Sorry this is so long but it is my journal ehtry and I thought I would share it. Saiid has nothing on me as far as writing more than speaking!
It was the best of times; it was the worst of time. My first Busa Bash was an epic worthy of a Dickens novel! It’s hard to imagine packing some of the best and worst moments of my 50 years in just 4 days but somehow I did and managed to survive it all!
I’m not usually that excitable but I was about this trip and I had been prepping gear and getting ready for weeks. I used to have a long pony tail and looked like I could be Al Sharpton’s twin brother, so I cut my hair and grew a beard. No way was I showing up to the Bash looking like Al Sharpton! Actually I was just sick of the pony tail but it would have been funny to ride up, pull off my helmet and have people think Al Sharpton had come to the Bash!
Things started out bad on the ride out but would get much worse. I had backed the Busa into the garage so I could load my gear and then just ride out. That morning at 3:00 AM I went into the garage and got geared up and went to mount the Busa, only to realize that I couldn’t get my foot over the gear strapped to the rear of the bike! While I am 6’+ tall I only have a 30†inseam, which is about the rough dimensions of a gorilla (AGBACK is engraved on my brake lever, which refers to the silver (AG) busa and the silverback gorilla).
But I digress; trying to swing my short legs over the gear resulted in the first time I landed on my butt that trip. It took me about 10 minutes to figure out how to mount the bike with minimal risk and I rolled her out on the driveway. I climbed down the bike and went to close the garage door, only to hear a crash. The Busa had rolled off her kickstand and right onto her side. Luckily the gear saved her from damage and I lifted her up on her wheels again.
Now maybe the “Earlybird†gets the worm, but the only thing I am interested in at this time of the morning is catching Z’s in my warm bed snuggled up to the missus. I absolutely hate riding at night and chasing Tim’s little red light into the cold, dark morning air was just not making me a HLBP (happy little Busa pilot). A little before South Hill, our rendezvous point with Michelle, it had already begun to rain so we stopped and I geared up with the Frogg Toggs. I say I geared up because Tim brought a trash bag and after wrestling with it for a couple minutes he ripped it off and gave up. I was thinking that’s what you get for getting me up at 3:00 AM in the morning…….
We met up with Michelle and were off to the Bash! I have ridden in rain, but it was so wet and so cold I was in 100% mental survival mode for almost the whole trip. “Think about being there, remove yourself from this moment†I kept repeating. Now there are two kinds of real motorcycle people – racers and tourers. Racers think “how fast can I go under these conditionsâ€; tourers think “how can I live to ride another dayâ€. Tim is the former and I am the latter! For nearly the entire trip I was thinking this is way too fast for these conditions, I’m probably going to die today! Who will clean up the dog poop in the backyard? My wife can finally marry the Gardner she has been flirting with all these years……
After miles of riding the Busa like they were jet skis, we stopped at an abandoned building that had a porch. We were desperate to get out of the rain and anywhere was good enough. Tim pulled off his boot and poured out a gallon of water. Everyone was soaked completely through. The only good thing about that moment was that we were more than half way to the Dragon, so turning back meant spending even more time in this mess. We stopped at a gas station that had a laundry attached. So we got the idea of drying some of our gear. We proceeded to put a bunch of quarters in the washing machine! It did about 3 or 4 spin cycles. We all ended up leaving about $20 poorer and pretty much as wet as we were when we stopped.
After hours of more cold, rain and even zero-visibility fog, we rolled into Robbinsville. But finally I saw it, the Microtel! It may as well have been the Four Seasons as I have never been so happy to see a hotel in my life - I actually kissed the door before I opened it!
The next day we rode the dragon. I usually don’t ride with low tire pressure but dropping the pressure to 32/32 psi really felt awesome on the mountain. I was working on transitioning the bike and my body position, gearing more aggressively (I rode it all in 3rd gear the last time I came) and pushing myself a little faster. Things went well and I was really getting confident to try some real fast passes tomorrow.
That night I met the Org crowd. I was not sure how this would go but I was greeted with some friendly folks that were mostly interested in having a good time. They also were working on everyone’s bikes to help get them in tip top shape. They heard the chain slipping on my bike as I rode up and offered to take a look at it. So Shawn took his busa bash time to sit under my Busa and check everything out without any expectation of payment! At that moment I “got itâ€. The org isn’t about petty arguments over all the silly issues life throws in the way of having a good time, it’s about friends who are like family.
