As you drive down main street Philomath, Ore, right across the street from the Java Connection coffee shop at 1623 Main St. is a building that usually has motorcycles of different brands sitting in front of the open shop door.This is the door of Independent Motorcycle Repair, a shop that will fix just about anything with two wheels for less than most dealers.
Jonas Fleck, the owner and lone mechanic at Independent Motorcycle Repair, grew up in Germany, working on his own bikes.He started his shop about 12 years ago, just running it part time while he was still working another job.After getting laid off from that job, through the support and encouragement of his wife, he started working at his shop full time.He was doubtful at first, but through a strong work ethic, and a desire to succeed, he built his business into something that he can make a living off of.
“Ten years ago I never would have believed that I would have had any of this,” Jonas says as he waves his hand indicating the shop and the two BMW bikes parked in there.“Two bikes and my own motorcycle shop.”He truly enjoys getting up to go to work in the morning and appreciates the things he has worked for.
After having done this for so many years, he has gotten his turn around time down to an average of two to three days for tune-ups and services and an average of three to four weeks for a complete engine rebuild.Dirt bikes and four wheelers can get regular services done, but Jonas mostly concentrates on the street bikes, except for the old Indians and Triumphs.
With shop rates at a mere 65 dollars an hour, running your bike by for a tune up, or new tires is something that will benefit you and your trusty steed.
As you enter the room, the shine from the chrome and fresh paint is enough to almost blind you.Have you gone to motorcycle heaven?Well, you have gotten as close as you can, with the Cycle World’s International Motorcycle Show, an opportunity for manufacturers to present their newest products to the public.
The show will make a hard run through 11 cities during this, its 29th year of touring the nation.Expect to see about 500 new bikes, both street and off road along with the latest gear, accessories and more information for new riders.
In the original press release, Show Director Jeff D’Entremont had this to say, “Nearly 1,000 companies including the leading motorcycle manufacturers, accessory companies and retail stores will showcase the hottest new vehicles, parts and accessories for your two-, three-, or four-wheeled vehicle.Whether you are a long-time motorcycle rider, city commuter, track veteran or a potential new rider, each show stop is filled with the latest bikes, gear, fashion, safety equipment and more to get your motor running.”
For those of us who are close enough to the Seattle area, the show will be in town from Friday Dec. 11 to Sunday Dec. 13.Friday the show starts at 4pm and goes until 9pm, Saturday 9:30am to 8pm and Sunday 9:30am to 5pm.
Friday is Ladies Night Out, meaning that women will get in for half the adult price with a printable online coupon.Sunday is Family Day, so you can bring the kids and any of them less than 11 years old can get in free with a paid adult admission.The regular ticket prices for adults are 12 dollars in advance online, before Dec. 4 at 6pm, $13.50 for online general admission and 15 dollars at the door.To see all the ticket prices, check the Seattle Show Facts website.
The show will be held at the Qwest Field Event Center, Occidental Ave.Seattle, Wash.98134.Parking for bikes will be free, but if you bring your cage (car) it will cost you 10 dollars to park for the day.
The trip to the Albany Democrat-Herald was a wonderful learning experience.To see the inner-workings of a news room was an exhilarating and educational experience.Even though things were just calming down as we started the tour, things were still at a frenzied pace when we first entered, showing us what a news room looks like at print time.
One of the most important things that I learned while on the tour is the organization of the news room.The way that the desks were all facing each other and seemed to be grouped into the different sections of the paper.I would guess this is so they wouldn’t have to yell across the room to each other.
Also, watching the press run was a great opportunity.I had always been curious how they get the words from computer to paper.Learning about the inking and layering of the pictures was something that really stuck out in my mind.
Seeing the entire process of production of a newspaper is something that anyone interested in journalism should experience.That way you know what you are getting into before you fall into it.
I think that for my last story I am going to do an event. The particular event that I would like to cover is the Wednesday night belly dancing at The Old World Deli.
I used to go to it all the time when I was younger and a friend of mine danced in the event. I have not seen a story about the belly dancing in The Commuter since I have gone here. I think that it is a fun, social event that anyone could enjoy.
