made it...

stuck

on the side of 66....

getting ready...

for rolling thunder...

on the road again...

riding again...

I love my country...

helmet legislation for nc motorcyclists…

if you live in north carolina and you to choose whether or not you wear a helmet, now is the time to take action…

house bill 392, permitting motorcyclists and passengers 18 and older to decide if they want to wear a helmet, was introduced march 17 and referred to the house transportation committee. the crossover date for the bill is may 12.

in an effort to help this happen, if you’re a north carolina resident, you should contact the committee chairs as well as your representative.

from the american motorcyclist association web site (linked above):

What is needed?

In order to advance, HB-392 must be called for consideration and passed out of the House Transportation Committee before the crossover deadline of May 12.

What can I do?

Contact the committee chairs to request HB-392 be taken up for consideration and voted favorably out of the House Transportation Committee.

How do I contact the committee chairs?

Rep. Frank Iler: 919-301-1450; email: Frank.Iler@ncleg.net

Rep. Grey Mills: 919-733-5741; email: Grey.Mills@ncleg.net

What should my message be?

Consider using the following talking points:

• 30 states already allow adult motorcycle operators and passengers to make their own decision with regard to motorcycle helmet use
• Motorcycle rider education and motorist awareness are the keys to reducing crashes involving motorcycles
• As a responsible adult, I’m already making adult decisions regarding my personal protective equipment needs
• Add any other personal reasons why motorcycling is important to you and why you feel that you, not the government, should make the decision regarding helmet use          

Remember, May 12 is the deadline for advancing HB-392 to the full House for consideration.  Take a few minutes NOW to make your voice heard on voluntary helmet use in North Carolina.

As a follow up, contact your representative to make your position known on voluntary motorcycle helmet use.  If your representative is already signed on to HB-392 as a primary or co-sponsor, say “thank you.”  If not, respectfully request he or she consider doing so.  Mention that as a constituent and registered voter, why this is an important issue to you.

Don’t know who your representative is?  Click here and enter your Zip code in the box under “Find Your Officials” to learn more.

get out and do your part…

this just ain't right...

amendment to end ban on youth motorcycles…

senator amy klobuchar recently introduced legislation, senate amendment 264, co-sponsored by senator jon tester, that would exempt youth off-highway vehicles from the consumer product safety improvement act (cpsia) of 2008.

call your senators and let them know you support sa 264. of course the american motorcyclist association is going to make this extremely easy for you. go to this form, enter your phone number and they’ll let you know who your senators are, how to contact them and some talking points.

the vote is supposed to take place this coming week so don’t waste any time contacting your senators.

mark your calendars…

on the heels of my last post and according to a rome news-tribune article, it looks like georgia is serious about setting up the motorcycle-only checkpoints. according to the article they have the budget to run six one-day checkpoints. about the only piece of good news to come out of this is the announcements of the date, times and locations for the first checkpoint:

• wednesday, march 9, 8am-5pm; interstate 75, southbound commercial vehicle inspection station in monroe county
• wednesday, march 9, 8am-5pm; interstate 95, southbound commercial vehicle inspection station in chatham county north of savannah

yesterday representative jim sensenbrenner (r-wi) introduced legislation to prohibit the secretary of transportation funding the motorcycle-only checkpoints. of course if you want to do something about it, head over to the ama web site, fill out the form and let your representative know how you feel…

daytona bike week…

with the daytona 500 behind us, we can start the countdown to bike week starting next weekend. are you planning on riding down there?? for once, the better option may be to trailer your bike!! that or detour around georgia through alabama to get there. why?? because georgia is planning to use some federal funds to set up motorcycle-only checkpoints during bike week.

according to this action alert from the ama, georgia might be taking new york’s lead in setting up motorcycle-only checkpoints. and as if that isn’t bad enough, they want to set them up during daytona bike week to target as many bikers as they can.

what can you do?? besides trailering your bike – which of course was only mentioned in jest. i, for one, would never suggest someone trailer their bike over riding. the best option is to follow the ama’s suggestion to contact governor deal. you can send him a prewritten letter. once you follow the link, click on the contact tab –> click on ‘web form’ (contact governor nathan deal via web form) –> select ‘please suspend grant to conduct motorcycle-only checkpoints’ and click next step. fill out your contact information and send it on its way.

the other option is to contact him directly from his web site. fill in the contact information, select ‘transportation’ for the category, and the message section. the ama suggests the text below for the message section. i also suggest leaving the ‘i just want governor deal to know my opinion so it will be counted’ unchecked. i know i want to get a response from him.

As a motorcyclist, I understand the Georgia Department of Public Safety was awarded a grant from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to conduct a series of motorcycle-only checkpoints (MOCs). The NHTSA Motorcycle Law Enforcement Demonstrations grant is in the amount of $70,000 and Georgia is the only state to receive this grant for Fiscal Year 2010. I request that Georgia suspend the motorcycle-only checkpoint program until questions raised by the motorcycling community have been addressed.

