Life in Motion with Rodney Myers and his motorcycle

Saturday, July 29, 2006 So last year at this time, near the one year anniversary of owning my 2003 Black Honda VTX 1800c, I was in Marysville, Ohio, lining up with about 6,000 other Honda VTX's for the World Record, One Model of Motorcycle, Ride back to the plant. The very plant that manufactured every one of these VTX's. I was at the Honda Homecoming. It is the manufacturer's annual event where owners can return their machines to where they were born. No, there is no Home Football Team that plays some Patsy small school for an easy win. This was the second time I had attended this event, with a three gap in the middle. It was great to get back together with old friends, and create new friendships. I was ready to go back, but vacation time was running scarce, so I decided to create my own homecoming, and go back to the place I was more familiar with as home for my bike, the dealership that I bought it from. Normally, that would be a short trip for most us. Even tho

Tuesday, July 25 and Wednesday July 26, 2006 Not too much special about these two rides to work, same route as always. Wednesday Morning was my initial trip with the new exhaust pipe. I love the tone, but I know it would be way to load for many of my riding partners, so I will be ordering the baffle. Also, some of the chrome was flaking off, so I need to call the chromers and see what they want to do about it. If nothing, I will send it out o the VTX Exhaust Guys, and let them do a better job of it. When I left this morning, they were calling for Thunderstorms on Thursday, so I may not see you until Friday!

Sunday, July 23, 2006 So after a trying morning of riding yesterday, it was time to get out on the roads I long for whenever I throw my leg over the bike. Today's ride would actually have parts of 4 different rides that I have taken people on, but since Julie came all the way from Michigan, I had to link them up. We met at the trusty Thornton's Gas Station. While Julie and I waited for the light to change, we noticed that someone had already arrived. It was Greg, a fellow VTX Owner, and someone who I met at our last Cruiser Club Meeting. The three of us waited until Easyrider Jim and Carl showed up. They were just down the road at the Bob Evans. It wasn't a big group, but for the area we would be riding, it was a good sized group. We started out east on Washington Street, then turned south on Franklin Road to US 52. Most of this part of the route was a straight as an arrow, but it gets us out of the city, out of the county, and into rural landscape. Although

Saturday, July 22, 2006 As you can tell from the title, this was going to be a trying trip. The destination is Peru, Indiana, often referred to as the Circus Capital of the world. It is located right in the middle of Indiana, east and west, and about in the middle of South Bend and Indianapolis. So it made a great meeting spot for myself, and a riding friend, Julie. She is also the President of the Michiana Cruiser Club Chapter. The meeting spot would be Thornton's on East Washington Street. Besides my father and I, Easy Rider Jim and Carl had also arrived for the ride. I had forgotten that I planned to ride the route Julie and I would take back to Peru this morning, so I was calling up the wrong route. I had a pretty good idea of where to go, so we headed out. We went west on Washington Street to Shadeland Avenue. North on Shadeland Avenue to Pendelton Pike which becomes SR 67. I was to get off before then, but I was improvising. After several twists and turns, and a cr

Wednesday, July 19 & Friday, July 21, 2006 Just thought since these are the more mundane trips, I would combine some together. I don't have anything to rant about from any trip, so it would just be me re-hashing the route that I take. I didn't ride Thursday because there was a chance of showers, and for once it actually did rain, when I didn't ride. Friday morning, I did have a guy in a Ford Ranger ogling my bike, and at a stop, he mentioned that he had just bought a Suzuki. The rear tire caught his eye. I wish I had a card to give me, but I couldn't reach for it in time. I will wrap up Friday when I get home tonight, but I might have been pushing the weather, but the bike needs to be cleaned anyway! Lots of riding coming up this weekend!!

