BIKEVISION

Well i did it again. just got the motorhome all scraped out and i picked up another pickup camper. this one is a bit smaller than the last one. the new one fits completely in the bed of my dodge, i can even close the tail gate. this will camper will need some work (surprise) but not much. i hope that with the camper on the back of the truck i will be able to haul my trailer that i hauled behind the motorhome at speeds above 40mph. i found that while going from some friends house to the camp ground in NC that the trailer is not very stable behind a truck. it was fine behind the motorhome but that was do to either the taller tow vechile or the weight. i guess ill find out when i go to tow the trailer out of here. pics to come soon.

finally got the motor out of the motorhome. now the work of cutting up the frame and turning it in for scrap. hard to see but thats a 454 hanging from the hoist. after changing motormounts, removing the power stearing, ac pump, and smog pump, then a paint job, she will be ready to go into the 63.

Its taking awhile but the 63 has come from out back and the work has begun. The motor and tranny is out, bye bye 350 hello 454. Ive still got to get the 454 out of the motorhome but am really close. One good work day is all i need to get the motor out, then a few days of cleaning and painting. Some how i just got to get the energy to get the work done.

Its been a bit since i posted about loosing my dad. well it hasent been easy trying to fill his shoes. i dont know how he did it all these years. i have no idea how to be the man of the house. i really got to hand it to my brother next door (what not to do on a bike post, lol) he has been alot of help. he jumps right in to pick up my slack. i dont know what i would do with out him next door. THANKS ROB.

i didnt just loose my dad. i lost my best friend. we worked together for 4 to 5 years, every day. when work was over we went home and worked on projects around the house. we pretty much spent day and night around each other. i told him everything that was going on in my life. even stuff that people told me not to tell anyone else, i told him. what i told him to my knowledge stayed with him. he never once judged me for any crazy idea i had. even taking a junk camper all the way to Indy to trade for a couple junk dirtbikes. he did it without a complant (other than my truck didnt have cruise control). he did more for me than any other person in my life. since the day that i met him some 15 years or so ago, he has always been there. teaching me (sometimes without me knowing it) what it ment to be a man. now i know i didnt pay enough attention to his lessons. there are some stories that he told me that i will never repeat to anyone. stuff that he didnt tell anyone else, that is the stuff that i cherish the most.

i seem to be just going day to day. not really knowing were im going. it seems as if im working toward a goal that i just dont know what it is. it never seems to end. i just hope one day, one day soon, that i can figure out where im going and not just were ive been.

“Salt of the Earth” is what comes to mind when one thinks of Robert “Bob” Holloway. He was a straight-shooter who never minced words. He loved cars, racing and was known by his CB handle “Handyman”. He was a family man who dearly loved spending time with his grandchildren, no matter how far away they lived.

Born in Jasper, Alabama on August 8, 1941 to Marion Homer and Winnie Lee (Roberts) Williams, Bob was the seventh of eight children. Marion and Winnie worked hard to raise Bob along with his siblings, Lucille, Cloa, JL, Estell, Jeraldine, Mildred, and Linda. Marion worked to support the family, while Winnie stayed home to care for the children and run the household. The early years of Bob’s childhood were good years for raising a family. Even though there was a scarcity of goods, everyone worked together to support the war effort during WWII. When Bob was thirteen, the family moved to Elkhart, Indiana where he attended Samuel Strong Elementary School and later Roosevelt Jr. High School. When Bob wasn’t in school, he could be found with his buddy, Jerry Becker. Bob and Jerry would buy a dollar’s worth of gas and go cruising along main street looking for fun. At this time, Bob also played a mean game of pool and bowled on several leagues.

After high school, Bob joined the United States Army and began serving his country on April 26, 1960. He was trained as a Field Communications Crewman, commonly known as a radio operator. Bob spent a portion of his enlistment time in Korea. He earned his high school equivalency while in the Army and was honorably discharged on April 25, 1963. Even though he was a radio operator, his stories later in life were all about the driving he did for his Commanding Officer.

After his military service, Bob met a pretty young lady named Geraldine Alwine. After a time of dating, the two fell in love and were married on January 20, 1964. Over the years they brought five beautiful children into the world: Lee, Bert, Deb, Bobbie and Rob. Bob supported the family by working in the manufactured housing industry while Geraldine took care of the children. When they could, Bob and Geraldine packed up the kids and headed out to their favorite camping grounds. Here they could relax and spend cherished time together as a family. Thursday nights were a special family time, with pizza and a game of basketball afterward.

Later in life, Bob had a second chance at love when a lady named Sharon caught his eye at one of the local racing car concession stands. They started dating and were married on July 28, 1995 in the courthouse in Goshen, Indiana. On their honeymoon they took a cruise to the Bahamas, went to Disney and nearly froze to death while visiting Daytona Beach! Their good friends from Hoosier Transport, Rick Ikert and his companion, went along. Bob and Sharon spent a lot of time traveling together with Sharon’s three children, Jason, James and Tara, also Bob’s granddaughter, Jackie, whom he raised. They were huge fans of amusement parks and took the kids to Cedar Point, Six Flags, Michigan’s Adventure and Disneyland and other amusement parks..

