A Fun Place for Local Bikers to Hang Out

Today I visited a local Everett, Washington business that I had read a lot about. It was a delight. The place is called ‘Old Strokers Motorcycle Works’. It is located at 2816 Hewitt Ave, Everett. The store has been in business for almost 2 years.

When you walk inside the shop there is an instant cozy feeling, which carries through the whole place. The owners are Randy and Sandy Morris who were very friendly and sat and talked with us for quite a while. The store carries all kinds of motorcycle related gear, although on a small scale. They strive to only sell locally made merchandise, artwork, and clothing. There were some really unique items that caught my eye as I surveyed the goods.

We walked to the rear of the store, which has an espresso bar, snacks, and lots of comfortable seating. There were lots of people just hanging out there, exchanging biker stories and enjoying each others company. Some of them were from a local VME (Vintage Motorcycle Enthusiasts) group and they were older riders with lots of history behind them. These guys also were talking about playing motorcycle soccer! That was something I hadn’t heard of. The walls are covered with local racer photos, vintage posters and artwork, and just a lot of interesting things to look at. There is also a fireplace to keep everyone warm and cozy this time of year.

The shop organizes weekly meetups and rides when the weather looks good. They have movie nights, dinners, and other social events for bikers to keep busy with during the winter. There are a couple of women’s riding groups that meet there also, one of them being the Chrome Divas.

I don’t live real close to Everett, but I will definitely go back, hang out, and have a latte. Even the coffee is from a local independent vendor who roasts his own beans! It was one of the best lattes I’ve had in a long time. They are also adding a small kitchen so will serve sandwiches and such after March.

If you are ever in the neighborhood, the shop is located just a few blocks off of I-5 and has lots of parking. I like to support the local economy so I stand behind the small businesses in our area. Old Strokers doesn’t have a website, but their My Space page is at www.myspace.com/oldstrokers. Their hosted rides are posted on Meetup.com . Check it out.

Wedding weekend with motorcycles

My only child is getting married this Sunday, Sept. 16. He has rebuilt his dad's 1971 HD Sportster 1000 and customized it a little. The plan is for he and his groomsmen to arrive on their motorcycles to the wedding site, in their tuxes. They will set up motorcycle parking for others who ride there. I, as the mother of the groom, will be wearing a dress, so won't be riding up on mine.

My 82 year old mother and my brother are flying in from the Bay Area today, so I will have my hands full for a few days. I won't be posting until after the weekend, unless I get some free time away from all the festivities. I plan to take alot of pictures so my next post should have some cool motorcycles in it.

So for now, here is a video I found interesting about women bikers in India:

Destination - ride for food

Almost every time my husband and I decide to go for a motorcycle ride, food becomes the final destination. It is usually on a weekend when we’ve gotten up a little late and decide to ride for a nice breakfast at one of our favorite cafés. Then we might take a longer ride after we are fat and happy.

We plan our routes in advance, making sure that the end of our ride will bring a necessary break and a meal. Even if we are on a long ride, we make sure there is a town to stop in around meal times. Our favorite is to get lunch and we’re willing to ride quite a distance for some of our best remembered meals.

Another thing that makes us happy is to come across a farmer’s market or fresh produce stand. We love to take leftovers from our meal or fruits and vegetables home in our saddlebags.

If you’ve been following the second season of Feasting on Asphalt with Alton Brown on the Food Network, you will see we are not the only people who ride for food. This season seems to have better food stops and more interesting people along the way. What a dream job to ride around the country eating your way through it. They have a good sized group of guys riding together while they are filming on the road. It always looks like the crew can’t wait to eat but have to until they are through filming the segment.

I have many friends who ride motorcycles, and they agree that they also ride for food and a brew. It is a common thread among people who ride to plan where they will land for a meal or a beverage. If you play it by ear, still the best rides eventually involve food.

Good food is one of the joys of life. I enjoy cooking at home, but even better than that is riding your motorcycle to a food destination. Two things I love, food and motorcycle riding. It doesn’t get much better!

