Dave & Teds Most Excellent Adventures 2013

[KatLen0405]

It's what's right for Teddy

After our talks this past weekend, I think this decision is what is right for Teddy. Maybe his circle of influence will get smaller, but as long as he is happy, that is what counts. It's obvious that he has lost his trust of people for anything other than light interaction. (unless there is food involved!) I say let him pose and give high-fives, and bring a smile to people that way.:clap: He will always be our favorite Spyder Ryder.

I've started to research training for Reese for therapy work, and she will be out on the bike this weekend with me. Teddy should consider her to be his legacy - I doubt I ever would be starting on this adventure if it wasn't for you and Teddy. :thumbup::thumbup:

 

[OJ UK]

Why so sad??

Hey Dave...Life is a series of phases and Teddy has now reached the end of this particular phase in his life. A good decision on your part.
I seriously doubt that he'll notice any difference not being a fully paid up Member of the Emotional Support & Therapy Program.
As long as he's a happy dog that's all that counts. Teddy also learned an important lesson that day with the little boy in school and it stuck:
Don't trust anyone no matter how cute they may seem!
He's done his stint being an official helper but he'll always be the same lovable l'il dog delighting the people who
are privileged enough to meet him. I hope to maybe meet him one day as well.
You, on the other hand, may never ever get to eat an uninterrupted meal in a restaurant again if, in fact, you ever manage to get out of the
parking lot to go into the restaurant, but that's a price I'm sure that you don't really mind paying!

 

[CyncySpyder]

Oh what a weekend of Miles of Smiles & Oppppsssss, he did it again...................

Let me 1st say, I think I owe Frank (I think that was his name) from the Ohio or PA Spyder Ryders an apology and probably a new pair of boxers as well ....... :yikes: so, I'm truly sorry my friend :bowdown:

You see, this weekend was just about as close to perfect as one could want for Spyder Ryding and also taking in the breathtaking views that Mother Nature bestowes upon us this time of year, especially since we took Katlen's reccomendation and headed North & East to join the Ohio Spyder Ryders for their Group Fall Foliage get together. I thing the final tally, including Teddy & myself was somewhere around 42 Spyders, making it the single largest Rally for the OSR group :clap: The event started on Wednesday & went thru Sunday, but we just made it a day trip & headed up for the Saturday group ryde. So all in all, we travelled 400 miles round trip to go on a 60 mile group ryde and while some of you may think that might be a bit excessive, I'll say what I always say, its more about the people and the enjoyment of the ryde than the actual destination itself. Tho the area we were in did have some awesome color, unlike here in the Cincy/Northern KY area, as most of our trees are still green, so this destination was much welcomed as well.

Anyways, before our group ryde, I switched out Teddy's Highway seat for his doggy bed seat so he would be more wide open to enjoy the warm fresh air, unlike needing to button dog on the Insterstate with his more protective Highway seat. As usual with Teddy, he loves to stand with his front paws on the armrests while ryding & I've been intending, but haven't gotten around to putting some anti-skid material over the leather of the arm rest pads, to help prevent the little guy from slip & slide'n all around, especially since we really enjoy hyea:'get'n on it'hyea: in the twisties :clap:

I'll tell ya, our last experience with him going over-board enroute to Lamonts a few months back, and subsequently getting a bit of road-rash on his back to paws, well, that really effected my desire & enjoyment of ryding. I mean, we do this because we both enjoy it & to think I was the cause that day of his hurting, well, lets just say his wounds have healed & you can't tell anything had ever happened to him. I can't say the same tho for myself, cause emotionally speaking, I honestly think that even tho my emotional wounds have healed, the scars will be there for life :shocked: and in a way, I'm grateful cause its made me a better companion and advocate for Teddy's safety.

