oldthirtythree
Member
Liquid Silver was first poured on these shores over 5 years ago. As with many of the faithful gathered here, I was
an early convert to its spell. It was like nothing that had come before and it was so right in so many ways. It
provided the avenue for both power and peace, strength and solitude. I spent three years under the spell of Liquid
Silver, friction testing advanced synthetic rubber compounds up and down the asphalt by-ways of the eastern United
States. From the Dragon, to the Skyway, to Biketoberfest and beyond -- Liquid Silver never let me down. The spell
was challenged when Cereulean Silver came, and even later by Galaxy Blue, yet Liquid Silver continued to hold
sufficient sway. There was sure to be nothing that would stop the flow of the precious Liquid Silver - except
maybe life itself.
Well life did stop the flow - and the liquid started to puddle in the corner of the garage. A car for the teen-
ager, a new job, and some vintage bikes all conspired to slow and eventually stop the flow of Liquid Silver. Two
years ago - the end came as a new member of the faithful stepped up to ensure the flow would continue. Liquid
Silver would continue its journey, with this member of the faithfull watching from the sidelines.
The sidelines have always been and continued to be a great source of entertainment and knowledge. While I have
been silent for many years, I remember fondly the early community that Liquid Silver created. From pictures of
packing crates, to the first farkles, to the hurricane interrupted gatherings, the faithful gathered quickly. Gen
II came along and delivered an even better platform and the parade continued to march on. I continued to watch and
listen and was doing life just fine. Doing just fine for almost two years that is - until that one day when it
showed up. It came along like a well ordered plan, just like many had in the past. But this time it was
different. This time it was Black!
One dictionary entry describes Raven as Lustrous Black. Our marketing friends in Cypress decided to name the cloak
of the current steed Raven. Raven, a Lustrous Black. The spell was back and the quest was on.
The one true source of Lustrous Black was obviously the Yamaha Motor Company Limited of Iwata Japan. The quest
could have pursued the source, except for that small problem of being 7084 miles away. (Let's see -- $4 gas, lots
of water, different language, import duties -- Well, Raven may be a Lustrous Black, but Iwata is still one third
the distance around the globe -- probably best to focus the quest just a bit downstream from the source.) The
quest could also pursue an alternate source, as long as the alternate source showed proper respect to the origin of
the Lustrous Black. The quest explored multiple options, but was heavily influenced by clues from the sidelines.
A two letter code kept appearing. Could the spell be quenched via this simple code - only exploration of the code
would tell.
US Hwy 31 stretches some 1200 miles from Spanish Fort, Alabama to Mackinaw City Michigan. Just 300 miles from its
southern terminus lies a small 134 year old community. Luckily, this community is also only 230 miles from my own.
This community has become centric to this quest - just as it has for scores of others. The community is Cullman
Alabama - and here is the view from the Interstate at 9am CT this morning:
As many have no doubt already figured out the ending to this story - I will accelerate the tale. If you are in the
eastern half of these United States - I would submit there is one source that must not be ignored - the two letter
code for the quest is of course - D and H.
For those who have never been - it is an experience that is hard to describe. The modest surroundings, 35 year
history and real life people that make D&H what it is do not portray themselves easily via pictures or words. As
my 10yr old Son said to Renaa after hanging out in the dealerhip most of the morning - "You guys know everybody
that comes in here!" Needless to say - I must add my own good experience to the many who have come before me. The
alternate source is true and because of that -- my quest for Lustrous Black ended today.
After my two year hiatus from FJR ownership - it is good to be back.
Did I mention I'm partial to Black?
an early convert to its spell. It was like nothing that had come before and it was so right in so many ways. It
provided the avenue for both power and peace, strength and solitude. I spent three years under the spell of Liquid
Silver, friction testing advanced synthetic rubber compounds up and down the asphalt by-ways of the eastern United
States. From the Dragon, to the Skyway, to Biketoberfest and beyond -- Liquid Silver never let me down. The spell
was challenged when Cereulean Silver came, and even later by Galaxy Blue, yet Liquid Silver continued to hold
sufficient sway. There was sure to be nothing that would stop the flow of the precious Liquid Silver - except
maybe life itself.
Well life did stop the flow - and the liquid started to puddle in the corner of the garage. A car for the teen-
ager, a new job, and some vintage bikes all conspired to slow and eventually stop the flow of Liquid Silver. Two
years ago - the end came as a new member of the faithful stepped up to ensure the flow would continue. Liquid
Silver would continue its journey, with this member of the faithfull watching from the sidelines.
The sidelines have always been and continued to be a great source of entertainment and knowledge. While I have
been silent for many years, I remember fondly the early community that Liquid Silver created. From pictures of
packing crates, to the first farkles, to the hurricane interrupted gatherings, the faithful gathered quickly. Gen
II came along and delivered an even better platform and the parade continued to march on. I continued to watch and
listen and was doing life just fine. Doing just fine for almost two years that is - until that one day when it
showed up. It came along like a well ordered plan, just like many had in the past. But this time it was
different. This time it was Black!
One dictionary entry describes Raven as Lustrous Black. Our marketing friends in Cypress decided to name the cloak
of the current steed Raven. Raven, a Lustrous Black. The spell was back and the quest was on.
The one true source of Lustrous Black was obviously the Yamaha Motor Company Limited of Iwata Japan. The quest
could have pursued the source, except for that small problem of being 7084 miles away. (Let's see -- $4 gas, lots
of water, different language, import duties -- Well, Raven may be a Lustrous Black, but Iwata is still one third
the distance around the globe -- probably best to focus the quest just a bit downstream from the source.) The
quest could also pursue an alternate source, as long as the alternate source showed proper respect to the origin of
the Lustrous Black. The quest explored multiple options, but was heavily influenced by clues from the sidelines.
A two letter code kept appearing. Could the spell be quenched via this simple code - only exploration of the code
would tell.
US Hwy 31 stretches some 1200 miles from Spanish Fort, Alabama to Mackinaw City Michigan. Just 300 miles from its
southern terminus lies a small 134 year old community. Luckily, this community is also only 230 miles from my own.
This community has become centric to this quest - just as it has for scores of others. The community is Cullman
Alabama - and here is the view from the Interstate at 9am CT this morning:
As many have no doubt already figured out the ending to this story - I will accelerate the tale. If you are in the
eastern half of these United States - I would submit there is one source that must not be ignored - the two letter
code for the quest is of course - D and H.
For those who have never been - it is an experience that is hard to describe. The modest surroundings, 35 year
history and real life people that make D&H what it is do not portray themselves easily via pictures or words. As
my 10yr old Son said to Renaa after hanging out in the dealerhip most of the morning - "You guys know everybody
that comes in here!" Needless to say - I must add my own good experience to the many who have come before me. The
alternate source is true and because of that -- my quest for Lustrous Black ended today.
After my two year hiatus from FJR ownership - it is good to be back.
Did I mention I'm partial to Black?
