It’s funny when I originally came up with the idea to ride down to Daytona Bike Week it was met as most initial plans are lots of excitement and talk. Alas as most plans go this one has been a tough one. Since the initial discussions with the crew, the last 3 months have been rather tough on one or all of us. All this did was cement my desire and turned this trip into an obsession. My drive has never faulted. I knew I would do this trip with or without support.

I took a leap of faith in a startup company last year and bought a cool looking small displacement motorcycle. I have never regretted my decision and fully support their Mission. On this journey I have also met a number of great people and some of which I am fortunate to call friend.  As for the bike I have pushed the Widow hard to see what she is capable of adding the mileage every day and asking more of her. She has never really faltered and has proven herself a thousand fold.

Knowing my bike, talking to her, listening, hell there’s even a love there too and pride. I knew that if I were to ask her to carry me down a road yet travelled, she would fire up and bear my weight with little to no complaint. I knew in my mind that this would be a challenge that we are capable to facing. I knew also that this would be something that we would have to do. To prove that not only she, but her sisters are capable and strong, that her rider is equally as capable. I also knew that this would be a road that we would have to take by ourselves.

The crew for the trip has dwindled to just two, Me and my iron horse. She isn’t the biggest, the fastest, or the strongest but we have the heart and drive. I had a nagging suspicion that it would come to just the Widow, the road and I. Maybe it’s better this way, the only way to truly test oneself if in the face of the challenge. I have no doubt that we will succeed.  Although I must admit some trepidation, I guess I should worry if I didn’t have those feelings.

Some of you reading this will wonder why I am lamenting. There have been countless others that have done this and more. The thing is I never have done a trip like this on a motorcycle. Let alone thought to ever do this on a single cylinder 250cc machine, especially one that is a hard tail. My wife has become more concerned as the date of my departure looms in the horizon. She feels that I should have a companion on the road, someone to watch my back and me theirs. Basically, anyone to follow and ride with on the trip down and hopefully back home. The thing is, she is more concerned that I will end up in a ditch, alone, hurt or worse leaving her and my daughter alone.  I cannot say that she is wrong and there are certain risks involved, nevertheless the bigger the risk the sweeter the rewards. Still doesn’t calm her mind and she feels that someone should carry the weight of worry and concern. That my mind should only be set on success.

However this will be a feat that I will own but it just won’t be mine. This will be ours, the tha Riders. So if I have to do this on my own and the only support I have is from a distance. So be it! I know there will be no fan fair or huge welcoming when I arrive. This trip is mine alone. Pass or Fail this is mine and I will own it.


i plan keep a record of the trip as I have over the last nine months, and turn over my findings to PIT Motors and Cleveland CycleWerks.

CCW for Life,

~Gardo

So I have been wracking my brain for days and trying to put together the information, experiences, and fun I had at the Indy Dealer Expo, Feb 17 – 19. There was so much that I still feel overwhelmed at the whole thing. So the more I thought about it the more the answer came to me. It’s funny how inspiration can hit you but can also take you to a completely different direction.

I know a good portion of you that read the blogs are looking for the story and it will be a story I will tell but I want to tell it from the end. Not just from the end of the show but at the very end. The moment I knew that the vacation was over and it was back to my reality more so back to work.

It was just like any other day I had t get up and start the day, get the kid motivated and out from under the covers and ready for school and head to work.  To be honest I was still on a high from the days prior there was something surreal about putting on a suit and heading to the office versus back out to the garage and working on the bike.

The surprise that I received when I walked into my office was a pleasant one. I got myself settled down and one of my colleagues walks up, stops at my desk and pulls a piece of paper from his pocket and slaps it down in front of me. I sighed and look at him, took a swig of coffee and looked down.

As I read what was placed down, I could feel the smile creep across my face. Looks like my colleague went and got his permit. That’s right his motorcycle permit.  

He told me that for the last year he has listened to me and another rider talk about our bikes and the adventures we have had. Not to mention the feel of the road and just getting lost in the wind. It was the passion in the way we spoke that was infectious.  He also has the BRC scheduled for March and is looking at a number of bikes, one of which is the Misfit. Either way there will be another rider on the road and I for one am happy that  I was able to inspire him to break the cage and be free.

There is such a stigma with the 250cc bikes. I was at the Bar on Friday and met an old grizzled HD rider. He is the friend of a friend and had seen pics of the Widow and was blown away to find out it was a 250cc. Now his first words to me after the introductions were done and the pleasantries were exchanged, was that I could have bought an old Sporty for the money I put into my Heist. This led into a two hour debate and conversation between us.

The interactions we had were first met with the standard HD rider stubbornness that the only bike to have is a Harley Davidson. So I focused my argument there early on. Yes HD is the quintessential American motorcycle as well as being an icon worldwide.   However not everyone can afford a brand new HD motorcycle, and to be honest the low end HD 883’s are not really spoken well of, for build quality and comfort for the ride. His counter point was that there are tons of older HD bikes which are affordable. I agreed with him there and posed to him that the AMF HD bikes are riddled with issues and as a first bike for some does a new rider want to spend more time riding or wrenching. Usually the “Affordable” used bikes are that price because the previous rider(s) have used them as such. Beaters learner bikes, basket cases and the like. Don’t get me wrong I love to wrench on my bike but do I wanna burn all my ride time fixing a bike that could cost as little as a tune up and oil change to a full rebuild, which could at times triple the cost of what you may have paid for the bike, or do I want to ride. Project bikes are the exception. 