As soon as we got home from Lamonts, and then his vet, I researched the issue that allowed Teddy to get hurt, and found it was due to his tether was adjustable, and when he went flying off, it adjusted to the maximum, allowing his back two paws to barely touch the ground and causing the road-rash when I started going without initially seeing him go over, cause I had our Teddy-Cam System set on the second camera to watch behind us, since at that time, I was a group leader & had to make sure the group was still following behind and hadn't gotten lost. Well, I learned my lesson, removed that tether and replaced it with a non-adjustable nylon strap that's directly attached to the Spyder and I make sure that I only use the Teddy-Cam for Teddy when he's ryding with me :2thumbs: I may be a slow learner, but Lesson Learned :bowdown:

These two things saved Teddy once again on this past weekends ryde :shocked: cause while doing the group ryde, Teddy was standing and enjoying the fresh air in his little face when we came to some switch back roads, and as soon as I turned the handlebars and the Sled started going in the opposite direction, Teddy slipped and once again took a swan dive off the side of his sled :yikes: Only this time, as soon as it happened I saw it in the monitor, and with almost no panic, (cause we've practiced our recovery method many times now) I released the throttle while maintaining control with my left hand on the grip and with my right arm, I just reached back and grabbed the top of his Easy Rider Safety Harness & kind of flung him back up into his seat and with just slowing down a bit and edging closer to the side of the road, just in case we needed to stop for adjustments, we didn't miss a beat :clap:

As I said, tho Teddy usually gives me the Evil Eye :sour: for willfully pushing him off at slower speeds :sour: we've practiced this manuever quite a few times, just to make sure the length of his tether now only allows him to go as far as the side luggage compartment & so I know how to handle it without panicking & possibly causing an accident. Our practice paid off and Teddy acted as if he didn't notice a thing :doorag: Tho I could only imagine what Frank must have been thinking at that time, cause he was directly behind us on the group ryde and had a front row seat for the entire show pps: and as I stated earlier, and after talking with him after the ryde, he probably could use a fresh pair of boxers pps: sorry Frank :bowdown:

He commented after the ryde and seeing what had happened with Teddy first hand, that he was thinking Teddy would be traumatized and wouldn't want to ryde anymore, but that within 15 seconds of it happening & the recovery, that he was shocked to once again see Teddy standing at attention in usual pose, with his head held high and his be-doggled face back in the wind ..... Loving Every Minute Of It :doorag:

Even tho this happened, unlike the last time, there were no ill effects with him:bowdown:... nor with me:bowdown: & we're both still ready & rare'n to go for many more Miles of Smiles :2thumbs:

 

[CyncySpyder]

And they say there's no such thing as a free lunch..... how bout breakfast then? lol

Ok, let me 1st backtrack just a tad and mention something I forgot to mention about this past weekends trip to meet up with the Ohio & PA Spyder Ryders for their Fall Folliage Ryde & Group get-together :thumbup: We left around 9:30am and knew it was at least a 3 hour ryde (200+ miles) to get there, so we decided to take the Interstate there so we could hopefully make it in time for at least one of the scheduled group rydes, which we did. But on the way, we needed to stop for fuel and to get some breakfast right around 10:15am and we were in the Washington CourtHouse area outside of Columbus Ohio midway to our destination and we decided to go thru the McDonalds that was there right off the exit. Well, they were a busy place with tandem drivethru's and while we patiently awaited our turn to order, I'd hop off the sled and get Teddy some water, hop back on & move up a spot, hop back off & let the lil ham go potty in the adjacent grassy area & hop back on and move up another spot til it was finally our turn to order. All awhile, we can see all the smiling faces of the ppl in the cars & trucks that are also all in line and waiting with us, and many were giving us thumbs up and waving and smiling and of course, I can't even guess how many were snap'n pics of Teddy on his Sled with their camera phones, but it was alot. When we finally got up to the window to pay, the young lady was all smiles at seeing Teddy & then she made the comment, "OK, now I get it." To which I replied "Huh?" Not understanding what she meant. She then explains, "Hunny, you hold on to your money cause that lady in the red car 3 cars ahead of you asked me to Thank You, tell you that you guys just made her day, and then she paid for your meal, and now I understand why." She explained with a huge grin on her face with most of her co-workers piling in behind her to get a look at Teddy for themselves. By the time we got finished with that window & proceeded to the next, the car that paid for our breakfast was already gone, and sadly we didn't get the chance to thank her, but at least I know she left there in a much better mood than when she arrived, thanks to our lil Spyder Ryder Ham-Bone out doing what he does best and living the dream.