Monday, July 17, 2006 I really to be, and I hate the people who always complain about the weather. When it is winter it is too cold, when it is summer, it is too hot. Those of you who live in areas without season are asking what hell is he talking about? I didn't label this entry because I am complaining, just making the observation. Last summer, Indianapolis pushed the mercury to 89 three time, but never to 90. Today, we are in the midst of a string of 90 degree days. This morning it was time for another trip to Columbus. I started out heading west on Washington Street, then veered off on the exit to the South Shadeland Avenue. The air was still crisp and cool, a little cooler then perfect riding weather, but it still felt good. Shadeland blends into 465 south, and I could feel the warmth from the traffic, and more heavily traveled road surface. This would lead me around the east and south part of town to I-65 South. There are a lot of "I's" in this trip, a

Sunday, July 16, 2006 With no alarm, I was still able to roll out of bed at 7am, so I could make breakfast. I really don't have to get up this early, but I like to settle into the Sunday Star Newspaper before I had off to breakfast. Nina was supposed to have new outfit to show off, and I waited as long as I kid for her to come down the stairs. So instead, the runway was the bathroom floor. Nina had left, and the garage door was up, so after dragging the dog outside, I backed the bike out, and went on my way to Shapiro's. I started out heading west on Washington Street until East Street. As I was cruising south on East Street, I could tell from the GPS that I would arrive early, about 8:20am, so I decided to take a detour around the new Lucas Oil Stadium. I still pulled into he parking lot early, but there were four bikes parked in the lot, already. Just like winter, but with opposite temperatures, the elders complained abut there ills, and how it was just too hot to ride.

Saturday, July 15, 2006 It is Saturday, and I have to work. Today, I will be working on production of a show called "Everyday Edisons", a show that finds an inventor, and follows them along the path from concept to store shelf. I took my normal route along Washington Street west to Delaware, were I went north to tenth street. Tenth Street led my west to Meridian Street, and then north to Fourteenth Street. The ride was strange, first because it was Saturday, and I had to report an hour earlier than usual, arriving at 7am. None of us knew what to expect, but most of us thought we would be pulling back out of the parking lot around 5pm. Apparently in the show's past, they would get about 20 budding inventors on tape. Today, we would use nearly eight hours of tape, and record 61 ordinary people creating the next big thing. There was a screening process before the taping, but I am not sure what they were screening. Many of the reason they were rejected on tape were

Friday, July 14, 2006 Here it is, another Friday, and another quick trip to work. Wrong! My trip would start out with another time to fill the belly of the beast. With the price of oil in the news again, I was hoping the prices had gone up, but many most think it was going up. Each pump had a line of three or more cars! This was at 7am in the morning! After ten minutes in line, I was able to fill up at 2.68 Dollars a gallon. My trip would be alittle different, similiar to how I went to Shapiro's on Sunday. I went west on Tenth Street, and then south on Arlington. I turned back west on Pleasant Run Parkway, which turns into Michigan Avenue, a one way street into town. I decided to take Michigan all the to Meridian Street. This main north-south throughfare in the cirlce city would take me right to the station. With another grueling Friday behind me, I headed back for home. No need to worry about dinner, as the catholic church at the end of our street is having their festi

Thursday, July 13, 2006 Well, after two long days with rain, Tuesday the weather folks were talking record rainfalls, the skies have parted, leaving only a blanket of fog around in the morning. The streets were still wet, and puddles could still be jumped into, and splashed out of the holes they filled. My route was the normal one to work, but traffic seems heavier. There seems to be more trucks on the road. With the sharp and narrow turn offs, most of them have to use the left lane, and the center turn lane to swing onto the side street. When I crossed Emerson, I passed Nina, stuck behind one of those trucks, and switched into the left lane, as the right lane often retains water after a pour. Again this morning, there was general confusion at Washington and Delaware. Even though it is well marked, the extreme right lane is not actually the turn lane. It is a curb and parking lane. Since it is right by the City County Building, there are a lot of people dropping others off. The

Monday, July 10, 2006 Today is one of those days that I head out to a different place to work, Columbus, Indiana, and Cummins Engines. I probably have ridden there once or twice this year. Today was a little different. After having some difficulties with satellite providers, shows have been moved and postponed. Case in point, the show that was scheduled for today had been moved. Either way, I had the day cleared for it, so I was going to head down, and check out a piece of gear that they had recently installed. It is another video switcher, a Ross, and I had not any experience running one, and I was going to have to for the next broadcast. I usually like to get down to Columbus as fast as I can, don't want to run late. So I take Washington Street west to the Shadeland Avenue Exit south. This leads right into 465, which I take south, then a little west to I-65. This interstate takes me about 45 miles south to the first of two Columbus Exits. The exit is actually shared wit

