Motorcycle Views

Knapsack Tour Pictures

"In his last run, `Io i ka Po (Hawaiian for "Hawk in the Night"), fondly known as Li'l Black, brought the About Motorcycles knapsack home from the Downtown Hilo Post office. The knapsack had been mailed to Hawai`i by GrammaOcean (AKA Beth) to HulaRydr (AKA Leilehua), and had arrived safe and sound. Li'l Black, a 1982 Honda Nighthawk 450, had run over 110,000 miles in his long and useful life. With lights taped and zip-tied on, holes in his tail pipes, leaks in his headpipes, oil dripping steadily from his tranny, headgasket cracking, rods knocking, and splices in the splices of his electrical system, he managed to limp the last quarter mile home. In the last eighth mile, his fuel valve started spraying an atomized mist of gasoline over the exhaust leaks. It was time for Li'l Back to pass the torch.. Or, in this case, rider and knapsack. Fortunately, after his own tribulations, Kamakani o ke Kai (Sea Breeze), Leilehua's new ride, was eagerly awaiting his chance at the honor of carrying what may be the World's Most Famous Backpack! After handing over Nappy the Knapsack, Li'l Black was rolled into the garage for a well-earned rest, with promises of a full restoration from the frame up." -- Lei

"One of the first things Nappy went to see was the town of Hilo from across the beautiful Hilo Bay." -- Lei

"That night, Nappy dove into the Hawaiian lifestyle with enthusiasm, studying hula, the traditional Hawaiian dance." -- Lei

"Nappy enjoyed helping the dancers to husk coconuts in Kumu Leilehua's back yard." -- Lei

"Nappy also enjoyed practicing hula in Leilehua's yard. " -- Lei

"But it wasn't all home-based studies - Nappy's first long ride on Kamakani was up Mauna Kea - the tallest mountain in the world, if measured from it's base. But just starting at the beaches, it rises almost 14,000 feet above sea level. Nappy, Kamakani, and Leilehua only went to the 9,000 foot level, though, because beyond that, the snow was above Kamakani's axles." -- Lei

"The knapsack and I were so excited to be riding through snow at 9,000 feet when we stopped to take pix, we forgot to take pix of each other! This is shot near the Visitor Information Station on Mauna Kea, The summit is at almost 14,000 feet. Feb 28, 2004. Sorry about neither Nappy nor me not being in the pic. We were so excited we forgot to snap each other, and I was a bit concerned about how to get back DOWN the mountain, as once the tires had cooled, they seemed to have a thinlayer of ice on them. Was that my imagination, or is that normal for you cold weather riders?" -- Lei

"A few days later, Nappy rode with Leilehua to Keaukaha to harvest the bark of the hau plant for making thread used in traditional crafts. The hau plant has large heart-shaped leaves, and the white inner bark comprises long strong fibres. They also harvested some laua`e, a fragrant fern prized for making lei, the garlands seen so often on hula dancers. Nappy learned that they are highly prized, and worn by people for many kinds of occasions." -- Lei

"Nappy made friends with Akane Maru, a cute little blue Knapsack which travels with Akane, a student of Leilehua. The knapsacks enjoyed their date at Wailoa Boat Ramp, though they were chaparoned." -- Lei

"Moku Ola, the small island in the background, is the Pu`uhonua, or Place of Refuge, of Hilo. The temple is gone now, but it still is considered a sacred site." -- Lei

"Pai`ea Kamehameha, known to the Western world as King Kamehameha, or Kamehameha I, united the Hawaiian islands through war and diplomacy." -- Lei

"Since becoming a territory, many Hawaiians have served honorably in the US armed forces. here, the memorial to those who gave their lives in Vietnam." -- Lei

"Though Nappy did not join them, he did wish his friends "Bon voyage!" when Akane0san and Akane Maru went with Capt. Kiko for a sail on his double-hulled Hawaiian canoe." -- Lei

See the complete story of "Nappy, the About Motorcycles Knapsack and his Hawaiian Vacation" at Lei's Wrench-Wench Web site.

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