A Soul Searching Ride Ahead

Ron 0:04

Hi friends, I'm Ron Francis in lovely Colorado, your host for Peace Love Moto, and today you're in for a soul searching story. Paul Kraus, who hosts the Colorado Vintage Motorcycle Show here in Colorado. Well, we have a talk. We have a very good talk. As with all interviews, totally unscripted, we're just sharing what's in our heads and in our hearts as motorcycle riders who also love the engineering part that went into building these machines. So, Paul, in this interview, he ties in our love for motorcycling from with what he calls the four Ps patience, presence, perspective, and purpose. Together, Paul and I discussed wrenching in the garage on a vintage bike, its wonderful message about the beauty of craftsmanship, and most importantly, how to be truly yourself, and how to be a better person. So, how does all this tie together? Well, we learn that working on our bikes and riding them is really good for us. It makes us happy. And if we're lucky, maybe we'll become a better person too. Yeah, this is a good conversation. Stay tuned. Recorded this beautiful lovely color motor. Welcome to Peace Love Moto, the podcast for motorcyclists seeking that peaceful, easy feeling as we cruise through this life together. Are you ready? Let's go.

Why Riders Need Quiet Time

Speaker 1 2:16

Thanks for joining me again, Paul. Hey Ron. Thanks for having me back. Really appreciate it.

Ron 2:22

My wife says I've never met a stranger. I guess that's true. But no, there are people I don't I have met and didn't like. That's true. I mean, I'm not I'm not a weirdo that way. But as you know, Paul, we're gonna get into this and other things. People who are in motorcycle circles, especially like the circles you and I run around in, and that we enjoy being with other people certainly, but we also enjoy the the solar rides and the mindfulness and working on bikes and things like that that make us a better person. Again, uh, you know, I feel like we're very much on the same page on that. And and that's why you are another guy I like to talk to. So I'll just age it up like that.

Paul 3:05

All right, thank you. Yeah, yeah, it it it's uh what Pee Wee Herman said, I'm a loner dotty, I'm a rebel, but in that whole movie of Pee Wee's Big Adventure, he meets new people all across the country. And I I feel like I've personified that in my own little little world. And and uh, but it's it's it's much bigger than that. Yeah, they're strangers, they're just friends you haven't met yet.

Restoring A 1947 Wizard Motorbike

Ron 3:28

So oh yeah, oh yeah. Well, for those who are avid listeners of this podcast, you will know that Paul and I have have talked before on this podcast, but we uh and I know we talked about a lot of things, and I don't want to re-rehash all of that, but one piece of it I've got to come back to because I just think it's such a a beautiful, wonderful story is the restoring of a family bicycle slash motorcycle. That's right, that's right. Would you mind describing that?

Speaker 1 3:59

Yeah, and and Ron, I I kind of feel bad. You came to, and we'll talk about the the bike show in a little bit, but uh, I feel bad because you you and your wife came down. I got to meet you for the first time here in Colorado at our little vintage bike show, and you're like, where's the wizard? And I'm like, I rode the Honda. Um that's okay. I I uh my I restored um my father's 1947 Wizard motorbike that he bought new in um in May of 1947. It's a kit motor that he put onto a uh Schwin bicycle frame, balloon tire bicycle frame. And uh he cherished that thing of all the things that he kept. That was one thing that was in the back of our shed, and he passed it along to me, and I said, Well, what do you want to do with it? He said, Let's restore it. So I uh took my time and and put it together, and that that has opened a world of motorcycles to me. I'm a late bloomer when it comes to motorcycles. Now we had three wheelers on the farm because motorcycles were not safe, and we all know where that story kind of goes. But we we uh um you know, it that bicycle started something in me uh late in life, but I just grabbed it by the horn and the timing was just right because it's introduced me to people, it's introduced me to a new hobby, uh a new way to spend my money, which is parts and and uh uh but also just it's given me something new to learn and or relearn uh when it comes to motorcycles and maintenance and restoration. And it it's a it's a thought process. I sit behind a glass screen five days a week, and uh the only glass screen I want to see is my phone when I'm either looking at a YouTube video or picking the next song that I'm gonna listen to.

