Meet Junior — the new canine addition to our family. Seventy pounds of Belgian Sheepdog energy. At 13 months of age he needs a lot of attention, training and love. Time that used to be spent on the road.

And this is a Triumph Thunderbird. The latest motorcycle to appear in my life. At over 700 pounds and nearly 100 cubic inches of engine is needs a lot of attention and training too.

Junior (named by the breeder we got him from) is a smart dog. He’s waiting patiently with a minimum of pacing for me to finish this post and take him to the dog park for some tennis ball chasing. My right arm is useless. I have gotten pretty good throwing left-handed but that arm is fading fast.

The Thunderbird is the biggest bike I’ve ridden in a long time. If the Ducati was a racehorse this bike is like a draft horse. A big, gentle but powerful Percheron. Lots of pulling power.

My agricultural background informs my metaphors.

Junior wants to go. He’s losing interest in the rawhide bone. And later I want to ride. So stay tuned for what develops with the Triumph Thunderbird.