smoke out 8...

took the annual trip to salisbury to attend the smoke out... this year there was some controversy over whether the rally was going to he held or not. the city/county commissioners passed a new law that alcohol couldn't be served on county owned property - which includes the fairgrounds. the county was saying they weren't going to issue the alcohol permit. the smoke out organizers said they had to because the contract was in place before the new law passed. with all the hubbub, there was word vendors were pulling out and people weren't going to show. our crew decided if there was a smoke out, we'd be there - alcohol or not.

the weekend started out the same - everyone showing up friday night. which really means it starts earlier here because my wife starts days ahead to get all the food ready. speaking of wife - this year was going to be especially fun since my wife decided to go. i was pretty excited about that...

friday night and people start showing up. they decided to show up in two groups this year - guess work was getting in the way for some people. that's when i had my infamous incident with the fender... we always pack our garage full of bikes - we had about ten or eleven bikes showing up this year. i decided to move my bike forward about two feet to make more room. not picking up the kickstand, i push it forward the two feet, positioning the front tire perfectly next to the lawn mower. i start to get off and the bike heads over on its side. seems when i pushed it forward, the kickstand picked up just enough that it wouldn't engage when i tried to us it. over went the bike, front fender crashing into the lawn mower. not only did it scratch the paint, it put a nice little crease in the fender. i was upset for about ten minutes until i realized it could have been a lot worse. in addition, it is only a motorcycle. the worse part was the rest of the weekend, and still sometimes, they call me freddy fender...



friday night was filled with eating and drinking, laughing and telling lies. which made saturday morning arrive even earlier. after eating some breakfast and drinking about ten pots of coffee, we're ready to head out... ride out was great - beautiful weather, traffic wasn't too bad and best of all, my wife was with me. it would be nice to take more trips with her... one day... off we went to the smoke out.





we get to the smoke out and park in our usual area. we hop off the bikes and settle in - having a couple of cold beverages, relaxing before heading into the mayhem known as the smoke out.




we wander around and check out the bikes in the build off.





stumble across some bikes by hank young.



and the ice cream man from hell...



compared to previous years, the smoke out was a bit of a disappointment. not nearly as many vendors and the crowd was quite small. it might be signaling the end of the smoke out - especially since they've been promoting a smoke out in the west. if they do have one next year, i'm sure we'll go. one thing for sure, it won't be held in salisbury - at least at the fairgrounds. if it goes, it was fun while it lasted. we'll just have to find another rally to attend. i can't imagine not having the gang down here hanging out, eating, drinking, laughing and lying. hell, we might just have to start our own rally...

on to more pictures... you can always check out the ride map, this one in blue.

'nother ride...

took a little ride around to a couple of the dealerships... had to head out to durham to pick up a check and to raleigh for the hog meeting. before leaving, i'm punching the locations into my gps. my wife is giving me a hard time because i'm taking my gps and i already know where i'm going. i figure i have it, i might as well use it.

ride out to durham was a nice, uneventful ride. let me say it was hot!! i could feel myself sweating even as the air was blowing through my jacket and cooling me off... i get to durham, take care of my business and head on to raleigh.

ride to raleigh was not quite as pleasant as i would have wanted. being in rush-hour traffic didn't help. i don't know if traffic around here is getting worse or if i'm just becoming less tolerant to it. we moved to the area from northern virginia - traffic up there is horrible. people complained about how bad traffic was down here, but compared to up there, it was nothing - heck, people were saying traffic was bad because five cars would get stuck at a light!!! as i was in the mix of rush hour traffic, i'm thinking about how congested it is. i don't know if that's because it truly is getting worse - which i'm sure it is. or if i'm just accustom to riding where there's less traffic and now i'm noticing it more. i'm sure the fact that i had a destination that i wanted to get to quickly didn't help my perception either.

i get to ray price and i notice the parking lot is rather empty - but i am a bit early for the hog meeting and the dealership is technically closed. so i mill around outside, packing away my jacket and helmet. there are two guys talking - both are employees. one guy obviously wants to complain about the level of service (or non-service) he's receiving. i could tell the way he started the conversation, he wanted to complain to the other guy - not that the other guy could have done anything about it. i didn't really pay much attention to the conversation in fear of being included. complaint-dood just wanted to complain and there wasn't anything anyone could do to make him feel better - short of the dealership fixing his bike to his expectation. i decided to keep my distance from that conversation...

i finally mill around to the front of the building and discover why it's so desolate... the hog meeting is taking place at lake wheeler!!! the good news is bbq is being served, the bad news is i'm late!!! even better news - the hard time my wife was giving me over the gps paid off!! i punch in the location for lake wheeler and i'm off.

as i'm riding over to the park, all i can think about is how hungry i am. of course the temptation of free food and the sixteen miles to the park wasn't helping. i was hoping there would be enough left for me to have a little - ole time barbecue was providing the food and it's always good. as i get there, they're scraping the last pieces off the pig - just in time for me to get some tasty morsels.

meeting was pretty much the same ol' meeting. talked about the events going on and then gave away some money. as far as events, the third annual capital city bikefest or, as it's sometimes referred to, the rally in raleigh, is going on at the end of september. should be a good time.

headed home after the meeting. for the first time in a long time, i decided not to ride with my jacket. felt a little under-protected at first, but the cool air made me quickly forget about that. the cooler air made the ride home a bit more enjoyable. sure beats sweating as you're riding. but if i had the choice of sweating while i'm riding or not riding - you know i'll be riding!!!

south carolina

in the catching up from earlier rides category, was in south carolina during bike week this year... unfortunately it wasn't myrtle beach... instead, i was near columbia for some training.

seeing the trip was rather short, i decided to ride down. trip down was rather uneventful - mostly interstate. left home and headed towards benson, nc where i met up with a fellow classmate. from there we rode to elgin, sc - non-stop since it was about a tankful of gas away. not too many problems on the interstate - the few, expected bozos making it dangerous, but if you're aware you can spot them.

