Mongo's Digs

Scooter Time

2009-02-27T15:26:00.001-05:00

I grabbed this video off of Rounders.

Riding in Germany

2009-01-26T15:37:00.003-05:00

This video is from a fellow Rounder Winterbiker from Germany.
The windterride

Man those hacks look like big fun in the snow.

January Ride

2009-01-25T20:23:00.003-05:00

I sweated this one out as it was late in coming

I have been eyeballing today for a ride for the last few days. I scoped out the avenues in and out the last couple of days trying to determine which way was doable. I thought maybe Sunday.... just maybe... I woke up this morning and saw brilliant blue sky. The kind of sky during the month of January you [b]know[/b] is cold. The thermometer read a balmy 10F. Just right for a ride (if your a Rounder)

Breakfast was done, I was ready to head for the garage to gear up and my cell phone rang. My work cell phone. Oh dang! That's never good. It was the alarm Company. We had a perimeter breach and an interior motion. Someones in my store! Roll the cops and I'll be right there! WTH I might as well gear up and ride there. So that's what I did.

The ride was uneventful other than the fact that I was about 20 over the whole way there (about 50 miles). Although there was that stretch of road near a carwash where I needed to be on the other side of the road. Good thing there was no oncoming traffic at the time. I pulled into work and there were two cop cars there shooting the breeze waiting for me. The front door to the store was unlocked and there didn't appear to be anyone inside or anything missing or damaged :dunno: I locked the door and thanked the LEOs for coming. We wound up chatting out front about riding (one had an 03 Road King) and the fact that I'm probably 5 beers short of a six pack for riding today.

I cursed my guy who was supposed to lock up on Friday and fired up the bike and headed back. I enjoyed a leisurely ride home. I was comfortable and smiling as I pulled into the garage. January is in the books and it was as good a destination as any. No harm no foul. I called my guy and gave him a heads up. " Man you didn't lock the door" "Yes I did!" He says. "I pulled on it to check". I say "We'll talk about it tomorrow, don't worry, no harm came of it and I got a ride in, Have a good rest of the the day and we'll cover it tomorrow"

I went to my daughter's play. My cell phone went off and it was the alarm Company. Front door breach and interior motion alarm. WHAT?!! I tell them to roll the cops and I call my guy and ask him if he can run over as I'm in the middle of my daughter's play. "Wait for the cops and have them go in first"

It turns out that the owner of the building had been going in and out of my store turning off and then on the water main without calling us. They were remodeling another unit in our building. He has a key but no alarm code.

I still had a nice ride though. I won't mention that when I chat with the building owner tomorrow. ;)

Day 2 PM Welcome to Virginia

2008-11-07T16:40:00.003-05:00

I stopped for a bit of lunch and grabbed my mandatory food porn shot.
Mmm very tasty

I looked up and wow I can’t remember the last one of these I've seen.

Down Rt 15 I went, crossed into Virginia and worked my way down into the Shenendoah Valley. The farms and rolling hills were beautiful

I went down some roads off the beaten track and wound up on this beauty of a bridge.

Then there it was the entrance to Skyline Drive.

Wow! This is how I spent the rest of my day.

I finished the Skyline Drive at dusk. I was hungry and tired. The roads were twisty and the views were breathtaking. Another motel in Waynesboro and some guy food that wasn’t worthy of pics, a good nights sleep dreaming of the possibilities of day 3

Johnson City Ride Day 2

2008-10-30T20:39:00.002-04:00

Day 2: Gettysburg

The sun! Yeah the sun!
Off to Gettysburg proper. I only had a half a day. To maximize my time I dropped by the visitor’s bureau where I found a helpful woman who instructed me on where to spend my time most efficiently.

Cool train station across the street

Off to the new museum first

I watched a great presentation on the battle and then it was upstairs to a 360 degree cyclorama painting of the battle. They do a real nice job of telling the story.

I walked through the museum that is laid out chronologically then it was off with my map and new knowledge to ride around the battlefield on my bike.

A view from Little Round top

There are monuments everywhere!

I really enjoyed my visit there. It was pretty emotional. I wish I had more time but it was noon and the road was calling.

Johnson City Ride Day 1

2008-10-28T19:09:00.006-04:00

I had a plan, kind of. I wanted to stop in Gettysburg, check that out and I needed to be in Gray TN on Friday at 4-5ish. I wanted to leave predawn at 4 ish so I could get into Gettysburg early afternoon and play tourist. Then ride some more. I had a mind that I wanted to ride the mountains as much as I could manage. That was it. That was the plan.

