I ordered my passenger arm rests from J&P cycles online they were a bit expensive, but then anything you buy any more has an inflated price especially accessories for a Harley even the after market products are high that’s why we love swap meets sometimes we have found some really good deals. I was so excited to get them and it only took 3 days, I opened the box and stared at the chrome and imagined them already on the bike and traveling in luxury with my cup holder attached.

I was horrified when we tried to put them on last night and the darn things didn’t fit. The instructions they sent also sucked so I went online to see if I could find better ones, I found it funny when I typed in “passenger arm rests for champion trikes” and my blog was first on the search list. When we ordered them we hadn’t really thought about maybe they wouldn’t be usable for a trike because I’ve seen them on trikes before. Bill tried every position possible and even raised the tour pack because there wasn’t much space to add them.

If we still had the 2 wheel Harley dresser they would have been a piece of cake to add, talk about frustration and my vision of luxury and comfort going down the drain. Bill said this morning that he may be able to modify it with a length of steel attached under the tour pack so he could extend the holes out further and make it possible for me to have these, if anyone can come up with an idea that will work it’s Bill and not destroy the trike in the process or make it look dorky.

The thought of repacking my beautiful passenger arm rests and sending them back feels me with dread. At any rate I hope everyone has a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend with sunny skys we’re suppose to have rain all weekend, but that’s subject to change although it doesn’t look very promising right now.

We are trikeless at the moment we had to take it to Laugerman Harley Davidson because the belt is too tight and riding it like it is could mess up the bearings and it could possibly snap while riding. Of course we didn’t have any reason to check that when we bought it 2 weeks ago, luckily we went to a Champion trike kit dealer because we were looking for hand grips for it and the guy decided to pick it apart because we hadn’t waited and purchased one from him.

At least we found out about that before we did some real damage so hopefully it will be fixed by the weekend so we can ride. Bill also decided to have the Screaming Eagle stage 1 kit added so it’ll get better performance, but we’ll lose gas mileage. He really liked that in the Harley Dresser we traded in. This makes 2 things so far that haven’t been right since we bought it. The first was the voltage regulator 4 days after we had it, I certainly hope we don’t find any more things wrong.

In the near future Bill is going to get these armrests for me since I don’t have the hand rails or whatever they’re called it should make it a lot more comfortable on long trips and they swing out so they don’t interfere when you mount and dismount. Last week he moved the tour pack back about an inch because it was pressing into my back and now it’s so much more comfortable to ride. I’m really glad we got the trike and even Bill is happy with it we even ride more now because it’s easier in traffic. Bill still says he feels like a sissy sometimes.

I heard on the news last night that the Harley Plant in York may be closing down and moving elsewhere now that would be a real shame. They’ve already laid off quite a few and so many other companies in our area have shut down. Even Bill’s company has put their employee’s on part time it’s getting really scary. Bill’s Son works at a place that makes metal skids for Harley and there are only 3 left in his division. He said his company might move him out of state, I certainly hope it doesn’t come to that.

I spent the morning outside doing yard work and my back is starting to pull so I need to go soak it. I’ll try to get some other stuff done online a bit later so you all have a great one.

Bill really wants to ride a trike and see if he likes them before buying one because they’re very expensive. A new one costs around 35 thousand, but they have a kit for about 15 thousand that can be added to your existing bike if the dealer does it for you. If you’re a DIY type person you can purchase the kit for about 8 thousand. His Harley has around 58 thousand miles which really isn’t bad according to the guy that owns Laugermans, but Bill thinks that’s too many miles to invest the money for the kit so he’s looking at a new or used one with a lot less miles.

Personally I would feel safer on a trike because we are getting older and he certainly doesn’t want to give up riding. I keep telling him he wont have to worry about dropping it which has almost happened a couple of times, but he’s pretty strong and always saved it, but sometimes I think of what might happen if a deer or rabbit runs in our path. Of course we both know people that this has happened to and they have been seriously injured or killed. We are responsible riders of course (except for me I hate wearing a helmet) and I always try to banish those thoughts from my mind as soon as they enter.

