Do I have it?
First let me start by telling you who I am for those who can't read.....I'm raydawg. An old man who got started very late in the game of riding. Well, I rode many years ago helping Noah round up the game, but that was way back when you didn't wear helmets or have anything to protect.
I moved to the Pacific Northwest of the USA about 10 years ago from southern California, where I grew up surfing, fishing, and notching girls name on my belt.....I had a very small waist back then. Anyway, the insanity drove me out after almost 50 years of living there to an island, in Pudget Sound, where I currently reside living off salmon, crabs, and blackberries and traded that belt for suspenders. This is where it gets interesting.......
After farting around on the island for most of those years I took a job over on the "mainland", which, meant I'd have to take a ferry, fun, not.
The lines in summer get very long, and residents get no favors. Often I'd be in line for hours, in my car....it got ugly. Well, if you ride a bike, you don't have to wait in line, go right to the front (toll booth) pay 60% less toll, and load right after the pedestrian foot traffic....very cool, then first off (after the heard animals). So....after all the years of 4 wheelin, I went back to 2....took the rider course, called some shops over in America, and bought a bike sight unseen (new). It was a Honda Rebel, fun little bike, got me upright, and to the front of the line. It wasn't but a few months, no, make that a few laughs and jokes directed at me that I knew I needed a bigger bike.....that guy lasted 4000 miles and I could take the ridicule no mores. I called the shop I bought it at and said I was riding it back in. He asked me what I wanted, a Shadow? "Nope" I said, "I want a thump punkin" and that is what I rode away with. Kissed the lil' Rebel goodbye and have fallen madly in love with my S40, so much so I'm thinking about chuck'n my s'penders and getting my notched belt back!

Here's a pix of the new ride: I have to attach it to another post, can't be on my first one.

Anyway.....HEY, I do have one question not pertaining to oil.....do they make a small rack for this guy? I don't want a sissy bar, just a six pack holder type so I can strap on a bag of groceries coming home from work. Oh, and why they compare this bike to a Rebel I have no idea, this bike on its worse day is still way better than a rebel on its best, no comparison, ain't fair they even compare them!
So, hi all, looking forward to talking savagely.....

As you were.

That just may be the best lookin stock paint scheme theyve put on these things,,

Th3ere is a Suzuki 6 pack rack. If you get that, mite wanna beef up the welds. Ive seen a couple of home builts that looked great & were bigger & stronger. My answer has been a gym back about 2 feet long with a 1/8the plywood sewn in the bottom & another glued under it & some D rings sewn on. I can get all kinds of stuff in that & strapped to it,

If you can find an old wooden milk crate & slather it with Linseed oil, that would look pretty cool.

Hey dude, welcome to HERE.
Remember that song from years past "Some people call me Ray ... "
Oh well.
So are you on Whidbey Island ?




The Navy transferred me after 3 years in Hawaii to NAS Whidbey Island in Jan '84 ... no sun at all for over 2 months; just grey sky, rain, fog, soggy sponge-like ground, snow, ice, and cold.  Everyone looked anemic to us and dairy products were dirt cheap in comparison.
I was a maintenance officer for the A-6 Intruder Training Squadron.



We lived in Oak Harbor; a very nice little town to live in; even better in the 6 week long summer.  
We had a brutal heat wave one summer that lasted a week or two; got all the way up into the 80's that year; all the stores sold out of fans.  OH YEA !  

San Juan chain or Vashon? And it is pronounced Putrid Sound. Don't eat the shellfish if you live on Vashon, the old copper smelter in Ruston really poisoned that area. I grew up catching fish with tumors. Born and raised in western Wa, nice place to visit, lousy place to live. Closest good beach is in Portland.

Check with a place called Bent Bike. Auburn store is 8K sq ft, Lynwood store is 24K sg ft. Auburn is better.

Hey lancer, good call. I'm way south of Oak Harbor, all the way down on the west side of the island on Cultus Bay. We are currently in a record breaking dry spell, more than 30 days I think, great biking weather, tho the ride this morning was cold and crisp my breast hurt by the time I got to work  

Hey Ray you are near the drive in theater. I ride down that way when ever I want to take the long way to everett. Got to love the front of the line.