Totally Off-Topic Here: Follow Me If You Wanna Live!

[bigredbass]

Whenever y'all make it down South, skip Graceland and get thee to the Barber Museum in Birmingham, Alabama.
 
www.barbermuseum.org
 
You can Thank Me Later.
 
J o e y

[kmh364]

Sorry, duplicate post.
 
(Message edited by kmh364 on October 16, 2004)

[kmh364]

Joey: Thanks for the link. I haven't yet made it down to Barber Motorsports Park yet for either the AMA Superbike National or the Museum. I had seen pix before and follow the racing on SPEED and in Cycle News. I read years ago about him and his secret' warehouse(s) in downtown Birmingham that housed his private collection that was not open to the public in the AMA's American Motorcyclist (I'm an AMA Life Member). His friends and other lucky parties that saw the collection suggested it would make a great museum, so I guess he took that to heart! Iwas kinda hoping Barber would get the USGP (MotoGP) when it (finally!) comes back to the States, but Laguna Seca got it once again (BTW, a great place in a great area - Monterey Cali...only a few hours south of Alembic, LOL!). How far is Barber from the Redneck Riveria...y'all know, the Fla. panhandle? LOL! My friend from Panama City would slap me if she saw that, LOL!
 
BTW, I am DEFINITELY flying out to Cali (SFI) for the US round of the MotoGP World Championship in '05...watch out Mica and Co....I'm coming north on a fly-and-ride Harley from Frisco's own Dud Perkins Co. to spread my agita, er, um, Joisey Charm (yeah, that's it, LOL) around. I just couldn't fly out to Cali (again) and miss the wonderful world of Alembic. They'll probably lock the doors and hide when they hear the bike motor down Wiljan Court, LOL!

[kmh364]

Joey: BTW, if Peter Egan played guitar or bass, I don't know if he could make up his mind long enough to be into Alembics, LOL! J/K
 
He's all over the board, bikes and cars, LOL!
 
Quick Peter Egan story: one of my friends (Kevin Smokey Barley) that works at the York PA Final Assy. Plant for Harley-Davidson (met him and his wife at a NH B&B during Laconia Bike Week a decade ago) is a real pisser (Peter called him a Live Wire)and he decided to invite Peter Egan down to the factory to see the place and meet the people that ride what they build (they make the Eagle Fly!). Well he took them up on the invitation and ended-up writing a Big Twin Magazine feature article about the experience. Smokey, his best bud (Alois Skip Poncavage, also a friend of your truly) along with four or five other H-D York ERA (Employee Rider Association) Members that made an impression on Peter each got a one page photo write-up in the Magazine, and Harley got a lot of good PR gratis. I still have that article ('95 vintage) and I had a copy mounted on my wall until recently when I moved my office location.  

[kmh364]

Another good Smokey story for you H-D freaks:  
 
After that year at Laconia, Smokey fell in love with the H-D AMA Superbike Team (the expensive aborted ten-year VR-1000 Superbike project that failed to produce one win despite millions spent on R&D and hot-shot riders and ten or more years invested). In 2000, since the H-D Superbike team wasn't doing so well despite the riding talents of Mr. Daytona Scott Russell and Pascal Picotte, Smokey decide he wanted to so something to cheer-up the team and show them that at least some H-D employees were behind their efforts (H-D Corprate subcontracted the team out-of-house and wasn't committed to back the team whole-heartedly). With the permission of H-D Corporate, Smokey used Motor Company funds to purchase Harley shirts for each and every member of the team (about 25) in the York Employee Store and he volunteered his own time to put them in the employee cafeteria so that as many York H-D factory employess would sign their well-wishes to the team. Then Smokey organized H-D ERA and other H-D factory employees into a bike ride from York PA out to Lexington , Ohio to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course round of the 2000 AMA Superbike Championship in order to make a presentation to the team and give them their shirts. The ride was voluntary and was to be done on personal, not company time. Unfortunately, while Smoke got a lot of signatures, only a dozen or so other employees (and their significant others) actually rode-out the 500-600mi in one day to be there for the presentation. I was the only NON-HARLEY EMPLOYEE (or spouse) on the ride, and I signed the shirts as well.
 