Sunday, July 9, 2006 Well it is Sunday, and you know what that means - another breakfast with Reed Eaters. My first stop was to feed the bike, not myself. The 1800cc's had drank the four and half gallon tank down enough for the fuel light to come on, which meant it was time to refill. The last few days have been strange when it comes to gas prices. We are at no lack for stations around our area, and this weekend, no lack for differences in price. Over the last couple of days, a Thornton's had ranged from 2.98 to 3.08 a gallon. The Marathon at Tenth and Shadeland had hovered pretty much with the Shell on the opposite corner at about 2.82. The Kroger had remained steady at 2.74, as well as some other stations just a little further out. Not sure what is going on, but apparently no one has ever been able to figure out the price thing. So with dollar signs floating through my head, I went for the gas at Kroger, and when I had passed earlier, there were lines at the pumps, bu

Saturday, July 8, 2006 Most of today was spent working around the house. But the time finally came to quit, get cleaned up, and get something for the evening meal. Neither Nina or I were very motivated, so I figured I needed to come up with a place that would get both of us up and going. I would go anywhere, as long as I could ride, so I, as usual, am the easy one. Convincing Nina to go out would be more of a challenge, but I did have an ace up my sleeve. After a slow drawn talk, I suggested that we not only go to The Legend in Irvington, but we also take the bike, with the seatback newly mounted to the trunk, so she could check it out. I have spent a lot of time and money trying to get her comfortable on the back of this bike, and I am about at the end of that journey. She had a test seating earlier in the day, and I need to find a roll for her lower back. So I rolled out the bike, drew out the intercom cables, and we saddled up for short ride to the restaurant. We have frequent

Friday, July 7, 2006 I have gotten some feedback that a lot of readers skim over my posts about my rides to and from work. I have decided that I will put something in the title, so that you will know if you want to read about the more routine riding that I do. Hey, I have to commute, so I may as well enjoy it! As the weekend approaches, so does the heat. It seems this becoming a summer of the temps being reset on Monday or Tuesday, usually with rain, but then it dries out, and heats up for the days off. The drive in would be very pleasant, if not a little chilly, but that was because I was dressed for the afternoon, not the morning. I think it was in the high fifties, low sixties when I left. Remember, on Friday's I have to be in a little early, although, I was Technical Directing, not running tape, today, I thought I would get in early, and offer a hand to my replacement. I enjoy Technical Directing much more than tape, as it is still a challenge to me, and I have been train

Thursday, July 6, 2006 This is the second in a row of days that I could not say were anymore perfect weatherwise than any day in my life. The skies were sunny, only dotted with puffy fair weather clouds, and the temps hovered just around 80 degrees. A light breeze kept the air feeling comfortable. Wednesday started out with a little rain that had finished by the time I wanted to take off, but I decided to truck it to work anyway. I would be cooped up in a room with no windows, so maybe it was my way of denying that it was going to be a great day. Thursday was clear and dry. The morning air was hanging around 57 degrees. The sun had lit up the morning, and the cool moist air was drying out. I packed up the bike with stuff I needed for tonight's meeting, including my vest, and headed out to work. Since it is the summer, and most kids are out of school, the traffic is a little lighter, and flows a little better without the big twinkie school buses in the way. Plus, independenc

Saturday, July 1, 2006 The first of July, I guess it is the start of the second half of the year. I hate to say that because it means that all the fun summer things maybe half done, also. Since that may be the case, it is time to get out and ride! Today will be like another rally, not quite Gathering of Eagles, GOE, but it will be a gathering of three Cruiser Club, USA Chapters. As always, with our Indy rides, I have no idea who is going to show up. I really only got confirmations from my brother and father, and an inquiry from Wade. Independence Day was is on Tuesday, and many are heading out of town, blowing off Monday at work. For me, those days at work are the best. Hardly anyone is there, and I can get a lot done with no interruptions. We met at the Thornton's Gas Station near the Digital Castle, my house. My dad and brother were already waiting. I pulled into a pump and fueled up. I eased over, and parked next to them. We talked as we waited. I also took a couple o