So, once the chain issue was resolved we needed to get the lowers back on. I was going to turn the bike around so we could get it in the light. There is a steep hill at the Phillips where Shawn and Omar’s trailers were parked and as I went to turn the bike lost forward momentum and over we went. That’s right, there in front of the crowd, my first busa bash, I made one of the ugliest rookie drops ever! It’s hard to explain what goes through your mind at a time like this. Falls like this happen in slow motion, so there’s a “no this is not happening†thought followed by an “okay, I think I can save it†followed by an “I’m not taking my helmet off for the rest of this f'ing weekendâ€.
The org guys jumped on the bike like a pit crew in a NASCAR race. Before I knew it they had replaced the broken mirrors, checked under the plastic for damage and had her back together just like new. These are amazing people I thought. No one said a word about my drop after that but I did notice people giving me plenty of room when I was parked! Every time I think about this it cracks me up because it’s so typically Willie. As my wife puts it I’m the smartest seriously goofy person she’s ever met. That night went on until 2:30 AM. There were lots of laughs and people acting up and earning name changes on the org.
The next day I was worn out. I didn’t get enough sleep and my leg was really aching from the tip over. When I got to the hotel I sprayed it down with Neosporin and bandaged it them gobbled down some Tylenol. There was a good sized abrasion but it was only a scrape. It was crusty and very sore by the morning though.
We rode up to the Dragon again and it was clear that this was not a good day for me. I was just not in a grove with the bike and there were lots of people and cops on the road. I was getting the pace up when I came around the corner to see two Mazdas parked so that the drivers could talk to each other blocking the road! I swerved around them and Tim had to duck around me to avoid them too. Then a little farther down the mountain a VW decided to pass two cars and was so close to me as they passed that I almost felt his mirror hit my arm! After that my confidence was shot and I just sat in the restaurant and drank Gatorade for a while.
That night was the bash and it was a great time. I met a few more members and the food was amazing! Things went on late into the night again. By Saturday morning I was feeling like the old man I am. I crawled out of bed to get over to the photo shoot. That was funny watching OO (org organization) attempts. The entire time all I was thinking was “please don’t f' up and knock over all these bikes!†Hey, one really stupid move is enough for a Bash weekend right? After photos we ate breakfast or lunch or early dinner at the restaurant at the Phillip. I think we drove the lady who was serving into retirement!
After that I went to the room and right back to bed. I was totally wiped out and was starting to think about the trip back. I had only received 3 emails from work the entire weekend – amazing. I was thinking I could just sleep here for 3 days and wait out the weather. But Michelle had to get back for work Monday so I just resigned myself to another "worst day of my life." There is no way I was ever going to face Omar and the rest of the org guys again if I let her go out there alone in those conditions.
About 3:00 or 4:00 PM I got up and went for a short ride. I decided to get some dragon stickers since the bike needed to be painted again (3rd time in a year!). I think T-Rex has my name on file by now I have replaced so many slider parts! I gassed up and pumped the tires back up to touring pressures. I got back to the room and fell asleep to the Yankees game. Michelle called me around 8:00 PM and said Tim left early. I was thinking Godspeed my friend, glad I’m not with you! I was already in my PJ’s so I didn’t go back out to dinner at the Philip fire pit.
The ride out of Robbinsville started out well. I had on 2 long sleeve tee-shirts and a third on over that under my leather riding jacket and rain gear. I also had on 2 pair of socks, covered in a plastic bag and then another pair of socks. I was not feeling the cold and was pretty comfortable. The sun even peaked through a couple times. But things turned quickly ugly. We got back into the rain and it wasn’t long until the rain started to find its way into everything. Frogg Toggs only work for a while, then they get soaked and water comes right through. Next my cruise control went south and the throttlemister checked out too. The IPod sputtered to a halt and the AutoCom was acting up so I shut everything down before something really ugly happened. I spent the rest of the trip in silence, just listening to the rain ticking against the helmet and the weird whine of wet tires.
We got to our separation point and I waved by to Michelle as she headed on up I-85 and I hit 58. It was a very weird good bye, I have never waved on a riding partner and been so worried about them (or me) making it home. Michelle is a very capable rider though, much better than I am actually. I still can’t believe she was able to keep up with Tim riding side saddle like that!
After leaving Michelle at South Hill things got even worse. Trucks were ripping down 58 and splashing me and blinding me. There were cars turning onto the road, apparently I was invisible or something. Making matters worse, the water was getting into my pants and every couple minutes it felt like someone was pouring ice water down the front of my shorts. Little Willy was not a happy camper at all!
