No Wednesday North Central ROMEO Lunch Ride for 1-23-13

[Richard]

Guys - As has been the plan for the past few weeks, there will be no 'Official' lunch since the temps have not reached the minimum temperature that allows a bit of safety buffer for those on two wheels. Yes, I know I break the rule but only unofficially. Such will be the case again this week and allowing for the still low temperature, I've set up the lunch for a nearby destination to keep us close to home should the forecast go completely south the closer we get to Wednesday.
We've been here before but where haven't we been? It's one of Cuba Nick's favorite places so we'll see if he and his buddy Jim, jump in the car and come on down for a visit since I'm sure they both have their bikes up on a rack next to their bicycles for winter.
There's a new bike shop right across the street from the cafe that was just getting open the first time we were there and some of us have already taken advantage of it just to see how it is and I was happy with the Gold Wing service I had done there just prior to my trip to Idaho last summer. After the trip I went back for a fork oil change and they found a fork stantion tube bolt missing so now I am really really happy.


Here's the place...........................Westside Ventures
113 N. Nelson St.
Bennington, Kansas 67422
785-488-3700
Lori Wilson, Owner

Here's the time..........................12:30 pm


As always.............ride careful, ride safe and I'll see you in Bennington. Richard
http://tinyurl.com/Romeo-Rides-This-Week
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Guys - Since it was so short a ride Wednesday, I got up early and meandered down to the Sr. Center to due my daily bout of pool with my friend Jim Addelson. Jim is legally blind with macular degeneration and has only tunnel vision left but don't let that fool 'ya if 'yer playing against him. Once he spots the ball he's after, he's as a man possessed and is like a laser heading to the nearest pocket. He's an old time billiard player from waaay back and knows the spots and angles like no one else since those guys played on tables without pockets. Well, I arrived thirteen after nine and as usual he took a game up on me for missing his self developed rules of play. Thou shalt not be late! It's one loss for every fifteen minute time slot. He's now up on me 24 to zero. It's a running score!
We played until I had to leave by demand. Our last game took a whopping 30 minutes and I had to leave before the table was covered. I'm sure I lost another carry over for that as well.
By the time I arrived home it felt a bit colder than it did earlier in the day but I geared up anyway having already decided cold or no, I was 'gonna ride. I gave myself the advantage though by choosing the scoot with its extra protection of fairing, and floorboards. It's my sloppy weather ride because it's so quick and easy to clean up. Wipe her down with a wet towel and then a dry one and she looks like new.
The temperature gauge read 36 degrees f. as I headed North on the interstate toward the designated meeting place in Salina. I was concerned that I might be again late at the designated leave from spot since it took me a bit of extra time to zip up my right leg of my chaps. The left one goes on just fine but for some reason, I just can't bend over to the right like I used to and i'm left handed anyway so that little zipper always befuddles me.
I arrived and nobody was there! Again! I zipped on by and all of a sudden the bike coughed! Now, on a twin or multi it may be no big deal, but on a single it's cause for worry. It never did it again however.
I was the only bike on the street when I showed up. Actually I don't even know what time it was but I assumed it was earlier than the lunch time I had reserved. I couldn't look at my watch though for all the garb I had on. I couldn't hardly even move I had on so many clothes and wouldn't have had a chance to find my watch under it all if my life depended on it. Several were there that had driven but I strutted by in my garb to indicate I had indeed braved the cold.
Before long a few more arrived and by formal lunch time 5 had showed up in the most proper ROMEO fashion which is to ride while 7 had driven various fourpeds.
Marty had ridden his Guzzi and being more than a fair hand at fix'in cycles, I asked him about my scoots cough I experienced on the way up. He gave me some quite sound advice concerning how to deal with that in laymans terms. He said to simply open up the tank thingy wherein you put the go juice and carefully put in one heaping teaspoon of robutussin for roughly the amount of gas left in the tank or so. Quite simple really. I did as described immediately upon arriving home however as it was getting dark by then, I put in nyquill, as well. Hope the results are as good as he said they would be!
My phone camera was completely dead as I attempted to take a photo today so I thank my friend Pat for todays shots.
Long distance today was won by the Cuba duo, Nick Day and Jim Davidson who claim their bikes aren't really in storage as I have been led to believe.

[Patrick]

Bennington Ride 1-23-2013