Specifically, how do MOCs increase the safety of motorcyclists? Where does Georgia draw their authority to conduct MOCs? Will "probable cause" be required to stop a motorcycle under the terms of this grant program? If so, what will constitute "probable cause?" What types of infractions will be recorded by law enforcement officials at these traffic stops? What criteria will be used to measure the success of the MOCs? And, do states have the jurisdiction to inspect vehicles registered in another state?

Again, please suspend this program until questions raised by the motorcycling community have been addressed.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

hopefully with enough response no one will get hassled in georgia on their way to daytona… unless, of course, they deserve it!!

what a nice surprise....

sat down for dinner tonight (heart-shaped burgers handmade by my wonderful wife) to personalized place cards made by my daughter. yes, i shoulda been onna ride today... maybe tomorrow.

day late…

ever wonder where the time is going?? time just seems to be flying lately. i realized it’s already february when i went to pay some bills this morning. which reminded me i needed to flip my waffle house and bike calendars over to february.

this month the waffle house calendar is giving me a free sausage biscuit. i ran out of time to use the free coupon for bert’s chili last month. i’ll be sure not to make the same mistake this month. i also have a coupon for a free waffle and i think they’re giving away something for valentine’s day. if i play it right, i can probably feed the whole family for free!!

my bike calendar is a free calendar i got from an attorney pushing his business. the calendar is supposed to be one of these bikes and babes calendars. the only problem is the models aren’t really babes. i’m wondering where they found these models. out of twelve of them only one is halfway decent. i seriously considered just leaving my calendar on that month for the whole year.

the calendar got me to thinking that either bikers will settle or my standards are a bit higher. i was talking to my wife about the quality, or lack thereof, of the models in the calendar. i don’t even know that many people but i could probably put a better calendar together…

it could be worse…

that’s the phrase my father-in-law responds with when someone is complaining about something. when he first said it to me i figured it was his polite way of telling me to stop whining. but knowing my father-in-law, he’d just tell you to stop whining.

what he is really doing is reminding us that we should be appreciative. now i resist the urge to immediately complain about something and i look at the positives in a situation. i’ve heard him use it enough that i’ve adopted the phrase as well. it helps keep things in perspective.

and that perspective really helped when i was riding on sunday. i remember several rides at the beginning of last year that were cold. temps for those rides were probably in the twenties and thirties. maybe forties.

sunday’s ride was in the upper thirties. but i actually felt warm. so warm that i removed my electric vest and switched out my electric gloves for my winter gloves. it felt great to be out riding, i was enjoying it so much.

perspective… perspective made the ride feel so good. and the reminder that it could be worse. and it was worse that morning when i met up with a fellow rider to head out to thomasville - in thirteen degree temps!! now that was cold…

2011 rides...

first ride…

took the first ride of the year today. not the usual beginning-of-the-year lake loop that i’ve traditionally taken. today’s was just a short ride.

today’s ride had several purposes. first, and most importantly, was just to get out and ride again. the sun was finally shining and the temps were in the 40s – perfect for a nice january ride.

second reason for today’s ride was to test the new nolan helmet. i was a little concerned with the weight of the helmet. turns out it wasn’t a problem – i didn’t notice the weight at all. a quick note about new helmets, figure out where the vent adjustments are *before* you head out.

the best reason for today’s ride was to check out the contour gps video camera my wife gave me for christmas. i couldn’t wait to get home to see the results. and i was pleasantly surprised. the quality of the video is excellent. being able to watch the video, the speed and route is quite impressive. once i get the video edited and posted, i’ll share a link.

41073

starting a new year with 41073 miles on the bike… although i didn’t put as many miles on the bike towards the end of the year it was still a good year of riding. in addition to the usual trips around the lake and to the smoke out, i got in a trip to milwaukee as well as another saddle sore 1000.

this year i’m looking forward to the normal rides as well as spending a couple days at myrtle beach, at wilmington and hopefully another iron butt ride – maybe a butt burner 1500 this time. and some rides with my wife – i really enjoy the trips we were able to take last year.

if all goes well i’ll have some video footage of some of my rides – my awesome wife got me a portable video camera for the motorcycle. i attempted to test it out today but by the time i got my lazy butt around to securing the camera to the bike it started to rain. i bagged the ride today in favor of better weather (and a day off work) monday.

here’s looking to another great year of riding – see ya out there…

motorcyclist of the year…

the latest issue of american motorcyclist (the magazine of the ama), with the motorcyclist of the year on the cover, arrived this past weekend. when i initially saw the cover my instinct was to cancel my subscription/membership to the ama.

the ama states the motorcyclist of the year is “designed to highlight the person (or people) who has had the most profound impact on the world of motorcycling – for better or worse – in the previous 12 months.” this year the ama has decided that the most profound impact on motorcycling is for the worse.

what’s really bothersome is that of all the pro-motorcycling causes the ama supports, of all the people that put their time and effort forth to support motorcycling, the ama couldn’t find one person or group that had enough of a positive impact to outweigh the negative…

so who was chosen?? california governor schwarzenegger, who is supposedly pro-motorcycling. why was he chosen?? for signing senate bill 435. in a nutshell, sb435 requires all motorcycles built on or after january 1, 2013 to carry an epa stamp that certifies the exhaust meets sound requirements.