A Model T And Losing Track

Ron 5:55

Yeah. Yeah. You and I have gone down a similar path in that in my garage right now is a 1926 Ford Model T Coupe. And I inherited that from my dad's older brother. Um it took a little while. I've had it about 10 years now. It took a little while uh with the help of the local Model T club, got it running again, and continued to drive it for quite a while. Then I got so overwhelmed with work in corporate America and started traveling literally every week for a long time. And then I let the car sit up. And uh so it's it too is I I've I just was looking through back back through some old pictures just recently of my Uncle Melvin, and it was his. And I've seen my Uncle Melvin standing in front of that car. He fully restored this 1926, and I am highly motivated. I absolutely positively have to get that car running again this year because it's a 1926, and we're at 2026, 100 years old.

Speaker 1 7:00

That's amazing.

Ron 7:02

Are are you like me when it comes to this? Is this specifically what happened with me one particular night? Um I'm out there working on it shortly after I got it. I'm underneath the car, uh, doing whatever underneath it. And my wife comes out into the garage and she says, Honey, you know it's 10 30 p.m., right?

Speaker 1 7:24

She knows not to come out anymore. That's the that's the whole thing. It's like she knows that uh she's actually to the point where she's like, Aren't you about due for another project? Which I'm like, are you feeling okay? Because I'm running out of room. But you know, she knows how good it is. But time flies when you're when you're out there and you're it's not like you can just stop after five minutes or 20 minutes or 30 minutes. I I told I would have to start and tell her, like, this is gonna take, I need at least two hours because I've got a lot of steps. I'm trying to anticipate that's there's gonna be about seven other steps that I couldn't anticipate that are gonna fall into place, and I might have to fix those things too as I go

Gear As A Pre Ride Ritual

Speaker 1 8:05

through it.

Ron 8:05

Yeah, yeah. Well, uh to to segue a little bit, when before we started recording, you and I uh talked about another big thing that we have in common, and that's kind of the philosophy of riding, why we ride and why it makes us feel the way it does. Maybe that's unexplainable, but the importance of riding in our own lives. And uh you and I both, uh you're currently in leadership in the corporation that you're in. I was for many years too. And um it it seems like it's a deal where the mental health aspects, how whatever is your help with that, uh for us, it happens to be motorcycling, but it's as critical as ever to help ourselves and help other people understand the mental aspects, the mental benefits of riding a motorcycle. It's not that way for everybody. Some people just leave it in the garage on a charger all the time. But many of us, like you and me, we're out all the time.

unknown 9:10

We're out on the bike.

Ron 9:12

I was 280 miles yesterday. Retired. I can do that. But so do you mind kind of describing your thoughts on uh you you'd mentioned um uh an episode that I had just just very recently, the all the gear all the time thing, right? And where it's it's it's much more than just are you gonna be protected or do you choose not to be? But there's a philosophical piece to that. So I don't know where I'm going. If I if I even have a specific question, Paul, but uh you and I were talking about that, and I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Speaker 1 9:49

Yeah, I mean, listening to that podcast, that particular episode, and you mentioned that when you're putting on your gear, it's a ritual. And you believe that it leads to a more meaningful ride because you know, the snap of your helmet clasp and you know, the snugness of your gloves, making sure everything kind of fits right. And um it it kind of prepares you for that that that ride. You know, getting on, starting it, uh whatever the vehicle is and the sequence that you put things through, you um you know, check in pressure and and lights and all that. Um when we're getting ready, you know, you you I wrote this down, uh don't rush the process. You know, when I think when we're rushed, like think about it, like you're you're off to work and you're late and and uh you know the the Beatles saying at best, uh woke up, jumped out of bed, and you know, you rush downstairs and and you know it it it's one of those things of like how do I prepare myself for the day if if we're having a bad day at work or you know, there's some stressful moment. Um, I I started to kind of gather some notes just kind of off to the side on my own to think through how am I doing this? This there's no playbook when I went to college. There's no course or conference that taught me how to do this. Perhaps if I would have sought professional help if needed, uh maybe I would have had some assemblage to this. But I really feel like I started to um resonate with some of the things you're discussing with all the gear. And here, philosophically, I feel like gear is more of kind of like our our thoughts and how we approach these stressful times. And you know, that attention is distracted with worry when we're we're caught up in all those thoughts. And that leads to like all these things that started to kind of flow into my brain, which was like uh, you know, predicament and pain and and procrastination and pitifulness and panic and all these words started to show up with the letter P and it's unrelated to my first name, Paul, but maybe that's I always joke that Paul is a four-letter word if I was in trouble. Uh but um you know, most of us start trapped in all that noise, start to get trapped, you know, and and all these words kind of kept coming. As as soon as I just started picking on these all these negativity elements, it it it uh um I was like, wow, this there's a lot more here to unpack than I I realized. And this isn't just about doing things differently, it it's about becoming someone different. It requires us to let go for dear life. And you might remember that that turn, let go for dear life, from our friends at uh go fast, don't die. They have a teacher with birth. Um and um you know, I I feel like these are those little things in the universe that kind of came to me at at at certain times and I was able to kind of put those together. Um and you know, all these these problematic things that are kind of invading us, uh we need to be able to shift our mindset. And when we shift our mindset mindset, we shift our output. And what I mean by that is a change in mindset leads to a change in action, a change in behavior, and a change in lifestyle. And what that ultimately turns into we're trying to focus on emotional management, and that starts with patience.

