tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84475915804737240552024-03-13T09:26:39.287-07:00The Motorcycle DiariesBrighamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16450830005503932437noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8447591580473724055.post-76288421553238736172020-04-01T04:19:00.057-07:002020-12-23T05:16:16.420-08:00Into My Third Year...<div><b>From this point on my motorcycle content will be <a href="http://brighams-blog.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">in my usual blog</a>. It has become too clunky to type up text there and then re-post it here. Also, all motorcycle-related videos will be in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr" target="_blank">my YouTube Motorcycle Channel</a>. </b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>23 December 2020</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>I rode my motorcycle for a couple of hours yesterday, it being a sunny, cool and gusty day - my favorite kind of weather. Riding through leaves blowing in the air is a singular pleasure for me. I only went to the Harley dealership near Quantico, but the enjoyment-to-time-spent ratio was very high. I do enjoy getting out. Earlier in the day I bought lunch for a friend who is retiring in four days and rode my bike to Clifton wearing the wrong pants and got cold legs. If you're going to be out on a bike in the cold you have to be dressed for it! (Time to fetch the thermal underwear from storage.) And now I need to wash the bike.<br /><br /><b>22 December 2020</b></div><div><br /></div><div>I took the Road King out for the first time in a couple of weeks. I did about thirty miles. The streets are in good shape; it was nice to get back on it! In another 500 miles or so it'll be time to do an oil change. My bike also needs a wash.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>8 December 2020</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div>I attended a virtual HOGs officer meeting last night. Some officers I worked with this year are leaving, and many are staying on in new roles, but I'm still going to be the newsletter editor in 2021. (I have all sorts of articles in the buffer for use.) They eliminated the role of Historian because that's basically what the newsletter is. But Covid is still making its presence felt in the club: no banquet in January, fewer rides, etc. It hasn't been that great of a year in the club as far as rides are concerned - let's get the vaccine distributed! <br /><br /></div><div>Yesterday in the late afternoon - with riders from the local VFW Chapter and a bunch of fire trucks - I did a parade ride past the Fairfax home of a 100 year-old World War II veteran who was awarded two Silver Stars. That was cool. Literally. It was about 40 degrees outside. Definitely heated gloves weather. </div><div><br /></div><div>In the two years I've owned my Harley I have put 22,206 miles on it; that's an average of 925 miles a month. I suspect in the coming year I'll be averaging somewhat less than that. It's not that I've lost my enjoyment of riding - it's that I now feel somewhat less driven and compelled to ride. </div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>25 November 2020</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>The December Fairfax HOGs newsletter is now finished. I let my wife look at it for a final edit and then off it goes, newsletter number 11 (January-February is combined) for the Plague Year of 2020. Quite an achievement, I think. I'm happy with the content and format of these and am reasonably sure there aren't many HOGs chapters with anything like them. </div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>23 November 2020</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div>Friday was fun! Me and my frequent riding buddy Tom rode to the Shenandoah Valley to visit some sites of interest along the Valley Pike (now Route 11). <a href="https://youtu.be/QyEKk1XXd0M" target="_blank">Yes, there is a video</a>. I've ridden through the attractive little town of Woodstock before and noticed a curious outline of a little soldier holding a pike used as a<a 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" target="_blank"> representative town glyph</a>. Wondering about this, I supposed that he might be from a weathervane atop an important building, like a courthouse. So on a whim I led us to the Shenandoah County courthouse right there on Route 11, and, yes, <a href="https://www.nvdaily.com/news/local-news/woodstock-symbol-returns-home/article_d917c487-ca6f-58b3-aa62-0a7d4d672398.html" target="_blank">there he was on the weathervane</a>. So there's that mystery solved. We also found and rode through Virginia's only working covered bridge - that was cool.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>16 November 2020</b></div></div><div><br /><div>On Friday my riding friend Tim and I headed out to a celebrated burger joint in Winchester. The beef comes from nearby Berryville, is fresh, and the food is as good as reported in an "Only in Your State" e-mail we get. Somewhat expensive, but good. You get what you pay for.</div><div><br /></div><div>On the way home I was leading and we agreed to follow 55 all the way. At one point, where 55, 17 and I-66 all become one on I-66, I noticed he wasn't behind me. So I waited, phoned, and then backtracked, wondering if he hit a deer or had mechanical trouble. I rode back about ten miles to where I last recalled seeing him behind me, but never did find him. I left another voice mail message, and then went home - the case of the disappearing motorcyclist. Turns out he look a turn on a road he always assumed was the continuation of 55, but wasn't, and that's how we got separated. It was a fun ride nevertheless. I bought a Harley-Davidson Christmas ornament at Winchester H-D. It's a little gas tank. Cool!</div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>13 November 2020</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>It's Friday, which means another motorcycle ride, this time with my riding friend Tom. I don't know where we're going. Winchester, maybe?</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>9 November 2020</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg1J-h88BTq6RPAtUcilhOJamQHd4ZDUDZdt6N3hOD48bzKF6jpNIpky10nd-7eZva2me_NkKbEFiI0BGUxILlWTJoT394JXqDWS61jmgB7WYPNGWV5P17ei-pIkrzuwKoV8dTno7JvEG9/s400/harley-davidson-wla-1942-mark-rogan.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg1J-h88BTq6RPAtUcilhOJamQHd4ZDUDZdt6N3hOD48bzKF6jpNIpky10nd-7eZva2me_NkKbEFiI0BGUxILlWTJoT394JXqDWS61jmgB7WYPNGWV5P17ei-pIkrzuwKoV8dTno7JvEG9/s320/harley-davidson-wla-1942-mark-rogan.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>On Friday I did a ride with the HOGs, the "45 MPH Ride." It was called that because the leader was riding a 1942 Harley-Davidson WLA and that's as fast as they go. At one point I got just behind the bike, and, getting gassed by fumes, faded back in the line. Nevertheless it was a fun time, and I enjoyed looking at this 78 year-old motorcycle. <a href="https://youtu.be/8qq8eYMqkEo" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>.<br /><br /></div><div>The next day, Saturday, I went on another HOGs ride! <a href="https://youtu.be/rM3pWyMQhng" target="_blank">There's a video with that as well</a>. </div><br /><b>2 November 2020</b><br /><br />On Friday I did one of my rare Not-Really-Diggin'-It Rides. The weather was overcast and between 50 and 52 degrees, and I didn't have the zip-in liner in my leather jacket, my heated gloves or my scarf and so I was somewhat cold and not enjoying the ride. So I rode for only four hours out towards Marshall, stopped for lunch at Patriot Harley-Davidson and called it quits. The cold weather riding season is officially here; best be prepared. That evening we dined out with friends. </div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>26 October 2020</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div>Friday's ride was fun! My friend Tom and I rode to Gettysburg and toured the battlefield, the town and the Harley dealership. <a href="https://youtu.be/VdTTOu-dLMQ" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>. I left the house at 9 AM and returned home at 6:15 PM, riding 237 miles.</div><div><br /></div><div>The metal "Harley-Davidson" label on my gas tank was in danger of coming off in Gettysburg (good thing I noticed it), so I had to figure out the proper glue to re-stick it on. Carpet tape to the rescue! That stuff is incredibly sticky, more so than Gorilla tape, even. I think two layers of that will do the trick. </div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>22 October 2020</b><br /><br />We did the HOGs October birthday dinner last night at a local eatery. Lots of people there. As it turned out, my wife was the only one present whose birthday took place in October! It was fun. I had a meatloaf made with bison meat. I could hardly tell the difference. <br /><br /><b>19 October 2020</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Let's see... the weekend. I went on a very short HOGs TGIF ride on Friday. Rain was a constant threat, so we merely biked to a barbecue place and had lunch. There was mostly dry pavement, but there was a spitty rain now and then. No video!<br /><br /><b>13 October 2020</b><br /><br />On Friday I test rode a Yamaha Star Venture (<a href="https://youtu.be/GLdWoVsoLlI" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>) and a couple of Indian bikes (<a href="https://youtu.be/kb3hjJNFcZk" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>) at Demo Days. <br /><br /><b>8 October 2020</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>The weather looks great tomorrow - I want to visit a couple of motorcycle dealerships who are having a demo day. At one, Yamaha (the company that makes motorcycles and grand pianos), will have a truck there; I want to ride a Star Eluder (pictured). It's Yamaha's version of the Honda Gold Wing. At another an Indian truck will be present; I want to ride a Challenger. The Challenger is supposed to be the competition to the Harley Road Glide, which I have ridden and like. Both have chassis fairings</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>5 October 2020</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>On Friday I took a ride to Colonial Beach, <a href="https://youtu.be/SenvoK4Q730" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>. Would I like to live there as a retirement home? Yes, I think so. </div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>28 September 2020</b></div><div><br /></div><div>On Friday I rode out to the Shenandoah Valley for an all-day, 248 mile ride. Lots of fun, despite the fact that it rained when I rode home. I used my new National Parks Lifetime Pass to get onto the Skyline Drive. (I paid $80 for it and so far I've gotten $45 use out of it.) <a href="https://youtu.be/K3YIY9RwEM8" target="_blank">Yes, there is a video</a>. </div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>
<b>21 September 2020</b><br /><br />Weekend recap! Friday: I did the HOGs ride - which I have designated as "the Gravel Ride" due to the unusually high amount of gravel on the roads we encountered - and afterwards Tom and I headed west for a few more hours of riding when the others went home. <a href="https://youtu.be/KGexeuhwvN8" target="_blank">HOGs ride video</a>, <a href="https://youtu.be/RHqP0XF0Lqs" target="_blank">Subsequent ride video: Lovettsville</a>. The weather was perfect; very pleasant. <br /><br /><b>16 September 2020</b><br /><br />Yesterday I brought my Harley in to the local motorcycle shop for a consult. Lately, occasionally, when I make a somewhat tight left turn (left turn only, not right turn) I hear what sounds like a soft scrape. It's not loud, like the ground meeting the floorboard - I don't lean far into into turns for that to happen - and it's also not the kickstand dragging on the ground. Otherwise the bike rides just fine and I can detect no wheel wobbling or anything that might suggest, say, a tire scraping on a fender. I see no scrape marks on the base of the frame. The mechanic suspects it's probably a brake pad shifting onto the rotor a little in turns and not to worry about it unless it gets worse. I think I'll post this to the Harley Road King Facebook group and see if this has happened to anybody there...<br /><br /><b>14 September 2020</b><br /><br /><div>On Friday my riding friend Tim and I rode out to the Journalists' Arch, the Kennedy Farm, the Red Byrd and Antietam in Maryland. <a href="https://youtu.be/jR_-BKPncqI" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>. It was a great ride! Fun sights, good weather and a ride on a road I have not previously been on, the link from Route 9 just east of Hillsboro, VA to Brunswick, MD through Lovettsville. I gave Tom a little guided tour of the Antietam Battlefield based on historical observations and reenactor lore. (Did you know about the Coffee Bill monument?) As for the Red Byrd, it's the same great experience it has been since I first dined there in 1984. The blonde waitresses call you "honey" and "sweetheart," and I learned that the place was originally opened in May 1960 - it's it's been in business for 60 years. <br /><br /></div><div>On Friday evening my wife and I did the annual 9/11 Never Forget HOGs ride to the Pentagon Memorial; that was good, too. <a href="https://youtu.be/pZM8wkvh15s" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>. I was going to do last year's but (1) My tires were iffy, (2) It rained, so wet pavement, and (3) I had to get up super early for a plane ride to Utah the following morning. So I passed. I couldn't chance an accident. </div><div><br /></div><div>On Sunday was the monthly Bikes and Breakfast event in Clifton: <a href="https://youtu.be/2J1TAedBA8E" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>. I really liked that British Mod scooter. "I ride a GS scooter with my hair cut neat/I wear a wartime coat in the wind and sleet...." - Pete Townshend, Quadrophenia. The old Indian bike was pretty cool, too. There's always something interesting to see at this event. <br /><br /></div><b>11 September 2020</b><br /><br />Last night I watched a 73 minute-long documentary called Biker Dreams (1998). It's about a cute young couple who ride from Seattle to Sturgis to get married. (I wonder if they still are.) It also features some crusty older bikers who are nowhere as cute. I won't elaborate.<br /><br /><b>8 September 2020</b><br /><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXPg6m5A_NGLrIXqTOZPmI0qzAtoYz1ZS2BYXSv4JNYg0PaWe4LgRykrZ5C2GlIKgfnQ-WyPTHCU0IYMpNtu0wUEPSTMSJP4Uz2BUAeC18xUTYGr0wQqKnrCbftvyg98Zl34HG1xF783hC/s977/2020-09-08_7-09-42.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="581" data-original-width="977" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXPg6m5A_NGLrIXqTOZPmI0qzAtoYz1ZS2BYXSv4JNYg0PaWe4LgRykrZ5C2GlIKgfnQ-WyPTHCU0IYMpNtu0wUEPSTMSJP4Uz2BUAeC18xUTYGr0wQqKnrCbftvyg98Zl34HG1xF783hC/s320/2020-09-08_7-09-42.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Friday: I rode to Woodbridge to take part in Coleman Powersports' Kawasaki Demo Day. Unfortunately, I only got to ride one bike because of the way they did scheduling; it was a retro-styled W800, the kind of bike I'd probably have ridden back in 1974 had I been riding motorcycles back then. I was not really impressed. It felt too light, too small and too underpowered. I'm spoiled with my Harley Road King. New resolution for Demo Days: No more rides on unremarkable standard Japanese bikes! The Kaw W800 was the 32nd different bike I've ridden thus far, mostly at various dealerships. I still want to test ride a Harley Fat Bob, a Triumph Rocket Three, a Suzuki M109R, a BMW R1200RT, a Yamaha Star Eluder and an old school hardtail chopper of some kind. </div><div><br /></div><div>After a quick lunch I rode up to Great Falls Park and bought a senior's lifetime National Park Pass for $80. <a href="https://youtu.be/vm5AtVhb3AU" target="_blank">Video</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>On Sunday Cari and I took the Harley to Great Falls for lunch, and returned via the George Washington Memorial Parkway along the Potomac. A nice ride! (Except for the long line to get into the park - it was busy. Bumper-to-bumper traffic sucks on a motorcycle.) When we got back I washed the bike and we napped and otherwise had a placid Sunday. </div><br /><b>2 September 2020</b><br />
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The September HOGs newsletter, the Stars and Pipes, got distributed yesterday; I am 21 pages into the October issue, hahaha! One subject of my editor's page - which appears after the cover - is hitting deer. It scares me: "I’ve hit a deer in a car before, and it isn’t fun. There’s a sudden extreme mental WHAT WAS THAT? and then an intense annoyance that something living would be foolish enough to step in front of your car. And then there are all your hunting friends asking you if you didn’t endanger life and limb to dodge your way across the interstate in order to drag and heave the deer into the trunk to keep the meat. I can only imagine what hitting a deer is like on a motorcycle, but I do know that whenever I ride by a deer carcass I shudder. There, save for a disconnect in time and space, go I. I’m sure somebody reading this has hit a deer on a motorcycle. Drop me a line and describe the circumstances and outcome, and I’ll run it here as a jolly little feature. As always, send photos."<br /><br /><b>31 August 2020</b><br /><br />
I did do a ride on Friday; Tom and I had lunch in Warrenton and then rode out to Fredericksburg to Classic Iron, where I bought my Harley. Inventory is way down since the last time I've been there. Apparently people are buying bikes but not selling them or trading them in. There was a stop at Carl's for ice cream, of course, and then a very hot ride home. I-95 backed up and bail-out traffic appeared on Route 1. Not fun!<br />
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The weather being just about perfect yesterday I took another ride, this time out towards Front Royal. There are times I like just blasting down I-66 west. A big church is clearly visible from the freeway, so I took some back roads and found it. It's on a the campus of a Roman Catholic-associated college, Christendom College, in Front Royal. Nice campus. <a href="https://www.christendom.edu/" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>. On the ride back home I was on some shady path while the sun was getting lower in the sky; the cool air was wonderful. Yesterday seemed like the first typical fall day.<br />
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<b>27 August 2020</b><br />
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On yesterday evening, after a long, hot, bright day, I took a ride to Quantico cemetery (where I expect to be buried someday) on the Harley - a very pleasant attitude-adjustment ride lasting just over an hour. Being out in the cooler eventide wind was quite nice. That's one of my usual rides, done using the I-95 express lanes south and blowing past all the traffic that normally piles up at the Occoquan, when one lane disappears. (What genius engineered that?)<br />
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Friday's forecast: 91 degrees, mostly cloudy, 10% chance of rain. That's riding weather! But where?<br />
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<b>24 August 2020</b><br />
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I did a HOGs ride on Friday - just a fairly local thing, not a big deal, but it was fun. <a href="https://youtu.be/kbwQ4HQGTVA" target="_blank">I took a video</a>. Special guest rider: My friend Tom, whom I'm usually riding with on Fridays. After that, the weekend was pretty sedate: we shopped for food, watched TV, napped, visited the local grandsons, read a book, visited a thrift store and a fabric store, etc. Nothing colossal.<br />
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<b>20 August 2020</b><br />
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I did that little parade ride for Gene Tatum, the 95 year-old veteran in Fairfax yesterday; <a href="https://youtu.be/vD5V1G1rw7U" target="_blank">I took a video</a>. It was fun. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=645299353006378&extid=UjfMgbzmFmyxMdk3" target="_blank">Here's Supervisor Pat Herrity's Facebook video of the drive/ride-by</a>.<br />
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<b>19 August 2020</b><br />
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Today at Noon I'm taking some leave time to take part in a little Happy Birthday parade for a 95 year-old World War II, Korea and Vietnam Marine Corps veteran. This will take place outside his home in Fairfax; we start out from a police barracks and are led by Fairfax Police who will be stopping traffic, etc. It ought to be interesting. I'm the Fairfax Harley Owners Group representative.<br />
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The September HOGs newsletter is ready to go. All I need is the director's article. I work a month or so in advance, but have articles in place for future newsletters.<br />
<b><br />17 August 2020</b><br />
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Despite the threat of rain I went on a bike ride on Friday - that video is here: <a href="https://youtu.be/cc8kYotXCB8" target="_blank">Manassas and Middleburg... and a fabric shop</a>. And yes, I did indeed step into a fabric shop. Turns out my wife already knew about the place and has been there.<br />
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<b>10 August 2020</b><br />
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I did take a motorcycle ride on Friday although I wasn't expecting to (the forecast was for rain, but it never rained). After lunch in Manassas, my riding friend Tom and I wound up in Bealeton, VA and a place actually called Casanova, VA. (There's a Roxy Music song entitled "Casanova" with the lines, "Casanova/Is that your name?/Or do you live there?" that I finally understood because Casanova means "new house.")<br />
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While in Casanova we didn't see <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melrose_(Casanova,_Virginia)" target="_blank">Melrose Castle</a>, however, and for that I'm sorry.<br />
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We also stopped by a Civil War site I've never been to called "Coffee Hill," so called because J.E.B. Stuart and two cavalry brigades attacked Union Gen. John C. Caldwell’s forces as they brewed coffee and prepared breakfast on the hill. Not only have I never been here before, I've never even heard of the battle.<br />
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I rode to Bikes and Breakfast in Clifton with some HOG friends who live nearby, but I didn't take any videos. The most notable bike I saw was a 1958 NSU, a German bike. (NSU is one of Audi's four rings, btw.) 250cc engine, 16 horsepower.<br />
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<b>6 August 2020</b><br />
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I washed my Harley. I took it out to Clifton for lunch yesterday, as the temps were below the mid-Nineties and not too humid for a change. It was very refreshing, being in the coolish, not-so-hot slipstream, so I took the long way home as is my frequent wont on the Road King. I could have easily have ridden for hours more. I probably should have. Work is really getting on my nerves. <br />
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<b>5 August 2020</b><br />
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Bikes and Breakfast in Clifton, VA this Sunday from 8 am to 11 am; this time I invited the HOGs to attend via an unofficial Facebook group.<br />
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<b>29 July 2020</b><br />
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I got the August issue of the HOGs newsletter - my principal creative effort these days - out to be posted and linked yesterday. It's only 26 pages this time. Going to a 10 point font makes me work a bit harder to fill pages.<br />
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<b>27 July 2020</b></div>
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Weekend update: On Friday I took a short ride to Manassas for lunch and just to get out on the Harley; one of my "Better than Nothing" rides. We were supposed to get thunderstorms but didn't. It was pretty hot so I spent the day in the air conditioning. </div>
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<b>22 July 2020</b></div>
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The July weather here in the D.C. suburbs has been severe. Last night Doug Kammerer, a local meteorologist, gave the ten day forecast - all in the 90s. If this holds up, 30 days out of 31 in July will have been with highs at least 90 degrees; this is unprecedented. </div>
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Lunch was at Clifton yesterday, but we are now in a situation where it's almost too hot to ride. My route to Clifton from where I live has a lot of shady roads, but, geez.</div>
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<b>20 June 2020</b></div>
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Weekend recap... On Friday, despite the heat, I did indeed go out for a motorcycle ride. Me and my riding pal Tom rode out to Clark Brothers shooting range just south of Warrenton and used a couple of their loaner guns to blow through two boxes of ammo.</div>
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We fired a Springfield Armory XDs chambered in .45 ACP and a Glock 19 chambered in 9mm. I liked the Springfield a lot. The recoil isn't as wild as I thought it might be, and I like the superior stopping power of the round. One hit is all it ever takes with a .45. The Glock 19 misfed at one point (Clark's loaner guns get a lot of use). I liked the Glock 19 just fine - it has an great reputation - but preferred the Springfield. We also fired my father-in-law's Ruger Mark One .22; no recoil at all. That evening I watched gun test videos.... I like the Springfield XDs. Clark Brothers sells them for $549, a good price. Hm. Maybe this is all the testing I need to do.</div>
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We had lunch at a new place just outside of Remington, VA and then took the long way home. By then it was really too hot to ride - despite the breeze. (Stop lights were a real bear.) I got home a bit early. Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday are all supposed to be dangerously hot days in the D.C. area.</div>
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<b>13 July 2020</b><br />
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On Friday I did indeed take a motorcycle ride on a very hot day. I checked out the Clark Brothers gun store on Route 28. <a href="https://youtu.be/sWosxckmtwg" target="_blank">Here's my video</a>. And then I did something I've always wanted to do: I test rode a Harley-Davidson Livewire, their electric bike. <a href="https://youtu.be/-u7PQl5Wdxw" target="_blank">Video here</a>. The Livewire is amazing! Text from a write-up I'm doing for the HOGs newsletter:<br />
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<i>Mounting it and starting it is unremarkable. Unlike the roar of a big v-twin engine with a gasoline-powered Harley there is nothing that suggests what a rocket this thing is. But, wow, can it ever accelerate! On my test ride I kept fading back from the fellow who took me out only to catch up in an incredibly short amount of time. If the 0 to 60 time is short, the 35 to 60 mph time is astonishing. The uncanny thing is that it does it with so little fanfare. During my ride I kept thinking of those racers in Tron. The way you go from slow coast to very fast is so silent as to be otherworldly. All you hear is the sound of wind on your helmet. The Livewire weighs 549 pounds but it feels far lighter than that. It is very nimble and agile, traits that are entirely lost upon poky, slow, scenery-observing, touring bike saddle-wanting me. Someone who knows a thing or two about taking curves on two wheels at high speeds can provide a much better assessment of this bike’s capabilities.</i><br />
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On Saturday I did a HOGs ride to Colonial Beach, VA. As it was the first big ride of the season it was well-attended: 22 bikes! <a href="https://youtu.be/Vjuv2atHvKk" target="_blank">There's a video for that as well</a>. It was fun despite getting hot in the afternoon. I've never been to Colonial Beach before; the "beach" there is on the Potomac River. It seems nice. Zillow says that home prices are definitely in our range for a retirement home. It's 73 miles away from where we are now, and an hour and 20 minute drive down I-95. (When I-95 is accommodating, of course, which isn't often.) Westmoreland County. Wikipedia: "In 2019, Colonial Beach was named The Nicest Place in Virginia and a finalist for Nicest Places in America by Reader's Digest." Hmmmmm.<br />
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On Sunday I stayed indoors and mostly recovered from the prior two days of being out in the heat.<br />
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<b>9 July 2020</b><br />
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I went to my HOGs meeting last night. Nothing to report there save that HOGs group rides begin again this month. It's about time!<br />
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<b>8 July 2020</b><br />
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I did the primary oil change in my Harley yesterday. I thought I had the necessary T27 Torx bit but as it turned out, I didn't. Well - not that I was sure about, anyway. I had a bit that probably was a T27 but I didn't want to risk stripping any screws (it's a difficult recovery if you do that) so I bought a Torx socket set. Nice thing to have. I also justified the purchase of my digital torque wrench by appropriately torquing down the various bolts and screws to the specified levels. A motorcyclist once told me that he found working on his bike relaxing. At the time I thought it a strange comment - working on cars has never really been what I call fun - but I see now he has a point.<br />
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So - will my Harley perform any better, smoother or quieter running Redline dedicated-use transmission and primary oils instead of the Harley-specified Syn3 that's specified for all three uses? I shall determine that over the next 10,000 miles. My bike turned over 20,000 miles yesterday. (I put 18,000 of those miles on it over the last 18 months.) Out of curiosity I stopped by the local bike shop and asked just how long I can expect my Harley with the 103 Twin Cam engine to run. 100,000 miles or more, I was told, as long as I maintain it. And when it comes time to rebuild the engine, shall I? Possibly!<br />
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<b>7 July 2020</b><br />
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I changed the transmission and motor oil in my Harley yesterday - a hot job in my uninsulated garage. You can remove a Harley oil plug two ways: by using a 5/8ths socket wrench or a hex wrench into the hole in the plug. The plug fits into place with no more than about 20 foot-pounds of force, but my crappy Harbor Freight hex tool snapped off. I suspected that using the socket was a better idea...<br />
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There is still the primary oil left to change. That one's a little trickier so I put it off.<br />
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<b>6 July 2020</b><br />
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Weekend recap... starting with Thursday: We got off early so I did a ride to Gainesville and Front Royal. Riding out there was fine - coming back was HOT (my thermometer was reading between 98 and 100 degrees). I wore a tee shirt and forgot to put on sun block. Yes, I do have motorcyclist tans on my arms now. My Harley is now at 19,990 miles - I've put 17,800 of those miles on it. Time to do what is called a "three hole" (primary, transmission, motor oil) oil change this week. Fortunately there are YouTube videos and websites describing torque specifications (so I can use my new digital torque wrench).<br />
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<b>1 July 2020</b><br />
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I got the July Harley Owners Group (HOG) newsletter out last night. At the advice of my wife it is 28 pages rather than 33. It's that long because, it being a newsletter, I feel the necessity of including the Powerpoint slides describing upcoming rides in detail. But these can also be found on the HOGs website and social media sites. Perhaps I ought to simply list them and refer readers to the other sources of information which are much more easily updated. (The newsletter is a .pdf, so I can also merely supply HTML links.) Make the newsletter more of a journal, in other words.<br />
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I switched to 10 point font in these newsletters... my graphical artist son, who teleworks in the room near me (due to the impossibility of working at home with little boys), convinced me that 12 point was unnecessarily big. So when I received the HOGs Director's article and formatted it, it was only a half page: "I told you about my sarcastic graphic artist son in the makeshift teleworking office with me. After I finished editing Ray’s piece I wondered aloud, 'I have half a page left. What do I do?' He cheerfully replied, 'Put in a crossword puzzle!' Believe it or not I actually once came up with one for my Civil War reenactment group’s newsletter, but, no. They’re a pain to assemble. But, hold! My son tells me that there are websites that assemble them for you. So be warned: You may very well see a Harley-Davidson-inspired crossword puzzle appearing in these pages at some point."<br />
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Last night I found a site that allows users to generate crossword puzzles and came up with a good one in about 15 minutes. Ha! That'll be a feature of the August newsletter. I sent one of the other officers a copy of it to see how long it takes to work out.<br />
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<b>29 June 2020</b><br />
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Over the weekend I watched <i>Motorcycle Gang</i>. (Yes, the very same title as the film I wrote about last week except that this is the original 1957 version.) Directed by Edward L. Cahn. Starring Anne Neyland, Steven Terrell and Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer. Plot: A troublemaker returns to town only to find his old tearaway pals have joined a supervised motorcycle club. Friction erupts between him and the new leader about this goody-goody setup, culminating in a cross-country race and four drunken motorcycle hoods abducting small-town Americans. You can watch the entire movie on YouTube!<br />
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It's a very dated but somehow still fun and engaging look at motorcycling in America in the Fifties. Anne Neyland is the hotsy-totsy girl in the tight sweater, Steven Terrell is the blond, all-American type and, fortunately for us all, Alfalfa doesn’t sing. He does eat a lot, however, wisecracks, and introduces us to his own hip jargon like “miger” (“mad tiger”) and “sholl” (“sharp doll”). Everyone also pronounces “cycle” like “sickle.”<br />
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1957 was clearly a long time ago. I didn’t see any Harleys; it looks like everyone in this is riding British bikes, Triumphs and BSAs.<br />
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<b>26 June 2020</b><br />
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Last night I watched <i>Motorcycle Gang</i> (1994) - A rated R made-for-television move directed by John Mileus (<i>Conan the Barbarian</i>), a director who spares not the theatrical blood in trademark violent sequences. <i>Motorcycle Gang</i> is actually a remake of a 1957 film of the same name I'd very much like to see because Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer is in it. When asked why he chose to remake <i>Motorcycle Gang</i>, Milius said "Why not? I never saw it. I just took a story that was kind of endemic to the period. What happened in those movies is that they always had a family crossing the desert and the family is beset by giant ants, cannibals or a hot rod or motorcycle gang. So in this one I have a dysfunctional family beset by a motorcycle gang."<br />
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The plot: An Army veteran character played by Samuel "Major Dad" McRamey wants to get his somewhat slatternly wife and reckless sixteen year-old daughter safely from Texas to California. He's a cautious, quiet fellow who doesn't look for trouble. Unfortunately, it's what looks like the late Fifties and there's a murderous and psychopathic four man drug-running gang of motorcycle hoodlums who have targeted his family; they are led by Jake Busey, who sports blond, greasy hair, a toothy grin and a black leather jacket. He is especially murderous. They ride what look like vintage Harleys - one has a springer front end - but it's somewhat hard to tell as the bikes all appear to be flat black and are not really shown much. At one point three of the bikers surround the wife left in a locked car after Busey abducts the daughter. Why didn't she fire up that tank-like vintage Ford and simply mow them and their bikes down? Because we have to get to the bloody and violent conclusion, where McRaney and wife display hidden grit and fighting skills to rescue the daughter, that's why.<br />
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This film is no masterpiece, but it's fun. And I am happy to report that, by and large, bikers have learned to behave themselves somewhat better than they did in the late Fifties when they were the scourge of the roads. This movie is available via Netflix DVD.<br />
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<br />
(And yes, I'm using the above text in my next Harley Owners Group newsletter, so it serves double duty.)<br />
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<b>23 June 2020</b><br />
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I installed my self-given Father's Day present yesterday: a chrome Harley-Davidson passenger footpad cover. It's the chrome piece in back in <a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/mLm8CpN6BeBLtYPi8" target="_blank">this photo</a>. (It's hinged and flops down.) As my son said, "Yeah, just what you needed: Another thing that says 'Harley-Davidson.'" Hahahaha! But I like chrome... That piece was originally flat black and boring - the bike needed a bit of shine there. It also needs a wash.<br />
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My only complaint about my bike's styling is that bundle of wires that appears between the frame and the fork; you can see it to the right of the H-D label on the tank. Couldn't they have hidden that somehow?<br />
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<b>22 June 2020</b><br />
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In between thunderstorms I took a ride out to Clifton and had lunch with a friend who also rides. We were planning to visit a Manassas gun shop when we heard thunder - we headed back to our homes. Good thing. I was power washing the ladder in my swim trunks when the rain came down.<br />
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<b>15 June 2020</b><br />
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Friday: I did a ride with my friend Tom, 208 miles. We rode out to Strasburg to meet his cousin and a bunch of guys who ride for the Sons of Confederate Veterans Mechanized Cavalry. Interesting bikes, interesting bunch. They are not at all in vogue right now and they don't care.<br />
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We rode out to the New Market battlefield, but it was closed, the road past the battlefield as well as the museum. Then we rode back north on the old historic Valley Pike (Route 11) - a beautiful day in the Shenandoah Valley. No video, sorry. I have now taken the valley pike from Strasburg to New Market. It appears that Roanoke is at the southern tip of the valley, so there's another 128 miles to explore sometime. I found a remarkable plaque along the Valley Pike: <a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/jYFCE7ry3L4WNsSg7" target="_blank">Post-Appomattox Tragedy</a>. And here's the creep himself, <a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/upomLj7W4XpBxGG98" target="_blank">Lt. Col Cyrus Hussey</a> - who apparently couldn't get enough of death and killing after a war that took more than 600,000 American lives.<br />
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Sunday: In the morning I rode to the Bikes and Breakfast event in Clifton and bumped into a HOG I had last seen earlier in the week. (<a href="https://youtu.be/ho24wozives" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>) More exterior masonry painting. I also replaced the vapor canister purge valve on Big Red and made an annoying Check Engine light go away.<br />
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<b>12 June 2020</b><br />
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Beautiful day forecast; I'm going out on a bike ride with my pard Tom to Strasburg and the environs.<br />
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<b>11 June 2020</b><br />
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I attended the first physical, in-person HOGs chapter meeting last night. The table centerpiece featured a large stack of individual toilet paper rolls, which I re-arranged into an "HD" (for Harley-Davidson, of course). Our seats were placed the mandatory distance apart, but most people didn't wear face masks. I suppose there's some government scold who would disapprove, but my sense of it is that people are pretty much over Covid Fear. (It's arguable whether or not motorcyclists - a segment of society who very much deal with risk of bodily harm - really had it in the first place.)<br />
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<b>10 June 2020</b><br />
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Tonight we have our first in-person, physical, not virtual HOGs (Harley Owner's Group) meeting since March. Better yet, it's being held here in Springfield, VA. I'm bringing a laptop that's doing a looped video of recently newsletter pages as a table display; I'm also talking briefly.<br />
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<b>8 June 2020</b><br />
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Friday: My riding pal Tom and I did a short ride to a barbecue joint outside of Aldie. Good but somewhat overpriced. I bought my ABS sensor for Big Red. Our ride was cut short due to threats of thundershowers - which were some hours late in arriving.<br />
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Sunday: A ride to the Wilderness Battlefield on a really nice day. I'm almost done with <i>Bullet and Shell - The Civil War as the Soldier Saw It</i> by George F. Williams; it was unexpectedly good. Dated, but entertaining. So I wanted to visit a Civil War battlefield. I found a <a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/UdQioB38cVCQxvPW7" target="_blank">historical bronze plaque</a> I've never read before from 1927. It has a grammar problem; do you see it?<br />
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<b>2 June 2020</b><br />
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Last night I had my first HOGs ride since the last day of last year! It was a short ride from Patriot Harley in Fairfax to the Reston park pavilion where we had an officer's meeting - but it was still nice to be out again! I got the June newsletter out yesterday. I asked if everyone was okay with the length of my newsletters (they are running at 33 pages a month) or if they are too tediously long. One fellow said he'd like to see them a bit shorter, so I think I'll do a 10% reduction and make them 30 pages. That also has the effect of stretching out my stock of filler articles.<br />
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<b>1 June 2020</b><br />
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On Friday Tom and I did a ride out to a few Civil War sites that I was not acquainted with, <a href="https://youtu.be/uJFGzwhxY8g" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>. Since getting on a motorcycle I'm finding a bunch of these. I'm not sure why. I guess I'm going down a lot more odd little roads than I ever did in a car.<br />
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<b>28 May 2020</b><br />
I spent some quality time on the garage floor with my Harley yesterday, cleaning the dirt and grime from the metal wheels and cleaning the bug splatter from other surfaces; my Road King is all nice and clean and shiny again. But it's raining today and I have to work, so it's a case of being all dressed up with nowhere to go.<br />
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I ordered some oils and a filter for what's known as a "three hole" oil change job on my Harley: motor oil, transmission oil and primary oil. I'm coming up on a 20,000 mile maintenance. Normally Harley recommends using their "Syn3" oil - same oil for each use. (It's synthetic and used in all three cases, hence "Syn3.") This time I plan to use Redline special purpose oils for the primary and transmission. I've heard mechanics rave about how this stuff helps you find neutral a lot better and quiets shifting noises, so I'll see for myself. I'll probably be doing the oil change next week.<br />
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<b>27 May 2020</b><br />
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I'm nearly done with the June issue of <i>Stars and Pipes</i>, the local chapter Harley Owners Group newsletter. These things kind of write themselves, to be honest. For instance, I got word of this yesterday via a friend: <a href="https://www.fauquiernow.com/fauquier_news/article/fauquier-motorcyclist-hits-bear-crossing-route-29-at-new-baltimore-2020" target="_blank">Motorcyclist hits bear crossing Route 29</a>. “Witnesses observed the bear run away from the crash scene..." As much as I'd like to include the phrase "hit and run" in the newsletter, I cannot until we find out what the medical condition of the motorcyclist is.<br />
<br />
...which brings me to a consideration. I spent decades doing Civil War reenactment unit newsletters and a website, and years managing a website for a rugby club. I could joke about injuries and include cartoons with those hobbies - for the most part. Motorcycling is different! I have one rather funny cartoon about a tombstone of a motorcyclist that I cannot use because people have had spouses and friends die in motorcycle accidents. It would be a horrible joke. "Clumsy jesting is no joke," as Aesop once said.<br />
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It's a little like when I used to take photos during rugby matches. Some guy would come off the pitch bleeding profusely from a head or face wound and I'd wonder, "Should I shoot this?" Turns out, yeah, I should. In rugby a bloody face is a badge of honor - and it got to the point where some guy would get injured and call for me to get pictures!<br />
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Except for one time when our polite Japanese scrumhalf broke his collarbone during a match. As he was painfully easing himself into the car for a trip to the hospital he whispered, "No photo."<br />
<b><br />25 May 2020</b><br />
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Monday: I took a 203 mile motorcycle ride to Luray, VA (a very Confederate place) and other places. Nice weather! <a href="https://youtu.be/sgG8DBHeoGk" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>.<br />
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<b>21 May 2020</b><br />
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No motorcycle ride tomorrow. 90% chance of thunderstorms. Hmf.<br />
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<b>18 May 2020</b><br />
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I had a nice motorcycle ride on a warm, then very warm, day on Friday. I
rode to Berryville and Boyce, VA because I have never visited those two
places. <a href="https://youtu.be/xGGicqbrie4" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>. Could we retire out there? Yes... I think so.<br />
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I also stopped by the Winchester Harley-Davidson dealership and, on a whim, test rode a Suzuki Burgman 650. <a href="https://youtu.be/uNBORkc7d7s" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>.