 

[CyncySpyder]

We could use some advice or suggestions on how to deal with this double edged sword

Let me begin by saying, I get it! I really do!

Now let me give you a scenario which I'm sure some of you have been in yourselves, probably more than a few times actually & how its best to handle the situation.

Your ryding along on your Spyder on the Interstate and keeping up with the traffic patterns and being vigilant, scanning your mirrors for whats going on around and behind you, scanning whats going on up ahead, always trying to keep safe distances and always ryding defensively and trying your best to always leave yourself with a 'way out' in case something bad happens up ahead of your intended path of travel.

Sound familiar? I'm assuming we all ryde this way, or at least should ryde this way, right? I don't mean to sound ignorant, but to be honest, since the Spyder is our first 'MotorCycle' ever, we've only been ryding for a little over 3 1/2 years now, and the only experience I got on a 2 wheeler was when taking my MSF Class, which I'll be honest, I hated & didn't want to take, since they didn't really know what a Spyder was yet (back then) and required everyone to take the class on their 2 wheelers. The best thing I did take away from the class was basically what I described above, mostly about defensive ryding and that cars & trucks have seat-belts & built in safety cages (why their called 'Cages' by many) and that all we have to save us is our gear & most importantly, defensive ryding.

I guess this has been ingrained in me and my ryding style, and while I'll fully admit that I'm more on the 'Spirited or Aggressive' side of the spectrum, I always try my best to maintane the defensive attributes that I've learned, and 'knock on wood' we haven't had any accidents since we've been ryding, tho we've been put in numerous bad situations, especially while on the Interstate, even to the point of having to actually pull off the highway to the side of the road (on our way back from last years NY trip) to allow some 'idiot' that 'didn't get it' to go on their merry way.

Anyways, back to our scenario, and I'm sure its probably happening less and less with most of you, as the Spyders gain in popularity and are somewhat loosing their "Oh WOW, look at that thing!" status. But most of us have experienced the situation where we're ryding along minding our own business on the Interstate, and a car may pass us, then you notice them (still being in the high speed lane) slowing down and letting you pass them and then they begin to speed up so they can basically take a closer look at your ryde. Many may look at you & smile & give a 'thumbs up' of approval that they like your ryde, while others may even snap a pic or two, or some may even go further and try matching your speed for a while so they can actually take a video of you and your Spyder cruising down the highway. ....... sound familiar to any of you???

While this is all nice and innocent enough, if they snap a quick pic and then go on their way, it can cause potential disaster if they decide to basically match your speed so they can ogle and maybe take a video or long series of pictures. They don't realize that by them matching your speed, their taking away an exit path in case something were to happen, and basically putting you into a no win situation where you may not have a way out, in case of an emergency.

At the beginning, I made the statement that 'I get it' meaning that I understand when you put a cute lil dog with a red mow-hawk and pom tail on the back of a Spyder moving down the highway, your basically screaming out 'HEY, LOOK AT ME!!!' I get that part, I really do. Like my Mom always used to say about certain girls in our extended family, 'Well, if they dress like a whore, they can't expect anything more than the men they go out with than to treat them like one.' Mom was sometimes kinda crass, but she usually was spot on

