TOPIC:

I for one want to sign that flag, carry it in four states and meet/ ride with other members , if possible.

So what if there's gaps , maybe Guinness won't notice

Way back in the thread it was anticipated that the flag may have to be shipped and one point or another. As a matter of fact, T_Dub is supposed to shipped form Canada to Mobile, Al for the start of the second leg. It has also been know that it can't be accomplished in one year. These facts have been lost due to the volume of the posts on this thread. I don't think we should miss the point of this whole relay. Personally I think its for members to be able to meet each other and to see these beautiful bikes in different settings and have it all photo essayed online for us to voyeur over (maybe bad wording here). Yes, it would be ideal if it can be done from KZ to KZ with each state include. But if not, no great shakes. Not the end of the world. I think we are going to have enough success to be able to enjoy this. I myself, have enjoyed the all the posts and photos so far. Hoping it keeps going. We'll get through Maine one way or another.

I am going to try an add in New Hampshire . Maybe we can find someone there that would grab it and meet T-Dub. We still have a little time. I hate to mail it now. We are one rider away from finishing the first leg.

A lot of time and planning has gone into this, it may not go as smoothly as some would like but it is the spirit that has gotten it this far and the spirit will carry it farther. It was mentioned by a member and took off from there with little organization for such a large task, that's where some stepped up to the plate big time. Thanks to ALL who have contributed thier time. A comment as negative as this one

"Perhaps should consider just cutting losses, and drop it for now - possibly for another time"

is a ball buster to read. Nothing like getting deflated at the first hiccup. As Joe stated it was said earlier in the thread that it might take more than one season to make this happen, it was also mentioned that it may have to be mailed a time or to. Don't let this get you down guys it is a hurdle that can be conquered, and will. Negative is for grounding the battery, not this relay.

Gary - K7GLD wrote: WELL, as sad as it may seem or be, and especially in view of the fact we're well into June, and the flag has a LOOooooong way to go to final destination - quite likely causing a substantial loss of other riders anticipating a faster travel...

PLUS other pretty large holes in the travel map ahead YET to be filled one way or another...

AND the fact that this neat idea envisioned that the flag be physically carried and handed off by RIDERS/OWNERS of the vintage Kawasakis it all revolves around - ALL the distance, without interruption or "substitutes"...

Perhaps should consider just cutting losses, and drop it for now - possibly for another time?

For sure, I don't see likelihood of the flag getting from the right coast to the left coast before adverse Fall/Winter weather conditions add their delays and stoppages to progress. Washington state and Oregon see cold/wet/icy weather pretty early in the Fall - and other northern states and BC do even more so.

Perhaps time for either an adjustment to expectations as to time frame - or a reality check as to whether we just bit off more than we can chew - to ME, substituting non-vintage bikes and USPS or FedEx for the originally planned carriers, sorta defeats the purpose, and dilutes the final outcome.

Sorry for the negative thoughts, but just sayin'...

I've had the Idea to try to get it on the national news to maybe help get the word out but I know no one who can get this accomplished. Any one know someone who can get the media to do a little piece on the relay?

We're not dropping anything. A group like this that pours their hearts and sweat into heaps of 30 year old plumbing and creates rideable works of art can do better than crying and running home when things don't go perfectly.

Suck it up, stick a smile on your face, and get it done. We're not curing cancer, we're doing something special for ourselves and the people that we might touch and inspire along the way.

I get excited when I check my email and see a new post on one of the relay threads. Hell, my homepage is the relay page. You know why? Because it's special and it's fun. And it's a damn sight better than most of the crap I deal with every day. When I picked up my beater a few years ago I didn't know shit about motorcycles. I've sunk every spare penny I had into parts and gear and books and beer. And with this economy it's really sucked, but it's better than sitting around giving myself a stroke over the steady work I can't get, the house I can't afford, and the girl I can't get the ring she deserves. I learned. I adapted and overcame. And I know a lot of you have had the same journey.

This right here is the payoff. Enjoy it, don't sweat the small stuff. Enjoy the bikes and the pictures, and if you're lucky enough to participate, enjoy the ride and the people that you're going to meet. This is a special thing that we've created and done ourselves. Kinda like our bikes.

So let's mail that f**ker if we have to. No big deal, things go pear shaped with the best-planned projects everyday. The important thing is the journey here guys, not the scorecard.

Killman wrote: We're not dropping anything. A group like this that pours their hearts and sweat into heaps of 30 year old plumbing and creates rideable works of art can do better than crying and running home when things don't go perfectly.

Suck it up, stick a smile on your face, and get it done. We're not curing cancer, we're doing something special for ourselves and the people that we might touch and inspire along the way.