on the way home, we decided to take rt 1. which was a little longer but much nicer ride. i was surprised because most of the trip seemed like two lane roads. for whatever reason, i was expecting more four lane, divided highway type roads. not complaining - it was a beautiful ride. made me wish we would have taken that route down... i guess you need to take the interstate every now and then to make you appreciate the other roads.

you can check out the 2007 ride map to see the route - this one in some sort of hard-to-see  green ...

a few pictures while i was in elgin. these were taken at the thunder tower dealership...





they even had a little putting green out front...



one of the older bikes for sale at the dealership...



me riding the ulysses xb12x while i was there...



packed up, ready to head home...



bone water - we were out for dinner one night and one of the guys started choking on his water. so the joke was there was a bone in his water...



one final observation... this guy cracked me up... remember, south carolina doesn't require helmets. so why is this guy wearing a full face helmet yet proceeding along in shorts, short sleeves and loafers?? seems if you're going to protect your noggin, you might as well protect the rest of your body...

detroit...

traveled to detroit this week... not by bike unfortunately... i did manage to squeeze in a visit to one of the local harley dealers. got a shirt and this shot...

17500 service...

here i am, taking the bike in for it's 17500 mile service - hard to believe. although it actually has closer to 18300 miles... it's been a very frustrating adventure - if i can call it that...

started out with the ride in - traffic wasn't too bad with the exception of one or two cages. since i was riding in the morning commute traffic, i was expecting to see (and avoid) a few bozos. they're usually easy to spot: reading the paper, on the cell phone, putting make-up on, shaving, still rubbing their sleepy eyes, trying to drink their hot coffee without spilling it in their laps, etc - we've all seen them... i'm cruising down the road - keeping with traffic but keeping a margin around me. then i get some asshole riding my tail. i've got nowhere to go - i'm in the left lane, cages to the right, cages in front. it's not like i'm holding traffic up. and he's got to be riding on my rear wheel. i tried looking back at him, thinking it might make him realize - nope, that didn't work. if i slowed any, he got closer. not what i needed this morning. eventually he was able to weave in and out of traffic and get in front. funny thing is i passed him a little later on. seems his cutting in and out of traffic got him stuck in a slow lane.

i make it to the dealership and talk to the service doods. seems my preferred customer plan has run out. last month!!! i explain to service dood that i called last month, explained that i was close to the 17500 mile service, had about 17200 on the clock, and was planning a trip. the trip would take me over the 17500, closer to 18000+. would that be a problem. they told me it wouldn't be a problem - besides, they were booked and wouldn't be able to get my in before the trip anyway. long story short - took trip, got fender fixed, called to schedule service, couldn't get me in for two weeks. i'm arguing they should give this service to me. i also throw in the fact that i thought the preferred program was until 2011 - that's what it has printed on my card, and i show handy dandy card. service dood explains that the program wasn't explained clearly and a lot of customers have that confusion. then it hits me - what about the rental bike?? that's usually included - now i'm going to have to pay for that too... he says hold on, he'll talk to a couple people and see what he can work out.

one thing i will mention, the service people at the dealership are super - they really go out of their way to help out. and this dood was certainly doing what he could to take care of me.

he comes back a little later and tells me the rental is taken care of. at least i can get home without a lot of hassle. he says he's still checking on the service and has to wait for someone else to come in. he says that no matter what, he's still going to service my bike as a preferred customer - prompt service, bike cleaning, etc. he preps the bike and i wait.

he comes back and tells me that i can renew my preferred customer plan. he quotes me a price and tells me what i've already saved being a member of the plan. without going into exact numbers, it's saved me over seven grand. i have to admit - it's been a great plan. i just wasn't expecting to drop that much money today.

now i have to go talk to underwriter dood. main dood isn't there, so i have to talk to assistant dood. he doesn't seem too friendly and quotes me a price twice as much as service dood. i about fall out of my seat. i tell him that's not what i was quoted. he asks if i talked to main dood. i tell him i talked to service dood who talk to someone else - that's how i got the price. in addition, i wasn't expecting to drop that kind of money and wouldn't be able to pay today. we work it out so that i can pay when i pick up the bike.

i get the rental bike and start my venture home, not happy... on the way home, some woman decides to try to run me out of my lane. she was oblivious to the fact that i was even on the road. i'm in the middle lane, a cage in front, a cage to the right, this woman to the left and, thankfully, someone not too close behind. the woman in the left just starts coming into my lane. i can't go into the right lane and i can't speed up past her. i start hitting the brakes and the horn, quickly moving to the right portion of the lane to avoid her running into me. i was able to slow down enough that by the time she was fully in my lane, i was behind her. i don't think she ever knew i was there - even after that little mishap. today's a day i'd be happy to park the bike and wait for another day to ride...

here's a pitcure of the rental bike i got this time - a 2007 softail custom. rides smoothly. i like the lower seating position. i don't like the position of the forward controls - they need to be out a little further for my liking.

another ride...

finally got out for a longer ride yesterday... it was between riding and cleaning - and believe me, my bike is pretty dirty right now. so instead of sitting around cleaning most of the day, i decided to ride. the other factor is that i'm taking it in for service tomorrow and they usually clean the bike for me. might as well let them do it and i'll enjoy riding. so off we went, destination: no where in particular.

i did say we - my father-in-law and me. i need to come up with a good nickname for him - i don't want to keep typing father-in-law. sometimes i call him old man, but that seems to be a bit cliche-ish. sometimes it's gramps. who knows, i'll come up with something...

i really enjoy riding with him. he loves to ride and is eager to head anywhere - except interstates. but that's just his style - he doesn't want to be on interstates even in his cage. he's fun to ride with - no matter where we go, where we stop, he's got something to say to someone. i know i'll have a day filled with laughs when i'm riding with him.

