Inspection Station:
There's a lot of bikes people won't give two glances, but they'll holler out across Catfish king, "Who belongs to that XS out there?" I'm with the brother-in-law on his Shadow and the neighbor on his Road King. It just kills em'.
Couple days ago I headed the 7 miles and two stop lights into town to get my bike inspected. Coming into the edge of the city, the first light had caught a tractor trailer driver on the right. I needed to make a left into the station after the second light so I pulled up along side the tractor. What the? The driver has his window rolled down and is hollering, grinning and taking pix. I can't hear over the tractor and my peashooters but, "Yeah, Ok, Thanks So much!" Light turns green and I'm up the road, a quick left and pulls up to the station.
I was directed to park just left of the inspection bay door. I put her up on the center stand and started fishing for my insurance papers. A guy taps me on the shoulder. It's the tractor driver! He's got his rig parked in the turn lane! It looks a football field long! He's locking up the entrance of Micky-D's and Super Walmart! The little XS has a commanding presents and I'm starting to get a big head. This is a dangerous time because something always happens when everybodys looking. As the guy is talking and preparing to take his leave, a big black and blacked-out Dodge Ram truck pulls up in front of the bay along side me. I'm shaking my head, mesmerized, as I watch the driver trot back out across the ramp and two lanes of traffic to mount his rig. This action is not lost on the driver of the black truck. His head is craned around. Does he know I can see him behind his dark windows? Now he has his eyes hooked on the XS.
I take my insurance papers inside and the guy with his clipboard follows me back out. Horn, yep, Lights, yep, Blinkers, yep. We go back inside and a couple minutes later, I'm good to go. Outside, I get snagged by a guy on a bench, grinning and pointing . I said, "thanks" while zipping up me jacket and pulling on me nose pickers. A dangerous time, I tell you. Everybody is looking! The guy in the truck behind his blacked out windows, still with his eyes hooked on the bike. Baby, don't let me down now! I throw my leg over and rock her off the center stand. Fuel on, key on, got a green light and flick out the kicker. I lean her a bit to the left and push down gently till I feel compression. I'm excited and I rolls on a bit more throttle than intended as I complete the kick. The pea shooters roar to life and I can see the guy in the truck jump! That-a-girl! I'm gona make my exit to the left but I start pushing back to see what's coming behind the truck.
Oh, my God! The planets are all in the right place to-day! I see two inch, raised chrome letters on the side of that black truck bed, the only chrome on the whole truck... H-A-R-L-E-Y D-A-V-I-D-S-O-N. There's only one Harley dealer in town and this guy was a big Kahuna. She was just ticking over. A couple of small blips on the throttle and we rolled out gentle like, just like we knew what we were doing. We bad to da' bone! I strained a few nerve synapses trying to figure out what he was going to say when he got back to the dealership. Maybe like seeing a UFO, being a smart man, he said nothing?
I hate inspections and I hate going into town. But for a 14 mile round robin and a 35 minute trip, the fun factor doesn't get any better than this. If she had been one of my horses, I would have given her extra oats!
Keep on riding!