Fear

Sunset Contemplations

As I sat in silence and watched the golden rays of the setting sun create long shadows across my yard, and listened to the cicadas sing their rhythmic song from high in the trees that surround my home, I quietly pondered my journey- where I’ve been, where I am, and where I’m going next. And in my rambling thought process, I couldn’t help but reflect on what was next.

Emotions are strange- you can’t see them, you can’t touch them… you can’t cut them out and set them on a table, so just what the hell are they? Every living being has them. In the animal kingdom, we call them instincts, probably because if we called them emotions, then we might have to face the possibility that animals could be sentient… and lets be honest, nobody wants to think that the deer they are hunting or the chicken that they had for dinner last night might be an intelligent creature with a developed mind. Don’t get me wrong- I’m not suggesting that they are- just the opposite for some creatures, actually. Some critters are here for us to eat, and that’s just part of being in the higher levels of the food chain. We don’t think about a cow’s emotions, any more than a tiger thinks about ours. But I’m not talking about the food chain- I’m talking about something else… the power of the emotions that we have, and how they can, and often do, dictate our lives. 

While I could literally write for hours about all of our emotions and how each one has the power to motivate and alter our path… there is only one that I’m interested in writing about today…

Fear

Specifically, I’ve been thinking about fear a lot lately. Fear is a powerful motivator- fear is our body’s way of trying to protect us from danger, or perceived danger. We all know what dangers we face in our individual lives that gives us reasons to be afraid, but what about the perceived dangers? Real dangers are tangible… but what about the perceived dangers? I’m not talking about what we think is lurking in the dark when the lights go out, but rather, what the future holds for us. When a little kid worries about a monster under their bed, we can easily turn on the light and show them it’s safe… but when an adult contemplates their future, it’s a bit more difficult. There is a myriad of reasons why, but it comes down to one thing- there is no light to shine on the future. The future is uncertain, and there is no guarantee that any of us will even survive past this very moment, much less be safe, happy, successful or content three weeks, three months or three years from now. You might be wondering what I’m getting at with all of this- well, it’s pretty simple- I’m a bit nervous about what my future holds.

Evolution

Taking the next step of your life can be difficult, especially when you’ve gotten yourself into a routine. You see, complacency is a silent killer. Being in a routine is not a bad thing- far from it, but when we get to the point in our lives, when our routines begin to interfere with our potential for future success, we must take a step back and reevaluate. At what point do we break out of our routines, free ourselves from the status quo, and begin again with new routines? How do we know when the time is right? 

Evolution is tricky. One could easily argue that we, as a society, have devolved as our technology has evolved. As our tech has gotten smarter, we as a society have, inversely, gotten dumber because we have become more reliant on it. The younger generations are unfamiliar with basic references such as dictionaries and encyclopedias, relying solely on the quick results of internet search engines. As vehicle tech has progressed- our abilities to operate a motor vehicle has regressed. Fewer people can drive a car with a manual transmission now, way too many rely on sensors to say if there is a car next to them before changing lanes, and many can’t even park without using an “auto park” function. We rely so much on the tech that was designed to make our lives easier, that we have allowed it to dumb us down. If our tech suddenly went away, what would we do? Simple- we would be forced to evolve, again. 

Many creatures shed their skins or shells, in order to grow. Crabs and lobsters come to mind. In order to grow, they must molt- they must shed their shells. Their shells keep them safe, but they also restrict their growth, so they have to shed them, and form new, bigger shells, in order to continue growing. So, how we know when it’s time for us to shed our proverbial shells? How do we know when it’s time for us to grow? I suppose it’s when we realize that we are no longer growing.

Many of us chose career paths that, if we are strong enough to make it full term, have a pension that is available at a certain date. That “end date” could be anything from 20-35 years depending on the employer, and usually promises some sort of benefits after the prescribed number of years of employment have been met. Obviously, getting to the end is the goal, but what then? What comes after? Does one choose to stay, potentially losing benefits of retirement, or does one face the fears and uncertainty of retirement? On one hand- there is security in stagnation- you could stay, and be secure in knowing that, for better or worse, nothing changes. On the other hand, however, you could face the fear of uncertainty, take the leap of faith,  risk failing and potentially grow into a newer, better version of yourself. 

