I get by with a little help from my friends

I really have been depending on help from my friends lately. My friends in Miami at Koons Motorcycle Maintenance, BK and Louis, Let me use their shop to tear down my motor and replace some gaskets which, upon inspection, needed a valve job and new rings. Nikky Boots helped me with some welding and machining work. Now with a new top end, I was ready for my ride from Miami to Daytona. I was in Daytona and given a place to stay with Glenn of RPM performance. I stayed only one day and left for Tenn to meet up with Jay Barberi and 2 Wheel Thunder so I could ride back to Daytona with them. I left Daytona in the evening due to rain and it was already cold with tempatures dropping. I was riding across I10 when I hit reserve. No biggy I thought. Well 15 miles later and still no exit, it became a biggy. I ran out of gas in the pitch black darkness on the side of the highway. My bike was loaded down and pushing it was really difficult but I didn't want to leave it. I pushed it about a mile and I was dying. I had already pealed off all my layers and way sweating and sore. Cars and trucks went but in the darkness, I was sure they couldn't see me. I could see the exit about a mile ahead. @ bikes went by but I doubted they could see me. As cold and late as it was, these were the only bikes I saw going either way. I watch and saw that they got off at the exit. I kept pushing but was exhausted. I looked up and thought I saw a bikes headlight but thought that couldn't be but sure enough, a bike rode up the exit and down the interstate on the wrong side to see if he could help. I told him I needed gas and he said he'd be right back. 5 minutes later he came back up the side of the highway again and brought me gas. I rode with him to the truck stop where his wife was waiting on her bike. They were HOG members and had told me that they knew what it was like to be on the side of the road. Thanks Scotty AKA Frog.

I got back on the road and a couple of hours later got a room. When I woke up early I took off for Tenn. I was making good time and was in Georgia when all of of sudden my bike started vibrating then it stated reving in gear. I knew this was bad. I coasted to the side of I75 and when stopped I saw my worse nightmare. I lost all the teeth on my belt. I began cursing and walked into a pecan farm screaming curse words and throwing off layers of my cold weather ear all along the way. 10 minutes later I started making calls, not for help but simply to vent. Now about a half an hour later it was time for action. I collected my clothes and went back to the bike. I adjusted my belt as tight as I could get it and with a push to get it going, the bike limped on the side of the highway at about 3 miles an hour. Any faster and the toothless belt would slip. I just wanted off the side of the highway. At the next exit I got off but there was nothing there but I was moving so rather then stop, I kept riding. A few miles down the road there was another exit with a truck stop. I got off there and was hoping to find someone with a trailer going to Daytona where I could use a friends shop and fix it. I texted a few friends to ask if they knew anyone coming through and could haul me to Daytona. Kevin "Teach" Bass put me in touch with some friends in Atlanta, Kevin "mailman" and Jeremy with Muttin Choppers. After an exchange of texts and calls they made the drive 2 hours down to pick me up and haul me back to Atlanta brings a trailer since my long chopper wouldn't fit in the back of their truck. They hauled me to their friends shop at Jailhouse Customs. They were working on finding me a belt but I was tired of belts. I wanted a chain. They made some call and "Slim" with Twisted had all the sprockets, gaskets, spacers and a new O-ring chain which he delivered. They had me on the road the next day. I test drove it and it was great. Bringing it back I shoved the my voltage regulator plug that was loose and so they took an old plug and soldered a new connection on my. Now really happy I was ready to leave when Paulie from Jailhouse noticed that my headlight was cracked. Every time I rode in the rain the bulb was blow because of this but Harley wanted over 100 for a new housing. Paulie went into the shop and returned with a new housing which he had took off another bike. I left there in time for dinner at Mailman's house which his wife had waiting for us then she had the guest bedroom set up for me. They even had a new pair of shoes for me!

I just want everyone to know that these are the kind of things that happen and allow me to keep doing what I do. Thanks to everyone and I hope I can be there for all of you, like you have been there for me!