Bob was not the kind of person to sit still and he never actually retired. He had worked in the housing industry for over forty years and the last thirteen years of his life he worked as an independent driver for Classic Transport. His job was to shuttle finished RV’s from the manufacturer to the shipping lot. Prior to the shuttling, he had hauled the finished units across the United States to different dealerships. He had racked up well over a million miles behind the wheel! Bob also kept busy working at home and maintaining his trucks. His two trucks have half a million miles each and still run today because of Bob’s dedication and hard work - He was known for being a master of “hillbilly” rigging, adding toggle switches to fix any kind of wiring problem in his trucks. Although Bob was quite the skilled craftsman, no project was complete without a bandaid – no matter how simple the project, Bob always ended up with some cut, scrape or puncture, often not even noticing it until someone pointed it out.

Bob had a life-long friend named Roy Arnold Sr., whom he had met through his friend, Harold Arnold. Bob and Roy spent many happy hours together, going to races, playing cards, and camping, where they would pass the “cough syrup” and shoot the bull. The two were inseparable and even their extended families joined in the fun.

In his spare time, Bob passionately watched NASCAR, cheering for his favorite driver, Dale Earnhardt Sr. He loved a good game of Bingo or Euchure and collected eagles and Zippo lighters. Bob also enjoyed working with his hands, fixing anything and everything around the house. Later, when Bob became a grandpa, he was just as passionate about his grandchildren. His grandchildren meant the world to him and he would travel any distance to be with them and make them smile.

Bob Holloway was a one-of-a-kind individual. He was a master when it came to fixing trucks, and he was passionate about racing. He was a man who meant what he said and said what he meant. Most of all he was passionate about his family; taking care of his mother, raising his grandchildren and bringing joy to his family and friends. He will be missed by all who knew him.

Bob Holloway, age 67, died suddenly in Elkhart, Indiana on February 1st, 2009. Bob’s family includes his wife: Sharon Holloway; children: Leona (Brian) VanBuskirk of Cromwell, Indiana. Roberta Holloway, Deborah Holloway, Bobbie Jo (Ralph) Holloway, Robert (Sherry) Wilson Holloway Jr., Jacklyne (Sean) Holloway-Harris, all of Elkhart, Jason White of North Carolina, James White of Elkhart, Tara (Steve) Dunklee of Michigan; sisters: Linda Miley, Jeraline (Eric) Merril, Cloa Holaway, Estell Gay, and Lucille Sims; brother: J.L. Williams; as well as nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren

well i figured i post a few pics of an idea i have on my future home. my motorhome is on its last life and i will soon be forced to figure out new living arrangements. now that im mobile i dont really want to go back to living in an appartment or house for the time being. i would prefer to keep my mobile house idea. ive been looking at building a house truck or turning a bus into a new home. ive been to alot of web sites reading up on other people that have done just that. and what i have found is there is alot of info out there on house trucks and skoolies. so i started to toy with the idea of a bus conversion. after all turning a bus into a motorhome isent anything that i havent done before. and ive already got a fridge, stove, microwave, water heater, and what not. so all i have to do is find a bus and start building it.

after doing the nascar car redneck bus with my mom and step dad i have learned a few things that i would do different. to start. i want more room head room. that means raising the roof. this has been done before and theres alot of info out there to help with getting the roof raised. next is i want an open floor plan. i want it to be as open as i can get it, so since i want to raise the roof why not make a loft for sleeping. that would free up alot of room in the main floor for a more open area. and if i put the bathroom in the back (like i wanted to on the nascar bus) there wont be any walls between the front of the bus and the bathroom. after living in the rv for awhile now i also know i want a bigger bathroom than is normally found in a rv. so if i take 5" of the back of the bus and make it the bathroom it will have plenty of room to move around as well as make room to keep my cloths. thats were most people change anyways, and with the limited head room in the loft its the most logical choice.

i also want to add a wood stove for heating. this will cut down on the cost of keeping the bus warm in the colder months and will be nice to sit down on a cold night with a book by the fire. my plan is to make it look like a cabin on the inside. with real wood cabinets and the like. in the drawing you can see that part of the bathroom will be raised also. this will allow me to have a normal shower height in the bus. if i didnt do this then only a very short person would enjoy using the shower. this is just a rough idea of what i plan to do. once i get a bus i can customize it as i go.

My nephew Chase with his nice shiner.
Chase and Kiersten playing in the snow

Well it snowed today. i was really had hoped id left the snow behind when i moved down here. well i was wrong. to make matters worse is i wasent totally prepared for it. my fresh water holding tank which is mounted under one of the back bunks, keeping it from freezing, was empty. so when the pipes out side froze i lost my fresh water supply. i do have a few gallons of water that i can use for now till the pipes thaw. there is also the bath house that i can get water from but the water quality around here isent what im used to. its clean and all but i prefer to filter my water before i drink it. i dont really know if its a water issue or the fact i was using a regular hose when i first got here but the water was nasty. so i got a new hose. a white one rated for drinking water and an inline water filter so once the pipes thaw i shouldnt have a problem with drinking the water out of the tap. i dont really drink water. there is enough water in beer and soda for me, but when i tried to use the tap water to make coffee i ended up dumping the whole pot out. i only just got the new hose a filter so i havent tested it yet. it did taste ok when i first hooked the new filter up straight out of the hose so i dont think ill have a problem with it.