Motorcycle Day Trip up State Highway 9

Since today is the start of the Labor Day weekend, we decided to go for a nice motorcycle ride. The weather was sunny and the sky was a clear blue, something we haven’t had enough of this summer for our weekend enjoyment.

We got a late start this morning so decided to take a nice 40 mile ride north to Arlington, WA where there was a Cycle Barn we could check out. By then we would be ready to catch a bite to eat – our destinations always seem to involve eating in one way or another.

We got the bikes out, and this time I brought the camera so I can start taking pictures of things along the way. I am not a photographer by any means, and nothing seems to look as beautiful in a picture as it does in real life. I put my saddlebags back on the bike, since they had been off while I ‘tried’ to work on the cycle and had to take the seat off.

It was a real nice cruise heading east from our town. We picked up Washington State Highway 9 just near the southern border of Snohomish County. Then we headed north. It is a very straight, two-lane road with a 55 mph speed limit most of the way. It is lined on both sides with dense trees and the occasional rural house or clearing. The section of road we were on has recently been paved and so was smooth and great for cruising.




These pictures were taken after I missed a road, and ended up on a detour road. I had to snap some of the beauty before we headed back towards the motorcycle shop we were looking for.

We found the Cycle Barn and I found some riding jeans with a skull on the back pocket that I had to have. After looking at all the shiny motorcycles, I bought the pants and we left. By then we decided it was time to eat. My better half had noticed a Der Weinersnitzel on one of the previous roads. Oh! That is from my childhood and I didn’t know they still had them. This one was new and was a combo Tastee Freeze/Der Weinersnitzel. They have many kinds of hot dogs and ice cream treats! It was yummy.

Finally we were full, happy, and ready to head
home. We had a perfect ride back passing through Lake Stevens, which is a beautiful sapphire blue lake that has parks and many residences around it. It is large enough for waterskiing and other speed boats. The areas we covered are mostly rural with more and more subdivisions popping up everywhere. We only saw one dead possum, remnants of a dead rat, and one dead raccoon on the road.

My Suzuki S40 ran pretty good all the way, but started acting squirrelly like it was going to die a couple of times on the way back while sitting at red lights. All in all it was an 81 mile round trip ride and a lot of fun. I hope to ride somewhere new tomorrow. It was fun....

Ride for a cause

A while back I stopped at my local Brier coffee stand one morning, Jason’s Java. He is one of a handful of businesses in my small town and knows everyone. I noticed on the take-out window there was a poster about a benefit ride. I read it carefully as I waited for my double tall espresso drink to be made. Not knowing Jason very well, I said ‘thank you’ and went on to work.

The notice about the ride stayed with me all day, and when my husband got home I mentioned it to him. We had only been riding a couple of years, and hadn’t ridden in a group before. We decided to just do it.

Saturday morning came and we woke up and anxiously got ready for our ride. We started up the motorcycles and rode the half mile up to Jason’s Java. There waited Jason, with a chromed out Harley Road King in the parking lot. He was surprised to see us, but happy to have more riders for the cause. One by one the riders came and we greeted each one and introduced ourselves. Everyone was appreciating each others bikes. There were 10 of us altogether, with 2 women riders including myself.

We paid $20 each and still didn’t know who the ride was going to benefit. All the bikers were willing to pay and ride just for the opportunity to help someone in need. Jason began telling us about a local 18 year old boy who had just been stricken with multiple sclerosis and was already confined to a wheelchair. He had gone to school one Monday and was fine. By Friday he couldn’t walk. It was a sad story; and Jason went on to say that the family needed help, of course, with the medical bills. Then a man spoke up from the group and said he was the dad. We were all motivated by that point to ride…..

We took off and rode the back roads from Brier, which is located north of Seattle, WA. We headed east towards the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. We rode lots of twisty, cornfield bordered roads. The feeling of riding in a group was wonderful. It was a little hard to resist going faster than the group. I felt that I was holding back, but got used to it after a while. What wonderful farmland and fields we saw. We stopped in the town of Duvall, where there is a little ‘biker bar’ that any biker in this part of the state has probably been to. We had some refreshments, took some pictures of all the bikes lined up outside, and started back. In all it was a 3 ½ hour ride.