The Four Ps Framework

Speaker 1 13:44

You always gotta start with patience. And I'm I'm gonna sprinkle in a few quotes and things here that kind of feel really relevant to me at least. And there is a Buddhist saying, and I I I don't know how how uh accurate I have translated this, but pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional. Which I thought was really, really like when you're patient, there's a uh there's a moment of yeah, it's this is real, this you know but if if I can wait this out and think through deeply, um your character is defined by two extremes, how you act when you have nothing, and your attitude when you have everything.

Ron 14:31

Oh, that's good.

Speaker 1 14:33

And so patience is kind of that first step. The second step is presence. So once you're patient and you've kind of calmed down, now you have presence. So now you gotta be with yourself in the in this moment. And this is that hurry up and wait philosophy. And the strategy is perspective comes from the macro, which is zooming out, and insight comes from the micro, which is zooming in. And this is from a uh uh a technology leader uh out of Chicago, Jason Freed, who, you know, he said that both are enhanced when you have the courage to zone out for a while, which I really like because like when we go and ride and we're kind of clear in our head, we're actually more present with ourselves in that moment. And I think we're being more honest with ourselves on a long cruise, on a beautiful evening. Um something maybe not as technical, but it it really helps us open up and and kind of find some of these sources. And with a clear lens, we can finally move from thinking to doing, and that's finding our purpose. Once you have your patience, now it's time to find presence. And presence is about finding balance. And this is regarding a kind of a philosophy around listening is a discipline. It's all about being present at that moment in time, and that's where we can finally start to see clearly. And from that level of clarity, you can finally start to get a little bit of perspective. If you see what I mean. That perspective, it comes from zooming out, and insight comes from zooming in. And they're both enhanced by zoning out for a while. So in that moment, that's when I'm starting to think about when we go for a ride. Maybe when we're wrenching in the garage. Sure, I know how to change the oil on my bike. I'm going through the processes and the steps, but there's always something in the back of my head that's work noodling on something, working on other thoughts, maybe a problem I'm trying to solve. And that's that zoning out for a while piece that really helps me gain that perspective.

Ron 16:57

Yeah.

Speaker 1 16:58

Once I have those three things, patience, presence, and perspective, and I say that kind of in a very calm tone, which is patience, presence, perspective, then I can get more tactical, and that's where purpose comes in. And purpose is the fourth P that I talked about, that it's the meaning of life. The meaning of life is to find your gift and the purpose of life is to give it away. And that was a Pablo Picasso quote that I had found that I found I thought was really, really wonderful. And and when I'm trying to work through either my own stressful pieces in life or talk with a team member who might be struggling with with something at work, I'm not asking them to give them give up their time, but they're a very valued uh person in our organization. But I want to kind of find that moment where they can find their patience to be present and gain their perspective. And what that does is it helps them realign their purpose so they can go on with their day. And that's that's I found that this little methodology has many different avenues that actually works out pretty well for a lot of instances where we feel like we're struggling, where we feel like we're stuck. And that gives me, you know, a lot of pause when I can feel like I've done a good job, at least for that day, and given it you know, given somebody new light and gives them a little bit more direction that they can they can chase down other problems and maybe they have some new tools that they can use on their own and kind of walk through these steps on their own to to solve uh the next hurdle that they've got to come across.