Took the kids ice skating for the first time. its been years since ive been on the ice and actually enjoyed it more than i had thought. who would of guessed that i would have to move 1000 miles south to enjoy ice skating. the kids too to it like ducks in water. it didnt take long to remember that you dont skate too close to the little ones. they will take you down every time. but i only fell once the whole night so that aint bad.

Well we have been here for a few weeks now and where starting to get settled in. Here is Jason and the kids sitting down to have dinner. it gets a little crowded at times but we make do with what we got.
We have one of the few spots in the park with shade trees. the rest of the park is mostly open. I really like our little spot that weve got. Were nice a tucked away from most of the other rv's . theres not much for grass down here in the "hole" so we dont bother with cleaning up the leaves, its just dirt under them anyway, so it cuts down on the dirt tracked into the rv.
Right now we have plenty of room to ourselves. There room as you can see to park the trailer behind the rv and still drop the ramp to load and unload the bike, and in front of the rv we park the truck. so the sites are pretty long. The managers of the park so far seem to be pretty decent people. It took a few weeks to get the cable company out here to hook up our internet though. but were up and running with high speed broadband, so now i can spend my days surfing the net and beign lazy.

Here is the view out the front door. The park cut this tree down some time ago but have yet to remove it. So we have been cutting some of the smaller stuff up for camp fires. The kids love to go climb all over it like little monkeys. Course there isent much else to do around here till summer when the pool opens.

Its been pretty nice down here for the most part. in the 70's most days still. Even got the bike out for few rides around town. Ive already found out that between 4-6pm is not a good time to be in a hurry when going through Jacksonville, Well i dont think there really is a good time to go through Jacksonville anyways.

Well the dream of leaving home and getting away from it all as been realized. Ive made the move from Elkhart to Jacksonville, NC. living in the RV with my brother. its going pretty smooth for me but I've been living in the RV for several months so it was just a change in view out the window for me. it was really easy to make the move. starting out parked in my parents yard for a few months until now. by brother also live in a RV for a few months with his wife and 4 kids plus 2 cats. so it wasn't anything new for him either. just more room now that the kids are only here on the weekends.

the trip down went pretty smooth even hauling my converted pop up to cargo trailer. i wasn't sure what kind of mileage the RV would get, with it having a 454 in it and all. but the price of fuel dropped from $4 a gallon to around $2 just in the nick of time. the first take of fuel i averaged 4.7 mpg but there was probably a 1/4 tank used up just in the yard before we left. we had to move the RV around the yard a few times and extension cords wouldn't reach so we had to use the generator. the second take got 8mpg and that was alot of mountains. so i figured that was pretty good. (well it could of been worse) i bet it would get pretty good mileage without the trailer, that is for a big motor home anyways.

right now were in a buddy of my brothers driveway for the next week till we can get into the RV park we found. we were looking at one park that had access to the waterway but found a better and cheaper park down the road a ways. the site is pretty nice too. lots of tree coverage and from the looks of it the neighbors are right up my alley. rednecks through and through. funny thing is that our neighbor at the park converted a pop up to a cargo trailer too. were going to copy his idea of using vinyl siding on the outside.

an added bonus of the new park we found is its within walking distance to the boat launch. my brother has a boat but needs a motor with controls so that will be on the list of things to start bartering for. i might end up looking for a replacement for the motorhome aswell. its in worse shape than i had orginal thought. the side wall is comming away from the floor in the front by the door. its out a good 1 1/2" so that will have to be taken care of soon. even down here its going to cost a bit to heat and cool this old thing even without the gaps to let air in. not to mention creatures that we might not want in.

i couldnt leave things alone. i ended up trading the ford for this motorhome. its a 27ft. 1985 with a 454 with 76,000 miles.
i had to clean it top to bottom. it had been sitting for a few years and had cob webs all over.
the side was coming loose so with typical fasion i tore into it to find a heck of a mess. all the wood was rotten and had to be replace. ants had made several nests in the walls.
even around the onboard generator was rotted. it took a few weeks to get the outside put back together. now im working on the back bedroom. ive been staying in it and sleeping on the couch. everything works in it. fridge, stove, microwave, ac, heat, everything. the generator works great, runs quite, and will power the whole coach.

some more dealin i did. i traded the silver fzr for this truck. its an 82 f150 4x4. 3" lift with 33" tires.
pretty solid truck over all. just a little rust starting to come through.

some more wheelin and dealin, traded my big 88 chevy blazer for this 63 chevy pickup.
it does run, but needs some work. nothing i cant handle. it should keep me busy for awhile.

white and red is a 88 yz490 yellow is a 79 yz400
i got these by trading the slide in camper for them. i had to take it to indy and pick these up. not too bad of a deal i think. ive had these for a few months. the 400 i traded off for a carb and intake and the 490 runs pretty good. lots of power.