as usual, it was a good ride. i plotted the route to take us around a big circle. he wanted to stop at the lake, so i put that in. what i didn't realize at the time was how big i made the loop - guess i wasn't zoomed in as much as i thought i was. the only real problem with the longer ride today was he was riding home today - about a two hundred and fifty mile ride. i was worried the back-to-back long rides like that may be a bit much for him to handle.

anyway, off we went. ride was nice - found some new roads. spotted some places i should have pulled over and taken some pictures. gives me a reason to go back... while it was nice to ride, it was also good to get home - it was hot!!! one of those days you needed to keep moving. total ride came out to about one hundred and fifty miles - all but about twenty of it on two lane roads.

you can see the route we took on the ride map - this one in orangish red...

and here's one of the few pictures i got...

rocky mount...

in an effort to catch up on some of the rides i've taken...

back in may, i rode out to rocky mount... my brother and the guys were heading to myrtle beach for bike week and they overnight in rocky mount. since it's not too far from the house, i decided to ride out and see what's up... of course, i would have liked to have been going to bike week with them, but i was leaving sunday for a week in columbia, south carolina. i think if it would have been closer, i would have tried to make it out to myrtle beach one night - but that never happened.

i ended up spending the night in rocky mount and headed back saturday morning. i made an early start back on saturday, leaving before most of the guys were up. but it's probably a good thing, because it would have taken me forever to get out of there otherwise...

it was a nice ride out to see my brother - and i think he was a bit surprised to see me...

you can check out the 2007 ride map to see the route - this one in purple...

finally...

...got the bike back together and took it out for a ride. a very short ride, mind you - around the "block" which included a stop for gas. took it easy leaving the neighborhood mostly because i wanted to make sure the front brake was working before i got too far or too fast. by the time i got to the top of the neighborhood, i was fairly confident everything was back in working order - so off to enjoy the (short) ride...

it was great to be back on the bike again - even if it was less than thirty minutes. there's also something to be said for just having the bike in working/riding condition. even though i didn't have much time to ride while i had it apart, just knowing i couldn't take it out didn't feel right. it doesn't really matter if you have the time to ride or not, it's about being able to ride. and when you can't, it's a bummer.

the state of things...

well, it's been a while since i've posted... doesn't mean i haven't been out and about - just not taking the time to post... although lately i haven't been able to do much riding since my fender is under repair...
you'll find out more about what happened when i recap the trip to the smoke out in june. over the next couple days i also hope to post about the ride to the tail of the dragon, down to south carolina, rocky mount and maybe some others...

until then, peace...

msf videos

i did a quick search on youtube and found the videos from the msf... for being motorcycle safety awareness month and promoting videos on youtube, i was a little disappointed to only find three videos from the msf. you can find all three videos here... this is the only one i've watched so far:

motorcycle awareness month

today kicks off motorcycle awareness month. seems like the amount of effort being put into actually raising awareness varies from state to state. some states are going all out - well maybe not all out, but they seem to be making some effort. other states don't seem like they're doing anything.

the ama and msf are putting together a campaign to raise awareness. the ama has a humorous video on their web site. the msf is supposed to be putting videos up on youtube. i'll have to see if i can locate them...

the msf has come up with five rules for staying safe - actually ten rules, five for a motorcyclist and five for cages. here they are:

motorcyclists

• get trained and licensed - take an msf ridercourse and get licensed by the department of motor vehicles
• wear protective gear - wear proper protective riding gear, most importantly a helmet made to department of transportation standards
• ride unimpaired - ride unimpaired, never drinking or using other drugs before getting on a motorcycle
• ride within your limits - stay within your personal limits, never riding faster or farther than your abilities can handle
• be a lifelong learner - be lifelong learners, regularly returning for refresher riding courses

cages

• look out for motorcyclists - use your eyes and mirrors to see what’s around
• don't be distracted - hang up and drive, put down the food, the pet, the personal grooming gear, the cd, and the reading material and save it for later
• give two-wheelers some room - don't tailgate or get too close side-by-side
• use your turn signals - signal your intentions. it's also the law
• keep it in the car - don’t throw trash and cigarettes out the window, and securely lash down cargo that can fall out on the road and be a deadly hazard

there ya have it...

ride safe...

yikes!!!

guess it's been a while since i've posted - too long... instead of sitting here making excuses, i'll just say i've been busy - extremely busy. which has also affected the amount of time i've had to ride. i've been getting some riding in, although it hasn't been as much as i wanted.

i've been on a couple rides - most just short rides around here. the one most worth noting is probably taking my sister-in-law for a ride... she and her son were visiting for a drum-line competition and she stayed with us. she's ridden before and has been contemplating getting back into it. she also has a early 70s honda 350 that needs repairs and is another story... we were talking about motorcycles and riding and, of course, she wanted a ride.

we hopped on the bike and i took her for about a forty-five minute ride around the area - avoiding traffic and sticking to two-lane twisty roads. i think she was pretty excited and enjoyed the ride. i think it confirmed for her that she wanted to get back into biking.

since the alst time i've written, i also had the 15,000 mile service done on the bike. some people would consider that average mileage, some low mileage. i'm impressed by the number of miles on it. to me, i just never really imagined putting that many miles on my bike. and it makes me think about putting 50k or 100k on the bike. it'd be neat to put 100k on it. it's working out to about 5k a year. and each year i say i'm going to put more miles on. this year, i think i will...

i took the bike in to the dealer for the service. because of the time crunch i was in at work, i decided to leave it there and pick up a loaner. what a great deal and chance to try out a different bike. this time, i got an '07 fat boy.


it was a fun bike to ride. i liked the new engine - it definitely had more get-up-n-go. i'm sure part of it was the lighter weight of the bike (compared to mine) and the larger engine. i also like the seating position on the bike. of all the bikes i've gotten while mine has been serviced, i think this has been my favorite. i wish i would have had more time to ride it around.