Leadership Stress And Being Present

Ron 19:09

Yeah, yeah. Uh we were talking a little bit again before we started recording of that that um you and I, you're still going down that path, and it's a path that I have gone down for many years in leadership and computer, computer industry. And any number of times, the vast majority of people who reported to me uh were the same age as my kids, at least the same age as my son, oftentimes the same age as my daughter. So we're talking yeah, in the 30s there, early 30s and mid-30s. And um it was things like this that I tried very hard to share with my employees um to give them the perspective that there's more to it than this. This whole corporate world, this dream of climbing the corporate ladder and all this good stuff, um, we know as clearly as anything between the combination of artificial intelligence, automation, offshoring, so and so forth. Uh it's a tough, tough, tough world out there. But what I kept telling my employees over and over again, the vast majority of them having young children at home, I would say I I told them this perspective on this whole thing, this whole corporate world, um it could go away like that. And it does sometimes. And what won't go away like that, though, is those relationships that you've got at home. And here's the thing whether you're a man or a woman, either way, especially if you have children at home, um, they need you happy. They need to know that when you're done with work, you're done with work and you're focused completely on them as opposed to being awake all night worrying or whatever. I don't know where I'm going with this, but I think um it That's that's presence, right?

Speaker 1 21:06

That's uh I I always talked about pre-pandemic and working from home. I I've been remote for a long time, and one of the struggles was I was in the same house, just on a different floor, and my commute was fifteen seconds up the stairs. And what I realized was I was still bringing work home, even though it was up the stairs, and I missed having that drivable commute that I could process all those things so what once I walked in the door, I could be present. And I could be there for the kids or my wife and and uh just start the evening uh helping with homework, cooking dinner, uh whatever. But uh presence is is so important. That's one of the probably the more important of the Ps right now. But I give them equal weighting, but it it is certainly. gives me uh that focus that I can listen to how their day went. You know, I can, I can, I can be there for them. Not that they're asking for advice from the old man, but it it it definitely uh it it it becomes a you you feel more in tune with them in their lives. And they don't need to hear about you know water cooler talk or any of the stuff at the office. You know, I I can kind of sum that up pretty quickly and package it away and just leave leave work at work and be home.

Ron 22:33

Yeah. It's it's interesting that you you you've hit on the topic of purpose. So this past week a couple days ago actually I had the opportunity to go down to Denver to uh motorcycle dealership down there. We were just kind of just talking about a lot of different things. But one of the things that I shared with them was um I'm trying to keep confidentiality here too but uh an interview that I did with a very important person in the motorcycle industry and he relayed to me that he said in my business we do a really really good job of checking the box of adventure. So I can I can take these folks on this massive tour or whatever they end up at the Grand Canyon they get a picture with their Harley Davidson behind them with a coors beer in their hand and they're hanging their legs off the Grand Canyon and there's their hero shot. So I've checked the box of adventure. He said what I struggle with and I think all of us in this industry the tourism industry struggle with is purpose because it's a lot more a lot more than that. And so I as I was brainstorming with these uh these folks the other day down in Denver we were talking we were just kind of kicking around ideas of what would be important to them to relate to their customers and these people that are part of a motorcycle club that would be coming to my presentations because I was just open up you know I was completely open as to what do you want to hear? You know, type of thing. And that's what they came up with too I think it was the manager said purpose. Says what you know riding riding with a purpose or the purpose driven ride or something like that. And um that I I see it too you know I as you've kind of alluded to we're just we're in quite a bit of a mental health crisis here in the United States and worldwide for that matter because of everything going on the news for one thing endless cycle of what's the next disaster happening here and