Well, despite Smokey getting clearance from H-D brass and speaking through Art Gomppers who was resident at York but was responsible for the team, there was a monkey in the wrench. A new young fresh-out-of-MBA school-type H-D PR man by the name of Paul James was just assigned to the team because of a prior commitment of Art Gomperrs. Needless to say, when the rag-tag road-worn crew from H-D arrived, including myself, we were royally snubbed and rebuffed by Mr. James. He apologized, but said that despite prior H-D clearance and arrangements, the team was simply too busy for our official presentation, and that we should enjoy the races but don't let the door hit us in the *ss, yadda, yadda, LOL! Well, Smoke was incensed, but James persisted and gave him a Awwww, don't be that way in response to Smoke's obvious disappointment and frustration. As James walked away, Smokey turned and said is that Billy Davidson over there (Son of H-D VP of Style, legendary Willie G. Davidson)? Smoke knew that I knew all the team guys by sight (all the AMA paddock for that matter, LOL!) and I said Yup!. Well, he walked right over to Billy and explained what had happened. Bill was very apologetic and he said forget about what James had said, we would have our presentation the next day at this time. Turns out, Bill was a big-shot himself, and he was newly-appointed Director of the Race Team! He invited us over for beers and to hang out in the pits and to shoot the sh*t. The next day, at the appointed time, he cordoned off an area in the pits between the H-D team transporter (as good as anything in NASCAR or F1!) and their luxury motorcoaches. He had two factory racebikes for us to sit on and play with and pose for pix. The whole team was there, including the riders. Billy put out a spread for us (they had their own personal gormet chef at all times) and we met evey one and shook kands and took pix. Now it was Billy's turn: he and the team presented the York guys a HUGE H-D banner signed by the entire team as thanks to the York Employees for their support and effort. I think that banner is framed and still hangs at York in the employee cafe.
 
I was so impressed by Bill's friendliness and compassion that I wrote him a personal email thanks on H-D's private internal corporate email network (it pays to have H-D friends and to date the VP of the York Plant's secretary, LOL!). I told him that despite the fact that I was the only non-H-D employee, that he made me feel right at home with everyone. Bill wrote me back at length thanking me for my efforts. He is a genuinely nice guy and really knows (like his Dad) that business is done one handshake at a time.
 
The real shame about this was that H-D PR and/or Corporate Communications people did not sieze upon this golden PR opportunity. There was no write up in any H-D publication (public or otherwise) and the public press did not get a hold of this story either. I should have wriiten to Cycle News or Peter Egan or even the H-D Enthusiast or HOG Tales, but I didn't (shame on me). Oh well, you win some....
 
Sorry for the long-winded tome, but I at least thought it was cool. With colorful friends like Smokey, I've got a bunch of tales to tell, LOL!
 
 

[bigredbass]

kmh:
 
Panama City to Birmingham is about 4 or 5 hours, either back north on I65 or you could go due north from PC up through Talladega on the way to Gadsden, AL to catch I20 back west to Birmingham.
That would give you the chance to see the Talladega NASCAR track (2.6 miles with 30+ degree banks 7 stories tall!) and the International Motorsports Hall of Fame and Museum, which reminds me a LOT of the museum at Indy.  This would be on your way to Birmingham.
 
Roughly 200 to 250 miles depending which route.
 
Any VMax miles or stories?
 
Your story confirms what I've often thought:  The way Harley survives against the Hondas, Yamahas, etc., is they realize it's a PEOPLE business, ultimately.  I always think a family running a business is better than a bunch of Wall Street/spreadsheet guys.  Passion can't be expensed, amortized, or depreciated.
 
J o e y

[kmh364]

Joey: Thanks. It sounds like a nice easy ride. I'm actually dying to ride into the Big Easy for some crawfish etouffe' and jambalaya. One day I'll do Fat Tuesday on a H-D.
 
Talladega, the Redneck Pantheon, LOL! J/K. H-D actually has a facility there. They employ a bunch of full time test riders that have to whip the cr*p out of each new model and that includes a lot of RACETRACK miles at high speed. What better place than the huge high-banked expanse of Talladega to really shake-down the high speed behaviour of any vehicle? H-D actually has guys that take shifts around the clock beating the living hell out of these bikes in all weather on all kinds of real roads!
 
