Ahhh, the 2009 ACE Tourer rally is getting closer! We had really hoped to attend the Honda Shadow ACE Tourer rally last year so that we could meet some of the fine folks that make up the Tourer forum, but circumstances prevented us from attending.
Fast forward another whole year, and John now has a Tourer, too, purchased from one of my forum mates! We decided that heading to the T rally was a “must” trip this year, and we’ve already made our reservations in Elkins, WV. It will be so wonderful to meet our fellow T riders in person, after talking with them online for almost 2 years.
ECR 08
We’ve attended the last two Honda Shadow dot net forum rallies, and there are just enough folks to make it interesting and fun, and not so many that it’s overwhelming. We had approximately 30 bikes at the Virginia Beach rally in 2007, and it was amazing to ride the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel together.
ECR 2007
I will never forget coming up out of the tunnel to see the lightning and dark clouds – riding back to Newport News in that downpour was a harrowing experience, but we all made it safely. Last year, the HSN rally was in Asheville, NC – beautiful countryside and great riding! John and I snuck off to see Biltmore while the rest went on a long ride, and that was a great experience, too. We met up with everyone later for dinners and chats – what a great group.
If you belong to a motorcycle forum, and you’ve never been to one of these gatherings of forum members, you are really missing out on something special. Meeting forum members in person is a wonderful experience – you get so much more out of a “face-to-face” than you do from reading typed words…PLUS, you get to RIDE!! And eat, and laugh, and swap stories, and hassle each other, and SHARE the experience in person.
To get to our Tourer rally, it’s going to be just over 250 miles for us to wiggle up over the mountains to Elkins, so I’m really trying hard to get this bum shoulder back in shape for the ride. I just recently felt like I gained enough strength in the shoulder that I could hop back on the Jasmine Wind and ride. Thank God for physical therapists!!
I’m already planning what clothes and bike items to bring, I’m airbrushing t-shirts (for the drawing and for sale), and printing maps for our ride. I always get nervous before a big ride, but because we don’t have any big cities to ride through this time, I’m just itching to get rolling and enjoy the view…and give some hugs to my forum friends!
Well, close enough! Her new tires will be here Monday, and there will always be farkle to add to any bike, right?
We fired up the 1100 Tourer on Sunday, and it felt soooo good to get back on her and RIDE! That custom seats hugs me when I crack open the throttle, and the new paint just GLOWS in the sun.
I put together a video of the entire project, from the day we brought her home to the maiden voyage last Sunday. Enjoy, and keep the shiny side up!
If you haven’t had a chance to get over to the ACE Tourer Project Page lately, check it out when you get a chance. We are moving along on the project, and I’ve added pics of the seat shaping, more pics and a video of the paint progress on “Matty” (short for “Matsurika”).
I took all the parts except for the gas tank to the clearcoater’s yesterday. Boy did THAT feel great!! I’ve been going blind from all the tiny little itty bitty teensy weensy bits of mask that had to be cut for the details in the artwork, and it will be nice to work on some t-shirts and decals this week.
I had taken one sidecover to the vinyl shop to match and buy some vinyl for the inset in the seat, and by the time I took the sidecover back to the clearcoater, he had already shot a layer of clear on the front fender!
OMG – the diamond crystal pearl that I got from Kustom Shop (part of TCP Global) is AWESOME!!! It absolutely SINGS! *dances around* And I only saw it under the paint booth lights…this bike is going to have a totally electric GLOW in the sunlight. The folks at TCP were very helpful when I was trying to make a decision on the pearl powder.
I guess it is good for me to go through this waiting occasionally, as it lets me know how my clients feel when they are waiting for their parts to be completed. That’s why I always send progress reports to clients. I know they want to be a part of the process and know that their parts are getting some LUV from the artist. :)
I should have the tank completely touched up by tomorrow afternoon, and can get that last piece over to the clearcoater’s. Then, I just have to sit and chew my nails, order new tires and my Kury ISO grips, chew my nails some more, work on the bike video, take video of the seat being completed, chew my nails some more, and wait for the phone call from Freddy to tell me to come pick up my parts!!
I have been dreaming of seeing Matty assembled again and getting her back on the ROAD, and the day is coming soooooooon!
Until next time, keep the shiny side up!
EclecticDawn
Check out what we've got for sale on Ebay: motorcycle parts, vintage items, pinstriped purses, tiki art, and ??? You never know what you'll find in my listing!
Well, close enough! Her new tires will be here Monday, and there will always be farkle to add to any bike, right?
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