i know us motorcyclist have an issue with excessive noise. if the idea is to help control noise, sb435 is not the way to go about it. the motorcycle industry council worked hard with the society of automobile engineers to develop j2825 which gives a simple, straightforward way to measure and identify motorcycles with excessive noise.

instead governor schwarzenegger thought putting stamps on exhaust systems was the way to enforce noise limits. there are plenty of exhaust exhaust systems and manufactures that make exhaust systems that aren’t noisy but can’t afford to go through the process to get approval to put the stamp on  their exhausts. not only that, the stamp doesn’t prevent the owner from drilling out the baffles and making the exhaust excessively noisy.

i could sit back and be thankful i don’t live in california. and after seeing what a “pro-motorcyling” governor can do, i am thankful. but we’ve all seen other states follow california. unfortunately this would not be a good path to go down. instead i’ll do what i can to make sure a bill like this doesn’t get passed in my state.

i’m still fuming at governor schwarzenegger getting selected. and if the ama wasn’t so important in protecting the rights of motorcyclists i’d cancel my membership. so, i’m also going to do everything i can to ensure all future motorcyclist of the year are selected for making a positive impact on motorcycling, leaving governor schwarzenegger as the only black mark.

it’s time…

to start getting more involved…

bikefest coming alive...

ray price capital city bikefest today….

the ray price capital city bikefest starts today!!

trip prep…

getting ready to take a trip on the blue ridge parkway with my father-in-law at the end of the month. we’ve been talking about riding the parkway for a while and now it’s time to make it happen…

the past week or so i’ve been trying to figure out the details – when we’re going , how far we’ll travel each day, where we’ll stop overnight and other rides we might be able to fit in during our journey. the original plan was to make travel the parkway in two days. knowing we’d want to ride the snake as well as the tail of the dragon. to help plan the trip i ordered the latest version of the blue ridge parkway maps from america rides maps.

the maps arrived today and i was pleasantly surprised. from the start i’ve been impressed with the maps. i also know the maps have expanded and upgraded. but i didn’t realize how much until i got the latest versions of the map.

the new maps contain more routes as well as more detail. detail in both the crispness of the maps themselves and the number of amenities like gas stations, restaurants and lodging along the suggested routes. the routes are well marked on the map with descriptions on the back of the map. the maps, seven in total, are well labeled to indicated how all seven maps fit together. making it easy to pick up a road or route on an adjacent map.

i know wayne put a lot of time and effort towards creating these maps. his effort is definitely paid off with these maps.

well, i better get to finalizing the details of the trip. with the help of these maps it shouldn’t be too tough.

sunday ride…

my neighbor called yesterday wondering if my wife wanted to go shopping with his wife. my wife loved the idea. i thanked my neighbor by asking him if he wanted to go on a motorcycle ride with my son and me…

i’ve talked to my neighbor about the property my in-laws have up at the lake and he’s taken his boat into their cove. but this was an opportunity to show him my in-laws property. but the ride was less about showing my neighbor some property and more about taking my son for a longer ride.

i’ve taken my son on shorter rides around town and he’s done really well. he’s been asking to go on longer rides. i figured this was a good opportunity. the heat has subsided a bit making riding more comfortable. an important factor to consider since i want to instill safety first with my son and emphasize wearing all our gear when we go out riding.

the ride was going to be to the lake and back. i figured that would give my son a good amount of time in the saddle without pushing it too much.

we headed north up route one, jumped off on one fifty eight, through middleburg to the lake. a nice leisurely ride giving a mix of some speed and some twisty roads.

we got to the lake and i showed off the trailer. we headed down to the water where my son could feed the fish with the bread my thoughtful wife packed for him. it was fun watching him try to catch the fish with his hands as he was baiting them with bread. unfortunately he wasn’t as fast as the fish.

after a little more time at the trailer we decided to head home. but not without stopping for lunch first. my son was doing good on the bike and enjoying the ride so we decided to head to clarksville and stop at uppy’s. after topping off our bellies with lunch and ice cream for desert we headed home through oxford via virgilina.

it was a beautiful day for a ride and my son did awesome. my biggest concern, him getting sleepy, never happened. which made me more confident that he’s up for longer rides. he rode over one hundred thirty miles and seemed to enjoy every mile. i think he was in awe of being part of the environment as your traveling instead of just viewing it through the window of a cage.

i look forward to many more rides with him. and maybe one day taking him on an overnight camping trip…

check out the 2010 ride map, this one in light blue.

American Motorcyclist Association - Take an active role in the upcoming elections!

according to the voter guide in the post below some of my legislators won't be getting my vote!!