I opted for a brand new bike as my return to riding. So the question was why a 250cc. The straight answer was simple. I dropped my first bike and did some damage. I was too new a rider and the bike even at 650cc (sport bike) was too much bike for me to handle. I was too green and let’s face it stupid because it had power I pushed the bike and myself too far. This bike, the tha Heist, had started off as a bike was light, inexpensive, new and just supposed to let me get my feet back under me. I originally had all intentions to keep the bike for a year and sell it then buy something much bigger.  That would change and this bike became something more from day one.

I bought my Heist from Tom Weaver, the proprietor of Weaver Rides and Al from PIT Motors  was there as well. They let me choose the crate and had the opportunity to assist in building my Heist. I was in love from the start. I saw a bike that was a canvas that was waiting for an artist. To me the stock bike was 85% where I wanted it. The thing is though I can’t leave well enough alone, so started modding and customizing the bike that day. Almost a year later and more than 7000 miles later, my Heist the tha Widow has evolved.


 As I spoke and told this gentleman my story over a few beers he listened. I mean truly listened and would ask questions.  Some of the questions revolved around how the bike rode, what was it like on the highway, what’s the mileage I get on the tank, and what was the longest trip I took, and what have I done to modify the my motorcycle. He was blown away by the way I answered him. More so that I have done over 7000 miles in less than a year. Our mutual friend was there to back up what I had told him.

The more we spoke the more I saw his view change. He stated I was the first person he met that rode a 250. He was more blown away when I told him that I was going to be riding my Heist down to Daytona, Florida. He was excited at that prospect and wants to meet up during bike week.  When all was said and done, the outcome was that there really isn’t anything out there for this price or style that a new rider can get, be comfortable and feel good about what they ride.  

For me, the tha Heist has been an exercise of what this bike CAN DO, not what others say it cannot.  For a bike that was meant to be an in town bar hopper has become a true cruiser.

~Gardo

Ok guys I have a short run of 30 shirts being done thinking of doing 20 Large 5 XL and 5 Med, preshrunk reg fit T-shirts. Still working the numbers but trying to keep it under $20 USD a shirt who is interested?


Please email me ccwtharider@optonline.net 

So today was a nice day and I managed to get out and ride, not to many 60* February days out here in Northern NJ. So it felt good to take the bike out not loaded down with all my cold weather gear.

So today a buddy and his wife stopped by before they were hitting the Tool concert at the Meadowlands, and this is the first time that my buddy Geoff had been able to see the Widow. As the women were inside chatting away I grabbed a helmet and the keys and had him follow me out to the foot of my driveway were the Widow sat basking in the sun and being ogled at by the passerby's.

Now let me give you a bit of background about my buddy. He's a true motorcyclist, what I would consider a purist, or utilitarian rider. He has ridden for the better part of twenty-five years, not for the cool factor, that’s not his way. He started to ride because he couldn’t afford a car and needed to get back and forth to work. Hell he didn’t own a car till he got married. So that was 7 years straight riding. This is by no mean an easy accomplishment living in the northeast, especially in New Jersey. He rides, and I use the present tense because he still does this, weather its nice and dry out or everything else. This means he rides whether warm, dry, rain, snow, and even ice a few times, all because he has to go to work.  Utilitarian like I said. As for the purist he has ridden everything and never a new bike he puts a lot of mileage on bikes so never could justify it or as he puts it why waste the money.  Geoff has ridden the spectrum of bikes, dual sports, sport bikes, lots of standards, and a few cruisers. Everything from a 250cc Ninja to a 1200 HD, his current mode of transportation is a 92 Honda 750 Nighthawk.

Now the reason for the background is he looked at the Widow and walked around her. He was intrigued and amused, but not in a negative way.  He looks up at me after a few minutes and his inspection of the bike and asks if he can hear it. So just to show off a bit I lowered the kick lever turned the key and kicked the bike to life. Geoff’s eye widened like a little kid.  As the Widow settled into her purr and idled down, Geoff remarked how good she sounded and listened to her breath.  

I tossed him my lid and told him to take her around the block, hell to take the Widow around the block the LONG way. He settled into her saddle and got familiar with her controls. Then he took off. I watched him go and that moment of panic set in. The one that a parent gets the first time you let your child cross the street by themselves. Not many people are allowed on the Widow, my Old Man…well because he’s the old man, Tom from Weaver Rides who is my Dealer, mechanic, fabricator and close friend, the same with Al from PIT Motors and 2 other riders I know.

Ten long minutes went by and Geoff returned with the biggest smile that I have ever seen this man produce. The first words out of his mouth were “Can I do that again?” He was truly impressed by the bike. He parked it and began to go over everything he loved and this was the first time I have heard him speak about a motorcycle with pure passion. Don’t get me wrong he loves to ride and look at the pretty bajillion dollar bikes, but like I said he’s very pragmatic and utilitarian rider. He was surprised by how responsive the Widow was and would like to have had a chance to really open her up. He was able to wind through the gears with ease and feel the power though each gear. How agile and light the bike felt. This was the first hard tail that he’s ever been on and was surprised by the comfort of the seat suspension. He rambled on for a bit like this for a bit, admitting to feeling like a little kid and wanted to keep playing riding. What had really caught my attention was that he said this was the most fun he had on a bike in a very long time.  

That made me smile.

Ride Happy Ride Safe tha Nation