Test riding a scooter at a Harley dealership? Yep. I've always wanted
to test ride one of those. It's in a class of its own: a touring scooter
- a scooter than can maintain freeway speeds.<b><br /><br />15 May 2020</b><br />
I just got back from walking the dog - it's warm out there! And it's supposed to be sunny. Which means <i>motorcycle ride</i>!<br />
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This time I plan to head out to Berryville, in Clarke Country, VA. I
don't think I've ever really visited there. There was a Civil War battle
that took place there. I'm also interested in this <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berryville%2C_Virginia" target="_blank">"battle town" aspect with Daniel Morgan</a>.
I'll get there by taking the parkway to route 50 east, then take the
ever-scenic Snickersville Turnpike to Bluemont, then head west on
business route 7. Getting back will be via some other route. Maybe I'll
just follow promising-looking country roads until I come to some
recognizable point. I will take the GoPro, so there will be a Monday
video.<b><br />
<br />
</b>Gee - I've got 127 videos in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr" target="_blank">my motorcycle playlist</a>. Not bad for just over two years of riding.<br />
<b><br />12 May 2020</b><br />
<a href="https://youtu.be/JFFRk_vEOYQ" target="_blank"><i><br />2021 Harley-Davidsons Delayed!│3 Discontinued Models│Pan America and Bronx on Hold</i></a>
- Big announcements, so this is another video to be linked in the next
HOGs newsletter. It's no secret that Harley-Davidson hasn't been doing
well coming into the pandemic; the pandemic itself has further slammed
the company. They have a new guy in charge - a German! - and they are
discontinuing models and delaying new bikes right now. <b><br /><br />4 May 2020</b><br />
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I took two motorcycle rides this weekend - to the very same place! I rode out to the Snickersville Turnpike on Friday - then returned there the next day to show my wife. 108 miles on the bike is our longest two-up ride so far. When we completed the ride I asked Cari if she wanted to ride across the country on a motorcycle doing a few hundred miles a day and got a hasty "No!" I think we'd want a Road Glide Limited with the really plush passenger seating for that.<br />
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<b>30 April 2020</b><br />
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It didn't rain yesterday and the temps went into the 70s, so I took a ride into Clifton for a "grab and go" lunch - except I didn't go. I sat outside on a picnic bench. While I was there I saw a striking '65 Caddy. Man, those things were long! <a href="https://youtu.be/U_hd-zWLGJY" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>. Later on in the day I took a ride down to Quantico Cemetery and back home. It's expected to rain today and tomorrow so that will be it for rides for a while.<br />
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<b>29 April 2020</b><br />
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On Monday I rode my Harley through the little town of Hillsboro, VA on Route 9, and saw many homemade banners and plaques - all relating to the Covid-19 pandemic. It occurred to me that what we are are in now is a sort of first cousin to Stockholm Syndrome (the state of mind when a captive begins to entertain positive thoughts about his or her captor). I call it Covid Culture. Characteristics of it are as follows... (<i>and then I elected to not describe this</i>).<br />
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<b>28 April 2020</b><br />
My birthday yesterday was fun! I did a ride into Harpers Ferry, which was closed. I knew that the Park Service attractions would be shut, but I didn't expect that the businesses (eateries, stores) would be closed as well. But they were.<br />
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I rode past the stanchion and into the town, which was deserted like the proverbial ghost town. Very strange. The only sound was my Harley - and then the Catholic Church bell started tolling. Weird! <a href="https://youtu.be/Luzp28uA_pA" target="_blank">I caught it on video</a>.<br />
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After that I rode into Charles Town, and then Bolivar Heights and then took a mountain road I've never been on before to a mountain pass I've never been to, and then rode through the quiet, quaint little towns of Purcellville and Hamilton, VA along old Route 7. It was a 160 mile ride.<br />
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<b>24 April 2020</b><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Rain today - no motorcycle ride. It looks like I'm going to be painting the master bathroom cabinets today and tomorrow. </span></span></div>
<b><br />20 April 2020</b><br />
On Friday I took a long ride out to visit Flint Hill and some other spots along the Zachary Taylor Highway. I stumbled across two especially interesting plaques: <a href="https://youtu.be/WDEruzlzYjg" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>. <a href="https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=49528" target="_blank">Albert Gallatin Willis</a>... I know he was a seminary student, but what kind of a background prepares a person to lay down his life for his friend in such a dramatic and unambiguous way?<br />
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And I've always found John Brown Raider Dangerfield Newby an<a href="http://wesclark.com/jw/newby.html" target="_blank"> interesting and tragic character</a>, but I never knew there was such a place as "<a href="https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=50611" target="_blank">Newby's Crossroads</a>." I came across it quite by accident.<br />
<b><br />17 April 2020</b><br />
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Yes, I'm taking a ride today, solo. I'm heading out to Flint Hill to investigate the Civil War plaques I saw there. It's supposed to be cloudy and cooler. Phooey on that. Where's Spring?<br />
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<b>16 April 2020</b><br />
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Last night my HOGs chapter did a virtual meeting via Internet. It went quite well. I did a screen grab and summarized it for the newsletter, so there's one more page. The software used had a polling feature, so this was used to enliven the proceedings: The toilet paper of choice during the quarantine is Charmin (it's squeezably soft), the great majority of HOGs have only done 1-5 rides since the last in-person chapter meeting in March (I have ridden almost ever day) and the binge watch television of choice was Tiger King.<br />
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I also did a couple of pages I call "Weird Harleys" - here are two: <a href="https://www.designswan.com/archives/hamburger-motorcycle-a-hamburger-shaped-harley-davidson.html" target="_blank">Hamburger Harley</a>, Mobile Booking Cage Harley (1921 - seen above). I like the gigantic padlock.<br />
<b><br />14 April 2020</b><br />
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A ton of rain during most of the day led to pleasant riding weather in the late afternoon, so I did just that for an hour or so.<br />
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<b>13 April 2020</b><br />
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On Friday I took the Not-Diggin'-It Ride. <a href="https://youtu.be/CbaQbdUU5Dk" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>. The winds were pretty intense, and it was cold and usually cloudy. Normally I don't mind being out on a bright gusty day - but the combination of the three things caused me to truncate my ride. I stopped by the Harley-Davidson dealership to buy a small compressor to fix flats while out on the road and also some new mesh gloves.<br />
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<b>10 April 2020</b><br />
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OUT ON THE HARLEY AGAIN TODAY! Where to? Flint Hill, VA. There might be a video and there might not.<br />
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<b>9 April 2020</b><br />
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I'm still coming up with interesting filler for HOGs newsletters. The other day I did a page on the Batcycles ridden by the 1966 Batman and Batgirl. Batman's was created by a couple of Burbankers. Batgirl's actually has a frilly lace along the edges of the fairing - geez. Not only does it look stupid but good luck trying to keep that clean...<br />
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It being in the high 70s yesterday I took a short ride on my Harley. Yesterday I tried something I've never tried before: riding with earplugs connected to an iPod. I didn't like it at all. First of all, I don't need the extra noise. If I want to listen to music I'd rather do it in a quieter car. Secondly, I prefer my custom earplugs which largely removes the wind noise and allows me to hear the exhaust note about 30 dB down. Being on a bike is my time to remove distractions and simply be on the bike. So it's as I suspected: I really don't need or want a sound system on a bike.<br />
<b><br />6 April 2020</b><br />
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I did indeed take a motorcycle ride into the Shenandoah Valley on Friday; I rode with Dave, a guy who lives just down the street who owns a loud orange Harley-Davidson Ultra Classic (you can hear whenever he goes by) and his friend, who rides a BMW. (<a href="https://youtu.be/k0C1p2UvOq4" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>.) I model my new H-D warm weather mesh jacket at the end.<br />
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<b>3 April 2020</b><br />
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Friday! Nice day today - sunny and 60 or so. (Leather jacket weather.) 0% rain in the forecast. Motorcycle ride! I'm riding out with Dave, the guy who lives down the street from me with the loud orange and black Ultra Classic. You can hear his pipes a block or two away. He and some others are headed to the Shenandoah Valley - I think. I'll find out later today. I'll bring the GoPro to do a video.<br />
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My new Harley-Davidson mesh jacket arrived in the mail; it looks great and fits very well, being a tall. It doesn't ride up in the back like my other jackets - hooray! I tested it out yesterday; it's a bit too cool to wear it just yet but perhaps I will anyway.<br />
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I spent an hour or so washing and waxing my Harley. It looks great - but then, it always does.<br />
<b><br />2 April 2020</b><br />
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One of the many articles I'm doing for future HOGs newsletter is a survey of past Harley-Davidson advertising; so far I've done them for the 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s. (I'm saving the 70s - the most fun - for last.) These are easy - I just find attractive images and provide comments. By 1950 the Harley Advertising Guy was well defined: military style crush cap with a H-D pin in front, long sleeved shirt with tie (why?!?), tie clasp or chain, an H-D pin on the shirt and jackboots. I guess in 1950 that's what you wore when you took your Hydra-Glide out for a ride. No gloves, no glasses, no helmet - yikes! By the way, those olde-tymey H-D pins go for over $100 on e-Bay these days.<br />
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The other day, inspired by a 1976 Happy Days metal school lunch box, I came up with an article about Hollywood motorcycles: the Fonz's Triumph, Marlon Brando's The Wild One Triumph and Schwarzenegger's Terminator 2 Harley Fat Boy.<br />
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Harley-Davidson is a company that has been around since 1903 with a lot of lore; I don't see running out of interesting bits of history to explore anytime soon.<br />
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<b>1 April 2020</b><br />
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<b>Today marks the start of my third year motorcycling</b>! Some stats: I rode 8,840 miles on two bikes (my Suzuki starter bike and my Harley) at the end of my first year. Today, at the end of my second year I've ridden <b>20,320</b> total on two bikes (this does not count test rides at dealerships). That means I have ridden 11,480 miles in my second year. I have put 14,869 miles on my Harley Road King; still love it! Best of all, so far <i>no drops or accidents</i>! (Knock on wood.)<br />
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This is the year to start being especially safety-minded; one must never let up on that. According to the Hurt Report, "More than half of the accident-involved motorcycle riders had less than 5 months experience on the accident motorcycle, although the total street riding experience was almost 3 years." I'm not entirely sure how to interpret this. Am I clear of this statistic because I've had almost a year and a half riding my Harley or does it apply because I have less than 3 years experience? I recall reading somewhere about two spikes in accidents: one within a rider's first six months (inexperience) and another between 3 to 5 years of experience (over-confidence).<br />
<br />
The other day I was riding in Clifton, VA and decided to widen out my ride by going down streets I haven't been down before. I came across what looked like an old cemetery with gravel paths. I took the Harley down these and found myself going uphill on a path that had some especially uneven surfaces. The path ended unexpectedly on a grade - drat. So I had to turn around. (It was either that or motor around across graves, which I didn't want to do.) It was very tricky and I did this carefully, telling myself, "I am NOT going to drop this 820 pound bike!" I didn't. But I reprimanded myself for being cocky and resolved to keep the bike on solid pavement.Brighamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16450830005503932437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8447591580473724055.post-69983719449749005062019-04-01T06:05:00.002-07:002020-04-01T03:53:31.501-07:00Into My Second Year...<b>31 March 2020</b><br /><br />
Our despicable Governor of Virginia has joined with the leaders of Maryland and the District of Columbia to issue a "stay at home" executive order. We're not supposed to leave our homes except for certain defined reasons (buying food, medical care, etc.). It's a Class 1 misdemeanor punishable by up to 12 months in jail, a fine of up to $2,500, or both. But the Governor said that he wasn't looking to jail anyone.<br />
<br />
So can I joy ride my motorcycle? The executive order language is, "Individuals may leave<br />
their residences for the purpose of ... e. Engaging in outdoor activity, including exercise, provided individuals comply with social distancing requirements." That's a "yes." But I suppose, as in all things dealing with the law, this is dependent upon the mood of the policeman pulling me over.<br />
<br />
It being such a nice day yesterday I talked my wife into a nice ride through the woods in and around Clifton, Virginia for about an hour. We looked at the big, expensive houses on five acre lots. The one I liked best was $1.78 million according to Zillow.<br />
<b><br />30 March 2020<br /></b><br />
On Friday I took a short ride on the Harley to visit the Winchester Harley-Davidson dealership. I've never been there before. (<a href="https://youtu.be/G5O0J3ylvHE" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>. That spoken intro is really doddering. I was doing some creative mental work while talking: I came up with the phrase "King and the Road King" on the spot to describe Tom King and I. I'm really not turning into Joe Biden, I promise.)<br />
<br />
I learned that the entire length of Route 50 from Aldie to Upperville was one big running cavalry action during the Civil War. Since getting into the saddle I've discovered all sorts of minor Civil War actions and sites. I was only really acquainted with the big ones before. Route 50 from Aldie to Upperville is very picturesque. When the weather gets warmer I need to plunk my wife down on the Harley and spend a Saturday out there.<br />
<b><br />27 March 2020</b><br /><br />
It being a sunny day I took a little ride into Clifton (VA) yesterday and encountered this <a href="https://youtu.be/70lhs3oU2KA" target="_blank">Austin-Healey Sprite</a>. My friend Bob who likes old British sports cars tells me that it's a Sprite Sebring - very rare. Only six of them made that year. I think it's a really pretty car. No way on earth I'd ever be able to fit into it. I saw a cool little sports car like that parked near the Golden Mall in Burbank when I was fifteen or so. I think it was an MG. The owner showed up and invited me to sit in it. I couldn't even fit into one of those at age fifteen! What a tragedy for a guy who likes everything British.<br />
<br />
Speaking of small, under-powered British sports cars I am now writing an article for a future HOGs newsletter (I'm stockpiling articles so future deadlines aren't a problem) based on a sentiment I saw as a comment in a Harley-Davidson YouTube video: "It's more fun to ride slow bikes fast than it is to ride fast bikes fast." I think I know what he means. At any rate, even if I don't I'm getting an article out of it.<br />
<br />
<br />
Friday. Yes, ride today, probably with my friend Tom. I don't know where we're going to yet. The guy in my neighborhood who rides a loud orange Ultra Limited CVO may be coming along as well. Or not. It's up in the air right now. Perhaps I'll bring the GoPro and do a video which you will get to see on Monday.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>26 March 2020<br /></b><br />
Yesterday I sent in the completed April HOGs newsletter; it'll be made available to the membership early next weekend, I'm guessing.<br />
<br />
I finished another article for a future HOGs newsletter yesterday; I'll let you see it before the HOGs see it: <a href="http://wesclark.com/moto_astrological_guide.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Your Moto-Astrological Guide</i></a>. (I'm proud of the astrological Harley graphics.) I see that I misspelled Erik Estrada's name. I'll fix that when I actually run the article later this year. It's a reworking of<a href="http://wesclark.com/zodiac.html" target="_blank"> a similar article I wrote in 2000 for a rugby website</a>, which is based on an idea I swiped from somewhere else and <a href="http://wesclark.com/jw/zodiac.html" target="_blank">adapted c. 1989 for my Civil War reenacting website JonahWorld</a>! Hahahaha! As I go through life picking up hobbies I keep adapting this idea...<br />
<b><br />23 March 2020</b><br /><br />Afterwards my riding friend Tom and I met and took a ride out to Front Royal to look for toilet paper. The only TP to be had was with one opportunistic little grocery store in Marshall who was selling an oddball brand of some environmentally-friendly brand for $2 each. I declined, thinking that if it was available in Marshall it should also be further out in Front Royal. Nope. But it was a pleasant ride as the temps were in the high 70s/low 80s.<br /><br /><b>19 March 2020</b><br /><br />I've been creating new articles for the HOGs newsletter and doing front covers for same. I'm all the way into June 2021, Hahahahaha! Well - I find it relaxing.<br /><br /><b>17 March 2020</b><br /><br />Arrrrggghhh! No HOGs rides until at least the 13th of April! The culprit? You guessed it: Coronavirus.<br />
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<b>16 March 2020</b><br />
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I took a little motorcycle ride to Fredericksburg on Friday. I ate at a far less-occupied than usual Golden Corral (horrors!) and, on Friday the 13th (another shudder), did a test ride of a $25,000 2019 black Road Glide Ultra at a Harley dealership. The legal document they make you sign is scary: if you hurt yourself, it is entirely your fault. If you hurt somebody else the dealership is indemnified, and if you damage the bike in any way you are responsible for repairs. Car dealerships don't do this for car test drives. Why do motorcycle dealerships do this? Because it is a common story that young idiots take bikes out and bring them back damaged.<br />
<br />
I liked the ride on the Road Glide Ultra with the hotter 114 cid engine. Stock exhaust, so it had that sewing machine note I think is way wrong for a Harley. This time I also blasted the radio. I must have been the only guy on a Harley to ever play the classic music station on the bike. With earplugs and a full faced helmet I can still hear the stereo, but I'm wondering what's the point? It seems to me that if you have to listen to music on a motorcycle the only way to really do it is via earplugs and an iPod. I may try that for some ride some day, but as it stands now I like the no-distractions aspect of motorcycle riding.<br />
<br />
As is the case nowadays, I fretted not about the greater weight of the Road Glide Ultra. After riding my big, heavy old Road King for more than a year I'm used to a heavy, big-frame bike. I prefer it, in fact. As is also almost always the case, the comparative weight of the bike disappeared when I got it to speed. Modern heavy bikes feel and ride a lot more nimble than they feel in parking lots. What's more, I think I'd look a bit silly on a small bike.<br />
<br />
On Saturday I tried to do yard sales, but there were none. Coronavirus impact again, I wonder? Instead, I bought a plate of steel and fabricated a mounting bracket for my McGregor, Minnesota digital thermometer. (As I did this I felt the approval of the Motorcycle Gods looking down upon me.) This is a much more secure and better-looking mount than stuck upon my rear view mirror or double stick-taped to my brake fluid reservoir. I don't care about hearing music on a ride, but I do like to know the temperature!<br />
<br />
The April HOGs newsletter is about 80% finished. Last night my graphic arts-trained son came by and improved the front cover. These are really coming along quite nicely.<br />
<b><br />13 March 2020</b><br />
<br />
Hahahaha! I rule! So... I edit the HOGs newsletters using MS-Publisher 2003, which version will not take a .pub file and save it as a .pdf file. What I had to do as a workaround was go to a somewhat dodgy limited use website and create my .pdfs that way. Not good. So I obtained an installation disk for MS-Publisher 2010, which will natively save a .pub into the needed .pdf. Hooray! Except that every time I attempted to install it I got an Error 1311 (missing PA561401.CAB file). I supplied the correct .CAB file, but that didn't work. After dorking around with various suggested remedies (including snooping around in the Registry, which is always complex and chancy) I finally tried just installing MS-Publisher and nothing else. Bingo! That did it. I rule! (Sometimes, prevailing against a computer is a simply matter of refusing to give up.)<br />
<br />
It's supposed to be warm and nice today and the roads are drying out from the rainstorms that passed through the region in the early morning. Motorcycle ride! But to where? I don't know. I do know, however, that I have to be in Fairfax for a sinus CT-Scan at 3:30.<br />
<b><br />11 March 2020</b><br />
<br />
An email went out to the HOGs officers last night, asking if we should cancel tonight's membership meeting. The answer was "Hell no," so meet we will. I suspect that the usual hugging and handshaking will be curtailed somewhat, however. Do you suppose that there are staffers at Patriot Harley-Davidson wiping down bikes with disinfectant wipes?<br />
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<b>10 March 2020</b><br />
<br />
The weather yesterday was a-maze-ing. 73 degrees and sunny. So yes, I did take a little motorcycle ride. Very pleasant. No windshield. I love riding my Road King without the windshield.<br />
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<b>9 March 2020</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
I took a ride on Saturday to Front Royal to further explore the place as a retirement home. (<a href="https://youtu.be/7mg7129acmE" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>.) The more I travel out that way the more I like the place. Nice library, too. (Libraries are important in my life.) This time I did a quick stop with a Realtor, got a couple of leads on developments 5 and 9 miles outside of town along route 340 and took a look. As it was a nice, sunny day it was fun.<br />
<br />
Sunday was church and yet another ride - this was a simple one to Quantico, up Joplin Road, up Bristow Road, though Manassas and home again. Sunnier and warmer. Spring is here! I found a new area just outside of downtown Manassas that has new homes: 3 bedroom, 2 bath townhomes with two car garages in the mid 400's. BUT. I asked how much the tax was on these and the salesguy replied about $6,000/year - which is about as high as Fairfax County taxes. Add in the homeowner's fee and the place doesn't look very appealing.<br />
<br />
I also rode to and looked around at the Manassas airport. Never been there.<br />
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<br />
Since I've started riding a motorcycle I've found a ton of Civil War sites and little battlefields that I never knew about...<br />
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<b>6 March 2020</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Bleah! Cold, cloudy day with a probability of rain. So no motorcycle ride.<br />
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<b>4 March 2020</b><br />
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<b></b><br />
A bracing ride into work this morning, 47 degrees, no windshield, dry roads and a rosy sunrise to the east. That goes away next week, however, as we get more daylight on the other end of the day and it's back to riding into work in the dark. I'll take it.<br />
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<b>3 March 2020</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b></b><br />
Wow... I was so taken up by composing stuff for the HOGs newsletter I forgot to write this blog update! I attended a HOGs officers meeting last night and made some notes for stuff I thought of to write. So it was off to the races with that. The last newsletter was well-received. Those guys ain't seen nuthin' yet.<br />
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<b>2 March 2020</b><br />
<br />
So, rides. It being a nice sunny day yesterday I did a ride to Manassas, up Sudley Road, down Waterfall and Hopewell Roads and turned right at The Plains and rode 8 miles to visit Middleburg. Lots of motorcycles in town yesterday. I came back home by way of Manassas and I-66. It was a very scenic Virginia countryside ride on a beautiful day. (<a href="https://youtu.be/G5DDD4VYKUQ" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>.)<br />
<br />
<b>28 February 2020</b><br />
<br />
My poor wife was feeling sick today and took the day off. If you know
her and her work ethic, you'd understand that this takes a lot. She must
be very sick indeed. This being the case, how could I possibly hop onto
the Harley, be out all day, and return at 4 PM or so? So I didn't do
that. Instead, I did some necessary errands (important tax-related
mailing, shirts to the dry cleaners, get cash, drop off stuff at son's
house) and mostly stayed indoors.<br />
<br />
I did do a 2 1/2 hour ride with her acceptance, however. I rode over the
Harley dealership in Fairfax and interviewed a couple of staffers for a
"Know Your Patriot Harley-Davidson Staffer" article I do for the HOGs
newsletter. There were very light snow flurries! That was weird. <br />
<br />
Speaking of which, I sent out the March <i>Stars and Pipes</i> issue
today to great acclaim. Back when I was doing Civil War reenactments
with the 3rd Maryland I was the newsletter editor from 1988 to 1990. In
those three years I raised the day-to-day,
be-here-on-this-day-at-this-hour-here-are-the-directions format of unit
newsletters into something like an art form. Reenactors in other units
all up and down the east coast wanted copies. We all have a certain,
God-given ability; mine is producing interesting newsletters. (And
websites. When I played rugby I used to do the club's site at
rugbyfootball.com - this got great acclaim, too.) So I'm doing that sort
of thing now for the Harley-Davidson crowd in my HOGs chapter. By the
end of the year they will be astounded. <br />
<br />
<b>27 February 2020</b><br />
<br />
A nice ride into work this morning; it was a balmy 40 degrees with a light breeze. At one point I sat at a light and watched part of the sky beginning to turn pink and red, and saw some planet in the sky. It was a cool moment. The days are getting longer!<br />
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<b>26 February 2020</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
I'm still piling up a backlog of covers, articles and filler material for the next nine 2020 HOGs newsletters; yesterday I wrote a review of Harley and the Davidsons (2016). Producing an interesting, readable newsletter isn't hard. You just need to keep your mind open as to ideas for material and make sure that there's a personality or some human interest behind every article or filler piece. Actually, when it comes to newsletters, the baseline is so low that you just have to make some kind of an effort! How many times have we opened a newsletter that was page after page of really dull, dry informational stuff?<br />
<br />
I'm going to think aloud, here: So what sort of stuff provides some sparkle to a newsletter sent to Harley-Davidson motorcycle enthusiasts?<br />
<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Articles about Harley-Davidson history</li>
<li>Articles about the motorcycle culture or Harley culture</li>
<li>Riders profiles featuring the members of the club</li>
<li>Profiles about the staff working at the chartering dealership</li>
<li>Ads and announcements from the chartering dealership</li>
<li>Book, film and television reviews</li>
<li>Articles about the various Harley-Davidson bikes and motorcycle engines</li>
<li>Articles about cool old photographs or Harley advertisements</li>
<li>How-to's about maintenance</li>
<li>Articles about safety</li>
<li>Gear and equipment reviews</li>
<li>Links to especially good YouTube videos (with reviews and comments)</li>
<li>Write-ups about especially good or significant rides</li>
<li>Pages featuring interesting recent photographs (we have two photographers)</li>
<li>Articles about interesting local places to ride to</li>
<li>Re-running old writing or articles that still have interest and relevance</li>
<li>Pieces about interesting motorcycle quotes or humor</li>
</ol>
<br />
<br />
I'm sure I can think of more, but this is a great start. It also takes some literary confidence: I've done this sort of thing with Civil War reenacting-related unit newsletters and a rugby website. I like to claim that I rarely, if ever, have writer's block and am always in need of some creative outlet.<br />
<br />
An important aspect is also making the membership feel enthusiastic about the publication so that when I hit up people for articles and contributions I get more material. There are always X number of people in any organization who like to write and see their names in publications. It just takes finding them.<br />
<br />
<br />
All this being the case, bring on the monthly HOGs newsletter deadlines!<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>25 February 2020</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
I spent some more time building up a library of Harley-Davidson-related articles for future HOGs newsletters. Yesterday I wrote one about Harley-Davidson perfumes, hahahaha!<br />
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<b>24 February 2020</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
I'm sure the Kennedy Center performances on Friday were great, but I didn't go to them. I didn't even take a motorcycle ride! It was cold and gray, and I did other things instead. I bought an air cleaner for the Harley at the Harley dealership - I installed it when I got home, it was easy - and had a most interesting conversation with a young manager there about colorblindness.<br />
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<b>20 February 2020</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Last night I attended a HOGs meeting at the local Harley dealership. When it came my turn to speak - I'm one of the officers - I piped in from the seat of a Road Glide (I don't like sitting in the folding chairs), "Gimme articles!" Somebody asked, "What's the deadline?" I replied, "No deadlines. I work fast. Get it to me when you can and I'll put it in!" I have the March newsletter 90% done; in fact, I'm working on stuff for the April one. My plan is to develop material well in advance so putting these things together isn't such a last minute writing/editing chore.<br />
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<b>18 February 2020</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Yesterday was fun. The weather being sunny and warmish (50s and into the 60s) I got out on the Harley with a friend, who rode his Ultra Classic. (<a href="https://youtu.be/YABltEaVQLM" target="_blank">Video</a>) We rode through a place I have never been before, Remington, VA - known previously as Rappahannock Station. There were two minor Civil War battles fought near there: the First Battle of Rapphannock Station (1862) and the Second Battle of Rappahannock Station. The Second Battle was a notable victory for the Union, the first instance in which Union troops had carried a strongly entrenched Confederate position in the first assault. (The Union Army learned again and again that assaulting strongly entrenched Confederates led to nothing but a lot of graves having to be being dug afterwards.) It was very pleasant being out.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://youtu.be/ZhlwuSs6uPM" target="_blank">James May rides a hydrogen fuel cell-powered electric bike</a>. I like his comment, "Motorcyclists are pack animals and require a leader." I'm going to use that one in the next HOGs newsletter...<br />
<b><br />17 February 2020</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Some time was spent this past weekend on coming up with material for HOGs newsletters. Right now this isn't difficult. I find an old photo of a Harley or people around a Harley and we're off to the races with commentary. <a href="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/fa/d6/40/fad640a3e407092fe402320bc6a2eafb.jpg" target="_blank">The photo of the H. Addison Bowie dealership in Washington, D.C.</a> in the 1920s is a good start, for instance. All sorts of interesting detail in that.<br />
<br />
Today I'm taking a motorcycle ride with a friend from work. I don't know where we're headed. But first I have to do some blood work at my doctor's. <br />
<b><br />12 February 2020</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Good grief. It just dawned on me that the President's Day weekend is coming up. I get Monday off. But first there's St. Valentine's Day on Friday. I already bought my wife a gift: we did a gift-wrapping thing at Patriot Harley-Davidson on Saturday, and, digging through the sale items, she found a great pair of motorcycle boots that fit on sale for $55, down from over $200. I urged her to buy those and she did. So now she has a good quality H-D leather jacket she got for free from our daughter and a terrific pair of sturdy boots. Now all we need is good riding weather.<br />
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<b>10 February 2020</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Friday's ride was rather short because of wariness about standing water and tree debris on the roads; we had a blast of severe weather that morning. Nevertheless, conditions were safe enough for me to eat lunch in Clifton and take a short ride to nowhere in particular, just following roads to see where they led.<br />
<br />
I also changed out the spark plugs in the Harley. Wow, what a difference! Acceleration is much more zippy now. The change-out was easy to do; I think I'm going to change the plugs every 15,000 miles from now on. (The Harley recommended interval is 30,000 miles, but it's easy and inexpensive to do.)<br />
<b><br />7 February 2020</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Rain, rain, rain - and wind. In fact, we had a mighty blow this morning. So it doesn't look like I'll be doing any motorcycle rides today, does it? But after Noon it's supposed to stop raining and simply turn partially cloudy, so perhaps I'll get one of my short "Better than Nothing" rides in. Maybe I should use the day to put new spark plugs in the Harley...<br />
<br />
I finished <i>One Up, Four Down</i>, the personal narrative about motorcycles by a Welshman living nearby in Fairfax. I wrote a book review of it for my next HOGs newsletter. I enjoyed this novel (despite the fact that this fellow owned only one Harley).<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>5 February 2020</b><br />
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Doing research on Los Lobos, I happened across this promotional art for <i>Mayan</i>s, a follow-up production to <i>Sons of Anarchy</i>. "Hey, that's a Road King with ape hangers," thought I. Turns out the Road King is one of the favored bikes of what's called the California Cholo Style. I actually like some of the more restrained ones, but I don't see myself spending the money to do this on my own bike!<br />
<br />
<br />
I did an oil and filter change on my Harley yesterday. Every 5,000 miles. It went well; garage floor oil spillage was kept to an absolute minimum by my trick of putting a cardboard trough under the filter while I'm removing it. Next: spark plugs - but I need to buy them first. I think I'll get NGK Iridium IX's. When I changed the plugs on my Suzuki Boulevard I noticed an instant improvement in get-up-and-go. I expect it'll be the same with the Harley.<br />
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<b>3 February 2020</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
On Friday I took a ride on my Harley on a gray and cold day. The temps stayed about 42/43 degrees on the road. I started somewhat late and I didn't want to go far... the gloomy clouds just took my mood for it away. What's more, I was making all sorts of little motorcycle mistakes: When I came to a stop a couple of times I was somewhat off-balance so I couldn't stay in place with just my left leg and needed both legs, I once shifted from second to third without using the clutch, I nearly did a lane change into a car (it's a good thing I always turn my head and visually confirm where I'm headed), sometimes my feet in my new boots were a bit clumsy coming off the floorboards, etc. So I decided to call the ride quits after a short trip to The Plains and went home. It was the first ride I've ever done where I didn't feel an attitudinal lift for being on the Harley.<br />
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<b>29 January 2020</b><br />
<br />
Nice motorcycle commute into work this morning. As a practical matter, 40 degrees is much warmer than the high 20s!<br />
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<b>27 January 2020</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
On Friday I took a ride on the Harley to go see what Leeds Manor Road was like; it was the result of staring at a Google Maps page and looking to find places and roads I haven't been to yet. I rode it from I-66 to Warrenton. It was a gray and dreary day... when I got to Warrenton it started to drizzle, and by the time I got to Gainesville it was raining lightly. Ugh! That and temps in the 40s is no fun. So I headed home. But I took a <a href="https://youtu.be/mlwx5yX6VWc" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>. As it turned out, Hume, Virginia, which I rode through, has a few interesting historical features.<br />
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<b>21 January 2020</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Weekend recap: On Friday I didn't take a motorcycle ride. It was too cold and I didn't feel up to it at all. I read and did errands instead. The following day, Saturday, it snowed just under an inch. I had a HOGs calendar planning meeting I attended. On Sunday I took a short, cold bike ride to Clifton and back. I should have worn my heated gloves.<br />
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<b>17 January 2020</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Brrrrr. It was 31 degrees outside when I woke up and it's only supposed to be about 38 degrees today. Sunny - which helps. But I like it to be at least in the 40s if I'm going to spend the entire day out on a bike. I'm still getting over a cold I had; I may forgo the usual long Friday motorcycle ride today.<br />
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<b>16 January 2020</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
The ride into work on the Harley yesterday was 47 degrees and drizzly - this morning it was 56 and clear. What a difference nine degrees makes! It was much pleasanter today.<br />
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<b>13 January 2020</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
A very motorcycle weekend! On Friday morning I replaced the heater blend module on Big Red, which required some more contortions under the dash of Big Red. The hot-cold air control works fine now. Then, feeling kind of crummy from a cold, I went back to bed. I was lying there thinking, "This is a Friday. Get out and ride!" So eventually I did. I do tend to feel a lot better when I'm on the bike. I recall rugby practice being like that fifteen years ago or so: You don't want to do it if you don't feel 100% up to it, but once you get out there you're fine.<br />
<br />
I took a short ride: up Sudley Road from where it begins in Manassas, past Catharpin, to where it ends 13 miles later at Route 15 at a place called Woolsey. I then tooled around some back roads a bit, saw a couple of Civil War sites I've never seen before and went back home to bed. No video this time.<br />
<br />
On Saturday morning I attended the Motorcycle Show in the D.C. Convention Center. It was... good. I met Spurgeon from Revzilla, a YouTube personality. I asked him some questions he didn't expect (I can always do that) about presentation skills, etc. He admitted that he was in theater in high school. I thought something along those lines may have been the case. I'm wondering how many of those YouTube personalities have the usual backgrounds: degrees in broadcast journalism or theater, etc. I suspect the answer is, few.<br />
<br />
The motorcycle show could have been and should have been bigger, though. Last year it was in the main hall; this year it was in the basement! I "rode" a stationary Harley Livewire, their new electric bike, and had my questions answered by a Harley rep.<br />
<br />
<br />
In the evening Cari and I attended the HOGs banquet, which was a lot of fun. This year it was held at a classy locale: the Fairfax Army-Navy Club. I got a number of compliments on my newsletter... the one for March will be better.<br />
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<b>10 January 2020</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Maybe I'll be able to ride today when it warms up a little. Normally I enjoy being out in the cold on a bike (dressed appropriately, of course), but this week I've been draggy getting over some kind of cold. My voice sounds like I'm recovering from laryngitis. Maybe I just need more caffeine. Or perhaps I ought to just go back to bed.<br />
<br />
<br />
Tomorrow morning I attend the Motorcycle Show in D.C., and in the evening Cari and I attend the HOGs annual banquet. It's a Total Motorcycle Saturday!<br />
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<b>9 January 2020</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
The monthly HOG chapter meeting was last night and I attended to have my picture taken for the display case in Patriot Harley-Davidson. Two years ago if you had told me that my likeness was going to appear in a display case in a Harley dealership I'd have told you that you were nuts.<br />
<br />
<br />
People seemed to like my first newsletter for the club. I have a bunch of ideas to make it better.<br />
<br />
<b>7 January 2020</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
I also attended a long HOGs officers meeting last night. When I was invited to do the newsletter the commitment was for 11 issues a year. At some point the thinking became to do 4 a year - a quarterly. When it came my time to speak I mentioned that I thought I could deliver enough content to do the eleven I signed up for and that the club had been producing for years. So we're back to eleven issues. By the end of the year I wonder if I'll regret that action...<br />
<br />
<br />
Nah. It's a personal challenge, obviously, but I'm pretty good at producing content and I think I can come up with a publication that people will find interesting. I have some ideas. (I always have ideas. It's a gift.)<br />
<b><br /></b>
"<a href="https://thelifeofarider.com/ousted-mc-member-bought-a-fake-hells-angels-patch-online-uploaded-pic-on-fb-to-scare-his-former-club-buddies?fbclid=IwAR04esxrUts_FkSx2-2PRug-1_J_Y8fxDZPkZHasLyuMFnBEd5RwXew2d7Y" target="_blank">Ousted Motorcycle Club Member Bought A Fake Hells Angels Patch Online, Uploaded Pic on Facebook To “Scare” His Former Club Buddies!</a>" - I don't really think the phrase "stolen valor" applies here. Reading articles like this unavoidably remind me of <a href="https://youtu.be/gyhy7Z71qzE" target="_blank">the scene</a> in Pee-Wee's Big Adventure where he encounters Satan's Helpers MC and knocks all their motorcycles over.<br />
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<b>6 January 2020</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
No motorcycle ride on Friday - it rained, just like the weather guys said it would. But I did got in line for a safety inspection and had the bike stickered for 2020 before the first raindrops fell.<br />
<br />
This evening I meet with the other officers in my HOGs club for an officers' meeting. Since I'm the newsletter editor I get to attend. All I really want to do is ride...<br />
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<b>3 January 2020</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
I don't think today is going to be any good for a motorcycle ride. The streets are all wet from this morning's rain and the weather prospects for the rest of the day aren't all that great. Nevertheless, I need to take the Harley in for a safety inspection at the nearby gas station, and I may be doing a short "Better than Nothing" ride. I have a lot of errands and little projects to catch up with today.<br />
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<b>1 January 2020</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b></b><br />
Yesterday I did a "Last Day of the Year" ride with the HOGs. A short one, 82 miles total (which includes my ride to and from). We rode from Patriot Harley-Davidson to a pub in Great Falls, VA. <a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/tFJerS9qKXaNvkKi8" target="_blank">Took a photo</a>. That was it. I did not do a video of this one, which was a shame because we had 21 Harleys on the ride. We drove through some very expensive properties in the woods. (CNNMoney ranked Great Falls first in the nation on its list of "top earning towns" in 2011. Another statistic of interest: The median income for a household in the Census Designated Place of Great Falls was $189,545, and the median income for a family was $201,250.)<br />
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<b>30 December 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
I did indeed take a motorcycle ride on Friday, this time to <a href="https://goo.gl/maps/hsxmAKt7ZqWzHYvXA" target="_blank">Fairview Beach, VA</a> in King George County. (It qualifies as a beach because it's on the Potomac River.) What was once just a place on a map is now known to me. Is it a candidate retirement home? Probably not. Too small. But I should investigate King George County some more. On Friday I wrote, "...I'm in the mood for a longish, contemplative ride down a freeway." Not on Friday! I spent an undue amount of time sitting in traffic because of people travelling back home after the holiday. I probably should have headed west and not south down the frequently jammed I-95! <a href="https://youtu.be/Yu2DPoBW0ck" target="_blank">VIDEO</a><br />
<b><br /></b>
Oh, and I need to get the Harley safety inspected. This is basically a matter of riding it up to the garage doors of the local gas station after waiting about 45 minutes, blowing the horn, confirming that the turn signals all work and showing the mechanic the tires and brakes (they're new) and getting a new sticker. Automotive safety stickers are part of the Virginia Nanny State, urged on by legislative lobbies such as those funded by Jiffy-Lube, Advantage Auto Parts, etc. My friend tells me that when the electorate in Utah decided to get rid of the practice those were the bugs who emerged when the lights were turned on as being the proponents for safety stickers. And <a href="https://www.thezebra.com/insurance-news/3175/vehicle-inspections-really-safety/" target="_blank">read this</a>: "...there isn’t a clear-cut correlation here between requiring a safety inspection and fewer deaths or lower insurance rates."<br />
<b><br /></b>
Did you ever read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance? I did back in the Nineties as a part of a post-graduate college class. Complete waste of time. Anyway, the <a href="https://www.revzilla.com/common-tread/zen-and-the-art-of-motorcycle-maintenance-honda-resurfaces?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=boosted-posts|tpfn-content&utm_content=common-tread-news&utm_term=zen-and-the-art-of-motorcycle-maintenance-honda-resurfaces-121819-|tpfn&fbclid=IwAR0gkejQ4mU0o72ocljHa-jMsJPeHVucV3fS9syQchcyV9TvHMKysoeepJA" target="_blank">Honda motorcycle that the author mentions in the book has surfaced</a>.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>27 December 2019</b>I rode to the Patriot Harley dealership in Fairfax hoping for, say,
a half-price mesh jacket for summer wear - but no. I did get a nice
little ride in. Highs were in the upper 50s and sunny. <a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/RSqvwEnBdg7ioNWB7" target="_blank">My new Harley boots</a>
work great! They are much warmer than the Dingo boots I've been wearing
(in fact, they're waterproof), and provide a more positive and solid
road feel when I have to maneuver my bike around with my feet on the
pavement. <br />
<br />
Friday! The weather is supposed to be cloudy but into the mid-50s.