one final note, which may seem like an odd place to post this but is connected to motorcycling, i got a lesson in pre-judging people. while i try not to do it, sometimes it just happens - i think we all do it. i came across a guy, a guy in his 50's, that could barely read and write. i started thinking to myself, how could someone get by in life barely being able to read and write?? why wasn't he motivated enough to make more of/for himself?? i just don't understand it. after working with him for two days, i had the opportunity to sit down and have a real conversation with him. he opened the door by saying, you know, i used to be able to read and write really well. back in the 70s, he was in an accident that left him paralyzed, basically a vegetable. doctors said he would never be able to walk again. here is today, walking around - you'd never know he was ever in a wheelchair or an accident. and he's progressed far enough to not only walk, but learn to ride a motorcycle. i had a brand new respect for him - and a little bit of embarrassment for myself because i was quick to jump to conclusions. looking back, i wish i would have gotten some contact information from him to stay in touch with him...

peace...

mc expo...

went to the northeast motorcycle expo this weekend... overall, the expo was okay... from a show perspective, they had a lot of variety in vendors - harley, ducati, honda, victory, suzuki, and some customs. they also had the usual merchandise vendors - leathers, parts, trailers, shirts, etc. sometimes it just seemed so chaotic there. but what really made it fun was my brother and in-laws decided to go with us.

i have to admit, the main draw of the expo, for me, was russell mitchell of exile cycles. i've always been a fan of his building style. so, when i have the chance to meet and talk to him, i try not to pass up the chance. of course i probably end up sounding like babbling idiot...

while i was talking to russell, he mentioned that he's heading down to daytona bike week to build another bike in a week. he said they're going to be taping the build for a show on tlc. wish i could remember the name of the show - it's supposed to air in april. anyway, he's building the bike for john mellencamp. after the build, john and russell are supposed to head off on a ride to the keys. damn - this makes me want to head to bike week even more... not to be this year, though. or for several years most likely...

one of my favorite bikes of russell's is the rx-streetfighter. if i had the cash - which i never will - this is one bike i would love to have...






one of the ducati dealers had the new 1098 at the show. pretty cool looking bike. was nice to actually see one after reading all the raving reviews.



what i can't figure out is what's leaking of of this bike....



saw a couple other "rides" that look like they might be fun to own...




not really much else to report from the show...

more on billy lane...

been a while since i've posted... guess it's been a while since i've ridden too - since my last post. doesn't mean things haven't been going on - just haven't posted about them. i guess i'll be covering them in the next couple of posts...

first thing i want to cover - well, not necessarily the first - but it's the one i'll start with, is billy lane. just came across this article at www.floridatoday.com. it doesn't seem like this case will ever end. but i guess it's getting closer now that a date has been set. but this is only the civil case. a date for the criminal case has yet to be set. from the article, a date may be set on march 23.

i'm not sure why billy doesn't own up to the fact that he was at fault and face the consequences. one argument is that our criminal justice system is based in the belief that you're innocence until proven guilty. so billy is going to make the state prove he's guilty. makes sense. but it is the right thing to do?? if they do in fact prove his guilt - will be appeal?? i'm sure he will - thus dragging the process on even longer.

i can understand the family's civil suit against billy lane - recoup loss of earnings, pain and suffering, etc. but i'm not sure i agree with including daimlerchrysler. to me, billy should be held solely responsible for his actions. he's the one that was drinking, he's the one that got behind the wheel, he's the one that crossed the double yellow. should daimlerchrysler be held responsible because they gave him the vehicle?? the family thinks so because daimlerchrysler gave him the vehicle despite his driving record. again, i think billy is solely responsible. i also believe more people should start taking responsibility for themselves and stop trying to blame other people or make excuses. but i know that day is a long way off...

peace out...

sanford...

had to ride to sanford today. the weather forecast had been iffy - first calling for cold weather, then warmer, then rain, then colder but no rain. in my mind, i had already decided to ride. i have the 'lectric gloves and can bundle up if it's cold. rain?? that's what rain suits are for... i think the only thing that could have started me thinking of not riding was a sleet/snow/freezing rain forecast. the forecast this morning was mid 50s, slight possibility of rain - i was riding!!!

timing was a bot of a concern this morning. i was riding to sanford via durham - meeting a couple other riders at the bob evans in durham. plans were to meet at eight thirty, leave by nine. i wasn't sure what route i wanted to take - more scenic v. direct, so i wasn't sure how long it would take to get there. i was planning at least an hour, which meant that i would have to leave the house no later than seven thirty.

being sunday morning, i wanted to make the morning journey to get my wife's newspaper. i did feel bad that i wouldn't be able to make her breakfast this morning - figuring she's prefer to sleep over eating breakfast at seven. to ensure enough time to get to the store and back before leaving for durham, i figured i had to leave for the store at six. which meant having to get up at five thirty.

this was all getting too much - or more than i wanted to deal with. if i just decided earlier to head straight to sanford, i could have left later and had a more relaxed morning. i decided to forgo the bike ride to the store - figgering i could save a little time since i wouldn't have to mess with my equipment at the store. but, i would have to add a couple minutes to my leaving time for durham since i needed gas.

taking the cage this morning turned into its own little fiasco - which i won't detail here. suffice it to say i wasn't thinking as clearly as i should have been. now i was wondering if this was an omen for how the day was going to go. whether or not, i knew i just better be a little more attentive today...

i also had to put my bike together - not that it was really apart - i just wanted to put the tour-pak back on it to carry all the crap i wouldn't need. easy as that sounds, i had to glue a rubber gasket back on to the screw so i could secure the passenger seat. not a big deal - just something else that needed to be done before i left...