Either way- each of us will inevitably reach a point in our lives when we must make a choice- stay stagnant and safe, or shed our protective “shells”, be vulnerable, then potentially grow into something bigger, better, stronger and possibly- even more amazing. No one can choose for us. We have to make this decision on our own. 

The process

For my employer, the process of retirement takes a few months, so I had another, more immediate, choice to make- start it and see what happens in a few months, or put it all off until later. Well, I decided to take a small leap of faith and started the process. Nothing is final until it’s final, so I can always give in to the fear of facing the unknown and stay where I am, at least for a few more years, but by starting the process, at least I’ll have everything ready to go for when I do decide to jump into the unknown and face my new future. As I write this today- I feel confident in my decision to start anew at the end of this year, but the reality is, I still have several things left to do in my current role. Not to mention- I still don’t which way I want to go after I leave this life behind me either, and, choosing the right path is difficult, but it’s even tougher if you don’t know which direction you want to go. 

So as I finish writing this post, I’m no closer to clarity than I was when I started it, but maybe, hopefully, there is someone out there reading this, that is. For you, I wish you well… in whatever choice you made. If you chose to remain secure, then I wish you continued success in that security; and if you chose to risk the uncertainty and take a chance on yourself, then I applaud you on your bravery, and wish you success and growth.

I suppose that, for me anyway, I will just have to wait until I get a little closer to the fork in the road, before I decide which path to take.

Until next time, MotoReaders…

Ride safe and make good choices.

Well…. Damn, that happened.

Life has a funny way of intervening when things start spiraling out of control. Call it fate, karma or maybe even divine intervention, but whatever you choose to call it, it’s almost always out of our control, and it almost always makes us stop, or slow down, and reevaluate just what the hell we’re doing.

You may be wondering what has gotten into me, to make me go on about this… well, to not go into too many details, I recently had a little accident while working at home, that resulted in, what could have been, a very serious injury. I’m not one to dwell on “what could have happened”… far from it, actually, but this one was different. Mainly because I didn’t know how bad it actually was, for several days. 

In a nutshell, while doing some yard work- I sustained an eye injury that immediately altered my vision. A quick trip to the ER resulted in some meds, an eye patch and a follow-up with an ophthalmologist, along with a “don’t drive, don't ride motorcycles and don’t lie down flat” order- not great for a guy that drives for work, rides for work (and leisure) and lies down flat at least once a night. After a visit to the eye doctor, I was able to lose the eye patch, so my days of Pirating were over before they started, and the doc also loosened the driving restriction a little, but held the motorcycle restriction in place. While my eye still isn’t working the way it is supposed to, the biggest blessing is- I didn’t lose my vision! 

Why am I sharing this with you? Well, it’s simple really… just when you are so busy, with so many different things going on, when you’re too busy to take a break, sometimes, life intervenes and says “Enough! Stop, or I’ll stop you!” That’s what happened to me. 

You see, I’ve been running, hard, for the past few months. I recently learned that I can retire from my payin’ gig… as of right now. But, I still have several things that I want to get done before I clock out for the last time, and I’ve been battling with the decision on whether or not to drop my retirement paperwork. 

On one hand, I can play it safe, stay where I am and get those things done; and on the other hand, I can retire and start my new career as a full-time writer- finishing my novel and writing this blog more often than I have been- and getting some kind of fun, part-time, job to earn a little beer (or more likely- motorcycle parts) money, on the side. It’s a tough decision, especially since I’ve been doing what I do for such a long time. Add to that- I’ve also been working hard to get some bills paid off, fix some things around the house, trying to keep up with regular maintenance on the cars, house and motorcycles, and trying to keep up with new tasks (and frustrating situations) that keep coming up at the payin’ gig. It’s been a whirlwind for the past few months, and I have kept saying, over and over, “I’ll take care of that when things slow down a little.” Well, this past week, life took control and slowed things down for me.

