ss1000

got e-mail saying a couple people were riding to daytona. if i was interested, it could be turned into an iron butt ride. i was, so it was… and i completed my first saddlesore 1000 (one thousand miles in twenty four hours) this past weekend.

once a couple more e-mails were sent around, it ended up with three of us going. we had two routes picked out, a northern loop and a southern straight shot. because of predicted snow along the northern route, the night before the ride, we decided to take the southern route. we’ll save the northern route for another time.

saturday morning came, early!! i officially started my trip at sheetz at 4:53am. it was cold morning and i was glad we were heading south. at sheetz, i got my witness form signed and my start receipt. i headed to benson, nc, my first stop and meeting point for the other two riders.

i get to benson, top off my tank and wait for the other riders. i’m glad to get off the bike, move around and warm up a little. after about five minutes, the other riders show up. without wasting time, they top off and we’re off to the next stop.

the plan is to start looking for stations at one hundred fifty miles, stopping before one-eighty. i’m usually good for about one hundred ninety miles. i’ve gone over two-hundred, but was really nervous. i’m good with going one hundred eighty and stopping for gas.

because we were running at slightly higher speeds that i normally drive, my mileage wasn’t quite what i expected. we were at about one hundred fifty miles and i *needed* gas.  that put us in manning, sc for our second stop. i ended up putting a little over five gallons of gas into my advertised five-gallon tank. the new rule is stopping for gas every one-fifty.

stops were long enough to top off the tanks, relieve ourselves and get back on the road. no time wasted. stopped time can really eat into overall time.

with one more stop in midway, ga, we made it to our turn around point in st. augustine, fl around 12:30pm. we were making good time and i was feeling good about the ride. other than a tiny bit of rain on the way down, and being a little cooler than i was expecting, the ride had been great.

after topping off, we talked about lunch. we’re good on time and it’d probably be a good idea to get off the bikes for a short time. without much argument, it was decided to stop at waffle house. we top off our bellies and head back home.

just after entering georgia, we hit stop-n-go traffic. not looking good. one of the guys starts darting in and out of traffic to get ahead. i do my best to keep up. after a few miles, the traffic lets up and we hit the speeds we need. i’m able to catch up to the leader, but no sign of the third rider. all this at about the time i need gas. i indicate i’m pulling over at the next exit. not sure what’s going to happen from here.

at the next stop, i top off, get my receipt and am documenting the stop when another rider pulls up. no sign of the third rider. he waited at the exit long enough to see riders we had passed earlier. surely the third rider was already past them. we try to reach him on his phone and decide to push ahead.

as we’re driving, i’m scanning ahead and behind, seeing if i can find him. no luck… until right before our next stop. he’s on the side of the road, accompanied by a local police officer. oops… our timing must have been perfect because as we pull off the exit, he’s right there with us.

talking to a local at the gas stop, the local police apparently patrol a short section of 95 north. they do their best to get as many people as they can. ticketed him for doing seventy-nine in a seventy. lesson learned…

our next stop is in benson, where we met in the morning. we top off and say our goodbyes. we’ll ride together for a bit and then split off, heading to our final stop.

my last stop is at sheetz, where i started. i rolled in there around 9:20pm. got my final receipt, witness form signed and headed home.

i ended up riding over 1000 miles in about seventeen  and a half hours. according my my odometer, it was 1049 miles. according to the gps, it was 1031 miles. the trip was actually a lot easier than i expected. i didn’t get tired like i expected and my butt didn’t start to hurt, as i expected.

my wife asked, dreading the answer, “what’s next??” i don’t know what’s next. but i do know there will be more…

check out the 2009 ride map to see the route - this one in green ...

32500…

took the bike in for the 32,500 mile service this morning. ‘twas a brisk but good ride. nice to be out in the morning, riding in the cool air. something about riding this time of year just seems so refreshing – even if it is in rush-hour traffic.

i was going to wait for my bike to be serviced. upon further thinking i decided to drop it off. mainly for two reasons:

1. they’ll wash it – and it desperately needs washed. with what little riding i’ve been able to get in this year, i’ve done even less washing!! i figure they’ll get the bulk of the dirt and grime off the bike, leaving detailing to me. works for me.
2. i get a rental. what else can i say?? a chance to ride another bike.

this time i was hooked up with an ‘09 road king. nice ride. too bad i had work today else i may have been out all day riding. i did manage to have an errand to run at lunch, so i did get to take it out a little.

friday night at bikefest...

looking down fayetteville street...

no longer riding…

as a result of the bikesafe nc assessment i talked about in my previous post, i no longer ride my bike…

i now drive my bike.

