Hello all!
I'm Patrick46 from the Oregon Coastline.
A good many of you already know me from the ADV board, and maybe even a few from the Jockey Journal as well...so hey to you'z guys too!
I'm a long time lurker, and a long time rider, so thought I'd finally make joining this site official.
I'm back riding on an air-compressor again, after a many year hiatus, and it's still fun like I remembered. (this is a H-D for those scratching their heads right now.)
I design and build my own bikes. (I've been a custom painter, builder and fabricator for over 30 years) This seems to be the only way for me to be able to ride something that not only fits my frame, but feels the way I want it to in my hands.
Also, as I'm an artist, I like to ride something that doesn't quite fit into a box. No off the showroom floor rides under me. Forget it.
and I've riden alot of different sleds too. (I'm NOT a Harley guy....I'm a MOTORCYCLE GUY.) Yes, I've had many different Harleys over the years, like the Softail chopper I'm on now, a shovel, a pan, and a knuckle I rode cross -country for over 17 years.
oh....but I also put a ton of miles on Yamaha Ventures (4 of 'em), GoldWings, XS and XL Yamahas, and a Z-1 drag-chopper (my own design of course!) I've also had the usual assortment of dirt bikes as well, and still have a few of those hanging around too.
I also pull trailers behind my bikes too, for those of you that like motorcycle campers. We had a Trav-Lite first, but now we're pulling a Kwik-Kamp....and we LOVE IT!!!
My latest monstrosity is an EVO/Twin Cam Hybred Softail Chopper.
Now, many of you are probably not into choppers so much...but if they're set up correctly, you CAN put serious miles on 'em. (Unfortunately, the majority of 'em are just used for stylin' & profiling on sunny days)........but NOT MINE! This one was built for the long haul.
OK...maybe I'm not gonna cross the Sahara on it...I'll leave that to Doug. But it is set-up to put long days in the saddle on. If you can't jump on a bike and ride it from coast to coast tomorrow, then I'll loose interest in it real quick.
It's a 'real' Frankenstein of a machine in many ways, so that's what my wife named it.
The engine runs an EVO lower end, with a Twin Cam top end, giving me 100.3 ci. The trans is a 5 speed, and I'm running a rocker-clutch set-up with a cop-style frame ratchet-shifter. The frame has 8" in the down-tubes, 6" in the backbone, and runs a 10" over late model wide-glide. Rake is about 38*
This thing is fast, pulls like a Mack truck, handles incredibly well, and rides wonderfully! Oh...and it'll pull wheelies all day long. It is so much fun to ride!!!
Well....now that my kids have grown up, I may finally get the chance to do some SERIOUS touring......WOO-HOO!!!!! So I'm actually considering switching over to a GSA.
I've heard from quite a few who are knowlegible on the subject, that a GSA would better suit my needs of riding 2-up and pulling a trailer...over a GS. And a 1150 may be better for me than a 1200.....so the learning curve is in full-on mode!
Another reason for possibly switching rides, is that I live on the Oregon Coastline. There are 10's of thousands of miles of BLM and logging roads out here, that are simply beyond my grasp with the chopper. The chopper is a phoenominal road bike, but it doesn't have the correct frame geometry for going off-road...and I'm wanting to push more and more into that direction.
I love reading all the ride reports from you good folks who are out there making it all happen, and I invite any and all comments about my choppers, and about my potential switch to the "Dark Side".
Y'all be safe out there!!