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I have yet to fire up the Night Rod, here in 2021, but I have been thinking about a ride I want to accomplish on it this year. I grew up around choppers, thanks to my Dad. He rode across country on those hardtails several times, with no frills, no rain suits, no fear. The Night Rod was his, and is a hard tail. Don't let those "shocks" fool you. So in honor of my Dad's travels, I really want to ride the Night Rod to Colorado, and get me a photo under the "Welcome to Colorful Colorado" sign, like he did on his chopper. I have that photo on one of bikes, and my Jeep, and a couple of other vehicles already. I'm currently looking at magnetic tank bags, so I can carry a few things with me, but this will be a bare bones ride, if I get 'er done...and I hope I do.
Stay tuned, as summer approaches, there may be more updates.
I still haven't found a tank bag, but I'm still contemplating the ride to Colorado, maybe even as soon as two weeks from now. The wife says I should do it.
I have gotten the Night Rod out quite a bit. Last week I got new tires on it. Getting tires isn't all the easy at the moment.
Riding a few thousand miles, with very little storage space, requires a good stretch of nice weather, and some luck. I'm trying my best to figure out how to carry a few articles of clothing and, if possible, my rain suit. Time will tell.
Well I finally got the photo I've wanted to get ever since my Dad gave me his V-Rod. My Dad rode his chopper's out west when I was kid, so I thought riding his lowered, and nearly a hard tail (less than a half inch of travel on the rear) Night Rod to Colorado, would put a smile on his face.
I took 92 out and 30 back. Two days each way. I had no desire to deal with the I-70 traffic, fires or pending monsoons that were being forecasted, so once I got to Sterling Colorado I grabbed breakfast, turned around and headed for home. The only stretch of interstate I rode was from Ogallala, NE to Sterling CO.
The reason for the entire trip was to clear my head, contemplate my future, and of course, get this shot. The bike ran flawlessly, and garnered some looks along the way.
Here are a few shots of me riding the twisties at Starved Rock State Park last weekend.
With summer winding down, so too are my Night Rod riding days. I will have put more miles on the Night Rod this year than it has ever had put on it in any previous year. It's so much fun ride. I had a guys at the gas station ask me if it was one of those "new styled Harley's". When I told him it was 13 some odd years old, he was stunned.
I have next week off, so if the weather cooperates I'll be putting a few more miles on the Night Rod.
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Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
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Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
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