about seven twenty and i finally hit the road. first stop - gas station. on the way there, i decided to take the more direct route to bob evans. in the hour since i had been out earlier, it felt like it got a little cooler and the sky had definitely clouded over - looked like rain. i figured the highway would be the best route. in addition, i didn't need the added stress of showing up late. already enough going on this morning - don't want to add to it needlessly.

sure enough, on the way out to durham it starts sprinkling... a few drops at first, nothing bad. then it picks up a little. do i stop and throw rain gear on or is it going to stop. at this point, it could go either way and the way my day's been going - they sky is going to open up!!! at this point, it's not raining hard enough... it's not that far of a ride to durham - what's the worse that can happen?? i have theliner in my leather jacket, i'm wearing my chaps - maybe my jeans get a little wet. i press on - i'm not stopping until i get to bob evans...

i do make it to durham with no problems. it rained about halfway there - but nothing bad, definitely nothing worth stopping for. and i'm a couple minutes early. maybe my day is turning for the better.

i get there, another rider is already there and one is pulling up. we hang there for thirty minutes, waiting for other riders. two others show up while a volley of phone calls takes place figuring out who we're picking up where on the ride to sanford - the beauty of trying to coordinate a ride. and in the end it all works out...

we finally head out to sanford... we left bob evans with five bikes. picked another up in route. didn't even waste any time. as we pulled off the exist, there he was on the side of the road. we looped around, made a u-turn and he fell in line with us. we didn't even bother to stop.

the ride to sanford was easy - down 15/501 to rt. 1. weather was good - mostly sunny, no rain. cool but not cold. really a good day for a ride. then again, when isn't it a good day to ride??

the ride back from sanford was great. sun was out, it was a tad bit warmer. i was following another rider that lived in the raleigh area. i had considered taking some back roads, but i was ready to get home, so plotted a direct route.

overall - another great day for a ride... this january has been awesome for riding... i was fortunate enough to have ridden every weekend except one. and that weekend we were out of town.

and you can check out the route over on my ride map - this one in girlish pink...

flame thrower v2...

a while ago i posted about a road king modified to throw flames. turns out the guy has a newer version that throws bigger flames. enjoy...

what's with the weather??

first, i can't believe what's going on with the weather - the temps have been awesome. second, i got to go out riding again today - what an even more awesome wife i have!!!

biggest decision was where to ride... i wasn't aware of anything going on and didn't really want to ride somewhere and ride the same route back. with that, i decided to make a counterclockwise circle to the north - that way i'd stay on two lane roads and avoid the busier roads. i also wanted to travel some roads i hadn't been on before.

i plotted out a route on my gps. it's nice being able to plot the route, but i'm not confident that it's one hundred percent accurate - in fact, i know it isn't. showing roads that aren't there, tell you to turn in one direction when you really want to go the other way... i figured i'd let it be my rough guide - if it had me turn in a direction i didn't want to go or put me somewhere i didn't want to be, i'd easily be able to find a road i knew and follow that home... i guess that's the nice part of having a gps - you can only get a little lost!!! instead of being in the middle of somewhere without a clue to where you are and only a paper map, at least you could pinpoint where you are and navigate to a known location - even if you had to take mystery roads. you know, even with the gps, i still don't have the confidence to travel without a paper map. mostly because i can more easily get a broader view from a paper map than a gps. maybe that will change with time - until then, a paper map accompanies on my travels.

my route took me through youngsville, louisburg, warrenton, norlina, up to boydton, over to clarksville, back through virgilina and back home. the second half of the trip was all familiar road - a lot of which i've been traveling on these last few trips. but the first half, once i got north of louisburg was totally new roads for me. the beauty of the countryside is simply amazing.

as usualy, i was looking around in awe of the land, the farms, the houses, the communities, the small towns... i keep thinking it would be so nice to move out a little further - move a little more into the country. maybe one day we'll decide to do it...

the ride today was good for the soul - as the rides tend to be. just me, the bike and the road - the only real destination being home, the route not mattering, stops being optional. i opted not to make any stops on this trip - didn't need to, didn't want to. i was enjoying moving in the warm air and the sunny skies.

three hours, a little over half a tank of gas and i was back home... nice to be out riding on such a beautiful day, but nice to be home too...

check out the route on the ride map, this on in funky blue.

another saturday ride...

here we are, the second weekend in january and the temps are in the sixties!!! i can't believe the awesome weather we're having - trying to take advantage of it while i can...

i talked to a neighbor yesterday and he mentioned going riding today. i told him if he decided to go, to be sure to get me. this morning, i waited around for him to call or stop by... nothing... i decided to head out on my own. as i put some stuff on the bike and geared up, he pulls his bike out of his garage. we wave and i'm wondering if he's coming over or if he has other plans... i take my time waiting to see if he leaves or comes over. sure enough, he fires his bike up and heads over...

after talking for a couple minutes, we head out. he's trying to catch up to one of his buddies and plans to meet him at shelton's. since i have the gps, i lead the way. i have a feeling the gps will put me in front of a lot of rides. i'm not so sure i'm all over that - there are times i'd just like to hang back in the pack.

the ride to shelton's is mostly two lanes, hardly any traffic. that makes for a really nice ride - you can relax a little more and enjoy the scenery. although i've been on this road many times, i still enjoy looking around, seeing things that have been there for years that i've never noticed, as well as seeing how things are changing. one of the biggest changes are new houses being built. so see old farms and tracts of land being bought by developers and houses being built. the city is expanding and getting closer and closer to us.

we get to shelton's. i've never been there before, so i'm eager to check it out. the showroom huge. like many harley dealers, it's got all the departments - bikes, of course, parts and motor clothes. i didn't notice the service department, but i'm sure it's around the side or the back. nice looking dealership.

