Ding's Custom Cycle Blog: Thunder ends, we're headed north

DATELINE VERNON L. RICHARDS RIVERBEND PARK, SMITHVILLE, TEXAS --- With its saddle horn and fur, this Sportster is the closest thing Thumper has seen to livestock in a while. He wanted to left leg it but Deb and I kept him at bay. This was one of the rides entered in the bike show at Thunder on the Colorado, a great rally all around.

Mother Nature gave us near-perfect weather with 80-degree days, sunshine and little wind. It's a small rally in its seventh year but the turnout was solid and the coordinators and service were top-notch. So much so I wrote a detailed note of praise on letterhead and Don gave it to the Smithville Chamber President Raylynne, who drank two pots of mud coffee with Ding at camp this morning (she gilded the lily and brought Thumper a bag of treats, too)

We made the nut and then some (ergo, a monster Mexican food feast tonight and a couple days of camping here in a very pretty oak-filled park with hot showers and full hookups). We did a dozen tires in 36 hours - that's damn near a record for us. The work was steady and went so smooth with Bill and Deb Gray here.

It was the first rally where Ding's Panhead "Babe" was on full display - a huge draw for those who appreciate vintage and the pain of firing her up and rolling - kick start only and a suicide shift (think about autos from the '20s that came with stock electrical starts versus Harley that didn't become mainstream with electric starters until the '60s). All said, I gotta lose at least one half of a bun cheek if I'm ever gonna get a ride on her. My seat looks the size of a sourdough bread slice - eek.

The locals were some of our best customers and we scheduled a couple of tire sets for Bandera next month. We're headed to the Route 49 rally in Jefferson tomorrow - it's a quaint east Texas village with bistros and cobblestone streets and the bizarre claim to fame as the "most haunted city in Texas." We were there in October for the Boo Benefit and loved it. This rally is a children's hospital benefit.

Thumper worked the thoroughfare hard and was very well-received. He has special dispensation from the city to be the sole rally dog. Hell, even when we stopped to fuel up tonight after dinner, a good old boy from the rally asked: "You got that great dog with you?" This, as Thumper sat inside the truck, peering into the store.

More from the front later this week....

Hol, Ding, Thumper and the spirit of Bob....
p.s. The flamingos have laid eggs...