When we returned to Jason’s Java the dad asked if we wouldn’t mind going up a few blocks to his home. His son loves motorcycles and knew we were riding for him that day. We all started up again and rode up to the house which was located in a culdesac. We rode round and round in a circle and revved our engines as loud as we dared. One guy did the ‘tire burnout’ in the center of the circle. The front door of the house opened and out walked the mother, pushing her son in a wheelchair. His eyes were lit up, but sadly he couldn’t even speak or do anything but make a few noises. We each introduced ourselves and hung around for a little while. Then we rode off, revving our engines as we left.

I think we made his day……he sure made all of ours.

Cat on a motorcycle

Here is the picture that gave me the idea for this weeks poll over on the right sidebar. I found it amusing and endearing, mostly because I love cats and own three. None of mine would go for this, but the biker cat seems to be up for anything.

Some people have a dog that would go anywhere the human goes. Why not a motorcycle ride?

It's probably not safe for an animal to be on a motorcycle, but if your companion wants to ride then they should be able to enjoy it with you.

When you ride

There is a feeling that comes over you when you ride a motorcycle. It’s an emotion that all is well with the world and everything will be ok. As you ride along with the wind hitting your chest you feel powerful and strong - invincible.

There is no sense of time on a motorcycle. It doesn’t matter how long it takes when you’re enjoying the ride so much. Your sense of smell is awakened every second you are riding. You’ll smell freshly cut grass, dairy farms, dead carcasses, sweet honeysuckle along a country road, fresh air, salty ocean air, car exhaust, and the local dump. These are just a few of the things you will experience for your olfactory pleasure along the way.

You are unencumbered on a motorcycle and nothing is restricting your view. You become part of the landscape as you move along. It makes you feel closer to the earth. You see things in a whole new way and come to appreciate the beauty while you pass it by. On a bike you can stop anytime you have a notion.

Riding a motorcycle is very freeing; meanwhile you are developing a complete sense of control. I find it very calming to ride. When I am full of stressful energy taking a ride seems to pipe me right down and I come back home calm and relaxed. Then I am ready to tackle anything.

I love to ride alone because I can go where my imagination takes me. I can change direction on a whim or change my mind and try a new route, not sure where I will end up. It’s completely up to me. Riding alone lets you have time to think.

I also love to ride with my husband because we stop and enjoy places together along the way. We take turns leading depending on who knows the way to where we are headed. We’ve discovered a lot of new places to go just by heading in one direction and seeing what we can find. Bikers have a great sense of adventure and a need to keep seeing new things and finding new places to go.

So as you ride, enjoying nirvana in your mind, keep your eyes on the road ahead.

First Post for Biker Chickz

This blog is intentionally written for female bikers and those who want to be. My aim will be to encourage new female riders and hopefully say something that current women bikers can identify with.

I have always loved riding motorcycles – on the back! When I was 52 years old I decided my time was running out to do dangerous things. My life was so safe. I have a free and rebellious spirit so motorcycling was quite appealing to me. I signed up to take the Motorcycle Safety Council Training course. My husband also signed up so we went, not knowing what to expect. It was an intense 2 day course where they supplied little 150cc motorcycles. We both passed all the tests on the second day and were given certificates to get our 2-wheel vehicle endorsements.

We got motorcycles right away and have been joyfully riding for over 2 years now. It is a freeing experience and a feeling of independence that few people ever experience. I love the adventure of it. You never know what you will encounter along the ride.

Along with my new love for motorcycling I have many other interests. Who knows when some of those might creep in from time to time? Female bikers are independent women who love life and enjoy it to the fullest. I will be mostly writing about my personal opinions, observations, and information relevant to female motorcycle enthusiasts.

So many roads to travel
Not enough time