American Motorcyclist Association - Take an active role in the upcoming elections!

certified – again…

got a package in the mail today containing certificates and a patch for the ss1000 i completed back in july… i was pretty excited to get it today as i didn’t expect them quite so soon. i don’t know if the certification process is quicker once your a member but it was definitely a nice surprise.

now to start planning a bun burner (1500 miles in thirty-six hours) and a bun burner gold (1500 miles in twenty-four hours)… my wife rolled her eyes when i mentioned that earlier today!!!

40000…

took the bike to ray price last week for the 40k service… a smaller service this time. the usual fluid change and general inspection of the bike. i did manage to get new spark plugs too.

i have an extended service plan with ray price which is due to expire next month. the service plan has really been a good deal for me. when i got the bike i didn’t know anything about maintenance. over the years i’ve picked a couple things up. next month i’ll be picking up a lot more. and i’m looking forward to it.

the service department at ray price has really taken care of my bike. i’ve been extremely pleased with the service they’ve provided – i feel they’ve gone above and beyond to take care of me and my bike. i would definitely recommend their service department…

for this service i managed to trade my bike for an ultra classic. unfortunately i was only able to get a picture of it on the road…

it’s the one on the left…

how difficult can it be??

had a couple extra minutes today so i decided to put the registration sticker on the bike.

being the lazy efficient person i am i decided i would just wipe the old sticker with a towel and apply the new sticker. a short-lived idea due to the reflective license plate mounting bolts covering the sticker.

reaching between the license plate and the the tour-pac i quickly realized i wouldn’t be able to remove the mounting bolt without removing the tour-pac.

i get the key for the tour-pac and attempt to unlock the lock. as i turned the key i heard a pop. not the familiar pop of the mechanism unlocking. and the key is turning freely. i remove the key and see the lock hasn’t unlocked. nope. it broke.

the design of the tour-pac latch prevents me from unbolting the latch– which is actually a good thing. i have to remove the docking point in order to remove the tour-pac. once that’s off i’ll be able to remove the latch, freeing the docking point – which i can then put back on the bike.

i finally remove the docking point and get the tour-pac off. on to the latch… i remove the bolt and slide the latch off. not quite. the way the latch is mounted, along with the docking point still being locked in place, prevents the latch from being removed.

the only way to remove the latch is to break it. which i do. finally the docking point is free. it gets put back on the bike. i return from the attic with the old latch and put that on the tour-pac.

i finally get around to putting the sticker on the bike – completing a two minute job in about thirty minutes…

ss1000…

completed another ss1000 saturday…

took off about five thirty in the morning. a little later than i had originally planned – was too busy sleeping. but i’d rather get a little more sleep, wake up refreshed and start late than start out tired.

first stop was sheetz in youngsviile to document my start location and time. then it was off to richmond. the ride up there was chilly in spite of the extra layers and having the panels in my coat. i knew the morning was cooler but i didn’t expect that cool. good thing i started with my winter gloves.

after richmond it was on to staunton. the temps were rising along with the sun but it was still cool… i was wondering if i was going to need to throw on my other shirt and put the lining in my coat. i decided to keep pushing through. i’d add them at the next stop if needed.

from staunton it was on to hagerstown then to morgantown. the traffic between hagerstown and morgantown was horrible. i was finally in the 4th of july traffic i was fearing. until we got to the i-68 split near hancock. thankfully most of it was heading north and the roads opened up again.

nothing too exciting from morgantown through charleston on to statesville. the temps were definitely getting warmer. hot in fact. funny how a few hours ago i couldn’t wait to get out of the cold weather. now i was missing it.

about the six hundred fifty mile mark i was feeling a little tired. the fireballs were helping but not quite doing the trick. i was planning on taking a short nap in the shade at my next stop. however, when i got there i must have gotten my second wind. after fueling up i was ready to keep going. i never felt sleepy after that.

a lot of the trip between charleston and statesville was familiar from our milwaukee trip in may. it was nice to be in familiar sights, knowing i was closing in on being home.

the final leg between statesville and youngsville brought back memories of traveling the road a few years back, when i was first starting to take longer trips. i remember the feeling of accomplishment of riding for several hours, covering a couple hundred miles. now i was knocking off a thousand miles. and enjoying it!!! where will i be in a few more years?? maybe an iba rally?? who know… all i know is i was really enjoying the ride and looking forward to getting home and spending the rest of the holiday weekend with my wife.

a little after ten in the evening i pulled back into the sheetz station to document the end of my ride, finally making it home about ten-thirty. it was an awesome ride and it was great to be home.

now i’ve got to document my ride and get it off to the iba… you can check out the 2010 ride map – this one in blue…

great service…

was heading back from the smoke out last weekend when the shift lever shaft stripped. luckily i was close to home and could temporarily fix it by tightening the screw on the backside of the shaft.

i took the bike to ray price tuesday to have the shaft replaced. i asked them to also check the front brakes and do an inspection. when the bike’s dropped off the tech looks over the bike. he noticed that i could also use new tires.

overall i’ve been very pleased with the service i’ve gotten from ray price. i have to give them props for this last experience. it’s nice to know they go above and beyond instead of just settling for getting the job done. it’s always good to have another set of eyes looking over the bike.

