hot Harleys

A few years back a group of us were invited to the last day of school at a small private school.  They had a tradition of on the last day inviting bikers to give rides to the graduating class, in this case eighth graders.  Where were schools like this when I was growing up?  Eighth graders in this case, all 100 of them wanted a ride, my kind of students.  It was a mostly Harley group, with a few expensive custom ones, while a few of us showed up on sport bikes, I had a Speed Triple that day.  As the lines formed for the custom bikes, they were the coolest looking that day, as the temp rose into the eighties, you could see the heat waves pouring off the motors, as they rode around the parking lot.  Soon they had pulled over, overheating, and the kids complaining of how uncomfortable they were.  Soon my friend who I rode up with was pulled over, oil pouring from underneath his bike.  “Don’t worry, when it cools down it will stop,” he assured me, “or when it runs out, “ I added.  Seems there was not enough air circulating at slow speeds, and the bikes overheated.  They would all be OK after about 20-30 minutes, but suddenly the hot bikes weren’t cool, and the cool bikes were hot.  And once the word got around about the Speed Triple, the line formed.  It seems that it is important what you ride, but when you cannot ride it, it loses is value, its appeal.  Giving a new meaning to the words “Hot Harley,” they really weren’t that cool after all....

I had decided to bypass I-5 to avoid lane splitting on this weekday morning.  Cruising along along the PCH at my speed until I hit Corona Del Mar, and the traffic stopped.  I lane split a bit, but with tight lanes, started looking for a way out, stopping behind a yellow car I had noticed.  It was a Ferrari, not sure of the model, but still had paper tags on it, so it was new.  I could see the impatient face of the man driving it through the heat waves coming off the mid-engined car, here he was with half a million dollars of wheels, stuck in traffic with the UPS truck, old VW’s, and me.  Traffic being the great equalizer between our social classes, and he too pulled off into an alley, looking for cooler air.  His car was not built for So Cal traffic, it was built to driven at speed, he too had succumbed to engine heat, I was hot, as the fans came on extracting the hot air from my radiator, but split lanes again and rode on.  With visions of the first Lexus third brake lights melting in LA traffic, seems desert testing didn’t include LA traffic and they melted.  It seems that even a hot Harley, or a hot Ferrari, or even a not so hot Lexus when confronted with low speeds and high heat just aren’t very cool...

On our last Torches ride in 2007 our group crossed into Needles, aka Hell on Earth in midafternoon, not the smartest thing we had ever done.  The thermometer on one bike read 124 degrees, way past hot.  So hot the glue on my Arai melted, they later claimed they were tested to 122, and fixed it under warranty.   But all our bikes, Harleys, Gold Wings, and my Triumph ran cool as long as we stayed moving, with no overheating problems, man or machine.  Keep the fresh air coming and all is well, but get stuck in traffic, suddenly the game has changed.  A strong case for water cooled bikes, as staying hydrated is for cars and bikes as well as people, and keep moving the air over you.  Even a small breeze is welcomed and can make a big difference.  No matter how cool your ride, stuck on the side of the road will never be cool...no matter the temperature!

We were given coins that reminded us to persevere in our sales training.  When talent, looks, money, connections, and all else fails, don’t give up, hang in there.  I reached for that coin more than once after a bad day, and it reminded me that God was always with me.  We persevere because God does, Jesus did, and we will too, if we follow him.  He reminded the Israelites through Isaiah “do not fear for I am with you, do not be dismayed because I am your God, I will strengthen you and help you, I will uphold you with my right hand.”  Hanging in there is a choice we make, but God gives us the strength and the direction in each situation.  We can release our grip on fear when we lean on him.  His daily bread, aka Jesus, is all we need, and by his spirit we can be led, not around the adversity, but through it.  In Psalm 23 God didn’t provide and escape route through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, but through it, where we will fear no evil.  Why, because he is always with us.  Guiding and protecting. 

