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Larry Walther Male DeWitt, Iowa United States: Share; Share on Twitter; Share on Facebook

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Trip to Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania

Replied Mar 28

If I have a pulse and gas in the tank, I'm ready to ride!

Just wondered what's happening here? Anyone have good riding weather for Thanksgiving? Snow expected here in Iowa ... Nov. 25, 2009

Gifts Received (1)

Pumpkin Pie From Robin Willey

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Profile Information

Motorcycle type (year, make, model)

2007 Yamaha V Star Classic 1100

State you currently live in (optional)

Iowa

City/Town you currently live in (optional)

DeWitt

Occupation (optional)

Software instruction

Relationship status (optional)

Married

Year you were born (Totally optional ;-) )

1942

Belong to any motorcycle club(s)? (optional)

No, not clubs, but I have affiliations with the Patriot Guard Riders, and ABATE of Iowa.

Do you have a favorite motorcycle roads or trips (optional)

Any road in the northern part of Wisconsin, and some asphalt in Minnesota - great blacktop and good curves. Also Tennessee and the Great Smokey trails. The latter is in my sights for early 2009. **Mission accomplished - made the trip to Deals Gap, TN / Robbinsville, N.C. in April, 2009. See blog re' "Tail of The Dragon".

Favorite music, TV shows, movies, or other hobbies (optional)

I enjoyed living in the 60's and still like the music from that era - including the anti-war and protest songs. But I was on active duty (Naval Air) for that entire decade, so while I empathized with the protesters and enjoyed their music, my soul belonged to the Navy and service to my country. Still does.

Anything you'd like others to know about you? (optional)

I have never gotten over looking up at the sound of pipes on a motorcycle. I ride a "metric" and wouldn't change, but most of my friends are on hogs. Funny how I have always ridden metrics, but spend a lot of money to make them look and sound "just like a Harley". Go figure...LOL!

I spent nearly ten years of my youth (1960-1969) as a Naval Air enlisted man. I wasn't a lifer only because I had an opportunity to work in business with my Dad who was, and still is, my hero. Dad is gone now, and strangely enough, my "living hero" is now my two sons - both Army. Once again ... go figure.

Thank you, men and women of the United States Armed Forces, and your families who stay behind and kept the fires banked.

For those who man the battle line the bugle whispers low, and freedom has a taste and price the protected never know.

-unknown - but parts are attributed to General George Patton
========================================================
"We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm."

- George Orwell - from a BBC broadcast of April 4, 1942
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Larry Walther's Photos

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Larry Walther's Videos

National Motorcycle Museum - Anamosa, Iowa

Added by Larry Walther
V Star w/ V&H "Cruzers"

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Larry Walther's Blog

Tail of the Dragon - Survival USA

Chad (see member "Chad" from DeWitt, Iowa) and I just returned from a four day trip to the Robbinsville, NC - Deal Gap, TN area. Much to share but most will have to wait until I have more time.

… Continue

Posted on April 29, 2009 at 8:30am — 11 Comments

Bike Died!

The alternator on my V-Star went to Parts Heaven last Friday. Not to complain too much because the bike has nearly 40,000 miles on it. But the timing sucked the big one for a variety of reasons. I'm upset - don't want to talk about it. Sigh.

Well, okay. The alternator will be rebuilt, but all three (3) stators are bad, so it's not a quickie job, nor a cheap one. Parts are expected in by early Wednesday, and the labor is then about two (2) hours. Total cost - well, it's more than my end-of-month… Continue

Posted on April 20, 2009 at 10:00am — 9 Comments

An old rider makes a youngster's mistake

This is just to make all those people feel better who have ever done something they felt was "stupid". Like make a mistake during the "learning" process on your motorcycle. I've been riding since I bought my first "scooter" at age 14 - and I'm 67 now, so you can do the math.

