a new casino.cpa3485https://www.blogger.com/profile/00031439889267356735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-75664070740136348582009-02-19T17:03:00.000-05:002009-02-19T17:03:00.000-05:00Candidate for Riding Partner Indoctrination Progra...Candidate for Riding Partner Indoctrination Program 2009:<BR/>Steve Asson (Kawasaki) -- Meet up in Dodge City<BR/><BR/>I'm there Jack. My schedule is fluid. Dodge City to Deadwood, is that what we were talking about once? We'll see if my speaker phone works on Saturday...<BR/> (psst...its a Honda)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-78595081221232628582009-02-19T16:50:00.000-05:002009-02-19T16:50:00.000-05:00Hi Jack,You mentioned ''Solidarity' in your piece,...Hi Jack,<BR/><BR/>You mentioned ''Solidarity' in your piece, what ever happened to that, when I first started riding at age 17 it was one of the unwritten laws, biker code, you always stay together and look out for one another.This is something I find hard to convey to the new, younger generation of bikers, or perhaps I'm rapidly becoming a grumpy old git !!<BR/><BR/><BR/>Cheers<BR/><BR/>Dave..Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-32559880498831063742009-02-19T13:37:00.000-05:002009-02-19T13:37:00.000-05:00Dear John, a very thoughtful post and one where yo...Dear John, a very thoughtful post and one where you've finally given credit where it is due.<BR/>You are a better writer than speller however and here are the four proofs:<BR/><BR/>...tach pegged at 'read' line...<BR/>...Things may'( )' different...<BR/>...finding a 'rinding' partner...<BR/>...commitment 'to' the American soldier...<BR/><BR/>The offer to proof read stands! IhorAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-71092156819543947002009-02-19T09:37:00.000-05:002009-02-19T09:37:00.000-05:00Dear Grandad43:The time is coming when the garage ...Dear Grandad43:<BR/><BR/>The time is coming when the garage doors will go up and the beasts will be released. For me, it will be the last weekend in March as I am having thing done to my bike -- largely cosmetic.<BR/><BR/>I look forward to riding with you again, ain about six weeks. <BR/><BR/>Fondest regards,<BR/>JackJack Riepehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07531160098262862027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-21183643924192245582009-02-19T09:34:00.000-05:002009-02-19T09:34:00.000-05:00Dear Conch:You recently posted a ride in which you...Dear Conch:<BR/><BR/>You recently posted a ride in which you and another rider toured the mainland part of Monroe County. So it actually, "Mostly one highway... Mostly one motorcycle... And mostly one rider."<BR/><BR/>So there.<BR/><BR/>Thank you for writing in.<BR/><BR/>Fondest regards,<BR/>JackJack Riepehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07531160098262862027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-65783568192418948452009-02-19T09:05:00.000-05:002009-02-19T09:05:00.000-05:00Jack, a great tribute to why we ride and to those ...Jack, a great tribute to why we ride and to those who enhance our experiences.<BR/> Just makes me want to twist the throttle and enjoy the view.<BR/> The "battlefield ride" is another good idea.<BR/><BR/> Grandad 43 PS 14Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-23553421075613339032009-02-19T01:41:00.000-05:002009-02-19T01:41:00.000-05:00I ride alone. One highway one motorcycle one rider...I ride alone. One highway one motorcycle one rider.Conchscooterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08016331487463993200noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-68532132274277063462009-02-18T21:29:00.000-05:002009-02-18T21:29:00.000-05:00Dear Motonomad:The clock is ticking and we are ma...Dear Motonomad:<BR/><BR/>The clock is ticking and we are making progress on the ride preparations for the end of May. I think we need to plan a really cheap trip,to get some practice in. And we should have yet another planning session in a bar someplace. Pick a day and a joint.<BR/><BR/>I am itching to ride again soon too. <BR/><BR/>Fondest regards,<BR/>JackJack Riepehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07531160098262862027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-30578524845710799372009-02-18T21:22:00.000-05:002009-02-18T21:22:00.000-05:00Dear Terry:Here is a tried and true method of dete...Dear Terry:<BR/><BR/>Here is a tried and true method of determining when you should ride with someone, and when to ride alone. If it is their turn to buy, ride with someone. When it is your turn to buy, ride alone. This is the policy Mike Evans has used fgor years.<BR/><BR/>Thank you for writing in. This is your first post, I think!<BR/><BR/>Fondest regards,<BR/>JackJack Riepehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07531160098262862027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-17107949419499834572009-02-18T21:20:00.000-05:002009-02-18T21:20:00.000-05:00Dear Mr. Bennet:We never got to chase the haiggis ...Dear Mr. Bennet:<BR/><BR/>We never got to chase the haiggis around last year. But I am ressurecting the great crab house hunt for 2009.<BR/>I'm sure there are a few joints in Delaware, worthy of a trip. I expect to see you there. And I want to hit a place in North Bowers Beach. Right on the water and live music.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for writing in.<BR/><BR/>Fondest regards,<BR/>JackJack Riepehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07531160098262862027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-29202465509426838972009-02-18T17:36:00.000-05:002009-02-18T17:36:00.000-05:00Rocket Riepe,I found this to be the most thoughtfu...Rocket Riepe,<BR/><BR/>I found this to be the most thoughtful and inspiring of your recent blogs. It reinforces my desire to be back on the road with you guys, the sooner the better.<BR/><BR/>MotoNomadmotonomadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11957968205027911381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6428154721977251894.post-60868700391244041802009-02-18T12:47:00.000-05:002009-02-18T12:47:00.000-05:00A lot of wisdom in this post. I've been frustrated...A lot of wisdom in this post. I've been frustrated with those whose style of riding is very different from mine and I'm sure they were frustrated with me as well. On the other hand, sharing a riding experience with others can be a most gratifying experience, but sometimes a solo ride can cleanse the soul like nothing else.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00273578613803448956noreply@blogger.com