Richie's First Long Range Ride To OCC

FZ1riderNY

FZ1riderNY

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Some may say that I threw him into the fire too soon but I think the 140 miles he put on the bike today, was better than a week of putting around the mean streets of the Bronx. I planned it very carefully, making sure to leave at the right time allowing for the least amount of traffic both going and coming, and I chose my route to give him a little taste of all aspects of riding. We hit the streets, 45mph parkways, mild twisties, and some 55mph sections of two lane roads. All by the way, legal to ride on with his learners permit. I had the Motorola Radios charged and the headsets installed in our helmets so I was in communication via VOX the entire ride up. I allowed him to lead and to follow, teaching him the staggered formation while we rode. We had a blast to say the least, and even met Ray up at the "circle" where he joined us for the ride up to O.C.C. Richie kept pace the entire day without a mishap and really became "one" with the bike. He had great lines as Ray will attest to and we even had to take Route 218 because of a police detour. That was the only time I was nervous because that route is definitely not a "beginner" route but we took it real slow and made it through unscathed. Here are some pics and video of Richie's first time up Bear Mountain without being on the back of my bike.

Up at the circle, there was a Ferrari Event going on with everyone staged there.....
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Richie up at the circle. I know he was real proud to roll up on his own......
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We made it up to OCC in about 1-1/2 hours.....
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A very proud father and son duo.......
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Some other sportbikes up at OCC.....
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Inside Orange County Choppers........
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OUCH!!!!!!
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Paul Senior Was There With His Wife Beth Working On A Bike Together....
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Here's the video of Ray, Richie, and I going up the mountain......
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8nn02SN_bM]YouTube - Richie's First Ride Solo Up Bear Mountain[/ame]
 
cos_fz1 said:
Looks like you had a nice time and got to spend some time with your son at the same time, that's a hard combination to beat :)
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Thanks Cos. We definitely had a great time. I'll feel a little less nervous once he has some more miles under his belt. I'm not half as nervous when he's driving the car. With the bike, I feel he's much more vulnerable to the "knuckleheads" that are on the roads here in NY. The good thing is that if he learns here in NY, I know he will be able to ride anywhere!
 
Unfortunately, the reality of riding a bike is that you could be drving correctly and everything and if another driver makes a mistake and it affects you then you lose. Its a risk I have decided that I am willing to take and I just try to stay out of the blind spots of vehicles. When I went for a couple hour ride today, I really enjoyed riding my bike and I would totally miss it if I didn't have a bike. Bike riding gets in your blood, just have to be careful everytime you climb on the bike.
 
Great great......... happy for him. Someday he's going to come home, years from now, or sooner, and say 'Hay Dad' look what I got.......... ..... ... .
 
What an awesome milestone in your life Billy. Congrats and high kudos for raising such a responsible young man. He looks like he's doing absolutely fine out there. The 250 is such a great bike to learn on!
 
Hey Billy sounds like the three of you had a nice ride. Weather was great. I didn't get to ride, but did get to powder coat my YZF parts so now I'll be able to start putting it back together. Hopefully I can join you guys real soon for some riding :tup:
 
pigs said:
I'd love to visit the OCC facility, although my opinion of them has deteriorated recently. You guys read that the show is coming back with Sr. vs Jr.?

'American Chopper' father and son back with separate shops - NYPOST.com
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Yeah, I saw it Saturday on Junior's website. I've said it all along that the entire feud was staged for just this purpose. They knew that eventually the interest in these kind of bikes would subside so they needed a gimmick, hence the big "firing" of Paul Jr. and subsequently, Mikey as well. I will tell you one thing, Ducati is out of there. Not a sign of a Duc anywhere to be seen, bikes, tee shirts, leathers, etc., all gone!
 
Ahh very interesting about Ducati. Thanks for the update. I really wonder about the future of "Choppers", it's definitely been done to death. Thank Discovery and TLC for that.

The big main bmw/ducati/triumph dealership in Little Rock closed down recently. :( I don't even know if there are any dealerships now in Arkansas.

Only got the visit the place twice. Almost bought a bmw r1200r.
 
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