Yes, as a matter of fact, I have VMax miles & stories. My first streetbike was a Yamaha (still have it), a '86 Radian (YXS-600S)...basically a 600cc parallel four...half a Vmax if you will, LOL! My buddy Jay or Jake (actuallly John) had the first-gen Max ('85) and he rode my new bike home from the Yammie dealer as I was sh*t scared it being my first new bike, LOL! Once I got street legs under me, I took a whack at his bike. Holy sh*t, did I think that thing was heavy...I could barely lift it off the sidestand! 600#DRY compared to my 400#WET bike! Little did I know someday I'd ride a 1000# Monster, LOL! That Max was brutal-fast....one of the fastest of the day and a drag-strip staple in the '80's. I was white when I came off that thing! I mean, my bike was fast (12-flat right off the showroom floor!)...slow by today's standard, but a wheelie-monster a la Kawi Mach Three....but that thing was a frickin' starship! Bending it into a turn with the mis-matched skinny (18 or 19?) front wheel and the fat 15 rear (by the day's standard) coupled with high weight/high CG and shaft-drive made that thing a handful in the turns! I did see Jake bend that thing deep in to a turn and fire it out like a cat shot in the *ss many times though, LOL! He was hard to keep up with on that thing, until you tried to top end, that is. Over the TON, that thing felt like the front wheel was off the ground, LOL! My brother rode it with his future wife on the back and with her clear shot at the wind blast directly in the face with an open-face helmet she could not breathe at speed! He had to slow down, she was turning blue! I could go on.  
 
Even the Harley guys liked that bike: it was FAT and had that HUGE motor that looked like a cartoon bike...a motor with two wheels attached, LOL! It was AWESOME. Jake still has that bike! Unfortunately, he's an American ex-patriot living in Ontario, Canada with his Canadian-born wife andd her kids, so I don't see him much these days.  
 
Yeah, Harley gets it. At least the old-guard who lived through the AMF takeover/employee buy-back years and the near collapse of the company only to see it prosper (thank you Ronald Reagan!) GET IT. The newbie Wall St Investor-type Dealers and Harvard MBA-types infiltrating the Motor Company DON't get it. I believe in Honda/Kawi/Yam/Suz's situation, it's NIKKEI guys, NOT Wall Street-types, LOL! J/K.
 
Believe it or not, I love all bikes. I have a special spot in my heart for certain milestone sport bikes, especially those that made winning racebikes in the hands of my heroes: Roberts, Lawson, Rainey, Schwantz, Spencer, Russell, Edwards, etc. Also, I've WANTED a Ducati BAD since the 888 came out. By the time I could afford it, I was too damn old with too many aches (and a few too many pounds, LOL!) to be comfy on one. A bike I can only ride for a half-hour on Sunday and then suffer because of it the rest of the week is not my idea of fun, LOL! Even if it goes like stink, turns on rails, and stops on a dime (Polen/Corser/Foggy/Bayliss anyone? LOL!). Don't even get me started on BiMoTa or MV's, LOL!
 
If I do take a track school (a la Spencer), I'll be in A LOT of trouble. If I'm not cured altogether (I hope I keep my skin/bones intact, LOL!), I bet I'll be looking for a sport bike (DUCK anyone?) shortly thereafter to give my Road King some company, LOL!

[kmh364]

For anybody that cares: Mazda/Laguna Seca Raceway is offering the premium tix for the 2005 US round of the MotoGP World Championship to be held July 8-10 for sale starting Monday, Oct. 25 @ 0800hrs PST. While they (DORNA..the owners of the FIM-sanctioned series) have decided to omit the 250 and 125 GP classes, they will be offering an AMA Superbike Championship Double -Header as support classes for the race weekend.
 
IMHO, the premo tix are THE only way to go to the races. I've done it many times over the years at Laguna in Monterey and I did it last fall at the Austrailian round of the 2003MotoGP World Championship at Phillip Island. You get a private hospitality area with catered food, drink and restrooms...closed-circuit tv, and a private outdoor terrace...plus souvenir goodies...reserved parking...all your track admission INCLUDING paddock and pit lane (restricted times) access which are UNHEARD of at a Grand Prix event! The prices go from $290 to $500 depending on area, but are well worth it!
 
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! The best racing on the planet is on TWO wheels and it's at a MototGP event!  
 