Purpose Beyond Adventure Tourism

Ron 24:35

just uh you know um social media uh everything associated with that and just overall stress traffic noise everything like that and um people people guys like us are making really really really bad decisions out there not to go down that route too much but they're making really bad decisions because they're running out of hope. And so to me it seems like it's up to guys like us who struggle ourselves too but we found some kind of outlet here at least uh through our faith through our family but based on this conversation through our motorcycles this this whole thing of this whole Zen mindfulness thing when you think about it and you practice it and you go out for a ride. Again I was out for 280 miles yesterday I was out for about 10 hours because I was up in the mountains I went through uh birth and pass winter park walden you know all these areas I was all over out there hitting some dirt roads too and I don't listen to music at all I don't use the headphones I check my phone to see if my wife needs me every once in a while uh but uh did I have an insightful day yesterday for 280 miles oh yeah I get I think that's why I'm so keyed up now because I'm just in a great mood it just great it it's that dopamine reach that that doesn't come on a glass screen it it comes from the wilderness it comes from the side of the road or you know it's the journey of the destination cliche but it there's a lot to be said about that and you know I think you hit it on the head like like I said before I'm a late comer to this this whole industry and hobby but I got invited to help participate in these vintage motorcycle shows by virtue of my dad's motorbike and that's led to a great friendship with a really good friend of mine who lives here near named Bob Kelly and he's kind of been that moto mentor of mine and I help him he'll he'll bring a load of bikes home from some excursion in Wyoming or Idaho or something and he found something on Marketplace or Craigslist and he'll need help unloading and and we talk about it and I ask why it's important and he's really helped giving me that that background that has been missing in my life in in the motorcycle world to kind of start connecting those dots and but Bob started this this vintage motorcycle show in different names and locations across Colorado but he's been doing it since 2009.

Building The Vintage Bike Show

Speaker 1 27:25

Oh and I got aboard because he knew that I could do some graphic design work and and I've been really it it kind of serves as that outlet that I can't do at the office in my line of work professionally, but I still get to scratch that itch. And more importantly like well you came to the show last year and I got to meet you for the first time and I apologize it was so quick but you it was just a mess of people and a mess of the ton of people yeah you had a lot going on for for the listeners it it's a humble show of about two two hundred and fifty bikes that come in. It's a ride in ride out show with we don't do awards um we don't have time for that we we do allow a few industry partners to set up a tent if they're an upholsterer or uh even like a uh local independent uh insurance agent um and we've you know developed some some really good friendships with uh other groups and and independent shops that just want to get their name out there and you know you talk about purpose this this you know fills my heart i I can't sleep the night before like I'm so excited to get things set up and I'm down there and and uh in this small little parking lot in historic Erie, Colorado an old mining town and uh the parking lot of a uh old church uh Methodist church building was built in eighteen eighty eight in the as a backdrop and you have all bikes all sizes worldwide you know uh brands represented and you you hear the conversation of these people that come through. And uh um you know and I've I've kind of captured a handful of those and you didn't realize at the time that you're bringing somebody together you know sure there's networking and somebody's got parts for a bike or trying to sell a bike and you know we don't exchange money for any of this stuff. We just open the parking lot and we just require the bike be 25 years old or older which hurts every year after the year 2000 now because that I struggled with a bit more but 2000 feels like a new bike. I'm sorry. No it's it's true. But we two years ago we had a a gentleman and his wife who he walked up to a 1962 BMW and he looked to his wife and I happen to be standing there and he said I rode on the back of the one of these with my mom and dad as we escaped the 1956 Hungarian revolution and left to go to Austria. Wow I mean goosebumps right now because I I I I've told this a number of times to a bunch of people and it just it never I mean this I never could have written this in a playbook that this is what I wanted the outcome to be. This is just what that show can represent and bring it it's something different for every participant and I was just glad that somebody brought a 1962 BMW and parked it there. And I'm glad that somebody walked up and had a relationship not with that exact bike but of the same era. He had something that was deeply meaningful and uh uh he wanted to share it out loud with the people around him yeah uh bear with me a second I'm gonna see if I can tie this in I mentioned it in a podcast episode a while back probably two or three times there's a book that has on its cover a vintage airhead BMW and the title of the book is shop class as Soulcraft.

Ron 31:25

Are you familiar with that?

Speaker 1 31:26

I know I know that one yeah yeah I haven't read that I it's it's on the list for sure.

Ron 31:31

Um the the premise of the whole thing is that we screwed up with our kids when we or the education system took shop class out of school and replaced it with computer class because we took away the value of your hands being on something and your hands working with something and learning the engineering that's happening mechanically in there that that we really robbed our kids of something thinking that oh no no no focus on the computer that's the future. I don't know do you do you have thoughts on that?

