fall...

this past week, i've really be able to get out and ride. not anywhere in particular, just out and about. and i sure do live in a pretty area. the leaves are changing and are in full color - color like i haven't seen in years. rich reds, gorgeous oranges, shades of yellow and brown.

riding the roads, soaking in the scenery... being on the bike makes me part of all the beauty, not just observing it like i would from a cage...

i was sitting outside the dealership and was struck by the brilliant color of this tree. it's just a portion of all the colors that are appearing now. i tried to capture some of the color... i didn't have my camera, so i was stuck with my crappy cell phone camera. it certainly doesn't do it justice...

  

  

27500 service...

hard to believe i'm at the 27500 mile service... i've been able to squeeze in a lot of good riding this year. would like to be able to hit 30k by the end of the year, but don't know if i'll make that.

when i think back on the miles i've put on so far this year, the thought quickly changes from the number of miles to the journeys i've taken. some planned, more unexpected, all good... it really does come down to the quality and not the quantity. although having the quantity opens more opportunity for quality...


when i picked up my bike, randy, the service manager at ray price, helped me out... what impresses me about him is he seems to know and care about his customers. as soon as he came downstairs, he knew who i was and greeted me by name. he always has a positive attitude and will take the time to talk to customers. it'd be nice if more people were like that...

while my bike was in, i got to ride around on an '09 road king. i was looking forward to testing out the new model because of the changes to the frame. let me say, what a nice bike...

the riding position is a little higher. i didn't know if i would like it or not. after riding for a few minutes, i got used to it and it didn't bother me. the bike certainly feels bigger with the larger tank. i think it's more of a perception thing because the bike wasn't any harder to handle. that may be due to the new frame...

the bike seems more balanced. i don't know if that was my imagination or the new frame. but i like it. i liked the power the bike had. nothing outrageous, but pretty peppy.

i've been liking the changes harley's been making to their bikes over the last few years. it gets me closer and closer to wanting a new one. this road king really put me even closer to that feeling. of course there's that part of me that says wait, see what they come up with next...

then reality kicks in and says there are too many other things before a new bike... but it doesn't hurt to look and dream...

here are a couple pics of the road king...

 

  

  

captial city bike fest...

capital city bike fest - 26-27 September 2008

sites from the bike fest

buffalo bike...

yes, it can actually be ridden...

nationwide insurance bikes...

car powered by harley...

not sure if this would be classified as a motorcycle or car...

pole dancers...

rat bike...

widow maker cdr...

catchin' up...

it's been a while since i've last posted.. lots to catch up on - mostly pictures...

patriot ride - 26 September 2008

patriot ride was that same route as last year - in fact, pretty much the same as last year with the exception of the number of people that showed up. probably not even half as many - most likely due to the threat of rain.

on to the pictures...

pow/mia bike...

ray price speaking to the riders at the national guard armory...

everyone listening to ray price...

ray price's trike...

i guess dog is man's best friend... the dog didn't seem to mind riding around on the back of the bike...

time lost...

about three years ago, i added a clock to my bike... the other day, i was tinkering with the bike and noticed it had stopped... should be simple enough to replace the battery, right?? not quite...

after fiddling and fumbling with the clock, going through two batteries, i'm left with a very expensive, albeit waterproof, picture frame...

rocker...

on my way to ray price to demo the rocker c, i was questioning why i was going... i originally scheduled the demo ride because it was one of three ways to get the 105th anniversary dvd from harley. now i was wondering if this was really worth it... since it was scheduled and i was almost there, might as well go through with it...

i get there, traver gets me squared away with the paperwork and we're off... as we're leaving the parking lot, i notice how heavy the front end appears, like it just wants to flop over. this is, apparently, because of the wider rear tire and something for me to be aware of as we ride...

the seating position on the bike was comfortable although the seat itself was a little hard. i don't think i would be able to ride on it very long without taking a break.

i don't know if i like the handlebar configuration. when you're sitting on the bike, the rider is reflected in where the handlebar meets in the center. i guess for those that are vane, they can look at themselves while they're out riding around... it's just not for me...

the smooth ride made up for the hard seat. unlike my road king, the bike doesn't vibrate when you're stopped. just a nice smooth ride all around. you could feel the power when the throttle was rolled on.

the lean angle, or the lack of lean angle surprised me a bit. as we went through one sweeping turn, i was rolling on the throttle, leaning through the curve and i hear the pegs scraping a bit. well, not really the pegs, but the 'hero' tips - i think that's what traver called them. little metal tips that extend down at an angle from the end of the peg. i'm guessing these are to let the rider know they're getting close to the pegs. i was surprised because i didn't think i was really over that far.

overall, a nice bike. i enjoyed riding it. i would definitely ride it again. but i don't know that i would want to owe one. at least not before i got some other bikes...

so i came in to get a free dvd by doing a demo ride. i left having a better appreciation for the rocker. and i think i got more enjoyment from the demo ride that i will the dvd.

