Tell me about it!
Now instead of sitting here, mumbling at my computer....I can biotch at you guys! 
Agreed. I was here B4 the KRASH, but got flushed down the circular depository.
Personal stuff? Live in the Tampa, FL Krime Zone. Seems all the whackoes come here in the winter to knock each other off, mostly drug-related. Even so, one must be careful not to get caught in the cross-fire. Good to ride "packin'".
Been riding since 1958 (1957 Parilla 175 was the 1st bike). Rode up and down old route 10 between Biloxi and Gulfport between "Barney's" and "Barney's by the Sea". Only one of had a .38. The locals used to toss Cherry-bombs in front of us bikers for sport (they probably knew we came from the airbase).
Later years brought a 1962 Yamaha YDS2 250, a 1973 Honda 360, a 1972 Yamaha R5C 350, a 1980 Yamaha 850SX, a second 850, and finally a green 1999 Suzuki 1200S bandit. Cheez! It looks like I've been riding for 49 yarn's!
My local affiliation is the west-central Southern Cruisers, but they don't particularly care for my choice of bike (mine's faster than any of theirs - and it handles far better - hyuk! hyuk! hyuk!).
The area has been caught up in a real-estate "pump and dump" scheme of monumental proportions. You have to ask yourself: Who stands to benefit from this state of things? It certainly isn't the retirees! Don't move here if you can't stand the local insurance rates & taxes (exorbitant). The DemoPublicans are in cahoots with the Banking/Insurance/Real Estate Complex. We need good old Eisenhower now more than ever!
The local rides, while nice from the local interest standpoint, don't even come close to the rides in Northern NJ for scenic twisties. Besides, the roads in Tampa are chock-full of 115 lb. young blonde things in SUV's talking on their cell phones. They are so crazed, they will even try to beat a 1200 Bandit away from stoplight - and for top-end! I didn't know broads came with so much testosterone. Some idiot Corvette owners will try the same thing on Dale Mabry.
Anyway, "El Bandido" has lost its "S" fairing in favor of a big Plexifairing windshield and a Givi Wingrack sporting a JC Witless topcase. The air inlet rubber (Shnorkel) has been removed from the airbox. The bars came off a GS1150 (taller, wider, more pullback), there's an X-chain on it, a set of Metzler ME-Z4's (Wotta tire!), a Yoshi RS-3 can, a stop-light blinker, and a set of 0.15" washers lifting the main jet rods. It made 111.4 RWHP last time I checked before most of these mods were done, but I've also added 30 lbs. of fat from eating southern food.
Would love to move no'th again, say to Murray-land or Daily-Ware (cheap taxes, insurance), but DarlingWife hates the cold (sigh!). Well, at least I get to ride 24/7/365 and ammo is cheap.
Herb