Day 1

Well the improvisation started early. I woke up to a hard rain and a forecast of snow at higher elevations. Predawn was out, I’m sleeping in. When I finally hit the road there was cold drizzle that dwindled to a raw overcast. The conditions were a little bleak but my spirits were high. I’m on vacation with many miles of new roads to ride, people to meet and places to see.

I ran into some snow on my approach to Bennington VT. The road was clear and the snow accumulated on non asphalt surfaces. My electric clothing was on and I was quite comfortable. I decided to stop for a photo op near Woodford VT.

I rode through VT and upstate NY down Rt88 to 81 into Pennsylvania All slab all the way to Gettysburg for about 500 miles. It stopped raining and the sun broke out late in the day. It was uneventful. I found a fleabag motel to shack up and a local bar with the World Series on. I had a couple of cold ones, some buffalo wings, watched the game then called it a night.

2008-10-21T19:54:00.003-04:00

I'm off tomorrow on my solo trip. I'm going to try to make Gettysburg for my first overnight.
I'm going to leave real early. Probably around 5AM. Maybe earlier if I can pull it off. Hopefully that will get me in around 3ish. The weather is looking a bit sketchy but I have my Electrics and my desire for the open road. I'm packed and ready to go.

Here is a map of my first day. It comes in around 500 miles.
After that who knows? I know I'll be doing skyline Drive and probably DC on the way back. There is going to be quite a bit of improvising in between :) I'll post a report when I get back. Until then Speed safe!

Foliage in New Hampshire

2008-10-13T19:20:00.004-04:00

Here are some pictures from Sunday's ride up Route 31 in NH. The foliage is real good this year.A little waving going on up ahead

We find some dirt in Pillsbury State Park

We stopped at Mount Sunapee and rode the ski lift to the top. It was a little hazy but otherwise absolutely beautiful

Party At Poland Springs

2008-10-08T20:50:00.004-04:00

Last spring I was at our HOG Road Captain's meeting to fill out the summer riding schedule. One of the other road captains asked if anyone was interested in going to Poland Springs Resort and Inn for a fall event. He mentioned it was pretty cheap. All told it would cost us about $100.00 each for two nights 4 Meals and entertainment each night. It sounded like a bargain to me.

Out front there is this cute gazebo on the edge of the golf course with peak foliage close at hand. Little did I know that this place is a classic style inn (Dirty Dancing like) and filled to capacity with some fairly old guests. In the end it didn't really matter as we just partied by ourselves. It certainly is not a place I would go for a romantic get away but as a group we made our own fun. There were a few complaints from the elderly guests around us about noise but the staff was pretty understanding and accomodating.

You didn't want to miss meals. If you did you went hungry as there was no other food available on the premises besides popcorn. I rode in late Friday and went hungry. I had to have beer and popcorn for dinner.The inn was actually ok if you don't mind bringing your own towels and soap. Apparently old people don't need these things (who knew?) but I had heard this was the case so I was prepared unlike some others that had to go foraging.

The weather was a ok with sunny mornings and cool overcast afternoons - Camden Maine There was a good turnout. I didn't count but I'd say there were over 50 of us there.

Hangin in the lobby waiting for dinner We certainly brought our own fun with us. There were moments I was laughing so hard I couldn't breathe. Many an adult beverage was drunk and someone brought cherries soaked in 151 rum. It wasn't pretty but it was damn funny. There was some pretty good riding with peak foliage about a week away. All in all a very good weekend.

The ride home

To Be or Not To Be...."Harley"?

2008-09-20T10:32:00.004-04:00

Last Wednesday after the HOG business meeting a bunch of us were at the bar socializing. I'm no purist. I allow myself from time to time 1 or 2 beers when I have the bike. I didn't feel much like drinking at this time especially since I had a tail light out on the bike and it was after dark. Too many reasons this night not to. I grabbed a soda and wound up in an interesting conversation. A friend of mine is fresh back from the Harley 105th anniversary and grand opening of the new museum which by all accounts was a great time. This friend was awed. I'm really glad my friend had such a great time. Everyone should get so much out of an experience. Farther on the conversation evolved into something else. I was accused of not being "Harley". What the hell is that? I probably have given this way more thought over the last few days than it deserves. Is it true am I not "Harley"? What is that anyways? Obviously I'm looking for a diversion from weightier thoughts like how am I supposed to retire if my 401K keeps taking the pounding it has this week. Oh well back to more frivolous contemplations... I guess my friend is Harley. She collects the latest in Harley wear, She has mucho bling on her bike and loves Rallies. She does feel that if you don't ride a Harley than you don't ride shit. I guess by her standards I'm not "Harley" and I'm ok with that. I ride. That's what I do. I just like to do it on a Harley.

