Kevin "cruisin" Cole, Fritch, Tx.

[cruisin]

Kevin Cole here from Fritch, Tx (way north) and my bike ridin' Yorkie.

Here is a shot of me and Teddy(he's the one with the fur)

http://bmwsporttouring.com/files/462392-Me%20%26%20Teddy.jpg

And then just me at the top of Monarch Pass, Colorado a few years ago when the '99 was fairly new--may she rest in peace now.

http://bmwsporttouring.com/files/462393-just%20me.jpg

OOPS! I noticed that I had screwed up on the subject line--thanks to who ever corrected it.

[Hacksaw]

Hi Kevin
welcome. :-D

[Mer]

Welcome Kevin! Very cute dog too!!! Love the goggles!!

[Squeaky]

Is the pooch actually IN the tank bag? Adorable!

[Gilk51]

Cool picture!

How does your yorkie ride - in a tank bag or other special container?
I am trying to interest our Dachshund-Chihuahua mix in riding but she may be too big.

[cruisin]

Is the pooch actually IN the tank bag? Adorable!


Yessir, infact, "Tank Bag Teddy" was the title given to the article that appeared in the August '04 issue of BMW ON magazine. Since I wrote it, I suppose it is OK for me to reprint it here:

Teddy's training first involved simply sitting in an old tank bag with lots of treats so that he associated the bag with a good thing (the treats) We went through that routine for about three weeks until he would sit and stay in the bag for up to thirty minutes (took lots of treats).
Next, we had to acquire a pair of 'doggles' to protect his eyes, then used lots of treats to get him to think the doggles are a good thing. That process also took a few weeks to get him to the point that he would no longer try to paw them off.
The next big step was to get him in full gear and sitting on a running bike. We chose the R1100RT for the first attempt because it is the smoothest and quietest bike we own. Of course, this step also involved--you got it--lots of treats (do you see a pattern here? I was beginning to wonder who was training whom).
On the big day of his maiden ride we opted to go with the Honda Rebel since it is light-weight enough for me to handle in case he had forgotten any of the previous steps of training. We put him in the bag on the Rebel tank with doggles on and simply rolled around the garage a few minutes without the engine running. He seemed fine with the movement, so I fired it up and drove out into the front yard. The little guy was sitting there looking up at me as if to say “Why are we stopping?” So I continued on out to the street and drove to the end of the block and back. He was still sitting up as if he had done this all his life (four years). We rode around the neighborhood for about 15 minutes and called it a day.
The next day I decided it was time to make him an official beemer dog. We put the bag on the R1200C and strapped him in then off we went. We drove around for about 30 minutes like that and I swear that when other dogs came out to chase us, he just ignored them, as if to say, "When you catch one, you can ride too." We have since taken him on a couple of hour-long rides on the cruiser and one 180 mile ride on the RT. I do believe he is a natural.
Of course, now that he is officially a beemer dog, I may have to re-name him "the Tedanator."

[kurt]

Ya know....I tried it with the cat, but even with the tank bag zipped she managed to get out. Unfortunately, I hadn't made it very far from home yet.

[Hacksaw]

So that's where I saw that dog before! :-D

[Gilk51]

I read about another rider (Lew) and his Yorkie (Punky) in a V-Strom forum that rode from Florida to South America. He also has a lot of stories about his dog being attacked and hit by a car during the trips (but not while on the bike).

http://www.angelfire.com/mo/motormark/Punky_n_Lew.html

Guess I need a smaller dog but I may try the lots of treats trick to see if she will try it - she loves to ride in the car...

That is a cool article - thanks for including it.

[Gilk51]

One more question - is Teddy tethered in at all? Or is he just "loose"?
Also, what gear does he wear? (OK - that was 2/3 questions)

I remember seeing an article ages ago about a guy that had a dog that literally jumped on his bike with him to ride. He attached a scrap of carpet to his tank for the dog's feet to grip.

[cruisin]

I installed two D-rings in the bottom of the tank bag and another on the lower strap of his multi-strap harness. I then use a couple of those miniature bungee cords to give him just enough slack to stand-up. Also have lined the bottom and sides of the bag with 1" foam to make it mor comfortable for him. He once decided he would get out on his own and was hanging with all fours stretched out in front of him but no harm done. His "gear" is mainly just the doggles unless it is a bit chilly, then we put his sweater on. Most of his rides are in the summer and usually not more than a couple of hours. Sure get lots of looks and comments from other drivers and riders when Teddy is serving as navigator.

