Ride Reports

Party was amazing

I will post some pics when I get my hands on some. I was too busy talking and being talked about….

I got there 30 minutes early and people were already gathering so barely had time to take it all in.

Danny’s shop is set up with the showroom in one building and the parts/service in another building. They are separated by the driveway that goes back to setup and other buildings.

I had driven my truck down with my gear plus I took my ceramic monkey that Harold gave me and the mirror that Tanya(parts manager) had made. I really wanted everyone to see the special things I have received.

Arrived to find my bike sitting on one side of this driveway between buildings on it’s center stand on a carpet with one of those things that rope off bikes (sorry can’t think what it’s called). Beside it was a table that I could put my monkey, mirror, helmet on and it already had a couple of cards, Yamaha t-shirts, mouse pads, Yamaha cleaning kit, Yamaha motorcycle jacket, a few stickers and key rings.

On the other side were 2 more tables with a grill sitting beside it. There were hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, potato salad, cake, cookies, cupcakes and drinks.

Photographer from the Daily Oklahoman was there and busy already taking pictures of my bike. I added my tail pack to the bike and put on the GPS and radar detector so that the bike would look like it does when I’m riding it.

My little sister, her 3 kids and a few of my other non-motorcycling friends showed up. Motorcycle friends I hadn’t seen in years showed up along with a lot of the folks from the shop. A few could only stay a few minutes as they had other commitments but others were able to stay for the cookout too. I’m guessing that there were around 50 maybe more folks there.

The photographer wandered around taking pictures and I’m sure that I was probably talking non-stop in every one of them They brought out every chair, bench and stool that they had in the office, showroom, parts and service area and it still wasn’t enough for everyone.

I don’t know how long the link will be up at the Oklahoman but I’m going to add it here.

http://newsok.com/oklahoma-city-woman-hits-200000-miles-on-her-motorcycle/article/3661565

Danny said a few words and told a few stories on me as I knew he would. A few others got to tell a few stories also and they even sang Happy Birthday to me since my birthday is in just a little over a week. I even told a few stories on myself about how I came to ride.

Then the hamburgers and hotdogs started coming off the grill so it was time to eat. I wandered from group to group talking and catching up on what everyone had been doing since I had last seen them. A few of these riders I hadn’t seen in several years and others I had seen recently but it was great to talk to all of them.

I hope someone got a picture of it but my little sister and several others just sat down on the driveway to eat and talk since there were not enough seats to go around.

As the sun was going down people started to leave and it was time to take my baby home. One of my friends was nice enough to drive my truck home and I got on my bike for the ride home. So both are safely tucked in the garage where they belong. I will admit even with all the stuff in my garage it had looked pretty bare without my bike sitting there.

When I got home I realized that there was an envelope from the service department and they had done a service including oil change and filter. I had wondered why when I got there and had asked parts to give me a filter(parts was closing at that time so I will have to pay for it next week) Tonya started to say something and then just handed it to me. Now I understand why as I won’t need to do an oil change for a couple of months. Oh well it never hurts to keep a spare filter on hand.

So I have a new PR3 rear tire and by late next week will have a new PR3 front. That along with the free service I just received I am good to go for the spring and a summer riding.

After I got home I called Steve who is doing an article also to submit to Thunder Roads Magazine of OK and AR. He’s going to send me his pictures over the next couple of days and I’m hoping that the Daily Oklahoman will let me have a few of those pictures.

All in all I was simply amazed at the effort that Danny and the entire staff of Maxey’s Cycle went to in putting together this party.

Now it’s time to go ride and I’ve already made plans to meet friends for breakfast in the morning

Some of you had wondered why I was waiting and while if it had been warmer this would have been accomplished a bit quicker I also wanted to make a special appearance at my dealer’s.

I had talked with Dan Maxey at Maxey’s earlier in the week and said if the weather held I was going to finish out my 200k and would stop by the shop. With just that bit of information when I arrived at the shop, and I’ll admit I didn’t have it timed quite right, as I had to lap the parking lot 2 times but I actually hit the 200k there.