If you like bikes, all kinds of bikes and have not checked out Jay Leno's garage. You absolutely have to!
I'm with Jay, this is my favorite bike of all time.

Do You Know Who I Know?

2008-09-11T19:47:00.004-04:00

Is this cool or what? My girlfriend is the cover story for American Motorcyclist Magazine for October.
You can read about it on her Blog. Yeah I know no mention of me but she really couldn't have done it without me. Someone had to water the plants and eat the food in the fridge before it went bad!

I'm proud of you babe! You are sure doing right by Lisa.

Riding, Weather, and Managing Risk.

2008-09-07T12:38:00.005-04:00

Just turn on the TV and it’s unavoidable. The weather dominates. The remnants Of Hanna has departed New England leaving over 6” of rain locally in 12 hours. Ike is ravaging the Turks and Caicos poised to run at Cuba and then enter the Gulf. It’s bad news all around. The Keys are evacuating. Mother Nature wins every time.

Riding in bad weather has it's rewards... Cmon it's a lighthouse in the fog! If you are home this shot is unavailable to you... Channell light, Lubec Maine

I’ve been reading about many instances where weather has effected riding this weekend. My local HOG chapter changed the logistics of a ride to accommodate the departing storm. I read on a forum about a guy who is thinking about changing marquee because his BMW gave him a false sense of security and he wound up in a serious butt pucker situation. With all this going on I have spent some time considering how my decision process works with managing risks with the weather on my bike.

Wind presents it's own obstacles

I’m a Rounder and damn proud of it. I live in New Hampshire where it isn’t always easy to be a Rounder. I get asked often why I would subject myself and my bike to those conditions. I always answer the same
“Because not riding is unacceptable”
Do I think riding in shitty weather is a whole lotta fun? It can be and sometimes not so much. If my head is into it, I’m having a blast. Be it summer and 80F or winter and 10F. If my head is right, the weather cooperates, I have the right gear, it’s all good.

Riding in winter presents it's own beauty and satisfaction

My decision to go, not go.
In my opinion there are three components to the decision. The weather, the bike (gear) and me. It’s not two out of three. It has to be unanimous. It’s all three or nothing. I think this came out of SCUBA for me. If everything is not there and working perfectly, the dive is called off. We had a rule in the group I dove with. Anyone can call a dive off for any reason and no-one will ever ask why. It’s off for whatever reason period. No questions are asked, no embarrassment. You are not diving and no-one else needs to recover your body. That’s a welcome situation all around. The same goes for riding. If all three aren’t working, there should be no riding. To be honest I have pushed it on an occasion or two but that was because two out of three were so strong for me that it allowed me to be ok with a marginal situation on one. I’m talking marginal here. That happens, you live (or don’t ) with the decision.

Nothing beats a great weather day in the fall

The weather
This one is easy. Mother nature always wins. I mean always! She may let you off the hook but it is on her whim, not yours. Be aware of her mood. Check the weather but don’t totally trust it. If you suspect she is having PMS, stay home. Her power is much greater than you or your puny motorcycle. With a flick of her finger, you’re gone. Wait her out because she’s fickle, she’ll change.
The bike (gear)
Many things are manageable with the right equipment. Good exposure protection, well maintained bike, emergency gear, tools. Have the right gear and bike for the riding you are going to do. Know your bike’s limitations. I shouldn’t take my Harley dual sporting and you shouldn’t take your BMW and park it in front of the 81 clubhouse. It’s not safe. Don’t do it. Personally I don’t like setting out in the rain. I never have, that is not about gear though, that is about…

The mountains have their own weather. This pic was taken from MT Washington. Some of the most hostile and unpredictable weather in the world.