This is what my dodge looked like when it was new. its been down a log hard road in its life but she is still a jewel in my eyes. with 506,000 miles and counting, and after a few wrecks over the years, and me rolling it she's no spring chicken but she still runs like a champ.

i had to have a new project lined up when i got the dodge done. i found this little honey down the road at a sale. $100 and she was mine.
here i am taking the dodge down to pick her up. i had already cut the roof of but she was still driveable.
a little soap and water and she cleaned up fairly well. ill be replacing some of the paneling and redoing a few things. there isent a fridge but the stove and electric heater work.
the toilet was removed and a portable one was put in its place. i have no idea why. ill be putting a new one back in. i also have to replace the water heater but thats not a big deal. after all i live in the rv captol of the country so getting parts wont be much of a problem.
here i am again bringing the camper home. once i get it fixed up a bit ill be using it as a home away from home when i make trips to michigan for the weekend. it will be nice to be able to just jump in the truck and go without haveing to pack up cloths and figueing out where im going to sleep once i get there. plus if i deciede to go out on the town and tie one on i wont have to worry about driving home or sleeping across the seat of the truck. i can just climb in the back and sleep in my own bed. ive been wanting one of theres for awhile now. and if you know me then you know how well this fits.

Well it took a little longer than i had planned but the dodge is now up and running. it was just too hot most of the summer to work on it. i worked on days that it was fairly cool. took about a week if i would of done it straight.
i took her apart piece by piece. i did this with a sawzaw and a cut off saw. it was fairly easy taking the old doge apart this is the truck i bought to fix the dually with. its an 85 1/2 ton. it did run and drive but i wanted my dually and my diesel engine.
the 85 wouldnt of held up to the added weight of the diesel engine or the power. it would of been way more work to swap motors than it was to swap cabs. i used the cab and whole front end off the 85 and mounted them to the 93 frame.
here is the front of the dodge after the swap. ive got some photos of how we removed the cab that ill get on here later. she is now legal and road ready. it good to have her whole again. nobody figured id get her done and back on the road. but once i set my mind to somthing i can do anything.

Just a few pics of the vehicles that we have sitting around

left to right my 88 blazer, my 84 blazer, steve's 79 truck

steve's 89 blazer. tires off my 88 (too small for my blazer, fit his nicely)

whats left of my 89 jimmy, borrowed a few parts off it.

beer and corn field didnt mix too well. notice the roof sitting on the car behind it

she became a mud toy till i blew it up. behind is steves 67 chevy long box. after a complete restore its now just sitting collecting rust again. what a shame

my 93 dodge after i jacked the roof up, in the process of replacing the cab. right : sisters car

left: steve's new car, right: steve's old car

future derby car, and old derby car

not too much damage

oops, guess i was wrong

i got this in an email today and had to post it up here. its the funniest thing i have seen in awhile.

After rolling my jimmy and only having my vision to ride i bought this dodge from my step-dad. its a 93 1 ton dually with a cummins diesel. it had been sitting for about 5 years after the tranny went out, so he thought. the truck was solid, no rust, just were the paint had peeled off, and a few nickle size dents here and there. i got it with just under 500,000 miles. after draining the tranny and changing the fluid and filter i found that the whole tranny wasn't bad it was just the overdrive. i put about 10,000 miles on it before rolling it into a ditch. (well that's the short story)

i drove it home from the impound with a smashed windshield, no lights, and the roof caved in. i didn't loose any oil after the roll over but it took 5 quarts of tranny fluid to get her to move. once back home i started the process of seeing what all needed fixed. the drivers door and front fender are trashed. as well as the rear dually fender, but those are easily replaced. the roof was my main concern. by using some boards stacked on the floor and a bottle jack i managed to get the roof back up where it belonged. but after that i ran into more problems. the roof is two pieces. an inner and outer shell. after sitting for years it had rusted along the front of the roof separating the two. i had no idea how to go about fixing this problem so i moved on to the lights. the problem with them was easy to spot once i pulled the switch out and saw that the plug had melted. easy fix i simply cut the plug in and plugged the wires right to the switch.

i called a windshield company out to see if they would be able to put a new windshield in for me but they said it was not straight enough and it would crack. so this has left me with only two options. 1. cut the top off and weld on a new one provided i can find one. and 2. get a whole new cab. well both of these options are not easily done, nore do i have the time or tools right now to do this. so for now the dodge sits in my buddy's driveway covered with a tarp waiting for me to decide what I'm going to do with it.

so now i am left driving not my beautiful black blazer, but a p.o.s. that i bought for parts. the black blazer has a cracked head, possible bad tranny, transfer case leaks, front diff. has water in it, and the floors are rotted through. so i ended up taking the headers, exhaust, alternator, starter, radiator, and the steering wheel all off the black one and putting it on my blue one. now this blue one i speak of is a 84 with a 305 2" body lift and 32" tires. i had to lift the rear just to get the exhaust off the black blazer to fit under it. but i went too high with the 3" lift in the rear and need to lift the front now just to make it look right. it has an add a leaf in the front for the plow that used to be on it.

i will try to get some pics of the blue one and then do a full write up one it later.