So I understand that the Spyder draws attention, and well, Teddy is just kind of 'Over the Top' and not something that you see everyday, but that's also part of the dynamic that lends itself to him making so many ppl smile, making them happy to see him, making ppl's days just for glimpsing the lil guy..... I do, I get that part. Our issue is how to deal (especially on the Interstate) those that are so inthrawed by seeing him that they temporarily loose their good judgment and want to get as close as possible and video or snap pics for long periods of time, matching our speed if we slow down or speed up to try in keep a safe avenue of escape available. I mean, I've tried waving people to go on, but most think I'm waving AT them, not that I'm trying to get them outta my way or to proceed and many just wave back. We had another incident on the way home last night, where these teens were video'n Teddy with their iPhone & the driver kept matching everything I tried, til I realized we were well into the 90's at one point, and the Interstate was busy, but I finally put on my hazards and slowed way down, and he tried matching me, but being in the high speed lane, he almost got rear ended, which would have possibly lead to disaster for Teddy & I:yikes:

Teddy hates being enclosed, and I know that would be the simplist solution, at least for Interstate travel, but we do this cause we both love and enjoy it, and I don't want Teddy to loose that feeling, and possibly NOT want to ryde anymore cause he fears being enclosed.

I kinda feel Princess Di's pain in this matter, cause it really does come down to a point of safety. I thought about possibly get'n a sign made for the side of the Sled that read something like, 'SNAP YOUR PIC & KEEP GOING FOR SAFETY SAKE' but I doubt ppl would understand.....:dontknow:

So, any advice or suggestions? Thanks in advance :bowdown:

 

[OJ UK]

Difficult to offer a solution, Dave. I think I would get into the right hand (slow) lane drop my speed to 10 under the limit
and then just go with the flow. At least if you're in the inside lane if the worst comes to the worst, if you're on the superslab,
you probably have some space to your right to bale out of the traffic flow and get yourself some breathing space.
It has to be remembered that I haven't driven on a US highway since Daytona Bike Week in 2002....however it was on I-95
which was seemingly full of people with a death wish! Bike Week into Spring Break and preceded by Race Week makes for
some interesting situations! :yikes:

 

[CyncySpyder]

Over 300 ppl viewed yesterdays topic & request for advice & only 1 response....Hmmmmm

Thanks OJ UK for your response, & I may have to fight my lead-wrist and give the slow lane a try for a change :shocked: but even me typing that caused a rumble in my psychie would be kind of like trying to use your left hand for doing everything when your right handed :banghead: but your correct, barring not ryding on the Interstate, your suggestion would seem the safest option available

On another topic:
Today we have a cold front taking over our area and are suppose to have on and off showers for the next couple of days, so I tried to be logical & figured I'd actually brush the cob-webs off the car and drove it in today instead of ryding the Sled, & even tho whenever I've been in a relationship or when I was married, I never cheated on my significant other, today, that's the kind of feeling I'm dealing with right nownojoke Like I'm cheating on the sled by leaving it cooped up in the garage and taking the car it just doesn't feel ........ right :lecturef_smilie:

 

[MarkLawson]

Oh, you should have seen me when I finally decided to put my beloved '01 GL1800A Goldwing in the enclosed trailer because the two Spyders in tha garage didn't leave enough space without taking up my sweet wife's parking space on her side of the garage. I've had that Goldwing for over 12 years & still love it, but it now sits in the trailer instead of the place of honor (garage) it had always enjoyed before. I still feel like I'm cheating on it... pps:

 

[KatLen0405]

someone to ride shot-gun

Dave, I just think you need someone like my hubby to ride shot-gun for you. In his leather vest and goggles, on that black bike, he can scare away just about anyone. I've seen him do it more than once when traffic wasn't behaving. :roflblack::roflblack::roflblack:

 

[OJ UK]

Thanks OJ UK for your response, & I may have to fight my lead-wrist and give the slow lane a try for a change :shocked: but even me typing that caused a rumble in my psychie would be kind of like trying to use your left hand for doing everything when your right handed :banghead: but your correct, barring not ryding on the Interstate, your suggestion would seem the safest option available

Hmmmmm.....I was, of course, referring to those times when you have some 'over enthusiastic' folk who are,
unaware that they are placing you and Teddy in a hazardous position by driving too close or matching speeds or anything
else that they may get up to.
The rest of the time you can keep that throttle open and cruise at whatever speed Teddy requires of you!