and it’s especially nice to have new tires on the bike before i head out for another saddle sore 1000 tomorrow. look for an update next week on how i made out. as well as updates on the smoke out and rolling thunder – on which i’m woefully behind…

back from milwaukee…

just got back from one of the best trips i’ve ever been on… the scenery, the friendship, the laughs, the ride. and being able to share it all with my wife… it couldn’t have been any better.

we left out of here last wednesday, making our first stop for gas where i realized i had forgotten the key to my motorcycle. so we returned home to pick it up and make another attempt at leaving. we were successful this time, picking up another rider before making a stop for breakfast and to pick up the third rider.

after a delicious breakfast at cracker barrel, which would become a recurring theme during the trip, we began the real journey. the skies were overcast and the temps were cooler. the forecast called for clearing skies with some chance of rain.

as we headed through virginia and west virginia we ran into a little rain. and i mean very little rain. my wife and i couldn’t finish a conversation about whether we should pull over to put on our rain suits before the rain would stop. the threat of rain stopped as we travelled through ohio and indiana.

our first overnight stop was just outside indianapolis after travelling just over six hundred miles. i started the day thinking we’d be stopping about half way. it was such a good day riding the additional miles came easily. and it set us up nicely for the next day’s riding into milwaukee.

one of my only concerns with the route we had chosen was riding through chicago. don’t know why but i just wasn’t looking forward to it. the real problem was just about any route around chicago would add several hours to the trip. consensus was we would ride through instead of around chicago. and through chicago we went!!!

on the way through we pulled off the interstate to take a ride up lake shore drive. the view was a nice change of pace from the interstate we’d been following most of the day.

the roads, at least the interstate, between chicago and milwaukee left a lot to be desired. it was probably good our destination was close as we could focus on that instead of the poor conditions of the roads.

we made it to milwaukee about mid-afternoon. early enough to unload the bikes and have some time to walk around enjoying the sites and tastes of the city.

a couple days later it was time to start heading home. we contemplated taking the lake express ferry from milwaukee to michigan to start the journey until the cost changed our minds. so we headed out aiming for west virginia not quite knowing the route we were taking. just pointing our bikes south and riding, knowing we’d get there eventually.

my wife had the chance to ride on an ultra classic which she really enjoyed. i think it made the trip more bearable for her. although for being the longest trip she’d ever been on she kept a positive attitude and made the best of it. the problem now is i either have to get a seat as comfortable as the ultra classic or get an ultra classic.

after riding all day under sunny skies and warm temps our target was charleston. but a longer route with leisurely stops and a couple deer crossing the highway as the sun was setting encouraged us to stop for the night in cross lanes.

the next day’s ride would take us home. the day started out warm and sunny. as we left west virginia, crossing through virginia and into north carolina, the skies would continue to get darker. eventually dumping a rain on us for about thirty minutes.

before we knew it we were home and being greeted by waiting family. as good as it was to get away it was even better to get back home and be with the family again.

this trip was easily the best trip i’ve been on. it was amazing in so many different ways. but mostly because i got to share it with my wife. i look forward to taking many more trips like this with her. even if it means i have to get a new bikes.

some pictures of our travels through parts of our beautiful country (in no particular order)…

crop dusting

 

a photo op at one of our gas stops…

 

some women in west virginia roofing. yes, the two on the roof are women!!!

 

another photo op at another gas stop – this one a little more scenic.

check out the 2010 ride map – this one in green…

37500…

picked up the bike today from ray price after having it serviced… it didn’t as take too long since my last service to rack up the miles. the trip to milwaukee helped that out.

not much done at this service – usual oil and filter change. they even changed the air filter for me. best of all, the bike got cleaned. not as clean as i would have done. but i can’t complain since i didn’t have to do it.

while the bike was in for service i got to cruise around on a 2010 electra glide classic.

heading home...

had an amazing trip to milwaukee with my wife... packing up tonight to start our journey home tomorrow. it'll be nice to get home again.

milwaukee...

left indianapolis this morning and made it to milwaukee - with a detour through chicago's lake shore drive...

a pic of the bikes before heading out this morning...

how low can you go…

for the past week or so we’ve been checking the weather up in milwaukee. the forecasts predict temps in the upper sixties/lower seventies – about twenty degrees cooler than here…

getting ready to pack today i realized we should probably be less concerned with the highs and focus more on how *cold* it might be getting.  it’s always easier to dress warmed and shed some layers than get cold and have to try to warm up. i want to avoid the situation i had when i came back from maryland…

of course the lows are going to be a bit cooler – in the low/mid fifties. but it’s not as bad as it could be. and if we can avoid the rain it would be even better…

can’t wait to take off tomorrow…

cleaning up…

wanted to go for a ride with my wife yesterday to test out the new bars… she was in a cleaning mood and suggested i clean the bike instead. my first thought was why would i want to clean the bike *before* heading out on a big trip??