That's motorcycle ride weather! Where shall I go? I really haven't a
clue right now. But I'm in the mood for a longish, contemplative ride
down a freeway. <br />
<b><br />24 December 2019</b><br />
<br />
I installed a new battery on the Harley yesterday; thanks to a YouTube
video it took all of about twenty minutes. The bike starts a lot more
readily now. With that and the battery tender I shouldn't have any
starting problems during the winter months ahead.<br />
<br />
<b>23 December 2019</b><br />
<br />
My bike starts in cold temps with the battery tender, but it doesn't
start as readily as it used to. I suspect the battery is growing weak.
If it's the original battery - and I suspect it is - it's now three
years old. It's probably time for me to get a new battery. Either that
or get stranded somewhere while on a ride on a cold day.<br />
<br />
<b>20 December 2019<br /><br /> </b>I have the day off. I'll ride somewhere on my Harley when it warms up a
bit... last time I looked the outdoor temp was 24 degrees. <a href="https://youtu.be/ym3OUrcPMXM" target="_blank">VIDEO - ROAD KING LIKES AND DISLIKES</a>. <br />
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<b>17 December 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
On Sunday my wife, being a good sport, went out on a cold Christmas lights HOGs ride with me. (<a href="https://youtu.be/HICuI2LHCqY" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>) After an hour riding in 39-40 degree temps we found ourselves in Springfield and so ended somewhat early and went home, her feet frozen. I was fine. Her comment was, "I'm not getting on that bike again unless it's at least 55 degrees out!" Being cold is not her thing at all. Me? I'm fat enough so that I'm usually fine.<br />
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Speaking of HOGs I am now the newsletter editor, and have created and formatted five pages of the January-February newsletter. I'm waiting on some direction about ads and some other contributions, but the issue is underway. I have done this sort of thing before with Civil War reenacting units and doing my rugby club's website. It appears right now that my primary challenge is technical: producing a .pdf formatted file that can be uploaded to the HOGs website (somebody else is managing that) from a Microsoft Publisher .pub file.<br />
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<b>5 December 2019</b><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXJsydEb0R9ryWXbUSzyOzCsuAyW6onNxYxTQ-_0gvxtZCvSZMqIXhVQzHtkRTEyKiT-_Ly_yLfQxh_8untv0Kk6CmwTB_kyNFJ4S6166av6zY2Us-TKhQxHWw38GBZCD47bd0BHW7tXCm/s1600/leslie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="411" data-original-width="408" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXJsydEb0R9ryWXbUSzyOzCsuAyW6onNxYxTQ-_0gvxtZCvSZMqIXhVQzHtkRTEyKiT-_Ly_yLfQxh_8untv0Kk6CmwTB_kyNFJ4S6166av6zY2Us-TKhQxHWw38GBZCD47bd0BHW7tXCm/s320/leslie.jpg" width="317" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Me in 1966: Ape hangers, banana seat, girl on the back.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I see that it has been a while since I've uploaded any motorcycle content. Given that next year I will be editing the HOGS chapter newsletter it behooves me to produce some text here I can reuse...<br />
<br />
One of the completely unexpected things that has come with riding my Harley involves being out on cold days dressed in my leathers. Being out and about in 40 degree temps on the freeway and country roads has caused me to vividly remember the thrill I got riding around in cold weather on <a href="http://wesclark.com/am/stingray.html" target="_blank">my 1964 flamboyant lime Schwinn Sting Ray</a>. I loved that bike. I'd put on whatever ski jacket or cattleman's jacket my mother bought me and ride about the neighborhood all day, enjoying the fact that I was out in the cold. Breezes only amplified the feeling. I found it bracing, thrilling and just plain fun. Blasting down I-95 with the temps in the 40s causing a good wind chill factor reminds me a lot of the high I used to get as a kid. Apparently, somewhere deep down inside of me I find riding a bicycle/motorcycle in the cold to be immensely fulfilling. Gusty days only make it more invigorating.<br />
<br />
Perhaps needless to say I'm a lot better dressed on the Harley than I was on the Schwinn! I wear a lined leather "Perfecto"-styled jacket, battery-powered heated gloves, a full face helmet with a scarf, and thermals under sturdy cotton canvas Carhartt pants with leather chaps. I also wear thick socks under my boots. Dressed like that I'm comfortable down to the low 30s (high 20s for shorter rides). And subcutaneous fat... let's not forget about that! I don't get cold easily. I've caught my reflection in store windows occasionally; I look like a black bear on a Road King.<br />
<br />
"Cold weather" in Burbank, California when I was a kid usually meant the 50s, not the 40s or 30s as in Northern Virginia.<br />
<br />
I'm an engineer, so numbers are important to me. This being the case I attached a digital thermometer to my left rear view mirror so I always know what temperature it is. This, too, fulfills some deeply-ingrained need within me. It's also practical. For instance, I know once it hits the fifties that I don't need the scarf anymore.<br />
<br />
The presence or absence of sunlight is also important. On a motorcycle, sunlight is very cheering. It may be meteorologically cold, but it feels psychologically warmer with the sun out. (I may be getting some heating from sunlight striking all that black leather.) Also fun: You stop into a Starbucks or some other place for some hot chocolate and people demand to know, "Isn't it too cold to be on a motorcycle outside?" No! Only for the faint of heart! Hahahaha! (Bragging rights in one's sixties are hard to come by.)<br />
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<br />
Yes, yes, pleasant weather motorcycle riding is a lot of fun - but cold weather riding has its charms as well. And, as they say, "You never see a motorcycle parked outside of a psychologist's office." Seasonal affective disorder? As long as the roads are in good shape I know how to keep it at bay!<br />
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<b>3 December 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
I haven't ridden my Harley in a week! Not good.<br />
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<b>25 November 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
I did no motorcycle riding at all this past weekend; it rained on Friday. I spent the day mostly indoors and out running errands. I visited Patriot Harley-Davidson where I found <a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/49EmcdrXxVcXU8eP9" target="_blank">a great pair of boots on clearance</a>, $126 down from $209. They're waterproof and have grippy, oil-resistant soles. They also have additional leather on the tops where the shift lever comes in contact. Nice.<br />
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<b>21 November 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
A warm ride into work this morning on the Harley: 39 degrees. It sounds cold but compared to 29 degrees it's much better! Plus I'm becoming used to the cold weather now.<br />
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<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/auto/mustang-mach-ford-can-build" target="_blank">Ford is coming out with the electric Mustang</a> to challenge Tesla. Sure, I can see it. Who better? But talking with the guys in the local custom motorcycle shop they were incensed, like an electric Mustang represented some kind of heresy. (And the article comments contain some of that: "If your Mustang has four doors and an electric motor, you don’t have a Mustang.") I guess Harley guys - and Mustang guys - are deeply wedded to gasoline engines. My guess is that most of them haven't experienced the astonishing and gratifying instant torque that electric motors can make. <a href="https://youtu.be/rmm8TRCNYNw" target="_blank">I have</a>!<br />
<br />
I was at the shop the other day to investigate installing 18" ape hangers on my Road King. They brought out a couple of heights of handlebars and it appears that an 18" height is about right for me. <a href="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/B8LZdYCLzFE/maxresdefault.jpg" target="_blank">It looks like this</a>. <a href="https://www.hdforums.com/forum/attachments/touring-models/260387d1342066066-16-or-18-ape-hangers-on-a-road-king-with-a-windshield-pics-img_2475.jpg" target="_blank">Or this</a>. I like that look. Classic 1960s Schwinn Sting Ray - which was trying to look like Harley choppers of the era. I'm a tall guy, and so 18" apes make my arms about level with my shoulders; going higher than that is a mistake. Two of the white-haired bike guys - wizened with age and experience - asked, "Are you uncomfortable with what you have now? Do you get shoulder or back pain after long rides?" As my answer is "no," their suggestion is, "Then leave things be." They can do it for $750. I can do it for less. I'll... think about it.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.revzilla.com/common-tread/monkeying-around-the-straight-dope-on-ape-hanger-handlebars" target="_blank">Lemmy, an articulate and knowledgeable motorcycle writer, has this to say about apes</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
The guys in the shop have a <a href="https://youtu.be/XlQk7K-OIZM" target="_blank">1982 FLH</a> I wanted to test ride (it has apes), but the bike has shift and throttle problems and I wasn't able to get it moving. The shop guy - used to old bikes - could, though.<br />
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<b>20 November 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
I accepted the position of Editor within the HOGs yesterday, so I have a newsletter to produce in January. (And February, and March, etc.) I said I'd do it for at least a year. I got in touch with the present editor who sent me the .pub file from the last issue, which I can successfully open and manipulate using MS Publisher. I have an idea for the cover of the January issue: a Harley-Davidson logo with snow piled on top. Mostly stark white.<br />
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<b>19 November 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Yesterday I took a short ride on the Harley to Quantico and back to fetch a proper Marine Corps sticker for the back of Big Red. (Every car I have ever owned has had one of these on the back window.) Recently it has come to me that being on my Harley in the cold blustery weather reminds me a lot of being on my Schwinn Sting Ray in cold blustery weather when I was a kid - it was something I weirdly enjoyed doing. There's a certain mental high involved with being out in the cold but dressed warmly in leather; I guess you can call it a Weather Defiance High. Anyway, it's good for my soul. "You never see a motorcycle parked outside of a psychiatrist's office."<br />
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<b>18 November 2019</b><br />
<br />
I didn't do the Friday HOGs ride for family emergency reasons. Oh, well. I was looking forward to it but there will be others.<br />
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<b>15 November 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
No Friday ride today. I got a 1:48 AM call from my son to watch grandsons #'s 1, 2 and 3 while #4 was being taken to the hospital for croup. Family trumps motorcycling! (The baby is better.)<b> </b><br />
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<b>14 November 2019</b><br />
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Interesting ride into work this morning. First of all, the thermometer read 26 degrees, which is my coldest ride thus far. Despite the fact that I had my heated gloves set to all the way warm, by the time I got into work not quite twenty minutes later my fingertips were cold. What's the wind chill like at 26 degrees doing between 70 and 80 miles per hour (in the dark so there's no warming via sunlight)? The National Weather Service says that's 2.2 degrees! Nevertheless I saw a couple of joggers out. Whhhhaaaaaat? And an enormous pile-up cars and cop vehicles (red and blue lights a-flashing) near the I-395 on-ramp. What happened there? I don't know, but it didn't affect me, save being blinded by bright red and blue lights.<br />
<br />
Me and a big Can-Am were more or less keeping pace on the Express Lanes. Those things have 1300 cc engines - I see they can hold 75-80 mph. And at one point at a light a guy on a signal yellow Honda Gold Wing pulled up next to me. We looked at each other and laughed, as if to say, "Why are we on these things in this cold?!?" It was fun, really.<br />
<br />
I attended a HOGs meeting last night, seated upon an attractive <a href="https://www.harley-davidson.com/us/en/motorcycles/road-glide-limited.html" target="_blank">2020 Road Glide Limited</a>. You can get one for less than $30K! And the fact that I think that's some kind of a deal tells me that I've become accustomed to Harley-Davidson sticker shock. Most of the HOGs, I've noticed, ride top-end Harleys. I'm kind of slumming it on <a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/7cqjnm13FMnivwjS7" target="_blank">my Road King</a>. But don't get me wrong: I love my Road King...<br />
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<br />
<a href="https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipNv295txeLlUYOcF5dAIQie8k4DkP8N9CG5XJQAfDNVad5Np9zVhGFZw2zj6Zqs6w?key=Q29OdnVzREpWbEZJMFZCZHhPUTRzSzRmbzg3bkNB" target="_blank">Funny things seen on a motorcycle helmet recently</a>.<br />
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<b>13 November 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
26 degrees this morning. I'm too lazy and I have not yet acquired my winter acclimatization to cold, so I drove the car into work rather than rode this morning. Perhaps tomorrow morning will warm up to a balmier 30-something degrees and I'll ride.<br />
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<b>12 November 2019</b><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7GyI9mQOoYpak4ydGRDxbLzcq54ZZZ1UkVmnRX1XBl_gXMTIgQAz4kRUNvhJ8-OQTk8ZUAx1aS8DCCqB5mPXA4WYv5fLawfd8InjwY5cOivzFvDdim1p4RGsbIdLDGKgU8LWKNfMxp0KQ/s1600/4a652c837e7027de4b005dd4e060301e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="362" data-original-width="550" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7GyI9mQOoYpak4ydGRDxbLzcq54ZZZ1UkVmnRX1XBl_gXMTIgQAz4kRUNvhJ8-OQTk8ZUAx1aS8DCCqB5mPXA4WYv5fLawfd8InjwY5cOivzFvDdim1p4RGsbIdLDGKgU8LWKNfMxp0KQ/s320/4a652c837e7027de4b005dd4e060301e.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The Honda Motocompo</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On Veterans Day - yesterday - I did the annual "Dee's Ride" with the Fairfax HOGs (Harley Owners Group). <a href="https://youtu.be/AyqyGN_peQo" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>. We rode down to Quantico National Cemetery (where I plan to be buried someday), stopped by the marker of Dee, the Road Captain's wife who was a Marine corporal, and attended a ceremony at the cemetery. Then we rode to Nokesville via pleasant country roads and had lunch at the inevitable Mexican food place. (They didn't have a Gringoburger so I had the Caesar salad.) Very pleasant and the most appropriate way to spend Veterans Day, I think.<br />
<br />
We all split up to ride home and I discovered that one of the HOGs lived in Springfield - in my yard sales hunting grounds as it turned out. I followed him. He showed me an interesting alternate path home from Manassas along a pleasant country road. Fortunately it was a nice day yesterday. It started out cold (heated gloves, long johns and chaps necessary) and by 1 PM or so the weather hit a sunny 70 degrees.<br />
<br />
The day before, Sunday, I did yet another motorcycle thing, the monthly "Bikes and Breakfast" gathering in Clifton. <a href="https://youtu.be/fs3SCZwiqSI" target="_blank">VIDEO</a> I've been to a number of these. At this one I met a guy from work I used to supervise, so we talked and talked. Somebody always brings something novel and interesting to these: At the end of the video you can see one guy's 1983 fold-up <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Motocompo" target="_blank">Honda Motocompo</a> scooter meant to be transportable in the trunk of a car!<br />
<br />
So it was a real motorcycle weekend: something going on <a href="https://youtu.be/l9ZRDxw6Vz0" target="_blank">Friday</a>, Sunday and Monday. Hooray for good riding weather in November!<br />
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>11 November 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Happy Veterans Day! I have today off, and am going on a ride with the HOGS. These being the HOGs, we will undoubtedly be doing something honorific.<br />
<br />
Yesterday I took a ride to Clifton for the usual second Sunday in the month "Bikes and Breakfast" gathering. There I bumped into a guy I used to supervise at work. We chatted, and me and a few Marines (there are always former Marines at any motorcycle gathering or dealership) all wished each other a happy birthday (10 Nov, 1775). <a href="https://youtu.be/fs3SCZwiqSI" target="_blank">VIDEO</a><br />
<br />
On Friday me and Tommy took a ride up to Motorcycles of Dulles; he's never been there before. We found ourselves test riding a Polaris Slingshot - that was fun. <a href="https://youtu.be/l9ZRDxw6Vz0" target="_blank">And yes, there's a video for that, too</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
Wow! I have 107 videos in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr" target="_blank">my motorcycle playlist</a>. That was quick.<br />
<br />
<b>8 November 2019</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI2mFOEipPo_8Qup6YZHlGMMr5OL4-4JDdU7yGL915TUkgKSI45jVNd2jSwdQrX1fhJ88KP828cnFXv6biu8i61rF3YQPNWdcW7NRclXF8uCIO3cRMBK5utDMNsNFp-Lewmz39n9Vt0KkS/s1600/easyriders.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="666" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI2mFOEipPo_8Qup6YZHlGMMr5OL4-4JDdU7yGL915TUkgKSI45jVNd2jSwdQrX1fhJ88KP828cnFXv6biu8i61rF3YQPNWdcW7NRclXF8uCIO3cRMBK5utDMNsNFp-Lewmz39n9Vt0KkS/s320/easyriders.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Right now it's 37 degrees outside. I'm meeting my friend Tom for a ride
at 11 AM. Today will require heated gloves, long johns, leather chaps
and a scarf. I zipped in the liner to my leather jacket, too. And we
won't be out until 4 or 5, either - it gets too dark too soon these
days. So my Friday winter rides won't be quite as epic as they can be
during the summer. <br />
<br />
Today's image? Well, I have a reader who sends me a text message
whenever I post a photo of a striking woman. He's partial to brunettes.
So today's image is what I suspect may be a Hispanic gal riding a
chopper down San Fernando Road in Burbank, circa 1970. It was originally
in a copy of <i>Easyriders</i> magazine, I believe.<br />
<br />
I've never seen (or heard) this gal riding by, sorry to report. <br />
<br />
<b>7 November 2019</b><br />
<br />
I road-tested my Harley with 42 psi in both tires. It rides just fine; I
can barely tell a difference. This morning it was 45 degrees riding
into work - heated glove weather! And it's time to zip the liner back
into my leather jacket.<br />
<br />
It occurs to me that <a href="https://youtu.be/WdYkPvmxx-c" target="_blank">I need an obnoxious 130 dB motorcycle horn</a> since drivers don't bother using their mirrors.<br />
<br />
<b>5 November 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Big motorcycle news! I stopped by the local custom shop, the folks who installed my new tires, and asked them their recommendation for tire inflation. They said 42 psi front and back. (Harley says 36 front, 40 back.) "Why?" I asked. Because that's Dunlop's recommendation. And they should last a bit longer with the higher pressure. Hm. Normally I've been going with Harley's recommendation, but I inflated the tires to 42 psi each and will try riding around on that and see if I notice any handling or cornering differences. I'm guessing that I won't.<br />
<br />
On Sunday a family friend from church - a young mother - asked me for a ride on the Harley. Her father used to ride her around on a Gold Wing in Canada in the fall and so I gave her a nostalgic ride through the pretty woods to Clifton and back. (We are just past the peak of the season insofar as leaf colors is concerned.) While waiting at the world's longest red light at the intersection of 123 and Lee Chapel Road, WHAM!, a truck hit a deer (better the truck than us), the carcass of which went sliding into the middle of the intersection about thirty feet to the front and side of us. After a bit of kicking the deer died.<br />
<br />
I know how to show a girl a good time.<br />
<br />
<b>4 November 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<a href="https://spectator.org/the-deadwire-harley-davidsons-failed-electric-motorcycle/" target="_blank">Eric Peters hates Harley and electric bikes</a>. Garbage article, as I point out in my reply (I'm in the comments section as "Jonah B"). The problem with motorcyclists and their opinions of electric bikes is that very few have actually ridden one. In conversations I have yet to talk to a motorcyclist who, like me, has test ridden one. I've test ridden two Zeros: <a href="https://youtu.be/y6SqrB4s1AI" target="_blank">Zero S</a> (their base bike), <a href="https://youtu.be/rmm8TRCNYNw" target="_blank">Zero FXS</a>. They are a hoot to ride and make perfect sense as commuter bikes.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>29 October 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Yesterday, my daughter being in town, I took her out on the Harley to lunch at my usual hangout in Clifton, then to the Manassas battlefield, then to Linden (<a href="https://www.theapplehouse.net/Home" target="_blank">the Apple House</a> - a favorite motorcyclist stop) and back. 125 mile ride. It was fun! The leaves are in full autumn color in Virginia and it was a sunny, pleasant day. She borrowed my wife's helmet and I installed the passenger backrest.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>25 October 2019</b><br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnLQoRPxPUfpGRvUs86BE8QNf7jpFts11Lbf7A7LK-CDRByvlGSYnob-DJ2xQUMfin3fcEcWU13wUEh4Ui_YidCMatK80relkUUXjAZyEjyzfRr2ayCWlYeuTw_N_lJVroqwp_nhqTVthQ/s1600/balloon_road_king.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="720" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnLQoRPxPUfpGRvUs86BE8QNf7jpFts11Lbf7A7LK-CDRByvlGSYnob-DJ2xQUMfin3fcEcWU13wUEh4Ui_YidCMatK80relkUUXjAZyEjyzfRr2ayCWlYeuTw_N_lJVroqwp_nhqTVthQ/s320/balloon_road_king.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Balloon Road King</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
No ride today. I spent four hours at the hospital while my son was
getting a procedure (not a big deal or a scary thing). When I got back
home I did a quick "Better than Nothing" ride to Manassas and sold a
gold maple leaf at the coin shop. That's pretty much it! <br />
<br />
<b>24 October 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
One of the things I did while I was in McGregor, Minnesota was to buy a digital thermometer while in <a href="https://youtu.be/QbBSuMtlOjw" target="_blank">an especially well-provisioned Ace Hardware store</a>. I spray painted it black and stuck it to one of my rear view mirrors. Before, I got a reflection of my shoulder as well as the lane in back of me. But now I can see what the temperature is.<br />
<br />
During yesterday's 70-80 mph blast up the I-395 Express lane to work it was 52 degrees. This morning it was 45. My ride to work usually takes only about 20 minutes, and I am now at the point where if it were to take longer I'd want my battery-powered heated gloves and long johns! Visor fogging is still a problem. I have to keep my visor cracked a little - which isn't objectionable at 45 degrees with the windshield, but would be were it colder.<br />
<br />
<br />
According to <a href="https://www.cyclefish.com/public/album_photo/dd/c5/02/2c11a_be3e.jpg?c=5b31" target="_blank">this motorcycle wind chill chart</a>, this morning it was around freezing. It didn't feel like it. My thick leather jacket is really warm!<br />
<br />
<b>21 October 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Yes! I did go on a motorcycle ride on Friday. <a href="https://youtu.be/dEzqmOZqfWQ" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>. It was a cool but very pleasant and sunny day. Hearing on the news that the Park Service had recently re-opened Beach Drive through Washington D.C., I put a ride together involving heading north through D.C. along the Rock Creek parklands to the LDS Temple in Kensington, then riding through some small and pleasant communities between D.C. and Baltimore (I ate lunch in front of a Quaker meeting house), then rode to Baltimore's Federal Hill and Ft. McHenry. I took Route 1 through Laurel, a community between D.C. and Baltimore where I lived 33 years ago, and encountered unpleasant traffic on the Beltway home. T'was a fun and unusual 153 mile ride for me - but I won't be taking the Road King through major cities anymore. The Road King was designed to maintain 70+ mph on highways for days on end, not muddle through crowded city streets! You want a lighter, more fleet bike for that - like an electric Zero SR-F.<br />
<br />
<b>17 October 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Ghost Rider</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It was a fun, exciting, brisk ride into work this morning in the dark. 53 degrees with gusty winds. I wore my leather jacket and fall/winter gloves. I am considering putting white LED strips under my gas tank to further illuminate the bike in the dark. It's always better if cars can see me as well as hear me! There's a hole for another switch on a chrome piece on the fork; that can be the LED switch.<br />
<br />
Perhaps I ought to consider a flaming skull mask for Halloween. Ride around on Halloween Eve and scare small children. All right, who makes one? <a href="https://youtu.be/lkQ-lPdZXfQ?t=1206" target="_blank">There's this one</a>, indicating that the technology is available, but this is a custom job and, frankly, looks dangerous. And then there's <a href="https://youtu.be/pqUlapwY4uI" target="_blank">this one</a>, but it looks lame (but not as lame as <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/478336876/childs-flaming-skull-mask?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=flaming+skull+mask&ref=sr_gallery-1-7" target="_blank">this</a>). Or simply buy <a href="https://acimg.auctivacommerce.com/imgdata/0/1/7/0/5/0/webimg/14675504.jpg" target="_blank">this</a>. Here we go, <a href="https://www.techeblog.com/this-3d-printed-ghost-rider-mask-is-a-flaming-skull-complete-with-smoke-effects/" target="_blank">THIS ONE</a>!<br />
<br />
<br />
On second thought, I'll just stick to my Bell helmet.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>10 October 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Well, I was planning to attend the HOGs meeting last night, but then I learned that a friend of ours had a heart attack and was taken to the hospital. So we drove down to Fredericksburg to visit him. He's doing better and is under observation, so... good.<br />
<br />
I always ask, "And what have we learned?" Calm down! (Especially once you're retired...) I had a nuclear exercise stress test in early 2015; all is well. No scary blockages.<br />
<br />
<br />
I rode the Harley into work this morning. A little chilly! So I wore my leather jacket and thicker gloves. It's a transitional season right now: leather jacket and thicker gloves into work, mesh jacket and mesh gloves to go home. Nothing remarkable this morning save that I got into work in a flash: about 17 minutes in the Express Lane. I drove the Bug yesterday and it took almost 40 minutes along regular I-395.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>8 October 2019</b><br />
<br />
I picked up my Harley from the shop yesterday. It now has two new tires in addition to new brake pads. I'm safe! Well, safer.<br />
<br />
<b>7 October 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
I did indeed take a motorcycle ride to Deale, Maryland on Friday -<a href="https://youtu.be/szPcnThlqyU" target="_blank"> and that video is here</a>. What did I learn? We're not going to be retiring anywhere in Maryland. Realtors are generally the most optimistic people in society. When two of them shake their heads "no" when you ask about the possibility of retiring in Maryland that's pretty bad! The realtors in North Beach said exactly the same thing that the lady behind the antiques store counter in Deale said: "People leave Maryland to retire in Delaware or Pennsylvania. The taxes here are too high." I figured that.<br />
<br />
There is no way I'd consider retiring in Delaware.<br />
<br />
<br />
When I rode back into Springfield I brought my bike to the shop to get a new front tire fitted. I thought maybe they could do it on Saturday, but, no, it'll get installed today. I hope.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>4 October 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Today is a Friday - and that means motorcycle ride. I think I'm taking the Harley out to Deale, Maryland, a Chesapeake Bay community about an hour away from where I live. Could this be a retirement location? It would be cool to spend half the year on a beach and the other half <a href="https://www.suncrestoa.com/home/" target="_blank">atop a mountain in Utah</a>... The main drawback: Maryland, <a href="https://wjla.com/news/offbeat/maryland-considered-worst-state-in-the-to-retire" target="_blank">Moneywise's Worst State to Retire To in 2019</a>. (Although their criteria - "congested roads, surprise tornadoes and winter storms from the Atlantic Ocean" - seems bogus.)<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.kiplinger.com/slideshow/retirement/T037-S001-10-least-tax-friendly-states-for-retirees-2018/index.html" target="_blank">Kiplinger puts both Utah and Maryland on their 2018 Least Tax-Friendly States for Retirees list</a> - so, hmmm, maybe not. Cari is fond of saying that the right thing will show itself when the time comes, and I'm thinking this will probably be the case.<br />
<br />
<br />
I'm also kind of hoping that the Right Thing will be <a href="https://www.zillow.com/front-royal-va/" target="_blank">Front Royal, VA</a>. Retirement in a low tax county near the fabled Shenandoah Valley seems attractive, especially as it's only just over an hour away via two routes (I-66 and Rt. 55) from the D.C. suburbs - and my grandsons.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>30 September 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Friday was a lot of fun! A very nice day weather-wise, I rode up to the Antietam Battlefield and other sites nearby. <a href="https://youtu.be/BBUT6H5oSK8" target="_blank">Of course there's a video</a>. It's curious that I have never bothered to see the first Washington Monument before. Too busy with Civil War sites, I guess. Anyway - saw that. And I also saw my friend K.C., who I did Civil War reenacting with in 1984...<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>25 September 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
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I got my new back Dunlop tire on the Harley. I'd like to say that it feels or rides differently but it doesn't. I'm sure it's safer and grippier, however. At least, I think it is.<br />
<br />
Tires wear a lot faster on motorcycles than cars. Forget about getting 30-40,000 miles. The guy at the place where I got mine done says that he'd be upset if a tire lasted 8,000 miles or less and happy if it lasted 15,000 miles or more. At 12,000 miles, mine was showing red with my H-D tire tread depth gauge. My front tire is reading yellow with the gauge. Time for a new front tire, too. Next month.<br />
<br />
<br />
As it turns out, the guy who replaced my tire at the shop has a son who goes to the same school as my grandson Gibson; they know one another!<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>24 September 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
My Harley is at a local custom shop getting a new rear tire. I miss it so. :(<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>11 September 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Patriot Day... it corresponds with tonight's regularly-scheduled HOGs meeting, so we'll have a short meeting and motorcycle up to the Pentagon Memorial. (Note: I didn't go. It rained and as my rear tire was badly in need of replacement and I had to fly out to Utah the next day, I passed.)<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>9 September 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
On Friday I did a little ride of about 90 miles. I wasn't able to test ride a Suzuki Bergman at the dealership I visited because they sold their last one! So I rode to Manassas for lunch and then visited the curious town of Quantico, VA (the town surrounded by a military base and the Potomac) to purchase a new USMC sticker for the back of my VW. I also spent some time yakking with motorcycle people.<br />
<br />
I eschewed yard sales and did the Asphalt Roller Coaster ride with the HOGs on Saturday. <a href="https://youtu.be/kcaQ2qKiGeg" target="_blank">That video is here</a>. It was an all-day ride; I did 234 miles. It was advertised as being a "challenging" ride, but I did fine. At one point on a twisty road on route 211 I confined myself to my usual speeds and fell somewhat behind, but this was okay. (We were told to "ride your own ride" by the Boss Hog.) We all gathered again on the downward straightaway. It was fun!<br />
<br />
<br />
Sunday was another "Bikes and Breakfast" in Clifton - <a href="https://youtu.be/YYH_Wntf0ks" target="_blank">video</a>. I attended that and then church, and then took a little ride down to Maryland on the Chickamuxen and Riverside Roads. I got to the southernmost point on Riverside Road, which was something I wasn't able to do last time I was there because the road was flooded and closed.<br />
<br />
<b>6 September 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Motorcycle Friday! What's my destination for today? Well - I'm not sure. I'm going out on a long ride tomorrow with the HOGs, so I really didn't plan anything major for today. I might just pop down to Coleman Powersports in Woodbridge and test ride a Suzuki Burgman, a maxi-scooter capable of doing freeway speeds. I've always wanted to test ride one of those.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>5 September 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
My first HOGs magazine, printed by Harley-Davidson, came in the mail the other day. Good read. I think I'm going to submit an article for their $100 dollar ride piece. (The ride has to cost $100 or less for gas and food.) Hm. The Snickersville Turnpike recommends itself.<br />
<br />
<b>3 September 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
On Friday I took a ride to Calvert County, Maryland, to look over "beach" (Chesapeake Bay - not ocean) communities. <a href="https://youtu.be/E34r33Z4Jx8" target="_blank">Of course there's a video</a>.<br />
<br />
Cari and I took a pleasant motorcycle ride to Clifton for lunch. She likes the windshield to be on to reduce the wind buffeting she feels on her helmet. On hot days I prefer it off - but we're approaching the season where the windshield goes back on permanently. By the end of this month I expect it'll be time to get the leather jacket from out of the closet, too.<br />
<br />
<b>30 August 2019</b><br />
<br />
The weather is supposed to be nice and sunny today. So what's in the
cards? A motorcycle ride to Prince Frederick, in Calvert County,
Maryland, I think. I haven't been there since the 1990s. We once
considered moving to "Prince Fredneck" when I had a job in Lexington
Park, MD, for a few months in the Spring of 1993. It might be a place to
retire. Anyway, I'll check it out, although I'm pretty sure that moving
to Maryland after retirement is a no-go. (It's a high tax Blue State.)
I'll bring the GoPro.<br />
<br />
<b>29 August 2019</b><br />
<br />
It may still be summer, and we still have a few 90 degree days ahead of
us, but I motorcycled into work this morning; the air temp was 65
degrees and I could definitely feel autumn waiting in the wings. We're
moving into the transitional weather sub-season where I'm between my
summer mesh jacket and mesh gloves and my leather jacket and leather
gloves...<br />
<br />
<b>27 August 2019</b><br />
<br />
I rode the Harley into Clifton yesterday for lunch. I had to. It's
curious, how necessary riding a motorcycle has become... While dining I
got an angry cell phone call from my wife, who had come home from lunch
and seen the bike missing in the garage, "<i>What on earth are you doing on a motorcycle when you're sick?!?</i>" Good question, but by the time yesterday came around I was well enough for a little ride.<br />
<br />
<b>23 August 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
There's a HOGs ride today but I won't be going on it, drat the luck. This head cold I have has morphed into occasional chills and I feel weak and achy (probably a flu) - that being the case, being atop a Harley is not a good plan. Especially when the weather forecast is, "...rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain for the afternoon." There's a high of only 75 degrees, much cooler. So, no, I'll be taking it easy in bed all day, DayQuilling it.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>22 August 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
There's a HOGs ride tomorrow. If, tomorrow, I feel like I did this morning, I'm not going!<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>21 August 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
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Last night I watched a live stream of Matt Laidlaw (he's associated with a Harley dealership in Southern California) attending the Harley-Davidson dealer show. Harley is producing an adventure touring bike in 2021 - I don't really care. They are also producing something called a "street fighter" in 2021 - I don't really care about that, either. The Livewire, their electric bike, is due to hit the showrooms soon and I do care about that. I want to demo ride one! They will be about $30,000. Ouch!<br />
<br />
<br />
If I had Trump's money I'd buy one, however.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>20 August 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Yesterday was HOT. I was riding around town on my bike and, at times, could feel surprisingly hot waves of air hitting me.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>19 August 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Weekend recap! On Friday I took a motorcycle ride with my friend Tom from work. We rode to Culpeper to examine the area around Cedar Mountain, then rode to the Wilderness battlefield. At one point we swapped bikes; he rode my Road King and I rode his Street Glide. (My son commented, "This is cute.") He has a rider backrest - I wanted to see if it makes a ride more comfortable. The jury is still out. I suspect that it will reduce back discomfort after being in the saddle all day.<br />
<br />
On the way home on I-95 I passed through a heavy rain. I had just enough time to pull over onto the shoulder and put my rain suit on. I stopped to let the storm pass at Quantico Harley... <a href="https://youtu.be/V5lnJacitWA" target="_blank">and that video is here</a>.<br />
<br />
On Saturday I met with some of the Fairfax HOGs (Harley Owners Group) to do a show and tell thing with motorcycles at my local library - <a href="https://youtu.be/FDNb8ztqImM" target="_blank">video here</a>. Yes, I cleaned the dried rain spots from off of my bike beforehand. Kids enjoyed clambering onto the seats to pose for cellphone pictures their parents took. Fortunately no kids put their shoes onto the painted areas of my bike, which emerged from the experience unscathed. I was there for about an hour and a half; interacting with kids and parents was easy for me. I did that for many years in Boy Scouting.<br />
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<br />
I wrote an article for the HOGs online newsletter: <a href="http://wesclark.com/jw/whole_hog_01.html" target="_blank"><i>Motorcycle Things Part One</i></a>. I'll do a part two, obviously.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>16 August 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Motorcycle Friday! I'm riding out again with Tom the Reb from work. Where to? Culpeper, it seems. We shall see.<br />
<br />
Did I mention that I attended the Wednesday HOGs meeting at Patriot Harley-Davidson in Fairfax? No, I didn't. I discovered that it's far more comfortable to be seated upon one of the dealership's bikes during the slide show than a folding chair. Wednesday night I plunked myself down on a Road King Special.<br />
<br />
<br />
I think I'll do one ride with the HOGs per month. Fortunately, they hold what are called "TGIF" rides, on Fridays. The next one is on August 23rd to a pizza joint.<br />
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<b>15 August 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b></b><br />
I took the Harley into work today. It's getting darker in the morning - the days are getting shorter! And I got a visit from an old cold weather friend: visor fogging. It was humid outside.<br />
<div>
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<b>13 August 2019</b><br />
<br />
I got my Harley back from the dealership all inspected and with new
oils. Does it ride any different? Not that I can tell. But the engine
internals are cleaner and that should make the engine last longer. I
hear about Road Kings with 100,000 miles on them with a strong engine.