I came up on some HD guys coming back from a weekend get together in N.C. somewhere and I rode along with them, just seemed safer in a group. The lead guy had someone run a light and he laid it down at about 40 mph. He was fine and the bike had only scratches but man those HD’s are heavy, it took all four of us to lift it. I was beginning to seriously doubt getting home in one piece.
By now I had begun to count down the landmarks and after each one I said to myself “okay, made it to such and suchâ€. Finally it was time for the high-rise bridge. This bridge is high, it was really windy, it was wet and there is a long span of steel grid. This marks the first time I have yelled in my helmet as I crossed a piece of road. The bike was pitching all over the place and there is no feel from the road at all. When I got over that bridge it was such a relief I could feel the pressure lift.
Finally I turned into my driveway and I was home. I fully expected to drop it as I had to ride around the cars on the grass, but I made it. I actually got on my knees and said thanks right there in my garage. It’s funny but no matter how hard the ride is as soon as you turn the key off and you’re in one piece it’s just another crazy adventure. I stripped right in the garage and went and took a thirty-five minute hot shower. Then I started waiting for messages that everyone was home safe too.
The things you think about on a ride like this are really rewarding. You start out reliving funny things that happened over the weekend. Like Fast Frog’s determination to ride the **** (rooster I mean), or Gixerbot and his box of disappearing moon pies. Or me sliding the busa in and nobody the whole weekend saying a word about it to me (I wouldn’t have been so nice). Then as the conditions get more serious your thoughts get deeper. I thought about missing my wife and dogs and how much I wanted to snuggle up to them that night. I thought about all of the amazing people I met this trip and how much I wish I had met them 10 years ago. I thought about how much I loved riding the Busa and how much it has enriched my life experience.
On Sunday morning when we were saying our good byes Captain asked me if I would be back. Well not rain, snow sleet or hail will ever keep me away from another Busa Bash!
It was the best of times; it was the worst of time. My first Busa Bash was an epic worthy of a Dickens novel! It’s hard to imagine packing some of the best and worst moments of my 50 years in just 4 days but somehow I did and managed to survive it all!
I’m not usually that excitable but I was about this trip and I had been prepping gear and getting ready for weeks. I used to have a long pony tail and looked like I could be Al Sharpton’s twin brother, so I cut my hair and grew a beard. No way was I showing up to the Bash looking like Al Sharpton! Actually I was just sick of the pony tail but it would have been funny to ride up, pull off my helmet and have people think Al Sharpton had come to the Bash!
Things started out bad on the ride out but would get much worse. I had backed the Busa into the garage so I could load my gear and then just ride out. That morning at 3:00 AM I went into the garage and got geared up and went to mount the Busa, only to realize that I couldn’t get my foot over the gear strapped to the rear of the bike! While I am 6’+ tall I only have a 30†inseam, which is about the rough dimensions of a gorilla (AGBACK is engraved on my brake lever, which refers to the silver (AG) busa and the silverback gorilla).
But I digress; trying to swing my short legs over the gear resulted in the first time I landed on my butt that trip. It took me about 10 minutes to figure out how to mount the bike with minimal risk and I rolled her out on the driveway. I climbed down the bike and went to close the garage door, only to hear a crash. The Busa had rolled off her kickstand and right onto her side. Luckily the gear saved her from damage and I lifted her up on her wheels again.
Now maybe the “Earlybird†gets the worm, but the only thing I am interested in at this time of the morning is catching Z’s in my warm bed snuggled up to the missus. I absolutely hate riding at night and chasing Tim’s little red light into the cold, dark morning air was just not making me a HLBP (happy little Busa pilot). A little before South Hill, our rendezvous point with Michelle, it had already begun to rain so we stopped and I geared up with the Frogg Toggs. I say I geared up because Tim brought a trash bag and after wrestling with it for a couple minutes he ripped it off and gave up. I was thinking that’s what you get for getting me up at 3:00 AM in the morning…….