Me
It is important that my head be right for the day ahead. The fun factor goes way down fast if I’m tired, thirsty, hung-over, whatever. On a bad weather day, it is downright dangerous. I need to be focused and I need to be able to maintain it. There is no compromise on this. I can set out ok if I’m a bit off, but I can’t maintain. I need to be able to make good timely decisions. I need to trust my riding instincts. My senses will be impaired some. My thought processes cannot be. Gail and I ride together through many conditions. When the roads are good she even admits she doesn’t know how I stick with her through the hard twisties riding my heavy HD and her riding her powerful K-BMW. However Gail and I always have this weird situation develop when we ride and it starts to rain hard. I slow down and she maintains her speed better. I really don’t know what she would think as I slowed down and became more deliberate in my riding. Recently we had a frank conversation about it. This is what I think it is and she believes it to have some merit. I see well (20/15) she wears contacts and doesn’t see as well. Therefore I feel quite a bit more uncomfortable when my vision is impaired than she does. She is used to it and I’m not. She trusts her other senses more than I do therefore she feels less impaired. My bike is planted and I don’t feel that the bike can’t handle it. It’s about me and my ability to perceive where I am on the road. I feel handicapped so I slow down. I’m ok with it. The guy I mentiuoned earlier on the forum has an issue that’s for sure, but it’s not about his bike. It’s about his head and his decision making process. As Dirty Harry says “A man must know his limitations” changing his marquee will not fix that.

The thermomter read 118F here in the Badlands SD. Many chose to stay in Wall to wait for evening to continue on. It was the right decision for them at the time.

The wildcard; Group riding

What can I say about this? Ride your ride! Peer pressure is a powerful thing. It takes confidence to resist it. It takes frank conversations about “what if”. It takes strength to say no. Talk about it, the other’s you are riding with may feel the same apprehension. They are just waiting to feel validated. You must talk about it. If the decision is to go and you are not comfortable with it then don’t do it. Chances are your friends will come back and tell you that you were the smart one.

In my opinion most of life is about managing risk. . Don’t manage it properly and it could cost you everything. However a life without risk taking is boring. Manage it properly and you will feel empowered, strong, confident, and in control.

Fall vacation ride 08, Wahoo!

2008-08-27T17:02:00.003-04:00

Time to plan my vacation

My vacation time is approved for the end of October and I'm riding to Johnson City Tennessee. Gail is going down for an BMWMOA event and I decided I'm riding down to meet her. I've plotted my first potential route. It comes in at just under 1100 miles of what looks like great mountain riding. I can't wait! I'm sure I'll tweak the route a bunch before I go but you gotta start somewhere.

Sometimes Darwin is just plain wrong.

2008-08-26T10:01:00.005-04:00

Some idiots actually make it somehow. I have no idea how this guy made it to 51.

This happened near where I live on Saturday.

WMUR Article and video

"WILTON -- Carl Hannigan, 51, was riding eastbound on Route 101 in Wilton Saturday afternoon when he stood up on his seat, according to police, and witnesses watched with horror as Hannigan fell off.

Hannigan suffered serious head and leg injuries. He was flown via Life Flight to UMAss Hospital in Worcester Massachusetts. As of Monday morning, Hannigan was listed in stable condition.

Police are still investigating the incident."

I have a news flash for you Carl, You aren't Indian Larry and he died pulling this stunt.

Wearable Motorcycle

2008-08-19T20:34:00.005-04:00

How cool is this!

If they ever want to build it and need someone to test it. I'm their man!

Murky riding in Canada

2008-08-15T11:08:00.007-04:00

This summer has been rainy in the Northeast. I mean every day it rains. I thought this weather belonged in the great northwet. It certainly was a factor in my ride to Canada. My Rounder friends Blueknight (Mike) and Knight's lady (Jane) invited us up to Bouctouche New Brunswick to their new home for a house warming. The trip would be three days for me as I was planning on riding up over two days returning in one. Friday started overcast with some small breaks in the clouds but at lunch the rain came. It rained here and there the entire trip up and back. It wasn't a washout, just an hour or two here and there. I had good rain gear so it was very manageable. The route took us up rt95 to Augusta where we headed inland to acquire Coastal Rt 1 to Lubec Maine where we overnighted. Traffic was light and the ride uneventful so by late afternoon we were at West Quoddy Light.
After the stop we were only a mile or so from Cohill's Inn. We checked in to a nice clean room and went downstairs to the pub for a cold adult beverage (or two, or three) and a decent meal.
Saturday morning dawned foggy and rainy. The trip would take us into Canada for a couple of ferry rides and onto our hosts for a great welcoming. The beer was cold, the wine flowed, the food was excellent. Their home is warm and inviting. It was over all to soon. Sunday was for slabbing. Leftlane (Tom) DPRyan (Dennis) and myself rode a quick pace all the way to Newport Maine where I left them for a nice visit to my Aunt whom I hadn't seen in a long time, too long. She owns a Hunt Preserve. What an operation, the deer are awesome. Unfortunatley I paid for it in bad weather. It pretty much rained on me the rest of the way home while my friends (who had continued on) stayed dry. Oh well.,I really did have a great visit and it was well worth it.