That's my goal. Geez - I'm 1/10th of the way there. (I average about
1,100 miles every month. I'll hit 100K miles in less than 7 years at the
rate I'm going.) I also wanted a Harley mechanic to lay eyes on the
bike. Nothing amiss!<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>12 August 2019</b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb9TmMqd95KB8v8xw2qdy_WzfZwXs9-unYQjlgaYQDXiGb13jEcy4MSsXTfPoV_nPw73o0b0Q3yoga9-rEbdyJrDL5kh26Tw1opnNkDQ4NQkvXVa2_jCl0M-SHz-yityfwAinT0Pa7E7SA/s1600/shenandoah_ride.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb9TmMqd95KB8v8xw2qdy_WzfZwXs9-unYQjlgaYQDXiGb13jEcy4MSsXTfPoV_nPw73o0b0Q3yoga9-rEbdyJrDL5kh26Tw1opnNkDQ4NQkvXVa2_jCl0M-SHz-yityfwAinT0Pa7E7SA/s400/shenandoah_ride.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>9 August 2019, on a hill overlooking the Shenandoah River</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
On Friday a Harley-rider I know from work, Tommy, and I rode out to Warrenton and Luray, Virginia. <a href="https://youtu.be/MBsqCQQODSY" target="_blank">The video of that ride is here</a>. We stopped at a Luray attraction called "<a href="https://cootersplace.com/" target="_blank">Cooter's Place</a>," the epicenter of all things <i>Dukes of Hazzard</i>. Say what you will about <a href="https://cootersplace.com/pages/about-ben-jones" target="_blank">Ben Jones</a>,
the country-tinged actor ("Cooter") who was formerly a Georgia
Representative and now a political pundit and singer, the fellow has
certainly carved out a niche for himself. From there we took a scenic 35
mile country road along the Shenandoah back to Front Royal and Route 55
- deeply Trump country - and thereby to Fairfax County - deeply <i>not</i> Trump Country. <br />
<br />
On Sunday I once again attended "Bikes and Breakfast" in Clifton (<a href="https://youtu.be/yQ_B9cluKAs" target="_blank">my video is here</a>)<b>.<br />
</b><br />
<br />
My Harley is at Patriot Harley in Fairfax right now getting its 10,000
mile service, which includes new motor oil, transmission fluid and
primary fluid ("three holes") and a bunch of other checks, inspections
and adjustments. While I primarily intend to do my own work on my bike, I
wanted a Harley tech to lay eyes on the thing at some point, just to
make sure all is well. I'll do the 15,000 mile oil change myself just as
I did the 5,000 mile service.<br />
<b>9 August 2019</b><br />
<br />
Motorcycle Friday! I'm heading out to Luray with a friend from work. (Yes, I do have a couple.) No video this time.<br />
<br />
Yesterday morning on the way in to work I saw a truck cut off a guy on a
BMW motorcycle. Yes, the guy in the truck did indeed get the fickle
finger of fate. <br />
<br />
<b>8 August 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
The only motorcycle riding I did while in Utah for nearly two weeks was <a href="https://youtu.be/HxNZe3tac6c" target="_blank">a little ride on my daughter's (loud) 2019 Harley Sportster 1200</a>.<br />
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<b>22 July 2019</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmVXXbDcUDfZLbbRtK_76hDZyUJtJd0TPgmVul0sjv9tqcnF1HafnEkIR1dqOCw_e70HwSzOYufM4QvLSPjb-_p5zbXPNkVgI_LB8REAoJiw3n0rnRTfCtBO6iExOAy5sCcgZGYh4b1goZ/s1600/goat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="1103" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmVXXbDcUDfZLbbRtK_76hDZyUJtJd0TPgmVul0sjv9tqcnF1HafnEkIR1dqOCw_e70HwSzOYufM4QvLSPjb-_p5zbXPNkVgI_LB8REAoJiw3n0rnRTfCtBO6iExOAy5sCcgZGYh4b1goZ/s400/goat.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
On Friday I went out on a Gettysburg ride with five other HOGs, <a href="https://youtu.be/WM_20TnEvAE" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>. Was it hot? Yes, it was. Temps in the mid to high 90s, I think. But as long as we were moving along it wasn't bad. There was one point where traffic was backed up along Route 15 because of a car crash, which required us to poke along at 2 mph for a mile or two. (This is in the video.) That was obnoxious!<br />
<br />
On an air-cooled Harley a ton of engine heat rises up to fry your inner legs and your left hand is constantly working a mechanical clutch lever: engage clutch - disengage clutch - engage clutch, etc. After ten minutes or so of this, poking along, I did the only thing I could: I starting yelling, "This is GREAT! Give me more! HARLEY-DAVIDSON! Wahoo!" much to the amusement of the guys on bikes around me. I'm a mood-maker. Anyway, I was out for nine hours and rode 237 miles. I think this was my third highest mileage ride thus far. It was certainly my hottest!<br />
<br />
The guy scheduling the ride made a mistake: we did our ride the weekend after Gettysburg Bike Week. :( So no demo rides. Actually - it was too hot to do those, anyway. Me and another guy lit out to take a very short tour of part of the battlefield - we went to Little Round Top where it was shady! But it was a fun ride and I'm glad I did it. I think the video turned out well. The only thing I'm sorry about was that I didn't have the GoPro running on the way back when we passed an enormous U.S. flag. The shot of Harleys going down the road with the flag waving in the background was visually arresting - but it's only in my mind's eye. I couldn't activate the GoPro fast enough. Sorry.<br />
<br />
On Saturday evening I went on another little ride to the Manassas battlefield, and on Sunday me and Geoff went to Clifton for breakfast.<br />
<br />
<br />
The odometer on the Harley now reads over 10,000 miles. Time for a service. I'll bring it to the dealership next month.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>19 July 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
This morning I'm meeting the HOGs at Patriot Harley-Davison for a ride out to Gettysburg. GETTYSBURG! Why Gettysburg? Because it's Bike Week up there. I see there will be demo rides from the local dealership; I like demo rides. I want to try riding an FXDR 114.<br />
<br />
Yes, it'll be hot outside tomorrow. The forecast is for a high of 96 in the late afternoon, so I'll be riding without my windshield. Air-cooled, in the breeze, the way I like it. I'm bringing a bunch of pre-frozen insulated bottles with ice in them and some Gatoraid. I've been to Gettysburg in the summer wearing dark blue wool uniforms (Civil War reenacting) and I'll be there wearing motorcycle gear. The motorcycle gear will have to be cooler! In fact... rugby and motorcycling are both much cooler than reenacting.<br />
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I'll take a video of the activities, of course.<br />
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<b><br /></b>
<b>16 July 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Stats: I'm riding my Harley a lot. How much? I bought the bike on 12/11 of last year, just over seven months ago. I've put 7,610 miles on it since then. That works out to about 1,087 miles a month, or an average of 271 miles a week! I'm riding that much? Gee, it doesn't seem like it... On last Friday's ride, which was mostly freeway riding, I got just over 42 miles per gallon. In mixed city/freeway riding I get about 37 mpg. A bit better than a car, but, "Only a biker knows why a dog sticks his head out of a car window. Four wheels move the body, two wheels move the soul."<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>15 July 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
On Friday I rode out to Harpers Ferry via the Snickersville Turnpike with a Harley-owning friend from work. (No video this time.) It was a lot of fun! It's been quite a while since he's been there and so I was able to point out the stuff that the Park Service has added - a lot since the 1990s. It turned into a hot day, but I broke one of my rules about always wearing a protective mesh jacket and rode in shirt sleeves, cop style. It was a 156 mile ride; I left at 9 AM and returned at 5:30.<br />
<br />
On Sunday morning me and Geoff - the fellow who bought my Suzuki Bully - rode to Clifton for their "Bikes and Breakfast" event. It was fun! <a href="https://youtu.be/SVhLi4Rlp5w" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>. I think I liked that pretty Ducati best, the one with the Italian flag in back. There's a gathering every second Sunday of the month in the morning - this is the first one I've ever done. But it won't be the last.<br />
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<b>12 July 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Going for a ride out to Aldie, Philomont, Bluemont, Mt. Weather and maybe Linden via signed Virginia byways with a guy at work. He owns a Street Glide. (We're meeting at Dulles.) I'm hoping the roads are dry and in good condition; we had quite a downpour yesterday.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>11 July 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-VwUoQxWlaQOzS-qlzMbbvgm99m1gig_475amPr5ghVKYtT1A4_x7gm15keFZ8pDel0BYI1cSB-Na0DaPSoe3zmnt2XotreIOzNSUV6dPR3S7mz9YFlhoCeMIErV6E4VNu-1Pc-ooWX4w/s1600/hogs_meeting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="654" data-original-width="983" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-VwUoQxWlaQOzS-qlzMbbvgm99m1gig_475amPr5ghVKYtT1A4_x7gm15keFZ8pDel0BYI1cSB-Na0DaPSoe3zmnt2XotreIOzNSUV6dPR3S7mz9YFlhoCeMIErV6E4VNu-1Pc-ooWX4w/s400/hogs_meeting.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>At the HOGS meeting, looming over everyone else.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
HOGs (Harley Owners Group) meeting last night at Patriot Harley in Fairfax; I attended and joined the <a href="https://www.fairfaxhog.com/" target="_blank">local chapter</a>. (I was already a member of the national HOGs.) I also now have a Harley-Davidson VISA card that I shall use to buy Harley stuff and Harley services at the Harley dealership. When I do I get Harley rewards. The only things left to me now are purchasing Harley monogrammed clothing, putting up Harley Christmas lights outside the house in December, getting an orange and black toilet lid and cover, sticking Harley stickers on my cars and getting a colossal Harley tattoo on my back. (My wife has declined getting Harley logo fingernail decals.) Maybe I'll park my Harley on front of the church on Sundays.<br />
<br />
Did I forget to mention that I own a Harley?<br />
<br />
<br />
You have to admire the Motor Company's (what the Old School Harley guys call Harley-Davidson) aggressive advertising, brand placement and clothing distribution. It's the kind of thing that McDonalds or Starbucks would love to have. Get that logo out there! <a href="https://www.strategy-business.com/article/12878?gko=dcfc8" target="_blank">Here's an interesting article about Harley branding.</a> "Occasionally, however, a brand emerges without the panoply of wall-to-wall advertising and in-your-face marketing." I beg to differ! I get daily e-mail summons to buy clothing: clothing for men, clothing for women, clothing to ride, clothing to drink, clothing styled in the manner of stuff prior to 1950 - you name it. Ah, well, <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2018/05/03/harley-davidson-sales-go-from-bad-to-worse.aspx" target="_blank">if you're having difficulty selling motorcycles, sell clothes</a>.<br />
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<b>9 July 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
I got my HOGs (Harley Owners Group) SWAG in a mail yesterday. They are big on patches and pins...<br />
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<b>8 July 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
My usual Friday motorcycle ride was short. Rain was expected in the afternoon plus I had to be back earlier to visit a person in a hospital (a church thing). So I simply rode down to Fredericksburg to the Indian dealership and test rode a full dresser bike, the Indian Roadmaster. I liked it better than the Harley model with the fork-mounted fairing (the Ultra Limited Classic), but not as much as the Harley Road Glide Ultra, with the frame mounted fairing. I like the uncrowded, no-dashboard-in-your-face ride. <a href="https://youtu.be/mo6qQVqb7fI" target="_blank">Video</a>. I had a crappy lunch meal served to me in a Fredericksburg diner - I'm not going there anymore!<br />
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<b>5 July 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
So, today, Friday. I normally take a long motorcycle ride. The problem is it looks like rain or thundershowers in the afternoon. I'm not sure where I'm going.<br />
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<b>3 July 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
My Harley has more than 9,000 miles on it now (I bought it in December with just over 2,000 miles on it), and so I'm looking for a dealership for a 10,000 mile service. I suppose I could do this stuff myself but I think I'd like to have a Harley tech put his eyes on it. The more or less standard cost is just over $400, but one dealership wants over $600! What's the deal?!?<br />
<br />
<b>1 July 2019</b><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2bTixEh_56hDB6NDdoKpN0-YlBNM1ksw2QMtTcuUA4oV-sYkOrVdPNQfujNyWzT3LSlmyNhW-xfMGafpn8yFpUyfdhsjNiRkXmyPg_f1M84SeNdOA57HswwuMNYEagay4tnGMPAYNIUjp/s1600/rgu.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="528" data-original-width="800" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2bTixEh_56hDB6NDdoKpN0-YlBNM1ksw2QMtTcuUA4oV-sYkOrVdPNQfujNyWzT3LSlmyNhW-xfMGafpn8yFpUyfdhsjNiRkXmyPg_f1M84SeNdOA57HswwuMNYEagay4tnGMPAYNIUjp/s400/rgu.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Harley Road Glide Ultra</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Friday was fun. Hot, but fun. I did an abbreviated ride, often on shady, tree-lined streets. <a href="https://youtu.be/DckThsmKp68" target="_blank">That video is here</a>. When I was sitting eating lunch in Foster's Grill in Manassas I decided to test ride a couple of Harleys at the nearby Battlefield Harley dealership. So I did: <a href="https://youtu.be/7y_LlpCQzH0" target="_blank">2019 Ultra Classic Limited</a> (fork-mounted fairing) and a <a href="https://youtu.be/BFAlBJaoO8A" target="_blank">2019 Road Glide Ultra</a> (frame-mounted fairing). I preferred the Road Glide Ultra even though I'm not a fan of that weird-looking shark nose front end. I liked the fact that the dashboard is further away from me. It's more free and open, like my Road King is when I remove the windshield. I like seeing more of the open road in front of me; I also enjoy being in the wind on hot days. (Of course, if taking the thing across the country I'm sure the buffeting gets old.)<br />
<br />
Cari and I took a motorcycle ride to Manassas Battlefield Park on Sunday; that was our longest two-up ride thus far. She likes the windshield attached. I thought my body in front would be blocking her, but as she's sitting higher, no, she gets the wind buffeting it in the helmet doing 60 mph or so. So, when she's on, so is the windshield!<br />
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<br /></div>
<b>28 June 2019</b><br />
<br />
The forecast is for HEAT (94-96 degrees), on my motorcycle ride Friday. Will this keep me off the Harley? Hahahahaha... NO. It's true that riding a Harley on a hot day can be a real challenge. Mine has a 103 cubic inch engine. That's equivalent to nearly 1.7 liters; I once owned a Porsche which had a smaller engine than that! My awesome Road King, being a touring class bike, has the temperature management system which switches on during hot days. When the computer detects that the engine reaches a certain temperature and that you are sitting at a light idling, it shuts down one cylinder. The engine then makes an odd puffing sound. You can disable the system, but I'm used to it and I figure I'll get more engine life using it.<br />
<br />
Given that a 103 Twin Cam Harley engine is entirely air-cooled, that's a lot of heat rising up at the rider at stops. Solution? Don't stop so often (avoid crowded city streets and, certainly, I-95) and ride on shady, tree-lined streets. I have some local rides in mind where I can do that. I think, also, that I'll perhaps get an earlier start and get back home no later than about 1:30, before the heat of the day begins pouring it on. Then I'll go home, sit in my comfy padded chair in an air-conditioned room under a ceiling fan, pour myself a Fresca on the rocks - I may even insert a little umbrella into the glass - and play something cool, Daddy-O.<br />
<br />
<b>24 June 2019</b><br />
<br />
This past weekend was great! On Friday I took a very pleasant ride out to the Snickersville Turnpike and also Unison and Cool Spring, VA - two Civil War sites I never knew about. <a href="https://youtu.be/FES3X2No8M8" target="_blank">Yes, there is a video</a>; a long one. I think from now on I'm going to simply show the plaques and invite viewers to watch them if desired and not read them myself. That'll lower running times.<br />
<br />
On Saturday morning me, my wife and a friend rode our bikes out to Clifton for breakfast.<br />
<br />
I joined the HOGs (Harley Owners Group)! Well, that is, the national group. You get one free tow to the nearest Harley dealership if you break down somewhere, worth $100. Also, you get a magazine which I've read and like. And some patches and other stuff. I haven't yet joined the local chapter; this is where the HOG rides get organized.<br />
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<b>21 June 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
It's a perfect day for a ride - and so I shall. The plan is to ride up the Fairfax County Parkway, west on I-66, north on Route 28, north on Braddock Road, west on route 50 and up the Snickersville Turnpike, where I shall take my time looking at this historic Virginia byway. Then I ride west on 50 to a Parker Lane, the end of which is the Cool Spring 1864 Civil War battlefield I've never heard of, let alone seen. Then, possibly, to Harpers Ferry, 25 miles away. It's interesting that I'm stumbling across minor Civil War sites I've never known about. I've seen a bunch of them since I've been on two wheels.<br />
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<b>17 June 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The (Photoshopped) Snickersville Turnpike</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This past weekend was fun!<br />
<br />
Friday's motorcycle ride was to Routes 17 south and 301 north in Caroline County and King George County in Virginia - initially, in search of retirement places to live. <a href="https://youtu.be/jj6HLIYRCYI" target="_blank">Is there a video? Of course</a>.<br />
<br />
I didn't plan to turn this into the John-Wilkes-Booth-escape-from-D.C. Tour, but that's what it became. I had forgotten that Route 301 was his escape route south - I rode north on it, maintaining my strange occasional habit of experiencing things backwards. (Note: The only Lincoln assassination sites I had seen prior to this was Ford's Theatre and the Surratt House.) So... new American history sites. Cool! It was also a very pleasant day for a ride. I liked what I saw of Caroline County out that way. ("That way" being drive down to Fredericksburg and take a left.)<br />
<br />
While in Port Royal I stopped into an antiques shop and came across <a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/fMbZF2q4UvCEmBAF6" target="_blank">this photo</a>. I like it. Not because it's me - I never wanted to ride a motorcycle as a child - but because it describes the boys in my generation so well. That bike is classic Schwinn. I had one like it when I was twelve, a <a href="https://youtu.be/YCeb4CQraU4" target="_blank">Ram's Horn Fastback</a>.<br />
<br />
Saturday was fun, too. I attended a Harley Owners Group presentation on group rider safety - got a patch, they're nuts about patches - then took a cool group "new member" (still not one) ride out to the Snickersville Turnpike and Linden, VA. <a href="https://youtu.be/67yCZ-RGSGg" target="_blank">There is a video of that, too</a>. Cari went to Frederick, MD to pal around with a friend. I want to take her on the Snickersville Turnpike ride someday; it is incredibly scenic. I've been a Virginia for 32 years and I've never heard of it - amazing. (Although, in fairness, I am discovering that the historic places a Civil War reenactor would have likely have visited are not necessarily the places that motorcyclists like to visit.)<br />
<br />
<br />
I didn't get to read any of the markers along the way - a problem with group riding - <a href="http://snickersvilleturnpike.org/a_markers.php" target="_blank">but the Snickersville Turnpike is a Virginia Byway and a "thing."</a> We rode over <a href="http://snickersvilleturnpike.org/images/Hibbs-Bridge-Large.JPG" target="_blank">Hibbs Bridge</a>. And hmmmm.... <a href="http://snickersvilleturnpike.org/a_civilwar.php" target="_blank">a Civil War cavalry action</a>. Interesting. Clearly, I need to take another ride to this place and get to know it better!<br />
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<b>14 June 2019</b><br />
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The Open Road calls to me and my Harley. Where am I headed? Down Route 17 east, I think. You ride down I-95 to Fredericksburg and turn left. I'll take a look at the area and the homesites thataway - toward Dahlgren. This is another chapter in my continuing search for retirement communities that are affordable (more affordable than Fairfax County - which is like 95% of the U.S.) and yet easily commutable to the D.C. 'Burbs. I do not believe I have ever been to Dahlgren.<br />
<br />
Yes, there will be a video.<br />
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<br />
Tomorrow morning I'm attending a couple of HOG seminars and a ride. No yard sales. Yes, there will be a video. (I produce lots and lots of media.)<br />
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<b>13 June 2019</b><br />
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Last night I visited the Harley-Davidson dealership in Fairfax where a meeting of the HOGs (Harley Owner's Group) was taking place. I'm pretty sure I'd like to join - but I haven't yet. (I'm a cautious soul and always want to make sure I know what I'm getting into. It took me nearly a year to decide upon enlisting in the Marines.) They have a couple of thing things going on this Saturday I'll probably take part in (as Cari will be away): A group riding and two up riding seminar on Saturday morning and a new member ride on Saturday afternoon.<br />
<br />
There was light rain on the way home in the dark, but, meh, big deal. I just rode more cautiously than usual and got home just fine. I was wondering why there so many cars in the parking lot when I arrived. Now I know.<br />
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REMINDER: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr" target="_blank">MY MOTORCYCLE-RELATED VIDEOS ARE HERE</a>.<br />
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<b>10 June 2019</b><br />
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I feel better this morning than I did Friday, the day of the surgery, but my sinuses have been bleeding for the last three days. That kind of took things out of me. For instance, I haven't even <i>wanted</i> to ride my motorcycle for the past few days!<br />
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I've ridden 11,200 miles on two bikes since 1 April 2018, an average of 772 miles per month.<br />
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<b>7 June 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Whoa. Sinus surgery this morning. I feel dozy and light-headed, and there is some pain. I took an oxycodone. My nose is bleeding. My sense of time is all messed up today. Is it 1:30 PM already? Geez.<br />
<br />
Motorcycle ride today, as is my wont on Fridays? ABSOLUTELY NOT.<br />
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I'm going to bed...<br />
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<b>3 June 2019</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigp2ojohkHNvkLvVd9_TzQh9no-vuAd83gXtXHwvKiO50bgYkOkr7-3aMFFAitg4XOoMI1JXauSpDXliTKVr5hg6s4bpSim3gG0tHcmCCeHkWzErv-2fcDuxh5lrd-DoqtMUB259P6HMUw/s1600/IMG_E7629.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1442" data-original-width="1600" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigp2ojohkHNvkLvVd9_TzQh9no-vuAd83gXtXHwvKiO50bgYkOkr7-3aMFFAitg4XOoMI1JXauSpDXliTKVr5hg6s4bpSim3gG0tHcmCCeHkWzErv-2fcDuxh5lrd-DoqtMUB259P6HMUw/s320/IMG_E7629.JPG" width="320" /></a>Friday was cool; I motorcycled to Harpers Ferry on a very pleasant day. I have two videos: (1) <a href="https://youtu.be/NRFq_tPGWrg" target="_blank">The normal video style with talking, etc.</a> (2) <a href="https://youtu.be/xiwF8scE1V8" target="_blank">One for Civil War buffs with horrible period music featuring the ride in and out of the historic district.</a> (This is for people who have never been to Harpers Ferry but would like to get an idea of the lay of the land.) In the evening we watched the grandsons.<br />
<br />
I also fitted a genuine Harley-Davidson Tour Pak to my Road King; it took some finagling. I had to take apart a lever and oil it. But it works just fine now. A guy at work traded in his 2003 Road King for a Road Glide but kept this to give to me. I talked to three Harley parts guys who all said that a 2003 Tour Pak shouldn't fit the bracket on a 2016 Road King. I didn't believe them and tried anyway. It does. <a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/ot3iQeATTdueJgUL8" target="_blank">Photo one</a>, <a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/VH8iL428mJUs3ytX7" target="_blank">photo two</a>. You can fit a full size helmet in one of these. Hooray!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCuqZ_xMdc0CF5iyxzvscl7Ldowj_6am62_Qs7tkl8qgIRNyq27cKkFHS9L2BOJWvpxKhF5fgF2UeSJVVyhJGjp3HswK2oIBUIaIf5leWyCSsbqJOCNTG6RPcNI4HVZF5nUKHJGXC93vcl/s1600/IMG_E7631.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1055" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCuqZ_xMdc0CF5iyxzvscl7Ldowj_6am62_Qs7tkl8qgIRNyq27cKkFHS9L2BOJWvpxKhF5fgF2UeSJVVyhJGjp3HswK2oIBUIaIf5leWyCSsbqJOCNTG6RPcNI4HVZF5nUKHJGXC93vcl/s320/IMG_E7631.JPG" width="211" /></a></div>
<b>31 May 2019</b><br />
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<b></b><br />
A friend at work gave me the leather tour pack from his 2003 Road King. I'm in the process of seeing if it fits onto the bracket on my rear fender. It also provides a passenger backrest. And pretty much entirely conceals my license plate.<br />
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<b>30 May 2019</b><br />
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A friend at work had a 2003 Harley Road King; he bought a new Road Glide Ultra so he gave me the tour pack from his old bike. I'm going to see if it fits the bracket on my bike or if I can get an adapter bracket for it. Or a new adapter. I'd like to make it work if I can as it's a nice piece of motorcycle luggage.<br />
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<b>29 May 2019</b><br />
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I rode the Harley into work, risking a 30% chance for thundershowers at 4 PM. The weather guy on TV last night said that the showers would arrive later towards the evening. I hope so! (Update: No rain or thunder. But HOT, 93 degrees.)<br />
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The other day we found a plaid fall-winter shirt for me in a J.C. Penney store that looks very much like something you'd find in a Harley-Davidson dealership - marked $15. When it came time to ring it up it was only $3 and some change! I plan to get a couple of embroidered H-D patches and sew these onto the shirt!<br />
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<b>28 May 2019</b><br />
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On Friday I finally did my ride out to Front Royal and visited that Confederate Museum. <a href="https://youtu.be/7J-WLZYPzm0" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>. Sorry for the raucous rock music at the beginning. I realized that it's really the wrong music for the subject, but I was too lazy and preoccupied to go back and remaster the video to change it. Anyway, it was a good visit because I learned that when one rides down Route 55 to Front Royal (a scenic and very pleasant ride), one is traversing a Civil War battlefield - the Battle of Wapping Heights, July 23, 1863, which was fought just to the east of Front Royal. 440 casualties. Most Civil War battles have two names, and this one is no exception - it's also known as the Battle of Manassas Gap. Once again, a new thing was learned: When one is on Route 55 to Front Royal, one is making his way through a geological feature called the Manassas Gap. Why? Manassas is nowhere near it...<br />
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The rally/party at the Harley dealership was fun, too... that's depicted at the end of the video.<br />
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In fact, it was such an interesting event that on Saturday I put the passenger backrest on the bike and took my wife to it. We hung out and met a rugby-playing and motorcycle-riding friend who gave me a set of Smith and Wesson handcuffs. Afterwards we biked to Tyson's Corner, did some shopping, and biked home. This was the first time I took her out on the Beltway on the Harley. She enjoyed it.<br />
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Sunday was the day of the Rolling Thunder Rally at the Pentagon and in D.C., and in the morning I ventured north to the Pentagon outskirts and got caught up in a part of it. That video is here: <a href="https://youtu.be/r347-MzCV3Q" target="_blank">A Tiny Part of Rolling Thunder</a>. It's well-named: all those motorcycles actually does sound like distant thunder. <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/05/27/memorial-day-rolling-thunder-may-have-roared-last-time-d-c/1249277001/" target="_blank">This is supposed to be the last Rolling Thunder event</a>, but I can't believe that thousands of bikers will be content to just forget about it and not show up at something or another.<br />
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<b>23 May 2019</b><br />
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Three day weekend coming up (for me, four days) - Memorial Day, the traditional beginning of summer. The weather forecast for Friday is good. Hooray! No rain! Perhaps now I can finally make that trip to Front Royal I've been thinking about. This is also the weekend of the area's biggest motorcycle rally, "Rolling Thunder." I have no plans to take part. I'm a little nervous about being around a whole lot of motorcycles. An experienced friend of mine tells me that it's somewhat scary: riders waving at the crowds and not really paying attention to their riding, etc.<br />
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<b>21 May 2019</b><br />
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Yesterday my friend Bob sent me this text message: "Wes, you need to do a long blog post about why you like riding." Okay, can do.<br />
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Ever since I can remember I've been a ride-the-rides sort of guy. I distinctly recall a visit to Disneyland when I was about five or six. Mom demanded that we stand in a huge line to get pancakes at the Aunt Jemima Pancake House, and so we did. I loved pancakes as much as any kid, but one can get pancakes at any time. We're in Disneyland! There are rides here! Why aren't we riding them? In those days you paid for rides with tickets, and the back of the ticket booklet had a checklist of the rides available, with a little empty box next to the names of each of the rides and attractions. I recall looking at it impatiently while Mom finished her pancakes.<br />
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(Note: I once did a day at Disneyland with the friend who requested this blog post. I insisted upon getting there early and we did not leave until closing time. I basically ran him ragged. We rode some of my favorite rides multiple times. On the way home he said that he had no idea that it was possible to ride so damn many rides at the park in one long damn day.)<br />
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But it's only recently that I made the motorcycling-theme park ride connection. I find myself biking out to Clifton rather frequently these days; it's a little hamlet in the woods about fifteen miles away. There's a popular little general store/pub there where I buy myself an 8 oz. ice cold glass bottle of Diet Coke; I sit out on the porch and chat with other guys (often retirees) while I drink it. Clifton Road is designated a "Virginia Byway," which means that it's picturesque. One of the first features of this road one encounters is a spot where the trees are high and come together at the treetops, providing a natural tunnel of solid green shade. On hot days it is noticeably cooler under the trees than elsewhere on the road, and my spirit always lifts when I enter this woodsy part on my Harley. It reminds me of the shady Kindergarten playground at my first elementary school. When I see the light slanting down from the treetops the years fade away and I am young again. What's more, it's uphill. Whenever I reach this point I lean back and go Ahhhhhh.<br />
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The speed limit is 35-40 mph on Clifton Road, and I feel no need to go faster than that. I've discovered that I can leave the bike in third gear practically the entire way (the revs are right in the power band) and put my feet comfortably up on the highway pegs. It's a very pleasant little ride. There are fields, woods and nice homes with weathervanes to see.<br />
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Pulling into Clifton, the road descends through a series of tight, decreasing radius corners and the entry into the downtown area is very much like a Disney dark house ride. It's almost a theatrical effect, in fact. I park in front of the general store/pub - often with other motorcycles parked there. Clifton is a big motorcyclist destination.<br />
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But Clifton is just one ride and one place! In the thirteen months I've been motorcycling I've made all sorts of trips, and they are covered in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr" target="_blank">my YouTube Motorcycle Playlist</a>. There are 78 videos here.<br />
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And then there's riding in the open, heading down a freeway or a country road. I can ride at 35 mph or at 65 mph - I really don't care. I'm happy either way. Oftentimes I don't really care about the views from the bike, either. A nice country scene is very pleasant, but I get almost as much enjoyment as when the view around is cars and concrete embankments. There is something about being perched atop a big V-twin engine cruising at speed that is deeply satisfying and therapeutic. My Harley 103 cid twin cam is a shaky proposition at stop lights (it's just what Harleys do), and when it's hot the rear cylinder cuts out to help the engine run cooler - at these times the engine sounds positively odd, huffing and puffing. But at speed all the vibrations mostly disappear and one is soothed with the throaty basso of the pipes and the distinct feeling that one is riding a sort of wave - the way surfers describe. I think of it as an engine wave: compress, fire, expel, compress, fire, expel...<br />
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And then there's the slipstream, the wind. I love being in the wind. I have always looked forward to windy days - I like it when the scenery is shuddering - and being atop a bike is like being in a never-ending windy day. The windshield on my Road King is removable. For all-day trips where I'm doing a lot of freeway riding it makes sense to have the windshield on. It moderates the 65 mph buffeting one gets on the chest. But a lot of the time I like to take the windshield off - especially on hot days. The wind blows right through my mesh jacket and the cooling is wonderful.<br />
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The standard Harley Road King is notable for having lots of chrome. Nowadays the blacked-out look is popular - that's the Road King Special - but I love chrome. On sunny days when there are clouds, all that gets reflected in the chrome. It looks amazing, especially though the Transitions-darkened visor on my helmet. The pink, orange and blue of sunrise reflected in a chrome front end is just indescribable.<br />
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And then there's The Freedom. Harley-Davidson's advertising makes a constant point of this, but it is inarguable that being atop a motorcycle makes you more a part of the scenery than being in a car. You have a much closer connection to the road (your boot heels are making direct Flintstonian contact with it, in fact), and a long as there have been American roads there has been American freedom. And where we don't have roads, we make them. I think wanderlust is in an American's DNA the way it isn't with Europeans or anyone else. Whether it's freighthopping on a train or riding an iron horse motorcycle down a road, the ability to pick up and leave and journey is a deeply-rooted American liberty.<br />
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Finally, I've ridden Suzukis, Zeros, Kawasakis, Victorys, Hondas, Indians and Can-Ams. They're all great, but nothing makes me feel the way I do riding a Harley. An American on an American bike on an American road. DANG.<br />
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So, Bob, that's why I like to ride. Well, that's a part of it, anyway.<br />
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<b>20 May 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
My Friday motorcycle ride was a rather short (107 miles) and unexciting one: I rode to Fredericksburg, visited Classic Iron where I bought my Harley, had lunch at a diner I like, then stopped at a Harley dealership in Triangle (where I had a good conversation with one of the sales guys) and had a Coke in Clifton. Stuff I've done before. Stuff I've done too often, probably.<br />
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I-95 backed up badly because of a crash on the way home - a frequent occurrence - so I had to use Route 1. So my ride was no big deal and certainly nothing I haven't done before. But it was a ride... which is all that counts. Being on that motorcycle is therapeutic in a way I cannot describe. I wish these thunderstorms would quit appearing in the northern part of the Shenandoah Valley on Fridays - I want to ride west!<br />
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I went home, sat in my favorite chair and took a nap, and something happened to me that has never happened to me before: I was startled awake by a dream, twice. I dreamed about being on a motorcycle, and was happily riding down a road. All of a sudden I can see a car in the opposite lane coming into my lane and I’m headed right for him - I woke with a jolt, my eyes wide open. I’ve seen this sort of thing happen with television and movie characters, but I have never had it happen to me. Weird. So I tell my wife about this and settle back into my chair where I again doze off. (This is only about five or ten minutes later.) Again, I'm on a motorcycle riding down a road when I see a mother and her children stepping off a curb and into my lane; I'm about to hit them. BAM, startled awake wide-eyed again! Weirder still!<br />
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As I currently have some worrisome health concerns my wife suggested that this is at the root of the anxious dreaming, and she's probably correct.<br />
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Yesterday was pretty hot. Before and after church I took a short motorcycle ride to get out into the breeze. I chatted with a talkative fellow who arrived in Clifton on a Harley Dyna festooned with "Sturgis" everywhere, Sturgis being a big annual motorcycle gathering in South Dakota. He was sharing stories about his various motorcycle mishaps. A careful listening and cross examination by me confirmed that all of his accidents happened as a result of his doing something that was not entirely wise. When it comes to motorcycles, I try to learn from others' mistakes. It's less painful that way.<br />
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<b>17 May 2019</b><br />
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I was planning a long and ambitious ride west out to Front Royal to meet a friend, then a ride to Madison and then home again (about 215 miles total) - but he developed a fever with chills. So he's out. The other thing is that the weather forecast changed overnight... now there is upwards of a 50% chance for thunderstorms in the afternoon out west. Hm. Same situation I had May 3rd. The weather forecast is more promising to the south - so I guess I ride south again!<br />
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<b>14 May 2019</b><br />
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<b></b><br />
Yesterday I wrote about the Zero FXS, an electrical motor-powered bike I was impressed with. At one point I got around to viewing <a href="https://youtu.be/JQ1UzTvyEAo" target="_blank">Zero's promotional video for it</a>. Let's see: our rider starts out precariously balanced atop a parking structure wall, he mounts the bike and does wheelies, two wheel jumps, rubber burning, he's wearing no gloves, he blasts down what appears to be a sidewalk, stands upon the pegs, balances upon the front wheel... Zero appears to be marketing the FXS to the young amputation candidate. How did Zero's legal counsel give a green light to this video? The FXS is an absolutely sensible commuter bike for those of us not desiring chronic pain - but you wouldn't know it from the video.<br />
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<b>13 May 2019</b><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOyBW8Mzru3uvVvJhi7rWN9E7WTvBR1E58KrfmOm-7qblerhlECxXtlkDVmsgN9HwLm-g-9LbaSWXCYvOAiVnZl4JpGDEXdgf9402BYUz_NFTGU82oABifTaPmS5gyBWLoOu-zHqjw8hg6/s1600/zero-fxs-2019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOyBW8Mzru3uvVvJhi7rWN9E7WTvBR1E58KrfmOm-7qblerhlECxXtlkDVmsgN9HwLm-g-9LbaSWXCYvOAiVnZl4JpGDEXdgf9402BYUz_NFTGU82oABifTaPmS5gyBWLoOu-zHqjw8hg6/s400/zero-fxs-2019.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The Zero FXS: $8.5K or $10.5K depending upon battery.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Rain. No motorcycling today.<br />
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Saturday was fun. I got an email from Indian Motorcycles telling me that if I test rode an Indian bike in May the "Call of Duty Endowment" (funding organizations that prepare veterans for careers) gets $50. Okay! So I test rode an Indian Chieftain, which is their version of the Harley Street Glide, with a fork-mounted fairing. <a href="https://youtu.be/Gj95GBhth4w" target="_blank">I took a video</a>. Nice bike but... I'm happy with my Harley Road King. The Indian - with its big 116 CID V-twin engine - reminded me of the Harley Heritage Softtail with its big 114 CID V-twin, which I also test rode. To me it feels like you are not sitting on a fully-designed motorcycle but upon a big, lumpy engine surrounded with a frame and handlebars. I suppose the 103 Twin Cam V-twin on my Harley can also be said to be like that to some degree, but it feels more like I'm sitting on a product designed to give more of the feeling of a comprehensively-designed vehicle. That is, all the parts are in balance and functionally reinforce one another. The bigger V-twins are popular right now but I get the sense that they cannot and should not get any bigger.<br />
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(Asterisk: My 103 Twin Cam engine is very shaky at stops. It's the classic thing that Harleys do and are loved for. What I'm talking about is vibration at speed. My V-twin smooths out at speed. The bigger V-twins feel shaky when on the move.)<br />
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I also rode a <a href="https://www.zeromotorcycles.com/zero-fxs/" target="_blank">Zero FXS electrical bike</a>. <a href="https://youtu.be/rmm8TRCNYNw" target="_blank">Video here</a>. Whoooo-boy, was that fun! 78 foot-pounds of instantly-available torque in a bike weighing less than 300 pounds... it flies! <a href="https://youtu.be/y6SqrB4s1AI" target="_blank">Last year I rode a Zero S</a>, which was my introduction to the world of electrically-powered motorcycles, so I knew what to expect. The FXS has a somewhat better seating position for me than the leaned forward one on the S. Every time I came to a stop in the S it felt like my body wanted to fly forward over the handlebars. The FXS has more of an up and down touring bike seating position. That being said, it's no touring bike, however. Being on that seat for more than about an hour would hurt. I can see why guys own more than one motorcycle - "the proper horse for the course." The Road King could be my all-day touring bike and the Zero FXS a commuter bike for my 25 mile round trip to and from work. The $8,500 version with the 50 mile range would be suitable. (Pay an extra $2K and you double the range. Pay $600 for the speed charger and you dramatically reduce the time to fully charge.)<br />
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I am unlike the typical dismissive Harley owner in that I think electrical bikes are cool. No clutch, transmission, oil, coolant, spark plugs or exhaust... maintenance is easy. I suspect these things may be the wave of the future in the way quartz watches took over the market share from mechanical watches. However, old forms persist: fountain pens, mechanical watches and vinyl records became the desirable luxury items with "soul." Perhaps in another 10 or 20 years gasoline-powered motorcycles will become the luxury items if most motorcyclists own electric bikes.<br />
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Coming back from lunch in Clifton - my wife was out shopping for fabric - I encountered some rain, which gave me the opportunity to wear the Harley-Davidson rain gear I bought on sale in Utah. It stows nicely in my saddlebag. It works fine! I think I need a black velcro band to secure the pants bottoms more closely to my legs, however. I'm concerned about getting the rain gear plastic near the hot exhaust. Melted plastic is almost impossible to get fully off of a hot chrome pipe.<br />
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At dusk my wife and I encountered something in the car I fear while on a bike: deer leaping over the railings to dash across the street. Hit one of those in a car and you have bodywork to repair. Hit one on a bike and they do repair body work on <i>you</i>.<br />
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<b>9 May 2019</b><br />
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Last night I understood that there was the monthly meeting of the HOGS - Harley Owners Group - meeting at the local Harley dealership, so I stopped by to check it out. When I got to the door an employee told me that the meeting was cancelled because it conflicted with a funeral. I guess I should have double-checked. So I buried my disappointment with a couple of scoops of Baskin-Robbins ice cream.<br />
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<b>8 May 2019</b><br />
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I fixed the rear flat tire on my motorcycle yesterday... I pulled <a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/y8EjEbnasNV96yvo8" target="_blank">the piece of metal from the tread</a> and plugged it, which is exactly what a gas station would do. And now I understand tire plugging technology! So far it holds air just fine but I shall check again today - and more often.<br />
<br />
So how long can I/should I ride on this tire? I have read accounts of people driving for 10,000 miles and years on a plugged tire. (I think we did this on our Hyundai.) The rear tire on my Suzuki was plugged; I changed it later. The tire has 6,700 miles on it. A motorcycle guru yesterday told me, "If you got less than 8,000 miles on a motorcycle tire you'd be disappointed. If you got more than 15,000 on a motorcycle tire you'd be happy." There's still an acceptable amount of tread on the tire so I think I'll just leave it on until I replace both tires. Or perhaps before that a little voice in my head will whisper, "Change out that tire."<br />
