Jim completed the bike just in time to make the 2000 River Run to Laughlin, Nevada. The 100-inch square motor and one of his own hand-built transmissions cut a dusty trail into the desert for the party. The Spyke front-end made the rigid ride bearable. The run took place along the Colorado River in April, but just a month later, while on a ride to a Signal Hill, California, bike night at the famous Curly's bar and cafe, Jim faced the ultimate biker challenge.

He had left his sister's shed in Long Beach in the afternoon. It was warm out and the waves of heat rose off the buildings, but he decided to wear his leather rather than bungee it to his bars. He grabbed enough throttle on Cherry Avenue to launch him into orbit as he peeled up the wide street. Just a couple blocks from the hilltop café, he approached an intersection where he spotted a babe in a Buick making a California stop. He shifted to the center lane and when he looked up, a Mazda pickup was headed at him like a torpedo at a destroyer. He had no place to hide. He lifted his left leg as the truck T-boned his cherry sled. The 6-foot rider spun to the left, onto the hood of the truck, bouncing over it to the pavement below. The bike was punched broadside into a severe slide, slamming it against the adjacent curb.

Jim rolled to a stop and was able to get to his feet. The scooter wasn't so lucky. He had to replace the front end, the transmission, the engine, both fenders and the sissybar. As a member of the old line of bikers, Jim didn't hesitate, procrastinate or shudder with fear. He shoved exposed bones back in his arm, had it stitched up and went to work rebuilding the bike.