Started off yesterday by heading over to Power Sports of Ozark to take a look at what bikes they had on the floor. I found a 09′ DRZ 400 on the showroom floor. I like the bike and have read a ton of info on it online, but I did not want to jump on one till I went to Dothan Power Sports and test ride a Honda 650 they had used.

After a 10 mile ride on the bike I was not sold at all. It had no punch in first gear! I would have to down shift and pull hard to get a wheelie going. And even from a stop the throttle response was weak at best in all gears. So after getting back to the store I told the slimy salesman that I was not interested but would like to get a quote on the DRZ400 they had on the floor. He came back with a quote that was over a $1000 over the price that Ozark gave me. So I was feeling a more than a little discouraged with sales people so we headed over to the book store for a coffee and a snack. As I was sitting there googling DRZ’s my phone range and I figured it was lame ass sales guy so I sent him to voice mail. Sure as shit he called saying how he had “Talked to Upper Management” and could come down in price, blah balh. MSG deleated. Ok oh look here on my iPhone a blog I was reading about DRZ told me that if I was going to buy a new bike and planned on upgrades I should just spend more on a better bike, like a KTM 450, hmmmm no shit. Ok thats it lets call KTM guy in Freeport; you have a 450 exc dual sport in stock ok I’ll see you in a few hours… Few hours later…

I am throwing a leg over the KTM and instantly get a big smile on my face. Ok give me numbers Ill take it Sold.
They push the bike into the back to prep it for the ride home and thats where the day comes to a screeching halt. 30 minutes go by then a hour then 2 then 3 then WTF Im thinking. Seems the bike is started at the factory in Austria for the test run then crated up and shipped to Ohio then put on a truck for delivers to state side dealers. So as you can imagine the left over gas in the carb gets all nasty and gummed up and takes some cleaning. Well the guy drives by the front window with my bike and its go time, or so I think. The tech turns off the bike and proceeds to give me my delivery speech. As he is talking Tina says “hey what is that dripping on the ground?”, eeerrrr what ??? Ok there we have it the bike is not ready and Im told that the carb will need to be pulled and cleaned and they can’t get to it till Tuesday. WTF man big time disappointment. But the KTM was so impressive that I’m willing to stay with team Orange. Its goes like a cat on crack. I can’t wait to get it on the trails.

The Men Who Don’t Fit In*

Robert W. Service

There’s a race of men that don’t fit in,
A race that can’t stay still;
So they break the hearts of kith and kin,
And they roam the world at will.
They range the field and they rove the flood,
And they climb the mountain’s crest;
Theirs is the curse of the gypsy blood,
And they don’t know how to rest.
If they just went straight they might go far;
They are strong and brave and true;
But they’re always tired of the things that are,
And they want the strange and new.
They say: “Could I find my proper groove,
What a deep mark I would make!”
So they chop and change, and each fresh move
Is only a fresh mistake.

And each forgets, as he strips and runs
With a brilliant, fitful pace,
It’s the steady, quiet, plodding ones
Who win in the lifelong race.
And each forgets that his youth has fled,
Forgets that his prime is past,
Till he stands one day, with a hope that’s dead,
In the glare of the truth at last.

He has failed, he has failed; he has missed his chance;
He has just done things by half.
Life’s been a jolly good joke on him,
And now is the time to laugh.
Ha, ha! He is one of the Legion Lost;
He was never meant to win;
He’s a rolling stone, and it’s bred in the bone;
He’s a man who won’t fit in.

90 deg. and 66% humidity in the garage today made this row just plain miserable. Even with the fan on my back I still leave a puddle of sweat on the floor. Just plain Dirty South!!

Dirty South 10K Row

Well today is our 21st. Anniversary. We have been at it. Going strong and still having fun. I guess a burger is in order at the world famous luxury eatery the “Daleville Diner” I think I’ll go with the Chinook Burger again this year unless they have the F model version now.

This is the route I took to get up to Michigan last week. I took 2.5 days to make the trip the first day was around 287miles and the next two days were both 800 mile days. Just long hard miles to pound out. I just wanted to tag states and not so much do the photo op stops. I would just take and extra day to do that sort of trip and I had a Graduation party to make this weekend for my nephew.

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Happy 4th of July Everyone!!

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