As many of you know and now all of you know, I ride press bikes for
Triumph. I get them out of the crate, with zero miles, and put on between
500-1500 miles. A rough job , but someone has to do it. I have also put miles
on custom bikes such as the Carpenter head Rocket 3, with 220 hp on the dyno,
and for celebrities such as Christine Aguilera, it seems the bike of choice to
be cool in Hollywood is Triumph, so Triumph comes through for them. Some years
I have ridden over 25 bikes in a year, some as few as ten, but always a new
adventure, as a new bike on the same road can be different. I have put over
1000 miles on a Daytona 675 in 18 hours, only to have a magazine editor crash
it, and have done many 500 mile days when deadlines must be met. Quick trips to
Monterey, Easter vacations, and other times off have been times to ride a press
bike. I have gone months without riding my own bikes, almost six months once,
and have put so many miles on Tigers since their intro in 2011, I should have a
high mileage award. But when Triumph decided to bring out the new generation of
Bonnevilles, Modern Classics, suddenly there was a rush to get them broken in
and out to the magazines. With the new Street Twin, needing 500 miles in two
days in the dead of winter. Yes, we do get winter here, and it can be cold. So
I just dress warm and go riding....
But with a cover shoot for Rider magazine in two days, the bike had arrived
late and they had a date with the printer, I was off and riding in the 40’s, sun
and 60 felt warm. I usually take all kinds of roads to see how the bikes really
operate, this time was freeways, away from cities. So off I went east on I-10,
with very few cars, and lots of headwind, which fortunately turned to tail wind
on my return trip. I have had police officers pace me, look at my rides, even
stop me and ask questions, but today was to be different. I was pulled over by
the CHP for going 84 in a 65 zone, just him and me. And the conversation
began....
At first he couldn’t understand why I had a California license and the bike
had Georgia plates that read DIST. And no registration papers. As I tried to
explain who I was, what the bike was, and what I was doing, he got more
confused. I even gave him Triumph’s number to assure him, but too many details
confused him. Plus it turned out he rode, and had never heard of a Street Twin
before, and when I tried to explain deadlines, a new model, and my speed, he got
more confused. So he started writing, still not fully comprehending, and them
leaned over to me, “if someone goes by, pretend to look like you are signing a
ticket. This is just a warning.” He was cool, I was without citation, and the
cover story had an interesting story to go with it. I made it back in in time,
actually a day ear;y, swapped bikes, and the cover came out perfect. Which
Rider magazine named as their Bike of the Year, and I made a new friend in Mark
Tuttle, Editor in Chief. Plus one CHPpie who shall remain nameless.....
I have been blessed by being able to ride as much as I do, God has given me
the desire to ride, and then provides bikes and situations that without him
would not be possible. I can boast, but I have no control over it, I can brag,
but I have found it makes some others jealous. I find that when crediting God
with the gift, when thanking him for all I meet when I ride, I get to spend more
time with him. Time that a some may claim is all about riding, or all about the
bike, maybe all about the road, but it is really time with God. Peace and
fellowship with Jesus in an Arai. I could stop there and brag, but not to God
who sees me as I am. He sees the selfishness, the greed, the self
righteousness, and how pride can show up when I least expect it. He sees all my
clever maneuvering and still loves me. Therefore all these actions can be
meaningless to God, and can get in the way of our relationship. I felt
completely different after pretending to sign a ticket than when I was first
pulled over. But God humbles me,and uses Abraham as an example.
One night he took Abraham out and showed him all the stars in the sky,
promising him to number his descendants as the number of the stars, countless.
Paul writes Abraham believed God and it was found righteous, and God called him
his friend. We cannot be righteous on our own terms, in some circles I would be
a big shot, along the side of the road, just another scofflaw. When we base who
we are on Jesus Christ, when we are spirit driven, when it is what he did and
not what we do that is important, we see a glimpse of the righteousness that
Abraham did. But the key ingredient is that Abraham trusted God. He was given
a choice of roads to take, and he chose the lesser of the two, Sodom and
Gemorrah being the most attractive, the rolling landscapes beautiful, but chose
the desert instead, and in doing so chose Jesus. He learned that righteousness
that comes from performance is useless, but when it comes from God it is
valuable and eternal. When we truly seek Jesus first, he adds his
righteousness, we cannot. Lest we boast about ourselves. We all want to be
accepted by God, and many strive through acts of their own to gain it. Fact is
there is nothing you can do to make God love you more, or to gain his favor.
But you can bask in his glory, and spend time with him, and be found a friend as
Abraham did. Jesus even told us “you are my friends if you do the things I
ask.” What does he ask, to love him first with all your heart, and then all men
after the same way. You can either be religious or righteous, one based on man,
the other based on Jesus. God forgives, man doesn’t. Religion binds, the
spirit sets us free.
So I am blessed because I let God bless me. I hope to give him the glory
by telling you this story, there was nothing I do to get to ride like I do, for
it too is based on a relationship with a friend, who is the National Service
Manager for Triumph Motorcycles. When we see it all comes down to
relationships, we can see Jesus more clearly. If only we could see him as
clearly as Abraham saw the stars that night. I tried to explain to the CHPpie,
I don’t think he ever got it. But showed me mercy. Don’t wait to get pulled
over to pray, inside your Arai, your half shell, or your jail cell will do.
Abraham is known as a man of great works, his greatest work was trusting God.
How great is your God, it will only show by how great your works are. His works
in you. And may God credit them to you as righteousness...
Which sure beats explaining to the man on the side of the road.....
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com