I've been living in motorcycle paradise (Jefferson County, Missouri) for more than a year now.
It's about @#$% time I did a ride report, don't you think? Sure you do.

I thought Wildhorse Creek Rd. was twisty. I thought Calhoun County, Illinois was hilly. Then I moved to "JeffCo." The roads in my neighborhood have more snake curves than an exotic dancer and more hills than hillbilly heaven. Check out the map above. Rock Creek Rd. and Four Ridge Rd. are, like most roads out here, "ridgerunners" that stay along the high points of the hills as much as possible. Of course that's not always possible so there's some nice steep sections. And you'll notice one of our many cool hairpin turns on Rock Creek Valley Rd.

If you live near St. Louis you should check out these roads. Do NOT take them very fast until you know them. Many of the curves are blind and some of the local dumbasses tend to cross the line on blind curves. And there's deer, box turtles, rodents, goats, cows and armadillos (new arrivals to the area) crossing the roads. It's like a video game . But remember, you only have one life.

One last thing about the Google map above. It's wrong. Some of the road names are not current. The MapQuest map of the area is wrong, too. I don't know if the Wunnenberg Street Guide is correct. But you eventually always wind up on a main road so I wouldn't worry too much about getting lost. Just fill up your gas tank before you explore my neighborhood.

Mototireusa near St. Louis.

Update to this post, 3-10-13: Black goo has been oozing out of the rear rim around one spoke. These clowns didn't replace the inner tube they damaged; they put fix-a-flat in my tube!!!!
I would take the bike back and insist they do it right BUT I CAN NO LONGER TRUST THEM.

Mototireusa in Fenton, Missouri installed my new Tourance tires. They didn't have the rear tube in stock but said my year-old tube looked fine.

Two weeks later I had a slow leak that rapidly became a fast leak.

I removed the wheel (knocking the bike off the center stand, because I was way too tired when I did it) and took it to Mototireusa. I wanted a new tube and I wanted to know why the old one failed.

Next morning the man tells me their tech had pinched the tube. No charge for the repair.10-13

Yes, the tech made a mistake. What tech never makes a mistake? I used to be a tech. I made mistakes sometimes.

Bottom line, I have come to expect service companies to lie about it when THEY screw up. Mototireusa owned up to their mistake and did what they could to make it right.

I'm impressed. I'll be back.

And yes, I knocked the Nun off the center stand when I was trying to get the rear tire off. I work for a lawn and garden parts department and spring came early this year. I had just spent three days working at full speed all day. I was so tired I literally couldn't see straight. So why did I tackle the job? Because I also wasn't thinking straight. I could have injured myself or damaged the bike but I'm alright and I think the bike's OK. I'll find out today when I try to round up the parts that scattered when the bike fell.

Spring comes early

I've been riding to work every day. Today I saw daffodils in full bloom all over the place. It's only March 1st.

I love my new Tourance tires. They stick like glue and steer like ESP. I just think where I want to go and I'm there.

The tires were the last puzzle piece. Everything feels right now. With the Triumph K&Q seat, the Dart Flyscreen and Tourance tires, the bike feels the way I want it to. It feels like mine.

And I'm living in the midst of the best back roads around.

I'm having a blast.

Hello from Port Charlotte, Florida

As I was told in the Triumph Rat forums, Florida is not a good place for motorcycling. This place is flat and boring. It's like the Great Plains with palm trees. I've only been here a few days and I'm already homesick for my Missouri hills. My wife loves it here but I really don't like it. I fly home tomorrow.

Tourance = wow

I just took my new Tourance tires for a hard ride in the twisties. I sought out gravel, sand and sod and could not make these tires slip without deliberately trying to. The Nun is now ready for some serious bad road exploring. I'm in love all over again.

Motorcycle Slang?

I've been riding a lot (thank god for mild St. Louis winters) and reading Dash Hammett, again. Motorcycling and 1920's gang slang are getting mixed up in my twisted mind. So listen youse guys...

I got an eightball model T (black and white T100) with a tripod (center stand), a shovel (Dart Flyscreen looks like a shovel head), a throne (King and Queen seat) and a pair of snakes (Tourance tire treads look like reptile scales), see?

Will these slang terms catch on? Geez, I sure hope not.

Hello out there

I'm still here.

I thought I would be writing more when winter weather prevented me from riding but so far I still ride every weekend. We've had very little snow and it's off the roads quickly. Let me say again that I am very glad to be back in the St. Louis area!\

I haven't been posting photos because I got out of the habit of carrying the camera with me. Whenever I see a breathtaking shot, there is no place to safely stop!! The roads out here are nicely paved but they have no shoulders.

And from August through December I had another pastime competing with the Nun for my attention. I got bit by the music bug and made an album of Space Age Synth Music. You can hear it all for free at

http://aejotz.com

Lately I've been bike crazy again and I haven't touched the synthesizers for weeks. I come back from a ride satisfied, but in an hour I'm restless and craving another ride. There's a lot on my mind lately, lots of problems around me, even though I'm OK personally. Riding the twisties is like being rocked in mama's arms. It's very comforting.

I was fish-tailing a lot yesterday so I finally ordered new tires. I'm putting Tourance on the Nun. I'll let you know what I think of them after I break them in.