On the road to nowhere

2008-07-22T21:08:00.004-04:00

We're on a road to nowhere
Come on inside
Takin' that ride to nowhere
We'll take that ride
I'm feelin' okay this mornin' And you know,
We're on the road to paradise
Here we go, here we go
CHORUS
Maybe you wonder where you are
I don't care
Here is where time is on our side
Take you there...
take you there
We're on a road to nowhere
We're on a road to nowhere
We're on a road to nowhere
There's a city in my mind
Come along and take that ride
and it's all right, baby, it's all right
And it's very far away But it's growing day by day
And it's all right, baby, it's all right
They can tell you what to do
But they'll make a fool of you
And it's all right, baby, it's all right
We're on a road to nowhere .....(Talkin Heads On the road to nowhere)

This summer Gail and I have been taking 1 tank rides more. Not so much about the cost of gas these days, although it is relevant. It is more about going places, stopping often to take pictures or just "smell the roses" a bit.

This weekend we were going to ride the raods around Heath Mass. Our intention was to head in the general area and get a room when we saw a place we'd like to stay at. One little problem. You guessed it. No rooms! Apparantly the North Adams/Williamstown area is booked solid when Tanglewood is performing. Oops. We decided to head up the road a bit to Bennington to see if anything was avaialable. We found a tolerable room for ok money right downtown. The roads were terrific, especially Rt 116. We stopped often took pictures and literally "smelled the roses" It was a real nice time.

Shelburne Falls: Is this the last phone booth anywhere? Maybe!

Gail has been a bad, bad girl! I think she likes it. Sculpture of a policeman -
Bennington VT
The literal roses we smelled
Shelburne Falls Bridge of flowers in all it's glory. Absolutely beautifulBig Mohawk indian on Rt 2

Morbid Fascination

2008-07-08T18:11:00.000-04:00

What is this morbid fascination with motorcycle fatalities? On the forums I frequent there are often reports of MC fatalities. Members line up and express their sympathies. Then some asshole jumps in and breaks down the accident and expresses his opinion on what he/she could have done different and how that could never happen to them because they are just so awesome on their bike. I have a news flash. Accidents happen whether your riding your MC, commuting in your cage or eating at McDonalds. Sometimes bad things happen no matter how awesome you are. I just happen to be thinking of this because I read a post about an accident in Maine where a cage was stopped taking a legal left and some riders went down when they came up on it. In my minds eye I see a bunch of bikes going this way and that trying to avoid the car stopped after a sharp turn and down they go trying to avoid the cage, other hazards and each other as all hell breaks loose. Many things could have gone different but you know what, they didn't. Bad things happen sometimes and someone got hurt and someone died. Life sucks that way. It's sad, it's a tragedy for the families, the riders and the cage driver in the wrong place at the wrong time. There isn't anything good about it and there isn't any words of wisdom that I could impart that will make it different.

I had a fairly bad high-side about two years ago. It sucked and it hurt. I made some mistakes and I did some things right. I had about 2 seconds to make my decisions and my move. Sure, if I did this or I did that maybe things would have gone different, maybe better, maybe worse...who knows. I don't and I was there. What I do know is you won't see me second guessing someone else's accident and commenting on how that could never happen to me because I'm so awesome.

Laconia "08" It was as fun as I wanted it to be.

2008-06-26T06:12:00.001-04:00

Another Laconia bike week is in the books. By all accounts attendance is down this year. I felt the same way last year. All the Monday morning quarterbacks will debate the reasons why this is so. Weather, Police presence, economy, scheduling, same old thing, combination, whatever,

I went up for a couple of nights and had a good time. I camped out at Hawg Hill where the hospitality was great. I partied a bit and I rode a bit. I was ready to go home when I did as I always do. The feeling this year certainly was subdued. I think in general everywhere people are feeling subdued. I know I do every time I pick up the paper or fill my tank. It’s a sign of the times. There were fewer venders in Laconia and the lines were quite a bit smaller. It was a down year for sure. Things I hear about Daytona and Myrtle Beach are similar. It’s just the way it is this year so get out make your fun the best way you can with what is available. Everything really is what you make it anyways.