 

[CyncySpyder]

I know in reality its all about learned behavior but its like fighting basic instinct

Ryding daily has brought a frustrating reminder back into the picture ......... it costs gas money to ryde so dang much :sour: and since I seem to be inflicted with a lead right wrist, I thought I would see what I could do about moderating said infliction to help the issue a bit. The reason I bring this up is, cause I just realized we're having to fill up either every day or every other day :shocked: & that's $20 a whack :yikes: I just checked my on-line banking statement, and there's even a couple of days where we've had to fill up more than once in the same day, and this wasn't on a road-trip, just us out cruising for a few hundred miles pps: or so :dontknow:

Granted, this is much cheaper than going to a shrink pps: no doubt but with being so heavy wristed, we're only averaging right around 22-24 mpg's on Teds Red Sled, and that's without towing the camper & just cruising around town & the interstates So yesterday, I fought every natural inclination I have and made myself shift no later then five thousand RPMs and I was very gingerly at take offs and getting up to speed, and did all the other 'normal' stuff you can do to save fuel .......... but I have to admit, doing so takes alot of the fun out of the ryde

Suppose to have more rain again today, so I drove the car in again & I swear, its depressing

After I got home from work yesterday, the weather cleared for the most part & it was just cloudy & I could tell Teddy was rare'n to ryde, so I figured I'd gather up a bunch of 'mods' that wouldn't work for one reason or another (Lighting, Switches, Etc...) bought from local Auto parts stores & Radio Shack & we'd make a run around town returning things, so we had gas money to ryde :roflblack: Hey, better than them just sitting on the shelves, right :dontknow:

Well, Radio Shack was the 1st stop & its right next to Pets Mart, so of course, Teddy had to pay a visit to one of his favorite haunts, but we didn't even get off the Sled before he was called out :shocked: "OMG!!! Its really him! I've heard all about this famous little biker dog with the red mow-hawk!" a lady in the parking lot calls out to us. She came over and started chat'n about how the guy that is a Huge Fan of Teddy's that sells a special brand of dog-food at Pets Mart had been telling all of his customers about Teddy & showing them pics of him on his camera phone, and she was one of them. Then her camera-phone pops out and she asks if she can take a pic, which we happily oblidge, then one thing leads to another and within about ten minutes, we were surrounded by a mob of about 12-15 people, all gawking at Teddy giving Hi5's & pose'n for pics :clap: Good thing we're used to this now, huh? ........... :roflblack::roflblack::roflblack: I tell ya, the life of some dogs :bowdown:

We were even approached by a lady that wanted more info about the 'Can-Am's' as she put it, and after chat'n for about 20 minutes and me telling her to check out SpyderLovers for info, she then gave me her business card, as she's a proffesional photographer & said that she'd love to take some proffesional pics of Teddy ............... free of charge :bowdown:

:yes:A day in the life of one Special Little Dog :yes:

 

[OldCowboy]

[snip]

Well, Radio Shack was the 1st stop & its right next to Pets Mart, so of course, Teddy had to pay a visit to one of his favorite haunts, but we didn't even get off the Sled before he was called out :shocked: "OMG!!! Its really him! I've heard all about this famous little biker dog with the red mow-hawk!" a lady in the parking lot calls out to us. She came over and started chat'n about how the guy that is a Huge Fan of Teddy's that sells a special brand of dog-food at Pets Mart had been telling all of his customers about Teddy & showing them pics of him on his camera phone, and she was one of them. Then her camera-phone pops out and she asks if she can take a pic, which we happily oblidge, then one thing leads to another and within about ten minutes, we were surrounded by a mob of about 12-15 people, all gawking at Teddy giving Hi5's & pose'n for pics :clap: Good thing we're used to this now, huh? ........... :roflblack::roflblack::roflblack: I tell ya, the life of some dogs :bowdown:

We were even approached by a lady that wanted more info about the 'Can-Am's' as she put it, and after chat'n for about 20 minutes and me telling her to check out SpyderLovers for info, she then gave me her business card, as she's a proffesional photographer & said that she'd love to take some proffesional pics of Teddy ............... free of charge :bowdown:

:yes:A day in the life of one Special Little Dog :yes:

Teddy IS a Special Little Dog! I can't wait to meet him.