We met up with Michelle and were off to the Bash! I have ridden in rain, but it was so wet and so cold I was in 100% mental survival mode for almost the whole trip. “Think about being there, remove yourself from this moment†I kept repeating. Now there are two kinds of real motorcycle people – racers and tourers. Racers think “how fast can I go under these conditionsâ€; tourers think “how can I live to ride another dayâ€. Tim is the former and I am the latter! For nearly the entire trip I was thinking this is way too fast for these conditions, I’m probably going to die today! Who will clean up the dog poop in the backyard? My wife can finally marry the Gardner she has been flirting with all these years……
After miles of riding the Busa like they were jet skis, we stopped at an abandoned building that had a porch. We were desperate to get out of the rain and anywhere was good enough. Tim pulled off his boot and poured out a gallon of water. Everyone was soaked completely through. The only good thing about that moment was that we were more than half way to the Dragon, so turning back meant spending even more time in this mess. We stopped at a gas station that had a laundry attached. So we got the idea of drying some of our gear. We proceeded to put a bunch of quarters in the washing machine! It did about 3 or 4 spin cycles. We all ended up leaving about $20 poorer and pretty much as wet as we were when we stopped.
After hours of more cold, rain and even zero-visibility fog, we rolled into Robbinsville. But finally I saw it, the Microtel! It may as well have been the Four Seasons as I have never been so happy to see a hotel in my life - I actually kissed the door before I opened it!
The next day we rode the dragon. I usually don’t ride with low tire pressure but dropping the pressure to 32/32 psi really felt awesome on the mountain. I was working on transitioning the bike and my body position, gearing more aggressively (I rode it all in 3rd gear the last time I came) and pushing myself a little faster. Things went well and I was really getting confident to try some real fast passes tomorrow.
That night I met the Org crowd. I was not sure how this would go but I was greeted with some friendly folks that were mostly interested in having a good time. They also were working on everyone’s bikes to help get them in tip top shape. They heard the chain slipping on my bike as I rode up and offered to take a look at it. So Shawn took his busa bash time to sit under my Busa and check everything out without any expectation of payment! At that moment I “got itâ€. The org isn’t about petty arguments over all the silly issues life throws in the way of having a good time, it’s about friends who are like family.
So, once the chain issue was resolved we needed to get the lowers back on. I was going to turn the bike around so we could get it in the light. There is a steep hill at the Phillips where Shawn and Omar’s trailers were parked and as I went to turn the bike lost forward momentum and over we went. That’s right, there in front of the crowd, my first busa bash, I made one of the ugliest rookie drops ever! It’s hard to explain what goes through your mind at a time like this. Falls like this happen in slow motion, so there’s a “no this is not happening†thought followed by an “okay, I think I can save it†followed by an “I’m not taking my helmet off for the rest of this f'ing weekendâ€.
The org guys jumped on the bike like a pit crew in a NASCAR race. Before I knew it they had replaced the broken mirrors, checked under the plastic for damage and had her back together just like new. These are amazing people I thought. No one said a word about my drop after that but I did notice people giving me plenty of room when I was parked! Every time I think about this it cracks me up because it’s so typically Willie. As my wife puts it I’m the smartest seriously goofy person she’s ever met. That night went on until 2:30 AM. There were lots of laughs and people acting up and earning name changes on the org.
The next day I was worn out. I didn’t get enough sleep and my leg was really aching from the tip over. When I got to the hotel I sprayed it down with Neosporin and bandaged it them gobbled down some Tylenol. There was a good sized abrasion but it was only a scrape. It was crusty and very sore by the morning though.
We rode up to the Dragon again and it was clear that this was not a good day for me. I was just not in a grove with the bike and there were lots of people and cops on the road. I was getting the pace up when I came around the corner to see two Mazdas parked so that the drivers could talk to each other blocking the road! I swerved around them and Tim had to duck around me to avoid them too. Then a little farther down the mountain a VW decided to pass two cars and was so close to me as they passed that I almost felt his mirror hit my arm! After that my confidence was shot and I just sat in the restaurant and drank Gatorade for a while.
That night was the bash and it was a great time. I met a few more members and the food was amazing! Things went on late into the night again. By Saturday morning I was feeling like the old man I am. I crawled out of bed to get over to the photo shoot. That was funny watching OO (org organization) attempts. The entire time all I was thinking was “please don’t f' up and knock over all these bikes!†Hey, one really stupid move is enough for a Bash weekend right? After photos we ate breakfast or lunch or early dinner at the restaurant at the Phillip. I think we drove the lady who was serving into retirement!
After that I went to the room and right back to bed. I was totally wiped out and was starting to think about the trip back. I had only received 3 emails from work the entire weekend – amazing. I was thinking I could just sleep here for 3 days and wait out the weather. But Michelle had to get back for work Monday so I just resigned myself to another "worst day of my life." There is no way I was ever going to face Omar and the rest of the org guys again if I let her go out there alone in those conditions.