A few pics :)

A rounder ride?

Partying at "The Spoke"

Ready to go home

Loud Pipes Save Lives?

2008-06-16T05:15:00.000-04:00

It’s 1:30 AM on a warm night and I’m sleeping in bed with my windows open. I wake up to hear it coming from what seems like a mile away. Louder... louder... louder! Holy shit I think my windows are actually rattling! What an asshole I’m thinking. Who the hell needs pipes that loud on the street. Loud pipes save lives? If I could have gotten a hand on the jerk with those pipes, they may cost him his. Now I’m not an anti loud pipes guy. It’s not like my bike is particularly quiet. Mine are baffled and pass legal limits in NH at 103db which is fairly loud but my Supertrapps are not un-baffled drag pipes loud. There is a local movement in individual communities to crack down on these bikes. There should be. IMO they are totally ridiculous. The latest is the nearby town of Milford. There is a lot of buzz about their crackdown. Unfortunately if we can't in the biker community show some restraint then local communities will force something much more extreme down our throats. Something along the lines of No exhaust modifications from stock of any kind. Something most of us would prefer not happen. Unfortunately I doubt we can show restraint. So enjoy your mods, I don't think it will be long before they are outlawed.

Mount Washington Auto Road

2008-06-09T19:29:00.005-04:00

If you are ever riding in New Hampshire here is a must visit. The Mount Washington Auto Road to the Summit. Last weekend Gail and I decided to go up. I must confess I have never been to the summit. What a mistake. I really need to do this again.... and again.

The day was hot and sunny in the mid 90s at the base. At the summit at 6200+ ft it was a cool and a very comfortable 61 degrees. The ride up was exciting with incredible views. It wasn’t long before we were above the tree line and the excitement level went up dramatically. No shoulder or guard rails with a drop that makes your head spin. Wahoo, what a ride!

The Auto Road. If your not careful the views will draw your eyes away from where you need to be looking

Gail took a lot of pictures

A gentleman from Amsterdam said "If there was one place I had to go when I came to America it was here to see this locomotive" He actually said that. He did of course admit that he was a live steam train nut :) The Cog Railway

The auto road

You don't see many houses chained down so they won't blow away. This is the location of the highest recorded wind in history

The view from the top is incredible
If you want to see what is happening up there now. Here is a link to their Webcam network

2008-06-04T12:08:00.003-04:00

My hair has been thinning for a while. I decided to try something new. It was a radical move but the early critiques are in an they are mostly positive. Would you believe alcohol had nothing to do with it? Well here is how it went down.
Me; "My hair is getting so thin"
Gail; "Yes hon it has been over the last few years"
Me; What do you think about me shaving it off?"
Gail; "I'd support that, go see Abdul (My hair guy) and do it"
Me; "I'm not paying someone to shave my head, you up for it?"
Gail; "Ok"
Me; "Let's go"
An hour later I looked like this.What do you think?

Rounder Round Up In Niagara (RUIN)

2008-04-29T20:13:00.007-04:00

Another annual Rounder Rally is in the books. It was an excellent weekend with good weather and better company.

Friday Gail and I were kickstand up at 7:30 in the morning. It was a little chilly in the high 40s. Our plan was to go to the Peterboro Diner for breakfast than meet a couple of Rounders (Leftlane and Xaque) at Bickfords in Brattleboro VT for the rest of the ride to Niagara Falls Ontario.
Pretty much everything was going without a hitch until Gail let me know I had no headlight. In Brattleboro I tried changing a blown fuse only to find the new fuse immediately blew. Change of plans. Brunswick Harley Davidson was on the way so we decided we would stop and see what they could do for me. They were awesome. I was back on the road in an hour and a half with a repaired shorted wire in my left hand control. Their service was impressive. The rest of the trip went uneventful with the exception of a near miss on acquiring a performance award for passing on a double yellow and speeding. I guess the officer didn’t want to put down his newspaper. We rolled into Niagara around 7PM. The beers were cold, the pizza hot and the smiles from all the Rounders warm and friendly.
Saturday Gail and I did the tourist thing after securing dinner arrangements for the group.

We walked around Niagara Falls taking in the local flavor.
Dinner was good at the Hard Rock Café, swag was passed out and many laughs were had by all. Sunday dawned sunny DPRyan on his new old K75RT and Xaque joined us for the trip home. We had great weather all the way to Mass then we caught up with the clouds and the last two hours were raw and cool. All in all it was a great trip. I can definitely feel the stiffness of my first big ride of the year.

