Hot, busy day

Today was a very hot day, with the Heat Index here in NC reaching 110 or better. I was out in it most of the day.

At 7:30 a.m., I left for Wake Forest to form a flagline in honor of World War II Veteran James E. Steffens. There were more than 20 PGR members there and we lined to road to the service on both sides. The family was gratified.

I ate lunch at the Olive Garden in Wake Forest, then visited Barnes and Noble until time to leave for the second service of the day.

World War II veteran Richard Kantzler's funeral was held at the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Goldsboro. There were about 10 PGR members there. Once again, the family was gratified.

"Jammer" Bill served as Ride Captain for both events. He did a superlative job. He is conscientious, considerate, and makes everyone feel good about what is going on. I always enjoy working with him.

I ate dinner at Bojangles on Best Road in Goldsboro: a place to avoid.

Got home late. The Triumph functioned perfectly. An excellent bike for the freeway, just as I had hoped.

The heat was punishing, but I wore my Veskimo cooling vest. It did a great job. Every time I started getting overly hot, I turned it on and it circulated cold air under my shirt. It is going to make standing on the flagline a lot less unpleasant this summer.

Harley is having troubles

Harley-Davidson, the world's oldest continuing motorcycle manufacturer, has been forced to close one factory, laying off more than 1,000 workers. It's financing arm is seeking to be part of the government's financial bailout, like GMAC was.

Personally, I feel that if GMAC is going to be bailed out, Ford, Chrysler, and Harley's financial subsidiaries should be eligible as well. So should GE Capital and other loan makers for goods. If we want to pump up our industries by having people buy, then we must have places where they can get financing. Most of us can't simply walk out and buy a car or a washer and dryer for cash. And these dedicated credit arms offer far better terms than credit cards do.

I know, a Harley (or a Guzzi) is not a necessity. But some kind of reliable transportation is for almost everyone. And although fancy backyard grills are luxuries, most families really do need a washer and a dryer.

As a biker, I am very concerned about how the state of the economy is affecting the motorcycle industry. Harley probably has capital to weather the storm. Piaggio, which owns Moto Guzzi, is the major scooter maker in Europe, and scooter sales actually tend to go up with the economy goes down, as they offer cheaper transportation than a car. The Japanese marques are all affliated with major industrial concerns. But I think that a lot of smaller marques may go under, especially if they are stand-alone operations. I wonder about Triumph, Ducati, and Victory. Are they part of larger operations? How well can they weather a big turndown? And if the turndown is big enough, can even Harley and Piaggio weather it?

I do not have a Harley, partly because the models I like are out of my financial reach, but mostly because I like Guzzis so much. I just think they are cooler-looking bikes.

At the top is a picture of a red Moto Guzzi Breva 750ie, like mine.