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<b>7 May 2019</b><br />
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Flat rear tire on my motorcycle! I unknowingly rode all the way home from Clifton with it that way... the front tire felt kind of odd and twitchy in turns so I thought the problem was there. Nope. Good thing the tire has very stiff sidewalls. I somehow acquired a piece of metal in the tread. I don't know if it can be plugged or if I need to get a new tire. (When I bought my Suzuki the rear tire - which I later replaced - had a plug in it.) Whichever it is, I won't be riding it for a while.<br />
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<br />
Hey, look, <a href="https://pete969.wixsite.com/animated-piston/harleytc" target="_blank">an animated Harley Twin Cam engine</a>! This is the one in my bike. (If you don't see it, change browsers.)<br />
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<b>6 May 2019</b><br />
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My Friday motorcycle ride was exactly as I described that it would be - a trip to Spotsylvania Courthouse. <a href="https://youtu.be/lZAmqPxdfH4" target="_blank">The video is here</a>. There are a lot of Civil War locations in Virginia and, despite the fact that I've lived in the state for nearly 32 years, I haven't seen them all. Riding the length of the Brock Road from Spotsylvania Courthouse to the Wilderness Crossroads was cool.<br />
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Dropping the key on my front fender and creating a paint chip on the immaculate Harley-Davidson paint job was heartbreaking, but I'm over it. It hit it with the touch-up paint and it isn't so glaringly visible. As my friend Kelly might say, You can either ride the bike or baby it. A problem came to light, however, when I attempted to check the tire pressure on the back tire: I can't. The valve stem core seems to be jammed. I can move the tiny rod in the middle of the valve down, but no air comes out. It looks like I'm going to be replacing a valve stem core. It isn't a difficult operation, but getting my big hands past the disc brake which blocks the access to the stem is a challenge.<br />
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<b>3 May 2019</b><br />
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Friday! Day off! Where to ride to today? I was planning to take the mighty Road King west to Front Royal to visit a Confederate Museum in town that I've never seen, but the forecast out that way is for thundershowers in the afternoon. While I have some rain gear in a bag that sits in my saddlebag, I won't knowingly ride into thundershowers. The forecast for points south is clear - so it looks like I head south.<br />
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One trip I'm considering is a ride down to Fredericksburg to the Stafford Courthouse Road, then up the Brock Road to Orange Plank Road. I've never done that. At least, not that I recall. So it looks like a Stafford County day today.<br />
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I think I'll take the GoPro.<br />
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<b>2 May 2019</b><br />
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I'm wearing <a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/owJMBauFQdkEKsip7" target="_blank">the Harley-Davidson shirt I bought myself for my birthday</a>.<br />
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<b>30 April 2019</b><br />
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<a href="https://youtu.be/EcJzCEjnd8U" target="_blank">My daughter Meredith is doing well on her Harley Sportster</a>. She took it onto the streets the other day. She's taking the same approach I did last year, little by little, expanding her boundaries...<br />
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<b>29 April 2019</b><br />
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Friday: It rained, but not until about 2 PM. I did various errands. Had I known the rain was going to hold off I'd have ridden somewhere.<br />
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Saturday: It was a beautiful day so we secured at about Noon and my wife and I took a motorcycle ride into Clifton where we had lunch. That was a lot of fun. The day was bright, dry and gusty - it reminded me of California.<br />
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<b>26 April 2019</b><br />
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Rain. Grrrrr. Today I have to drive a car around like <i>ordinary people</i>.<br />
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<b>25 April 2019</b><br />
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I got some rather unfortunate health news yesterday - I won't be explaining it here - and so in the afternoon I took a 100+ mile motorcycle ride out in the country to clear my head. It worked wonders. Just me, the roar of the bike as muffled by my earplugs, and my thoughts in a full face helmet.<br />
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There are motorcycles with powerful audio systems (Harley's Street Glide, Road Glide and Ultra), but I don't need that at all. If I have to listen to music while out on the road there's my Volkswagen. <a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/giLhHRN71cjkQUnt5" target="_blank">My Road King</a> has everything you need for all day riding - saddlebags, a bigger touring frame for a more solid and planted ride on freeways, a windshield and cruise control - and nothing you don't need.<br />
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My ride took me out to the The Plains, Virginia, along I-66. I started by heading down I-95 in the HOV lane and taking the Prince William County Parkway from I-95 S to I-66 W. I've never done that before because I didn't know the two interstates were connected. I know it was a country ride because when I got home I had to clean off the bugs from my visor, windshield and forks... As usual, I avoided the rush hour traffic by taking the back roads home which took me by my usual haunt of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clifton,_Virginia" target="_blank">Clifton, VA</a>, where I enjoyed a Coke and briefly chatted with a pair of retirees.<br />
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The forecast is for rain tomorrow - drat! The second Friday in a row where the weather has messed up my ride day.<br />
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<b>24 April 2019</b><br />
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A perfect motorcycle commute into work! Why? (1) The days are getting longer and it was dawn at 6:08 AM when I left the house. It's much pleasanter to ride in with the pretty colors in the sky (reflected in my chrome) <a href="https://brighams-blog.blogspot.com/2019/02/14-february-2019.html" target="_blank">than in cold darkness</a>. (2) The temperature was 67 degrees when I left the house, so I wore my summer armored mesh jacket. It's nice to feel the breeze blow through the fabric, which was aided by, (3) I took the windshield off the Road King. Hello Spring and Summer!<br />
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The more I think about it, the more I consider my Harley rides to merely be a continuation of the rides I used to take on <a href="http://wesclark.com/am/stingray.html" target="_blank">my 1964 Schwinn Sting Ray</a> when I was a kid. I appears that one of my lifetime pleasures is riding around the neighborhood or region on a bike, motorized or not. Yesterday I rode to Clifton, as is my occasional wont, and saw the <a href="https://cdn1.polaris.com/globalassets/indian/2017/model/vehicle-cards/springfield-indian-red.jpg?v=5670c70a" target="_blank">pretty red Indian Springfield</a> that I sometimes see parked or heading down a street in Springfield. The owner came out of the pub wearing a mesh jacket exactly like mine, which I used as a conversation starter. We chatted about our bikes. He's about my age and height, and lives in Springfield/Burke. We'll probably bump into one another again.<br />
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Did I mention this? No. My daughter Meredith passed the MSF motorcycle course last weekend! (<a href="https://youtu.be/u4mb6OqpOPU" target="_blank">Video</a>.) And a couple of days ago she and her husband bought a <a href="https://www.harley-davidson.com/us/en/motorcycles/2019/sportster/iron-1200.html" target="_blank">Harley Sportster 1200</a>! Am I worried? Of course I am. I'm her father. But... she has really good balance and seems to take to it naturally. The videos I have seen indicate that she's really good at low speed riding - which is a challenge for anyone. She's a fitness instructor so that's why, I suppose.<br />
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<b>22 April 2019</b><br />
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Because of rain on Friday I didn't get much of a motorcycle ride in (<a href="https://youtu.be/rXVo0bFYd4Q" target="_blank">video</a>). But on Saturday my wife was away for three hours or so, so I took a short ride to the Manassas battlefield where I sat at the base of a tree on Henry House Hill and watched the <a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/na9KnKSErp4ECzn5A" target="_blank">big puffy clouds blow by</a>. It was a clear, breezy day and was quite pleasant. That's the Widow Judith Henry house on the horizon. Her story is a sad one. From wikipedia: "On July 21, 1861, the house was inhabited by ... Judith Carter Henry, and their two sons. The 85-year-old woman was bed-ridden and unable to leave the house. Mrs. Henry was mortally wounded when a projectile of the Union artillery crashed through the bedroom wall and tore off one of her feet and inflicted multiple injuries, from which she died later that day." The takeaway: If you are a frail old woman who is confined to a bed, have somebody get you off to safety before your property becomes a battlefield. Come to think of it, even if you are able bodied, a battlefield is a poor place to attempt to hunker down in the house.<br />
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<b>19 April 2019</b><br />
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Good Friday... at 9 AM I set out on my Harley to get at least an hour or two of riding in before the forecast thunderstorms arrived. Here's the video:<br />
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<a href="https://youtu.be/rXVo0bFYd4Q" target="_blank">A "Better than Nothing" Ride to Clifton, Virginia (4/19/19)</a><br />
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I used some nice copyright free music offered by YouTube, "Sunflower" by Topher Mohr and Alex Elena. The strummed guitar chords seem pastoral and woodsy. You get about six minutes of it.<br />
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Until I get a different GoPro and a microphone in my helmet so I can narrate, I think my moto-video blog style will have to be video, music and captions. Well - it's different, anyway. All the other motorcycle blog videos feature narration. <b> </b><br />
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<b>16 April 2019</b><br />
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I was able to get a little motorcycling riding in yesterday during lunch: I rode to the independent Italian-owned pizza place near me, Bozzelli's. The wind was very gusty, but other than make a lot of noise in my helmet it doesn't really impede a 300 pound man atop a 800+ pound Harley. At no time did I feel like I was in danger of getting blown off course.<br />
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<b>15 April 2019</b><br />
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On Friday I got a short motorcycle ride to the dry cleaners and the library in before it started raining.<br />
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On Saturday morning I drove over to the Patriot Harley-Davidson dealership in Fairfax for their Demo Day. Demo Days are cool; this is where you get to ride all sorts of different Harleys than the one you own after signing the scary legal document indemnifying the dealership against anyone's injury. You also agree to be responsible for any damages to the bike. I break out in a cold sweat whenever I sign one of these. Just to be familiar with Harleys other than my twin cam 103 cid Road King, I rode:<br />
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<a href="https://www.harley-davidson.com/us/en/motorcycles/2019/softail/heritage-classic.html" target="_blank">2019 Heritage Softail</a> - This is a deservedly popular bike. It's neither too big nor too small, and looks great. (Not as great as the Road King, but great.) I had ridden a 2018 107 cid model before; this was the hotter 114 cid version. It's feels exactly like what it is - you sit atop a big powerful engine. But it's a lot of fun and is an accessible, easy to ride bike. It doesn't have the big heavy stable touring frame of the Road King, but I'd still ride it for long distances. It is more nimble than a Road King. I'd imagine this is a great bike for negotiating twisty mountain roads.<br />
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<a href="https://www.harley-davidson.com/us/en/motorcycles/2019/softail/fat-bob.html" target="_blank">2019 Fat Bob</a> - The last time I rode a bike with a big wide rear tire - a Victory Hammer - it felt like that rear wheel had a will of its own. Not so with this aggressive-looking bike, which is a sporting machine. It is very quick and nimble; I was enjoying making it swerve and turning corners in it. It has pegs, however, and I found myself missing the floorboards for my big feet. Not my kind of ride, but I was glad to have been able to try it.<br />
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<a href="https://www.harley-davidson.com/us/en/motorcycles/2019/sportster/iron-883.html" target="_blank">2019 Sportster Iron 883</a> - "Iron 883" is a cool name, no? There's some marketing going on, here. The Sportster, or, colloquially "Sporty," is Harley's traditional everyman bike. They start at only $9K and are meant to be something of a starter bike, or, since it has a smaller, lighter frame, a bike for women. When I got on it there was some amusement from the other guys riding with me: big guy, small bike. (The rides are led by a member of the HOGs - Harley Owner's Group - along a defined route which includes street and freeway riding. A HOG leads it and a HOG follows up in the rear.) Now that I have a bike with a 103 cid engine I found the 883cc engine wanting in low end torque - I was constantly shifting. The seat was small and made my rear end sore. The Sporty is not my ride at all and it wasn't designed to be.<br />
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<a href="https://www.harley-davidson.com/us/en/motorcycles/2019/touring/road-king.html" target="_blank">2019 Road King standard</a> - After the Sporty I wanted something my size! The 2019 has the 107 cid Milwaukee 8 engine with improved horsepower and torque over my 2016 twin cam 103, and I could feel the difference. Stock pipes... the Milwaukee 8 sounds something like an aggressive sewing machine with stock pipes. It needs aftermarket slip-ons to give it the deep throaty sound people associate with Harleys. But it's a great ride! I have ridden a 2018 M8 Road King on another occasion; I wasn't used to the mini-ape handlebars and found it a little concerning. Now that I'm used to them I prefer them. Do I want the M8 with greater power? No. I'm fine with my twin cam 103. "More horsepower will not get you out of the problems that horsepower got you into."<br />
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Another cool thing about Demo Days is my ability to climb on an unfamiliar motorcycle and just ride it. I was doing just that all last year, but now I feel more confident about it. I have to do different things with my feet in order to shift and use the rear brake pedal, but I adapted. (As it turns out, my Road King has the floorboard and shifter ideally placed so that I don't have to move my left foot at all. I rarely use the heel shifter - it's not really needed.)<br />
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<b>11 April 2019</b><br />
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A brisk ride into work this morning. This time I took the I-395 Express Lane north into Shirlington. The temperature was 50 degrees, which, even when traveling at 70 miles an hour, doesn't feel especially cold to me. Riding all winter made me thoroughly acclimatized! A few people at work, seeing me come in wearing leather and carrying a helmet, ask what it is I'm riding. I squint my eyes, stare challengingly for a moment and, in my best imitation of a Sam Elliot mutter, I reply, "A Harley." This seems to satisfy the questioner.<br />
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Yesterday I showed a guy who recently bought a big expensive <a href="https://cdp.azureedge.net/products/USA/HD/2019/MC/TOURING/ROAD_GLIDE_ULTRA/50/WICKED_RED_-_BARRACUDA_SILVER/2000000001.JPG" target="_blank">Road Glide Ultra</a> the best way of getting on his bike: Put the right foot on the right floorboard, and, holding the handlebar and gripping the front brake lever (so the bike doesn't move), stand putting your entire weight on the right side of the bike, then lift your left leg over the seat and sit. This way you don't attempt to fling a leg over a backrest or a tour pack in the back. It's also easier than lifting and throwing your right foot over the seat from the low side of the bike, which is the usual way of getting on a bike with a tour pak. My way is easier and keeps your boot from scuffing some painted surface. When I described this method to him he wondered if that technique wouldn't stress the kickstand or cause the bike to lean over and fall. No. I demonstrated that it actually takes some weight off the kickstand, and even I - at 300 pounds - won't be able to overcome the weight of the bike to tip it. (I can easily get on my Road King this way and my bike is probably a hundred pounds or so lighter than his Road Glide.)<br />
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I developed this method for when I have my bike parked in the garage sideways in front of the VW and I therefore cannot get on via the low (kickstand) side. I was initially lifting and throwing my left foot over the seat, but that caused some back muscle pain. The floorboard mount technique is easier.<br />
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<b>10 April 2019</b><br />
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I had a nice ride into work this morning as it's now getting lighter earlier. Pretty colors emerge in the sky at around 6 AM and I don't have the inky darkness of the dead of winter. Hooray! On a motorcycle it's always better if you can see the road ahead with some clarity. I use my high beams a lot but, still...<br />
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<b>9 April 2019</b><br />
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I rode my Harley to lunch yesterday, just to get it out before the rains came. The temps were in the high 70's/low 80's, so I rode without the windshield, letting the wind blow through my armored mesh jacket. Sitting at lights was a pain but riding in the wind - feet on highway pegs - was very nice.<br />
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My Road King got a compliment from a guy where I had lunch... that happens fairly often. <a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/5kVJj9RG1a7UbgPi9" target="_blank">It is a handsome bike!</a> I am almost as proud of that Harley as I was of <a href="http://wesclark.com/am/xmas_1964_3.jpg" target="_blank">my 1964 flamboyant lime-colored Schwinn Super Deluxe Sting-Ray</a> when I was eight. Almost.<br />
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<b>8 April 2019</b><br />
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Saturday was nice so we took the convertible top down in the VW. We stopped at the nearby Harley dealership and got a removable passenger backrest for the Road King, and I took my bride out for a ride to Clifton (a short ride). This was a lot of fun, and she feels much more secure with the backrest - and I don't have to worry about accelerating under her and leaving her somewhere on the road. (This was never likely to happen, but it kind of <i>felt</i> like it could.) The backrest, a genuine Harley-Davidson part, was expensive: HD - "hundreds of dollars."<br />
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On an intersection on the way to Clifton a guy in a BMW changed his mind at a light and unexpectedly decided to go through rather than make his left hand turn, almost pulling in front of us. BMW drivers are the worst. <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/bmw-owners-drivers-inconsiderate-worst-road-survey-a8151111.html" target="_blank">But don't take my word for it</a>. <a href="https://www.bmwblog.com/2015/10/20/why-are-bmw-drivers-hated-so-much/" target="_blank">More</a>. <a href="https://theweek.com/articles/461073/not-imagination-bmw-drivers-are-biggest-jerks" target="_blank">More</a>.<br />
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<i>"If you ever feel like your life is a waste, reflect that there are Germans in factories who attach turn signals to BMWs."</i><br />
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<b>5 April 2019</b><br />
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Arrraughhh! It's raining. On a Friday. Rainy and raw. All day long.<br />
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Knowing this was coming I pulled the windshield off the Road King, put on my summer mesh jacket and gloves and rode around my neighborhood at dusk yesterday for nearly an hour. Very pleasant. Unlike the ride home from work yesterday in 70 degree weather, which required my wearing the leather jacket and thick gloves I wore into work when it was 40 degrees. I need to plan better!<br />
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There was a monumental crash on I-95 (overturned truck) yesterday that tied up traffic for miles around, so I came up with a new way of taking side streets home. It took longer and involved rather long waits at lights. It was warm enough yesterday that the Engine Idle Temperature Management System (EITMS) on my bike activated: when the engine reaches a certain temperature and the bike is at idle, the fuel injector for the rear cylinder shuts down to cool things. It makes a weird puffing sound that takes some getting used to - it sounds like something is wrong with the engine. I'll be hearing this all summer... (It can be deactivated, but why do that?)<br />
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<b>4 April 2019</b><br />
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I rode the Harley into work this morning. I like the ride back home better than the ride into work - it's light outside! Riding with traffic in the dark always makes me nervous. I wear a blaze orange pinafore with reflective tape that I got at the Harley factory tour; it makes me more visible. I'm looking forward to dusk arriving earlier so I can ride in the light...<br />
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<b>1 April 2019</b><br />
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Yesterday marks one year from the day that I first nervously rode my new Suzuki onto the nearby commuter parking lot and ran it around, getting used to it. So I've been riding for one year. No drops or accidents yet... knock on wood. There have been a lot of minor mistakes I hope I have learned from, however. I have put a total of <b>8,840</b> miles on the Suzuki and my Harley in that first year.<br />
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On Friday I rode out to Winchester, <a href="https://youtu.be/2cFC-HZiE7w" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>. The clouds kind of bummed me out - I didn't get the usual high I get blasting down the freeway, feet up on the pegs. And then it started raining lightly when the forecast said 0% chance of rain. Hmf. The forecast is for rain this Friday.<br />
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And yes, that's right, I'm looking at the weather for Friday on a Monday morning. I live for the weekends!Brighamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16450830005503932437noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8447591580473724055.post-33182946774109147242018-12-13T07:53:00.001-08:002019-04-01T06:03:58.243-07:00Harley-Davidson!<b>28 March 2019</b><br />
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Permit me a word about the value of rear window defrosters, and of the automotive engineers who designed them back in the 60s or 70s. I'm talking about those thin lines of reddish material that, when 12 volts is applied to them, defrost the rear windows.<br />
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I rode the Harley into work this morning and noted a car pulling in front of me whose rear window was entirely frosted over. "Is there any need for me to see out the back? Nawww," I thought. The driver must have received my mental rebuke (I issue lots of them when I'm on a motorcycle) because, as I sat at a light in back, I watched the rear window magically clear. By the time the light had turned green he could see me.<br />
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Is there a more indispensable creature to modern civilization than an engineer? I think not.<br />
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It was 35 degrees this morning - balmy. No, seriously! I'm used to the cold weather now, and heated gloves, a thick leather jacket, long johns and a scarf under my full face helmet makes cold weather riding unremarkable. (That is, as long as there are no icy spots on the road, and there weren't). And now, when work is through, I have a pleasantly adventuresome ride back home to look forward to.<br />
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<b>27 March 2019</b><br />
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I did an oil change on the Harley yesterday - it went fine, excepting for the fact that, try as I do to not make a mess, oil changes are messy. (It reminds me of a white thermal paste I used to use in college engineering labs to attach transistors to heat sinks. It wouldn't wipe off easily. No matter how hard I tried to be neat, the stuff got everywhere.) At one point - plunk! - the bolt fell into the oil pan. I replaced the 20W-50W mineral oil the Classic Iron dealership put into it with 3.5 quarts of Harley-Davidson's Syn3 20W-50W synthetic. I think the opinion of the Classic Iron mechanic is, if you change out the oil every 5,000 miles then mineral oil is fine. But, I... well... Harley-Davidson, ya know?<br />
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My son-in-law finds working on his motorcycle to be recreational and pleasant. Not me. I can do without the crawling around and hunching over. But oil changes aren't hard and I expect to do the 5,000 mile maintenance work between major maintenance points every 10,000 miles. When the Harley hits 10,000 miles I'll bring it in to the dealership. They have a big checklist that I want professionals to do.<br />
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<b>26 March 2019</b><br />
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I tried taking out the Harley yesterday but as soon as I got it out of the garage it started raining. Drat.<br />
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My oil-change-in-a-box arrived from Harley-Davidson via UPS. Now I have to do the oil change. But when?<br />
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<b>25 March 2019</b><br />
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On Friday I took the Harley out for a short ride, only 85 miles. I wasn't feeling especially good and was watching an adverse weather forecast. I rode out to the Harley dealership in Fairfax and chatted with the parts guys about fitment of a tour pak from a 2012 Road King somebody wants to give me. Unfortunately, it won't fit on my bike. In 2014 Harley redesigned the mounting system and brackets; I have the newer system and the older tour pak won't attach to it - and really can't be made to work, either. Dang.<br />
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Then I rode up to a motorcycle place in Falls Church and looked at the new Can-Am Ryker, and popped by a record store there and bought a few records. I rode home on the express lanes and was enjoying it so much - steady speed, little traffic, feet up on the pegs - that I passed Springfield and had lunch at the Marine Corps Museum in Quantico. I got home just in time for the rain drops to fall - then thunder, more rain, clearing, rain, more thunder. I washed the bike in the garage.<br />
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<b>21 March 2019</b><br />
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If I do take my usual Friday motorcycle ride tomorrow it'll be short: the forecast is for high winds with the temps in the low 50s with a possibility of showers. A 300 pound man on an 814 pound Harley doesn't get blown about easily, but... well... we'll see.<br />
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<b>20 March 2019</b><br />
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For some reason when I thought about riding the bike into work this morning I kept feeling apprehensive. So I drove the VW. There didn't seem to be any road conditions to worry about - I saw no frost or ice - but I have learned to always listen to the little voice in my head. Well, nearly always.<br />
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It's time to change the oil in the Harley. I was looking at what I assumed was the oil filter but is really the butt end of the starter motor, with a chrome trim piece at the end. But I got that figured out. I think I'll order Harley's oil change in a box. When I get to the 10,000 mile mark, however, I'll bring it into a dealership. There's a good check list they run through in addition to changing the three fluids (oil, transmission, primary).<br />
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<b>19 March 2019</b><br />
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Yesterday I put gas in the Harley. As this was a short half-mile trip to the gas station I did not wear my boots, leather jacket or motorcycling pants. Just Timberlands shoes (with no ankle protection), khakis and a long-sleeved shirt. I did wear gloves and the helmet, but it felt so <i>wrong</i>. The advisory is ATGATT - All The Gear All The Time - and I normally do this. <i>Dress for the slide, not the ride</i>. On the way up and back I kept thinking, "Great. The one time I don't wear all my stuff, just watch, I'll run into a car or something." This is a time when being superstitious is a good thing. Anyway - I made the trip unscathed.<br />
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<b>18 March 2019</b><br />
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My motorcycle ride on Friday was to Front Royal to visit a <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g57755-d1771376-Reviews-Warren_Rifles_Confederate_Museum-Front_Royal_Virginia.html" target="_blank">Confederate museum</a> that I have passed by a number of times but have never seen. Sadly, I did not double check its operating schedule. They don't open until April! But it wasn't a wasted trip - the ride down there and back was very pleasant. <a href="https://youtu.be/xHgB2f-A0qg" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>. Route 55 - aka the John Marshall Highway - is a great ride. Some day I'll have to ride it from beginning (Gainesville) to end (Front Royal).<br />
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Sunday: Church and then a short ride with my Suzuki Boulevard-riding friend Geoff a ways up the George Washington Memorial Parkway from Mount Vernon. We returned home when the shadows were getting long and it was becoming cool. (I removed the windshield on the Road King - bad call.) Best part: At one point I was riding down an uncrowded Route 1, feet up on the highways pegs, into the sunset. Very cool feeling.<br />
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<b>14 March 2019</b><br />
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Motorcycling to work is something of an adventure. I merge onto the HOV and express lanes to get to Shirlington, and the traffic on these is very brisk. At one point I got passed by a car when I was doing 80! Some Type A politician/lawyer is hurrying into D.C. in order to make life somehow miserable for the rest of the Republic, I guess. The lanes need to be repaved; the painted lines are sometimes confusing (in some areas old lines show as well as the correct ones), and the pavement is often scratchy and rough. It feels like an edge trap for motorcycle tires sometimes. Once again, stuff you'd never concern yourself about in a car becomes a big deal on a motorcycle.<br />
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As usual I have tomorrow off, but it doesn't look like a good motorcycle ride day: the forecast is calling for scattered thunderstorms developing during the afternoon, chance of rain 40%.<br />
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<b>11 March 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
I suppose I could have searched for yard sales Saturday morning, but it was a gray and depressing morning. What I did instead was a take pleasant motorcycle ride to Clifton for lunch with my friend Geoff. (<a href="https://youtu.be/c_pNJKrH7XU" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>.) I wanted to see his new Suzuki Street Glide, with fairing and stereo. Since this was just after having doughnuts with the boys at Giant, I just had a peanut butter sandwich.<br />
<br />
After church I took a splendid motorcycle ride to Thoroughfare Gap and back. The weather was in the 60s and other bikers were out everywhere. I removed the windshield on my Harley and used the highway pegs... what fun! Ahhhh... I am glad that winter is ending and spring is here.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>8 March 2019</b><br />
<br />
The motorcycle word for the day is pegs - highway pegs. While in Utah my
Harley-loving son-in-law gave me a pair of genuine Harley-Davidson
highway pegs (<a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/1qSpmrHXGEpaSex48" target="_blank">3 photos here</a>),
and after getting them home (without TSA stealing them out of my
checked-in baggage) I installed them onto my bike. I took a short test
ride to test 'em out.<br />
<br />
At first they felt odd because I like the assurance of having my feet
sit flatly upon the big floorboards of the Road King; I kept wondering
if my feet would slip off the pegs and I'd find myself with boots on
pavement like the Flintstones. Not having immediate access to the shift
lever and rear brake was a bit scary, too. And I had to develop a smooth
motion to get my boots off the pegs and back onto the floorboards. But I
soon got used to them on the freeway... you can't really use these when
you have frequent shifts and lights to deal with, like on the Fairfax
County Parkway. They're for long stretches with static road and speed
conditions, like I-95 (sometimes). However, by the end of my test ride I
was blasting down the super slab, feet up, looking cool, Harley V-twin
purring and feeling like, well, a <i>Road King</i>.<br />
<br />
Of course my buzzkill friend Bob suggested that this pose is also that of the patient during a gynecological exam. <b><br />
</b><br />
<br />
<b>7 March 2019</b><br />
<br />
Back from Utah and California! <b><br /></b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://youtu.be/TBoWcuNMsEk" target="_blank">Ruby at Timp Harley in Utah</a> - Her little Harley. Start 'em young. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://youtu.be/NjwMBncswwA" target="_blank">Timp Harley in Utah</a>
- Properly Timpanogos Harley (named after a local mountain landmark),
along I-15. It's my favorite Harley dealership. This place is amazing!
It's where, in December 2017, I was turned onto the world of
Harley-Davidson via my daughter and son-in-law. <br />
<br />
<b>25 February 2019</b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZGMBRTSnQ0&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr&index=1" target="_blank">Motorcycle video for Friday</a>
- I rode to Garrisonville, Aquia Church and Orange. Despite the fact
that the entire day was gray and depressing it was a good ride. <br />
<br />
<b>22 February 2019</b><br />
<br />
I have posted <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDVfYq2jPSg&index=2&t=0s&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr" target="_blank">a video describing my Harley Road King</a> in detail. <br />
<br />
<b>19 February 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
I ended up riding to Culpeper yesterday - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebS9MDiPGjU&t=3s&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr&index=2" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>. Very nice. There are all sorts of interesting little places in Virginia to visit along back roads. The temps started out in the 40s with wettish pavement but when the sun broke out the temps were in the low 50s. Then it got breezy and colder. A 300 pound guy on an 800+ pound Road King isn't going anywhere with the breezes I had yesterday. That Harley is much more settled on the road than was my Suzuki Bully.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXKtO7UmZU713TiVbKvjM2Avrp8HokWlrfVSeWuisGxlEPFg5PvWoI0Gr-Pi7D3wOiUN_ELxG_DNhjTkva5z452CL7Y0v3YXQBsL-YtbkQAv0nzRKE7uj3XScujxDN0fp2yzQvGwFfcPvT/s1600/marlon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="413" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXKtO7UmZU713TiVbKvjM2Avrp8HokWlrfVSeWuisGxlEPFg5PvWoI0Gr-Pi7D3wOiUN_ELxG_DNhjTkva5z452CL7Y0v3YXQBsL-YtbkQAv0nzRKE7uj3XScujxDN0fp2yzQvGwFfcPvT/s320/marlon.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
I was mostly comfortable yesterday, but... I removed the liner from my leather jacket on the day a week or so ago when it was in the high 60s and forgot to put it back in. I needed it yesterday! I can be comfortable in that leather jacket all the way down into the 20s - but the lining has to be in place. Lesson learned! <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0771RVSPP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1" target="_blank">That leather jacket </a>was a great buy, by the way. It looks good, feels good, protects me and is available at a great price.<br />
<br />
A note about leather motorcycle jackets... the one everyone thinks of (and the one I wear) is a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfecto_motorcycle_jacket" target="_blank">"Perfecto" styled jacket</a>. It was originally fitted together by Irving Schott in his NYC business all the way back in 1928. He named it after a Cuban cigar! Marlon Brando introduced it to America in his 1953 film The Wild One, which also introduced juvenile delinquents as a film sub-genre. (By the way, everyone supposes that he rides a Harley in this movie. He doesn't. That's a Triumph.)<br />
<br />
When I stopped in the Harley dealership yesterday I investigated the fit and installation/removal of the passenger backrest they sell. I think I'll buy one next month. That way, when the weather warms to the standards required by my wife, she can come along.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.digitaltrends.com/outdoors/best-smart-helmets/" target="_blank">Smart helmets</a>. Hm. Let's see what catches on. I am not a technology early adopter!<br />
<br />
<b>14 February 2019</b><br />
<br />
A brisk ride into work this morning; 28 degrees. But I've gotten used to it. I just wear my base layer long johns and heated gloves and I'm fine - except for the whole visor fogging thing. I think the next helmet I buy is going to have pinlock technology. This morning I wore the blaze orange pinafore I got at the Harley Factory Tour; it has highly reflective bars on it. Good thing to wear when it's dark.<br />
<br />
And I am very happy to report that the road crew fixed the leaky water line on Franconia Road near Telegraph. This was a problem for most of last year. At least I think they did; I didn't see any ice and the usual cones. (It certainly would have been ice this morning.)<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<b>12 February 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b></b><br />
I cleaned the road crud off the Harley yesterday. I've got just over 4,000 miles on it. There's maintenance needed at 5,000 miles. Do I do it myself or take it in? I haven't decided.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<b>11 February 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Weekend recap:<br />
<br />
I rode my Harley to the Ball's Bluff battlefield, Leesburg and Harpers Ferry on Friday, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXrfPaeioi4&t=4s&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr&index=3" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>. The day started out gray and gloomy but quickly turned sunny and breezy - my favorite kind of day. In the evening we had Chinese food with friends and worked out the logistics for our next Viking Cruise in Fall, 2020. Rome, Barcelona, etc. I can't wait!<br />
<br />
This was unexpected: At one point towards the end of the day I stopped at a Starbucks and got a look at my reflection in the big window while seated on the Harley, wearing my leather jacket and chaps. "Dang! I look good on that bike!" I thought. Hahahaha!<br />
<br />
On Saturday my wife headed to Philadelphia with a friend and I had doughnuts with my grandsons. That's always fun. Then I attended the D.C. Motorcycle Show in the convention center. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXrfPaeioi4&t=4s&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr&index=3" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>.<br />
<br />
Funny patches seen for sale at the show: "15 grand and 15 miles doesn't make you a biker," "49% biker 51% trash," "Attitude adjustment while you wait," "Beer is Food," "Are you stoned or just stupid?" "Being a jerk is just part of my manly charm," "American boys like American toys," "Crashing sucks," "Do I look like a people person?" "Born to ride - forced to work," "Despite the look on my face... you're still talking," "Chaos, panic and disorder - my work here is done," "Doesn't expecting the unexpected make the unexpected the expected?" "Enjoy me - I may never pass this way again," "Ever stop to think and forget to start again?" "Dear Karma: I have a list of people you missed," "Fat people are harder to kidnap," "Forgive and forget - but keep a list of the names," "Horn broken, watch for finger," "I like you - I'll kill you last," "Haters are my motivators," and my favorite, "I bring nothing to the table."<br />
<br />
There were many, many more which I can't repeat here. Freeze the video at the 5:43 point.<br />
<br />
Yesterday, after church, I took a ride to test the new custom-fit earplugs I bought at the show. They work great! Much better than the off the rack ones that tend to work their way down my ear canal, requiring a set of tweezers to recover. The custom ones can't do that and they provide a more consistent and better blocking (30 dB) of exhaust and wind noise.<br />
<br />
I've put 1,906 miles on the Harley since I got it on 12/11. Not bad for the winter months! That plus the 5,451 miles I put on the Suzuki means I've ridden 7,357 miles since March 31st.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>4 February 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Yesterday morning, the weather improving somewhat, I took a little two hour motorcycle ride with Geoff, the fellow who bought my Suzuki. In Clifton we came across <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcLXpCHm0Wg&index=2&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr&t=0s" target="_blank">this interesting Ural Russian bike with sidecar</a>.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>1 February 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Right now it's 21 degrees with a very light snow; the forecast for today is not at all motorcycle-friendly. Obviously, I'm not taking the Harley out into that! And, besides, I have to go into work for a couple of hours. So it's a different kind of Friday.<br />
<br />
My leather chaps arrived in the mail yesterday. Geez, they're weird; it took me some time to figure out how to get them on and off. Given that I did historical reenacting for decades it's not the first time I wore oddball clothing, but I'll have to see how I like them while on the bike.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<b>31 January 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
When it comes to the Harley-Davidson , here's how I see myself. I'm a Fifties sort of guy.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8T1bd8TvRIlEeN2zjlk8CoGbZMRePmPQ4eryX-q-MbaAWkZuDSxj2xeLzsebAKrUuiU1KVMqk8g704HogQ5FDX2bQ0v_g0_4Y3IAxrXXwq8aChCpgtp-TPU-3Ua68eqKQRpCNP60XmdsU/s1600/harley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1186" data-original-width="1600" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8T1bd8TvRIlEeN2zjlk8CoGbZMRePmPQ4eryX-q-MbaAWkZuDSxj2xeLzsebAKrUuiU1KVMqk8g704HogQ5FDX2bQ0v_g0_4Y3IAxrXXwq8aChCpgtp-TPU-3Ua68eqKQRpCNP60XmdsU/s320/harley.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>29 January 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
I got to ride my motorcycle a bit yesterday in meeting my wife for lunch. It was cold but sunny. On the way home I stopped off at the local custom cycle shop to see if they had a passenger backrest to attach to the bracket on the back of my seat. They did not. The Harley-Davidson part is $200 for the sissy bar and $100 for the pad. $300. Yikes! Everything H-D sells comes at a premium price.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>28 January 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
I did take a ride on Friday - and not a short one. I went north to Columbia and Laurel, Maryland, places where I used to live. (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oc-bISFsVpE&t=1s&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr&index=2" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>.) The roads were fine! (Except for the beltway between the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and I-95 north which had really annoying joints in the tarmac that gave my bike a little periodic hop. I wasn't sure if it was in all lanes or just the one I was in. You don't really notice it in a car.)<br />
<br />
On Saturday morning me and Geoff - the fellow who bought my Suzuki last month - took a little ride to Clifton to have lunch. (<a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/ScNQAv9sG5fiuy4R7" target="_blank">Photo</a>.) That was fun! More of that as the weather gets better...<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>25 January 2019</b><br />
<br />
I'm in the office for a couple of hours, letting things warm up a bit
outside. And then I go home and ride the Harley! Except... I've seen
some concerning bits of ice and black pavement on the roads. Hmmmm. I
think any ride I take will be a short one and confined to major roads.
The forecast for today is sunny with a high of 39 degrees. That'll work -
with heated gloves.<br />
<br />
<b>21 January 2019 </b><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit3HPb0NlD_X6WDzcHy_8dojJ7fyPKstYK6Pqm9yDyYohtA_XzqZ-kLgsTN0d1AF-PTwrYqWnTtYaTgD2zve9ZEJfX57IMNqzJSuCiTast4-0trm0TZhWAXoiSlYgwhJW-lKOq9YasnTI9/s1600/IMG_6961.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="544" data-original-width="1600" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit3HPb0NlD_X6WDzcHy_8dojJ7fyPKstYK6Pqm9yDyYohtA_XzqZ-kLgsTN0d1AF-PTwrYqWnTtYaTgD2zve9ZEJfX57IMNqzJSuCiTast4-0trm0TZhWAXoiSlYgwhJW-lKOq9YasnTI9/s400/IMG_6961.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
I got out for a ride on Friday and gave my battery-powered heated gloves a good test. They work great! <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jifeodIOYo&t=0s&index=2&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>.