We basically only ride on weekends right now and never at night and we always try to take a route that doesn’t have a lot of traffic. Of course when he retires I’m quite sure we will be riding a lot more during the week. Bill always needs a destination and always asks where we are going to ride to and I’m never any help because I’m more interested in the ride than the destination so I really don’t care where we go or which direction as long as it has lots of scenery and stuff for me to look at. We’re planning on a trip to Ohio and a trike would certainly make it a lot easier on us.

Men are so funny because they get weird ideas in their head like not feeling like a man anymore because they went to a three wheeler instead of the two. I see so many young men riding trikes and it doesn’t seem to bother them, but I also see a lot of older people on them because they simply aren’t ready to give up riding and the freedom you feel when you’re on a bike. Bill loves my little scooter and has a blast and it doesn’t bother him at all when some big old tough guy goes riding past on a big bad Harley he just grins at them. My little scooter is fun and it’s very reasonable on gas the only problem is I can’t ride in the Winter time.

If he’s going to do this he better do it before he retires because there will be a lot less money. He’s only ever had one brand new bike in the 46 years he’s been riding so he’s due and he deserves whatever he chooses and so long as he doesn’t mortgage the house to get it then I’m fine. He now says he can’t afford to retire at 62, but I keep telling him we can actually survive on very little and if he gets bored he can always work part time doing whatever he pleases. The guys he works with are all saying if he retires they are all quitting.

Actually if he retires I don’t see that little company lasting very long because no one there has the knowledge he does nor do they want to learn. Of course the company may fold before he retires with the way things are going then the decision will be removed from his hands. I want him to retire and enjoy the time we have left together, I hate seeing him so stressed over that place and I think a trike would certainly take his mind off everything especially if he bought a kit and did it himself, it would keep him occupied for awhile. Enough of my rambling today thanks for reading, I had a very nice Easter and thanks for your kind thoughts.

Shadow still isn’t better, but when it’s nice we like to load him up in the wagon, we tried to find a Harley, but they quit making them, and take him for a stroll just so he can get a change of scenery. Of course with him I don’t have to worry about cleaning up his poop, but if the little guy could walk it wouldn’t worry me in the least. The vet did say since he hadn’t walked since his last treatment that he probably never would.

He acts like he has to have someone with him all the time and when I step out he whimpers and barks and to tell ya the truth my nerves are getting bad. I don’t mind turning and cleaning him up, but the barking needs to stop. He’s too heavy to pick up and carry around every where I go and it just breaks our heart to see him this way. There’s no question of putting him to sleep because he’s fine other than not being able to move, that’s something he’ll have to decide on his own.

Both he and Sadie have always howled and barked for about 5 minutes when Bill and I go away, but according to the neighbor they then stop unless some kid goes by on a skateboard. Since one of us have almost always been with him since he’s been incapacitated I don’t know if he barks the whole time we’re gone now or not and I haven’t asked the neighbor. It bothers me to leave him, but Sunday we took a motorcycle ride.

I thought it was going to be warmer than it was so I didn’t dress appropriate, I was freezing till we got to the Appalachian Harley Davidson dumb me. I did make sure I put Bill’s jean jacket on under my jacket before we left though. Bill wanted to buy me a sweatshirt, but the prices they put on their apparel is just to rich for my blood. They had tons of bikes and the 2 we liked are below because the colors are unique and you don’t see a lot around.

Bill dreams of getting a newer Harley with less miles, ours has 58 thousand, but it runs great and he has everything on it you can possibly put. He talked to some guy about stripping all his stuff off if he trades in and the guy said that was fine of course it wouldn’t be as big of a trade in, but all the accessories he has on ours cost a fortune. The only problem right now is the uncertainty of the economy.

It usually takes Bill a while to talk himself into anything because he likes to weigh all the pros and cons. I’m hoping for a trike myself because we aren’t getting any younger and it would just be easier with balancing although he’s a lot stronger than he looks. With the weight of the Harley and then our weight that’s 1,000 lbs, no way could I do it, wouldn’t even want to try. I need to go see what Shadow is whimpering about and get a few things done.