Would you like to achieve overnight fame? The fastest way is through social networking. Although I use the word "fame" very loosely in this context, as nobody from a major publishing company is beating on my door (yet).
As many of you may already know, I write for an online travel magazine, Examiner.com as the Portland Motorcycle Travel Examiner. I have been doing this for the entire summer and have been pushing my articles on Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter. Although this has helped to drive my page views up a bit as people reposted my links, I just wasn't hitting the numbers that I would like to have seen. Part of the problem with using those sites is that no matter how good of a friend you are of mine, if motorcycles don't interest you, you are not going to be all that motivated to go check out a long list of articles dedicated to that subject.
Last month, I finally forced myself to go to the Corvallis bike night, put on by members of the Pacific Northwest Riders. I say forced, because when I would make plans to go, something else would come up and I would have to cancel. Through meeting the people at that event, I decided to start participating on the forums.
Last night I posted a new aricle on my page. I went to the forum and started a new thread talking just about me! Well, actually to talk about my article and introduce myself to the rest of the PNWRiders.
This morning I checked my page views and at 6am, I had already received 62 page views! I followed that up with a quick Twitter search, and when using the keywords "motorcycle travel," the first four tweets that came up were links to my post on the PNWRiders forum. Checking the profiles, I discovered that one was from Manchester, England, one was from Canada! The other two did not have listings of where they were from.
What a great feeling it is to know that people so far away are reading my material as well. Although it was the forum, a social networking site of it's own, that got me this amount of distribution, it was actually meeting people with a common interest that started me down this path. Remember that although our lives may center around Facebook now, it is still important to get out and meet real people. A great big thank you to the readers on the PNWRiders forum.
What treat would be better for a soldier that is serving in the blistering heat of the desert, than an ICEE? Supporting the troops is important as they are out there giving all for us, and this story is a great example of an organization doing just that.
One thing that I liked about this story is the subject matter. I feel that supporting the troops during this war is something that cannot be covered enough.
The way that the information was presented both warmed the heart and provided facts about the organization conducting these services. It also provided locations of where we can make our own donations.
However, the information about where to donate was kind of buried in the middle of the story. By the time that I was done reading it, I wasn't able to recall for sure that I knew where to make a donation. I feel that that information would be better served at the end of the story.
I very much liked the lead of this story. It started off with the quote, "'Supporting the troops is more than slapping a sticker on the back of your car.'" I felt that this quote was a strong lead, proclaiming what the rest of the story was going to be about. It is actually the reason that I chose this story.
My take on the story is that this organization is a strong running organization with a lot of experience in the field of supporting troops. Other than adding some contact information at the end of the story to remind the reader to get out and help as well, it was well written and looks good in the paper.
You think that sitting in church for a Sunday morning is torture? If you lived in midievel times and didn't go to church, or spoke against the church, the church felt that penance through torture was in order. With machines like the pear and the rack, it still amazes me what human beings are willing and able to do to each other.
The pear was a devious hand held device that used screw technology. This one was used for people who spoke against the church, or committed adultery or homosexuality. For speaking against the church, the metal devise was inserted into the mouth and expanded until the person could no longer close their mouth. This was to elicit a confession of heresy. For adultery or homosexuality, the pear was inserted into the offending orifice and extended.
One of the most versatile of all the torture devices is the rack. This was a table that had an axle at each end that could be turned. The offender was strapped in, feet at one end and hands at the other, then the axles were turned using a lever. Using a longer lever would multiply the torque, increasing the pulling power on the ropes. This would dislocate joints, causing excruciating pain. These aren't even the torture devices that are lethal.
Other devices that the church officials used weren't as forgiving as to allow you to live. This was the price that you paid for speaking against the Catholic Church or going against the scriptures. If you can't convince someone to believe through teaching, force them to believe through pain.
I am currently a student at Linn Benton Community College, enrolled in the Journalism Program. I am 33 years old and finally got around to pulling my head out of my butt long enough to realize that I needed to do something with my life.