Today you may be in over your head, but not God’s head.  Reflect on how he has led and rescued you before, how he gave you hope when none was found, how he was the way out and also way out.  The Jews were provided for many times and rescued many times, yet they forgot how God led them until they were in trouble again, then turned to God.  So don’t wait until you are stuck in traffic, or think your cool bike will rescue you.  No matter what you ride or drive, no matter your income level, it all comes down to Jesus.  All sin and fall short of God’s glory, only he is the way and forgives.  That day in Needles, we talked of the heat and hell, we wanted no part of either.  I have never returned to Needles, and have bailed on hell, Jesus has reserved my place in heaven, my name is on the list.  I will fear no evil, for I know what lays ahead.  The wicked may have their day here, but God’s day and ours too are endless.  We can live knowing no matter what happens where it will all end.  Cool here doesn’t mean cool when we die, but when we see how cool Jesus really is, how cool forgiveness, mercy, grace, and compassion really are, we change priorities. 

If you are living an air cooled life, you can live a water cooled one in the holy spirit, the cooling waters soothing us, and comforting us.  Or you can watch what is going on, safe and secure on the side of the road, knowing hot isn’t cool.  Hot Harleys and hot Ferraris have their place, Jesus fills every place in your life.  And just so you know, that temp light when it comes on isn’t a warning light, it means you have overheated.  Too late.....wise men still seek him, the wisest men find him.  God knows, you can too.  Maybe it is the heat...and not the humidity after all.  And motorcycle boots weren’t made for walking.  Not important how I know....you can trust me on that one...

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

if I agreed with you, we'd both be wrong

My friend Chuck had only ridden Harleys his whole life.  For some thirty plus years they were all he knew.  And with his latest new edition, he bragged about how fast and smooth it was.  And all the Harley types agreed with him, as he would know.  But he had never ridden a Triumph, and one afternoon I talked him into riding my Sprint RS, and his whole world was about to change.  By the first light, he was all smiles inside his helmet, “this thing is fast!”  And after a few miles later stopping for a Coke, “man this thing is smooth!  You were right...”  It seems he knew a lot about Harleys, just not motorcycles. So if I agreed with him, we’d both be wrong.

My Press Bike of the month was a Rocket 3, with more torque at idle than a Harley has max.  Now Harley guys like to talk torque, not horsepower, and another Harley only rider asked to ride it, after another Harley only rider did and came back smiling.  So trying to pace him down the 15, we found him frozen behind the bars, scared, he thought he understood torque, until he had experienced it. And it scared him, so much he got off and started cussing the bike.  When really it was his lack of riding skills that had been exposed....Same guy, his bike this time, after having dropped $7000 in the motor, bragged about how it had so much power the real wheel lost traction while accelerating.  “You have to ride it,” he kept begging, so I did.  I actually got 115 mph downhill out of it, not bad for a slipping clutch.  Seems the expert who built the motor didn’t replace the clutch, the loss of traction perceived was really the clutch slipping.  When he finally replaced it, no more slipping, and he was disappointed, he still thought he was losing traction before.  Insisting I don’t know anything about riding...or speed.

While yet another friend drops big bucks in his motor, but never goes over 70.  Bragging on who built his motor, but never twisting the throttle to get his money’s worth.  Now not only Harley riders fall into this illusion of speed, and not everyone has access to the variety of bikes I do.  Like the Rocket 3 with a Carpenter head, 220 honest dyno horsepower, naturally aspirated.  8.99@155 mph in the quarter.  Stupid fast was the sign a magazine hung on it, and it was.  I can be stupid, but never quite that stupid fast.  There is fast, then there is fast,  like Ray’s B King with 264 dyno horsepower, who buys rear tires by the six pack.  So before you open your mouth, it pays to know what you are talking about, or riding.

In Acts 2 we find a crowd assembled for Pentecost.  As in any crowd some are there for the event, some just along for the ride, and some forced to be there.  Now we don’t know the number of the Jews there to celebrate, or those who thought maybe another free meal, the speaker was all about Jesus, or just another place to hang out.  Maybe just caught in traffic.  But we do know that 3000 came to know the Lord that day, whose lives were changed forever by the holy spirit.  We don’t know where they were religiously, orthodox, Samaritan, agnostic, Sadducees, or heathen, they were just assembled together, and the spirit talked to each one in his own language.  Many adhering to their only religion, the way they knew God, until he opened their eyes and heart to him.  Many today are down on all religion, a tough argument, as each one tries to hold its flock captive to its own Bible interpretation, but when the holy spirit comes upon that same life, we are changed.  Our eyes open to the truth of who Jesus was and is, we go beyond rhetoric and it becomes personal.  All we thought we knew becomes like filthy rags, as the only relationship we had with God was via religion.  A new freedom erupts in the heart as we are set free, and truly forgiven.  Something no denomination can offer via its membership or set or rules.  You may be legalistic Baptist, know all the canons of being a Lutheran, or follow the teachings of the Catholic church, but without Jesus, without your day of personal Pentecost, you fall short.  Truly you don’t know what you are missing till you meet the Lord. 