They came out and started taking pictures.

When I went inside I found they had been waiting for me.

Tanya the parts manager had gone back as far as she could thru my tickets and tried to figure out how much I had done to the bike. She then etched this into the mirror along with the photo and had everyone at the shop sign it.

Oh and this isn’t all Danny has planned for me

When I get back from Daytona he’s having a party and I’m not sure what all to expect. He took probably 75-100 pictures today that I haven’t gotten yet, was talking about an article he was doing for the Yamaha Dealer’s newsletter and said he had a few other ideas he was working on.

Denise aka fz1grl

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Next on my list of fall rallies was for me the 2nd FZ1 Owners Association Rally to Eureka Springs, Arkansas.
Now while this may be over 250 miles from my home it’s what I consider my  backyard and playground …

Monkeys

Back in 1982 & 83 the Wife came up with these as gifts for our year end annual banquets for the Texas Cross Country Racing Association.  She  bought 40 of them and painted up 36 for gifts.  Last month she took the last  ones off the shelf in the garage (been sitting there for 29 years) and painted them up and said to use them on the Arkansas Ride.  One was given to fz1girl for the miles she has put on her FZ1, one to Hotboots for his Bambi Adventure, and one to the Wolf Tamer for driving as far as she did for 1 day of riding with the group and one for Jim for being Jim.

Harold

Fall is approaching and the weather has taken a turn for the cooler so it is now time to concentrate on the final 6500 miles or so that I need to turn over 200k.

Yamaha has recognized my upcoming milestone and has sent a Yamaha jacket in my favorite color and also a pair of ladies Alpinestar boots.

This is the 1^st time I’ve ever had a pair of ladies boots and really like the way they fit.

I’m honored that one of my fellow FZ1 Owner’s and www.yamahafz1oa.com forum member RedSox FZ1 took the initiative to contact the Yamaha Motor Corporation U.S.A.

I have set a goal of having 200k on my baby before the 1st snow fall so on Friday Sept 9th I left early to head for Missouri and our annual MSTA Bull Shoals Rally.

It is hosted each year in Theodosia, MO on the north side of Bull Shoals Lake.

The 1st 150 miles of almost any of my rides is just getting to the fun and twisty roads that I love to ride.  This was no different and I headed up the turnpike thru Tulsa to come out in northeast Oklahoma.  From there I have a few back roads that finally connect me up to the start of highway 90 and the little town of Noel, MO.  This overhang is one of those cool formations along the river.

Then it’s time to run a few more of my favorite roads and also to explore a couple of new ones that managed to get me around Branson without having to go thru Branson.

After about 365 miles I arrive at the Marina on Bull Shoals Lake.

Saturday morning dawns cool and slightly overcast but after the hot Oklahoma summer it’s a nice change.

One of the other riders came in on a pretty worn out tire and while we were having breakfast a local friend just happened to come in that not only had a brand new rear tire but was willing to install it after breakfast.  So we wandered over to his house and watched a tire get mounted before taking off and riding a few more of my favorite roads in Arkansas.

So Saturday I only logged about 200 miles but got to run Arkansas 14 and 125 so that I could take the ferry across Bull Shoals Lake.

Here I am sporting my new Yamaha jacket along with fellow riders as we float across the lake.

Sunday morning and it’s time to start the trek home and I’m just shy of 194k by about 30 miles.

So I’m all geared up and ready to head out.

I decide to take another favorite road which is Missouri 125 and while it was closed about 1/2 way up due to bridge repairs if I didn’t mind taking a round about way home I could incorporate it into my choice of roads for the day.

As luck would have it I found a driveway to pull into just as it rolled over 194k.

So now it’s on up 125 and various other side roads before I need to head home.

I added about another 75 miles to the trip home so with just over 416 miles for the day I pulled into the garage and noted that
I had done 999.3 miles for the 3 day weekend.

Stay tuned for my next rally which is in 2 weeks to the FZ1 Owner’s Rally in Eureka Springs, AR.