Shop Skills And Soulcraft

Speaker 1 32:10

You know growing up in the 80s um my dad handful of my brothers uh and myself at the time we were uh we were gifted a really special thing but it it my dad would go to a farm option and he'd already have it kind of picked out from the listing but uh my particular gift was a 1955 Chevy pickup out of ransom Kansas on gosh it would have been Halloween day in in eighty seven or eighty eight and had fifty five thousand miles on it and very little rust and we drove it home and he said get to work he said go to the library learn how to do bodywork um you know he here's the shop let's let's and he helped me overhaul the engine you know 235 in line six and uh I did some very poor body work that somebody down the road probably laughed at and said what was this guy thinking and like I was 14 years old but uh I had the book and I did my best and and uh you know but I also had shop class but this was even better because I I was at my own pace and I was working in the evenings um you know listening to a football game on a Saturday in the fall it took me a while it took me a couple of years but I took it down to the frame and I put it back together and and I drove it for a number of years and uh it was special. And you know when you do take away shop class for me I knew that there was a value there and had been gifted myself a few years ago my Aunt Esther's 1936 Ward Hawthorne step through bicycle and it it was in pretty rough shape. It had been used as yard art. My cousin uh had had uh retrieved it from some house that she'd given it to and they decided to put it in the yard and long story short he came to me and and my daughter at the time who was probably eleven or twelve um she was ready to roll up her sleeve so sh we went out there you know the skip tooth chain was frozen rusted shut and and we had a lot of penetrating oil that needed to be administered to get a lot of things loose but uh you know she still thinks back to those days in the garage of you know problem solving how are we going to get this apart it's a very basic thing it's a bicycle but you go beyond that and there's just a real good connection with this object and she lovingly refers to it as Esther after my aunt Esther. Oh Need Dean and we put a basket on the front and she'll ride it around town go down to Walgreens and get a a soda or get some groceries and come back and and it's just you know it's been a it's it's it's it's gonna be hers from here on out.

Ron 35:18

Yeah that's beautiful I recently read David McCullough's book on the Wright brothers and it was so so good. I almost want to I I may read it again basically but it talked it talked about how they were the two brothers were so mechanically inclined and had such a vision for something that didn't exist yet being the airplane and they what what made me think about this is they had their bike shop. So instead of getting government funding and all this other stuff in order to have the money to go and dedicate themselves full time to working on inventing the airplane that would be used by the military or whatever else uh when they would run out of money they went and sold and worked on bicycles again. And so I guess it was the mechanical mind behind that of being able to create that and I love the fact that I've been able to see some of their bicycles as well that they that they made. Yeah.

Speaker 1 36:16

Have you been to Greenfield Village in Deerport? Yes we took the kids through there a number of years ago and uh you know to see their childhood home right next to their bicycle shop of course you know Henry Ford brought the buildings in and re you know re-established them but to walk into that bicycle shop there's just a presence there. Yeah there's a just a real neat like it was it was smaller than you think in that back room where the if anybody's gone in there that you don't you can't fathom they did all this in this tiny spot and to have those display cabinets and you know the bicycles and chain rings and the and the cabinets or the bikes up above and and uh uh it was just it was that was a really important of all the buildings there that was one of my favorites just because it had such a uh a a big impact on what we take for granted I think today I love the fact at least while we were there and I guess they continue to do that they were driving Model T's around all over the place and getting the Model T's. I love that yeah we were in the the train roundhouse they were working on Henry's actual train so instead of limousine's going or or you know cars he took across the country he he had a train and uh there was a guy up in the conductor seat and this thing is torn apart and and they're using old wrenches and and kind of talking back and forth and I looked at the guy and said you must have the best job in the world and he kind of rolled his eyes like he was taking it for granted like well come on man you're working the playground yeah yeah yeah so yeah there there is something to be

Trusting Old Machines On The Road

Speaker 1 38:06

said.