since i figured if i went for a ride my wife wouldn’t be going with me i decided to follow her advice and clean the bike. not necessarily a bad thing but not top on my list of things to do on a saturday…

i can’t remember the last time i actually cleaned my bike. sure it usually gets washed after a service but it never gets cleaned as well. not to mention not getting waxed. so it was probably time i washed the bike.

turns out it wasn’t such a bad thing… it gave me a chance to really go over the bike before heading out. i came across a couple items i wanted to check that i may not have found had i not cleaned the bike. nothing critical but worth checking into further.

when i finished cleaning the bike i felt a lot better about it. not only did it end up clean, i felt more confident about the condition of the bike.

now i looking forward to the trip even more…

installing comfort…

picked up the comfort profile saddlebag guards today from shelton’s… installation was easy and went smoothly. the longest part was running out to pick up a torque wrench. normally i would just tighten the bolts until i thought there were tight enough. on something like this, i figured it was well worth the time and few extra dollars to make surer it was right.

after i i had one side installed my wife sat on the bike and immediately noticed the difference. the real test though will be taking my wife out for a ride to see how much better it is.

gettin’ ready…

my wife and i have taken a couple rides latest in preparation for a trip we’re taking to milwaukee later this month. since she hasn’t been on a trip this long, we thought it would be a good idea to have her get some miles on the bike…

we also got her a new seat from mustang seats which we thought might make the trip more comfortable. the old seat, which is wider, was pushing her legs into the saddlebag guards and cutting the circulation off in her legs. we figured the smaller seat might alleviate that.

our first ride was to the hog meeting. half way to the destination, we saw nothing but a sea of brake lights. after about ten minutes and only moving about a half a mile the traffic just came to a standstill. we decided to pull a u-turn and take some back roads.

while it wasn’t what we wanted because we were trying to get to the meeting on time, it turned out to be a good thing. we traded the congested main road for some scenic two lane roads. we also got a longer ride – never a bad thing on a motorcycle!! the side trip reminded me of the benefits of a detour…

so my wife navigated us through the back roads to our destination. if you knew how my wife is with directions you’d know this is an accomplishment. she is awesome and amazes me every day. although i was secretly thinking that even is she would have gotten us lost i wouldn’t have cared. it’d just have meant more time together on the bike!!

the ride home that night was something else. not traffic this time but the night skies. the skies were dark until the heat lightening lit up the clouds in a beautiful display of lights and shapes.  we were enjoying the openness of the bike and the light show going on around us…

until… we started getting closer to home. as we got closer to home we started seeing more and more streaks of lightening. and as the miles ticked off, the bolts were getting closer to the ground.

within ten minutes of making it home the skies opened up. note to self: be sure to pack the wife’s rain suit for the next trip…

we also took a ride this weekend to durham. we wanted to catch up with a fellow rider and firm up plans for milwaukee. it wasn’t a long ride, but it was a good ride. except for the fact that, even with the new seat, the guards were still digging into my wife’s legs.

i decided to head to shelton’s to see if i could find the comfort profile saddlebag guards. they didn’t have any at the durham store but ordered them from one of their other shops. i should have them in a day or two. of course once i get them on we’ll have to take a few more trips to determine which seat might be better. you won’t find me complaining about that!!!

these past two rides really make me look forward to the ride to milwaukee. i can’t wait for the adventure with my wife – we’re going to have so much fun…

ride to work…

took a ride to work the other week – to annapolis!!! it was nice to get out for a longer ride in decent weather.

i headed out on sunday after a quick turn around from returning from the beach. as fast as i was unpacking from the beach, i was repacking for the ride. i could have taken a little more time but i wanted to get on the road and to my destination before it got too late.

repacking in a hurry didn’t leave me with the confidence that i had everything i needed. but if it came down to missing something critical, i could always pick it up on the road.

ride up to annaplois started on the interstate until richmond, then back roads the rest of the way. it was good to be putting some miles on the bike again. especially since i have a longer trip coming up towards the end of may. but thoughts of that trip were far from my mind as i was enjoying the scenery and the weather the eastern part of virginia was giving me.

i wouldn’t be quite so lucky on the way home. the temps were quite a bit lower and the skies were overcast. shortly after leaving, i was pulling over to put on my chaps and winter gloves. but those weren’t quite enough to keep the chill from reaching my bones.

the quick turn around on sunday and lack of planning was catching up to me now. in my hurry to hit the road i was so focused on leaving i didn’t bother to check the weather forecast. and now i was paying the price.

a couple times i did think about how much warmer i might have been had i been in my car. but i quickly came to the conclusion that i wouldn’t trade the warmth of my car for the freedom of the road. it seems cold riding is the theme on the rides this year.

it was great to get home and start to thaw…

check out the 2010 ride map – this one in blue…

35000…

took the bike in to ray price this week to have it serviced… i can’t believe it’s been so long since my last service. only twenty five hundred miles in six months. sad… (I do plan on making up for it over the next several months, though.)