 

[CyncySpyder]

Hey, if your in the area of PitBulls, you may just get your chance sooner than later

Teddy IS a Special Little Dog! I can't wait to meet him.

I know Teds Red Sled would benifit greatly from having the Laser Alignment done & I believe I read in one of the many threads concerning them that Len now has a system at PitBulls & we still have to pick up our Camper Umbrella that I left with Len at Lamonsters Bar-B-Q this past summer cause they were doing installs in the blazing hot sun, and we weren't using the umbrella so I let Len & the crew helping him use the umbrella. But we had to leave early and I didn't want to take it back & leave them without sun protection, so I told him just to hang on to it & I'd pick it up from him at a later date

So with needing to get the alignment along with retrieving the umbrella, and we also need to float an idea across Lens path, we may just be making a road-trip to Pitbulls here in the very near future :clap: If this comes to fruition, then you'd have your chance at meet'n the lil ham-bone in person since you at least live in the same state :2thumbs: :clap::yes:hyea::doorag:

 

[CyncySpyder]

Pics from past 2 fuel-ups averaging a dismal 22.7 & 24.2 mpg's

 

[CyncySpyder]

Pics of 'The Tedster' standing at ATTENTION at DT window & a Halloween pic

:bbq:ray::bbq:ray:

 

[Barlock]

As I had feared tho, the lady RS ryder already had her helmet on and was backing out and not a wave or anything from her. I thought about honking the horn, but figured if she wanted to meet us, she'd wait, if not, she obviously had better things to do and wasn't interested, so I didn't.
No wave, no smile, nothing from her but avoidance

I was saddened, but figured maybe once again, she was in a hurry and had to be somewhere, so I didn't let it bother me.

Dave, (and I hope you will not be ofended), but when I read these paragraphs I had a feeling (and I could be wrong of course) that it was not really about another Spyderlover, or even Teddy, but rather you liking that particular lady. Again, forgive me if I stepped over my boundaries.

 

[OldCowboy]

[snip]

So with needing to get the alignment along with retrieving the umbrella, and we also need to float an idea across Lens path, we may just be making a road-trip to Pitbulls here in the very near future :clap: If this comes to fruition, then you'd have your chance at meet'n the lil ham-bone in person since you at least live in the same state :2thumbs: :clap::yes:hyea::doorag:

I only live 1.5 hrs from Pit Bull. Both my wife and I would love to meet you and Teddy.

BTW, I bet if you let Len use a couple of photos of Teddy in his advertising, you could get that alignment free. Something like a picture of Teddy's High Five with the caption, "Nothing improves your Spyders handling like a laser alignment from Pit Bull!"

 

[CyncySpyder]

Its often said, "We learn more from our failures than from our successes"

And you know what :dontknow:

As usual, lets just say ..................

I'm learn'n alot lately pps:................. :roflblack::roflblack::roflblack:

But even in my latest failure, I'm reminded of the saying
"Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained"

I'll elaborate on this a bit more later, gotta get back to work right now ... :banghead:

 

[MarkLawson]

And you know what :dontknow:

As usual, lets just say ..................

I'm learn'n alot lately pps:................. :roflblack::roflblack::roflblack:

But even in my latest failure, I'm reminded of the saying
"Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained"

I'll elaborate on this a bit more later, gotta get back to work right now ... :banghead:

And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

 

[CyncySpyder]

Pics of the Fall Folliage around the Cincy area along with Teds Red Sled & The Boss

Not all that much color yet around the area, as of this past week :dontknow: but with the drastic temp drops of getting down to freezing over night this week, I'm thinking this weekend will be a drastic change in color for our area :clap: Good for color, bad for ryding