Well i knew it would happen some day. i was headed up to michigan for the weekend on my FZR. i hate taking the main roads so i took back roads most of the way. i got about 4-5 miles from my buddies house when the road turned to gravel. i forgot this road wasent paved all the way down. so instead of turning around i just slowed down a bit and road on. i really dont know how fast i was going but all of a sudden the front end started to shake side to side and i knew i was going down. i hit the ground on my knuckles and right front of my helmet, then tumbled a few times and came sliding to a stop about 200ft. from where i first hit. there was a guy that was just about to pull out of his drive way when i went by. he said it didnt look like i was going very fast, i dont know i wasent looking at my speed, i do know that i was in 5th and slowing.
i layed on the ground for about 5 min as he was on the phone with 911. it wasent so much the pain but the adrelin was flowing pretty good. after about 5min. i could start to feel my body and started to move. there was no pain in my neck or my back so i got up on my feet. i could feel the rash on my left knee, and my right hip. but other than that i seemed to be fine. i took of my helmet, jacket and gloves, and saw that they did a great job at protecting me. my visor was toast but the rest seemed to fair pretty well. no ambulance needed, but they were sending a cop out.
i started to look the bike over as it layed on its left side. the guy helped me pick it up and push it out of the road. i could smell gas but seen no oil coming out anywhere and the r1 tail i just put on didnt brake, just minor rash. both front and rear seat where down the road so i went and got them. no major damage to them. the only real damage was it bent my left handle bar slightly and broke my left mirror. i let the bike sit for a few min. and it fired right up. then a state trooper showed up, and since no one else was involved i got off without a ticket. and was able to ride the bike to my buddies house right down the road.
all in all i was really lucky, the bike shop my brother works for was having a yard sale sat. and i was able to pick up a new scorpion exo helmet for $150, mine was toast. they even had a front cowl for the bike which i needed still from the first crash (my step-bro's) for $20. so that worked out really well. if i haddent needed a new helmet i wouldnt of found it.
the only thing now is when i was headed home monday night i stoped for a bite to eat and i could smell rotten eggs. found that the battery was boiling over and was really hot. it wouldt start after that and had to have my dad bring his truck and tow it back home. whats messed up is i rode it all over this weekend after the crash putting almost 150 miles on it and didnt have a problem. the crash must of messed up the battery.

I finally got around to posting some pic's of the tail swap finished. Well mostly finished. I have to get a welder to maked my final mouting tabs but other than that im done with the tail. Now i just got to get my side and front fairing then a paint job and i should be done for awhile.
I just finished putting a new set of polished forks and clip-ons on. (not in above pics) Some of the other things i want to do is repaint the rims. Either black or blue. I want to paint the rest of the bike the same as the tail.

As is my nature I couldn't leave well enough alone. I bought a R1 tail off ebay and now I've begun the task of making it fit the fizzer. I knew it wasn't going to be a simple bolt on job but IM always up for a challenge. Airtech sells a kit that is made for the fizzer to make it look similar to a r1 but many have done this mod and I figured id try my luck at using an actual r1 tail.

After removing the rear fairing and the tail light that I had mocked up from the vision. Which I spent many hours making it fit. I was ready to start the task of removing all the brackets from the sub-frame. I will have to make up a coolant bottle and move the wiring that was mounted to the side.



After hours of grinding, I had to do some more grinding, and when that was done I had to do some more grinding. Now I've got it all ready to start the hard stuff. The tail now fits onto the sub-frame. After sitting the tail in place I realized that the stock fizzer seats wont work with the new tail. So off to ebay I go to see if I can get a set for cheap. For now IM waiting on the seats. Once I get the seats and the tail were I want it ill have to make an under-tail out of some abs plastic.

I just ran across this site. Its a great idea and id like to pass it along http://bikerfriend.org/

it will help bring awareness to bikers. Everyone that rides a bike should have one on there car too.

most of the time me and law enforcement don't get along. as some of you may know i just lost my license for 2 months. before this happended i had ordered some new foot pegs for my fzr600 from my local dealer. well i had all but forgeten about them till today when they call and say if i don't come and pick them up there gonna put them out on the shelf and charge me a restocking fee. so since i already paid for them and i do need them i decide to just jump on fzr and ride on over there.

i get on my helmet, jacket, boots, and gloves hook up my net to the back seat and off i go. i got to the end of my road, and what do i see..... the local pd. instatant fear rushes through me. here i am no license, i took the plate off the vision and just slapped it on the fzr,no insurance, and to top it all of the bike has a loud Vance&Hines pipe on it. i check out my mirror (only have one, other one is busted off) and i see him pull out and get in behind me. my heart stops i know i screwed. i turn left and he follows, i get red at the next light. by now i know he's running my plate and I'm hoping Indiana cant see that Michigan has suspended me. i go through the next light and make another left, and he is still there.