i was actually looking more forward to having it cleaned than the service itself… it’s been a while since it’s been cleaned – since the last service!! considering the long cold winter we had, i can’t be blamed for choosing riding over cleaning…

it was nice to be back on my own bike today. every time i get back on my bike after being on a different one, i like mine so much more. the seating position and the handling feel so right. my wife talks about getting an ultra classic one day. while i do look forward to getting another bike one day, i can’t imagine not having this one to ride.

this service i was hooked up with the same bike i had for my last service. fun to ride the newer model with the updated frame, electronic throttle and larger engine, but nothing new to report. and i guess i can’t complain since this is the first time i’ve gotten the same bike in all the years i’ve been taking the bike in for service…

bike shops…

saturday started with a stop at bikers boulevard with father-in-law. he’s rebuilding a couple bikes with the help of son and wanted to check out some parts – specifically an electronic ignition… within minutes they were showing him the exact part he needed.

we were perusing the store, about to leave, when one of the guys chased us down to talk to father-in-law about his shovelhead. before i knew it, they were looking for a kicker for his shovelhead. turns out they don’t make a kicker for his particular model – when they made the five-speed for his bike they stuffed it into a four-speed case, not leaving enough room for anything else.

listening to the two of them carry on about their old bikes was really interesting – i sure could learn a lot more from these two…

after getting home, my wife suggested taking a ride. i was all over that. we had planned to take the usual trip around the lake – a nice ride, but not too long.

shortly after heading out, after the few sprinkles of rain, my wife mentioned she was cold and her feet were bothering her. not wanting to end the ride so soon and not wanting to torture my wife, i suggested stopping at brewer cycles.

i’d never been there but heard good things about it. i was thinking that maybe if we could find her some new boots, she’s be willing to take a little longer ride.

when we got to brewer, i couldn’t believe how cold her hands were. sure, it wasn’t the warmest weather we’d ridden in, but i didn’t think it was that cold. i offered her my winter gloves, but they didn’t quite fit and she’d worry the whole time we rode home.

walking to brewer, i was surprised by the variety and selection they had – bikes, jet skis, clothing, helmets, accessories, tires. you name it, they have it. except footwear. well, they do have footwear, but it’s for dirt-biking.

we decided to forgo riding around the lake and head straight home. i did manage to talk my wife into a slightly longer ride home. which i really appreciated because i knew my wife would only get colder as evening drew closer.

it was great to be out on the road with my wife. i sure hope we can get more riding in together – although i will appreciate the ride we took this weekend since she probably won’t ride again unless it’s above the mid-eighties!!!

check out the 2010 ride map – this one in green…

iba membership…

got an e-mail today informing me i’m now officially a member of the iba… wooooohooooo!!!!

You are receiving this e-mail because of your application for a ride
certification.  This note is to let you know that your ride has been
approved and although your ride documents may take a few more weeks to
arrive,  your membership has also been approved and entered into the
Iron Butt Association's member database.

Welcome to the Iron Butt Association!

gotta figure out where to ride next…

think biker…

came across this today…

marion…

finally took another ride!!! hard to believe it’s only the second ride i’ve taken this year… i blame that mostly on the weather; although other commitments have played a part.

this ride held the promise of warmer weather – in the fifties. definitely better than my last ride… the problem was that was afternoon temps. and i was leaving at five in the morning. with temps in the twenties.

in preparation, and with memories of the last ride fresh in my mind, i purchased ‘lectric pants and vest. purchasing them the day before the ride, i was a little concerned i wouldn’t have a chance test them out before embarking on a longer ride.

saturday morning i plugged up and headed out. needing gas not too far down the road, i decided to set the controls on medium figuring i would adjust it as necessary when i stopped. turns out it was just about perfect. i could feel the heat in the pants and the vest. i was actually surprised at how well they worked.

the ride was supposed to take three and a half hours – i was figuring closer to four with a gas stop thrown in. i was cruising along nicely, actually starting to warm up a little as the sun was rising, when i passed the city limit sign for winston-salem. within a mile of passing the sign, the temps must have dropped by five degrees.

not that might not sound like much, but remember it’s in the twenties. on a motorcycle. going seventy. it got cold!!! shivering cold!!

deciding how long i could make it like this and how soon i should stop, i was comparing the gps arrival time, eight-thirty, to the clock on my bike, about a quarter to eight.

my first thought was the trip was turning out to be shorter than i thought. planning the trip, i was sure i would need to stop for gas. now, by my estimates, i would be able to make it without stopping.

about fifteen minutes later, after merging to another part of interstate forty, the gps recalculates, now showing me about sixty seven miles to my next turn. holy crap!! what happened to thirty more minutes?? then it dawns on me… my clock is set to summer time - it’s only seven!!!

now i’m trying to figure out when to stop for gas. i like to go as far as i can before fuelling. i’m weighing that against stopping sooner to warm up. i decide the need to stop shivering definitely outweighs squeezing more miles out of the tank.

after the stop, i felt much warmer. which was a great relief as i headed further west and started seeing more and more on the sides of the roads.