Mechanically speaking- it’s a lot like a bearing failure. One minute, everything is running smooth, then all of a sudden, for no apparent  reason, you hear a horrible sound and everything starts grinding to a stop. It wasn’t for no reason, though. The bearing spun too fast, for too long, and got overheated, overworked and then… it failed and seized. A bearing is typically pretty easy to repair, but… in order to do it, you have to stop the machine, take it all apart, and then put it all back together again, making sure that everything is in it’s right place. Then, you don’t just go full speed again, no, you start out slow, making sure that everything is right. Then, you slowly bring everything back up to speed and, before long, you’re back up to 100%. That’s what I’m doing now. I’m taking time to write a few pieces on the blog, a few chapters in the novel, and contemplating my next move, taking it nice and slow, making sure that everything is in the right place, and that it’s all working right, before I go full speed again. 

My biggest fear with this injury was losing my eye. Wearing the eye patch gave me an eery insight (see what I did there?) into what partial blindness would be like, and the reality of how something like that could impact my daily life was startling, to say the least. I’m not glad it happened, but I am glad that I have learned the valuable lessons that I’ve learned from it. Riding motorcycles is a large part of who I am, and not being able to do that would be devastating for me in several ways. Writing is another, and while I could still write with one eye, you don’t realize how mush easier it is do basic things like that, with both of your peepers… until you don’t have both of them to use.

To wrap this up, I’ll leave you with some advice- Don’t get too busy, or in too much of a rush, to take the proper precautions to avoid getting yourself in a bind. Whether that means taking a few minutes to put on safety glasses, or taking a few days off of work to rest, and reset, yourself. No matter what happens, if life does have to intervene on your behalf, and force you to slow down for a few days, then don’t get mad, sad or dismayed by it- instead, take the time to reevaluate, repair and reset. 

In the famous words of Ferris Bueller, “life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

Till next time, MotoReaders, Ride safe and wear your safety glasses.

Harley-Davidson Sprint

It’s that time again, folks! That wonderful time of the year when some manufacturers start teasing, and some start releasing, new models! It’s one of my favorite times of the year!

2026 Harley-Davidson Sprint

I haven’t heard much yet, but I just read that Harley-Davidson is about to release info on an all-new entry-level motorcycle, that harkens back to a previous time in their history. The new bike is set to be called the “Sprint”, after the popular model that they introduced in the early 1960s, after partnering with then, Italian manufacturer Aermacchi. 

These days, many people whine about the MoCo’s affiliations with other manufacturers building motorcycles for them, such as the Street 500 and 750 models, originally built in Bawal, India and primarily intended for the Middle Eastern market, or the all-new X350 and X500, built in China and primarily intended for the Asian market. But, our beloved Milwaukee, USA purveyor of fine motorcycles has not betrayed it’s American roots, far from it. They are a corporation that is surviving in a very challenging market… and they have been doing so since 1903. The reality is- survival is ugly sometimes. It often demands unconventional and, sometimes unpleasant, acts to be carried out, in order to be able to live, and in this case- produce motorcycles, another day. For example- guy that got trapped by a boulder while hiking and had to sever his own arm to be able to live another day. While I’m not suggesting that H-D cut off an appendage, here… I am saying that sometimes, in order to survive a struggling market, it requires a partnership that may not be the most popular with it’s traditional customer base. If, however, the partnership expands the customer base… and the company can survive another year, or five years, or a hundred years, then it was worth it. 

Beginning in the 1960’s, Harley-Davidson partnered with several companies, three of which in particular brought the MoCo through some of their  toughest times and helped them survive when many other American motorcycle companies were failing: Aermacchi and their small displacement motorcycles helped expand the Harley-Davidson name plate into the European markets and helped form a love for  Milwaukee steel overseas, that still exists to this day; Tomahawk Boats ushered in a new era of design possibilities and manufacturing facilities that gave us things like the Boat Tail Super Glide, hard side saddlebags, tour packs, and fairings for the immensely popular Electra Glides, Tour (and later, Road) Glides; and of course, the American Machine and Foundry company, quite literally, saved the MoCo from financial ruin. While none of these were probably very popular at the time, all served the greater purpose of helping this American institution survive and that, my friends, is the name of the game because once a company shuts down, if it ever does come back, it will never be the same as it once was. 