so now I'm thinking I'm in the clear, he doesn't know, I'm good, just watch myself, and try not to draw attention. i keep checking my mirror and i can see that he is dropping back, I'm not speeding so, its all good. i get to keep my bike for another day. i get to the dealer, use my signal and hand signals, and then just as i pull in he cuts off the car that had gotten behind me, flips his lights on and pulls in right behind me boxing me in. i get off the bike as he is walking up to me. i get my gloves off and i can see he is waiting for me to take off my helmet. i get the helmet off:

officer: you James
me: yea
officer: you know you shouldn't be riding, i ran your plate and it came as your license being suspended
me: yea, i know (no attitude i know I'm screwed)
officer: why you riding
me: well, (i had time to think of this while i was waiting for him to pull me over when i first saw him) i had to go to the drug store to get my blood thinners (no lie i was stopping there on the way home) and i couldn't get anyone to give me a ride so since i had to go out i figured id get my parts at the same time.
officer: what drug store were you going to
me: osco right back there on my way home.
officer: why didn't you stop there first
me: i didn't want to have to cross traffic
officer: you know this could now cost you a tow and impound fee not to mention the added court costs.
me: yea I'm really sorry but i had too. i can call someone to come get the bike if you'll let me. i know I'm not supposed to be riding. ill leave it here and get a ride.
officer: the reason i got behind you was cause you bike is so loud
me: (i didn't say nothing just kind of shook my head like OK)
officer: tell you what, if i see you out here again I'm gonna impound the bike and take you to jail.
me: (big sigh of relief) thank you. and have a nice day.

he goes and gets in his car as i walk into the dealer and of course everyone in there was like "what he stop you for" and i told them loud exhaust, and walk over to the parts counter. get my parts and ask the guy if they had a phone i can use to call for my truck. they say no problem and i call. my mom had just left to get my nephew a hair cut and left one sleeping kid with my dad who didn't have a car seat. so i had to wait for her to get back. i go out side and have a smoke and a couple salesmen walk out and asked me to fire it up to see how loud it was. they said it wasn't that loud, that guy was a jerk. so i had to defend him (cant believe it I'm sticking up for a cop) and tell them that i actually got really lucky cause my license just got suspended.

i got to chat with the salesman while i was waiting and check out all the new bikes. so now i bet when i go in there they will remember me and i might actually get good service

After my step-bro wrecked the fizzer I took the opportunity to get me yet another bike. As the other posts show this bike needs some work. After tearing into it I found that the tail was all but done fore. Without buying all the pieces for a new tail my only options were to either to just put what I had left (wasn't much just the lens and tail light) or fab one from parts off a vision.


well I thought the vision tail light wouldn't look that bad on the fizzer. And considering Im rebuilding this bike on next to nothing it was the best option I had. I paid $500 for the bike and had to pay $20 for a new peanut cover. I still got to get the front mounted, get new forks, front brake lever, right side foot peg, and a few other minor things but I'm well on my way to having one hell of a bike.

I had to mock up a mount out of some angle iron and then used an old license plate to mount a license plate light to, which is tucked up behind the tail light. the stock plugs for the lights were the same for the tail light and the bike so I didn't have to cut any wires all I did was plug it right in. I still got to mount some turn signals since I chopped the rear fender (god I hate rear fenders) I figured id try to mount the signals through the bottom of the grab bars if I can. Or ill just have to make something up.

The other day my step-brother Rob and I decided to get our bikes out and go for a ride down the road. It was a rather nice day and we were just going down the block. No helmets and no jacket. All Rob was wearing was basketball shorts and a cut off shirt, I was in jeans and a t-shirt. I had just pulled back into my garage when I heard the sound. a sound unlike another. I heard his engine rev'd and then scraping. http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i85/bikevision/bubscrash.jpg


I knew right away what had happened. He broke loose in some loose gravel and then the bike hooked up. When it caught pavement the front came up and over. Down he went rolling like a tumble weed. For not having a helmet or any protective gear one he was really lucky. No broken bones just some major road rash. http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i85/bikevision/bubscrash2.jpg



the worst part was he had just got the bike back form a guy who was going to buy it. Guess he should of. I made him an offer of $500 and if nobody makes a higher offer its mine Wednesday. http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i85/bikevision/bubscrash3.jpg

Its not often that we get together so when we do we like to have a good time. From left to right is me, Bernie (my dad), Sue (my step-mom), Shawn aka. She-Shawn (sister in-law, [he-Shawn's wife]), Shawn aka. He-Shawn(step-brother). Josh (step-brother) was supposed to be there but pussed out. We had some great food and a lot of beer. He-Shawn suggested some kind of tequila that's like $50 a fifth. We did 4 or 5 shots each before the night was over. After we left the bar we went to joshes house to mess with him and try to get him to drink a beer but he pussed out again. Said he drank too much the night before. We ended the night and went back to The Shawn's house were Dad and Sue went home and I crashed on Shawns couch.

it was a fun night that must be done again. Maybe next time we'll get some more people to join in and have an even better time.

I am now lost without the forum. It has become one of the main reasons I get on the web and now for some unknown reason it is down. Has it been hacked again? Did some unforeseen forces shut it down? Is it getting some upgrades?

Questions is all I have, no answers and no idea when I will have them. I have found though that other members are going through the same withdrawal symtoms as I am. I now have all this time that I usually fill with reading the latest post, and now I have nothing to do. What else is there to do on the net. Are there other places a lone vision owner can go to fill the void. Well I guess I will soon find out.

i finally got around to checking the bolts in the starter cluths on the vision. all three had worked themselfs loose. the clutch body is cracked and the cover slid around and the bolt holes are wobbled out. i may be able to reuse the flywheel but the clutch is gone. looks like ill be pulling the one out of the spare engine.

