Thursday, April 28, 2011

Pee Wee Revisited

The other day PeeWee was out in front of his house. When last I visited PeeWee he was getting ready to paint his bike . . . once again. So, when I saw him outside I thought I'd better stop and get a progress report.

One of the things I didn't mention in that post was: The first time I met PeeWee he was admiring my boots. He asked me where I had picked them up and I told him. When we said our goodbyes he said he was going to go out and get him some boots. I'd forgotten that until he did something during this visit that reminded me.

It seems the last time, I stopped by he noticed that I was wearing a motocross helmet with goggles rather than my full-face helmet. I've taken to doing this when it is warm enough and dry. I find this set up is cooler and lighter, yet it offers nearly the protection of a full-face helmet. This visit as I was parking the bike he told he was going to go into his house to get something to show me.

PeeWee seems to like skulls.
He brought out his new motocross helmet and goggles. I suggested he might want to think about taking off the visor. He hadn't thought about that.

Him bringing out the helmet reminded me about the boots. When I asked about them, he said, "Yeah, I got me some boots," and went back in the house to retrieve them.

My boots are Frank Thomas and I have mixed feelings about them. I hope he likes his Alpine Stars better.
PeeWee's boots and helmet
Then PeeWee told me that since he had a helmet like mine and boots, now he was thinking of buying a camera and going around meeting people and taking their pictures. I think he was teasing me don't you?

Of course, he also told me he was thinking of painting his other bike pink.

"Pink?" I said.

"Yeah., pink"

"Why pink?"

"Just cause it would  be something different. Kind of stir things up"

He went on to tell me that he had lots of ideas.  Like when he was buying his new helmet and goggles he saw a set of " Full Race Leathers". He wanted them bad, but they were too expensive. He thought it would be really cool to get a pocket bike and dress in full leathers. Actually, he thought it would be even cooler to get a few riders together with pocket rockets in full race leathers and start screaming toward the Arch like Shriners gone wild. Why? Like painting the bike pink, it would be different and outrageous and fun.

Tonight he was out putting the panels back on his now once again red bike. I stopped to get a progress picture.

The panels still need to cure. In a couple of weeks he'll wet sand it and smooth it out.
It is still a work in progress.

Stay tuned.

13 comments:

  1. Keep us informed, he sounds like an interesting fellow.

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  2. Dear Keith:

    There are guys I know who will get together every now and again to race pocket bikes. They look patently absurd, but I am amazed at how fast they can tune those things to go.

    Happy Riding...
    Fondest regards,
    Jack * Reep * Toad
    Twisted Roads

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  3. "...it would be different and outrageous and fun."

    I like him already! :)
    Nice update. The bike looks good. I like your choices for the photos, the way you cropped the images really adds to the story.

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  4. Thanks for the update.

    I like how he is looking up to you in choosing boots, helmet and goggles. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

    I agree with Raftnn - he sounds like an interesting fellow.

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  5. Raftnn: He is an experience and think if I wasn't commuting on my Symba I'd never have met him. I can't believe how different commuting is for me now. It isn't time wasted at all.

    Thanks for reading and commenting.

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  6. Jack: I share your amazement at the speed of some pocket bikes. I imagine at there size it must feel much faster than riding a full size bike. I think this remain a matter of conjecture on my part. I for sure couldn't fit myself on one.

    Thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment.

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  7. Kari,
    Thanks for your kind words and for visiting. He has some more things in mind for the bike. I think it will look sharp when he's done . . . if he will ever be done :).

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  8. Trobairitz: I think it was more a matter of things he'd thought about and just didn't know where to get the stuff than him looking up to me . . . and, I think he is have some fun with me over the camera, but we'll see.

    He is certainly an interesting character. He's driven a garbage truck for over thirty-years. That's a lot of getting up early. He knows the alleys of this town probably better than anyone else alive.

    Thanks for commenting.

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  9. "Screaming toward the Arch like Shriners gone wild"!
    That's Truly Classic! I love it! LOL!

    Jim

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  10. He sounds like a fun character. They race pocket bikes in the winter here at a go-kart track. They can get them up to 60-70mph. fun to watch.

    Are your goggles DOT rated? My two pairs are not. They aren't as sturdy as my full face shield.

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  11. How do you find out if goggles are DOT rated? I can't find any ratings for eye wear. There are states that require shatterproof eye protection. The lens in my goggles are shatterproof lexan. They are Scott OTG. I know DOT requires windshields on cars be made of lexan. I know of a site that says their goggles are DOT approved, but I see no stickers or verification. So, I guess I don't know. How did you?

    Thanks for the question. And, back at you with one :)
    ~k

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  12. I have Scott OTG too (and a Smith OTG).

    The warning on the box says: "CAUTION: This is not a safety goggle. This goggle is for motorsport use only. It is for protection from wind and dust only. The lens is made of LEXAN, one of the toughest shatter/resistant transparent materials known to man. This goggle is not intended to, and will not protect you from impacts with hard objects. Not to be used as eye protection in the play of paintball games."

    The impacts with hard objects is the part I am referring to. I believe the shield on a fullface does protect against hard objects.

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  13. Your speeds are probably slow enough, so you're probably fine. Just something to think about. :)

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