Riding Home from Laguna Seca - The Hawk Story

As I mentioned, I often ride to Laguna Seca for the MotoGP from Seattle. I think it is about 1,000 miles if you take the freeway, but the way I go it takes me 3 days or more, and it is about 1,500 miles.

Northern California has some great roads between Highway 101 and Highway 1 that are fun to explore. One year, while on my return trip, I was riding my modified Triumph Daytona and after looking at the map found some nice little county roads in the Sacramento valley that paralleled Interstate 5. (I hate riding down the freeway). It is a nice day; the sun is shining, its 80 degrees, and no wind. The road surface is not great (which is typical for California) and there a lot of rodents out, chipmunks and the like. I felt kind of bad because at this point I had actually run over two who had poor timing while trying to cross the road. 

My Modified 1997 Triumph 955 - It's for Sale Too!

The road is not too tight and most of the corners are fast sweepers and I was cruising along enjoying the day thinking how much I like ‘work days’ like these. As I came out of a wooded area onto a straight stretch, I glance down at the gauges to see if all is OK. I noticed I was motoring along at 80mph, not accelerating for the straights, just a nice pace considering there is no traffic on the road at all.

At the end of the straight was a hawk eating some road kill on the left shoulder.  I was confident by the time I got there that he will have taken off. Without backing off the throttle I start getting closer, watching him all the way. First he turns to the left and crouches down like he is going to take off. I’m thinking great, no problem. At the last minute he turns right and takes off right in front of me. OMG! I try to tuck in behind the fairing as much as possible but he hits me in the head (gotta love a full face helmet).  As I looked up for the corner I started seeing stars and had a little tunnel vision that was short lived.

I glanced in the mirror to check on my feathered friend and he is ‘spread hawk’ on the road, not moving. His wingspan appeared to be about 4 feet and I was thinking he could’ve knocked me out or off the bike. I never stopped as I figured there was nothing I could do for him and there was probably someone from the Sierra Club or Park Service hiding in the bushes that would want to pursue criminal charges.

The helmet only had some feather dust on it so it was a shame to throw it away – but I know I had collapsed the liner some. This is not the only bird I have killed on my bike. Once in Eastern Oregon with the ‘molar rollers’ I was going through a fast (100mph?) right hand sweeper and a blackbird came out the bushes and I got him with my right knee. I think I will start painting animals on my fairing like they did on WWII airplanes.

The Surprised Brit

One of the great things about the motorcycle industry is meeting a lot of really great people.  And you get to do things with motorcycles all the time and call it ‘work’.

I have been going to Monterey, California to attend the races at Laguna Seca Raceway since the mid ‘60s, when I was in high school. Back then it was with SCCA and the Can-Am car series, and I was part of the crash crew (but that will be another story). I started attending the AMA National roadraces in the mid ‘80s then it was World Superbike, followed by the 500cc GP races, and now the MotoGP. The second year of the 500 GP they ran side cars with the bikes and it was quite wild as several flipped in the cork screw!  

Trackmaster Triumph

Since Avon Tyres dominated the side car races, three of the guys from Avon Racing UK came to the States. For one of the lads, Andy, it was his first trip to the States.  So we decided to show the boys a good time.  I let Andy ride the bike I brought down, an ex-dirt tracker, the Trackmaster Triumph, and he acted like he was Scott Parker or somebody.  

The racing went very well for Avon and the team of Steve Webster and Tony Hewett won.  Steve is the only man to win 10 FIM World Sidecar Championships. The team is most probably known for their spectacular crash at the Dutch GP in 1985; here’s the video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AF_DZ1SXEoQ .

