The Dark Days Are Coming

     As much as we try to force our will on the seasons we will never be able to eliminate the cold months and adverse road conditions of winter.  Some, based on your location, are immune to such horrible things.  However, for those of us in the nether regions, we stand at our window and stare in disbelief as the first snow flake gently falls to the ground.  We hear it laughing at us as it passes by the window pane.  We defiantly stare it in the face and quietly whisper, "you suck."  We mope around the house with no direction or focus in life.  We seek counsel from our friends in an effort to gain from them a sense of understanding - why is the happening?  You think, "Perhaps if we band together as we do in the summer we can survive the dark days."  But they are in no better shape than you; pitifully staring at the walls with no chance of happiness.  We walk to the garage and console our ride; we assure it that the upcoming storage is not due to any infraction of the rules; it is not being punished.  We assure our faithful partner that those things that do not kill us make us stronger.  We remind it that life as we know it has not ended, just put on hold for a short time.

     OK, a little melodramatic there so we'll stop.  However, winter is coming which means our rides are going to get stuck in a corner of the garage for a few months.  This is the time to prepare our motorcycles for storage.  We'll not get into how to do that; most already know how.  If you don't know how to winterize your ride then the ever-popular Google search will prove helpful.  Gas, battery, tires and oil will all need a little TLC; a good cleaning and coat of wax maybe.  The more you do now the less you will have to do on the first good riding day that will come in a few months.

     Winter is the perfect time to change tires, brakes and filters.  Maybe a paint job is in order.  Preventative maintenance will keep you upright and riding next season and provides a barrier between you and an unexpected breakdown.  The most important thing to do is not spend money un-necessarily... you need to tuck that money away so you can use it during the 2014 Hoka Hey.

     Several initiatives are in the works for the Hoka Hey Family and we will be asking assistance from some of you.  In fact, we have enough "irons in the fire" that we can give every Hoka Hey Rider a small project to do during the winter; that is, if you are a willing warrior.  Route planning, marketing, spreading the word, fund raising, pictures, short stories, videos... just a short list.  If you want to be a part of what we are planning then please contact us.  You will not regret it - the winter will not be wasted.

     Oh yea, one last thing.  Don't let anyone stack boxes on your ride or use the handle bar grips as a cloths hanger.  Your ride has feelings and it too is suffering during the dark days.