I get excited when I check my email and see a new post on one of the relay threads. Hell, my homepage is the relay page. You know why? Because it's special and it's fun. And it's a damn sight better than most of the crap I deal with every day. When I picked up my beater a few years ago I didn't know shit about motorcycles. I've sunk every spare penny I had into parts and gear and books and beer. And with this economy it's really sucked, but it's better than sitting around giving myself a stroke over the steady work I can't get, the house I can't afford, and the girl I can't get the ring she deserves. I learned. I adapted and overcame. And I know a lot of you have had the same journey.

This right here is the payoff. Enjoy it, don't sweat the small stuff. Enjoy the bikes and the pictures, and if you're lucky enough to participate, enjoy the ride and the people that you're going to meet. This is a special thing that we've created and done ourselves. Kinda like our bikes.

So let's mail that f**ker if we have to. No big deal, things go pear shaped with the best-planned projects everyday. The important thing is the journey here guys, not the scorecard.

Agree with Killman, Kawickrice and KZJOE900.
We started so will finish it. I just passed a flag along but there are many guys who are doing more than that so this thing gets done. Like Topper. Many guys are waiting to do their part. may need to ship it or may not finish till 2013. But let's finish it till the end. And If we want a perfect run, let's do it again in the future.

That's my thought.

Thanks for all the positive thoughts and encouragement. What I've suggested to the East Coasters is that Squadrider take the flag up into Maine and mail it from there to Heyst across the border in Canada. Heyst could then connect with T_Dub and finish the East Coast Leg.

I never expected us to complete this entire relay ride in one year. I think it'll take a miracle to complete it in two. Shipping between the first and second legs has been part of the plan since almost the beginning though I was hoping we wouldn't have to ship within the East Coast leg. But I'm a pragmatist at heart and we gotta do what we gotta do.

elfmagic17 wrote: I've had the Idea to try to get it on the national news to maybe help get the word out but I know no one who can get this accomplished. Any one know someone who can get the media to do a little piece on the relay?

I've got some interest from "Riders of Kawasaki" the official Kaw owners group. They'd like to do a story for their magazine, but I think they want to wait until it comes through Ohio where the reporter assigned to this lives.

is a ball buster to read. Nothing like getting deflated at the first hiccup. As Joe stated it was said earlier in the thread that it might take more than one season to make this happen, it was also mentioned that it may have to be mailed a time or to. Don't let this get you down guys it is a hurdle that can be conquered, and will. Negative is for grounding the battery, not this relay.

Don't be TOO hard on me guys!

I'll admit that I have not read thru each and every post in this LOOoooong thread - so if mailing and use of non-vintage equipment was considered and accepted somewhere early on, I missed it. I had pretty well accepted that this could easily involve more than a single riding season - no problem - but had NOT considered that the flag MIGHT be carried by USPS, UPS or FedEx - or an old guy sitting on a Harley or Gold Wing being towed on a trailer...

To me, this has been a vision of getting the flag ALL the way across the nation, ALL by vintage Kawasaki bikes, no matter if it took 1, or 3 years - not a race, but a relay using old vintage bikes PURELY to show what these bikes - and rider/owners are capable of - NOT what the postal service is capable of! Obviously, my assumptions were NOT those of many others here...

On the very nice KZRider T-shirt I bought just FOR this "event", I don't see alternative bikes, or delivery methods mentioned, ANYWHERE!

BUT, all that said, still count me in - I'm ready to plug the "hole" out here between eastern Washington state, and the Bend Oregon area - and promise to NOT use anything but my '83 KZ1100 LTD to get the job done!

650ed wrote: Trianglelaguna’s “does anybody here actually ride” posting spurred a thought. Is there at least one KZR member with a running KZ in each of the 48 contiguous states? If there is, would folks be interested in organizing a relay ride in which some token would be passed from rider to rider from state to state throughout all 48 contiguous states? There could be more than one rider in any one state, and they could split up the ride within their state or ride together as they desire. No one rider would need to go much beyond their own state’s border; just far enough to meet the first rider in the next state. The relay could start in one of the states in a “corner” such as Washington State, Florida, Maine, or California and wind its way to the next adjacent state then the next, etc. until at least one rider in all 48 states had passed the token. I left Alaska out because it might be a bit much to ask for someone to make that ride, and Hawaii would present a rather difficult challenge. If there are folks in Canada or Mexico that are interested their provinces could be added as well.

This would not be a race, so there would be no time limit to accomplish it or any pressure to rush. The time schedule for each pass of the token would be coordinated between the riders involved with that “pass.” The token that gets passed from rider to rider could be anything, but it might be cool if it was some document that each rider could put his/her name, state, & date on.I don’t know if anything like this has been done before, and it may be just a screwy idea that has no merit; it would not be the first of mine that fall into this category. But I thought I would put the idea out there to see if there is any interest. Ed

just sayin