stanley's buddy finally shows up. after a short meet and greet, we decide to head to twin specialties. my brother got his pictures in biker magazine and i was trying to get a hold of it. being a magazine that has uhhhh, scantily clad women, they don't carry a copy of it at the local grocery store. i couldn't even find a copy of it at the local harley dealers. i figured if it's around, a place like twin specialties will have it.

the ride to win specialties wasn't the best. mostly because of traffic. we were on a heavier traveled road, and being saturday, it seemed every one was out. well, it still beats being in a cage.

we finally make it to twin specialties. i hop off the bike and head in to see if they have a copy of biker. sure enough they do. i plunk down a boat load of money for the mag - much, much more than i expected. without disappointment, i flip through the pages to find him - he's the one on the right.



we look at a couple of the bikes at twin specialties and decide it's time to head back home. wanting to be on two lane, less congested roads, we have to head east to rt. 96 and then head north back home.

it was a great day for a ride... weather was about perfect. you know, about every time i'm out riding on the bike, it seems i think the weather is about perfect. i guess it just has something to do with being on the road. as long as it's not raining or extremely cold, i guess the weather is perfect.

anyway, it was nice to finally take a ride with my neighbor. with the number of bikers increasing in the neighborhood, we might have to start our own club...

again, you can check out the route we took on the ride map page - it's the one in ucky green

until next time...

peace...

saturday ride...

took off for a nice long ride today in what turned out to be an unusually warm day and possibly weekend... the original plans were to go riding tomorrow and meet up with a couple buddies. but the weather is calling for thundershowers, so we reschedule for today.

the plan was for two of us to meet in smithfield then head to greenville to meet the other guy - if he was showing up. from there, we'd decide what to do...

i took off late morning towards smithfield. i couldn't believe the warm weather we had today. as i was approaching smithfield, i spotted a few clouds that looked like they could be holding some rain. they weren't calling for rain today. soon, i rode under a could of the clouds and could feel the temp drop. the drop in temp gave me a chill and i thought about how cold it felt. then i realized it was still january and this wasn't cold at all. thankfully those were about the only clouds i saw all day - the rest of the day would remain sunny and (relatively) warm.

when i got to smithfield, doug was already there waiting - about ten minutes. figures since i was about ten minutes late. after jabbering for a couple minutes, we headed to hooters in greenville. we decided to opt for the more scenic route. it would get us to greenville a little later than planned, but what the hell?? always better to take a scenic route and more time. besides, there'd be less traffic along this road.

having the gps adds a level of comfort while riding. instead of having to plan out the route, either remember of write down the route and then try to remember to look for all the roads, let the gps do the work. it gave me a lot of confidence that i was along the right roads and knew when i would need to turn. it's really going to make exploring unfamiliar territory nice.

we cruised along for about an hour and a half, enjoying the scenery along the mostly two lane roads. at once point we passed two people on the side of the road painting. they had their canvas on their easels, painting away... i looked across the road to see what they might be painting. to be honest, all i saw was an empty field - can't figure out what was there. and maybe that's what they were painting.

we finally made it to hooters... not too much happening there - seemed kinda dead. a lot more kids and families than i expected. not that there's a problem with it - just not used to seeing so many families and kids. after downing some wings and drinks, we decided to head to the hospital. a friend/colleague was recently injured while riding his bike. he's been in the trauma icu since before christmas. while we knew we wouldn't be able to see him, we thought it would be nice to visit for a couple minutes with his family.

i figured this would be a good test of the gps. i tried to plug in the name of the hospital - no luck, could find it... seems you have to have to correct name - which i did not. i was searching on pitt memorial and i should have been searching on pitt county memorial... so we plugged in the address for the hospital, which doug retrieved from his crackberry. following the directions on the gps only lead us to the wrong place. i kinda got the feeling we weren't going in the right direction when i saw a sign for the hospital pointing in one direction and the gps telling us to turn in the other direction. after ending up in the wrong place, we decided to follow the road signs. even those lead us to the wrong side of the hospital. eventually we ended up in the right place.

we managed our way up to the icu waiting room and talked to dave's wife for a couple minutes. the waiting room was cramped and hot. the heat forced us out sooner than we wanted, but it was time to go. it was getting late and we needed to get home.

deciding not to take a major road home, i tried to use the gps to track our way back to smithfield. i quickly discovered another problem with the gps - i really need my glasses to see the roads clearly. as i couldn't see the roads, we ended up on 264, heading west. not wanting to be on 264 the whole way, we eventually pulled off and wounds our way around on some two lane roads until we got back to smithfield. at that point, we split off and headed home...

it was a great day for a ride - can't believe how warm it was today - hard to believe it's the first weekend in january. well, i guess winter will be arriving tomorrow. as long as it's not snowing or sleeting, i should still be out there - maybe on shorter (much shorter) rides, but i try not to let the temps stop me.

you can check out the 2007 ride map to see the route - this one is in red...

here i am...

first, i have to say santa was extremely good to me this year. i'm still pretty sure i wasn't deserving of it, but santa left a gps under the tree for me... thanks santa!!!

took a ride down to the dealership this morning to have a gps mount installed on my bike... now before you go gettin' your panties in a bunch about me not doing the job myself - i have my reasons... first, i'm not sure it's a job i wanted to tackle on my own. believe it or not, the directions had me disassembling half my bike, removing the gas tank among other parts... second, time was of the essence - got an e-mail from a buddy about going to a ride this weekend since the weather is going to be so great. figured i wanted to take along the gps so i wouldn't get lost. or if i did get lost, i'd know where i was!!!

got up early and geared up for a cool january ride to the dealership. i say cool because, being january, it wasn't exactly cold. i was expecting the morning temps to be somewhere in the high thirties, low forties. turns out it was fifty degrees when i left. yup - fifty!! still, not wanting to take too much of a chance, i decided to bundle up anyway.

ride to the dealership, other than traffic was great. nice-n-cool. the way i like it. as soon as i walked through the doors, ned, the service-dood, was checking me in. i tell you, the service department here is very good - at least as far as i'm concerned. they've always treated me right and seem to go the extra step.