Yesterday I was killing time waiting for my ride partner to show up for a day on the road; by "killing time", I mean I was riding my V Star on the street in front of my house, practicing low-speed "tight U-turns" and "Figur… Continue

Posted on April 12, 2009 at 10:00am — 7 Comments

National Motorcycle Museum - Anamosa, Iowa

I spent an afternoon this week riding to and touring the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, Iowa; I've uploaded a dozen photos I took while there. The museum is in a downtown building in Anamosa, and covers most of the street-level floor, and all of a sub-level below that. Anam… Continue

Posted on March 19, 2009 at 10:20am —

Larry's blog

Originally posted: January 20, 2009

Hi, Me,

I've been building web sites and traveling the Internet since - well, before the Internet and graphical browsers existed as we know them today. I was heavily "involved" prior to 1993-94 (when the graphical browser first appeared) when we used long distance phone connections between privately owned modems to communicate text (only) based messages. Matter of fact, the whole "abbreviations as whole words" thing we see our kids use while text-mess… Continue

Posted on January 20, 2009 at 12:30am — 2 Comments

Comment Wall (84 comments)

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At 4:29am on May 8, 2010, Robin Willey said…: Hi, Larry, I'm in your neck of the woods this weekend, Selling pots at the figge center in davenport. No, couldn't bring my bike,boohoo. Anyway, it's so cold up here, what's the deal? not that I don't ride in cold, but I was geting use to the 70 degree temps.

At 8:55am on April 23, 2010, Rdcnslr said…: Larry, I received the Lindby Multibar on Wednesday and was anxious to get it on the bike. I red the directions several times and located the bolts that had to be removed then began. One bolt removed then could not get the second bolt out. It either is stripped or there is something binding as this is one of two the seems to be holding a bracket/brace for the forward cylinder. I used a rubber mallet to move it about half way out then could not get it to budge so turned it back in and called the local Yamaha shop. Will take it in Tuesday and have them do it as I don't want to damage the bolt. Darn, the rest of the process looked to be fairly straight forward! What I saved on the buy will now be used up for shop time! Bummer!

At 5:33pm on February 9, 2010, Larry Walther said…: Good for Kat! She will love the V&H Cruzers. Are you putting them on, or is she having the dealer do the work? The reason I ask is because exhausts like that might change the exhaust pressure (think performance) enough to need different jets in the carbs. If the dealer puts them on, he should automatically check that, but if not, you might want to keep it in mind in case the Star idles rough or whatever. A good rule of thumb - if you do the work at home - is to ride for a bit, then pull the plugs and look at the gap. Shouldn't be black & powdery (unburned gas), and ideally, the plugs should be a light gray with no unburned residue. Listen to me .... lol .... no don't, listen to your Star mechanic. Say hi to the family for me, Robin, and stay safe.

At 2:31pm on February 9, 2010, Robin Willey said…: Larry, My daughter is finally getting pipes on her new 650! V&H cruisers!!

At 6:32am on January 13, 2010, Robin Willey said…: Thanks for the info. I thought that would be the style we are looking for. Never hit that website before. thanks, I'm always looking for new plaecs to "get stuff". Anyway, just thought I'd let you know this "crazy lady" as my kids call me, rode into work today. The roads here are clear except for some parking lots that I will avoid. Our lane just had a little light snow and not ice. My excuse is that Paul drove my little car cause his needed gas again and I did't want to have to give him money again! kids broke all the time.

At 12:04pm on December 31, 2009, Robin Willey said…: Larry, hope your feeling better than you did on Christmas. The bad weather won't last forever, and we'll all be back with the breeze in our face.
Jay and I did ride to work today though. I just couldn't bear the thought of never riding her again in 2009. The roads here are all clear, but our stupid lane is still patchy ice. Gotta be real careful going home tonight. It was iffy going in this morning at 6:30, but once on the highway " I FLEW!"