The Fickleness of Mother Nature

2008-04-15T15:48:00.003-04:00

This time of the year is always an adventure in New England. I am in a constant struggle to have the right gear on at the right time. Saturday Gail and I went for a ride. Originally we were planning on hanging out and doing our own thing. My plan was to get some bike maintenance done and hers was to take a quick ride in the lousy conditions to get her bike registered for the BMWMOA mileage contest. The forecast was for a total washout. Around noon the sun suddenly broke out and the temperature soared to 70F. Wahoo! Let's ride!. So what did Gail and I do? We rode to the coast to find bad weather. We had to have lost 20+ degrees and we found fog. I was under dressed, I was cold and I whined to myself in my helmet like a kid in the checkout line at the supermarket. It was ugly. There might have even been some swearing involved. Ok, there was a lot of swearing involved. Anyways, we pulled over where I expressed my feelings on the matter and we promptly headed inland. On the way I noticed many riders like ourselves under dressed heading right where we came from. I'm thinking "good luck with that". Some were in shirt sleeves. At least I had a jacket and helmet on. A little distance inland the temps soared back up in shining sun. It was so nice we decided to stop for an ice cream. The warm weather season is finally here! Just not at the coast.

I left for work at 5:50AM this morning. This is what I had on from the ground up;
Tourmaster boots
Gerbing Electric socks
Jeans
Gerbings Union Ridge electric pants
turtle neck
sweatshirt
Warmnsafe electric jacket liner
First Gear Killimanjaro jacket
Gerbing Electric gloves.
Scorpion Helmet
It was about 30F and I ride about an hour (50 miles) to work. When I went to the gym for lunch, it was 55F and I rode down the street with just my jeans, helmet and sweatshirt on. It wasn't very far. In an hour I'll be heading home from work and I have no clue what I need to wear. I'll probably just over dress and hope I don't get stuck in traffic. Oh well, Mother nature always wins anyways. We are just pawns for her amusement.

Weekend Events 4/5-4/6

2008-04-05T07:11:00.006-04:00

If only the weather could cooperate

There are two good events going on today for those interested.
Manchester Harley Davidson is having a spring open house today from 9AM to 4PM. Drop by for a hot lunch and a nice 15% off sale. There will be venders there and I'll be there with my girls Kendra and Hannah. They like going and helping out.

Another worthwhile event is the MotoMarket Spring Open House from 10AM - 3PM. There is usually Pizza and a lot of different riders on different bikes hanging out.

08 Fatboy Test Ride in NZ

2008-04-01T17:20:00.005-04:00

This is a cool video of an 08 Fatboy test ride I pulled off adventure rider. Man I would love to go "down under", ride and SCUBA!

SYRRUP (Show Your Roundness Round Up) RTE

2008-03-30T20:23:00.015-04:00

Today Gail and I hosted the annual SYRRUP ride at Parker’s Maple Barn. Gail decided she wanted to ride pillion today and shoot some pictures from the back.

Eight Rounders showed up on 6 bikes. Considering the snow, ice on the ground and in the roads it was a very good turnout.

The day was bright and sunny with temps in the 40s. Good thing too as my electrics decided not to work. I found a bad connection while we were waiting for our table and I was able to get them going but Gail and I didn’t need to plug in for the ride home.

It was a long wait as Parker’s Maple Barn was jammed so we hung out, told lies, jokes and listened to our stomachs growl. Finally after an hour and 20 minutes we were able to sit down and I just could not resist the Parker’s special. Mmm Food porn...

So after brunch (it was now afternoon) we hopped on the bikes and headed out in our different directions for our rides home.

The ride home was a fairly uneventful except for an icy patch on the road out. It was a butt pucker moment that faded fast in the brilliant blue sky and bright March sun.

Speed Safe!

Home Wrenching: Variable Pressure Clutch Upgrade

2008-03-30T03:11:00.005-04:00

Back about a month ago, I installed a rider back rest and did a clutch upgrade on the bike. I also replaced my bumper cover on the cage. Not a bad weekends work.

The clutch modification/upgrade was to install a Variable pressure clutch kit to give me almost a lockout clutch at high RPMs but allow an easy pull for stop and go situations. It was a fairly simple mod. Start to finish it took me about an hour including changing out my primary chain case fluid.