Ron 38:06

I mean I think it links into mindfulness clear thinking relaxation all of this together there's something really special about having a relationship with a machine something that's mechanical something that has a little age to it or the thing I love about the two motorcycles I have in the garage I've got a BMW GS Adventure 1250 and I've got a uh a Triumph Model T120. I used to have four bikes but my wife insists especially with the Model T, you have two and that's all you will have. But anyway that I I say that because even spending the day out on on one of my bikes yesterday I think about the engineering that went into these bikes. Something I appreciate about my uh Triumph Bonneville is that when you take the seat off and you look at the bottom of the tank there's a signature there and it's the person who painted the tank in England. That's great.

Speaker 1 39:06

Well then when I mean you have a relationship with a bike you restore you do that first shakedown run you feel everything you're listing for everything you're you're in that present zone of the bike and I I have a very low mile 1978 CB400 T which is the uh it's not the Hondomatic it's actually uh uh uh four speed five speed and the it runs flawlessly it's it's 3,000 miles brand it looks brand new it's it's absolutely flawless and there'll be a day where I I'm gonna feel something off but I don't know what it is because I haven't restored it. I haven't touched it I I've just I woke it back up when it after a big long slumber. Versus you know I've got a handful of trail 90s that I've I've uh picked up and they're usually very well loved and uh you know every nut and bolt because you had it apart five times you put it back together five times and and uh so if something goes wrong and you're riding it you feel it and you you hear it. You might smell it. All those things, right? And it it uh you you you build that relationship but it's trying to teach you something you didn't realize you needed taught and you're trying to help coax it along so it has another day to live. And uh you know it just it's it's a it's a good relationship that you can have with a bike and then there's a there's a level of trust that goes along with an old bike you know can this old bike make it up to Loveland to have coffee with Ron someday probably um and uh Dad's wizard was one of those I was unsure because that thing it rattles and your center of gravity is super high on this thing because it's a bicycle and you go over a set of railroad tracks and you're like you go back through and you check every nut and bolt and just make sure everything's fastened down and uh because you don't dare let a family heirloom you know have a have a an accident and and uh but yeah you just you just want to make sure that that that it's all all put together and and uh um but yeah the craftsmanship it all everything has a place and it fits because somebody thought to make it fit you know that kit motor on the bicycle it has to fit in a very tight spot and when you when I finally get to show you this uh this bike the spark plug it doesn't have like a a boot on the the spark plug wire it it's those old school ones it just had a little clip on there but the the biggest question I have with that bike is how does the spark plug not jump to the frame? It's oh yeah it's less than an inch away. Yeah and uh um it's really close and I said I've never had a problem with it but it all it all fits. Somebody thought about an engineer understood you know how to keep something between your knees and balanced on a bike and lightweight with aluminum and uh it just it it it starts up every time it puts a smile on your face you go go get ice cream and uh um or just toot around town it's it's it doesn't matter if it's a big bike or a little bike just the the most important part is that you're out there doing it.

Ron 42:54

Yeah yeah I as I mentioned with the Ford Model T that we've got here after I got it running um a few years ago uh we would my wife and I would go in it and we'd take our dog because the three of us that's all that fits two adults and a dog is pretty much all that fits. And going around in that little car, it was like we described it's like being in a parade all the time. You are constantly waving or people will won't will do the motion to the horn and it's got the IUGA horn in it. Oh it's just so much fun. And again I what I enjoy when people ask me about it, I enjoy telling them that yes, this was my uncle's it was my dad's older brother's older brother but probably more importantly this car was made when uh Charles Lindberg was flying across the Atlantic and it this was made when the jazz singer came out with talking pictures. So the the hands that went into hand assembling this car, I think about that all the time as I drive it. This is the way it felt to Drive this car when it was brand new. I just love that. I just love that whole vintage, the ghost that were there before. And since, you know, my my uncle had passed passed away a number of years ago. But I think about too, I think about him. That the way my cousin, his daughter described it, Uncle Melvin loved that car. He worked on it constantly, just always trying to improve it, even when he had dementia. So that was that was a little interesting too. It was a bit of a uh, yeah, I found some interesting things. But uh all that being said, there's just uh I don't know. Somehow this whole mindfulness, the whole purpose thing, and the whole vintage bikes and the circle around this object that we just love, I think it's pretty darn good for us.

Speaker 1 44:50

Yeah. Really do.

Mentoring A Norton Back To Life

Ron 44:52

As opposed to people who are doing whatever else, maybe destructive stuff. I think that this is really good for us.