Thirty plus years in this state and I've never been to Belmont in
Falmouth. When the weather turns nice Cari and I will ride down there
for a visit.<br />
<br />
In the morning I cleaned up my Harley - polished the chrome bits with
Wenol, a German paste. That stuff works great! Black and chrome...
that's the look I wanted for my bike.<br />
<br />
Speaking of my bike, those of you who have read my past blog entries
know that I am not a big fan of death's heads (skulls) used as insignia.
First of all, I think they're a bit childish, and, secondly, I am not
about death, grimness or badness. I'm about hope, light, knowledge and,
when I can manage it, goodness. It's just not my aesthetic, okay?
Obviously, the skull is a longtime major insignia motif for
Harley-Davidson. Stepping into a Harley dealership is a bit like
visiting the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at a Disney park - skulls
everywhere. Skulls are also favored among the outlaw biker set. So when I
bought my Road King FLHP police bike I was pleased that there were no
skull insignia that I would have to remove. It's a police bike, after
all. No sane police agency would allow their officers to ride about in a
bike covered in skulls. It totally defeats community outreach efforts,
right? But look what Harley did...<br />
<br />
When I did a detailed cleaning of my bike I took a good look at the
Harley insignia on my fuel tank. When I first saw this bike I was
pleased with the plate - it's attractive. The Harley decals and plates
on fuel tanks vary widely from year to year and model to model, and it's
a bit of a crap shoot as to the one you get. Mine is above. Attractive, no? But look at the triangular spaces above and below the
lettered part. Little skulls: charcoal on black, barely noticeable! (You
can't see it too well in the upper part, but I assure you it matches
the lower.) ARRRAUGH! I guess I'll leave it alone because it's so
subtle, but, really, Harley, did you <i>have to</i>?<br />
<br />
Oh, well - it becomes a conversational thing. <br />
<br />
<b>18 January 2019</b><br />
<br />
The roads are wet but it's 39 degrees outside. The forecast is for a
high of 45 degrees with a PM sun - and that's when I'll do a shorter
"Better than Nothing" ride. I want to test my heated gloves!<br />
<br />
<b>17 January 2019</b><br />
<br />
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<b> </b><br />
<b>16 January 2019</b><br />
<br />
Arruughhh! The Dead of Winter! I have little enthusiasm for anything
other than napping or eating, and all sorts of negative thoughts are
floating around in my head. I need more sunlight. I need more sunlight
while sitting on my Harley. My Harley at speed. That's what I require.
The Friday forecast is hopeful.<br />
<br />
<b>15 January 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b></b><br />
Last week I mentioned that this August Harley-Davidson is releasing a production electric bike called the Livewire - for nearly $30,000. The reception of this price in the media has been overwhelmingly negative; most reviewers are calling it a sales disaster in the making. <a href="https://newatlas.com/harley-davidson-livewire-ebike-concepts/57916/" target="_blank">Harley also released some information on their lower-cost electric scooters/mopeds/bicycles/e-bikes/I'm not sure what to call them</a>. The one with the skateboard floorboards looks decidedly odd.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<b>14 January 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Friday was fun. Despite the cold I still got a ride in, knowing that snow was on the way. After much discussion about heated grips, heated gloves and heated glove liners with the parts guy at Classic Iron Motorcycles in Fredericksburg, I bought some <a href="https://www.highway21.com/product/radiant-heated-gloves/205673" target="_blank">Highway 21 battery-powered heated gloves</a>! I used them shoveling snow - details below. They work great! (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnaq_x9H-fk&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr&index=2&t=1s" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>.)<br />
<br />
On Saturday my wife and I did errands and I returned the Harley-Davidson gloves I bought on 12/26. They were good - just not good enough. Me and the fellow who bought my Suzuki were trying to organize a pre-snow ride for Saturday afternoon but we were too late - the snow started coming down before we could get ourselves sorted out and on the road.<br />
<br />
<b>11 January 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
It's a Friday and I have the day off. Am I going for a motorcycle ride? Yes. When? Right now it's 29 degrees... when it warms up a bit! The high today is supposed to be 37 and sunny, which is still riding weather. (With the proper gear, of course.)<br />
<br />
The other day I mentioned that the details of Harley-Davidson's much-anticipated Livewire electric bike were released (110 miles range on a charge, 0 to 60 in under 3.5 seconds, nearly $30,000). Since then the comments in the motorcycling media have been overwhelmingly negative regarding that price - and no wonder. The slogan they came up with was "More roads to Harley-Davidson" - in other words, this is one way they intended to attract new, younger riders. But not at that price! Harley guy Matt Laidlaw rides an electric Zero bike and compares it with the Livewire and makes a case for that price point, but, whew. I can't help but feel that a $30K Harley electric bike was a serious miscalculation by somebody in Milwaukee. <br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>9 January 2019</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>The Top Three Oddest Things I Have Seen While Riding a Motorcycle (So Far)</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
(3) As I was riding down I-95 one day I noticed something odd in my peripheral vision. Looking to my right I noticed a rider on a Japanese sports bike of some kind, standing on his pegs, doing about 60 mph or so. Why was this fellow being the Human Sail? I cannot say.<br />
<br />
(2) On another occasion I was in Fredericksburg, preparing to get on the ramp for I-95. A guy on an old school, 1960s-style chopper was sitting in front of me. He was wearing a "brain bucket," or one of those half-helmets. To my amazement he pulled out a cigarette and a Zippo lighter, lit up, and when the light changed, merged onto the freeway, cig clenched between his lips. How does anybody sustain smoking in the face of a 70 mph gale (that's how fast he was going)?<br />
<br />
(3) So I'm stopped at a light on the Fairfax County Parkway with a guy on a Harley Street Glide in front of me about eight feet away. He's got one of those devices that grip a smartphone onto the handlebars, and he's idly flipping though photos on the phone. It doesn't take much long distance vision to realize that he's looking at photos of nude women. At a stop light. I laughed loudly (I do that a lot), and he turned to look at me and then shrugged, as if to say, "Hey, I was bored, okay?" The light changed and he rode out of my life.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
***</div>
<br />
Yesterday I was on the Parkway on my Harley when I saw my church pal (of 31 years) John, driving his 1982 Toyota Supra; it has over 270,000 miles on it and John proudly does his own engine work to keep it alive. He'll never sell it. I honked, but he appeared to not recognize me. An email confirmed that he did not; I was in the glare of the sun.<br />
<br />
I rode to the Harley dealership in Fairfax to buy a <a href="https://www.harley-davidson.com/store/touring-suspension-air-pump?source_cd=SEM_Shop_PLA&_cr=pla%7cGOOGLE%7cPLA_PA%7cPLA_PA_Branded%7c54630-03A_10679&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqvDSmNfg3wIVBxgMCh0EsAFYEAQYASABEgKOQPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds" target="_blank">touring suspension pump</a>. Yep, it works just fine. The air shocks need to be kept to about 27-30 psi to support my Homeric frame. While there I also noted the <a href="https://www.shoputahharley.com/products/road-king-classic-passenger-footboard-covers-50246-00?variant=33032562500&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIxZeRwdfg3wIVBVYMCh3ILgAZEAQYBSABEgLajPD_BwE" target="_blank">Road King Classic chrome passenger pad covers</a>. Mine are black and a little too minimalist. Some chrome is needed. A possible birthday present!<br />
<br />
While there a crusty old sales guy favored me with a lecture about the difference between an FLHR, a standard Road King, and an FLHP, the police model Road King I have. The FLHP has an heavy duty stator to produce the extra electrical energy needed to power flashing lights, a siren, radio and other cop accessories. It also has a different stainless steel cam that produces a bit more torque, "kinda sorta" like a Stage 2 Screaming Eagle cam improvement. COOL! I didn't know this.<br />
<br />
And, finally, this:<br />
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What is it? A painting of Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention as a motorcycle gang from Guy Peellaert's Rock Dreams, a pictorial book I bought on the occasion towards the end of boot camp (December 1974) when the USMC Drill Instructors let us use the Base PX. They insisted upon inspecting our purchased goods; I was asked, "What in the hell did you buy that for?!?" I paid about five bucks; I see copies on e-bay for anywhere from $40 to $75.<br />
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I need to get the gear to look like the guy on the left. I bet I can manage the facial expression.<br />
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<b>8 January 2019</b><br />
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The big news in the world of motorcycling is that last night Harley-Davidson announced the specifics about their new electric bike, the Livewire, which goes on sale this year. You can now pre-order one. And if I had Donald Trump's money, why, I suppose I'd do just that.<br />
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In a nutshell: (1) An electrical bike represents heresy for HD, as the traditional Harley is powered by a celebrated big, noisy, gas-powered V-twin engine. An electrical bike represents a new business and target customer for the 115 year-old company. (2) The Livewire goes about 110 miles per charge. (3) It comes in three colors (orange, yellow and black), (4) It'll do 0 to 60 in under 3.5 seconds (that's supercar territory), and (5) It starts at $29,799. That last one is surprising, because you can buy a base Zero electric bike for $11,000. I'm not sure how Harley is going to compete there, but I'm reasonably sure the comparison rationale "But it's a Harley!" isn't going to work with the impoverished Millennials (who aren't inclined to ride motorcycles) that Harley is supposed to be targeting with the Livewire.<br />
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One thing's for sure: I want to test ride one!<br />
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<b>7 January 2019</b><br />
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On Friday I did a Harley ride: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2jsUQdo8Hs&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr&index=3&t=0s" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>.<br />
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And yesterday morning I did another: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKa6E75Kkic&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr&index=2&t=0s" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>. I was told there's a Sunday morning motorcycle "scene" in Clifton, VA in good weather. So there seems to be. The star of yesterday's show as far as I was concerned was an old kick start Royal Enflield kitted up to look like a British service bike. That as cool.<br />
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<b>3 January 2019</b><br />
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45 degrees this morning - I didn't even need my usual long johns (aka L.L.Bean "base layer") for the bike ride into work this morning. It only took me about 15 minutes to commute; I think that may be a new record. I like commuting on the Harley; I get a fun bike ride to look forward to at the end of the day.<br />
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<b>2 January 2019</b><br />
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T'was a warm ride into work this morning; it was a balmy 44 degrees. That's a whole lot better than the high twenties! I took the I-395 Express Lanes into Shirlington (zipping past stalled traffic on the normal lanes) and parked in the free parking structure - it's only a 18 minute commute that way.<br />
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I rode around some yesterday after finishing up the Christmas decorations put away effort. The weather was in the sixties/high fifties. That being the case, Cari rode as a passenger. We both agree that a passenger backrest is needed for two-up riding. The seat is too slippery and the Harley accelerates too well!<br />
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Yesterday while exiting the gas station I saw the elusive orange and black CVO Ultra Limited Harley ridden by a guy in my neighborhood. I've heard his bike before but haven't had a chance to talk to him until I followed him home yesterday. Turns out he's one of the original homeowners in the area and grew up there. We chatted for a while. Nice guy. And he works on his own Harley so he's a valuable source of information and advice.<br />
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<b>31 December 2018</b><br />
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Motorcycling: Every clear day I did some riding. Here's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rv797iYywdY&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr&index=3&t=0s" target="_blank">a Quantico National Cemetery video</a> taken 12/26. This is actually a repeat of a ride I did on the day before, on Christmas day. I saw one fellow who apparently dismounted from his wheelchair and sat between a row of stones, obviously grief-stricken. It was a very sad thing to see on a Christmas day...<br />
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On the 26th I went to the nearby Harley dealership and bought a new pair of (hopefully) warmer gloves. We shall see! I also rode to nearby <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRFBqfZB0ww&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr&index=2&t=0s" target="_blank">Rippon Lodge</a> - a place I had never heard of despite being a Virginia resident for over thirty years.<br />
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During the break I sold the Suzuki for about what I paid for it via craigslist - goodbye Marva. My first three "interested parties" were Internet scams. But the fellow who bought it lives only a little over a mile from me, so now I have an occasional riding partner!<br />
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<b>21 December 2018</b><br />
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Hey - what's the difference between a Hoover and a Harley? The location of the dirt bag. Ha! Got that one from a BHS classmate on Facebook. (But then, he "races" a stock 1961 VW Beetle...)<br />
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I put Marva up for sale yesterday on craigslist. After a iPhone message scam I got two promising leads. This bike might just be sold during the weekend!<br />
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<b>20 December 2018</b><br />
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On a motorcycle, tire pressure is important. After all, there are half as many tires as on a car. And the way the road is handled via those two bits of rubber is critical, so last night after work I rode over to the air pump at the big Shell station in West Springfield to check my tire pressure.<br />
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Problem is, getting to the stems on the wheels of the Harley are difficult: the disk brakes get in the way. And, worse, while the stiff attachment on the end of the hose presents no issue for car tires, it's a major production to get it in place on the bike. I need a fitting that is manipulated from the side. So after much crawling around on the ground and finagling around brake units I did a suspect job of checking the tire and, fearful that the pressure was all wrong, I rode to the custom cycle shop in Springfield to get the air checked properly there. As I guessed, they had an air fitting adapted for use, and after some sport at my utter newness, checked my air. It appears that in order to properly get to the rear tire stem a saddlebag has to come off. (Not a big deal.)<br />
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I need a compressor of my own with a fitting that will work! I may be heading over to Harbor Freight to find one this weekend. I can't have checking tire pressure be this much of a production... I have to do it too often. Without becoming lecturesome, I will state that responsible and safe motorcyclists check their tire pressures often.<br />
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And, by the way, I am a motorcyclist, not a biker.<br />
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<b>19 December 2018</b><br />
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My porch thermometer read 27 degrees this morning... but I rode into work anyway. And yes, my fingers were icy when I got in. Doesn't matter! I got my big V-Twin to keep me warm! I agreed to show my Harley to a guy at work and now it's sitting in the parking structure, awaiting its debut.<br />
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<b>18 December 2018</b><br />
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I took another Getting To Know You Ride yesterday... I have put 395 miles on the Harley already! That Harley is so good on interstates. Smooth and powerful. And while yesterday was gusty it wasn't much of a big deal with that heavier bike. I noticed it's not going to get the same gas mileage that my Suzuki did. But then, a Cadillac burned more gas than did a VW.<br />
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At one point I was in stop and go traffic because of road work; this required a lot of first gear and friction zone manipulation with the clutch, which is somewhat stiff and new. An experience like this is like using one of those grip strengtheners! My son-in-law's mother rides a Road King. When I was on the road I reflected that she must have a grip like iron.<br />
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All I want to do is ride that Road King - which will be a challenge in the next few months. I will take it out in the cold, but I will not take it out when there's ice on the road!<br />
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Fun fact: 2018, my first motorcycle year, has been the wettest on record in the D.C. area. Oddly enough, however, there weren't many occasions when I got caught out on the road when it began to rain.<br />
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<b>17 December 2018</b><br />
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On Friday I took a Getting To Know You Ride (these used to be known as Better Than Nothing Rides). It's supposed to be sunny, dry and in the fifties today. Hmmmm. Hmmmmmmmmmm.<br />
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I'm more confident with the Harley than I was when I rode it home... I think the unfamiliarity with the handlebar type and placement has gone away. Over the weekend I put the Suzuki under a cover and fitted the Harley in its parking spot in the garage, in front of the VW. After a good cleaning I took a bunch of photos of the Suzuki in order to sell it - album here. It goes in craigslist soon.<br />
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<b>14 December 2018</b><br />
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Friday! It was supposed to rain all day today, but it looks like it'll hold off until the afternoon. So guess what? Me and the Harley are going out for another Getting To Know You session.<br />
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Yesterday after donating blood I rode over to my local independent bike shop to show the guys my Road King and ask advice. The best response to my issues regarding the handlebar is, "Don't change a thing until you put about 1,000 miles on the bike," which I planned to do anyway. So I spent the next three hours simply riding around.<br />
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I rode to Clifton along the usual wooded and twisty road. I rode out to a gigantic unused parking lot alongside Eisenhower Avenue in Alexandria to do turns and panic stops at various speeds - those Brembo brakes are good. Two wheel ABS disk is a real improvement over the front disk/rear drum arrangement on the Suzuki.<br />
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By the time I got back home I was much more comfortable with ordinary non-interstate riding on that bike. It's just taking some muscle memory training. So I plan to do more of that as soon as I shower and the temps rise to at least 40 degrees. (I have discovered that while temps in the high twenties and thirties feels cold, anything over that is perfectly reasonable biking weather and I don't become objectionably cold. My biggest problem is cold fingers.) <br />
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<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwViihXPs-o&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr&index=2&t=0s" target="_blank">VIDEO</a></b><br />
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<b>13 December 2018</b><br />
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I rode into work today on the Harley... the short I-395 high speed Express Lane ride gave me no problems at all. I can easily keep up with traffic. What was tricky was low speed riding on city streets and, especially, activating turn signals in the dark! I haven't gotten used to the turn signal button placement on the handlebars yet. My Suzuki had a big red switch that stuck out - the Harley's are black and flat. Clearly, I need many hours of practice on this new bike.<br />
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I'll get some more of that later today. I donate blood at work, and when I do I get a few hours off. The temps are reasonable - mid-40s - so I think I'll just buzz around town and come to terms with the min-ape hanger handlebars on that Road King. I'm still trying to figure out exactly how my hands fit comfortably on the grips. (By the way, the temps were in the mid-30s on the ride into work. I didn't even notice any cold. I guess I'm becoming motorcycle weather acclimatized.)<br />
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Tomorrow is Friday and I have the day off. Will I be on the Harley? Probably not. They're calling for rain. And I need to prepare Marva for sale and storage.<br />
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<b>12 December 2018</b><br />
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After some logistical arrangement getting to Fredericksburg and the Classic Iron dealership via VRE train and Uber, I did it! I bought my 2016 Harley-Davidson FLHP Road King!<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajH-sJOew7c&index=2&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr&t=0s" target="_blank">VIDEO</a> - If I sound unconvinced about the soundness of my decision it's because I'm unused to the bike. It's very different from my Suzuki Boulevard... the handlebars are higher and narrower, the bike is heavier, there's the big shaky engine at idle, the clutch and brakes, getting my feet on the foot boards, etc. In fact, my very first action on the bike in the parking lot was to stall it! (I had the same issue with the Harley Trike I test rode.) The clutch's pull and friction zone take some getting used to. The turn signals on a Harley are different, too: the left one is on the left grip, the right on the right grip. On my Suzuki they're both on the left grip. And on a Harley they're self-cancelling, which is a real blessing.<br />
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When I first went down Route 1 to get on I-95 north back home I had a constant refrain of OH MY GOSH HAVE I JUST MADE A COLOSSAL EXPENSIVE MISTAKE?!? running through my head. I'm sure it's just initial nerves; I had the same sorts of thoughts running through my head when I got the Suzuki...<br />
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One fact was immediately apparent: This bike loves the freeway in a way that my Suzuki did not. It'll do 80 without breaking a sweat. 70-75 is achieved at a stately 2,500 RPM and feels very smooth in 6th gear. And the cruise control! Wow. It works fine and is very nice. (We took the LDS missionaries out for dinner last night; one is a motorcyclist. When I mentioned the cruise control he said, "Whhhaaaat? Is that a thing?" The poor lad rides sport bikes.)<br />
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Popping off and replacing the windshield is very simple compared to my Suzuki. No tools required. (Of course, that windshield will be staying on for a few months more. Baby, It's Cold Outside.)<br />
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Photos:<br />
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<a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/kWrxJb1NkvZNig2k9" target="_blank">Saddlebags</a> - Note the smoked turn signals and brake lights. They all glow the appropriate colors when lit, but I do like the grayed variation. The brake lights are LEDs which do a sort of stroboscopic HEY LOOK AT ME effect when activated. Those pipes are perfect: louder and deeper than stock but not obnoxious and not what are called "neighbor-haters." Once again, the idea there is HEY BE AWARE I'M HERE.<br />
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<a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/Du1kZy6EMZrfVnT26" target="_blank">Instruments</a> - It's a police model bike (FLHP), which means that Harley installs a separate speedometer so officers don't have to look down at the tank. The tank gets a tachometer. I prefer this. Lots of chrome. I like chrome.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Safely in the garage...</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/DjtGLJRgWXhQQno97" target="_blank">Front end</a> - This, to me, is what a proper motorcycle looks like. That windshield, three lights, chrome, crash bars. I guess I've been programmed by cop bikes from my youth. Note the smoky turn signals in front, too. When deployed by police departments the side lamps are equipped with red and blue lens and can flash. Clear lights are installed for civilian use. (Fun fact: Using a red light will get you into trouble. I know. Go here and read the first paragraph under "Some Cruise Highlights.")<br />
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<a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/eJRadix4WDXFYvbX7" target="_blank">Back fender</a> - To seal the deal they threw in a chrome four point attachment bracket for a passenger backrest (to be purchased later). That went in where you see the slots. The cool thing about a Road King is versatility: if you want nothing you add nothing. Take off the windshield for simple trips around town or put it back on for highway cruising. If you want a passenger backrest and/or a flat luggage rack you can add that via the attachment brackets, or if you want a full-blown lockable upper storage case with an integral passenger backrest you can add that, too. With a Road King you get everything you need and nothing you don't need.<br />
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I'm going to be starting over with this Road King, taking it to an empty parking lot to practice ABS panic stops, riding on city streets using turn signals, stopping and consistently finding neutral, in and out of parking spaces, etc. The freeway stuff is easy - it's the low speed stuff that takes practice.<br />
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But there it is... I'm one of <a href="https://2yrh403fk8vd1hz9ro2n46dd-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/2015-motorcycle-squid-on-the-rise-3.jpg" target="_blank">them Harley guys now</a>.Brighamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16450830005503932437noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8447591580473724055.post-4617980220069489402018-10-01T10:39:00.000-07:002019-11-21T12:16:18.477-08:00Knees in the Breeze<b>11 December 2018</b><br />
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Merry Christmas! I'm in the process of buying a 2016 Harley-Davidson Road King! It's <a href="https://classiciron.com/Motorcycles-Harley-Davidson-POLICE-ROAD-KING-2016-Fredericksburg-VA-a1a3ac70-c6d6-4e41-b798-a94201147280" target="_blank">the black police bike I linked to yesterday</a>. (<a href="https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipMOR3cofG_3Fykn8Rc2pNgALxOfJoVeflC6FAvJ5e3w5NXUiYJeTGqiA58GjAflog?key=T1h1bC1lY0U2QWU5cE9hUkNDV3kzT2habHdWUFd3" target="_blank">Photo</a>) I have to either wire the money to Classic Iron in Fredericksburg or bring them a cashier's check today; I might even be able to ride it home depending upon road conditions down there. (They got eight inches of snow on Sunday night, but I'm told that Route 1 and I-95 are both clear and dry. It was sunny and above freezing yesterday and the forecast is for the same today as well.) Obviously, more on this later!<br />
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I did a quick oil change on Marva, my Suzuki Boulevard, yesterday. That bike is in great shape! Anyone want to buy it?<br />
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<b>10 December 2018</b><br />
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On Friday I took a bike ride down to Fredericksburg and investigated Harley Road Kings at Classic Iron. <a href="https://classiciron.com/Motorcycles-Harley-Davidson-POLICE-ROAD-KING-2016-Fredericksburg-VA-a1a3ac70-c6d6-4e41-b798-a94201147280" target="_blank">The one I'm looking at is a black 2016 police bike</a>. That is to say it's a police model; with only 2,000 miles on it.<br />
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I don't think it ever spent any time in use by a cop in a Virginia police department. Classic Iron often buys bikes from jurisdictions in Virginia who order police bikes from Harley and then, for some budgetary reason or another, don't actually deploy them. When this was explained to me and I commented "Your tax dollars at work!", the salesman grinned at me.<br />
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What makes it "police?" This particular bike has an analog tachometer mounted on the tank where the speedometer normally goes, then has a speedometer mounted atop the fork. I actually prefer that - you can keep an eye on the speedometer while still looking down the road. It's not a big deal, but apparently the police departments prefer it that way for some reason and Harley-Davidson accommodates them. It also has a couple of inert red switches for a (non-existent) siren and flashing blue and red lights (which have clear lens and don't flash).<br />
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This bike was built in the factory in York, PA that I visited last month!<br />
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<b>7 December 2018</b><br />
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Motorcycle Friday! These are necessarily shorter than they were in the summer. It doesn't warm up until 10 or after, and by the time 3 PM rolls around, the long shadows make it pretty clear that it's time to be home. Right now (9:25 AM) it's 38 degrees. I want it in the 40s. The forecast calls for a sunny day, so that'll help. I've figured out clothing that keeps me basically warm except for the hands and fingertips. I need better gloves!<br />
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Where shall I go? I'm not sure, but West Virginia and the usual distant sites seem to not be practicable. (I can stand the cold but there's a limit!) Fredericksburg seems to be a likely destination.<br />
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<b>6 December 2018</b><br />
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It was 32 degrees for my motorcycle ride into work this morning - but, still, it wasn't bad at all. It's all relative... it was noticeably better than the morning I got into work when the temps were in the high 20s with wind gusts.<br />
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<b>3 December 2018</b><br />
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On Friday I mentioned that the weather kept me from having a motorcycle ride. Actually, the sun came out a bit later in the day and I was able to take a short, pleasant ride down the I-95 Express lanes to the Quantico National Cemetery, where I found the grave site of Marine Ira Baker, the Harley salesman I knew. Afterwards I stopped at the Quantico Harley dealership, where the manager made me a very good last-day-of-the-month offer on a 2017 Road King. After some deliberation I turned it down. The 2017 has the new Milwaukee-8 engine. And this bike is a dark silver. I want a black 2014-2016 with the 103 Twin Cam engine. Still, it's a great deal. Hmmm.<br />
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<b>30 November 2018</b><br />
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A motorcycle Friday!<br />
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Now that I've put the tinsel up on the tree and processed my vacation photos order from Costco - where shall I go? I'm not sure. There's a chance of rain today, but it's not a big chance. It's supposed to be cloudy all day. A high of 44 degrees, brrrr.<br />
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Two hours later: I washed some road crud off my bike, then it rained while I was in the shower! Grrrrr. The temp is currently 42 degrees. I don't have any rain gear. I can endure some summer rain but rain and a temp in the 40s is a ride-killer for me. (Motorcycle wind chill chart.) Maybe the sun will come out this afternoon and I can take a little ride then...<br />
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Or, seeing as how my bike is just about due for an oil change, perhaps I'll do that in the garage this afternoon. Or this weekend. (The weather forecast is crummy this weekend, too.)<br />
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It's pretty clear: Riding season is kind of over. It's "Better than nothing" rides for me until the Spring.<br />
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<b>29 November 2018</b><br />
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Yesterday I bought some glove liners for my motorcycle gloves and gave 'em a run to Clifton in the 30-something degree weather to see if my fingertips got cold. They eventually did. The liners help - but what I really need are better gloves. I may be shopping for some at a Harley dealership tomorrow...<br />
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<b>28 November 2018</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
A cold morning ride into work! It was 29 degrees and gusty. But I was wearing my new L.L.Bean base layer (thermal "long johns") and thicker wool socks, and these helped a lot. My fingers still got cold, however. I may want to investigate warmer gloves.<br />
<br />
<br />
The first time I rode a motorcycle in gusts was a nervous experience. I was a very new rider taking the I-495 Express Lanes for the first time and didn't like any buffeting. But I took them in stride this morning. It comes with experience and confidence, I guess. That and the knowledge that it takes a pretty substantial gust to blow a 300 pound man riding a 544 pound bike into another lane.<br />
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<b>27 November 2018</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRkgh_X5nuQcRAgLaO1uEsjA_lOc3LiNrkcgr2jncajmWG8tlPVQI0g_5GCt_h0VgIlSbc0Y-4Pay03TZuzXG3maB6nr-HhJLe5Hnr9OoKGYH-LjM2OSz8WiSd41tDR1z-lueXLq74e9NR/s1600/img061.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1021" data-original-width="1600" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRkgh_X5nuQcRAgLaO1uEsjA_lOc3LiNrkcgr2jncajmWG8tlPVQI0g_5GCt_h0VgIlSbc0Y-4Pay03TZuzXG3maB6nr-HhJLe5Hnr9OoKGYH-LjM2OSz8WiSd41tDR1z-lueXLq74e9NR/s400/img061.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Three of us in center. </b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Went to Tyson's Corner over the break. I got myself some L.L. Bean warm socks and thermal underwear for riding to work on a bike on cold mornings. We shall see how well they work later this week...<br />
<br />
My daughter Meredith and her Harley-riding husband Zach and I drove up to York, PA to take the "steel toe" factory tour at the Harley-Davidson factory... this was really interesting. It was exciting to see Americans assemble American bikes with American-made steel! They use flat steel for the fenders and enormous rolls of steel for the fuel tanks. These are banged into shape by enormous pressing machines - when I worked at Lockheed back in 1979 we referred to the place where these were located as "The Hall of Giants."<br />
<br />
Painting is an extremely fussy process; parts get rejected for the least little reason. And, no, Harley does not sell "factory seconds" bikes. The order list is set up in Milwaukee and sent to the plant. Each part is arranged by computer to arrive at the assembly line at a certain time, "just in time" inventory and all that. It was very cool being on the factory floor to watch the whole process. Harley learned a thing or two from Disney - we exited through the gift shop...<br />
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<b>21 November 2018</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Wow! Cold ride into work this morning: 32 degrees. (That's what my porch thermometer said. Weather.com says it was colder.) Anyway, this is my new commuting cold weather record. My Land's End scarf arrived in the mail just in time! There is one spot on the road I am always wary of: a place where water seeps from the street mysteriously. It was ice this morning; it may be ice later today. I may be riding on the sidewalk!<br />
<br />
Yesterday Zach (my Harley-riding son-in-law) and I took our anticipated motorcycle ride in rural Virginia. It was fun! And cold. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nPu6FQ0ugc&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr&t=13s&index=2" target="_blank">VIDEO HERE</a>. The weather forecast called for a 10% chance of rain and then no rain at all, but you can guess what started to happen. (In mid-40s degree weather, yet.)<br />
<br />
At one point I had called off the ride south in the Shenandoah Valley because it's well-known that weather blows down the Valley - and we saw dark rain clouds to the south and west. So I decided that we'd just cross the Northern tip of the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests on twisty roads and have lunch at Wardensville, WV, 21 miles away. I started us off and we didn't go far at all until I got an unmistakable impression in my head: NO. So I turned us around and we had lunch instead at the Apple House in Linden (near Front Royal), a cool old Virginia joint. (See video.) I've passed it on rides a number of times but have never been there. I do believe they must have the biggest and most varied collection of hot sauces in America.<br />
<br />
(NOTE: Because the Shenandoah River flows from south to north, going "up" the Valley of Virginia, or against the current, means moving south. This used to confuse me to no end when reading Civil War books. Perhaps the definitive website dealing with which way Virginia rivers run is this one.)<br />
<br />
<br />
I put 160 miles on my rental Indian Scout yesterday. It's a quick little ride, being lighter than my Suzuki Boulevard but having an engine with twice the horsepower, but it's not for me. Too small. I'm the classic tourer type... taking curves at a high rate of speed? Who needs it? I like rolling along and taking in the scenery. The more different bikes I ride, the more convinced I am that what I want is a Harley Road King.<br />
<b><br />16 November 2018</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
I wanted to ride my motorcycle into work this morning, but the pavement was wet and the temperature was 35 degrees. I figured there might be some treacherous icy spots on the road, so I took the car. My suspicions were confirmed when I crossed an icy bridge - the Electronic Stabilization Program (ESP) in my VW kept me going straight, but I saw a couple of cars off the road!<br />
<br />
Back from Europe: Paris is a motorcycle town! Wherever we went we saw long lines of 500cc and lower motorcycles and scooters parked in line. The big touring bikes were on display near the Gare du Nord, the train station: Honda Goldwings. Parisians also frequently wear vinyl leg covers to keep themselves warm on bikes. At one point, at a light where we crossed, I saw two women - a mother and a daughter, I think - on a scooter. They were so picturesque and so obviously enjoying themselves on a sunny day I wished them a Bonjour and got one in reply. Cool. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8GB8YkoPrM&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr&t=0s&index=3" target="_blank">I saw very few big Harleys</a> - they don't really make sense in Paris. You want small, light and maneuverable. Cari and I decided that if and when we return to Paris we may rent a scooter and see the city that way. It's faster than the Metro and you can literally park anywhere.<br />
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<b>29 October 2018</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
I did a little motorcycle ride yesterday to the area around work in Alexandria, then went into town and then down the George Washington Memorial Parkway. No doubt about it, it's getting cooler! Just after I arrive home it rained, so... good timing.<br />
<br />
I need to take my bike into the nearby gas station for the annual safety inspection sticker or it become unlawful to ride in November. No, no, no... can't have that!<br />
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<b>25 October 2018</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
36 degrees and no windshield (removed for a new safety inspection sticker)... it was a zesty ride into work this morning. Despite my heavy gloves my fingertips began to get cold. My legs got cold, too. I wore a scarf, which helped. Thank goodness for my leather jacket - I love that thing. I may just put the liner back in.<br />
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It was cold but... I kind of enjoyed it. It's like being in a rugby scrum or waking up in a canvas tent with the water in your canteen frozen: You know you're alive.<br />
<br />
And you question your recreational choices.<br />
<br />
I had some good telephonic advice from one of my motorcycling mentors last night; the general topic was formation riding. His advice was consonant with my suspicions: don't do it. The big motorcycle event in my neck of the woods (the D.C. suburbs) is the annual Rolling Thunder ride up I-395 into D.C. I sometimes think I'd like to take part some day. My friend - who has been riding for the past 40+ years - says it's scary. He was doing it one year and noticed that all the passengers were waving at the crowds gathered to watch. Then he noticed that most of the riders were waving, too - one hand on the handlebars, thoroughly distracted. Yikes! I think I'll pass. I'm fine with riding with my pal Barry and I'm okay with doing dealership demo day rides where we're all spaced out. (I always build in reaction time space between me and everything else.) But this sounds like it's... well... not my ride.<br />
<br />
<br />
On Monday I mentioned Ira, a Harley-Davidson salesman I got to know who died in a motorcycle accident recently. <a href="https://www.covenantfuneralservice.com/obituary?id=319321" target="_blank">Here's his obit</a>. He was a French and Indian War reenactor? Dang, we never had that conversation. Now we never will.<br />
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<b>22 October 2018</b><br />
<br />
On Saturday I went to test ride a Kawasaki Vulcan Vaquero which I had my eye on at a local dealership. (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXs6osJT1Yw&t=0s&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr&index=4" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>) I have test ridden a Harley-Davidson Road Glide, a bike with a fairing attached to the chassis; the Vaquero is Kawasaki's version of that. Were I in the market for a Road Glide I think I'd choose the Vaquero instead. I prefer its ride and there is a price advantage of thousands of dollars.<br />
<br />
After that I drove to the Harley-Davidson dealership in Manassas to test ride a Softail Heritage (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9Bf3JFl06I&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr&index=2&t=0s" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>). This is the 17th bike I have ridden! I was surprised at how easy and familiar it was to ride. Normally, with one of the models with the touring chassis, I'm a little uncertain about test riding one because it feels bigger, heavier and more solid than what I have (as indeed they are). It's something I'm sure I can get used to, but a test ride on a Road King, a Street Glide or a Road Glide is a somewhat nervous experience because they handle and feel differently than my bike. (And that long, scary legal disclaimer the dealership has you fill out before riding doesn't help!) As soon as I got on the Heritage, however, it felt very much like what I was already used to - except with a lot more torque. (107 cid engine vs. a 50 cid engine.)<br />
<br />
The base Softail Heritage and the base Road King vary by about $250. The Road King is better adapted for long rides on freeways and turnpikes, and feels planted, stable and centered. Sort of like a luxury car. The Softail Heritage can also do touring, but is better adapted for shorter rides and being ridden around town. It also feels more nimble. The deciding point, however, is looks. I much prefer <a href="https://www.harley-davidson.com/us/en/motorcycles/2019/touring/road-king.html" target="_blank">the retro look of the Road King</a> (hard saddlebags, chrome headlight nacelle, three lights, clear windshield) to <a href="https://www.harley-davidson.com/us/en/motorcycles/2019/softail/heritage-classic.html" target="_blank">the look of the Softail Heritage</a> (soft saddlebags, lower blacked-out windshield, non-chromed headlight). For me, a Road King is what a motorcycle looks like. What attracted me to <a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/oXY8ZiuCj1nGozTj8" target="_blank">the Suzuki Boulevard M50 with the saddlebags I have</a> is that it looks reminiscent or suggestive of a Road King.<br />
<br />
Sad story: I went into the Bull Run Harley dealership asking for Ira, the salesman with whom I usually work, a friendly Marine Corps retiree I got to know upon a number of visits. I first met him before I started riding, and would make it a practice of coming in during Friday rides and chatting with him about how I was doing and my plans for upgrading my bike, etc. I got the distinct feeling that this was a person whom I could trust. I was told Saturday that he died in a motorcycle accident riding with his club a month or so ago. I am uncertain of the details but it involved an accident during a type of formation ride, despite the fact that he was an experienced rider - at least, this is what I gathered. It is very sobering news... One thing's for sure: I won't be able to step into that dealership without thinking of this fellow. Actually, he'll probably be on my mind every time I sit on a bike and start riding. <br />
<br />
An old Civil War reenacting cliché comes to mind: "He died doing what he wanted to do." (I have specifically instructed my friends to NOT say that about me if I somehow perished during a battle reenactment!) But in this case I think it's actually true: this motorcyclist died involved in a hobby he loved, surrounded by friends. There are worse ways to go... As I grow older I am increasingly aware of people who die after long, wearing illnesses involving dementia and physical incapacity. Who would choose to go that way? But, as I'm fond of saying, we don't get to choose.<br />
<br />
We accept our fate.<br />
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Don't we?<br />
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<b>19 October 2018</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
40 degrees this morning - it was a very brisk and cool ride into work on Marva the Motorcycle! Once again, thanks to my heavy leather jacket and gloves I'm fine from the waist up, but my legs get a bit cold. And I think I want a scarf for my neck between the jacket and the helmet.<br />
<br />
Black. A black scarf.<br />
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<br />
The visor fogging problem is back, too... I find myself frequently cracking open the visor. But other than that, it's a fine ride. I'll like it better when daylight savings time ends and the mornings are lighter, however. I miss riding into the sunrise.<br />
<br />
Because of a baby shower taking place at my house tomorrow, my wife told me to make myself scarce. Can I do that? Yes. Coleman Powersports in Falls Church is having a demo day tomorrow from 11 to 3, offering test rides on various motorcycles. I hope to ride a Kawasaki Vulcan Vaquero (the metric bike answer to the Harley Road Glide) and a Yamaha Star Eluder. Both are possibilities for me, although I'm almost entirely sold on a Harley-Davidson Road King.<br />
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<b>18 October 2018</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
It was a cool morning getting to work on my motorcycle: 54 degrees. I wore my heavy leather jacket so I was fine there, and my heavy gloves. My legs got a little cool. It's very different from commuting during the summer!<br />
<br />
From a recent trip to Burbank: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2weE20EPP8&t=0s&list=PL6cgtmyikyYndyVtID9o1b3SD-88ttrKz&index=3" target="_blank">Born Free Cycles in Burbank</a>. This is where the TV series <i>Shameless</i> is shot. My daughter and son-in-law watch it. When they found out I could visit they had me take a video.<br />
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<b>9 October 2018</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Yesterday I did indeed ride out to Harpers Ferry, WV - and Charles Town, WV and Waterford, VA. (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaQQGuderAg&t=0s&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr&index=49" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>) Charles Town is named for George Washington's brother, who founded it back when the area was still Virginia. I didn't know that! But you can learn all this and more by watching the video. It was a nice ride... 157 miles.<br />
<br />
Back in April when I bought my helmet I told the associate at the motorcycle store that I was planning on my first major ride to Harpers Ferry in the fall. He said, "Oh, you'll be doing rides like that well before October." He was correct. My Antietam ride in June was a longer one. I think my May ride to Front Royal was, too.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I have put 4,700 miles on my bike since 31 March. The only real way to learn how to ride a motorcycle is to ride the motorcycle. (After appropriate training, of course.)<br />
<br />
<br />
My pal Bob Avery flew out over the weekend. One of our activities - besides dining for breakfast at a Waffle House - was a visit to the Fairfax (VA) Harley dealership for a Demo Day. (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbYzqDTk_8Q&index=3&t=0s&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr" target="_blank">Check out the muffler mini-guns!</a>) I test rode a 2019 Road Glide. Clunk, bang! those Harley transmissions are noisy! I learned that I really don't need a fairing. I still want a Road King. One with the 103 CID twin cam engine, model year between 2014 and 2016. Vivid black, with ABS and cruise control. Under 15,000 miles if possible. <a href="https://d2qn5pre0p0oeu.cloudfront.net/i5/x213998db/af9680ea/753618942b.jpg" target="_blank">This</a>. Anyway, this makes the fifteenth motorcycle besides my own I have ridden, and the sixth Harley. I think next time I'm going to request to ride a Heritage Softail. It's like a Road King, but on a somewhat smaller frame. Annnnd I need to ride an C90T Suzuki Boulevard. A fellow M50 owner is encouraging me to ride one of those before buying a Harley.<br />
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<b>1 October 2018</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPO2ogjYnhoZuenIaR6uBoiTpZtRDjHlwaBIYQR89-x2dYQ1oz7ATY-sSiatZpD7kt9g5kdAUYuB_Jkru3xgB3kg21p2bDY3os8APVTuYCZYsKNp55LF1BULxGYkyfpUowSWA3rUVTcK_Y/s1600/2018-10-01_8-27-59.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="997" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPO2ogjYnhoZuenIaR6uBoiTpZtRDjHlwaBIYQR89-x2dYQ1oz7ATY-sSiatZpD7kt9g5kdAUYuB_Jkru3xgB3kg21p2bDY3os8APVTuYCZYsKNp55LF1BULxGYkyfpUowSWA3rUVTcK_Y/s400/2018-10-01_8-27-59.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Despite my chest cold I had a great Shenandoah Valley ride on Friday; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gNyB7dKi1w&t=504s&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr&index=2" target="_blank">video here</a>. My reenacting-turned-motorcyclist friend Barry and I met in Front Royal and rode out to Middletown via the Reliance Road. Then we went down the Valley Pike (Route 11) past the Cedar Creek battlefield. Somehow (Barry, please explain) we got from there to Route 42, the scenic Senedo Road which I have never been on, and eventually took a left onto 211, the New Market Road, into New Market. We ate lunch there. After a brief tour of the New Market battlefield, we headed back to Strasburg via the Valley Pike. I went back home to Springfield via Route 55 and I-66. 255 miles! It was my longest one day ride thus far.<br />
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It's October 1st. In addition to pumpkin spice-flavored everything appearing in stores (a guy I know wants to see pumpkin spice gasoline), this day represents a full six months of riding Marva, my Suzuki Boulevard ("Bully") M50. Why is this significant? <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurt_Report" target="_blank">The Hurt Report</a> - yes, that's what it's called, after its creator professor Harry Hurt - is a famous detailed survey of motorcycle injuries and fatalities. As part of my reading and podcast listening I am familiar with the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_findings_in_the_Hurt_Report" target="_blank">findings of this report</a>. One of its assertions is that most beginner motorcyclists get into an accident in their first six months of riding. That's how it was relayed to me, anyway. But the exact wording is statistically different: "More than half of the accident-involved motorcycle riders had less than 5 months experience on the accident motorcycle, although the total street riding experience was almost 3 years." Hmmm. At any rate I am now past my first six months without accident, having ridden 4,476 miles on my Bully. Hooray!<br />
<br />
However, becoming complacent is a major mistake! Getting on a motorcycling means being wary and defensive when riding, continuing to learn, knowing what one's experience and skills limits are and riding within those limits. I think next spring I want to take a follow-up MSF motorcycle safety course. That will better my odds. Won't it?Brighamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16450830005503932437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8447591580473724055.post-39178917317399752252018-04-12T10:11:00.000-07:002018-09-27T08:57:44.308-07:00On Two Wheels...<br />
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<b><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">21 Dec 2017<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">While in Utah we visited a couple of
Harley-Davidson stores and investigated the idea of learning how to ride. My
daughter and son-in-law are for it. My wife is for it. Most surprisingly, my
father-in-law doesn't mind the idea of my riding his daughter around on the
back of a Harley!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">So is this The Next Thing? I'm not sure. I was
wondering when The Next Thing would make itself apparent to me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">28 Dec 2017<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Yesterday my son and I ventured into Fairfax and
looked at electric guitars and Harleys. I was shown a really nice 2017 Street
King - but, no. I need to learn to ride first. The salesman hopefully suggested
that if I buy the bike first I'll have the motivation to learn to ride. Why, of
course! But that's not going to happen. I don't do things that way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">1 Jan 2018<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">On Saturday Cari and I visited the nearby
Harley-Davidson dealership in Fairfax; we looked at a nice $18,000 Road King.