despite the cold and the time miscalculation, i was rewarded as i rounded a corner, the road ahead of me opened up and in the distance i saw the snow covered mountains. i was struck by the  beauty of the mountains with all the snow. i was wrapped up in the majesty of the view ahead of me and was instantly taken away from the cold harsh winds of the highway. realizing it was the first time riding in the snow-covered landscape, i was hoping it wouldn’t be the last.

i made it to my destination and took care of business. by the time i was ready to head home, the temps were in the fifties. the ride home would be awesome – finally a ride in some decent weather. as i was leaving, people were commenting on how nice of a ride home it would be, forgetting the cold i endured on the way there.

and it was a good ride home. a comfortable ride under the clear, sunny skies. made even sweeter by the memories of the morning ride.

in hindsight, the morning ride may have been the better one.

check out the 2010 ride map – this one in red…

2010 rides…

wow!!! we’re already in 2010!!!

routes:
------ 01/02/2010 - lake loop - nc and va
------ 02/20/2010 - just a ride - marion, nc
------ 03/13/2010 - ridin' with my wife - henderson, nc
------ 04/11-14/2010 - ride to work - annapolis, md
------ 05/19-24/2010 - weekend ride - milwaukee, wi
------ 05/28-31/2010 - rolling thunder - washington, dc
------ 06/26-27/2010 - smoke out - rockingham, nc
------ 07/03/2010 - ss1000 - nc, va, md, wv, va, nc
------ 09/06/2010 - ride with alex - nc and va

brrrrrrr…

took the first drive of the year today… wasn’t really planning to, but my wife suggested i head out for a ride. it looked nice outside, blue skies dotted with puffy white clouds. it didn’t take much to convince me to go.

i had originally planned a trip through oxford to danville, looping south back through oxford and back home. i wasn’t out long when i realize it was a bit chillier than i thought.

i arrived in oxford cold, not quite knowing how long the planned route was, thinking i should just turn around and head home. instead, i decided to take the usual lake loop.

about half way through the ride, even colder than i could imagine, i couldn’t wait to get home. i even passed up a photo-op of the high water and flooded tables at the dam.

i made it home with a couple lessons under my belt. check the temps before leaving. if it’s in the twenties, i’d advise electric pants and jacket – jeans and chaps just don’t cut it. my electric gloves work awesome!!!

check out the 2010 ride map to see the route - this one in blue...

reflections…

the past year has been interesting to say the least. didn’t do as much riding as i wanted. it seems i say that every year. i wonder how often or how many miles i’d need to ride in order to feel like i rode as much as i wanted??

some of the journeys i planned didn’t happen. but my biggest goal of the year, the ss1000, did. of course there were several rides with my wife (those are always the best), the yearly trek to the smoke out, a ride with my son and the easyriders rodeo. all-in-all, i’d have to say it was a good year.

i’m sure this next year will bring new adventures, some planned and some not. whatever the case, we’ll make the bet of it…

detours…

haven’t posted in a while –  haven’t ridden in a while…  this has been the longest stretch of time since i’ve had the bike that i’ve gone without riding… after the ss1000 ride, it seemed i had weekend commitments, holidays, questionable weather, classes. after about a month of not riding, i was getting the itch to get back on the bike. then a family crisis hit and put us into a tailspin for a couple weeks.

i finally managed to get back out on the road. weather was near perfect – considering it’s the end of december. clear skies, fifties, what more could you ask for?? so my wife encouraged me to head out for a couple hours. and i did.

it’d been so long since i’d ridden, i wasn’t even sure my bike would start – pretty sad, huh?? good thing i had it on a battery tender – it started on the first crank. while it was warming up, i gave it a once over. after that, i geared up and headed out.

i planned a short route. north up route 1, east on route 158, south on route 401 through louisburg back to youngsville. rides like these are a great opportunity for personal reflection. it wasn’t long before i was thinking about how fortunate i am to have the wife i have, the kids, my job. while things may not always be great, they certainly can be a lot worse (as my father-in-law is always keen to point out).

while i was really enjoying being on the bike again, i was also looking forward to getting home. i was approaching louisburg when i saw the detour signs. a quick feeling of dread came over me - a detour is not really what i wanted.

i took the turn off 401 and headed for parts unknown, trusting the detour signs would lead me back to where i needed to be. before i knew it, i had a huge grin on my face as i was gliding through the twisty roads. the road turned out to be a lot more fun than i expected – one of the better ones on my ride. maybe the detour was what i needed…

back on 401, i reflected on the detour. the detour was much like the family crisis we faced a couple weeks ago. not really what we were expecting, certainly not what we wanted. we didn’t know what we were getting in to, where we were going. we didn’t have a plan, we were just moving forward, trusting we would get through it.

while i can’t say we’re totally through the crisis, i think some good has already come from it. we’ve learned how strong our family is, how lucky we are to have the friends and neighbors we have. we’ve all come out better for it.

life, like motorcycle rides, can throw detours at you. detours certainly don’t come at the most convenient time. while we may not realize it at the time, they’re actually good and ultimately get us to our destination better than had we followed our original path.

let’s just hope life isn’t filled with too many more detours…

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.