Renegade Issue 34

8-9 / 100

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My life changes so fast sometimes, I get into a tail spin. Last
night I sold my beloved 1981 Ironhead that I have been rid-
ing for over six years and have owned for eight. The bike
has taken me so many places, literally and figuratively, that
I decided it was time to let it go. My main reason to sell it
was the fact that I have decided to go ahead and put a Tech
Cycle electric start kit on my Knucklehead, just like I did for
my Panhead. Not only do I have a bad right knee, but I also
have a messed up hip and sacrum. I like riding and unfor-
tunately I am not getting any younger and my body doesn’t
seem to be regenerating any new body parts.
Another huge change
to my life and my pock-
etbook is the fact that
my 1973 Rallye Chal-
lenger is going to be coming home soon. After deciding to
put money into my Knucklehead before putting more money
into my 1973 Rallye Challenger, I got word that it is almost
ready for paint! Since I decided to NOT paint it Plum Crazy
Purple but instead just paint it flat black, the progress on it
has been remarkably fast. I am excited to be getting it back.
My plans for it are to drive it like I stole it and possibly put a
Dyer’s blower on it. Time (and money) will tell if that plan will
work out.
After having my Charger home, the dilemma over driving my
“perfect” car is driving me INSANE. I may be having a break-
down. On one hand I have built an amazingly beautiful car
out of a car that is not quite “popular”. On the other hand, I
have built an amazingly beautiful car that each time I drive it
the paint will deteriorate with rock chips. I have never started
with a freshly painted car with new interior; it has always tak-
en me decades to get
a car to this status.
Now I am faced with a
problem I have never
had before. Now I know the grass is not always greener on
the other side! If I were rich, this would not be a problem,
but having sold my Corvette in order to buy and build the
Charger, there is no more money for when the car needs
repainted.
I may be having a breakdown”
from playing the credit card game and I ordered two more
pair. I can rest easy for a while now.
Several shirts have had to hit the burn pile as well. Luckily
the “after winter” sales at the thrift stores have enabled me to
score some shirts for just .50 each! I hit up the after winter
clearance at Wal Mart the other day and was able to pur-
chase some hoodies and some really nice Danskin jackets
for $3.00 each that are super nice to ride the Harleys and the
enduro in. Really nice, large pockets and the zipper zips all
the way to the neck to keep out extra air. I have really never
worn “riding gear” before, so in my world this is getting pretty
close! I will design some new art for my Old Iron Never Dies
motto for all of the blank T-shirts and hoodies and then have
my local screen printer create some magic.
Keeping me busy for the last couple months is an event Gabe
and I started called “Throwback Thursdays”. One Thursday
a month anyone driving a pre-1980 car or truck can come
into the local Kenda Drive-In free of charge. There are only
three Drive-Ins left in the
state of Arkansas. Start-
ing March 31 and run-
ning through July 28, we
will be showing car mov-
ies: “Two Lane Blacktop”, “Vanishing Point”, “Death Proof”,
“Clutch” and “Smokey and the Bandit”. We decided to do
this last year and are finally getting the project off the ground.
The owner of the Drive-In is buying the movies and she let
me select them. I have never been to a Drive-In before and
I have only seen two of the five movies, so it will be a totally
new experience!
While hitting up businesses online to acquire donations for
“Throwback Thursdays” in the way of goody bag items and
door prizes, Sue Gogolinski, owner of Just Get Dirty Garage
sent me two shirts for myself when she found out I am a
gearhead and that I am in a ton of magazines! I am always
willing to promote other people and am grateful when they
have faith in me to do so. Gold Eagle/CRO sent me one
of their special shop shirts as I had an upcoming magazine
feature but the weather did not cooperate for me to get it
published. They have really stepped up, sending me 104
pounds of Gold Eagle products to give out as door
prizes as well. I am amazed at some
of the donations that I have com-
ing in. It has been over 10
years since I have been
involved in car events
and over 5 years since
I have hosted any mo-
torcycle events. I am
glad that there are
businesses out there
that still support Grass-
roots events.
I have started cleaning my yard and
Sometimes I just lie to myself. I told myself that my life would
be great and I would never have the NEED to get back onto
an enduro/dual sport bike again. Well, that all changed a
couple of weeks ago when we borrowed two enduros. After
riding the borrowed Yamaha WR250R, we convinced the guy
to sell it and we bought it less than a week later. Riding that
bike and being able to hit every single pothole, mud puddle
and creek bed was something that I have not been able to do
for years on the vintage Harleys. I forgot how much I LOVE
it! Just being able to hit the dirt roads and cruising without all
of the traffic is AWESOME!
What I find funny is how OTHER people react when they hear
that we have bought dual sports (again). They act like it is
something new. I guess people have very short term memo-
ries. When I was 19, I bought my first bike after deciding
not to buy a third Camaro and instead bought a near new
Yamaha DT enduro. I rode that bike everywhere. After being
forced to sell it while married to my first husband, I later got
a street bike, which he sold one day before I got home from
work. Now you know
why I’m not married
to him anymore...
While at the discount store the other day, I stumbled upon
the motherload- outdated milk and sour cream for just .25
each! After buying and testing one of the expired milks out
in the parking lot, I came back in and bought 13 gallons! The
people there were going CRAZY because the milk was over
a month expired and asking me what I was going to do with it.
One woman even asked me if I was starting a restaurant! I
told them I was going to drink the shit out of my Carnation In-
stant Breakfast and that I had just bought a boatload of my fa -
vorite Great Grains cereal. I don’t usually eat cereal but I do
when milk is .25! It was lactose-free milk and since it doesn’t
have all of the added sugar and has been ultra-pasteurized
at extreme temperatures, I know that it can last in my fridge
for over three months. Too bad no one else knows that but I
guess fortunately for me people are ignorant! I also bought
20 pounds of sour cream. Guess what we’re eating?????
I found out my pet chicken Oatmeal is not a man after all
when one day next to the house he dropped an egg! Now
SHE lays an egg every single day and it’s not just any egg,
it is a super extra-large brown egg. I had to look up on the
internet how a chicken lays an egg since I picked it up and
didn’t see any extra “holes”. Sure enough, the egg comes out
the same place the poop does, it just switches routes. I have
watched the egg laying process and I will tell you- IT NEVER
GETS OLD! I would highly recommend it if you have never
had a chicken to get one and watch the amazing process!
It’s finally that time of year where I have had to buy some
“new” clothes. I am the only person I know who actually
wears their clothes out and has to burn them. In the last
couple months, I have regretfully had to burn two pair of my
beloved Dickies thermal steel toe crew socks! Man I love
those socks. Fortunately I had some free Wal -Mart gift cards
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Sometimes I just lie to myself.