At 10:48am on December 26, 2009, Rdcnslr said…: Larry, I sent and e-mail to Woody regarding rebuilding my 1300 seat and recieved a prompt reply with an estimate of under $100! I was wondering if you got your seat back yet and what your assessment was of the quality of workmanship and comfort, if you have had time to make those evaluations. Hope you had a Merry Christmas! It got up to about 12 degrees yesterday. Had planned to go skiing but the wind chill factor for the mountain was for a -8 to 2+ degrees! Stayed home where it was warm and cozy. Lots of sun and blue sky, but cold!

At 4:27am on December 25, 2009, Robin Willey said…: Larry, lost track of everyone, been so busy here at home and work. Hope all is ok with you and your family. Been trying to ride to work everyday I can. RIght now the MUD on our lane is horrible. temps are up but I wish it would freeze so I could get out.

At 9:04am on December 16, 2009, Rdcnslr said…: Larry, glad to hear you weathered the storm. We are now getting the snow we have been waiting for. We have had about 14 inches in the last 36 hours and still more today is expected. That is total in the valley, not in the mountains (McCall sits at 5,000 ft and we are 100 miles north of Boise @ 2350 ft.). Tell me more about the seat guy as I have started saving for a new seat and was just about to committ to the purchase of the Mustang Daytripper for about $350. If the guy has a web site, maybe I could get an idea of what his product looks like. I am always looking to save some $'s on stuff for the bike. It sounds good!

At 11:09am on December 14, 2009, Rdcnslr said…: Larry, I have not checked in with you for awhile. From you last contact, you were surviving the snow storm OK. How have things been since last week? We are finally getting some snow but still not enough for the ski lifts to open. This is the driest beginning of a ski season since we have lived in McCall.

At 9:38pm on December 6, 2009, Bill Raper said…: Thanks for he good words Larry, this is my 1st one and so far I love it It would be cool to meet you if you get close by. If you make a Smokey's run, let me know as I can be flexible in schedule most times and certainly would have no problemo making that ride.
Hope you and yours have a very Merry Christmas... keep the shiny side up!

At 9:48pm on November 26, 2009, Rdcnslr said…: Larry, Thanks for the update! I am not able to do anymore riding now that the roads are icy. In fact, an icy, up-hill, shaded area on a road I regularly travel spelled disaster for my Jeep Liberty yesterday. The back end broke loose, I corrected and it continued to slide and the next thing I knew, I was front-end in the ditch. A lot of cosmetic damage, nothing structural and I was not hurt other than a couple bruises. I will see tomorrow what it is going to cost for the repairs or whether the insurance company will total it. It is a 2003 with less than 60,000 miles. What a gift for the Thanksgiving/Christmas season. The bike is out of the question as an alternate form of travel until next spring.

At 6:25am on November 18, 2009, Robin Willey said…: You have written what was actually in my mind already. Just needed a second opinon. We've never been the party/crowd type. We don't drink. The only reason for us to go to Sturgis would be to see the vast array of creativity in bike builders and to ride the black hills.

At 9:05am on November 17, 2009, Robin Willey said…: Larry,
I've read everything you have posted on Deals Gap. Really want to go, but Jay and I are torn on whether to go to Sturgis or Deals Gap next summer. (its' our 25th) Can't do both in one year. Have you been to Sturgis. It's definitley a different crowd, but so many cool bikes and great rides. Just like to hear your comments

At 12:32pm on October 30, 2009, Robin Willey gave Larry Walther a gift…: Pumpkin Pie
Larry, hope you have a great Halloween and Thanksgiving. Have a piece of pie!
From the Gift Store

At 7:49am on October 16, 2009, Robin Willey said…: Thanks, Larry, for your concern. Glad that there is someone thinking of me. My Dad is worried about me too. I do probably ride in weather when I should be driving the van. Right now we're short a vehicle. Can't ask the boys to drive all the way to school (30 miles) on the bike. They need it until they can get the truck back on the road. I don't mind the drizzle or the cold. Doesn't seem to bother me. Only five miles to work and back.

