Let The Restoration Begin

After several months browsing the internet looking for a bike to restore, a motorcycle that meets my three requirements : (1) a Kawasaki Z1 900 or a KZ 1000, (2) not far from my location, and (3) at a reasonable price, finally this 1978 Kawasaki KZ 1000 popped up for sale only 5 miles from my house.

Saw the ad last Friday night, finally spoke with the guy on the phone this past Saturday. We made arrangements to see the bike yesterday. Today I rented a U-Haul truck and collected the bike. It was that simple.

For a 41 year old motorcycle, the bike seems to be in excellent shape, only 26,000 miles. That means that this winter, on my free time I would be very busy restoring this classic motorcycle. It was a long time ago I owned one of these bikes, it should be fun to restore. I wouldn't make the mistake of selling it, this time I plan to keep this one.

Let the restoration begin ...

The Fourth of July - Independence Day 2019

One of my biggest weaknesses in photography is shooting fireworks. In my area, the only time I get to practice shooting fireworks is during the Fourth of July celebration, or New Years Eve. So, in the past two years I've only been able to shoot twice during those days. New Years eve it's usually freezing cold for people to stand outside, for hours.

Even if my life depended on it, I cannot photograph fireworks like the pros. It's been a challenge despite watching hundreds of self help YouTube videos.

All week long I've been planning to ride my motorcycle to Martin Luther King Drive, behind the Philadelphia Museum of Art, to photograph the Welcome America July 4th Fireworks celebration.

Just my luck, AccuWeather announced heavy showers and thunderstorms. A couple of hours before the fireworks were scheduled to start, the emergency alert on my phone warned of flash floods in my area.

So here I am, commiserating with my laptop, and looking for older pics to include on this post....oh well.

Happy Independence Day.

The picture on top of this post was taken when I bought my bike 7 years ago. The fireworks pics were taken last year during the Fourth of July celebration. 

Dia de la Independencia Americana - Puerto Rico Celebra el 4 de julio

Hoy se celebra en Estados Unidos y en Puerto Rico, el 4 de julio. El Dia de la Independencia de los Estados Unidos (Independence Day o The Fourth of July en ingles), es el dia de fiesta nacional que se celebra el 4 de julio en los Estados Unidos. Este dia marca la firma de la Declaracion de Independencia en 1776 en la cual el pais proclamo su separacion formal del Imperio Britanico.

En Puerto Rico, ser nacionalista es considerado un crimen, una ofensa para nuestra isla. Sin embargo, si miramos la definicion de nacionalismo en el diccionario, encontraras que una persona nacionalista se define como uno o una que ama y defiende su patria.

Mañana Puedes Ser Tu - Basta Ya del Carpeteo y la Censura en Puerto Rico

Cuando en Puerto Rico se habla de persecucion politica, la gran mayoria de las personas piensan que el fichar ciudadanos o crear carpetas solo les ocurre a los que desean que Puerto Rico sea libre.

La realidad es que en Puerto Rico, el gobierno bajo la complicidad de Estados Unidos, ha creado millones de carpetas en contra de aquellos que simpatizan con la independencia de nuestra isla.

Los PNP's y los Populares, se jactan hablando de democracia y la libertad hacia la libre expresion, metiéndole miedo al pueblo acerca de la independencia y el socialismo.

Asi No Se Puede Pedir La Estadidad

Hoy nuestro flamante gobernador le pidio la renuncia al Secretario de Hacienda, Raul Maldonado, luego que el ahora ex-secretario hiciera unas denuncias en un programa radial sobre una alegada mafia institucional en Hacienda.

El gobernador Ricardo Rosello alega que Maldonado nunca le informo sobre la investigacion por autoridades federales, ni sobre los intentos de soborno por subalternos de su propio partido. Ahora el hijo de Maldonado acusa a Ricardo Rosello de corrupto, y alega que tiene evidencia de ciertos chanchullos que cometio nuestro distinguido gobernador.

Pain Pain Go Away

After months of not knowing the cause of the swelling and pain in my ankle, and blaming it on my Rheumatoid Arthritis, three weeks ago I was finally diagnosed with Achilles tendinitis.

I've been eagerly waiting for warmer weather to ride my motorcycle, now I have been told that I need to rest my ankle. For the looks of it, recovering from this ankle issue is going to take longer than I had planned. It is going to be a long summer.

I refuse to let the discomfort ruin my life. So despite the ankle pain, I've managed to ride to Maryland Massey Aerodrome Airport to take a couple of pictures of vintage planes (1944 Boing Stearman and a 1937 Douglas DC-3 Airliner) and my motorcycle. It didn't help that I got lost due to road closures and unmarked detours.

I've also spent a weekend in the nation's capital, Washington DC. Our nation’s capital constant traffic jam, road constructions and major highway closures during the weekend is what keeps me away from visiting more often.

And finally, last weekend took Greyhound to attend a photography meetup group in New York City. To be honest, I almost cancelled the trip. Photography meetups require a lot of walking, I wasn't sure I could handle the photowalk.

I am so glad I went. Once I got on board on the Governor's Island ferry and saw the jaw-dropping views of Lower Manhattan I realized I made the right decision. The fact that I lived in New York so many years and never went to Governors Island was also a factor. Wasn't easy though, I took my time getting around and moved at my own pace. It was a warm, sunny day, about 75-80 degrees, with a gentle breeze. Perfect summer weather.

At Governor's Island, I seized the opportunity to actually try for the first time the Platypod Ultra on top of a chain link fence, it passed the test with flying colors.

The top image was taken last year during my trip to Deals Gap - Tail of the Dragon. 

The 7th Annual AHRMA Vintage Motorcycle Festival

This past weekend was the most anticipated vintage motorcycle event in the east coast, the 7th Annual AHRMA Vintage Motorcycle Festival. Let the drooling commence.

This is the day my salivary glands go into overdrive looking at the legendary motorcycles of yesteryear. This is also the event where you will find inspiration watching senior citizens (people my age and older) racing vintage motorcycles. You can read some of their stories HERE.

Finally met my friend Danno in person, we've been interacting in several ZX-14 online forums for years. He was in New Jersey Motorsports Park giving a helping hand to #179 Electric Supersports Champion Arthur Kowitz.

I also had the pleasure to meet a 75 year old gentleman who happens to ride his Kawasaki Ninja 1000 all over the country. I could spend days listening to his traveling adventures. Before we parted ways, I told him that when I grow up, I want to be just like him. 

On a different note, recently purchased a Hohem iSteady Pro 3-Axis Handheld Gimbal Stabilizer for my GoPro HERO4 Black, to try to eliminate some of the vibration issues that often occur with GoPro videos. Need to get used to small nuances and subtleties as I'm learning recording video with a gimbal. For a first-time gimbal user, I am very happy with the end results. 

Enjoy the pictures!

[Video motorcycle action starts at 1:47]