Thunder Roads Bike Night Texas

Thunder Roads Bike Night Texas

Thursday night April 23rd I stopped in after work to see what was going on at the Thunder Roads Bike Night Texas first bike night in the D/FW area at Big Shots Café in Bedford. It is sponsored in part by Texas Harley-Davidson, which is located right next door. They are going to have these every fourth Thursday of the month. They had some bike only parking set up outside and I got there early enough to use it. Live music was by the Justin Ross Band, and although I had never heard of him before, he sounded great. I really enjoyed his rendition of Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues”.

When I arrived another guy backed in right next to me riding a Honda VTX 1300 with Vance & Hines pipes. We both walked in together and he asked if I was waiting on anyone else, which I wasn’t, so we decided to share a table. Turns out he is a Lead out at the Arlington GM plant and had just got the news about them shutting down for 9 weeks that morning. He said about two weeks ago they had them working overtime and Saturdays! He was not in a good mood to say the least.

We both ordered a Bud Light draft and he ordered a Quesadilla and I ordered the Chicken Fried Steak. The drinks arrived first, cold and refreshing. Big Shots Café was starting to fill up by this time. The food came out right before the Justin Ross Band took the stage and started tuning his guitar. We chatted about our bikes and riding and then the food arrived.

Big Shots Café being your typical sports bar style restaurant I was not expecting gourmet cuisine, so I was quite shocked at the large size of the plate and the Chicken Fried Steak that was on it. It covered almost the whole plate only leaving a small part of the mashed potatoes sticking out and a spot for the small bowl of green beans. Both our eyes got big and my new friend said he hoped I was real hungry. I replied that I was and would give it my best attempt. We chowed down and the food was excellent. The steak was great. The mashed potatoes were awesome, and I’m not a huge fan. They made them with the skins on, added onions, garlic and butter. On top of that they left them lumpy so you could still tell you were eating real potatoes. The green beans tasted great as well. The whole meal tasted like it was home made. I devoured everything except about two bites of the steak.

We finished up our meals and drank a couple more beers while listening to Justin Ross rocking the stage. The place was getting full and about 85% of the people there had a Boozefighters logo or emblem on. It was still early but it was time for me to go, I still had to get up early and go to work the next morning. On the way out I saw a few vendors had set up selling motorcycle paraphernalia. As I rode off I promised myself I would be back. Hope to see you there.

Ride on,
Torch

Harley Davidson Pecos Motorcycle Boot Review

Harley Davidson Pecos Motorcycle Boot Review

When I was getting geared up for the Motorcycle Safety Foundations Basic Rider Course I was looking for a black biker boot that looked more like a cowboy boot than the regular bikers engineer boot. One day at lunch I was browsing a local bike shop in Grapevine Texas called Biker Alley, which has since closed, and found what I was looking for. They were Harley Davidson brand and were a cross between an engineer boot and a cowboy boot. The price was reasonable and I purchased a pair.

The boots looked great but after wearing for several hours in the rain they became soaked and my feet were all wet. So, I went looking for something to make then more water repellent. I picked up a can of Penguin brand Himalaya Wax and coated them excessively. Then I polished them up to a beautiful black leather shine. Himalaya Wax is made of beeswax and is very water repellant. My feet have been dry since, however I have not had them immersed in water for any great length of time.

I have had the Pecos boots now for over a year and they have held up well. I do not wear them every day. Usually I wear them on Fridays, on days that are raining, or when it looks like it might rain. The leather has held up well, even the top of the left one, used for up shifting. They have picked up some minor scuffs, but do not look that bad for not having polished them again. For sturdiness and protection these boots are equipped with an inside metal support shank.

The Harley Davidson boots are as comfortable to wear as any good quality made boot should be. Rumor has it that Wolverine manufactures these boots for Harley. There is a metal insignia plate with the Harley Davidson Logo on it located on each heel. The tooled leather straps with steel harness hoop are riveted together. As a nice touch Harley Davidson Motor Co written around the head of each rivet. The uppers are constructed of supple full grain leather. The stitching is of good quality and the pull tabs have lasted with me using them to pull and tug the boots on every time I wear them.

The soles of the Harley Pecos boots are made of Goodyear welted construction. A Goodyear welt construction is good for water protection and the possibility of resoling. The Dual-density rubber/EVA outsole is oil, water, and slip resistant. The traction of the Pecos boot is good on cement and blacktop roads, but get them on wet painted or polished smooth cement and they are not so slip resistant. Part of the tread pattern is bright orange in color and is very aggressive. The Harley Davidson logo is embossed on the sole shank towards the heel. There are parts of the sole that are starting to wear smooth from all my walking and riding in them.

The interior of the Pecos boot is lined with a full length cushion sock made of Taibrelle. This liner helps wick perspiration away from your feet. The insole is removable and is made of dual-density polyurethane for comfort. These boots are very comfortable to wear, but may take some time to get used too if you have never worn boots with a true heel on them.

If you enjoy wearing a comfortable pair of cowboy boots but want something to ride your motorcycle in, these boots fit the bill. I have enjoyed wearing and riding in these boots. They offer a lot of protection for your feet, ankles, shins, and calves. Torch gives the Harley Davidson Pecos Motorcycle Boots a M.M.M Rating of 8 on a scale of 1-10.

Ride on,
Torch

Guys, This one's for you directly from Harley Davidson.

Marisa Miller, the Victoria’s Secret Angel and Sports Illustrated cover girl, recently teamed up with Harley-Davidson to shoot photos as part of an upcoming ad campaign for the new V-Rod Muscle™. The shots will be released in the coming weeks, and feature Marisa alongside the Muscle.

In the meantime, Harley Davidson has released exclusive, behind-the scenes footage of the shoot that just went up on the Harley-Davidson YouTube channel. The video offers a glimpse into the making of the ad campaign, as well as an interview with Marisa discussing the merging of an “authentic American” girl with the “authentic American” brand. You can check it out here. Click on the image below: