I have done over 100 tours down Route 66 and I’ve gotta say this was an oddball group. You know when I found out I had 8 middle aged Aussie men joining me on this tour, my first was “Sydney Gay Motorcycle Club” – why no women? My suspicions were heightened by that big dude with the porn- star mustache, Andy appeared sporting his red leather vest on the first night.
However after a conversation with that loudmouth Singo, I worked out that they were just a bunch of Biker wannabes….what the hell they’re paying me.
First rider meeting I asked who has ridden together. All the boys nodded so I assumed they might be able to string together a staggered formation. WTF! What happened getting out of Chicago? I had one guy with a camera on his helmet (let’s call him Tinky Winky) fishtail before we got 4 streets away; I had Red leather vest redefine riding a bike by sitting in the pillion seat; Singo was spending more time trying to tune the radio than looking at the road; Boxy was sitting on my ass; Rusty was taking on 18 wheelers; Hydro was checking the weather radar while negotiating slip roads; Sean Connery was slipping into the distance and I had 3 maverick poms riding in three different lanes on the freeway WTF!
Well I gotta say things improved after that, and I taught the boys the rules of route 66. Formation etiquette; what crappy US beers to buy for the redneck bar; how to ride the freeway…(not sure Sean Connery will ever be talking to me again), and I introduced then to some amazing folks on the road.
It was a lot of fun riding with you guys as we negotiated the plains of Illinois, the Bible Belt of Oklahoma, Missouri and Texas and the great desert country of New Mexico and Arizona. You guys (Andy and Ian excluded) have gone from advanced beginners to elementary intermediate riders….congratulations
I hope you got a lot out of it and that this book provides some great memories for you and give your family and friends a flavour of life on the Mother Road.
Until next time remember “Keep the rubber on the road and the shiny side up”
Your friend and guide
Bear.
When the light turns green, you go. When the light turns red, you stop. But what do you do when the light turns blue with orange and lavender spots?
Love you guys
Mark
Silver Foxes Motorcycle Club Australia 