Both got on it, in fact. But you know what? I think I prefer the Indian
Springfield. Hm. Anyway, I'm putting off making any decisions about taking a
motorcycle class until I get over this miserable cold I have!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I read Sonny Barger's book <i>Let's Ride: Sonny
Barger's Guide to Motorcycling</i>. It's an articulate, sober, honest and mature
look at riding motorcycles. In fact, it is so honest it halfway convinces me not
to take up riding motorcycles at all! Barger is a lot more intelligent than I
have been led to believe. Either that or he's well ghost written or edited!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">12 Jan 2018<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Three day weekend! We have no plans. We may drive
down to Fredericksburg to view the Indian Springfield motorcycle, but the more
I think about it the more a Harley Trike makes sense. (And yes, I know there
are trike conversion kits for the Indian Springfield.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">22 Jan 2018<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">My wife and I watched nearly three hours of
motorcycling instructional videos by Matt Laidlaw, who works at a family-owned
Harley dealership in California. As a result, Cari dreamed about riding
motorcycles Saturday night! During the course I heard a number of reasons why
to buy a Harley Trike rather than a two-wheeled bike, but we shall see.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">24 Jan 2018<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7sTN2XbAzErMZzmgBU3QTf_mfkfFlJCjlmraLtrKrEB9Du7Uo1DkukfmCMa_wL4WmEKS5S1yglsQZRybvYSZB29ECWC_Ieu-9sBmElEmX5_JNDzh0EsXpKPvxnLxvlQVe2ZTTnxdXCnOp/s1600/trike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="517" data-original-width="518" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7sTN2XbAzErMZzmgBU3QTf_mfkfFlJCjlmraLtrKrEB9Du7Uo1DkukfmCMa_wL4WmEKS5S1yglsQZRybvYSZB29ECWC_Ieu-9sBmElEmX5_JNDzh0EsXpKPvxnLxvlQVe2ZTTnxdXCnOp/s320/trike.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Me at age 4.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Well, I tried. I got to just past halfway with
Hunter S. Thompson's 1966 book about the Hell's Angels and gave up. It just
wasn't very interesting to me; I found it dull. Go figure. Back to the library
for another book. I'm one of those people for whom a visit to the library to
find a good book is one of life's simple little pleasures.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I mentioned that I'm interested in someday
getting a Harley-Davidson Freewheeler Trike. (One possibility.) No wonder they
appeal to me - I had a three wheeled motorcycle at age 4! I laughed when I saw
this photo yesterday...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">31 Jan 2018<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">My new book arrived on library hold last night:
<i>Ridin' High, Livin' Free - Hell-Raising Motorcycle Stories</i> by Ralph
"Sonny" Barger. A representative sentence: "And s--t like
that." Reading it makes me feel rebellious. Perhaps I'll run the stop sign
at the end of my street, not squeegee the shower stall after I'm done, throw my
Diet Coke bottle in the trash rather than recycling it - or even neglect to thank
the next veteran I meet for his service.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">1 Feb 2018<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Yesterday I scheduled myself and Cari for Basic
Motorcycle Instruction at the Northern Virginia Community College, 3/23, 3/24
and 3/25. Upon successful completion of this class we are given paperwork which
we can send to the DMV to get the 2-wheeled motorcycle endorsement added to our
Virginia driver's licenses.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Thus it begins, The Next Thing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">2 Feb 2018<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">In some quarters this is sacrilege, but I think
Hells Angels co-founder Sonny Barger is a better writer than Hunter S.
Thompson. Well - a more interesting writer, anyway. His <i>Let's Ride</i> was a fun
book and so is <i>Ridin' High, Livin' Free</i>. Both very readable; his prose is
direct, colloquial and sometimes profane. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I can now distinguish between Harley-Davidson
Flathead, Knucklehead, Panhead and Shovelhead engines. Except for the Flathead,
the engines are named for the appearance of the valve covers at the top. The
Flathead (manufactured from 1919 to 1936) was a horizontally-opposed engine.
The Knucklehead (1936 to 1948) looks a bit like knuckles on a hand. The covers
on a Panhead (1948 to 1965) look like pans, and the covers on a Shovelhead
(1965 to 1984) look like shovels. Sort of. If you use some imagination. In 1984
the company introduced the Evolution engine - nobody came up with anything
clever for that one. From wikipedia: "Most analysts consider the Evolution
to be the engine that saved the reorganized Harley-Davidson company from
certain bankruptcy."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">5 Feb 2018<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><i>Wild Hogs</i> (2007) - An entertaining film, this is
a Disneyfied depiction of outlaw biker violence. That means there's a bunch of
biker-looking extras standing around in crowd scenes looking menacing but
performing nothing objectionable. At one point somebody mentions a Harley
Panhead engine but shows what I think is a Shovelhead engine. But it's a Tim
Allen film and I usually find those fun...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">1 Mar 2018<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">The other day I mentioned <i>All Quiet on the
Western Front</i> (1930); I am now watching the other great film from that period
about World War I, <i>Wings</i> (1927), winner of the very first Oscar for Best
Picture. It is epic in scale, but nowhere as good. It's very dated and I'm
finding Clara Bow - the "It" Girl - annoying. <i>All Quiet on the
Western Front</i> tells its story simply and unaffectedly, with a natural acting
style - that makes it ageless. <i>Wings</i> is full of posturing and silliness. Future
superstar Gary Cooper makes a brief appearance in this as a flying trainee who
heads out to his plane to do a few figure eights - and kills himself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE9DttE_cvLfoylMq8JRcrujFFW5t4rlE3DC6mSGRmMZnj8yeqfGP3weNB-Jtdznu1qCR83CvMb_jDIPAFHCpBO1hSuGwIwipXFNfRY33VJr2sH_nN5MNEoyOvdPI6mpHdKHeRAiOgW6CO/s1600/with_saddlebags.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="575" data-original-width="809" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE9DttE_cvLfoylMq8JRcrujFFW5t4rlE3DC6mSGRmMZnj8yeqfGP3weNB-Jtdznu1qCR83CvMb_jDIPAFHCpBO1hSuGwIwipXFNfRY33VJr2sH_nN5MNEoyOvdPI6mpHdKHeRAiOgW6CO/s400/with_saddlebags.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">As I am thinking a lot about motorcycle riding
I'm drawing a comparison here. Just watch: I'll mount a bike and drive myself
right into a rock wall or something. The more I think about it, the more I see
the sense in the advice about getting a beginner bike before buying the dream
bike. A 2008 Suzuki Boulevard can be had for just over $3,000. I can learn on
that (and drop it) before getting a far more expensive Harley-Davidson. It's a
V-Twin like a Harley and a cruiser style with an 800cc engine. (The most-often
recommended beginner bike is a Honda Rebel 250; those can be had inexpensively,
too.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Well - I am deciding nothing at all until we take
the motorcycle lessons at the end of this month. It may be that I don't like a
motorcycle at all!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">5 Mar 2018<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">On Friday I navigated myself through all the windstorm-created dead
streetlights in Fairfax and Falls Church and visited Compton Motorsports
(motorcycles) - they sell Hondas, Ducatis, Suzukis, Kawasakis and Can-Ams. I
sat on a Can-Am... two wheels in front, one in back. No, I don't think so. (Fun
fact: Can-Ams are built by the Bombardier company, founded by Joseph-Armand
Bombardier, who invented the snowmobile. He's my ninth cousin.) I liked the
Suzuki Boulevard... that bike appears in a list of "Best Used Beginner
Bikes." So does the Honda Rebel 300 - you can buy one of those new for
only $4,300! I was especially impressed by how much bang for the buck you get
out of Japanese touring bikes. The Kawasaki Vulcan Vaquero was quite nice. I
texted my Harley-Davidson-loving daughter and told her I liked it and she texted me
back a photo of Conan O'Brian holding his face in his hands. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">16 Mar 2018<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Last night my wife and I went into a motorcycle
shop in Springfield; we both bought gloves and she ordered a helmet. (She takes
an extra small; I take a XXL.) Thus it begins! Our motorcycle class is next
weekend. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">19 Mar 2018<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">On Friday I took a run over to the
Harley-Davidson dealership in Manassas. There I met a former Marine my age who
sells bikes. (Are there a comparative lot of former Marines who work in Harley
dealerships? That's the culture, I guess.) He enlisted in the Corps in 1974 -
but unlike me, retired in 2005... WOW. Anyway, he showed me some older bikes -
2012, 2013 - with fairings. (People have been telling me that I'll want the
fairings.) It causes me to question my desire to get a Road King, a cruising
bike without fairings. But they have a very nice black Road King there, too. He
pulled the bag off one side and showed me how the pre-load setting is adjusted.
I also got a good look at the belt. So far I think the best advice is from my
youngest daughter: Don't make any decisions until after the motorcycle class!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">21 Mar 2018<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I don't know how many inches of snow will fall,
but I'm hoping it won't screw up motorcycle lessons this weekend - even though
I think it will. Does NOVA Community College have a field house we can ride in,
perhaps? I scheduled these lessons late enough in March thinking I would avoid
snow... Grrrrr...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">22 Mar 2018<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">No word yet from NOVA Community College as to
whether or not our motorcycle class will be cancelled this weekend due to snow
and/or ice on the lot where we're expected to ride. I guess in lieu of
notification we simply show up for the classroom part tomorrow evening. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">23 Mar 2018<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I haven't gotten an e-mail from NOVA Community
College telling me that our motorcycle class for tonight and this weekend has
been canceled, and the weather forecast for today and tomorrow is mostly sunny
and dry, so I guess it's on! I'll know for sure tonight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">26 Mar 2018<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">What a weekend! I am exhausted!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Friday evening from 6 to 10 PM Cari and I were at
the classroom part of the motorcycle training which was indeed held, thanks to
better weather and the great majority of the snow last week having melted.
Hooray! We went over about 150 motorcycle-related questions: Where's the
clutch? How does one enter and exit turns? Panic stops, swerving,
counter-steering, etc. A ton of things to remember. It was a bit overwhelming.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ-7MHGM6Iqcf5I_bQhKn17oT3sc2V_o62oCarHdqnxxuPIFLQwP0ttIjJV98h1qjKXmAQef65_awsRQVAKsX6HEO4m7vPBBDPRsJRvBPUhqO460IYJ8Jzr9KkfdRxYAcaGsPh7O00Xgz6/s1600/IMG_4783.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ-7MHGM6Iqcf5I_bQhKn17oT3sc2V_o62oCarHdqnxxuPIFLQwP0ttIjJV98h1qjKXmAQef65_awsRQVAKsX6HEO4m7vPBBDPRsJRvBPUhqO460IYJ8Jzr9KkfdRxYAcaGsPh7O00Xgz6/s400/IMG_4783.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The bikes of Northern Virginia's least intimidating biker gang. </b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Saturday: Motorcycling training on a campus
parking lot from 7:15 AM to about 1 PM. (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJb9ut83C2c&t=0s&index=17&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlaixyJsWDtR_GjbtGEYQna" target="_blank">YouTube video</a>.) This was physically
tiring... my hips were aching (I suppose partially because I was clutching the
fuel tank with them). But it was the first time Cari and I had ever ridden
motorcycles. The pace was fast, and Cari needed extra time with handling the
motorcycle that she just didn't get. After a few motorcycle drops (one painful
and scary - I don't think I'll ever get that image out of my head) she and the
coaches decided to cease participation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Anyway, I persevered and finished that day's
exercises and activities. At a certain point, when it appeared that I had the
basic function of cruising down the lot achieved, I smiled. It actually started
to become fun!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Wow, I was tired Saturday night! I dreamed about
motorcycles all night long.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Sunday: The final day of motorcycle class, 7:15
AM to 1 PM. I completed it successfully! Notes below. And, once again, I
dreamed of motorcycles all night long.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">NOTES<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">My practice bike was a Suzuki DR200; I had the
hardest time finding neutral in it! The shifter was absurdly small for my size
13 wide foot (the rear brake pedal was tiny, too) - but, as my mother used to
say, "A poor craftsman always blames his tools." It was probably me.
As a result I had to keep the clutch engaged a lot of the time. I probably
built up some additional muscle in my already formidable grip. (Note: I require
3XL gloves.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">One guy zeroed his odometer at the beginning of
the course and, at the end, reported that we had ridden about twenty miles. So
that makes me an expert now, right? I can go out and buy that 1,700 cc Harley
and merge right onto I-95? NO. As I don't have a death wish I wouldn't dream of
it. I now know that I need a beginner bike for the first year, something to
tool around on residential streets to build up skills and confidence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I was by far the oldest person in the class.
There was one young woman there, somewhat younger than my youngest daughter.
During a break we chatted briefly and she asked, "Do you have grown
kids?" I replied, "I have six grandchildren." She looked at me
stunned and uttered a well-known swear word beginning with "f." I was
about to say, "Yeah - that's how I got the grandchildren," but
refrained, it being a Sunday and my being a Mormon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">At one point we had to do a lane-changing
exercise using the turn signal, which, on my bike, did not reset itself as in a
car. As a result the instructor had to tell me to cancel the signal. I replied
in front of every one that as I'm a senior citizen it's my heritage to drive
around town with a turn signal on all the time. Everyone laughed, and the
instructor said, "Well - you'll be making that turn eventually, I
guess."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">The test for the DMV 2-wheeled motorcycle endorsement
was partially on the lot and partially a written test. The lot part was tricky:
everyone had problems with the two u-turns in a box maneuver. I got points
taken off for momentarily touching my foot to the ground, but I passed. The
panic stop test was my worst of the morning (I headed into it needlessly fast
and so my stop was a little long), but I still passed. The experience was
tense... I'm too old for tests and exams! Not everyone passed, by the way. One
young fellow, who seemed to be having difficulty on the bike, failed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I found the written exam to be pretty easy, and
the Old Guy was - somewhat obnoxiously - the first one to hand it in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">This whole motorcycle class experience reminded
me of the Andy Griffith Show episode where Aunt Bee takes airplane lessons and
solos. I was eleven when it was first broadcast. It made an impression on me
because it suggested that just because one is older it doesn't mean that all
the fun, exciting and interesting experiences are over.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I guess baking my first apple pie comes next.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">27 Mar 2018<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">And did I mention that I eventually dropped my
trainer motorcycle during that class? DRAT - yes, I did, after all of the
exercises and about ten minutes before I started the riding test. This was a
real confidence-builder. I was hoping to be able to state that I didn't drop my
bike once, but no. The thing wouldn't stay running for some reason - that
little 200cc engine gets cold fast - and with all the finagling I was doing
with the throttle and clutch to keep it running, down it went. I was fine - I
got up uninjured immediately. But, DRAT. I bent the clutch handle and had to
take the test with the thing sticking out strangely at an angle. They didn't
even give me bonus points.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Yesterday I signed my poor bruised bride and I up
for another motorcycle class in late May - this time a 3-wheeler class that
leads to an M3 Virginia endorsement. I explained the situation to the 68
year-old woman who runs the training and she assured me that this course is
much less pressured and more fun. No way you can drop a three-wheeler. Even
better, there's a promotional deal going on: training is normally $350/person -
this is $75/person. Cheaper than a day at a Disney park!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">We'll be learning on BRP Can-Ams, which is
probably why the discount - they want to promote Can-Ams. Have you ever seen
one of those? Two wheels in front, one in back. Weird-looking, but stable,
technologically advanced and reportedly very easy and fun to ride. The
"B" in BRP stands for Bombardier, the company founded by my French-Canadian
ninth cousin Joseph-Armand Bombardier. (Years ago a snowmobile was known as a
"Bombardier.") From wikipedia: "The idea to build a winter
vehicle came to Bombardier after a blizzard in which his young son fell ill of
peritonitis and died because he could not be brought to the nearest
hospital."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">From another source: "On New Year’s Eve
1922, when he was 15 years old, Bombardier tested his first full-scale
invention. He strapped a Model T Ford engine he had refurbished to the top of
two wooden sleds hitched in tandem. The engine drove a hand-made wooden
propeller, which thrust the vehicle through the snow. Though it ran for over a
kilometre, his father ordered the machine dismantled because its open propeller
could cause considerable injury."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">2 April 2018<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">What a weekend! I spent the entire day (3/31) buying
a motorcycle and getting the M2 endorsement on my license at the local DMV
office!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I bought a very clean 2008 Suzuki Boulevard M50
Special Edition (silver and black paint) with 16,000 miles on it. It has an
800cc V-Twin configuration engine; if the end goal is a Harley cruiser (and it
is) then this is a sensible halfway point - and a well-liked bike in its own
right. (I have seen a number of YouTube videos about this bike where the owners
express satisfaction with it.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinw637-a0lGNZ2GM6VLRsYk0Rf754D31oMDX3JJZCATiQLvLeT3WmU74RnzJG364hT_zdM82v-0dSlw26edwPTbmDpw8bZhvzM0DpUfaJUzg4cMGYzOdUC2GYdjGT0OQyHftadmc26sYWz/s1600/without_saddlebags.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinw637-a0lGNZ2GM6VLRsYk0Rf754D31oMDX3JJZCATiQLvLeT3WmU74RnzJG364hT_zdM82v-0dSlw26edwPTbmDpw8bZhvzM0DpUfaJUzg4cMGYzOdUC2GYdjGT0OQyHftadmc26sYWz/s400/without_saddlebags.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Without saddlebags...</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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You can remove the bags if you like. I
need a couple of Suzuki caps/nuts/fasteners to dress where the bag rail goes. I
didn't really remove them - I used Photoshop. The bike looks good either way. I
feel no need to customize it - but perhaps whitewall tires for a more classic
look, maybe?</div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I bought it via craigslist from a fellow in
Stafford, VA - about 22 miles south of me on Highway 1. In the morning I sat in
I-95 traffic to get down there to look at it, and took it for a test drive in a
little parking lot. Yes, it was as represented and a deal was made. (BTW, this
fellow was one of the courtliest gentlemen I have ever encountered... I met his
family and we discussed all sorts of things in addition to motorcycles. A
delightful person.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">How to get it home? (I actually had a dream about
this particular bike and the problem of how to get it home after my first day
in motorcycle class, which suggests a thing or two about how thoroughly I plan
using both my conscience and subconscious mind.) The owner agreed to deliver it
to my garage, and, after a stop at a bank and burger joint for lunch, I agreed
to drive him back home. I-95 south was jammed for some unfathomable reason, and
the bailout traffic on US-1 was pretty intense, too. Add to that a fallen tree
on the road and the result was that I spent a lot of Friday on the road.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">On Saturday I took my first Yard Sale video (or,
rather, a non-Yard Sale video). As much as I wanted to ride that thing, I
didn't. I spent the day at my son's townhouse doing the world's most
ridiculously complicated wiring job as part of his kitchen renovation. (When we
removed a wall an outlet and a double-ganged switch had to be relocated. This
took hours.) The father of a friend came by and hung new drywall, and Ethan and
I started hanging cabinets. Lots of work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I bought a helmet on Saturday - a Bell 3/4 style.
But I'm not convinced that I like it yet. I have thirty days to return it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">On Sunday, I did a couple of "Are we going
to be friends?" rides on the bike. I rode it over to the commuter lot near
where I live, and repeated various exercises from last week's training, just
getting used to the bike. As I was riding around in the parking lot a
motorcyclist (who was on a bike that looked somewhat like mine) rode down the
street. He was watching me riding in the lot, so he waved and I waved back. My
very first motorcycle wave! I later took it on the residential streets around
my neighborhood. My plans are, after I get it tagged and insured, to expand my
circle as I build confidence with the bike and drive among cars on city
streets. Perhaps a ride to Manassas battlefield along back streets this summer
and a ride to Harpers Ferry in October - if I'm ready. Is there a hurry? No.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">That 800cc engine (50 hp) is very smooth and
powerful compared to the 200cc engine (13.3 hp) of the training bike I rode
last week; lots of torque. You can almost start off in second. And look, I can
get a Virginia USMC motorcycle plate by showing my DD-214. Yep. Want that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I got the bike up to 40 mph at one point - lots
of wind! I think I'm going to fit the windshield and try that. Also, in a month
or so I'm going to put new tires on it, I think. There's tread on the present
tires, but...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Fitting it into the garage is a challenge. I have
to move things around - once we get my son's furniture back in his house. I
think it'll fit in front of the VW.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Do males naturally like motorcycles? Case in
point: When my fifteen month-old grandson Gunnar got his first look at the bike
in the garage he dropped his jaw, pointed and said Wowwwwwwwwwww.</div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">At one point the family was seated at the kitchen
table and I humorously suggested naming the motorcycle. My son (not at all
onboard with this new interest of mine) came up with something along the lines
of The Grim Reaper - I forget what, exactly. My wife suggested naming it after
the previous owner, Marvin. Hm. But it should be a female's name. How about
Marva? Marva it is.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><i>Marva the Motorcycle</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">3 April 2018<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1KYmoOHQqrsKfXdN1uePA5XAXV6Nlr4dHjj3ExTRXc6mIedc9p6YwO0y5_aARfYm5hBsnjIWIkHxGXDUN8ZItLdmcJ5Eb3hLQJWQtTYagPSZigjVe-qCaBtYx1OvBX2sNIvY-ntdpXRw-/s1600/usmc_plate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="165" data-original-width="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1KYmoOHQqrsKfXdN1uePA5XAXV6Nlr4dHjj3ExTRXc6mIedc9p6YwO0y5_aARfYm5hBsnjIWIkHxGXDUN8ZItLdmcJ5Eb3hLQJWQtTYagPSZigjVe-qCaBtYx1OvBX2sNIvY-ntdpXRw-/s1600/usmc_plate.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Well, all right. I sat in the DMV waiting area
for an hour and 37 minutes to see a clerk about getting my motorcycle titled
and registered and to buy my Marine Corps license plate. All that took about
twenty minutes. The plate will arrive in the mail - the craftsmen at some
Virginia correctional facility have to manufacture it. (Fun fact: Virginia
offers no Navy or Air Force motorcycle plates.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I was chatting merrily with the clerk, who was a
grandmother. We were comparing notes; grandchildren are the great
conversational topic of people of a certain age. She was a stickler for finding
the word "Honorable" on my DD-214, good on her! She told me that
someday she wants a pink Harley-Davidson; as she decorated her DMV nametag with
rhinestones, this doesn't surprise me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">(Google images search: Are there pink Harleys?
Yes. Lots of them.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I also got the bike insured, so it's ready to go
wherever I dare take it. Sonny Barger was right: All I want to do right now is
ride that motorcycle around. But that's okay. The more time I spend in the
saddle, the more skilled - and safer - I'll be. At some point I can put Cari in
the passenger seat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">4 April 2018<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">It was starting to spit rain last night when I
finished dinner - Grrrrr - but I really wanted to ride my motorcycle. So I
crossed my fingers and went out into the dusk anyway, doing an exploratory ride
down my street to check weather feasibility. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">In general, the rain held off, so I ventured out onto
the residential streets near where I live and visited the church lot and
involved myself with car traffic. (Cars, of course, are the enemy.) I also
tooled around in some local park and ride lots and went up and down some
streets - just to get used to riding at 35-40 mph and not making a rolling
roadblock out of myself. I'm also practicing shifts into 3rd and 4th gear and
taking care to use my turn signals all the time. I stopped for all stop signs -
no rolling car stops. I want the practice of making smooth starts in first gear
and becoming fully acquainted with the clutch's friction zone. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Was it a bit cold? Yes. Did I care? Not at all.
When it started getting dark and the little drops of rain began to accumulate
on my visor, I went in. I am content for my triumphs to be small and
sequential. Another successful beginner ride!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">This is old news to every motorcyclist but it's
new to me: When you are sitting in a car at an intersection you are in a car.
When you're sitting on your bike at an intersection you are on the road. The
pavement - with all its imperfection - is a much more real and immediate
presence on a bike. You touch it with your feet. You make your front wheel
avoid a patch of road salt left after the last snow, you avoid making a turn
over a small pothole, you carefully note the curve of a turn. There's a certain
hyper-awareness that takes place on a bike that you just don't have (or need)
in a car. The trainer told us to constantly scan our surroundings and I'm doing
that - I check my mirrors to see if there are cars behind me and don't let my
gaze dwell on any one place. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">At one point I sat for what seemed like forever
at a red light, wanting to make a left turn and watching the signal cycle. Did
my bike not trip the sensor wires? There were cars behind me - they should have
done it if I didn't. Never mind... I turned right and re-negotiated the
intersection a different way. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I stopped by my former Bishop's house to do a bit
of motorcycle ministry (I learned that not too long ago he rode a Harley Fat
Boy), but he wasn't in. Perhaps tonight. As he's in the Stake Presidency I
imagine he and the two others are busy working out new callings based on the
changes announced last weekend from Salt Lake City. They have eight Elders
Quorum presidencies to re-organize!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Yesterday I bought a pair of proper zippered
motorcycle boots from shoes.com with the Christmas money my father-in-law gave
me. These are black Dingos with straps and a ring on the side. 13 extra wide.
Honest, I have wanted to wear a pair of these ever since I first saw somebody
wearing them in junior high school! So I made do with a lesser strapped boot -
in dorky brown. But I am delighted that I now have a rationale and need for
these. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">And it suddenly occurred to me why the straps and
the ring are there: it's outboard ankle protection, isn't it? Duh. I thought it
was simply a style thing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I moved things around a bit in my garage to make
it possible to house both the bike and my VW. The current configuration (bike
sideways in front of the Bug) works, but Cari isn't really happy with it.
Hmmmm. When we get my son's stuff back into his house I'll make a more
concerted effort.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">5 April 2018<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Last night on a dusk ride I expanded my circle
somewhat and took my motorcycle to the library, almost to my son's townhouse
and to Baskin-Robbins. Funny thing: So I parked the bike and as I was walking
towards B-R I thought, "Hm. It's starting to get dark. It'll take me a
while to order and eat this ice cream. I could be riding some more while it's
light." So I got back on the bike and rode around some more. A friend of
mine calls this "The Suzuki Diet!"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I also briefly got the bike up to 50 mph on a
longish patch of Pohick Road; I am becoming more comfortable with greater
speeds - a necessary thing for freeway riding. I'm now glad I didn't get the
Honda Rebel 300. I like the greater responsiveness of the 800cc engine on my
Suzuki Boulevard. The low end torque is also useful - you don't always have to
shift down at lower rpms. I wonder what a 1,700cc Harley Road-King feels
like... the same but lots more of it?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">9 April 2018<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I ran over to the local cycle shop and exchanged
my 3/4-faced motorcycle helmet for a full-faced one, a Bell Qualifier DLX in
matte black. It offers more protection and it costs $130 extra - but it's a
whole lot more comfortable. I'm not constantly adjusting my head to keep the
thing from attempting to push my eyebrows onto my eyelids. And it has a cool
Transitions (tm) visor that darkens like sunglasses in sunlight and turns clear
at night. (As the man asked about how Thermos flasks keep hot liquids hot and
cold liquids cold, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">How do it know</i>?)
The only problem I'm having now is minor visor fogging - but that can be fixed
with some anti-fog spray. I used to use it on the windshield of my 1973
air-cooled VW because the defroster never worked very well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">It being a sunny, warmish day I also decided to
take the bike to Springfield's custom bike shop to get an estimate on new tires
- this was interesting. I pulled up to a small lot full of Harleys and some
guys my age or older, all working on motorcycles. I had called before.
"You're the fellow with the Suzuki Boulevard," said the owner. "Let's
take a look." Then everyone dropped what they were doing to look at my
bike... it was intimidating. Somebody asked me a question and I answered and
said, "I'll be honest with you. I'm a beginning rider. I'm 61 and never
rode a motorbike before in my life and I don't know a lot about it." This
admission caused a great change in atmosphere and smiles and handshakes were
exchanged. A few of the guys admired the bike, noting, as I did, how clean it
was. "How many miles on it and how much did you pay for it?" I told him.
Pause. "You got a really good deal on it." Hooray! The owner, after
inspecting the tires, told me that a change wasn't needed yet and to come back
in a year or so, but he gave me a written estimate anyway pricing out four
different makes of tires.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">At one point I was chatting with one guy and told
him that I was also considering a Harley trike, and that a friend taunted me by
asking if I would be buying a meter maid uniform to go with it. "I hate
that %#%$! %#^%! him! You ride what you want!" Hahahahaha! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">So, great! I found an honest mechanic and got a
professional to inspect my tires.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">After church on Sunday, since it was sunny and
pleasant, I decided to take an epic thirteen-mile motorcycle ride to where I
work. (I had planned and mentally performed this trip earlier in the week.)
