The Monday Riders are a different bunch,
For they never know where they’ll be for lunch.
The ride for the day,
Starts with – “let’s go this way”.
Daisy and Phil are a couple of CT’s,
Riding them is a breeze.
Along with another CT-90 and a Passport,
This group easily gets out of sorts.
Before we’ve gone the first mile, Randy and Woodsy are way out in front. One likes to lead and the other doesn’t care to be beaten. The obvious result is a race that happens on the often side. Then there are times the reverse is true. Hoot owl Woodsy must have 360 vision because he’s liable to stop at any time to pick up a nail, his camera batteries or turn in to a driveway. It is essentially, never a dull moment.
Our first real stop is at a graduation party Larry had an invitation for. It being a motorcycle family, four mopeds coming in the driveway didn’t shake anyone. Some did come over and check out the assortment though. Had this been a thoroughly planned ride, Woodsy and his hair helmet might have caused a different situation.
On the way down the driveway, the question of going north or south came up. The answer was – let’s head for the lake – which happened to be west. What would you expect from those that are directionally mixed up and at times lost. Since I’m not real familiar with the area, I can only guess that we were near Whitehall. At least there were boats going in and out the channel, and one had the word - Sheriff – on its side. After checking out the area, we did head south, stopping at a small store for refreshments. While there, a woman comes over, starts talking about the CT’s and guessing the year. She had grown up riding one and was only a year off on Woodsy’s. It’s a little surprising how many people are fascinated and interested at seeing these old bikes out running around. There is also horn blowing and waving as we cruise along.
Getting to leave after a pit stop, the CT Randy is on has a gas leak. The float repair has not held, so it’s head for the house the shortest way. This almost worked. With about half a mile to go something locks up and it’s tow time. The day is yet young, so Larry fires up a Honda Elite and we keep heading south. I’m never sure what these three locals are cooking up and don’t know where we’re headed until we get there. At one point Randy and Woodsy are ahead out of sight and I’m just following Larry. We turn a corner, pull over and stop. I’m informed that – we’ll wait for them. It turns out the other two were going to take a short cut and Larry out foxed them. That is how we wound up at Pete’s place.
After re-introductions and what have you, I hadn’t seen Pete since the ’05 SOW ride, he gets out a scooter of some kind, his SO Kateland hops on and we set off. Five bikes and six people qualify us as a gang. At one point we turn in to a country club and I’m trying to figure what kind of a rumble this is will turn into. All is well, as it is only a check the parking lot loop and back out to the road. These kinds of excursion loops actually happen quite often, which is why we cover 40 miles getting to a place only 20 miles away.
As we are coming in to Grand Haven along the lake, I start having trouble shifting. The lever is slipping on the shaft and tightening the bolt is of little help. It is also starting to get dark and some concern about lights and the law. Since we got there by the back roads, no reason why we can’t return the same way. I get around the shifting problem by not doing any. It’s slow picking up speed in 4th gear but works OK.
Pete and company peel off to head for home, while we get into Muskegon somewhere along the lake and stop for a late supper. During the discussion period we solve the world’s problems, talk about anyone that wasn’t there to defend themselves and determine what color to whitewash the church. Once these things are done it’s time to fire up once more and move out. At M-120 Woodsy peels off to head east and the rest of us head for Larry’s house, our original starting point. It is the end of the ride and the day, literally, as it is just past midnight.
Other than a short stretch of blacktop path, there was no single track dodging trees on this ride. What counts is that we were out having a good time with no set destination and no timekeeping involved. That we were also the Monday Riders doing something on a Saturday meant a lot to me. It was another adventure to put in the memory book of life.
Young Ted
For they never know where they’ll be for lunch.
The ride for the day,
Starts with – “let’s go this way”.
Daisy and Phil are a couple of CT’s,
Riding them is a breeze.
Along with another CT-90 and a Passport,
This group easily gets out of sorts.
Before we’ve gone the first mile, Randy and Woodsy are way out in front. One likes to lead and the other doesn’t care to be beaten. The obvious result is a race that happens on the often side. Then there are times the reverse is true. Hoot owl Woodsy must have 360 vision because he’s liable to stop at any time to pick up a nail, his camera batteries or turn in to a driveway. It is essentially, never a dull moment.
Our first real stop is at a graduation party Larry had an invitation for. It being a motorcycle family, four mopeds coming in the driveway didn’t shake anyone. Some did come over and check out the assortment though. Had this been a thoroughly planned ride, Woodsy and his hair helmet might have caused a different situation.
On the way down the driveway, the question of going north or south came up. The answer was – let’s head for the lake – which happened to be west. What would you expect from those that are directionally mixed up and at times lost. Since I’m not real familiar with the area, I can only guess that we were near Whitehall. At least there were boats going in and out the channel, and one had the word - Sheriff – on its side. After checking out the area, we did head south, stopping at a small store for refreshments. While there, a woman comes over, starts talking about the CT’s and guessing the year. She had grown up riding one and was only a year off on Woodsy’s. It’s a little surprising how many people are fascinated and interested at seeing these old bikes out running around. There is also horn blowing and waving as we cruise along.
Getting to leave after a pit stop, the CT Randy is on has a gas leak. The float repair has not held, so it’s head for the house the shortest way. This almost worked. With about half a mile to go something locks up and it’s tow time. The day is yet young, so Larry fires up a Honda Elite and we keep heading south. I’m never sure what these three locals are cooking up and don’t know where we’re headed until we get there. At one point Randy and Woodsy are ahead out of sight and I’m just following Larry. We turn a corner, pull over and stop. I’m informed that – we’ll wait for them. It turns out the other two were going to take a short cut and Larry out foxed them. That is how we wound up at Pete’s place.
After re-introductions and what have you, I hadn’t seen Pete since the ’05 SOW ride, he gets out a scooter of some kind, his SO Kateland hops on and we set off. Five bikes and six people qualify us as a gang. At one point we turn in to a country club and I’m trying to figure what kind of a rumble this is will turn into. All is well, as it is only a check the parking lot loop and back out to the road. These kinds of excursion loops actually happen quite often, which is why we cover 40 miles getting to a place only 20 miles away.
As we are coming in to Grand Haven along the lake, I start having trouble shifting. The lever is slipping on the shaft and tightening the bolt is of little help. It is also starting to get dark and some concern about lights and the law. Since we got there by the back roads, no reason why we can’t return the same way. I get around the shifting problem by not doing any. It’s slow picking up speed in 4th gear but works OK.
Pete and company peel off to head for home, while we get into Muskegon somewhere along the lake and stop for a late supper. During the discussion period we solve the world’s problems, talk about anyone that wasn’t there to defend themselves and determine what color to whitewash the church. Once these things are done it’s time to fire up once more and move out. At M-120 Woodsy peels off to head east and the rest of us head for Larry’s house, our original starting point. It is the end of the ride and the day, literally, as it is just past midnight.
Other than a short stretch of blacktop path, there was no single track dodging trees on this ride. What counts is that we were out having a good time with no set destination and no timekeeping involved. That we were also the Monday Riders doing something on a Saturday meant a lot to me. It was another adventure to put in the memory book of life.
Young Ted