i was told the install would take about an hour, maybe an hour and a half... so i cruised around the dealership, checking out any deals they may have had - none to be found. then i sat around the service department, reading and waiting.

it's interesting to watch the people come and go... two cops walked in - i thought they may be there to pick up a bike. seems they just chatted with the service-doods for about thirty minutes and then left. before the cops showed up, someone brought a couple dozen donuts... wait a minute, now i know why the cops showed up!!! the funny part was watching all the other people show up to grab a couple donuts - word spread fast and they came crawling out of the woodwork. i guess if you ever wanted to talk to all the employees, you could gather them by announcing you have donuts!!

the install took a little longer than i expected. the guy was apologetic about how long it took him - said he would rather take his time and get it right than rush through it. i told him i agreed and would rather have it that way. reminds me of flying one time. we all boarded the plane, they closed the doors and pushed back from the gate. then they figured out something was wrong with the plane and they needed to fix it. sure - it took a while, but people were getting upset. complaining - wishing the crew would hurry up. i'm sitting there thinking - doods, take your time, get it fixed right. i'd much rather be on the ground when something goes wrong with the plane than up in the air.

anyway, the dood finishes with the bike and is telling me all about the installation. i think he was as excited as i was about it. a couple people gathered around to check it out before i bolted out of there.

using the gps to navigate was pretty cool - although i did know my way home. one really neat feature i can see coming in real handy is the gps displays the names of the cross streets as you approach - no more looking all over the place for street signs. i was also able to track my way back home - another cool feature. i added the track to my ride map...

so now i don't have an excuse for getting lost. well, i can still get lost, i just don't have an excuse for not finding my way home...

'nother hog meeting...

i guess this counts as the first ride of the season... being january you'd expect it to be cold... it was near sixty degrees when i took off for the meeting!!! and the temps are supposed to remain warmer through the weekend!! i'll have to squeeze some riding time in...

i picked up my neighbor on the way to the meeting. this was his first meeting. although he's not a member, he'll probably join. that got me to thinking about our meetings compared to other hog meetings. ours are pretty much the same every time - pledge of allegiance, prayer, reports from the board members, shop talk from the dealership and then giveaways. nothing really super exciting. so are most other hog meetings like this?? i started wondering about what really draws me to the meetings. i think it's the opportunity to ride - just gives me another reason to hop on the bike and ride in the middle of the week...

after sitting around for an hour, the meeting ended and it was time to ride. i was expecting the ride home to be a bit colder. it was actually very nice. this can't be january... the funny thing is our dealership is having their polar bear ride this weekend. the idea is it's supposed to be cold and you're supposed to ride your bike to the dealership. you show up on your bike and they give you discounts as well as have other things going on at the shop. well, i believe saturday is going to be in the seventies - close to record breaking temps... not going to be much of a polar bear ride!!! i won't complain about it - just enjoy it while it lasts...

ride safe...

2007 rides

hopefully the map won't get too junked up, but i'm going to include routes i take on my rides... if it starts looking too cluttered, then maybe i'll create a separate map just for routes...

i realize it may be hard to determine the routes without actually zooming in - but that's the way it goes...

routes:
------ 01/04/2007 - ride home
------ 01/06/2007 - ride to greenville, nc
------ 01/13/2007 - saturday ride around
------ 01/14/2007 - sunday ride to nowhere
------ 01/28/2007 - ride to sanford
------ 05/11-12/2007 - ride to rocky mount
------ 05/13-19/2007 - columbia, sc
------ 06/23-24/2007 - salisbury, sc
------ 07/18-20/2007 - tail of the dragon
------ 08/19/2007 - sunday ride around the "block"
------ 10/28/2007 - sunday ride
------ 12/31/2007 - new year's eve ride

13494

starting the year with just under 13500 miles on the bike... which means i put on almost 5500 miles this past year. i was hoping to put on about 10k, which i would have done had i made the sturgis trip... still, not a bad total considering most of it is casual riding.

no trips planned this year - although my wife is talking about me going to the spring rally at myrtle beach for a couple days. we'll see how that goes. there will also be the yearly trek to the smoke out in salisbury. i might also try to squeeze in an iron butt ride. the seal's put one on that i'm looking at this year... and i'm sure there will be the occasional hopping on the bike, heading out for a day ride...

really looking forward to riding this year...

peace...

lake ride

looks like the year is ending about the same way it started, with a ride up to the kerr lake... i needed to close up the trailer at the lake and decided to make it part of the ride.

can't believe the temps we're having this time of year - in the seventies. and this is december!!!

i called up my neighbor to see if he wanted to tag along for the ride. he got a sporty about couple months ago and he's been riding quite a bit. i figured it'd be a lot of fun riding with him.

after a quick stop at the gas station, we headed for the kerr lake. as always, it was a beautiful day for a ride. we took rt. 1 north to rt. 158 east, then north on lee avenue in middleburg. after winding our way through back roads, we finally crossed the dam and made it to the trailer.

i got to work opening all the spigots, putting antifreeze in the drains and wiring the windows shut. while i was doing that, bill checked out the property and the lake. took me about an hour to get everything done. once i finished and got the place locked up, we headed back out on the bikes.

i offered to let bill lead... he didn't want to since he wasn't sure where we were going. i confessed and told him that i didn't either - i was just going to look for road signs and hope we didn't miss any. but the beauty of being on a bike is if you do miss any turns, it only makes for a new adventure!!!