About 3:00 or 4:00 PM I got up and went for a short ride. I decided to get some dragon stickers since the bike needed to be painted again (3rd time in a year!). I think T-Rex has my name on file by now I have replaced so many slider parts! I gassed up and pumped the tires back up to touring pressures. I got back to the room and fell asleep to the Yankees game. Michelle called me around 8:00 PM and said Tim left early. I was thinking Godspeed my friend, glad I’m not with you! I was already in my PJ’s so I didn’t go back out to dinner at the Philip fire pit.
The ride out of Robbinsville started out well. I had on 2 long sleeve tee-shirts and a third on over that under my leather riding jacket and rain gear. I also had on 2 pair of socks, covered in a plastic bag and then another pair of socks. I was not feeling the cold and was pretty comfortable. The sun even peaked through a couple times. But things turned quickly ugly. We got back into the rain and it wasn’t long until the rain started to find its way into everything. Frogg Toggs only work for a while, then they get soaked and water comes right through. Next my cruise control went south and the throttlemister checked out too. The IPod sputtered to a halt and the AutoCom was acting up so I shut everything down before something really ugly happened. I spent the rest of the trip in silence, just listening to the rain ticking against the helmet and the weird whine of wet tires.
We got to our separation point and I waved by to Michelle as she headed on up I-85 and I hit 58. It was a very weird good bye, I have never waved on a riding partner and been so worried about them (or me) making it home. Michelle is a very capable rider though, much better than I am actually. I still can’t believe she was able to keep up with Tim riding side saddle like that!
After leaving Michelle at South Hill things got even worse. Trucks were ripping down 58 and splashing me and blinding me. There were cars turning onto the road, apparently I was invisible or something. Making matters worse, the water was getting into my pants and every couple minutes it felt like someone was pouring ice water down the front of my shorts. Little Willy was not a happy camper at all!
I came up on some HD guys coming back from a weekend get together in N.C. somewhere and I rode along with them, just seemed safer in a group. The lead guy had someone run a light and he laid it down at about 40 mph. He was fine and the bike had only scratches but man those HD’s are heavy, it took all four of us to lift it. I was beginning to seriously doubt getting home in one piece.
By now I had begun to count down the landmarks and after each one I said to myself “okay, made it to such and suchâ€. Finally it was time for the high-rise bridge. This bridge is high, it was really windy, it was wet and there is a long span of steel grid. This marks the first time I have yelled in my helmet as I crossed a piece of road. The bike was pitching all over the place and there is no feel from the road at all. When I got over that bridge it was such a relief I could feel the pressure lift.
Finally I turned into my driveway and I was home. I fully expected to drop it as I had to ride around the cars on the grass, but I made it. I actually got on my knees and said thanks right there in my garage. It’s funny but no matter how hard the ride is as soon as you turn the key off and you’re in one piece it’s just another crazy adventure. I stripped right in the garage and went and took a thirty-five minute hot shower. Then I started waiting for messages that everyone was home safe too.
The things you think about on a ride like this are really rewarding. You start out reliving funny things that happened over the weekend. Like Fast Frog’s determination to ride the **** (rooster I mean), or Gixerbot and his box of disappearing moon pies. Or me sliding the busa in and nobody the whole weekend saying a word about it to me (I wouldn’t have been so nice). Then as the conditions get more serious your thoughts get deeper. I thought about missing my wife and dogs and how much I wanted to snuggle up to them that night. I thought about all of the amazing people I met this trip and how much I wish I had met them 10 years ago. I thought about how much I loved riding the Busa and how much it has enriched my life experience.
On Sunday morning when we were saying our good byes Captain asked me if I would be back. Well not rain, snow sleet or hail will ever keep me away from another Busa Bash!
Sorry my riding style bothered you, and I am by no means offended! I got it when you told me about Racers think “how fast can I go under these conditionsâ€; tourers think “how can I live to ride another dayâ€. I thought it was a polite way of telling me I was going to fast. My ride home was as bad as both of yours! I am glad you made it out there and had a good time less the other negative issues encountered. I did watch my Gopro and got the issue with the RX7's out in the middle of the road! Idiots! 
Glad you made home safe, and hope the next bash is drama free!
Gotta share a little hardship for it to be truly memorable!