The VPC works because it has these weights that add increased pressure to the pressure plate to supplement the spring pressure by centrifugal force. The higher the RPMs, the higher the centrifugal force, thus higher pressure added to the pressure plate. I though it would be a worthwhile modification to supplement my heavy duty clutch friction plates and SE heavy duty clutch spring. I ask a lot of my clutch with all the Sherpa duties that I need to do. Not to mention I like to explode out of tolls at WOT. Gail got me addicted to this. If I’m going to pay, I might as well get some enjoyment out of it.

The parts in the kit
VPC, base plate and cap screws with washers

I started by draining the primary chain case fluid. Nothing in the directions said to do this but it was due so I decided to get it done while I was there.

After fluid is drained center bike upright on bike lift

Remove passenger foot rest.

I had to put all the slack in the clutch cable at the adjuster.

Then remove the derby cover.

Next the Clutch spring retainer came off

I had to loosen the primary cover screws because the clutch spring pinned against the cover when I took the retainer off. This is where changing the fluid came in handy. I don’t know how you could do it with the cover bolted down. I didn’t need to remove it, I just backed them out about 3/8”.

Bend the base plate (from the kit) tabs slightly to match the contour of the clutch pressure plate.

You don’t have to remove the spring just pull it up a bit and slide the base plate through the center of the spring and place against pressure plate.

Put spring back in place.

Install VPC where old Spring retainer was using the new allen cap screws provided. Don’t forget your blue Loc-tite. This is a Harley after all and loc-tite is an HD’s best friend.

I then adjusted my clutch as per HD’s instructions.

Cut out the derby cover gasket like below. I used the old one as it seemed in great shape. I don’t have any leaks so it went ok. The gasket is pretty tough. I used an awl to start a hole in the center than sheet metal sheers to cut out the center. Piece of cake.

Refill Primary Chain case with fluid

Reinstall Derby cover and Passenger foot rest.

Check for leaks

Then the fun part… Test Ride!

The VPC worked as advertised. The clutch pull at idle and low RPMs was reduced. Neutral was easier to find with less clunking through the gears. At higher RPMs the clutch pull was elevated a bit but still not bad at all and the clutch locked in with no slippage. I tested it with hole shots, burnouts and a little wheelie off the line. Still no slippage. IMO this is a worthwhile upgrade.

Happy Birthday to Me!

2008-03-28T08:04:00.012-04:00

Mother nature is cruel.
Today is my birthday, I'm 39 for the 4th time. Guess what mother Nature brought me today? 2-4" of snow, wow . Thanks, do you have a receipt for this? I don't like the color. I always buy myself a little something for my birthday. This year I acquired a Creative Zen 4GB mp3 player and an 8gb SD-HC card for it. So far I love it. It has a nice big screen that has enough resolution and speed to do movies. It charges quick and seems to last through what I need to do with it. The menu is fairly intuitive and the buttons make sense. I picked up a skin and screen protector on Ebay for short money and now I'm ready to take it on the road. I really like to listen to music when I ride and audio books at the gym. This gives me the versatility to do it all in one player with room to grow. I purchased it from Amazon.com with free shipping for around $80.00. The SD card from Ebay for $33.00 including shipping.

The Rounders annual SYRRUP Ride to Parker's Maple Barn is on Sunday. It looks like the weather will be ok, just a little cool. I'm really looking forward to it. I just need to keep from ordering the ridiculously large Parker's Special.

Mmm Parker's special......

Fog Video

2008-03-27T21:22:00.003-04:00

I took this video last fall riding behind Gail on the Mohawk trail. It was a good thing we knew the road well. Hairpin Turn came up pretty fast.

Easter Ride

2008-03-27T14:05:00.002-04:00

Easter is winding down and the kids have gone to their mom's house. It was a marvelous Easter with family and friends. Now there was an opportunity to grab a quick sunset spin. I have a new backrest on my bike and I was looking forward to trying it out some more.

New backrest.
Hmm, I think the Easter Bunny has been here. It was nice of him to leave me this snack. :)

I thought I would just take a quick spin over to Hollis. I saw this nice Apple Orchard on the way. It looked like a nice photo op.
It won't be long before the apple blossoms will be out

Silver Lake State Park

These benches soon will be used by beach goers enjoying a nice lunch.

You have to watch out for Frost Heaves this time of year. These warnings help.

Amherst Country Club. Still too much snow for golf.

I started losing sun fast and the temperature was dropping. It seemed a good time to call it a day. It was a short ride but pleasant just the same. Did you catch the egg in each picture?
Happy Easter All!