Tomorrow is the day!

Regardless of who you are voting for or what you believe in, get out and vote! Your vote counts in every election and in this election may weigh even more heavily.

There is a saying that if you don't vote, don't complain so get out and vote so you can complain!

Voted last week on a day off.

Record numbers of folks voted early here in Nevada. I was gonna vote early, but I don't have any classes today and it's only a two block walk to the nearby grade school..so I'm heading over there in a few minutes. I'm voting for the first time in Nevada after years of voting in California and a couple of times while in the Military. It's been years since I feel my vote for president actually means something (California is so heavy Democrat, there hasn't been a close presidential election there in eons). With Nevada being a swing state..I feel my vote today actually might make a difference. That's not to say I feel it hasn't, because there's so many other issues to vote on, but I'm a little more stoked today than in past elections.

One thing I'm really looking forward to..no more constant bashing ads on tv from both sides. I'm tired of all the lies flying back and forth! Let's just hope they declare a winner late tonight and not have to wait past Thanksgiving for an answer.

My civic duty is done sir! I voted today and the turn out in our little area was just terrific. I would just about bet that as a nation, this will be the highest voter turn out ever. heheh....nothing like controversy to get 'em involved.

Voter turnout

Went to vote lastnight after work. Got to the polls and signed in at 7:15 and had to wait in line until 8:45 to vote But at least they had decent chairs to sit on. The guy next to me worked at a local H-D dealership and has just bought himself an '05 Springer, so we had plenty to talk about while we waited, and now I've got another riding buddy.

SISK

Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you. - Pericles 430 B.C.

Marc! Good ta see ya!

I know it was a good year for voter turnout around the country...but here in my home county of Minnesota, they had enough ballots for 130% of the voter registration and still had to make over 1000 copies of the ballots so everyone who wanted to, could vote. I'm real proud of that even if as a republican, my party hasn't won the state in my lifetime (32 years). For the state I believe we had about 78% turnout for all elligible voters...just shy of the record (79%) set in the election of 1960.

Hi Marc, hope all is well in Oregon.

I'm glad Milt and his gal are going to be OK and it sounds like things are going good for you and Pat. You bring up a good point on bike brand clubs being a little "biased" on other brands. I haven't had much to do with the Gold Wing clubs up this way. I know that there are a few guys in the CMC that aren't too fond of Harleys...that's OK ,more for me. Work wise things here have been stupid..nutso busy and layoffs ..it's been really wild. On a personal level I met a gal who is the best thing that's happened to me. She wasn't into bikes so much but she did the trek to Sturgis and handled it like a real trooper. Next year it'll be riding lessons for a bike licence and we'll see what comes from it. Right now I'd say life is treating me pretty darned good.

Wow, Bob, glad to here things are up there! I'm working here, wrenching, but it's the off season so I ain't gettin' rich, LOL. Hopefully with the spring rush, I won't be so broke and can make the bike talk ride this year, what I'm aiming for anyway. Hoping you're aiming for that, too. Hope your job isn't in jepardy.

I joined the GWRRA here for a year, didn't reup. Thought the wife might get into the social part of it, but she can't really ride with me with her bum leg anymore. Won't bend back to the peg, LOL. Thought about a sidecar, maybe someday. The GWRRA crowd here, though, didn't bad mouth any other marques, but they seemed rather caustic to sportbikes which are a passion of mine. My main interests in motorcycling have always been racing, dirt, asphalt (mainly) or whatever, and touring. These guys just seemed too focused on one area of the sport to me, too intolerant of what they didn't understand. If I told them I liked sportbikes or raced, lots of times I'd get an "are you nuts" or "do you have a death wish" or something. Funny thing, lots of these guys can't ride worth a crap and they're trying to get me to take some stupid riding instruction course through GWRRA, LOL. I mean, I saw guys on the one rally they had at a local lake that shouldn't have been issued a license, LOL. On the way into town to eat breakfast Sunday morning after leaving the camp, one guy and his wife pulling a trailer hit some gravel, or so the guy says, and lost it. Now, this guy was going straight, not even near a corner! They rode up to the restaraunt as we were going in and I spoke to him and he was a little dazed. Man, get rid of that tank and buy a 250 Rebel if you can't handle it! Maybe they all think I'm nuts for riding "crotch rockets" and my racing, but hey, I'll pit my skills against the best of them from what I saw. But, they mostly seemed to look down their noses at such activities as racing, so I figured they were a bunch of old foggies, not for me. I may be 52 years old, but I don't feel like it. I'm the old man when I go to the race track, LOL, but I feel more comfortable around that crowd, share the same passions in motorcycles and I just dont talk about the Wing and my touring around them, LOL. Last race, though, I hauled my little sprint bike up there on a small flatbed trailer I built pulled behind the Wing. You know, I thought I'd get all these comments, but everyone thought it was cool, LOL!