one the way out, i stopped at the mailbox to see what might be in there. i pulled over to the side of the gravel road without actually pulling off. bill pulled up behind me. i jumped off the bike and looked into the empty mailbox. i hopped onto the bike and lifted it off the kickstand. as i lifted the bike up, it just kept going to the right... i planted my right foot solid onto the ground - as i did, i realized it was in a shallow ditch. between the weight of the bike leaning to the right, and my right foot being lower than i expected, the bike just kept going over - until it was laying on the ground. yup - i tipped my bike over!!! for the first time!!! it must have been pretty funny for bill to watch. the bike just seemed to slowly fall over. thankfully he was there to help me pick it back up as it was laying partway in the ditch. i told him i'd buy him lunch if the story didn't go any further. he upped it to a beer. done deal!!!

we hopped on to rt. 58 west in boydton and took that to clarksville. we decided to grab some food in clarksville before heading back home. after downing our meals, we headed on rt. 49 to virgilina where we picked up rt. 96 for the last leg home...

even though we were gone for over five hours, we only put 130 miles on the bikes. still, great day for a great ride. was nice to get out again - especially considering this may be the last real ride of the year. maybe if the weather holds the week of christmas, i'll be able to get a few more miles in...

until then, ride safe...

hog meeting

rode to the hog meeting tonight... although we've been getting warm weather lately, the ride in was a little cool. again i decided to dress in layers and wear the face mask. i tell you, the face mask has really paid off the few times i've worn it. i didn't realize it would help as much as it does...

ride to the meeting was pretty uneventful. got there and got upstairs to find everyone eating. doh!!! i forgot we were having our christmas "party" at this meeting. the meeting must have started at six or six thirty instead of the usual seven. most people were finishing up their dinners as a few of us straggled in, late.

i decided to throw a sandwich and a brownie on my plate. along with a bag of chips and a soda i was set. all except for a place to sit. there were a lot of tables set up, but no room at any of them - the pitfalls of showing up late!! i sat down in an empty chair and proceeded to eat - carefully balancing the plate on my knee. i managed to get through all the food with out dropping the plate - whew... i can imagine the comments that would have been made - all in jest of course.

the meeting was pretty packed - must have been the free food!! there wasn't really much to address at the meeting, so the meeting itself went quickly. a couple of final dollars to charities, talk of some goals for next year and that was about it. of course the best part of the meeting is the fifty-fifty drawing at the end. tonight's pot was the biggest it's ever been - one hundred ninety plus dollars. that'd make a nice christmas present. and guess who won?? yeah, i don't know either - it wasn't me. damn, that would have been a nice one to win...

ride home was good. got all bundled up before heading out. since the meeting got out a little early, i decided to stop by the store to get my wife some flowers. of course by the time i pulled into the parking lot, took off my gear, locked up the bike and got to the door, the store was closed. missed by minutes. i hate that - it would have been such a nice surprise for her. another time...

lunch ride

met a couple of coworkers for lunch today... can't believe this awesome weather we're having...

to prepare for the ride, i put on the usual tee shirt with a henley over it. i decided to wear my leather coat with the liner - to help keep me a little warmer. i figured i probably didn't need my electric gloves, not quite that cold.

i headed out for the ride... ended up making two mistakes... first was dressing too warmly. although if you're not going to dress appropriately, it's much better to wear too much than not enough. luckily i was dressed in layers and could shed some of the clothing for the ride home... which is exactly what i did. ended up removing the liner in my coat, not using the henley and riding with my summer gloves. ride home was much nicer - especially since i took the back roads home...

second mistake was leaving too early. got my times confused and ended up leaving thirty minutes earlier than i needed. and i didn't realize it until i was about five minutes from the restaurant. not so bad - it gave me a chance to people watch. although there really wasn't much going on or to see...

again, ride home was nice because i was on two lane roads the whole time. they're much less crowded and have more twists and turns. great for riding on a day like today...

saturday ride - smithfield

took a ride down to smithfield today... as usual, it was a great day for a ride...

it started out with a short ride around the corner to attend our homeowners association meeting. what a joke that was. we're got a board that doesn't give a damn about what the home owners want and a bunch of homeowners that want to stick their heads in the sand. i was the only one who stood up and said anything at the meeting. of course, talking around the neighborhood, people tell you, i'll back you up. did that happen?? no... for the second year in a row, i put my name up for a position on the board. didn't win, again... at least i'm trying to make change instead of just whining about it...

after the meeting i was ready to ride... i needed to ride. as i threw my leg over the bike, i'm mumbling expletives in my head about the meeting, f-this, f-that, blah, blah, blah... i'm probably less that five miles down the road when the thoughts in my head are changing... i'm starting to think about the ride, the weather, the surroundings... before i knew it, thoughts of the homeowners meeting were totally out of my mind and i'm enjoying the hell out of the ride...

for me, that's one of the beauties of riding - it can be so relaxing, so meditating. it takes me to a different place - literally and figuratively!! it give me a new perspective - instead of looking at the negative and complaining, i start looking at the beauty in things.

i was prepared for a cool ride this morning. i bundled up in layers, put the face mask on and even geared up with the electric gloves. surprisingly, it was warmer that i thought it would be. i decided to start the trip to smithfield without the electric gloves and face mask. good choice because i didn't really need them and would have probably been a lot warmed that i needed to be... it was sunny and the skies were clear, except for a few white, puffy clouds floating around. again, a great day for a ride.

the ride down was uneventful. a little more traffic than usual. but that's not bad... the occasional person riding too slow... not that i wanted to be a speed demon, but at least keep up with the speed limit. it gets really frustrating to get behind someone going slow on a two lane road. especially this two lane road because there aren't many chance to pass. when you do finally have a passing lane, it's usually too short to pass, or the inevitable cage coming in the opposite direction. but, it doesn't matter, i'm enjoying the ride, being part of the countryside that i'm riding through.

got to smithfield and met up with some friends. we hung out for a couple hours and it was time to leave. ride home was gorgeous... didn't seem to get behind any one going slow... seemed as i approached people that might have been going slow, they turned off before i got to them.

while riding was nice today, it was also nice to get home...