A relationship with God should not be like the relative speeds of our bikes.  Churches should not be in competition for members, and not look down on others not as blessed as us.  Our real enemy is the devil, and only Jesus can change a heart, for only Jesus has defeated him.  Only by his spirit will we know the truth, walk in the truth, and know real salvation.  Some may come close in name only, offering a sort of Godliness, but lacking Jesus.  They are like the slipping clutch, never knowing real power, or getting to where it belongs.  They may know all about their religion, but know very little of Jesus.  But their day of reckoning is coming.

Sometime in your life, the spirit will confront you and you will have to make a decision about Jesus.  It could be tomorrow or even right now.  It is personal between you and God, maybe in church, on the beach, riding, or reading this.  The many miles of riding your religion come down to that one decision, and will affect your future rides, and where you end up.  There will always be  someone quicker, faster, bigger, or badder.  So God tells us “not by might,” that my brand shall set me free, “not by power,” should my dyno horsepower exceed yours, “but my spirit,says the Lord.”  By his spirit, a gift so that none shall boast.  One day 3000 in the crowd found real power, real might, and real love, real forgiveness in Jesus Christ.  The messenger, one who had denied Jesus just a few weeks ago, but by his spirit had his life changed forever. 

What you ride may be important, but who you walk with makes all the difference.  An eternal difference.  It doesn’t matter what the other guy rides, it is what you ride and believe. Try Jesus today, just one ride will change your mind and life forever.  Only in Jesus can we both be right!

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com

a tale of two toolkits

We never intended to end up riding in Boulder Canyon that afternoon, but following one road, and then another, we found ourselves over 450 miles away.  Rides were like that when you didn’t have kids to return home to and a sitter to pay.  We were riding our newish 1977 BMW R100S, one of the first sport touring bikes, suited for long days at high speeds.  Now if you have never ridden Boulder Canyon parts of it are very twisty, and fun, and coming around one corner faster than we should, but still safe, we saw an old BSA leaning against a cliff wall, with its rider waving us down.  Not sure if it was rider or bike down, we stopped, and one look at both, gave us no clue.  But we suddenly saw and understood what he needed, and why the bike was leaning.  Among other things it had vise grips welded to the shifter, never a good sign, and oil running everywhere from the engine.  “Wow, a BMW, you guys have the best toolkits,” and we did.  And as he offered to use mine I quickly commented, “there aren’t enough tools to fix your bike,”  and he reluctantly agreed.  Which flashed the thought through my mind of an old motorcycle law, “the better the toolkit, the less you will need it.”  BMW’s was the best and their reliability renown, BSA’s was the worse, and add in Whitworth size wrenches, and their reliability, no stronger argument would ever be presented.  BMW even bragged in their ads about their toolkit, which included wrenches of usable quality, a one piece pliers, all the Jap ones I ever saw were three piece, the screw holding them together either loose or missing, and had a patch kit, pump, and shop cloth.  Probably more than the BSA along the road owner’s kit at home, but his with one difference, vice grips, he conveniently welded to where the shifter once was.  Add in another motorcycle law, the farther from home the more prone you are to break down, and the BSA just out of the garage was inviting trouble.  But that was how things were....a far cry from a toolkit of today.

Most bikes have a few wrenches if any, seems there is nothing you can do outside of the shop, and reliability has helped prove it.  Plus with weight reduction a prime of sport bikes, a five pound loss of tools and 15 pounds of center stand make a big difference.  In both weight and cost. In fact most owner manuals and how to articles on riding only mention a cell phone as the most important tool.  And with almost everyone having one, manufactures do not need to include one, so can spend money like on my new Street Triple R, and provide two piece of luggage, to carry a lap top and all you may need for the office.  Which doesn’t have a tool kit or center stand.  But does have room for a cell phone I don’t have in the bag I never carry.  No vice grips either, metric or standard....

