A New Era For Us

In August of 2004 Julie and I bought our Nomad as an Anniversary gift to each other. I have often said it was the best thing we ever did for our marriage.

I worked at a Kawasaki dealership at the time and was able to get some good deals on the bike and the accessories we wanted for the bike. It was set up for us with the creature comforts, performance add on pieces and nice little features that made it our own from the very beginning. We rode it home bone stock, but when it got there, the transformation began. Bryan and I did all the work and installed each and every piece on it. I take pride in that.

We really didn’t get to ride much in 2004, buying the bike in the fall of the year and having other obligations on some week-ends left us little time. A couple of rides to and on the Blue Ridge Parkway are about all that comes to mind. Winter came and we rode just enough to wet our whistle and make us look forward to riding the next year.

Roots Planted Firmly The Woods

Most every thing you'll find here will be about riding on road. It's actually fairly new to us though. We've spent many years riding and racing off road. I raced motocross through out the 70's. Injuries and life forced me to give up racing and ultimately riding for many years.

In 1992 Bryan got a Honda XR50 for his fifth birthday. Since he couldn't ride alone Dad got a Honda XR600 for Bryan's birthday too! It was riding time again!

We rode the woods and trails in both the Carolina's at private riding parks and state own public ORV areas. It didn't take long for the racing bug to bite and in just a few years we were racing in cross country events called hare scrambles.

In the roughly 10 years we were involved with it we had some success, had lots of fun and met many great people. We quit racing in 2004 and have only ridden the dirt bikes occasionally since then.

They are still in the basement shop at home, but are all in some stage of dis-assembly or re-assembly. There are three, Bryan's '01 Kawasaki KX250, my '02 Cannondale E440R and a spare/parts '03 Cannondale X440R.

Bryan's KX is in a slow resurrection from toast to trick getting a complete and major overhaul. No bearing or seal has been left un-replaced, the engine is being freshened up, the suspension is already done. New brakes, tires, tubes, rims and spokes. She'll be ready to rock.

The 'Dale needs close to the same thing, and is in the beginning stages of tear down. We hope to get the spare one up and ready to ride soon too having most everything we need on hand to complete these projects, except time.

Once the dirt bikes are ready to go Bryan and I both are looking forward to doing some woods riding again. I'm pretty sure my racing days are behind me, but I'd still like to go for a ride in the woods with Bryan when we can.

Then there's the toter-home that needs a little help...

Bruce