The Bike

Currently, there’s very little information about the new Sprint, except that it is supposed to be revealed to dealers this fall, but what we do know for now, is that it is expected be a small displacement, inexpensive and entry-level motorcycle. There’s still no word on where it will be built, but I suspect it will be manufactured overseas initially, or perhaps, built in the US of A, with parts imported from overseas plants. 

What I find interesting though, is I’ve heard so many people already bashing it, and bashing the MoCo for building an “entry-level” bike. Just yesterday, I saw a social media influencer (who I typically agree with on a lot of points), bashing the MoCo over the new Sprint and saying that all “we” want is a “new EVO” engine because the “EVO was the best engine ever built by Harley-Davidson.” The EVO was a good engine, sure… but ”the best”? I don’t think so, not by a long shot. Every engine that H-D has made through the years was the best, until it was replaced by something better. The Knuckle was better than the Flathead, the Pan was better than the Knuck, the EVO was better than the Pan and, yes… I’m gonna say it… the Twin Cam was better than the EVO… and I know that I’m about to get bashed for that one, but it’s true- I’d take a late model TC96 or TC103 over an EVO any day. BUT! Before anyone decides to start roasting me for MY opinion, let me remind you that everyone has their own opinions based on their own experiences… mine are no different. I’ve gotten great performance (and no oil leaks) out of the 5 different Twin Cams I’ve owned, while I had two different buddies that had “late model” EVO’s that coudn’t keep a seal between the jugs and the crankcase. Now, before anyone says, “well Mr. MotoWriter, why does S&S Cycles build so many EVO clones, then?” My simple answer is this- because 1. The patent ran out and they can, 2. They’ve had a chance to fix the problems and get it dialed in properly (I never said it wasn’t a good platform for a great engine) and, 3. They also make updated versions of the Knuckle, Pan, Shovel and M-8. One could argue that the reason they don’t build a Twin Cam, is because the stock H-D TC is already dialed in, easier to get and significantly less expensive than the others. 

As for the Milwaukee 8- I have a first generation M-8 107 on my Road King Special, and a 96” Twin Cam on my Dyna Street Bob… I’ve also had a couple of late model 103” Twin Cams and an early model 96”  and I will honestly say that, in my very humble opinion, the M-8 is a superior engine to the Twin Cam. I’ve heard horror stories about the first gen 107” M-8’s having issues with oil sumping, cam chest and oil pump failures and, maybe I’m just lucky or perhaps it hasn’t happened yet, but mine has not given me any issues with any of those components (like I said, not yet, anyway). Maybe it’s because I ride it like I own it, and like I am the one that is responsible for paying for it when it breaks, or maybe, I have just gotten lucky, I don’t know… but regardless, my opinions are based on my experiences, so I’m willing to acknowledge that others may be (and apparently are) very passionate about theirs, based on their experiences.

Regardless of where your opinion lands, I’ll disagree with my guy on the ole interweb socials and say that, while I’m not in the market for an entry-level, small displacement motorcycle- I think it’s great that the MoCo is thinking about their future survival and making adjustments to get new riders into the sport, and hopefully making some of them passionate loyalists to the brand so that hopefully, it will carry them through the tough times. 

What is “Entry-Level” anyway?

Easy- entry-level can be quantified in two words: size and price. Let’s face it- motorcycles are, inherently, dangerous and, in order to get someone on a motorcycle for the first time, you need to have a machine that isn’t too powerful, heavy and intimidating. Pricing is also incredibly important, as well, because you don’t want to have the perfect machine, but make it so expensive that it can’t be bought by someone who is just getting into the sport, especially when the competition is fierce in this segment. 

