A short one with my sweetie

This weekend was a good one for riding.

First, I had the 'maiden voyage' of my chopper, "Lady Liberty", which was....memorable.

Secondly, my wife and I just finished a little 92 mile romp through northeast Indiana and northwest Ohio. It was an impromptu ride, we really hadn't planned a route or an amount of time. We just kinda got on and went, which most bikers will tell you is the best way to go.

But first, let's go to the maiden voyage from yesterday. Just remember, there's a reason that cars have fuel level indicators. Bikers are usually smart enough to know how much fuel they have. Usually.

Let me start by saying that as I finished up all the little tweaks and final adjustments, I would run the bike to check carbs and just make sure everything was okay. It was okay, I had a full tank.

Then I went around the neighborhood to check brakes and get some carbon out. And the pipes needed to breathe a little. Just a few times. 15 miles total, maybe. Maybe.

Then Jannette and I got on the 1975 Wonder Bike, newly christened "Lady Liberty". ANd we decided to head off to just south of Bluffton, Indiana to visit my pal Dorsey. A year or two ago, Dorsey picked up two old Honda 750's at a steal of a price and had been working on them just as I was on my 550Four. He is a fan of that classic bike as am I.

So we got within about 4 miles of the north side of Bluffton, and Liberty started sputtering and losing power. (Keep in mind that with a sissy bar and bench style seat don't give us a lot of room. And I'm just a bit bigger than I was before). I figured she had just finally given up after 36 years. I kinda thought, "well the seals just couldn't take it and more work is on the way to get this baby back to street worthy condition".

After a few tense minutes on the side of the road, we decided to turn and head for home, and see how close we could get before she just wouldn't go anymore.

On the south side of Ossian, we stopped at a gas station, just to fuel up and take a minute to think about how we would get Liberty home if she just gave up and puttered out. After pumping nearly 3.5 gallons of fuel, I quickly realized that the whole problem was just that she was getting low on fuel and with the new configuration of the fuel tank (it's tipped up in the front more than it used to be before it was chopped). So, after getting her full of fuel, we re-mounted and headed the rest of the way home.

So, we only got 42 miles or so on the maiden voyage, but while it wasn't the most comfortable ride, it was so fulfilling to finally have Lady Liberty back on the road. Albeit in new clothes and with some new equipment to make her feel young again (think of a 'boob job' but for a motorcycle).

Then on to today's ride. Nothing eventful, but 92 miles through New Haven, up through Grabill, Hicksville, Ohio, Edgerton, Ohio, Waterloo, Indiana and back home to Fort Wayne. Lots of Amish buggies (which always makes us smile and wave) and the weather wasn't too hot or cold. Just perfect. There's not much better of a feeling than having someone very special to enjoy the sights and sounds and miles with.

Tonight, I'll close my eyes and remember today's events (and yesterday's) and thank God again for all everything He's blessed me with.