I never got too many anti Harley comments from the Wingers, but then, I wasn't on a Harley. There were quite a few at that rally, though, and were welcome. Don't know if a Wing would be welcome at a HOG rally. IMHO people with such intense brand loyalties should take a step back from the bong water and realize it's all one big family of bikers with sub cultures and it's counter productive for one sub culture to knock the other. When you go around bad mouthing sport bikes and sport bikers, what does that accomplish? Perhaps that will tell the legislators that hey, bikers don't like sportbikes either so we can pass a 100 horsepower power limit on all motorcycles and the biker community will accept it! I don't think it's wise to be so close minded to other's passions in the sport or it could come back and bite you where you don't want to be bit, politically anyway.

Boy..it's kinda starting to look like our ole Xroads board here. I was going to post that any and all should join us over here with the demise of the board at the end of the year. This is a great place with a growing crowd more and more.

While I still belong to the STAR Touring group, I don't really participate in much any more. I did go down to Tucson over the weekend to check out CD's Grand Opening last Saturday..which went extremely well. While in Tucson I stayed with Alan Cease (STAR president..35,000 members and going strong). He's doing very well and it was fun spending some time with him. I do like STAR as you don't have to ride a STAR or Yamaha to be a member. I think the only restriction is if you're a chapter president, you have to own a STAR or Yamaha bike. When I went to Star Days in Utah last year, there were quite a few marks other than Yamaha..which I thought was pretty cool. There were several members on Harleys too.

Things are going pretty good here in Las Vegas for me. School's getting down to the last month and I'm pulling straight A's for my 3 classes (10 units). In fact, registration for Spring semester is only two weeks away, so I better start figuring out my schedule. Probably going to take 12 units this Spring. Alan's new lady is from Reno (where I want to go after I graduate here in Las Vegas) and she has several lady friends here in LV that she wants to hook me up with. Hmmmm..been a long time since I've had a date..let alone a blind one. One lady in particular she mentioned is really into bikes..so I said hook me..you never know. Just don't get out here to meet em and the ones at school are less than half my age (18-20). I'd be afraid to pick em up and be older than their mom..and like the mom better! Wait a minute..that's not a bad idea. Take out the young ones to meet their mom.

Marc, think about heading down for the Bike Talk Ride on Labor Day weekend. Hopefully it'll be in Kanab or someplace close. It was a small group but it was a great time. The nice thing is that you're not putting up with a Rally situation..just a bunch of friends out there having a good time. If you get a chance, take a Buell out for a ride or another sporbike. It probably won't be too comfortable for you but check out the 'feel' you get from the bike. It's hard to explain but if you get on a properly set up bike on a bad stretch of road..or good even, it's just magic. I love the Electra Glide..it's probably the long range keeper but that Ducati on tight ,technical, less than perfect, pavement is a revelation..the bike is that composed

Goose, the job here is up in the air. A guy really has no guarantee anymore..I've got 2.5 years to go so I can get an unpenalized pension should they close the plant. Things are really tough in this industry. I am not allowed to comment on Con Agra's policies but I have refused a 25 year service award for personal reasons.. I'm still working on getting down to Bike Talk Ride..I'll know more in a month or so. I distinctly remember the Superbike insurance hotlist and the "bullet bike' TV programs of the mid to latter '80's .They interviewed some guy on a Softail..[pretty safe to say it wasn't an FXR----no one bought them in '87..too Japanese was the thought train back then]..This dude's just slammin' Crotch Rockets to beat hell..a menace to society...blah blah. I'm about ready to puke, trying to figure out where this guy is coming from..The press and the public had a field day with all of us hooligans on sportbikes...kinda made a person want to go out an buy a shovel and get tough and try to strike for the Angels, at least we wouldn't be the subject of negative programming. By the time I had that figured out they weren't into shovels, they were into rubbermounts. Truth be told though, I think were a pretty stupid lot, collectively. divide and conquer will rule the day unless we as motorcyclists get our act together.
All we gotta do is just smarten up.

Kevin, if the gal is into bikes take her out for a spin and enjoy..

Sure will Bob..can't refuse a lady a ride now..can I? I think she's a dental hygienist like Alan's new lady. No Marc..not the same woman. The other was ill-fated from the get-go..one of those things.

While I'm not as old as Jack Nicholson, I sure wouldn't mind ending up with Diane Keaton instead of the daughter in the movie.

Marc..try to plan on the Bike-Talk ride next Labor Day weekend. Lot's of time to prepare. It'll be a short days ride most likely no matter where we go from my place..you could come by here first. If it's Kanab..it's only about a 4 hour ride from Las Vegas.

Marc..bring the wife. It's not a guy's only weekend..that's for sure. In the past we've had almost half women on the ride. I'm really hoping to have somebody with me next year..don't know what the future holds, but we'll see. Bob oughta bring his new lady down as she should hopefully be settled with her new job. As far as riding pace..it's normally fairly sedate. I think this past Labor Day because there were only three of us we got a little loose, but not much. Normally it's just cruising right along. All I know is the more the merrier.