Pam Foster of Pamela Foster and Associates in Atlanta. She's been in business since 1980 doing interior design and home planning. She recently wrote the following letter to a family member serving in Iraq..... Check it out!


WHAT'S ALL THE FUSS? "Are we fighting a war on terror or aren't we? Was it or was it not started by Islamic people who brought it to our shores on September 11, 2001? Were people from all over the world, mostly Americans, not brutally murdered that day, in downtown Manhattan, across the Potomac from our nation's capitol and in a field in Pennsylvania? Did nearly three thousand men, women and children die a horrible, burning or crushing death that day, or didn't they?

And I'm supposed to care that a copy of the Koran was "desecrated" when an overworked American soldier kicked it or got it wet? Well, I don't. I don't care at all. I'll start caring when Osama bin Laden turns himself in and repents for incinerating all those innocent people on 9/11.

I'll care about the Koran when the fanatics in the Middle East start caring about the Holy Bible, the mere possession of which is a crime in Saudi Arabia.

I'll care when Abu Musab al-Zarqawi tells the world he is sorry for hacking off Nick Berg's head while Berg screamed through his gurgling, slashed throat.

I'll care when the cowardly so-called "insurgents" in Iraq come out and fight like men instead of disrespecting their own religion by hiding in mosques.

I'll care when the mindless zealots who blow themselves up in search of nirvana care about the innocent children within range of their suicide bombs.

I'll care when the American media stops pretending that their First Amendment liberties are somehow derived from international law instead of the United States Constitution's Bill of Rights.

In the meantime, when I hear a story about a brave marine roughing up an Iraqi terrorist to obtain information, know this: I don't care.

When I see a fuzzy photo of a pile of naked Iraqi prisoners who have been humiliated in what amounts to a college hazing incident, rest assured that I don't care.

When I see a wounded terrorist get shot in the head when he is told not to move because he might be booby-trapped, you can take it to the bank that I don't care.

When I hear that a prisoner, who was issued a Koran and a prayer mat, and fed "special" food that is paid for by my tax dollars, is complaining that his holy book is being "mishandled," you can absolutely believe in your heart of hearts that I don't care.

And oh, by the way, I've noticed that sometimes it's spelled "Koran" and other times "Quran." Well, Jimmy Crack Corn, and, well, ---- you got it, I DON'T CARE!

If you agree with this view point, pass this on to all your e-mail friends. Sooner or later, it'll get to the people responsible for this ridiculous behavior! If you don't agree, then by all means hit the delete button. Should you choose the latter, then please don't complain when more atrocities committed by radical Muslims happen here in our great country.

"If you can read this, Thank a teacher! If you are reading it in English, Thank a Veteran."

Her is the newest member of the family. Her name: Lady-Di, breed: saint benard, dry mouth. She goes to work with us everyday and can be very vocal at times. She is just a big lap dog. Well, she thinks she is.

A few things ive picked up to accommodate my vision. Im starting to get a collection of parts and accessories. You can never have too much of a good thing.

Well i have gotten me another vision. not that i need one but it was a great deal. it runs great, better than my old one. it would take a little work cleaning it up, getting new locks, tires, and side covers. not to mention tearing it all down and painting everything. but i cant work on my blazer in the cold so this will give me something to do other than sit on the couch and watch t.v.


you can see its not in the greatest shape but it runs great. has really low milage and the price was right. $140 off ebay. god i love ebay. it has the airbox update and a yics box. which my old one doesent.

Well it got up to 55F today so of course I had to go for a ride. It felt so good to get back on the old girl. I've done some mods over the last couple days as shown in the pictures. I have had to repaint the triple tree several times because my keys rub the paint off. The paint started to get pretty thick so I decided to take it off with a wire wheel and found I love the look of it with no paint. And to make them match I had to do the risers too.

After my little ride I found that my placement of the plate after cutting the rear fender off had some clearance problems. It seems the tire fixed the problem for me quite nicely. Cutting the fender down gives it a more modern sport bike look.


As you can see the old fender made it look like the typical 80s bike. Kind of gave it a face lift.

This is how the previous owner of my bike decied to fix the tci unit of my bike after he cut it open.

This is whats left of my jimmy. It used to be my daily driver but as you can see, dot might have a problem with me running it down the road. Not to mention the looks i would get having to wear a helmet to run to the store.

The side windows i could live without in the summer but with the window frame being a little out of shape now it would be hard to replace the windshield. Which is the only thing keeping me from driving it now.
I took the right headlight out because the housing wouldnt hold it anymore. The lights were still on and working after we uprighted it, i just didnt want to risk breaking a good bulb.
Now she sits among other junk and unfinished projects at a friends house. I still take it out for spins in the corn field (after a couple of beers) and to the local mud hole. She still runs and thats the only reason I need to keep it. Maybe someday I will do something with it.

1988 blazer 355tbi
headers, dual flowmaster exhaust, 6"-8" lift, 35x12.5 bfgoodrich mud terrian tires.


Here is my new toy. At the moment it is just that a toy but i plan on fixing a couple things and turn it back to a road worthy trail rig. Right now i have to trailer it to the trails. a few things need fixed like the radiator and right turn signal. After digging into it a little I have found that the floor will need replacing below the front seats and the rear cab support. Most of the other work it needs is mostly some minor body work. This will be a street legal off-road rig so paint isent that big of a deal, it will just get scratched running through the trails anyway.

