Thugs Day 4, Aug 1

Day 4: August 1

“The Indian in God’s Country”

I got up bright and early yesterday morning…Eastern Time. Which made it really early Sturgis time.

I drove up to Sturgis and cruised Lazelle and went out to the Buffalo Chip. Came back, had breakfast and did some laundry. Went back to Sturgis and left the Baggah at the Allstate booth and walked around downtown for a few hours. I took some pics and did some shopping.

Dave asked me if I wanted to try the Indian and I jumped at the chance. He was going out to Devil’s Tower in Wyoming and I went along. What a great bike! Light as a feather, big wheels that made for tall gearing, and the music coming out of the pipes was symphonic.

I drove it hard through the twisties and it handled great. The drivetrain has no play at all and I didn’t need 5th gear below 80mph.

The entire trip was very scenic…more than scenic. The idea of a minimalistic, great handling bike on roads through beautiful country was…beautiful. I got completely covered with bugs on the ride home, but no matter. And a special thanks to Shelia, my physical therapist, who has improved my back enough that a hard ride on a hardtail was possible.
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RIP, Bruce Rossmeyer.

Let’s all raise our glasses in his memory.

{Rant on}:

The news article I read about Bruce mentions that “he wasn’t wearing a helmet”. I wish writers wouldn’t write that when a biker dies. Was that the sole reason for his death? Would his death have been avoided with a helmet?

Do they ever point out that others have died “because they had bad genes” or “ate too many cheeseburgers” or “wasn’t taking Lipitor”?????

I’ve read all the pros and cons of wearing helmets. There are those that say a helmet, puts more pressure on your neck in a crash and those that say “dress for the wreck…including a full-face helmet”.

I think it comes down to each person’s tolerance for risk and the risk/reward balance that is a person’s choice.

Everyone else should respect that choice.

I rode a great part of Friday without a helmet and it was some of the best riding I’ve ever done. Yet, when the winds came and the rain was on its way, I stopped and put my full face helmet on. The risk went up versus the reward of no helmet.

But that’s just me. What you do, whatever you do, is OK.

{Rant off}

Thug