See ya in Monterey! I'll be riding my rental HOG up to SF for some clam chowder at Boudin's (FM Wharf) and then up to the wine country for a visit to Alembic. Be there or be square, LOL!

[bigredbass]

Well, so what's it like to see the mighty RC211V up close and personal?  Think the HRC guys have lost MUCH face letting Valentino slip away to Yamaha and Kick their butts?  And Lord, puh-leeze let KR Jr. and John Hopkins get a winner under their saddles!
 
I'm still hoping Dorna will award a race to the Barber track.
 
J o e y

[kmh364]

The RC211V is AWESOME! While Rossi and Yamaha have wrestled the World Championship away from Honda's stranglehold (it's been 12 years since Big Y had the Rider's Championship..Wayne Rainey's Hat Trick of '90, '91, & '92), the Honda is still the bike to beat. Having said that, it may be the best package, but it is COMPLETELY non-adjustable, much to the consternation of everybody on a Honda (EXCEPTING Rossi, of course). Couple that with Honda's completely Japanese attitude that Engineering is EVERYTHING and the rider is NOTHING makes for another Manufacturer's Title, but six riders of varying unhapiness (including first Championship loser Sete Gibernau). Next year, Yamaha is teaming Rossi with Colin Edwards II...the Texas Tornado...in an attempt to steal the Manufacturer's cup away from Honda.  
 
To say Honda's loss of Rossi was the bungle of the Milennium would be a gross undersatement. The Honda is universally acknowledged as the best in the paddock with the Yamaha nearly at the polar opposite. Yet in less than one year's time, we saw the Yamaha clean-up where heretofore it couldn't BUY a win and the Honda Works Factory Squad go WINLESS (first time in memory this has happened). This is certainly no coincidence. Rossi is arguably the best rider to ever swing a leg over a bike in anger. Rossi could win on a friggin' moped. He has the magical touch, much like Roberts, Lawson, Rainey, Schwantz, Doohan, et al to ride around the problems of a less than perfect bike. NO ONE currently riding (in any championship) besides Rossi has that capability, IMHO.
 
I just spoke to OZ this AM and my buddy asked if I saw the Oz MotoGP round last week. He was in awe of the way that Rossi punctuated his almost certain championship by risking a crash (and extension of the championship battle to the final round in Valencia) by flat-out spanking Gibernau on the last lap after the Spaniard led the whole race prior! Anyone who saw Rossi get penalized 10 seconds during last year's OZ GP for a passing under the yellow flag infraction only to see him GAP the whole field by more than 20secs. (!!!) then SLOW DOWN and showboat for the fans and STILL win by 15secs. (!!!) witnessed a dominating and totaly demoralizing (to the rest of the field) performance.  
 
Thanks to a friend of a race official (RAAC), we got into the paddock and up to the race command tower. We hung at the exit of the hot pits and got lots of close-up pix of everyone, especially Rossi (he stands up on the pegs and fixes his 'junk' everytime he exits the pits, LOL!). You have NO concept of the speed these things generate on TV. To see them in person is to be in awe (Loris Capirossi's Ducati hit over 330kph on Phillip Island's front straight this year...a new track record). I've seen the 268#, 200hp 500cc 2-stroke GP bikes haul ass, but the 250-plus hp 990cc 4-strokes are the friggin' Starship Enterprise! I've been at F1 races (Albert Park, Melbourne Aus. in 2003) and they are quick (and they do corner faster) but they don't accelerate like the bikes!
 
While I wish Nicky Hayden no ill will, Honda's favoring of him, an unproven quantity (except for a lone AMA SBK title), over two-time World SBK Champions Colin burns my ass. I'd rather see former World Champ KRJR or even wildman Hopper on a factory Honda than Nicky (Sorry Kentucky Earl). I'd like to see all the Americans on the best bikes possible to see what they can actually do.
 
As far as Barber goes, think WSBK! Octagon and the FIM are dying to get a World Super's race back in the States and Barber could be it. Unfortunately, there is NO FIM-homologated track currently in the US (Laguna, thanks to Yamaha US, will be by next year's MGP). Let's hope we can get one of them to spend the money to do so as Laguna's allotment of events does not allow for more than FOUR per year (and the schedule is full) due to the fact that it is strictly governed by SCRAMP due to it's public land status.