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

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?

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

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

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)

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.