Steve Webster and Tony Stewart, Laguna Seca

Left to Right:  Nick Ienatsch, myself, Steve, and Tony, and the passerby

That night all the lads from the UK and I were out for a victory drink at what is now know as Sly McFly’s.  I had noticed this “young lady” (I am going to be nice and say in her 30’s) who was probably a regular at the place, flirting with all the guys at one side of the bar. On my way back from the restroom she and I came face to face and I asked her “Would you be up for some fun?” I explained I had this Brit friend with me (I pointed him out) and it was his first trip to the States and he would be over the moon if he got a little attention from a California girl, maybe even a little kiss on the cheek. I never would have asked her, but I had a feeling she was the kind of gal that would be up for that sort of thing. Now Andy and I are sitting in the front corner of the place with a window behind us.  On our left I saw her coming back from the restroom.  Then she turns at the door, goes outside past our window and disappears.

Then the Avon lads sitting across the table from Andy and I get a very startled look on their face. Moments later she reappears and proceeds to sit on Andy’s lap. To say he was surprised would be an understatement!  Andy has a tendency to talk the talk, but not necessarily walk the walk. She gets him to turn his chair so she can straddle him. She has her arms around his neck and is giving him all her attention and he has not spoken a word and is beet red.  The more dumfounded he gets, the more she pours it on!.  She is really eating it up and the next thing I know she grabs her shirt and flashes him. I thought Andy was going to pass out! She soon departed and I don’t know how long it was before Andy took a breath. The reason the boys across the table were in shock was when she went out earlier, she flashed them through the window behind our backs.  Welcome to California Andy!!

The $200 Bike

Letting it sit. . . 

My mother used to manage an apartment complex in the San Francisco area, and on one of my visits she introduced me to one of the tenants who was an enthusiast. He had an XJ650 Yamaha turbo and a 1976 Triumph Bonneville but had not ridden for years. He said the Triumph was seized up, so I bought it for $200.00 and hauled it back to Seattle.

First I put oil in the cylinders and let it set for a couple of weeks.  Then with it on the center stand, I turned the rear wheel backwards and sure enough it turned over. I discovered the spark plug had been cross threaded and rain water had rusted the rings to the cylinder. I took it apart, honed it, and put new rings in - as it did not need a bore job. I cleaned it up real good and rode it for 5 years.

When it was time to sell the bike, I put an ad in the paper and a photo flyer with my phone number on it in several local motorcycle shops.  One Saturday a nice young man shows up in his 3 series BMW all decked out with his Gucci shoes, Armani pants and whatnot. I don’t really know all that much about fashion, but my teenage daughters gave me all the details on what Mr. Fashion was wearing. He takes the bike for a spin around the block and comes back into the shop. He is a little upset because he lost his Oakley sunglasses but still says he wants to buy it.  Then the great money conversation starts.  Got Cash? Not at the moment, but Tuesday for sure.  I tell him that’s fine, but I’ll need a deposit to hold it or I’ll just sell it to the next guy.  He gives me his watch, which he says is quite valuable, as a deposit. He then calls my office on Tuesday and said he did not have the cash but would get it soon. I told him I was going out of town and would call him when I got back. After I returned from my travelling I called his number and to which his roommate said he moved out.  I left a message for him to come and get his watch. As this was Spring, I got busy and didn’t put the bike back up for sale.  Then one day a gentleman who had seen the bike photo in one of the shops calls and asked if I still had the bike.  He got a bike and I got $2,600 out of the deal.  We were both happy!

The 1976 Bonneville

But I still had the watch.  So I hung it on a hook where we kept the extra keys and told everyone if Mr. Fashion came by, give him back his watch.  A couple of years go by, and one day I’m throwing out all those keys that nobody can remember what they go to , and there was the watch.  At this point it was no longer running as the battery was dead.  . I take it down to Fred Meyer to have the battery replaced and the guy says it is an expensive watch.  So I’m wondering what it’s really worth.  So the next time we go to the mall I take the watch to Ben Bridge Jewelers, who happen to be a Raymond Weil dealer.  Upon inspection, they tell me that the model I have is worth $2,200.00!! I’ve been wearing it ever since. 

So what do you do with good motorcycle money?  Instead of a mini-van like the last time, we bought Microsoft stock, which then split.  A year ago I bought a very nice 1968 Bonneville. 

That old ’76 was probably the best $200 I’ve ever spent!

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