The new Sprint is expected to be around $6,000 US and I think that is spectacular. People won’t buy what they can’t afford anymore. When I bought my first new H-D, I was in my mid 30’s and, at the time, I honestly never thought I’d be able to buy a Harley-Davidson at all, much less a brand new Road King Classic. It was expensive and, in all reality, I probably shouldn’t have bought it because there were times that I struggled to pay the note, but it was worth it to me (and my lovely wife supported it, wholeheartedly), so I took the leap and did it. This new generation is different though- these kids now are very money-conscious and they are very conservative in the way they spend their money. I would venture to guess that the MoCo loses hundreds of thousands of dollars each year in potential new riders, because of the costs and availability of their machines. Not that a solid and sustained resale value is a bad thing- it’s not, however, by comparison, a new rider looking at the offerings in dealerships and in the used markets, could be easily put off of H-D by the prices alone. For example, a large displacement Japanese bike, like the Yamaha Stratoliner or the Honda VTX1800 can be had for under $6,000 used, compared to a used Harley-Davidson Road King or Street Glide that will cost you easily over $10,000 for the same or similar year models. That is because the import bikes simply don’t hold their value like the Harley’s do. Those are typical prices of large, heavyweight bikes, too… their smaller counterparts can be had for even less, where the smaller H-D’s are still pretty expensive. For example- a 2006 Yamaha V-Star 650, which is a very easy bike to ride, can be had for around $1,500, compared to a 2006 H-D Sportster 883 that is selling for around $3,000. Again, that’s the difference between resale values- and, while that’s a good thing for H-D owners, it’s not so great for the MoCo when you consider that most new riders will almost always opt for the cheaper bikes. And before you argue that comparing used bikes to new bikes is like comparing apples to oranges, I’ll remind you that the least expensive new Harley-Davidson in the current lineup, the Nightster, is priced at $9,999 before dealer fees, where the comparable Yamaha Bolt R-Spec, is sitting a clean $1,000 less, at $8,999. Does a grand make a difference to someone like me? Right now- not really… when I was first starting out- absolutely. Currently, Yamaha’s lowest priced “cruiser style” motorcycle is the V-Star 250 at $4,799… so, if H-D can enter the market with a bike with double that displacement, but not double that price, I think it’s a strong move for Milwaukee.

The fact remains that this new generation is looking at the overall value for their dollar and, let’s be honest, why would a young, new, rider buy a 2008 Road King for $9,500, when they could buy a 2008 Roadliner for $4,500? After all, the 2008 ‘Liner has a 113 ci engine compared to the 2008 ‘King’s 96 ci mill. It’s a dollar for displacement disparity that favors the Japanese bike. Brand loyalty is often born with a first motorcycle, too… so getting someone into the culture of Harley-Davidson is imperative to gaining them as a lifelong customer. Don’t believe me? How many H-D loyalists started out on one of those very early single cylinder bikes (like the Hummer or the original Sprint), or more currently, on a Sportster? The EVO Sportster is probably the most popular motorcycle ever built by Harley-Davidson if you go by how long it was made, and total units sold (and are still sold in the used sector, today). The EVO Sporty used to be very affordable, with many of the basic models selling for close to- you guessed it- the $6,000 mark, so it’s my belief that this new Sprint’s pricing is right on par with being a, potentially, very successful offering for Harley-Davidson. 

Final thoughts

Hopefully this new bike is well-built, has the American soul  of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, performs well and, unlike the failed Street models, is reliable and well designed. I think one of the biggest reasons the Streets failed so miserably, isn’t because they were small displacement and low priced, but rather, because of the design. They didn’t look like a Harley, they didn’t sound like a Harley and they were not well made, at all. While ole Jochen is out, and this new bike was developed and designed under his leadership, hopefully, it is more than just a re-badged Chinese bike (like the X-440 trainer bikes), and better than the absolutely awful Street that was born, and built, under former CEO, Matt Levatich’s leadership.

For now, we’ll just have to wait and see, though. As for me, I am choosing to be optimistic about the new Sprint. I’m hoping to see a new single cylinder, fuel injected cruiser (or maybe even a sportier version for the kids that like to go zoomy-zoomy), a sharp, distinctly American design, and more importantly- very well built, with high quality components.

Until then… Ride safe and make good choices, MotoReaders!