before i go further, let me talk about the day… the morning started off with an introduction to the bikesafe program. then led into risk taking, risk awareness and risk mitigation. we’re told what we’re going to learn that day isn’t necessarily the right way or the only way to drive, but are tools and techniques to make us safer on the road.

as i recall, sgt. mark brown made the comment that the bikesafe program in london has seen a twenty-five percent drop in motorcycle fatalities as a result of their bikesafe program. i commented that it’s amazing realize that what we learn in an afternoon can decrease our chances of a fatal crash by twenty-five percent.

after the morning classroom session, we given a route to drive. a police officer follows, making assessments of our driving behavior. after the drive, we’re given our assessments.

generally, everyone eats lunch at the highway patrol cafeteria. as sgt. mark brown likes to point out, it’s “fish on fridays!!!” this is a great opportunity to chat more with the officers.

the afternoon starts with an introduction to “the system.”  so much information is presented, i could probably take it again and learn just as much. we’re taught about controlling the bike better, reading the road, strategies to make us safer on the road.

after the discussion, back out to the road for an afternoon assessment. the afternoon assessment takes us out for a longer ride, covering a lot of different driving scenarios – two lane roads, highways, heavily congested areas, etc. the idea is to put into practice what we learned earlier.

looking back on the say, i can easily say this was well worth the time; a must-have for everyone. it’s amazing how small things can make a big difference. i’ve put into practice some of the things i’ve learned and driving is so much more enjoyable. if you have a chance, take it.

below are some take-aways from the day – definitely not an exhaustive list:

• driving a bike is a matter of attitude. people like mat mladin, valentino rossi, nicky hayden don’t ride their bikes around the track – they drive them. while we might not be out on the road to win a race, we should still have the right attitude when we’re out there. i now choose to drive my bike…
• drive with a purpose. as sgt. mark brown says, “the purpose of riding is to get from point a to point b without damage to machine or injury to human.” when you think about it, when we make that happen, the drive between is so enjoyable.
• always, always always have an escape route. always know where you’re going to go if or when you have to bail. this isn’t something you have the luxury of thinking about when the knucklehead behind you locks up their tires.
• use your mirrors – check all around you all the time. i thought i did a good job of checking my mirrors. not as good as i could have been doing… now i focus on identifying the color, make and model of the car behind me. i’ll also try to identify if it’s a male or female driver and any other identifying factors – just in case said knucklehead decides to occupy the same space i’m currently using.
• read the road signs. not only the ones posted by dot. it’s amazing how much the terrain can tell you if you know what to look for.

of course there was a lot more that i can’t think of right now… it’ll come back to me when i’m out driving…

in closing, i need to thank sgt. mark brown for his dedication and effort in bringing the bikesafe program to north carolina. if you ever meet him, you’ll quickly know he’s got a passion for motorcycling. he’s a pretty funny guy too.

thanks to all the police officers to help make the program successful. the officers come from different departments. we had state troopers, raleigh police, cary police and apex police. a lot of these officers do this on their day off. and they don’t get paid for this. because they believe in the program and believe it’s the right thing to do. after doing this during the day, some of the guys have to work at night.

a special thanks to trooper adams for sharing his knowledge with me during the day. i can only hope, and have no reason to believe otherwise, the other officers were as good as trooper adams.

if you get a chance, sign up for bikesafe. if the above isn’t enough, think about how cool it is to be blasting down the highway with a trooper behind you – without his lights on!!!

bikesafe – nc…

looking forward to tomorrow… going to participate in bikesafe – nc, a program to assess my skills and offer advice on improving… well, probably not so much designed to assess and improve my skills as much as reduce the number of motorcycle fatalities on the highways and make riding safer and more enjoyable.

the program was modeled after the bikesafe – london program. apparently the program in london has been very successful. and the program here in nc is showing the same promise.

as i understand it, there are two classroom sessions followed, each followed by a riding session, with feedback after the riding. i figure motorcycling is a something that should be continually practiced. so this should be an excellent opportunity to learn a more about what i can do to improve.

easyriders rodeo…

took a ride out to the easyriders rodeo in wilson yesterday… blasting down the highway, enjoying the solitude, thinking about how nice it was to be out riding… even thought about passing up the rodeo just to keep riding. it did cross my mind that if i had the paperwork, i might have turned this into an attempt at the ss1000. probably a good thing i didn’t!!!

i arrived and headed toward the ticket booth. with the variety of bikes in the parking lot, i’m thinking the bike show should have been outside!!

i finally make my way inside and head over to the bike show to kill some time before the rodeo events start… while i appreciate all the effort that goes into customizing a bike, i definitely prefer the old bikes and rat bikes over custom, raked out and chromed bikes.

