[dropcap]D[/dropcap]ear Ma, I hope everything is good up there in Heaven. We are doing pretty good down here in Dallas. Hey Ma, I have some pretty big news, our home town, the city of Irving, Texas, issued a proclamation declaring March 26, 2016 Rick Fairless Day! And Ma, at the same ceremony, the Grand Lodge Order of Elks, Irving, Texas Charter, declared Rick Fairless as Irving, Texas Citizen of the Year! I was absolutely blown away at receiving such an honor! Plus, my wife Sue got me to the ceremony under false pretense so it was a complete surprise to me. Nobody was more shocked than me. I am not worthy of this kind of recognition, but I was greatly honored to accept these awards! I guess all that means I’m getting old.
Ma, you know how I love Victory Motorcycles. Well, Victory just came out with a new model called the Octane. This is something that I have been wanting and hoping Victory would build for several years. The Octane weighs only 538 lbs., has a 1200cc engine with a whopping 104 hp and its water-cooled. Plus, it only retails for $10,499. Trust me Ma, this is a game-changer in the motorcycle industry. I am super excited about this bike and as you can imagine, they are selling very well. This adds up to another win for Victory and for motorcycle enthusiasts everywhere. Polaris continues to innovate in the powersports industry and I am proud to be part of the Victory/Polaris family and I’m excited about the future. Stay tuned Ma, even bigger things are coming!
So get this, a couple of weeks ago on a busy Sunday afternoon, I noticed a crowd gathered in my front parking lot of Strokers IceHouse, my bar. I knew that meant that somebody must be acting the fool, so I got out there as fast as I could. Well, before I could get to the street, here comes a Hayabusa flying by at more than 150 mph and then, about a year and a half behind it was an idiot on a Harley V-Rod. So by the time I worked through the crowd, here they come again. I jumped out in the street and waved both them dopes into my parking lot. They both started with, “I’m sorry Rick, I’m sorry!” I yelled at both of them and made them promise not to race in front of my place again. I got enough “stupid” around here without these dopes bringing negative attention to my business. I try to get along with all my neighbors, plus, the Dallas Police Department is less than a mile up the road. I don’t need any heat from those fellas!
It seems the instigator was the loudmouth on the V-Rod. According to witnesses, he kept blowing about how his V-Rod could beat the Hayabusa in a quarter-mile race. He was so sure that he could beat the Hayabusa that he bet him $100 and that’s when the cat on the Hayabusa decided to take his money. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that the Hayabusa cat was wearing full leathers, riding boots and a full-face helmet, while the knucklehead on the H-D was wearing tennis shoes, a black Harley t-shirt and NO HELMET! Oh yeah Ma, I also forgot to tell you that the Hayabusa was equipped with that nitrous (NOS). The funny part was, I asked the Hayabusa cat if he turned on the nitrous during the race and he very politely said, “Come on Rick, not only did I not turn on the NOS, I didn’t get past half throttle.” I replied, “Get your $100 from that chump and leave your “stupid” at home next time you come to Strokers Dallas!” We get all kinds of people here at Strokers Dallas & Strokers IceHouse, including our share of idiots.
As you know Ma, my friend Richard Rawlings who owns Gas Monkey Garage, has a TV show on the Discovery Channel called FastN-Loud. So last week we filmed an episode out here at Strokers Dallas where he came out and bought an old ‘37 Ford Ambulance that I’ve had sitting here for a few years. It was fun to do some TV stuff again. I know you always hated doing TV and you only did it with my constant, never-ending insistence (begging)! But as I’ve always said, TV is good for business, and I enjoy doing it anyway. So the episode I filmed with Richard will air some time later this year.
That’s it from down here Ma. I hope you’ve adjusted to Heaven alright, or maybe they’ve adjusted to you! Keep an eye on me Ma, and please send me a “jolt” or something if I’m getting too far out of line.
I miss you and I love you Ma!
Your boy, RF
Rick Fairless owns Strokers Dallas Motorcycle Shop and RF Custom Parts among other business interests, including his Strokers IceHouse Bar & Grill.
