1000sf

[boilermaker]

Iceman
Seen your advrider threads, must admit I found some of the contributors heartsearching a bit painful. But then I am a cynical old Limey with 9 grandchildren, the eldest of whom keeps telling me that my other bike (TRX 850 Yam) is "too radical for me" (conniving little horror wants it for himself). Kids are a damn site more adaptable than we in the "civilised" world give them credit for. Having spent a good deal of my life in some very hot (52-54 Deg C) third world countries I always found dung beatles (THWACK) and dehydration to be the worst enemies. as others have commented, your nephew will remember the trip for a very long time.
Safe Journey

[iceman]

Iceman
Seen your advrider threads, must admit I found some of the contributors heartsearching a bit painful. But then I am a cynical old Limey with 9 grandchildren, the eldest of whom keeps telling me that my other bike (TRX 850 Yam) is "too radical for me" (conniving little horror wants it for himself). Kids are a damn site more adaptable than we in the "civilised" world give them credit for. Having spent a good deal of my life in some very hot (52-54 Deg C) third world countries I always found dung beatles (THWACK) and dehydration to be the worst enemies. as others have commented, your nephew will remember the trip for a very long time.
Safe Journey

Thanks,I agree,my nephew did fine.We got back on Sunday and I finished uploading pictures yesterday Turned out 2,500 miles altogether and I love the bike !!

[iceman]

Iceman,

I've just finished reading your thread on advrider. What you are doing is just great, and very uplifting. I'm sure your nephew will thank you for the rest of his life.
And you are going through some very beautiful places. As an Italian, born in a city where buildings are built one on top of the other (literally!) the scale of landscapes in the States never ceases to enthrall me.
Did you go through the Cheroala Skyway ? that road, and the nearby Tail of the Dragon, are two of my dream roads. I really hope one day to be able to ride them.
Keep the posts coming, good luck for the rest of your journey.

Ride Safe,

Thanks,I spent three summers in Italy but I was an hour north of Venice in a small town called Fara.But traveled all over and I know what you mean about the scale of things there,actually all over Europe.But then again you guys have been at it a whole lot longer than the USA 234 years.
If you come to the US we have lots of roads like the dragon in Vermont and you are welcome to stay at my Casa and I will show you the twisty s....John

[tomtom]

I think we're all jealous as some of us would have loved to have made the same trip, you meet the nicest people on a bike.
You realise of course that you've probably twisted this poor lads mind, as when he's older he'll be saying i remember this big black bike, and we went here , did this, did that. And to cap it all off he'll want one of those terrible two wheeled renegade things when he's older. I know it happened to me when i was a kid.
See what you've done

[iceman]

Here are a couple of pictures back home in Vermont.

[boilermaker]

iceman
nice bike, nice scenery.

[LWS66]

Pretty neat deal. When I read about your trip as it was happening, another eurotrash riding buddy and I (later that evening) were drinking beers around the fire out in the backyard and commenting on how awesome it was that somewhere out there there were two "hard core motorcyclists"..... riding such a rare bike on such a long tour. When you consider the bike, the mileage, the lack of any dealer network, the possibilty of any sort of "what if?" (of course those in the know had no doubts...but still!)...and then with a young passenger to boot! Brave souls...True Motorcyclists indeed! I raise my beer and toast the both of you! Awesome

[iceman]

I think we're all jealous as some of us would have loved to have made the same trip, you meet the nicest people on a bike.
You realise of course that you've probably twisted this poor lads mind, as when he's older he'll be saying i remember this big black bike, and we went here , did this, did that. And to cap it all off he'll want one of those terrible two wheeled renegade things when he's older. I know it happened to me when i was a kid.
See what you've done

I think that would be a good thing as he loves to ride the dirt now. I would love to advance his addiction in motor sports.My brother,Chadd's dad even though he was seven years younger,he helped to get me hooked so it would be kind of like paying it forward.

iceman
nice bike, nice scenery.

Thanks George

[iceman]

Pretty neat deal. When I read about your trip as it was happening, another eurotrash riding buddy and I (later that evening) were drinking beers around the fire out in the backyard and commenting on how awesome it was that somewhere out there there were two "hard core motorcyclists"..... riding such a rare bike on such a long tour. When you consider the bike, the mileage, the lack of any dealer network, the possibilty of any sort of "what if?" (of course those in the know had no doubts...but still!)...and then with a young passenger to boot! Brave souls...True Motorcyclists indeed! I raise my beer and toast the both of you! Awesome

Hey LWS66,That's real nice of you to say.I just wanted to introduce adventure into Chadd's life.We rode through every weather condition you can imagine and every day was an adventure for both of us.
I had long lusted after one of these and had researched the bike for years.I have spent many nights looking at the German MZ site with Google translate and have read your post there as well.
Here is a picture of the aspiring world super bike rider.


This picture was taken last summer at this time my brother Jerry on the left Chadd and myself,September,4th will be a year since he passed away from cancer and we will have a big celebration of his life this September 4th as he would have wanted.