[terrebandit]

Ahhh, Fritch TX... gateway to Lake Meredith. Been there many a time before fishing and working on the lake.

Dave

[cruisin]

Ahhh, Fritch TX... gateway to Lake Meredith. Been there many a time before fishing and working on the lake.

Dave

Yep Dave, you are correct and Fritch is a great little place to live. I am out near the lake just a few blocks from the private ramp in Lake Meredith Harbor. For those who have heard less than nice things about our lake on the plains, Lake Meredith has it's moments of extreme tranquility and beauty.

Trying one last time with the picture.:mrgreen:

[StoneTriple]

I've always thought the Rebels had a nice line to them.

Welcome.

[cruisin]

Yeah, I like the looks of the Rebel too. The red one is a work in progress that I picked up a few years back for a couple hundred bucks. I am planning a complete restoration of it this summer. Our (actually her) silver one is in almost new condition and it is an '86 model 450 with 15K on the odo. It has a factory six speed tranny and runs like a charm. We bought this one from a friend from Pheonix last summer and drove it home from Socorro, NM; great little bike.

[cruisin]

Greetings all, I finally took the time to upload a few pictures to a photo hosting site, so I thought I would show off the customized cruiser that I spent so much time working on last winter. When I bought this R1200C last fall it was pretty well trashed cosmetically from sitting outside uncovered for three years. I ended up making 22 modifications in all to get it exactly the way I wanted. Just my time came to about 250 hours and some other folks put in a few hours also; like the body shop on the paint job, Jet-Hot on the mufflers and headers, a local bike shop to re-spoke and true the new rims, etc.

Any way, here is the end result as she looked on a trip to the hill country in April. Then doing a drive-by of Texas Stonehenge near Hunt. And one of me and my C on the opposite side of the lake from where I live.

Thanks for indulging my gloating :mrgreen: I'm so proud! :mrgreen:

[Tourmeister]

The black header pipes look good. I was thinking that would look cool on the GS.

Adios,

[Gilk51]

Thanks for indulging my gloating I'm so proud!


Well, you should be! The bike looks terrific!

[cruisin]

Thanks for indulging my gloating I'm so proud!


Well, you should be! The bike looks terrific!

Thank you.

Even though it was a lot of work, it was fun. Of the 22 modifications, I actually did all but the upholstery, paint, ceramic coatings and lacing spokes myself. About 30 hours went into just polishing the front forks from brushed aluminum to hi-gloss. I posted a complete run down over in the Hardware section at the end of April when I was sitting here with a lot of time on my hands recovering from back surgery on the 27th (of April). Should be back in the saddle in about another month!! whoohoo!! :bigokay:

[pons]

My yorkie Tigger just started riding with me and loves it too.

http://i.pbase.com/u18/pons12/upload/43125455.IMG_0228.JPG

[cruisin]

My yorkie Tigger just started riding with me and loves it too.

http://i.pbase.com/u18/pons12/upload/43125455.IMG_0228.JPG

It's kind of hard to tell in the picture, how do you have the tank bag set up?

[rickmillertx]

Kevin, keep an eye out for my relatives in your area. My nephew works at Pantex and lives in Panhandle. Rides a 2004 Vulcan 2000. His dad out of Canyon rides a 2004 Harley Deuce.

[cruisin]

Kevin, keep an eye out for my relatives in your area. My nephew works at Pantex and lives in Panhandle. Rides a 2004 Vulcan 2000. His dad out of Canyon rides a 2004 Harley Deuce.

Small world then. . .I too work at the flying saucer factory 8-) in the medical dept. managing the beryllium exposure surveillance program. And I grew up in Panhandle. In the past five years of that job I have met about 2500 of our plant population. Tell him to look me up in OMD.

[rickmillertx]

Cruisin, I used to work at the plant myself. 70 to 74. My nephew is a SWAT member there. He rides his Vulcan to work most days.
Small world.
Rick

[cruisin]

Hey Rick, I did a search in our electronic phone book for your nephew but couldn't find a "Miller" on a SWAT team. I have to guess he is a nephew by marriage, different last name than yours? I did find one Miller on the guard force but he doesn't own a bike and lives in Amarillo. :scratch:

[rickmillertx]

Kevin, sorry he is my sisters son. His name is Dustin Dillon. He is about 26.