By Carl Jenkins Jr.

Biker

Biker

No, this isn’t something that you can’t say or do in front of your children or grandparents.  “Suck bang blow” is a slang term for the life cycle of a motorcycle engine, and in my case that means a big American made scooter.  The engine sucks air in, mixes it with fuel and explodes the mix (bang), then blows it out the tailpipe!  Of course that is the simplest of explanations… but I got your attention didn’t I?

Now that I have your attention, let me introduce myself.  I’m Griz… a retired Navy man, father, roller derby referee and a seasoned motorcycle enthusiast.  I prefer to be thought of as a biker but, what ever you call me, it all comes down to the same thing- I want and need to be on the open road.  No words can describe the feeling as miles of blacktop pass beneath me, as I feel the wind in my face, as I’m hit with fantastic scents that you miss while riding in a car.  It’s finally riding season and that brings me to the reason I’m writing this article.

It’s the middle of spring and summer is fast approaching.  With the change in weather we are going to see more and more bikes out on the road.  I wanted to make sure that those of us who don’t ride start looking and listening hard for those of us who do!  I know it’s easy to forget that we are sharing the blacktop with a bunch of leather clad, bugs-in-their-teeth riders…  and I’m not just talking about the women!  I am asking all of you to keep your ears and eyes open, pay attention, look for us and remember that it’s not just cars and trucks out on the road!

Now that it is riding season again, what do you do?  Where do you go?  Is your bike ready for the road?  These are things any rider needs to consider.
I have an older bike.  A proud bike.  A bike that marks its territory, a bike that likes to leave a few telltale drops of oil where ever she sits!  Because my bike is older, it’s easy for me to remember to check her vital signs- to make sure all the nuts and bolts are tight, that I have plenty of oil and that my baby is in good working order.  But for those of you with newer machines, it may not be as readily apparent.  Here are a few things to consider before taking that bike out for your first ride of the season:

Check your spark plugs.
Check your oil.
Make sure all your fasteners are tight.
Check your shocks.
Put fresh gas in the tank.
Check your tires for proper inflation.
Do a visual inspection of the bike.  Make sure it is ready to go.

Now, you’ve gotten the bike checked out, it’s clean, the weather is good, your off work and it’s time to put some miles on.  Where are you going? There are a lot of great places to ride here in the area.  My personal favorite is a ride through the Cuyahoga Valley.  I love the twists, turns and the quiet; I don’t feel like I’m being swallowed up by a sea of cars and semi trucks.  It feels like you’re out in the country and you didn’t have to spend half an hour to get there! I’m not going to give you directions or specifics, if you’ve lived around the area you know where I’m talking about.

I’ve been out riding the roads and I’m ready to take a break.  I’m hungry, I’m thirsty and I need some good music.  There are many biker friendly establishments in the area.  If you don’t know where one is, you’ve been living under a rock.

Time for me to go over my bike and make sure the old bucket of bolts (said with love and affection) is ready to be fired up.  I’m amped and ready to ride!  I’ll see all of you out on the road.  Please watch for me.

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