this ‘63 triumph was probably my favorite – wish i had some extra cash laying around!!!

rodeo events…

they even had a powderpuff round…

 

and definitely the most interesting part of the day… i’m walking around the track get to the bleachers on the other side. as i pass a guy on his bike with a chick on the back, he asks if i take pictures. i answer yes, thinking to myself, that’s why i’m carrying this camera around. he asks if i’ll take a picture of his girl. of course!!! as i back up to get them in the picture, he adds, “because she’s always wanted to get into a magazine.” hmmmm… so i take a couple pictures and make some idle chit-chat asking if he’s entering the rodeo.

as i start to walk away, he grabs my arm and asks, “which magazine is she going to be in?” uh, ohhhh… i come clean, tell him that i wish i was good enough to take pictures for a mag, but usually post them on my blog. he seemed to think that was still cool. i told him what to search for, so hopefully he’ll find it. i can’t really blame him if he doesn’t. i couldn’t even remember his name after i got around the end of the track. i’ll call him rebel.

anyway, here are the pics i promised. rebel, if you actually find this, leave me a comment. would love to hear from you…

until next year… when maybe i can talk my wife into camping…

‘nother first-timer…

took an awesome ride last friday. well, technically two fridays ago… couple old roads, couple new roads, nice scenery, wonderful weather. but what made this trip so great was i got to ride with my son. and he was beside me, not on the back!!!

day started out with a ride to shelton’s to pick up a buell blast. since it had been a few months since son had been on a bike, we spent a couple hours on their range before heading out on the open road.

we had an agreement that we would both have to be comfortable before hitting the road. being responsible for him, and knowing that i would have to answer to his mom should *anything* happen while we’re on the road, i figured we’d be spending a lot of time on the range.

we started out with the basics and built up from there. before leaving, i’m expecting him to practice and show proficiency in cornering, quick stops and swerves. two things really stood out while he was practicing: how quickly he would correct things he was doing wrong; how he would continue to practice a skill even after i was satisfied; and how beautiful some of his quick stops were – some of the best i’ve seen. okay, so that’s three!!!

while he was practicing his cornering, i told him that i was happy and he could move on when he was ready. i think he was really enjoying the cornering because he kept going ‘round and ‘round. i finally felt obligated to stop him and remind him that eventually we’d like to get out on the road!!!

he did happen to have one mishap… earlier in the day, i warned him about covering and applying the front brake while in a corner. i told him as a beginner, i’d prefer to see *not* use the front brake at all while in a corner – if, for whatever reason, he applied too much front brake, he would be down quicker than he knew what was going on.

sure enough, he was coming around a corner quicker than he wanted and applied too much front brake. bam!! he was down. i think the only thing, thankfully, that was hurt was his pride. we talked about what happened and why it happened. after that, he didn’t use the front brake unless his front tire was straight.

so now it was time to hit the open road. being his first time out, we stayed on mostly two lane, back roads. the plan was to leave durham  and head to virgilina via creedmore and oxford.

we’re on the road and i’m watching him in my rear view. waiting for any sign that he’s nervous or having problems. but no sign of that. he’s maintaining a good distance behind me, negotiating curves with ease – looks like he’s doing well. looks like he’s having fun.

i start to relax a little, feeling comfortable with his riding. now i realize i’m starting to get hungry. i was so wrapped up in him getting out on the road (safely), i didn’t pay attention to the time. it’s way past lunch and i’m starving.

i scrap the plans to eat in virgilina and decide to stop at milano’s in oxford. we’ve been here before and know the food is good. if you’re in oxford, in the mood for some good food at a reasonable price, this is the place!!

not long after getting seated, son is sharing the news with everyone… or at least as many people as we can think of  who would be excited about his first venture out.

after eating, we venture out again, heading up to virgilina. as we’re cruising along, i notice he trails off. i turn around and see him walking the bike to a pull-off. i pull up beside him and find out that he’s run out of gas. silly me. i asked the dealership how far the bike would go on a tank, never thinking to check how much gas was actually in the tank.

we flip the valve to reserve, chuckle at the fact that his first experience running out of gas is on his first ride and head to the nearest gas station. which, thankfully, is only a couple miles up the road.

we finally make it up to virgilina and stop for some refreshments. i explain to him that one of the problems with motorcycling is you always have to make decisions. like where to go next. i had originally planned to head west through roxoboro back to durham. but we were having an awesome ride and maybe we should head east, across the kerr dam and head back that way. it’s a beautiful day, he’s riding well and i think he’d enjoy the view across the dam. across the dam it is.