Which means no screwdriver either, and a short time ago the mystery of rounded Phillip screw heads was revealed.  To the naked eye or the unknowing, all screwdrivers look the same, with a #2 Phillips the standard.  But the Japanese use a JIS sized screwdriver, allowing heads to be stripped, impact hammer sales to increase, along with incited bouts of cussing.  How many screws were permanently ruined by the wrong size screwdriver, and no mention of what size the BMW toolkit had, not that it would have mattered that day.  But one tool never found in any toolkit, is a fine adjusting tool, aka a hammer.  When you cannot force, get a hammer.  When you cannot move it, get a longer lever.  If only manufacturers thought ahead, a simple toolkit of a hammer, pry bar, and cell phone could fix almost any problem.  Or, make it worse....

We all know it wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark.  And for over 120 years he labored to build it.  But no mention of tools, no hammers, vice grips, pry bars, screw drivers, or other tools is mentioned.  Yet with a great deal of precision the ark was built, floated, endured a flood and saved humanity.  As far as we know, without a factory toolkit.  You may wonder what was Noah thinking, but of course he never saw BSA.  Or a BMW.  The best guess is Noah would have had primitive tools, but trusting God built it anyway.  How many times have we doubted God when he asks us to do something we are not prepared for?  Whining and crying we don’t have the skills, finances, time, or desire?  Or the proper tools?  Funny we can trust Jesus to save us, but when he asks us to help in the kingdom, we fall apart.  And end like the guy on the BSA, in need of tools we don’t have.  But not all repairs need tools, such was the situation of the good Samaritan.  Bypassed by religious men, it took a half breed Samaritan to stop and help, doing his part, getting him to an inn, then leaving it for the next guy to follow up on.  Without x-rays or even health insurance, he helped the man, even willing to pay his bill,, including the deductible.  Using the same tool Noah had, faith and obedience, he ministered, doing what needed to be done and went on.  No special offering, or special recognition, he remains nameless, he is a far cry from Christians today who feel the need to be recognized for dong the right thing.  We are given a glimpse into his character, as loving your neighbor as yourself, redefining neighbor to mean everyone.  With no set of rules in place other than love, he did what needed to be done.  Noah may have saved mankind, the Good Samaritan made it personal.  The trained religious men had all the tools needed, but left them in their tool box.  The GS had one tool, love, and dealt with the situation.  Taking into consideration the Samaritans were enemies of the Jews, a sign of Jesus we forget, he gives compassion despite who we are or our situation.  His love like his compassion has no boundaries, the most important tool needed.  We also never know how Noah felt when the rains fell and those who had taunted and criticized him were banging on the door.  Jesus stands at the door knocking, do we let him, do we honor him by loving our enemy?  Could our religious tool kit have all the tools we need except for love?  Do we know that when we minister to those lesser than us we are ministering to God himself?  Do we use the hammer of religion when we really just need the tools of love and compassion?  What if you were that BSA rider?  Or the BMW rider? 

How many times do we go to drama or panic forgetting God has left us his spirit?  What you need, when you need it, he will provide.  No evidence is found of Noah’s tools, but the fruit of his labors is well known.  Proving not only the fruit of works of faith, but how God provides what you need no matter what.  Money for bills, meds when ill, gas when on empty, and tools when you are broke down.  Ironically we were unable to help the BSA rider that day, but we tried, and he knew that.  He knew someone else would come along, maybe the biker in him, as we stopped, some other riders will.  But God will provide, saved or not.  How many times can you look back at how he rescued you and then you met Jesus?  We cannot earn his help, it is mercy when fallen, grace when walking with him.  But in every case he will provide a way out.  His criteria for assistance is much different than ours....too many times we take the Samaritan attitude rather than the action of the Good Samaritan.  Maybe the fact we just stopped and offered was what he needed until real help arrived.  Paul planted, Ananias watered, but remember it was the spirit that provided the growth.  The holy spirit, what we need always and always what we need.  And he fits in any toolkit, on any bike!

Or you can be like  my friend under a truck who yelled to me to hand him a wrench.  When I asked “what size?” he replied, “it doesn’t matter. I’m gonna use it as a hammer.”  Any bets this guy owns an old BSA....what’s in your toolkit?

love with compassion,

Mike

matthew25biker.blogspot.com