MaxMetal Custom Motorcycles

Across the nation, the highways and the railroads run parallel courses.  I have always enjoyed watching trains.  As a child I counted rail cars as they passed the crossing and waved at engineers and the guy in the caboose.  (What is the guy in the caboose called?)  I miss the cabooses.  Trains and train tracks were a constant feature of the roadside throughout the trip.    

Burlington Northern train along Nebraska Highway 2.

Narrow gage railroad bridge in Montana.

Here is a website that has a lot more train pictures for people who are really into trains.   
  http://www.trainweb.org/oldtimetrains/index.html 

The railroad has a large part in the history of our country and in the history of my family.  My mother owns 160 acres that my great-great grandfather bought from the Union Pacific.  The US government deeded a large swath of land to the UP on either side of the tracks they were building.  This land was sold to settlers coming to the plains. 

I love to see flags flying.  I get teary when I hear “The Star Spangled Banner”.  This is a great country we live in.  GT and I were blessed to see some of its beauty and meet some of its fine citizens as we traveled from Georgia to Idaho. 

Some interesting flag notes we observed as we traveled:  the State of Missouri flies the POW/MIA flag along with the US and Missouri flags and the State of Illinois lowers flags to half-mast when an Illinois soldier is killed in action.  I appreciate that they are recognizing the sacrifices that keep our country free.

It looks as if South Carolina could change it’s long standing position of not requiring motorcyclist’s to wear a helmet and making helmet use the law.  What do you think?  Is this really necessary?  Click below on the word ‘comment’ and state your thoughts.

G. T. 

My coat of armor came today.  This jacket is an engineering marvel!  The Teknic “Sprint”  protective jacket is an all weather package.  It will be replacing a saddlebag full of other gear. The  breakdown:  

1.  The base jacket is abrasion and tear resistant mesh with CE-approved elbow, shoulder, and back armor.  The mesh allows a pretty good air flow. I tried it out in about 87° weather and it was warm but not unwearable. 

2.  There is a 600D Cordura waterproof-windproof overlayer that zips onto the mesh base jacket.  This takes care of the rain gear we always carry.

3.  There is a zip-in quilted inner layer.  With this in place I’m ready for winter weather.  It feels like it will be warmer than the leather jacket I have been wearing.

4.  There is an additional zip-on stand-up collar for extra wind protection.

5.  Various other features - plenty of zipped pockets, snap adjustable sleeves, snap adjustable hem, belt to keep the jacket snug (interchangable between the mesh jacket and the over layer), tabs to hold the liner sleeves in place, a zipper to attach the jacket to your pants, reflective piping, the liner folds into itself for storage, and there is an attachable backpack for storing and carrying whatever items you are not using at the moment.

I’m sure this was designed by an engineer who was also a serious rider.  The designer has thought of everything for versatility and ease of use. 

It will be put to good use when we take our 5000 mile trip to Idaho later this summer.

What is around the next corner? We never really know what will be waiting for us.

Often, on the roads we ride, each bend brings another breath-taking view of mountains, trees, rivers, clouds, flowers, and always the winding road.

On this particular day we were riding up highway 28 from Franklin, NC to Robbinsville.  We had never been this way before and it was new and interesting - a very winding, twisting road. The weather was just right.  The thought had just passed through my mind that this was a really good ride.

Then we rounded the corner. There was a bike down in the middle of the road. The riders were under the bike. Several other people and bikes were scattered across the road. There was no place to go and a very short distance in which to stop. We skidded to a stop inches from impact.

After everyone was able to move to the side of the road, we unpacked the first aid supplies we always carry. The riders were able to bandage up their knees and elbows enough to get back on their bike for the long ride home.

The lesson we learned was the importance of protective gear. One of the riders had no tears in his jeans but when he pulled up his pant leg, we saw that the skin on his knees was gone. So much for the theory that blue jeans are good protection.

We have ordered some all-weather gear with protective armour. The mesh jackets have a zip-on waterproof cover for rain and a zip-in fleece liner for cold weather.  Elbows, shoulders, backbone, knees, and hips are protected with padding.  Just in case…

Because you never really know what is around the next bend in the road. 

BRC Instructors - Peter Morton and Dean Graham

BRC Students

I just spent an intense weekend with the people in these photos. From Friday evening until Sunday afternoon we worked on improving our abilities to safely ride our motorcycles. For some of us, this was building from the very beginning! For others it was a matter of honing skills already in place and learning new and better ways to ride and be safe. At the end of three days of training everyone was emphatic that it had been a worthwhile, educational experience.

When I returned to work today I told two co-workers, who had previously taken the course, that I had successfully completed the weekend. Both of them offered hearty congratulations and told me that they had been through riding experiences where the knowledge gained in the BRC saved their lives. Now, that is a great endorsement!!

I am anticipating a summer of learning to really ride. Riding a motorcycle on my own is goal I have had for a long time. So, thanks for your help, Dean and Peter.

The Basic Rider Course was created by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. www.msf-usa.org Their mission is “To make motorcycling safer and more enjoyable by ensuring access to lifelong quality education and training for current and prospective riders, and by advocating a safer riding environment.” Courses are available throughout the US. Here in Georgia the courses are sponsered by the Georgia Department of Driver Services. www.dds.ga.gov/Training/motor/index.aspx
The cost ($250) is a real bargain for the training you receive. I strongly encourage anyone who rides or wants to ride to take the course.

 Diane’s Grandparents - Wayne and Alice Rolofson - Sometime in the 30’s on Indian.

By Robert Frost, this is one of my favorite poems:

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler,long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the under growth;

Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black.  Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence:  Two roads diverged in a wood, and I– I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.

Life is made up of choices.  I’ve made some good choices in my life and a few bad ones. Seldom is there a chance to go back and do it over.  But each new day is an open road in front of me to travel as I choose.  I’m choosing to enjoy the ride. 

We are just getting started in this internet stuff.  The MaxMetal web site www.max-metal.com is new and still in development.  Coming soon is our web store where we will be selling all kinds of motorcycle parts and accessories.

This business grew out of a love of motorcycles and riding, G.T.’s incredible ability to design and build all things mechanical, and the desire to just enjoy living life everyday.

The physical location of our shop is in the country, on the top of a hill, in Northeast Georgia.  It is a great location for taking in the beauty of the world around us.  Right now, in the woods and meadow surrounding the shop, spring wildflowers are blooming and birds are singing.  The Blue Ridge Mountains are visible in the distance, beckoning with the promise of winding roads waiting to be explored when we ride this next weekend.

We live in a biker’s paradise. The mild Southern weather allows year round riding. The Blue Ridge Mountains, at our doorstep, offer fantastic rides. We are far enough away from any large cities so the traffic is light and easy to negotiate.  The open roads stretch out from Toccoa in all directions offering a wide variety of scenery within a few hours ride - from the mountains to the seashore. 

My favorite way to travel! On a motorcycle, running down a two lane country road, with the sun on my back and the wind in my face.  And Spring is one of my favorite seasons in which to ride.  My other favorite riding seasons are Summer, Autumn, and Winter. 

In this blog, I will be sharing some of our rides with whomever chooses to come along.

Enjoy the ride!