as we’re heading towards the dam, i’m watching him in the rear-view mirror, thinking how awesome it is to be riding my son. i’ve been looking forward to this day. and now it’s here. what a great feeling. i can only imagine (and hope) my father-in-law felt the same way the first time we rode together.

i’m wrapped up in the moment of riding with my son instead of watching for signs of distress from him. i realize i’m comfortable and confident in his riding. a wave of satisfaction comes over me. this is what riding is about.

we stop in boydton to stretch our legs, make a few more phone calls and take in the sights. i know he’s enjoying the day and we’re both wishing it could last forever.

we ride on, heading to the dam. we both agree that the twisty roads are a heck of a lot more fun than the straight ones. between here and the dam, we’re sure not to be disappointed.

we finally make it to the dam. a trip i’ve made many times. a trip he’s made many times on the back on my bike. as we’re crossing, i take note of the american flags hung on the dam in honor of independence day. the symbolism is not lost as i think of the independence my son’s gained learning to ride. i smile and look forward to many more rides like this…

unfortunately the day draws towards the end. we’ve had a great day, rode over a hundred fifty miles today. as the day is ending, i know we’re only at the beginning of riding together. he’s done very well today and i can’t wait to ride with him again. in fact, he’s already talking about riding the blue ridge parkway. sounds like i’ll have to arrange a trip with him and gramps…

here's the route we took - in light blue

30000 service…

the trip to dc for rolling thunder finally put me over 30k… and looking back at my last service, i haven’t been riding very much - gotta start riding more…

took the bike to ray price to have them do the service – a big one this time. in addition to the normal oil/filter change, gaskets and plugs, they also, replaced all the brake pads, mounted a new rear tire, replaced the steering head beams and a cam bearing kits. the best part, other than finally getting the bike back was it’s was all free!!! what?!?!?! because i’m a preferred customer. okay, i did have to pay to become a preferred customer, but the cost of this one service was more than i paid to become a preferred customer.

and… the above doesn’t include the cost of the rental i got when my bike was in for service – a crossbones this time.

i like the looks of this bike, the mini-apes, the tires, the solo seat. but i don’t like the ride. what really surprised me at first was how much i feel like i’m sitting *on* the bike. even with my road king, i feel like i’m more in the bike than on the bike.

another thing that really surprised me was the lean angle around corners – as in the non-existence of. i was surprised when i drug the floorboards just leaving the dealership. i don’t know if it’s something i could get used to. of course, i wouldn’t want to think about having to replace the boards every year or so because i ground them off.

i’m glad i got the opportunity to ride the bike as long as i did. the more i rode it, the more i got used to it. but that might have been because i was just itching to ride and, since my bike was in for service, i made due with what was available.

rolling thunder xxii…

finally changed up the routine of watching everyone head out for rolling thunder by actually participating this year…

it was a moving and amazing event. the masses of people, the number of motorcycles, the sites and sounds are unforgettable. unfortunately it doesn’t seem the same can be said of the pow/mia’s from the viet nam war.

the events recapped in pictures:

pre-ride festivities

gathering at a friend’s house before heading out… as always, thanks to wayne and theresa for their hospitality…

the ride out…

lining up…

…and riding to dc…

the “protest”

hanging our before the parade begins…

a hitch-hiker found it’s way to the rally – although i don’t think it fared too well…

our view of the parade…

 

miscellaneous stuff…

michelle smith sighting…

post rolling thunder party

and finally back at wayne and theresa’s for the after-party… not too much to report from the party other than this funny story. at least it was funny at the time. and probably funnier when you know the characters involved… with that, a quick introduction to jamie…

jamie’s not your normal homo-phobe… he likes to instigate trouble but doesn’t do so well when the tables are turned. for instance, he wanted to buy a helmet sicker to place on someone’s helmet. he wouldn’t even buy the sticker, sending me to do the dirty work. not only that, he had to be clear of the vendor’s tent when i made the purchase. now, if that sticker was placed on his helmet, he would most likely end up burning the helmet and getting a new one…

during a recent gathering, the guys were commenting and admiring the view on a well endowed female. jamie was jumping up and down in order to get a glimpse of sites. eventually the guys picked jamie up by his elbows to partake in the view.

to help jamie out in the long term, they devised a solution…

you can check out the 2009 ride map to see the route - this one in green...

patriot h-d…

catching up on some old stuff – i can’t believe i let this one go so long…

rode up to the washington area towards the end of may to attend my first rolling thunder, subject of my next post. patriot h-d holds their open house the day before…

a quick recap of the event in pictures…

barstools...

if it's barstool races, it's got to be the easyriders rodeo. fresh from wilson, nc...