Speaker 1 44:59

You know, and I think kind of a good cap to this. Uh last summer I was introduced to a neighbor one block over. And it's funny that I could say that I've never met this guy and I've lived in this neighborhood for 20 years, and he's been here for almost 30 years. And we just met last year. And he's a retired gentleman. They too have a uh mid-20s Chevy sedan that was has been in the family since new. Um, but he he uh threw neighborhood gossip. Uh they they knew that I worked on motorcycles, old motorcycles, and they said, You need to talk to Paul. And so I got to talking with him, and he says uh early 70s and he um he said I've got in pieces my 1973 Norton commando that he bought new when he got out of service in Seattle, Washington. He rode it 14,000 miles and had some oil delivery issue and and uh to which he slowly started to disassemble it and moved it across the country. He said, I think three or four houses that he's been in, and uh so I've been helping him encourage him to to get it going. And it it was kind of a slow start, but he had it all unpackaged in his basement across the pool table. And everything was it was it was like kind of like when you opened up your old plastic models and you had the all the parts were kind of neatly placed inside that big plastic ring and you had to break them apart. That's kind of what it looked like, just exploded out all the motorcycle parts. He uh he's an engineer, retired engineer, and so he knew what he was doing and he just needed it, he needed the motivation. But and I think that our our bike show uh is is providing that for him, and he's maybe it won't be ready for this year, but he he had a slow patch over the winter. And because I kept dugging him like, how's it coming? How's it going? He kind of came up with the idea and said, I'm gonna text you every Sunday night with a weekly status. He's putting that pressure on himself right. Um finding the motivation to and where to start. And right this last week, my latest update was he's waiting on parts, another load of parts that he needed, bushings and other stuff. But he's and I've I've been able to help connect him with the Norton Club out here, with a handful of uh local shops um to either if if that something was bigger than what he could take on, uh that had a good reputation and and knew that bike itself. So uh I'm really hoping I can help get Mike back on the road. I don't want it to be too late. I don't want it to be one of those moments he he rode across the country. Uh and not that he would want to do that again, but it'd be really great to see him get on the bike and ride.

Ron 48:12

Yeah, that'd be a beautiful thing. Well, well, Paul, uh, I know you and I are gonna be visiting again in person sooner than later in the coming weeks or months or whatever. Um but uh thanks for thanks for being on the show again. And uh I know very much that the the the feedback that I get from the listeners is that they enjoy hearing from uh people I've met and and and friends, and they enjoy just those casual conversations. This is not a podcast that's uh about any kind of shock and awe, obviously. And we're not sitting around getting drunk either. We're just talking about stuff that we'd love, you know?

Speaker 1 48:56

Yeah, and I feel like I've had that almost that connection with you from the very beginning. Just just jammering away and and uh you know, whatever comes to it. That's just natural conversation. That's what we do over coffee, that's what we do in a parking lot, uh, you know, run into each other in the grocery store. That's just you know, top of mind stuff. I really appreciate the outlet.

Ron 49:17

Well, one thing we certainly have in common is we realize how blessed we are. And uh, you know, there's a lot of things behind that. But uh I think once you recognize that, um a lot of the other problems seem to melt away. You know, uh they're still there, it's still stuff to be worked on, but when you feel like, dang, I'm lucky. Uh but Paul, thanks again, man. I really appreciate talking again soon.

Speaker 1 49:42

Thanks, Ron. Thanks for having me on. We'll see you soon.

Show Date And Final Takeaways

Ron 49:51

I don't think we mentioned it specifically in the interview, but the Colorado Vintage Motorcycle Show is happening soon, on June 13th. I'll have details in the show notes. Meanwhile, I still appreciate people like Paul, guys I can talk with freely and share ideas. It's just great. I hope everybody has a friend like that. It's clear that his passion for motorcycling goes way beyond the mechanics. As we discussed, it's a form of mindfulness and a way to reconnect with ourselves and then our loved ones too. Whether you're restoring a 1947 wizard or finding yourself out on a 280-mile ride in the middle of the mountains, the message is the same. It's about patience and presence, perspective, and purpose. It resonates so deep. Until we visit again. Keep on riding. Ride with purpose, and I hope to see you out there. Peace.