Ask a serious question; get a serious answer. I asked for information regarding the pros and cons of quitting my two-wheeled ride and taking up a three-wheeled one. Last month, I received a lot of good information from Randy Slimp at the Desert Thunder Motorcycle Shop in Lake Havasu, Arizona. Thanks, Randy. Since then, I have gotten more very good information and advice. My friend, Trees Linderman, in Watsonville reminded me that he had once tried owning and riding a trike. You need to know that Trees is a retired motor cop and has ridden two wheels since the beginning of time. So, the transformation from bike to trike was not such a good experience for him. His Harley Tri-Glide had a solid rear axle, and he said, “It was the worst ridin’ bike I ever owned.” He took it out on a lunch run for a couple hundred miles, and when he got home he felt like he had just done 500 miles on a bike. Bottom line: Trees suggested I consider a sidecar, but if I decide on a trike, get one with independent suspension. Conversely, Craig Smith from Washington has had a very good experience with his Harley Tri-Glide, and he is happy with it. The trike is Craig’s fifth Harley and, like Trees, Craig has ridden two wheels for years. His decision to convert came last summer when he got caught in a thunder/lightning/hail storm in Montana. He had an accident, which resulted in a broken leg and a difficult recovery. Rather than giving up riding, he and his wife decided to go with a trike. My question to Craig was how different is the steering of a trike versus a bike, and Craig answered that it is, indeed, different. He said that it is like steering a bicycle and takes a little getting used to but, he said, the more he rides it, the more he likes it. Next month I will let you know what others have said about trikes… Happy birthday to all motorcycle riders who celebrate in September. Happy birthday to Peter Crowell in Santa Cruz and to E Linderman in Watsonville. Happy birthday to Paula Machen of ABATE Local 17, Robert Allen in Glendale and David and Ann Miller, American Legion rider (and Auxiliary) in Paso Robles. Happy birthday to Kellen Yee; Kellen, I know you are back in California, but I don’t know where exactly. Where are you now? Happy birthday to co-manager of Jamestown H-D, Karen Aldridge. For THUNDER PRESS, happy birthday to Terry Roorda, editor-in-chief, and happy birthday to Marjorie “Shadow” Kleiman, North editor. Happy birthday to celebrity riders Bill Murray and Michael Madsen… I had a really nice conversation with Donna Campbell from Sierra Madre when she called to let me know that we have another very special birthday to celebrate in September. Happy, happy birthday to Wayne Andlovec of the Laidlaw’s H-D’s San Gabriel Valley H.O.G. chapter in Baldwin Park from Donna and me. Wayne, I am so flattered that you ride to Glendale H-D each month to pick up a copy of THUNDER PRESS and read my column, and I have to tell you that I am beyond impressed with your riding style. Donna told me that you have ridden the contiguous 48 states in 19 days! Yep, folks, that is not a misprint. Donna said Wayne has done 1,000-mile days, but probably averages 800. I have never even done 800 in a car. Wayne packs a bedroll and a toothbrush and takes off on all the back roads he can find. Are you ready for this? He stands four inches over six feet and he does all this on a Sportster!… We used to see Bob Krempin and Laurie McKinnon almost every time we stopped by the local watering hole, the Buckhorn Bar and Grill in Dixon. We missed going in on July 15, but Bob and Laurie were there. A truly horrible thing happened when they left. They were riding southwest on Porter Road and as they approached the tight curve to get onto Midway Road, Bob lost control of his new (to him) 2003 Harley. They went down and were thrown into an irrigation canal. The Harley landed on top of Bob and pinned him down. He suffered some pretty major injuries, but he lived. However, Laurie did not make it. This was a devastating accident, and our hearts go out to friends and families.
