2007-05-07 Posting up at 80

I've been working ALOT lately.. 7x10, 7x12 now pushing 18 straight days with a 75 minute one way commute so my life now is work, go home & sleep, work. The fun part of this has been 'go home' or 'go to work' as I've riding the FJR and I have some great roads to take me there... Hiway 229 in Creston, CA (google it) combined with 58 and La Panza make for serious fun.. So last Thursday, I woke up, got my stuff, and decided to run the 229 to 58, a really nice set of twisters. I was feeling pretty good, and for the first time ever, ground the right peg in the infamous 12 corners of 58, COOL stuff, even as I was 'hanging off'... at the corner of 58 and Pozo Rd, I saw a group of sport bike riders, several with racing numbers, but I noticed they were truly street legal Yammies as I went by while truly heeled over and grinding, and continued on my way. Approaching Santa Margarita, I heard a sound behind me, and Yammie #42 was behind me. He trailed me safely through the small town of SM and onto the 101 heading South. He tucked in to the right, and we both were running at 85 at the approach of Cuesta Grade. There, I noticed that #42 took a looong hard look behind, but my radar detector wasn't squawking, so I kept the speed at 87,  with ol' number 42 running as my wing man.. ...and that's when I heard the sound of a bike coming on the pipe and #42 was doing a full on 90 mph wheelie in the left track of our lane! I pulled over to the slow lane and motioned #42 ahead.. I was curious to see if he had anything left - and boy oh boy he did.. .. now, all you SafetyCrats just STFU, I know, I know.. but this was freakin' COOL! The guy was standing on the pegs, his body straight as an arrow with his chin over the triple clamps and he simply leaned his body to the left and right to negotiate the slight bend of the roadway.. and then he SHIFTED and never set the front end down! Waaay Cool! Soon enough, after over a mile, he set the front end down smoothly and sweetly then reduced the speed to a comfortable 80 or so. I pulled up alongside, and, even with knowing that this is an incredibly stupid trick, just had to give this fully leathered up race bike riding young man a full thumbs up.. I was grinning like a banshee for he was me 30 years ago, doing stupid shit and getting away with it.. Then, my wild side kicked in, and I felt it necessary to show the kid up.. so I, at a whopping 75 mph I stood up on my pegs and flashed a 'Victory' sign directly at him.. Hell, it's the best I could do.. But as I passed him up I saw him laughing and he gave me a thumbs up back.. Truly a fun ride..