At 8:29am on October 13, 2009, Rdcnslr said…: Larry, I just left you a message but for some reason it did not post so will try to duplicate again. Sad to hear you had give up the 650 but I am sure you and your wife (thank God for her successful surgery) will enjoy the new ride. I was able to put close to 6,000 miles on the bike this summer with a trip to Cottage Grove, OR to visit my folks, then to the Hell's Canyon MR in Baker City, OR (wet but great ride to the Hell's Canyon dam---see album). The premier ride was the Star Day's Rally in Billings, MT (see album) with the trip over Beartooth Pass and back! We are getting into the Fall/Winter weather pattern and are sending everything your way.......you are already having what we had last week. Sunday, Oct. 4, we woke up to 4+ inches of snow and lots of broken tree tops! More is on the way but we might not get it but it is coming your way! Sorry! Again, enjoy the riding time you have left for the Fall and enjoy the company of your wife with you, again! Wish her God's speed with the futher recovery and success of the surgery. Ride safe!

At 6:15am on October 12, 2009, Robin Willey said…: Larry,
That's soo cool that your wife is better and able to ride. I will be in the same position very soon. My 10 year old rides with me on my 650. She is only 123 lbs right now, but she'll have to ride with me until she's 16!! That could be another 50 lbs. I can sure tell when she's with me now. The little 650 is slow and draggy. She doesn't like to ride with Jay on his 1700 cause she can't see around him!!
We been having the same weather, but I havn't given up yet! We rode to Morris IL over the weekend for teh Hunnert Car Pile-up. Made it a 3 day trip. Misted all the way up Friday night. Wasn't bad accept I just have to get differetn boots. Dumped the water out when we got to the hotel. Saturday morning scraped the ice on the bike and went to the pile-up. Then drove home Sunday. Just cold fingers that's all, otherwise it was a blast of weekend. So nice to get away from the kids and the house.
Of course rode into work again this morning. Got to. No Car left at home. Middle kid keeps breaking cars we are running out.!!
Good to hear from you, sorry I haven't written, just been riding

At 11:16pm on October 6, 2009, Nate D said…: Larry, Thanks for the welcome. I kind of stumbled on the site looking for other riders still out hitting the road in the cool temps. I have yet to be up to De Witt, IA. I guess I should make the trip since I share the name. My last name is DeWitt. I am looking to upgrade my bike in the next year and I have seen a few online being sold in De Witt. So, I may have an excuse to take a road trip up that way.

Again, thank you for the welcome. Try to enjoy what time we have left on the road this season.

At 8:18am on September 26, 2009, Aaron Baltosser said…: After some reflection on your comments to my blog question dealing with riding patches and such, I felt I had to respond with some kinds words for your time and efforts to me. I have found over time, even if an individual completely disagrees with me, their words will have grains of truth sprinkled into the message I'm being given. Your message to be more inclusive was no exception. Thank you. I have since renamed the group Navy Ghost Riders, and repurposed it more toward riding for those that can't ride anymore, either because of injuries, or because they answered the call of the Navy, and never made it home. The opportunity for the family to get together with other folks of Naval mind was just too good to pass up on. What brought it home for me was watching Top Gun this week and realizing how lonely the widow was going to be after the memorial sercvice, and the calls stopped coming in to see how she was doing. Nobody that's lost someone in the Navy should have to go through that, and still enjoy support for as long as they need it.

I do have some attitudes toward earning things, but by no means wanted to exclude anyone that had an affiliation with the Navy now matter what.

With that said, I would love for you to reconsider becoming a member. Both members now are planning a trip out to Des Moines, Iowa, and we would like to get together with you to hear some sea stories if you are willing to regale us. Your experiences will be far different than ours since I would imagine yours are ship based, and the two current members are Fleet Marine Force Corpsmen.

Either way, I hope you have a safe ride anytime you go out, and just really enjoy it for as long as you are able.

Aaron B