PC Paddock And The First Event 0f 2026
May 6, 2026
Finally...something to write about! The first organized event for me every year starts very close by in Poughkeepsie at a restaurant called PC's Paddock. When you get there in the morning there is always coffee and pastries to enjoy alongside seeing people not seen since last season. Among others it's a man named Clark. He and I both ride older Kawasaki's from the last century. While mine is a decade newer than his, as a 1983 model, his Kawasaki 900cc is from 1975 and is pristine. It glitters in its all-original form looking like it just rolled out of the showroom. The only thing that isn't from the factory is an accessory exhaust system that emits a lovely, muffled song as it picks up speed.
The ride followed a slightly different route than last year and had my reflexes jumping. The group would suddenly slow down hard whenever we reached a turn and had my radar on full alert for most of the trip. As an aside my Kawasaki was running a fairly worn rear tire that was replaced the next day. At least once it slide slightly. Last year I replaced the brake pads on my entire triple disk system and the new rear pads overpowered the back tire. The new tire should tame that issue.
Before we knew it we were at the halfway point where I chatted with other riders until it was time to go. The return trip was an independent ride so Clark and I did a Classic Kawasaki run to the finish. It felt like I had gone back forty years in time as Clark and I negotiated our chosen route to the finish. His Kawasaki and mine were doing the turns easily and we reached the finish pretty quickly.
When we reached the end, a delicious cookout was going on. Food and soft drinks were in abundance, and we sat and chatted about what was in store for the coming season as we listened to a live band playing Classic Rock. The whole day set an excellent tone for the upcoming season, and I was satisfied with both my riding and the Kawasaki's performance. Americade is at the end of the month, and everything feels in synch. You will hear about it when it comes around.
The ride followed a slightly different route than last year and had my reflexes jumping. The group would suddenly slow down hard whenever we reached a turn and had my radar on full alert for most of the trip. As an aside my Kawasaki was running a fairly worn rear tire that was replaced the next day. At least once it slide slightly. Last year I replaced the brake pads on my entire triple disk system and the new rear pads overpowered the back tire. The new tire should tame that issue.
Before we knew it we were at the halfway point where I chatted with other riders until it was time to go. The return trip was an independent ride so Clark and I did a Classic Kawasaki run to the finish. It felt like I had gone back forty years in time as Clark and I negotiated our chosen route to the finish. His Kawasaki and mine were doing the turns easily and we reached the finish pretty quickly.
When we reached the end, a delicious cookout was going on. Food and soft drinks were in abundance, and we sat and chatted about what was in store for the coming season as we listened to a live band playing Classic Rock. The whole day set an excellent tone for the upcoming season, and I was satisfied with both my riding and the Kawasaki's performance. Americade is at the end of the month, and everything feels in synch. You will hear about it when it comes around.
Posted by Jim Zeiser.
If you wish to comment my e-mail address is h1500e@hotmail.com. I'd like to hear anything-good or bad-that anyone would like to say. As they said in college, we're all lifelong learners.