I got this after rolling my 89 jimmy. Ive got to widen the stance of it to stableize it in the turns. Its a little top heavy with the stock width of the axles. It can take larger tires but the 35 are ok for now. I was told the previous owner had 40 on it.




In order to get it into the garage. i had to take the rack off the top and let the air out the tires.

I just took my first long trip on my bike over the weekend. It was great. i got to meet some other vision riders and ride some awsome roads. ill have some pitcures on here soon. The trip only cost me $200 for the whole weekend. That includes gas, lodging, food, and souviners from Deals Gap.

For those of you that dont know deals gap is a motorcycle resort on the TN NC line. 318 curves in 11 miles. I rode the dragon and didnt get bitten. I am one of the lucky ones.

ok this is my blog so I can rant, bitch and moan and there isn't anything you can do about it. Today I decided to take my bike for a ride. I would have gone yesterday but after getting it all ready to go I find that the battery is dead. So I had to go today. I rode about 15mi and it dies on me. The battery has gone dead again. So I push it about 2-3 blocks to a good hill. I put it in 2nd gear and pull the clutch. It gets to 10mph and I let it go and off I go. I come to a stop light and this dumb bitch in front of me dicks around and it dies on me. This time there is no hill to push it down so I push it about 3-4 blocks and coast onto the side walk so IM out of the road.

I start to take my helmet off and one of the city cops sees me and decides to check things out. Now IM pissed cause I just let my insurance cancle. but to my suprise he doesent ask for insurance. and i dont get a ticket. he does make me move it to a parking lot of an insurance company(kind of funny right) i go inside and they let me use the phone and i call for a ride. while im waiting i find the problem( well at least one of the problems) the buddy i got the bike from did a shit job at connecting the new stator and the wires have corroded and one is broke. so i spend the rest of this nice day solidering the wires (i found alot of things he done half ass) together. and by the time i got it done and the battery charged it was getting late and i had to park it for the night. so maybe tommarow ill get some ridding in who knows.

my 1982 yamaha vision

This is my first bike. I got it from a friend of mine who i traded a playstation 2 and some games even up for it. these bikes are somewhat rare from what i can tell. the vision was ahead of its time when it came out in 82 and production was stoped in 83 for the u.s. model. those that do still ride the visions have come to address the many falts with it but still keep them because of the joy we get from them when we crack open the throttle and feel the power of the shaft driven v-twin let loose and soor down the road.

Some of the modifactions i have done to my vision is painting the tank, swaping the stock turn signals for a set off a 2004 katana 750, i plan on getting another set for the front soon, as well as adding heated grips to it soon. i also plan on finishing painting the front fender and side covers

This is my 89 gmc jimmy. Its a tough little truck no matter what anyone says. I have had more fun in this truck than any other vehicle I have ever owned. Even now that it has been beat on it still takes a lickin and keeps on ticking. Its still going strong today even after sinking it in mud and water, and ramping it through the air like it had wings. I've already done so much work to it that its almost a new truck today. The only thing to do next is redo the body that is rusting out. Its not all the pretty blue that it was (about the color of the blue car behind it) but I kind of like primer gray. A little by little some day I will have it looking new again.

Just as a side note it took forever to get all the mud off of it and out of the inside. I had to strip every thing out of it including the carpet. Some people think I'm crazy for keeping it but I have done so much work to it I cant bare to think of ever getting rid of it. If I spent half the time on my past relationships as I have on fixing this thing then I probally would be married right now. But at the time being I am happy with my jimmy. Though I know this jimmy is a she because she acts just like a woman. Costing me a fortune to keep her happy, never seems I get all the jobs done that she wants me to do, and the moment I get comfortably she has to bring up the past and throws a fit.

I seen this on another site and just had to put it on here

Ok I'm just getting this blog going so how about a little about myself. I live in a small town in Michigan. I just bought my first bike back in 11/2003. A black 1982 Yamaha Vision. Well if you want to say bought, I traded a buddy of mine my playstation2 and six games for it. I fell in love with the bike, it just looks like what a motorcycle is supposed to look like. I love the looks of a naked bike don't care much for the looks of fairing.

When I got it, the battery was junk and the clutch cable was froze up. My buddy brought over a clutch cable that was supposed to come off another vision that he had, but it didn't fit exactly. After a little careful trimming of the outer cable cover I made it work. Once it warmed up a little, about April, I got it legal and was off and ridding. The battery wouldn't hold a charge so I had to carry my jumper box around with me strapped to the back of the bike. It was my only wheels for the time because I couldn't figure out what was wrong with my truck. But that's another story all together.

It was fall before I got a new battery and I repainted the tank a bright red. The tank was all faded and streaked when I got it. My buddy had just used a spray can and painted it black and every little drop of gas left an ugly streak down the side. So when he repainted his bike after laying it down, I painted my tank as well. I still need to buff the clear coat and spray the sides but it looks a hell of a lot better than it did when I got it.

I've still got a little work to do to it yet to make it perfect but it is a labor of love and I enjoy riding something that I know is running because of me.