sunday ride...

yesterday started out crappy and put me in a bad mood - hard to believe, huh?? it turned around when wife came home after running some errands and said let's go for a ride...

having a couple hours, we decided to head up to virgilina and grab something to eat at gatrell's... it was a beautiful day for a ride - sunny and cooler temps. and it was made all the better since i got to spend it with the wife...

we make it up to gatrell's and call the kids. between fumbling around with the phone calls and text messages before heading in, since you can't get reception inside the building, it took us a couple minutes to get inside. as we approached the door, a big guy in a yellow shirt and cowboy hat opens the door. i'm sure he was wondering what was taking us so long and came to investigate. we exchange pleasantries and head in...

i usher my wife through a couple rooms and a small hallway to the 'dining' room in the back. we pick our seat and order. realizing i left my wallet in the bike, i head out to get it.

on my way back in, i reach to open the door when i noticed it has a simplex lock. i also start noticing the 'private club' signs. hmmmm, maybe that's why we got a slightly strange look as we blew past the guy on our way in...

i ring the bell and wait, reading the signs and trying not to stare at the security camera. funny how times slows when you're in a situation like this.

the door finally cracks open and the guys in the yellow shirt and cowboy hat peers out, "can i help you?" looking through a three in crack in the door, i quickly respond with, "uhhh, i think i left my wife inside." he laughs, opens the door and invites me back in.

on the way back to the table, i ask him about the 'private club' status and what it takes to join. simple as filling out some paperwork and five bucks for a family for a year. now that's hard to beat...

we introduce ourselves and learn our new friend is alan, owner and namesake of gatrell's. he tells us that the changes were made recently to help keep some undesirables out of the place. he figured even if he had to sit in there all by himself, it would be worth it. turns out that in the three weeks he's been doing this, he's already garnered a thousand memberships.

what really adds to this place are the events he has going on and the family-friendly atmosphere. every weekend all the way through june they have bands scheduled friday and saturday nights. once a month they have a car and motorcycle show. during the week they have dinner specials. quite a place. we're going to have to get up there a little more often.

after enjoying some of their good food, we decide to head back. as we're gearing up, we decide to take the long way home, heading around the kerr lake and over the dam.

it was a great afternoon, a beautiful day to ride. certainly a lot better than the way the day started. made even better because i got to share it with my wife. i can't wait to take more rides like this with her...

a wise man once told me...

actually, a wise man more than once told me some words of wisdom that have saved me, whether it be a few bucks, a lot of headache or a bit of both...

two recently that i want to share... the first once occurred earlier this summer, but i got to recount last weekend. my bike was parked and some people were looking it over. the discussion turned to the toe/heel shifter. one guy told me he was going to remove the heel shifter on his bike and was asking what i thought. why he cared what i thought i don't know - he's got to ride it and be happy with it. but since he asked...

i told him that i don't use the heel shifter. i too had considered removing it. my concern was how to pretty-up the shaft when i removed the heel shifter. i knew my father-in-law didn't use his. i figured i would see what he did with his bike.

upon inspecting his bike, i saw he still had the heel shifter... he told me he has no plans to remove the heel shifter, even if he didn't use it. his reasoning being you never know when you're going to need spare parts. i chuckled. i decided to leave it on more out of fear of him ribbing me about removing it every time he saw my bike.

not even a week later, i'm traveling home from northern virginia, on a two lane road, my wife caravanning behind me. a goose decides to meander into my lane and stops. at this point i'm having to make decisions on which way the goose might decided to go, which way i'm going to do. i'm quickly slowing down, hitting both brakes, squeezing the clutch and attempting to downshift - pressing my left foot down quickly but only finding air. holy crap!! i look down, no shifter peg!!!

i safely navigate around the goose and find the first pullover. as i'm pulling over, i'm hearing my father-in-law's words - you never know when you're going to need spare parts. thankfully, since i left the heel shifter on, i can move the peg from the heel to the toe and continue my journey home.

chalk another one up for the ol' man...

i noticed last weekend that my right rear turn signal wasn't working properly. after some quick diagnostics, i determined it was the run/brake/turn signal module i installed several years ago. i was all set to buy a replacement module. the only thing holding me up was the debate between the r/b/t module and replacing the brake lights and turn signals with leds - cost being the main factor.

again my father-in-law kicks in his words... they have their web site imprinted on the side of the module. i should call the company and tell them to send me a replacement. i've had the module on the bike for a few years, i don't know if they're going to do that.

i decide to do the next best thing - i'll search the internet to see if there are any reported problems with the unit. quickly finding nothing, i end up at biketronic's web site looking for a forum. nothing.... i stumble on their contact us form and decide to give it a shot.

i explain my situation and fire off the form. not even two hours later, a response... they have a lifetime warranty, send them my address and they'll send out a replacement. how can it get any better than that??

chalk another one up for the ol' man.

i'm gonna have to keep listening to him...