This required that I merge into traffic and deal with cars on city streets,
change lanes often, keep up with traffic, lead on green lights at
intersections, etc. It was about half exhilaration and half terror, but I got
to my destination uneventfully and took a can of lemon-spritzed soda water out
of my saddlebag to celebrate. The empty can was left on the blocked off, unused
section of road as a memento for me to note on lunchtime fitness walks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I did a victory lap around the Eisenhower statue
in Alexandria and sort of took a long way home, fully enjoying the ride. At one
point there's a flyover section of roadway in Springfield where you look out
and down onto my hometown... on a motorcycle it's a bit like the Peter Pan
ride, where your ship floats over London at night. Very fun! I got home safely
with a big smile on my face - this was a major confidence-builder of a ride. At
some points on the parkway I was up to 65 mph. I'm getting more comfortable
with freeway speeds on a motorcycle, an important milestone for when I take on
I-95 or I-270, etc. (Did I mention that I fitted the windshield? That really
helps control wind buffeting. I can see why guys my age are always talking up
fairings now.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I am so glad I got an 800cc bike and not a 300cc
one; low RPM torque is wonderful. You don't have to necessarily change gears so
often. Funny: When I told the custom shop guys I was considering a Honda Rebel
300, their heads all slowly shook "no." I see why now. You want a
responsive bike.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">10 April 2018<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I wanted to ride my motorcycle last night but no
go. A drywall guy turned up to work in the townhouse and I had to be there -
and then it rained. Grrrr. The drywall guy returns tonight. I also have a
church meeting and ice cream social.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">On the way home today I'm stopping at the
motorcycle shop to buy some anti-fog wipes for the visor on my helmet. One can
drive a car with a somewhat dirty windshield, but impaired vision on a bike is
B-A-D.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">11 April 2018<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Did I mention that my Marine Corps Semper Fidelis
eagle, globe and anchor motorcycle license plate arrived? Well, it did. It
dresses up the bike immensely.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">In the evening, despite the fact that it was 48
degrees and 8:40, I threw on my stuff (All The Gear All The Time) and took a
nighttime bike ride. This time I concentrated on staying on the Fairfax County
Parkway and maintaining speed (50-55 mph). Cold but fun. And my visor didn't
fog up thanks to the anti-fog wipes I bought.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Last night I again had what I have discovered is
a common motorcycle problem: I sometimes can't find first from neutral at a
stop. It appears to be the result of not downshifting through the gears coming
to a halt. "It's very possible to line up the gears on the countershaft in
a manner that the dogs on the sliding gears can't engage each other. You need
to roll the bike forwards or backwards to spin the countershaft." (Didn't
I see this on a Matt Laidlaw beginners video? I think I did.) Slipping the
clutch a little also works, I've read. I'll practice this and not panicking!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I read somewhere that if you can pass by your
motorcycle and not look at it admiringly, you own the wrong bike. Not my
problem!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">12 April 2018<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I'm planning a long motorcycle ride to the
Manassas battlefield tomorrow. Well - it's a long ride for me: just over a half
hour, probably. It's about 20 miles along the Fairfax County Parkway and Route
28. Will I feel well enough to do it? I once tried playing a rugby match coming
off a bad cold - wow, what a mistake that was! I was very slow getting up from
the first ruck and eventually asked to be substituted. Riding a motorcycle is
nowhere as pounding as a rugby match, but then again I'm almost twenty years
older.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Well - if I don't feel up to it I'll just put it
off.<br />
<br />
<b>13 April 2018</b><br />
<br />
I did indeed take a bike ride out to Manassas, via the Fairfax County Parkway and Route 29. (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yal2vPoQec&t=0s&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlaixyJsWDtR_GjbtGEYQna&index=1">VIDEO</a>) Then I headed down the Sudley Road into downtown Manassas, where I had a burger at a joint next to the famous train station where Stephen Stills and company posed in 1972 for an album cover. Then I motored over to the Harley-Davidson dealership, chatted with a salesman and once again admired the black Road King I want. I am still not ready for a big ol' Harley, but the idea of riding one intimidates me far less than it did two or three weeks ago! (Also, as I looked at it I thought, "If I never get it - fine. I have a perfectly acceptable bike." As I get older I get easier to please.) Then I went home... a three hour warm weather (81 degrees or so) excursion mixing highway speed riding and city traffic with merges, red lights and lots of cornering. It was about one third anxiety and 2/3rds exhilaration, as opposed to half and half last Sunday. The ratio is improving!<br />
<br />
Sadly, as I made my way home I lost the chrome end cap on my clutch side handlebar somewhere between Manassas and Springfield. The screw must have vibrated loose and the part dropped off.<br />
<br />
On Saturday Cari and I did a partial re-trace of my ride hoping to see the chrome grip end in the street, but no luck. So we drove to the Suzuki parts guy at Coleman Power Motorsports in Falls Church, where I ordered a new assembly for $47. We also looked at Hondas, Kawasakis, Suzukis and Can-Ams. Cari would like a little scooter so she can be like Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday. Later, I removed the aftermarket friction-style cruise control which didn't work, and then we dined out with some friends.<br />
<br />
Saturday was very warm (89 degrees), and there were motorcyclists everywhere. So I did a nice but short night ride of my own. In the two weeks I've owned this bike I have put just over 200 miles on it! I'm still making mistakes: a missed shift here and there, taking a corner in the wrong gear, etc., but I'm improving and building confidence. Going 55-65 mph no longer freaks me out.<br />
<br />
This Friday I think I'm doing another ride to Manassas, except this time I'm going to take little one lane country roads to get there instead of the parkway.<br />
<br />
<b>17 April 2018</b><br />
<br />
Rain last night, so I couldn't ride my bike. Grrrr. I took one of the saddlebags off of it: it needs a bit of work involving a sewing machine that can punch through leather and thick vinyl (not my wife's Bernina), so I guess I bring it to a shoe repair guy. I bought some one inch wide black webbing to repair a handle.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>18 April 2018</b><br />
<br />
I was thinking about riding my bike into work today, but the 37 degree temp at 6:15 am talked me out of it. I'd like at least mid-40's. Starting out the work day thoroughly frozen is no way to do business. Hm. Tomorrow morning is supposed to be 51 degrees...<br />
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I did another one of my little night rides last night.<br />
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<b>The Saga of the Lone West Springfield Biker</b><br />
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There's a lone biker roaming around the back streets of West Springfield at night.<br />
Sometimes you can hear his pipes, loud as thunder, among the trees.<br />
Folks round these parts know of him, but nobody knows why he does what he does.<br />
He's tall in the saddle - but kind of porky.<br />
Sometimes he rides with a turn signal left on.<br />
He misses shifts sometimes, too.<br />
You can't see his face - he wears a black full face helmet.<br />
Word is, he was horribly disfigured when he slammed into Large Marge's truck one night.<br />
He rides on, heedless of the low temperatures at night. He must.<br />
The Lone Springfield Biker! Ride on, Brother.<br />
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Maybe this Christmas I'll figure out a way to festoon my bike with little LED Christmas lights.<br />
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<b>19 April 2018</b><br />
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Milestone: I rode to work on my bike this morning! I had butterflies when I set out, but the actual trip proved to be... trivial. I was expecting traffic, but on my route there are very few cars on the road at 6:15 AM. And it's actually easier to get to work along the Springfield-Franconia Parkway, Beulah Street, Franconia Road, Telegraph Road and Eisenhower Avenue.<br />
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The 11.8 mile trip took me about 23 minutes, which is as good as it gets. And once I got over my anxiety (still a part of getting on a bike) it was actually fun. I'm going to do this again!<br />
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On a wholly unrelated theme: I'm scheduled to donate blood again today.<br />
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<b>20 April 2018</b><br />
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Yesterday's return home from work on the motorcycle was a long ride. It rained a very little bit, so I needed to decide if the roads were unacceptably wet. They were not, so I headed up Route 7 from Alexandria through Bailey's Crossroads to Falls Church and to the motorsports store to pick up my Suzuki grip part. I'm far more used to dealing with cars in traffic now; it's now longer such a fearful thing. The winds turned very gusty and occasionally strong... I'm a 300 pound guy on a 600 pound bike, so I'm not going anywhere, but it's rather unpleasant. Knowing that a continuous route without intersections is safer for a motorcycle than city streets, from Route 29 I took the 495 and 95 Express lanes home. (Motorcycles ride for free.) Yikes! I was maintaining 60/65 mph but was getting passed all the time - and the wind buffeting didn't exactly instill a greater sense of confidence. I sometimes got the bike up to 70, but the wind gusts made for a nervous ride. I'll be on the Express lanes again some calmer day.<br />
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When I got home I blitzed around my neighborhoods on the bike because it was turning into a nice day. I got in another hour on the saddle. I must have put about 80 miles on the bike yesterday.<br />
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Later on I installed the grip end, which, I'm told, serves as a sort of counterweight. It's heavy chromed metal, so I suppose so. The bike's looks are restored!<br />
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<b>23 April 2018</b><br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRsDFHoHtWU&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlaixyJsWDtR_GjbtGEYQna&index=8">My Friday morning motorcycle ride down some of the local Virginia Byways to Manassas was really</a><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRsDFHoHtWU&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlaixyJsWDtR_GjbtGEYQna&index=8">great</a>: twisty, turny, hilly roads through pretty woods... the dogwood and mock cherry trees are now blossoming. April in Virginia is unusually pretty. The weather was perfect and I had a blast! I guess I need a Go Pro camera mounted to my helmet in order to fully document it - mounting my iPhone onto the bike somewhere seems very ill-advised - but no. You shall just have to take my word for it. It was a lot of fun! I stopped in the Cabela's in Gainesville, and on the way back had a Coke in the little village of Clifton (where real estate is unusually overpriced, even for Fairfax County).<br />
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Another thing that was cool was riding along the edge of Virginia's man-made Grand Canyon along Route 29, the Luck Stone Quarry.<br />
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These little rides of mine are becoming less anxious things. I'm getting used to managing my way among car traffic and doing 60+ mph. I patrolled around my neighborhoods last night practicing smooth shifts, emergency acceleration, turning off the turn signal indicator, etc.<br />
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My birthday is this Friday. I think I'm going to do a ride down to Fredericksburg down Route 1 (or perhaps even try a stretch of I-95) to visit the Indian motorcycle dealership. I need to plan these rides... there's no taking out the iPhone and consulting Google Maps about turns when on a bike. You pretty much have to map it out and know where you are going beforehand. </div>
<b>24 April 2018</b><br />
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Yesterday was not especially good.<br />
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I headed over to my wife's place of business to have lunch - the Alban Deli ("My food doesn't suck!"). To make things more fun I decided to take Marva the Motorcycle. I parked it carefully, backing it into a parking space and making sure that the front of the bike could be seen. A big truck on big tires was parked next to me. I went in to eat.<br />
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Through the window I then see the truck pulling forward and knocking over my 600 pound bike - BAM. When I walked out a young man is standing out of the truck, looking at my bike on the ground... "I didn't see it!" (As he also rides motorcycles, this is a bit ironic because a common excuse from motorists who cause motorcycle-related accidents is "I didn't see you.") We look over the damage: my front brake lever is broken, leaving a truncated length of lever - a safety concern. (Photo above.) There are some minor scrapes on the windshield and the front fender, and there's some tar on my exhaust. One of my saddlebags is scratched up. My bike, which made it through its first ten years without ever being dropped, has now been dropped.<br />
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The driver asked, "Would $1,000 take care of it without getting the insurance company involved?" A bit confused, I say "yes," and after I take a photo of his (commercial) driver's license and license plate, he heads home to get the money. Will he be back? My wife and I sit down to eat. I am dubious. As we finish, he returns! He hands over ten hundred-dollar bills, we chat, I commend him for his honesty, and he departs.<br />
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What next? Broken front brake lever... with Cari following me in the car, I rode the bike over a very short distance to the nearby Custom Cycle shop. Past experience suggests that they are honest mechanics; they could have sold me a pair of tires I didn't really need, but didn't. After the older fellow working there effusively complimented my wife on her dress he looks the bike over, and agrees to do the work of replacing the brake lever if I supply the part. I ordered it from a place in Falls Church that sells Suzukis (the place where I got the counterweight last week): $50. Should be in later this week. I figure the work will be about $125. New saddlebags: perhaps $400.<br />
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Yeah, I know, I have come out ahead and wasn't on the bike. I do know how to count my blessings. But, still...<br />
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The bike is ridable with the shorter front brake lever, by the way, but I'm taking no long trips until it's replaced. I rode to the townhouse last night and installed the ceiling fan in the living room. That room is done - we return to concentrate on finishing the kitchen.<br />
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<b>25 April 2018</b></div>
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It's rainy/drizzly this morning; just wet enough to keep me from riding my bike into work. Well - that and the truncated brake lever.</div>
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<b>26 April 2018</b></div>
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After work I ran out to Coleman Power Motorsports and picked up my new brake lever - that was fast! Ordered Monday, arrived from Pennsylvania on Wednesday. So this morning I need to bring the bike and the lever to the shop in Springfield for installation.</div>
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I ordered new saddlebags for my Suzuki: Vikings. They're about the same shape and size as the Saddlemen bags I have on it now, except I think they're of higher quality. They shipped yesterday. I got 15% off on a riding-season-begins sale! </div>
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<b>27 April 2018</b></div>
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Yesterday morning I took my bike over to the shop in Springfield to have the broken brake lever replaced with the new one I got. Hahahaha - why didn't I watch a video? The process: a long screw comes out, the old lever comes off, the new one goes on, the screw is re-installed! The whole operation took about five minutes! I could have done this myself easily (I've worked on my own cars for decades), but got spooked because... it's a motorcycle and I somehow expected that it would be more complicated. And, golly, I don't want to do this myself because everything on a bike is more safety-critical and I might mess it up, etc. Well, that was my thought process. So I gave the guy $20 for his time and my education.</div>
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It rained during the night, which means the roads are all wet. No motorcycling until things dry up. I think I'm headed down to Fredericksburg to check out Indian motorcycles at the dealership. </div>
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<b>28 April 2018</b></div>
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I drove down to Fredericksburg and had lunch with a friend on my birthday - and also took the opportunity to drool over a jade green and black Indian Springfield in the showroom. This is a beautiful bike - and the fit and finish are of a very high level. About $22,000! (But I get $1,000 off because I'm a vet.) Someday I want to test ride one of these...</div>
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I took a nice motorcycle ride down some Virginia Byways to Clifton and the environs before church on Sunday. I'm not sure the word "spiritual" described the experience, but it was nice.</div>
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<b>2 May 2018</b></div>
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I rode my motorcycle to work this morning. Saw the sunrise and geese flying north in a vee formation. I like these morning rides - they are therapeutic. The afternoon ride will be less so as it's supposed to get to 90 degrees today. Will a 35-to-50 mph slipstream stave off heatstroke in a helmet and leather jacket? We shall see. But when I get home I shall have a thing that life offers in abundance: experience.</div>
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As a self-reward for enduring a tooth extraction I stopped by the Harley dealership in Fairfax, chatted with various members of the sales force and threw my leg over some bikes. I'm now pretty sure what I really want is a Street Glide, not a Road King (almost certainly used). The difference is the fairing and less freeway speed wind buffeting. I love the front end look of the Road King - to me it's what a motorcycle is supposed to look like - but dislike the buffeting.</div>
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Somehow in the process of throwing my leg over bikes I gave myself a muscle pain in my side that, every now and then, announces its presence. I've knocked it - and my jaw pain - back with 800 mg of ibuprofen. And what have I learned? 62 year-old bikers need to moderate throwing legs over bikes.</div>
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My new saddlebags arrived! I haven't put them on yet because, (1) Dentistry, (2) I had to remove the bolts and hardware from the old ones, and (3) The installation isn't especially easy. It involves drilling holes in the bags (you want to make sure this is done right) and watching an over-produced instruction video featuring a narrator who needs a throat lozenge and a distorted guitar used as background music. I know it's meant for the biker culture and all, but, geez. My son made fun of it: "After you've successfully mounted your first saddlebag to the frame using the included hardware go beat your woman and have a beer..."</div>
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<b>3 May 2018</b><br />
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Motorcycle problems!<br />
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(1) Last night I worked on attaching my new saddlebags to my bike. I want and need saddlebags because I like the look of a bagger bike. Problem is, though, they can't be attached with the hardware the manufacturer sent me. The 70mm length metric hex bolts are too short. A trip to Home Depot ("You can do it - we can help - but we won't") turned up a couple of 80mm length screw head bolts that didn't work, either. Hmmmm. A call to the manufacturer's help line is suggested. There's an alternate "throw over" attachment scheme but I'm not sure I like it. I may be returning these things...<br />
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(2) I had a minor scare on the ride in to work this morning. At one point I noticed that the brake pedal (for the rear brakes) wasn't quite where it normally is! During a stop I reached down and ascertained that the pedal lever was in no danger of falling off, so I relied upon gentle riding, engine braking and the front brakes to get me to my parking spot at work. When I got there I used the mighty power of my right arm to bend the steel brake pedal lever back into place. I suspect it bent a little when the bike was knocked over and my use just shifted it more. Either that or I'm torquing the pedal wrong with my big right foot. But it's fixed for the ride back home.<br />
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(3) Another scare this morning: When I take the bike to work I lock the fork and use a beefy bike lock which attaches to the front brake disc. All well and good. When I emptied my pockets in my office I found that - oh no! - the lock key is missing. I can't get home without that! Retracing my steps to the bike I found it about five feet from my office door. When I fumbled around in my pockets to unlock the door I flipped the key out. Whew.<br />
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(4) Visor fogging has returned as a problem. I bought some anti-fog spray, but it doesn't work as well as the individual wipes I was using. I guess I return the bottle at the motorcycle store and get wipes. Either that or I ride around with a partially cracked open visor.<br />
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I watched episode three, season two of The Grand Tour. It's confirmed: I just don't have the enthusiasm for Clarkson, May and Hammond that I used to have. And those dual races around the track with two celebrities are talky and boring. I dozed off. (Which may be why I was awake at 2:30 AM. Thanks, Clarkson, May and Hammond.)<br />
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As expected, yesterday's ride home in 90 degree heat with helmet and leather jacket was... hot. But at least the humidity was low! I'll be repeating that today.<br />
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Tomorrow is Friday. I like to take a longish bike ride on Fridays. Where to? Along Route 29 from Manassas to Gainesville and pick up scenic route 55 to Marshall to Front Royal? Problem: It's going to be hot! Hmmmm. Maybe I'll save that epic ride for next week, when it's forecast to be cooler.<br />
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<b>4 May 2018</b><br />
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Ah, Friday! My day off to...? Do what? A ride? It's going to be pretty hot again today. I'll get an earlier start...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisJ1DlxA-0EVGKh6UTbP7GgOgVIOO50_EaXGRx6KdolgnZYMGc5yZ9nYMEBpFpegRvYdF8PH6H3kgX8UFvBOY2g0IVCXd8Du0_Z_AxXelfCCyNpYUqyGYwa2j12FsGA0P3b4pNSBi0SEMO/s1600/IMG_5020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisJ1DlxA-0EVGKh6UTbP7GgOgVIOO50_EaXGRx6KdolgnZYMGc5yZ9nYMEBpFpegRvYdF8PH6H3kgX8UFvBOY2g0IVCXd8Du0_Z_AxXelfCCyNpYUqyGYwa2j12FsGA0P3b4pNSBi0SEMO/s320/IMG_5020.JPG" width="320" /></a>Yesterday on my ride back home I learned what hell is: rush hour traffic on an uphill slant on Old Keene Mill Road in 90 degree heat wearing leather, gloves and a helmet on a motorcycle, in first gear, power walking about ten feet, then stopping, then moving ahead another ten feet, then stopping, then (repeat until green light). Ugh. I see why bikers hate and avoid traffic. What is an inconvenience in an air-conditioned car is a physical ordeal on a bike! Motorcycles want to be moving constantly over about 10 mph. Stop and go is awful.<br />
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I stopped at a Fastenal store in an industrial park on my way home and procured four M8 X 100mm 1.25 thread pitch hex head bolts (no finding those in a conventional hardware store - that's life with a metric cruiser). I spent a sweaty evening in my garage mounting the new saddlebags. Photo one, photo two. One bolt refused to go in, but I persevered. Hooray, I have a bagger bike once again! These Vikings look nicer than the old Saddlemen bags - and they are of higher quality, I think. Best of all, I can cram my workplace laptop into one for transport to and from work!<br />
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<b>7 May 2018</b><br />
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Friday: Best ride yet! I left at 9 AM to beat the heat and took the Fairfax County Parkway from West Springfield and Fairfax to Route 29 in Centreville and Manassas and then picked up scenic Route 55 through Gainesville, Haymarket, the Thoroughfare Gap, The Plains and Marshall to Front Royal. It took me an hour and 40 minutes to get there. (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFlvxBrcSU8&index=7&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlaixyJsWDtR_GjbtGEYQna">VIDEO</a>) All told - including lunch at the Marshall Diner - I was out for 4 1/2 hours. The weather didn't start getting warm until the last hour, thanks to morning clouds. It was actually quite nice. On the way back I chose a route through cooler, tree-lined roads - more scenic Virginia Byways.<br />
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There was one long stretch of road coming into Front Royal that had a 55 mph speed limit, so I did about 55-60 mph. My Suzuki likes that pace. For a long period of time I was the only thing on the road. It was weird and glorious. At one point I looked down at the pavement passing by at 60 mph and considered that I was essentially sitting atop a powerful motor with no seatbelts, airbags or protective metal around me. In this litigious, fretful age how is it that motorcycles aren't completely forbidden? Which leads me to my next point...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ro1X8SjFqaJtQFqhatsCRgFnLBG35BkEf7Tlgo0h_h9OUp6okB85dYw4GuM9HTLkBfpXlE8t-nihELu8VM0Dqum5pczCo0tondK4JtAvEnyZQDWt7SkGupZh_Ku9lodLcbTVHvseEjQ1/s1600/front_royal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="882" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ro1X8SjFqaJtQFqhatsCRgFnLBG35BkEf7Tlgo0h_h9OUp6okB85dYw4GuM9HTLkBfpXlE8t-nihELu8VM0Dqum5pczCo0tondK4JtAvEnyZQDWt7SkGupZh_Ku9lodLcbTVHvseEjQ1/s400/front_royal.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Harley-Davidson's current sales slogan is "All for Freedom - Freedom for All," and I finally understood that. For a time along Route 55 I felt like the freest man on earth. It was... wonderful. When I am very old and infirm I will look back on that ride, along with Civil War reenacting, the rugby matches I have played, my time spent atop telephone poles in the Marines, scout activities with my son, high school drama and cheerleading stuff with my daughters, a honeymoon and married life, grandkids and recall, yes - I did that.<br />
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I need to figure out a way to mount my cell phone to get travelling-on-the-road and rider shots. Hmmm.<br />
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I wasn't the fattest guy on a bike in Front Royal. I was sitting on a porch of a general store enjoying a LaCroix soda water from my saddlebag (my tradition) when a guy who must have weighed close to 400 pounds hove into view; he was riding a big Harley and wearing only a tee shirt. His arrival was announced by a couple of rev blasts of loud engine noise through what I have come to learn are called "neighbor haters" exhaust pipes. A friend of mine observed, "He's probably more comfortable on the Harley than in a car." Yes.<br />
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When I got back home I ran a bunch of errands.<br />
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<b>8 May 2018</b><br />
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Let me share with you how much I dislike the City of Alexandria, where I have to work. A few months back I found a stanchioned-off and unmarked street a few blocks from where I work where I could park for free, and for the past month or so I have been parking there. Even better, I've been taking my motorcycle into work and parking there. Can't have that! Alexandria - a money-grubbing jurisdiction run by the usual Northern Virginia tax-and-spend Democrats - has to exercise total control over every square inch and monetize every curb, so this morning I arrived to find No Parking/Tow Zone signs erected.<br />
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%$#^!$%@$%!$!<br />
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One thing I discovered on my long ride into Front Royal last week is that I wasn't totally happy with my right foot placement on the peg. Perching it on the peg while not touching the rear brake was a bit tricky. Bigger aftermarket pads came with the bike, and at first I fitted these on to the bike, but when I bought boots (in place of shoes) I couldn't use them anymore because they didn't feel right. My right boot didn't really fit under the shifter. So I removed them and replaced the OEM Suzuki pegs. I didn't notice, however, that the aftermarket pads could be adjusted in a number of ways. So yesterday I adjusted and refitted them and took a test ride - much better! My big old size 13 wide boots now have a nice, flat place to sit, safe from the pavement whizzing by underneath. And they look better on the bike.<br />
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The floor boards on a touring class Harley are much bigger, designed for comfort on long rides. A Road King or a Street Glide is a bike designed for guys my size...<br />
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<b>18 May 2018</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>On a Road King in Utah</b></td></tr>
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Back from Utah vacation! <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvvRemmHok8&index=7&t=6s&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlaixyJsWDtR_GjbtGEYQna">I test drove a Road King - My first Harley ride, 5/14, a milestone in my nascent motorcycle career. Wow.</a> The difference between this bike and my Suzuki Boulevard is not unlike that between a VW Beetle and a Cadillac. The 250-pound heavier Harley is more stable, more powerful (I was easily doing 50 in third gear) and engenders confidence. I wouldn't hesitate to take it on I-95. I test rode my son-in-law's Street Glide, which was also impressive. I think I want a Street Glide because of the wind-reducing fairing - but I still like the Road King.<br />
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I was hoping to ride when I got back to Virginia, but it's raining. And it will continue to rain until Sunday or so. DRAT. My son tells me that it rained all during the time we were in Utah. The front and back lawns are overgrown.<br />
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My size 3X leather jacket arrived while I was in Utah. Hooray! It has space for two concealed carry weapons! Photo coming at some point.<br />
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<b>21 May 2018</b><br />
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I was able to take my motorcycle out yesterday - the rain finally stopped. Earlier in the day I got caught in a bit of a pour, however, and made my way back home rather carefully. I don't really want to ride my motorcycle when it's wet, but it appears that there are times when I'll have to, so it's good to get some practice in. I think the rule of thumb is the same for cars: don't attempt to do anything quickly and give yourself some additional space away from other cars. Also, stay off the road's painted surfaces - they are more slippery.<br />
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Yesterday I found a guy selling a 2003 100th anniversary edition Harley Road King nearby via craigslist, so, after making arrangements I biked over to his place to look at it. It's a nice motorcycle at a fair price - but no. I'm pretty sure that I'll want a later model year one. And I still want to test ride a Kawasaki Vulcan Vaquero and an Indian Springfield...<br />
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Last night I did a dry road joy ride up the Fairfax County Parkway to a Civil War skirmish site near the Saint Mary's Catholic Church on Ox Road. (The 1864 skirmish which took place there is described here: it was a reprehensible affair in which Col. John S. Mosby's Rebs, armed only with pistols, whipped a numerically larger group of Union cavalrymen resulting in yet another Yank skedaddle.) It was a fun little ride...<br />
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<b>22 May 2018</b><br />
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Last night I spent some quality time in my newly-cleared garage - my son moved his furniture back to the townhouse. I was trying to figure out how to fit a full size Hyundai Sonata, a smaller VW Beetle, a freezer and a Suzuki Boulevard into my 400-square foot, two-car garage. The solution is shown here, but I don't really like it. Getting my 600-pound bike wheeled into that position takes a lot of finicky back and forth motion. (One can't simply pick up the rear end and place it when one wants it.) I'd like it better if the freezer wasn't there and I could simply back it in where the freezer is. FIRST WORLD PROBLEM. Oh, well... my upper legs get a workout.<br />
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I never thought I'd say this, but I wish I had a three car garage!<br />
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Yesterday was a sunny, warm day so I managed to get some quality motorcycle time in meeting my wife for lunch and running errands. The All The Gear All The Time safety advice is a bother with that leather jacket on warm days, but it's better than having the upper layers of my skin peeled off in case of a tumble. And sweating is good for you, right? Or not?<br />
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There's a great story about "All The Gear All The Time" <a href="http://www.youmustbetrippin.com/travel-tips/all_the_gear_all_the_time_put/">here</a>. Leather motorcycle jacket? Check. Full-face helmet? Check. Riding gloves? Check. Sturdy motorcycle boots? Check. Kevlar-lined jeans? Hm. Right now I wear a sturdy pair of duck cotton Carhartts, but maybe I need to invest in a more protective pair of jeans at some point.<br />
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<b>23 May 2018</b><br />
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I have grown tired of reading early period Michael Crichton mysteries, so I'm now reading <i>Born to Be Wild: A History of the American Biker and Bikes 1947-2002</i> by Paul Garson and the editors of <i>Easyriders</i>. A pity the book is already sixteen years old. While it mentions the remarkable Harley-Davidson V-Rod it cannot include electric bikes like the Zero.<br />
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And why do I mention the Zero? Because yesterday I signed up for a test ride on a Zero S with the dealership near Dulles airport; they have to get back with me. As long as I'm evaluating what long term bike I want to buy eventually, I might as well check out an electric bike. I am fairly sure that I'm not going to buy an electric bike, but one of the pages on their web site seems attractive: Top 15 Things You’ll Never Do Again - Buy gas, Replace clutch, Sync throttle and idle speed, Change engine oil filter, Lubricate choke cables, Change engine oil, Check engine oil, Adjust valve clearance, Change air filter, Replace timing belt, Check external fuel hoses, Replace spark plugs, Change fuel filter, Adjust clutch cables, Check clutch fluid level.<br />
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What makes an electric motorcycle different? In addition to the stuff above, the total lack of engine noise and 100% available torque to the wheels at startup. In other words, slingshot performance. At age 62 do I want or should I even have slingshot performance? Probably not! I've already figured out that I'm a Cruiser Bro and not a Sportbike Bro. But I'd still like to try one - I'm an engineer, after all. Harley-Davidson, often considered to be a company not associated with aggressive technological advancement, will be introducing an electric bike.<br />
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<b>24 May 2018</b><br />
<br />
I rode my motorcycle into work this morning; I always like when I can do that - it's a pleasant 22 minute trip. This morning was refreshingly cool. I took the bike in today because I wanted to show it to a co-worker, but when I ride in I feel like I have thwarted the forces of workplace ennui and boredom. Ha! You don't have possession of me today, ye Minions of Drudgery! Another day, certainly, but not today!<br />
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I have tomorrow off. Will there be a Friday morning bike ride somewhere? Probably - I don't know. I don't have one planned. I was thinking... Fredericksburg and I-95. Or Quantico.<br />
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This weekend Cari and I take a three-wheeled motorcycle class (Friday night class, Saturday and Sunday mornings riding), so we'll be buzzing around on Can-Ams (two wheels in the front, one in the back). I prefer a Harley Trike - but we'll see.<br />
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<b>May 24th - 28th</b><br />
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Thursday: I rode into work on the bike. It makes work less dreary, book-ending the work day with a little adventure. Riding back home I had to make my way around a traffic accident which apparently involved a car and a motorcycle. Nasty. Getting past it was stop and go, 2 mph, uphill. Not fun. I noticed a Ram truck behind me giving me plenty of space - which I appreciated. When the traffic cleared the truck pulled up next to me and he tapped the horn. The driver held up what appeared to be a hastily hand-written sign: “Thanks Marine!” (He saw my licence plate.) Awwwwww. I gave him a big thumbs up.<br />
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I think next time I take the bike to work I'm going to head down Van Dorn to the parkway and see if I can't bypass the really bad bumper-to-bumper traffic on the Springfield city streets.<br />
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Friday: A motorcycle ride into Fredericksburg on a hot day! (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srRlSKZCaco&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlaixyJsWDtR_GjbtGEYQna&t=0s&index=6" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>.) On the way back home, desiring some cooling breezes, I took I-95 back home from Dale City to Springfield. It was... okay. It wasn't at all the nervous situation I thought it might be; I am clearly becoming more comfortable with highway speeds on a motorcycle. (There was some bumper-to-bumper traffic on I-95, too. At one point, on a halt, I actually stood in the middle of I-95 to stretch. The last time I placed my feet upon I-95 was when I was doing a household move in 1985 and lost a mattress and my wife's wedding dress from the back of a truck; I had to dash out to get them. Looking back on it I'm a little stunned that I did such a thing. But I digress.) In the evening my wife and I attended the classroom part of our three-day three-wheeled motorcycle training with Apex.<br />
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Saturday: We spent a good deal of the day - 7:45 AM to about 2 PM - on a hot parking lot learning how to ride BRP Can-Am trikes. (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b14Ix-xQzYw&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlaixyJsWDtR_GjbtGEYQna&t=0s&index=5" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>.) Cari did great! She didn't think she did - she is very hard on herself - but she did. We were totally wiped out after the class and returned home to take long naps. We had dinner with my son, his wife and the grandsons.<br />
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Sunday: Another long, hot day on the parking lot with the Can-Ams. (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUOcA7t1H3I&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlaixyJsWDtR_GjbtGEYQna&t=2s&index=4" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>.) We both passed the practical and written tests, so we can now both apply for our M3 motorcycle endorsement on our Virginia driver's licenses. (I get an M, which is a combined M2 and M3.) I'd like to test ride a Harley trike. After I go to the DMV today I'll have the license to do it. You can see on the video that Cari and I rode a Can-Am together; it was fun and not a problem at all. The three wheels - even with two in the front - add a reassuring sense of stability with a passenger.<br />
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Those Can-Ams, having ABS, can stop on a dime (panic stops were a part of the training). They can also do low speed cornering like nobody's business. I had an semi-automatic transmission model (going up gears is a simple tap of a switch and the computer automatically downshifts); Cari had one with a clutch and manual transmission. At first we thought, "Meh. Can-Ams. They're weird-looking. Not interested." But once we got familiar with them we're much better disposed to them. They're fun, even though they do seem more like a sporty riding lawn mower than a motorcycle! They are also technologically sophisticated, with traction control, stability control and ABS. Engineers have spent years tweaking the software to keep people from getting themselves into trouble on the road on Can-Ams. I fit on the sleeker non-touring model much better than I did the full dress ones - it's a matter of seating and foot placement for the brake.<br />
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Last comment about the Can-Am: These are built by BRP, a Canadian company. The "B" in BRP stands for Bombardier. Joseph-Armand Bombardier, the inventor of the snowmobile, was my ninth cousin. Or did I mention this already?<br />
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Monday: Towards the evening, bored, I took a little ride, this time with the windshield removed. (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uxqTV1nYZc&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlaixyJsWDtR_GjbtGEYQna&index=2&t=122s" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>. See the Groveton Confederate Cemetery! See Virginia's Grand Canyon! See me interrupted by a passing Harley!) When I first started riding the 50+ mph wind annoyed me - it's not a big deal now.<br />
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And here we are, Tuesday. After work I head over the DMV office to have my driver's license updated. And then, in the fullness of time, I'll go to a Harley dealership, probably with my bride, and test ride a Harley Trike.<br />
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<b>30 May 2018</b><br />
<br />
Yesterday I went to the Virginia DMV to apply for my M endorsement (two and three-wheeled) on my driver's license. The clerk at the window very nearly changed my M2 (two-wheeled) endorsement to merely M3 (three-wheeled). Fortunately I caught her. Sheesh.<br />
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The guys at the local bike shop told me about Classic Iron, a dealership in Fredericksburg with a big inventory of used Harleys. Their slogan is interesting: "The bike you look at today, and want to think about tonight, before buying it tomorrow, will be bought today, by someone who looked at it yesterday, and thought about it last night!"<br />
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I need a motorcycle chock for my garage. This will buy me several inches more room for my Volkswagen to park. I see Harbor Freight sells one...<br />
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<b>31 May 2018</b><br />
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Last night my wife and I made a motorcycle run to the grocery store and the post office; I am now much more comfortable with her riding on the back seat than I was some weeks ago when we last tried this.<br />
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<b>1 June 2018</b><br />
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My current book: <i>6 Chambers, 1 Bullet </i>by Sonny Barger with Keith and Kent Zimmerman. The plot: "Patch Kinkade, the notorious leader of the infamous and feared Infidelz motorcycle club, has faced down a wide array of bad guys in his day. But when three of his fellow club members show up dead in a meat locker––frozen stiff on their bikes, with counterfeit $100 bills stuffed in their mouths – and the funny money leads back to the Russian mob, Patch is ready to add some ex–Pinkos to his hit list." HAHAHAHA! Okay, I admit, it's intellectual slumming. But I can only read so much text about navigating motorcycles through turns and avoiding cars making left turns in intersections.<br />
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Speaking of motorcycles, I am mapping out a commuter route to work and back using the Express and HOV lanes up I-395. I'm pretty sure I have the morning commute worked out; it's the evening one back that I have some doubts about. At some point, if the weather ever clears, I'll try it.<br />
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<b>4 June 2018</b><br />
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My GoPro Hero Session miniature video recorder arrived on Saturday and I started playing around with it: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zc8HM4t7BGQ&index=3&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlaixyJsWDtR_GjbtGEYQna&t=9s" target="_blank">Motorcycle ride video</a>. Expect more of the same. I think I'll mount it to my helmet for the motorcycle ride videos... that should work better than trying to strap it around the headlight housing, where it kept slipping.<br />
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<b>5 June 2018</b><br />
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I did a couple more GoPro videos - just to play around with the device. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-EdKE4rPrI&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlaixyJsWDtR_GjbtGEYQna&index=3&t=126s" target="_blank">A Visit to the Angels</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBG8xkVGmdA&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlaixyJsWDtR_GjbtGEYQna&index=2&t=0s" target="_blank">Lunch at the Alban Deli</a>.<br />
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Tomorrow, just to change things up, I'm going to take my motorcycle to work along a new route: The Springfield-Franconia Parkway east to the I-395 Express north and the HOV lane (where I ride for free), getting off at Seminary Road heading west in Alexandria. Then another 2.5 miles along lightly-traveled city streets into the parking garage at Shirlington. The speeds on the Express lanes are pretty brisk: While the posted speed limit is 65 mph I'll have to maintain that or better. Let's see how that goes. It's a piece of cake on a Harley-Davidson... Getting home is more or less the reverse.<br />
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I bought myself a Father's Day present yesterday: $80 motorcycle jeans. What makes this particular pair of denim jeans "motorcycle?" They have armored kneepads and Tyvek-reinforced seams and internal panels. In other words, it's just what you would want when your body is rolling on the pavement at a high rate of speed - assuming, of course, you would ever want that to happen. I don't think anyone ever intends to do that...<br />
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<b>7 June 2018</b><br />
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I took the HOV and Express Lanes up and down I-395 yesterday, to and from work: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81_RfV9EY5s&t=25s" target="_blank">GoPro Video</a>. Yesterday morning I was riding almost into the sun, so, being cautious, I was only doing about 60-65 mph. But this morning was cloudy and so I maintained 70-75 mpg. At my level of experience this is still a little scary... and I was still getting passed! By other motorcycles! They must have been doing 80-85 mph (the posted speed limit is 65). Geez.<br />
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Hmmmm. Tomorrow's ride. I think I'm going to visit Classic Iron, in Fredericksburg (they sell Road Kings), and then head west a bit to visit some Battle of the Wilderness sites. I'll even take I-95! There will almost certainly be another GoPro video as a result.<br />
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<b>11 June 2018</b><br />
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Friday's motorcycle ride to Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, the Wilderness and back to Fredericksburg was a lot of fun. (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGTG1HJmnlQ&index=3&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlaixyJsWDtR_GjbtGEYQna&t=2s" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>.) At 8:50 AM I merged into traffic on I-95 south and had a perfectly serene ride doing 65 mph in the slow lane nearly all the way into Fredericksburg - an unusual thing for I-95.<br />
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I passed a wicked truck wreck at mile marker 130. I thought I was getting great GoPro footage of it, but - alas! - I had the thing angled too low on my helmet and got instead about footage of my hands holding the handlebars. I didn't get any GoPro footage of the really nice, pastoral roads in Spotsylvania or the Wilderness, either. DRAT. IDIOT! So what have I learned? Double-check the GoPro before hitting the record button!<br />
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I try again this Friday. A friend and I are planning a ride to the Antietam battlefield.<br />
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Last night, as it was cooling down at dusk, I decided to take a little refreshing motorcycle ride. So I merged onto I-95, intending to get off at the first exit, and POW, down came the rain. Fortunately, a few hours before I had listened to a podcast about riding a motorcycle in the rain which promised that, (1) You will get wet (I did), (2) People in cars will make fun of you (probably), (3) You will get cold (I did), (4) It will be memorable (it was), and (5) All will be well if you don't attempt any sudden maneuvers, ride smoothly, slow down a bit and stay off painted surfaces on the road. I got home safely. I do not yet own any rain gear...<br />
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<b>12 June 2018</b><br />
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I had a nice motorcycle ride into work today; it was 58 degrees. Very refreshing.<br />
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Today I'm parked in a new place on the street. My bike is near the Eisenhower Avenue circle just to the right of a sign that indicates no parking to the left of the sign. I asked an Alexandria cop who happened to be parked nearby last week if anyone would get a ticket for parking there, and he said, "I wouldn't ticket them. It's legal according to the sign." And on my afternoon walks I noticed cars parking there - none of them got tickets. Finally, this morning a cop drove right by my parked bike without stopping. There is space for three cars, first come, first served; I arrived at 6:30.<br />
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My guess is that once somebody official sees that people are parking on the street for free the apparatchik from the People's Republic of Alexandria will once again heavy-handedly dispatch the traffic control staff to put up restrictive signs. If the electorate wants more government we'll give them more government.<br />
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<b>13 June 2018</b><br />
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My 25 minute bike ride into work was pleasant again this morning. This time an Alexandria cop was parked near where I parked. I greeted him and asked, "Any problem with my parking here?" He said "Nope," and so I bade him to be safe and went on my merry way.<br />
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I also went into the pool for the first time this season last night. The water was... brisk. I had a long chat with my pal Doug. His son is selling a 2006 custom Victory Hammer: 100 cid Twin-V engine, 650 pound bike. That's twice the engine size in a bike that weighs about as much as my 50 cid bike - yikes! I'm going to take it around the block tonight, I think. At a safe speed. (I checked and I have no sport bike rider in my DNA.)<br />
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<b>14 June 2018</b><br />
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I had another pleasant ride into work this morning. Nothing to report save that when I walked into work wearing my leather jacket a black man greeted me with, "Now I know you own a Harley." Someday...<br />
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Last night I test rode my friend's son's Victory Hammer (it's for sale) and learned an important thing: motorcycles speak to me. During my ride this custom bobber was communicating to me loud and clear: <i>I am not for you</i>. The big fat tire in the back seemed to have a mind of its own, I was never sure when I was in neutral (the light's function was a little curious), there was a rear view mirror missing (I like to know what's behind me) and although I felt like my right boot was on the peg properly, the muffler burned some of my heel. I'm sure I could spend the time to come to terms with this bike, but, wow, last night I just wanted off of it! A very powerful bike, it weighs about as much as my Suzuki but the engine is twice as big. The owner, a sharp young man, asked me not to ride it or dog it - by which he meant ride it like an aggressive twentysomething. No problem!<br />
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When I test rode the Harley Road King in Utah I got an entirely opposite message: <i>Yes. You will enjoy riding me. I am suitable and I will accommodate you</i>. (I got about the same message on my son-in-law's Street Glide.) I suppose a comparison with cars is apt: I learned to drive on a big 1972 Chevy Caprice Classic, and my first two years driving was in a 1972 Ford LTD Brougham - a land yacht. I like a big, luxurious ride and the Road King and Street Glide's touring frame and weight creates stability and balance and engenders confidence.<br />
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<b>18 June 2018</b><br />
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What a great weekend!<br />
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Friday: The motorcycle trip to the Antietam battlefield was really fun! The weather was clear, sunny and perfect and it was just an excellent riding experience. Some videos:<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XhHZguwPJ8&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlaixyJsWDtR_GjbtGEYQna&index=8&t=0s" target="_blank">Antietam Ride</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nKaA-WqN80&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlaixyJsWDtR_GjbtGEYQna&index=7&t=82s" target="_blank">Thoughts during a traffic jam</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipEbKKyhMoE&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlaixyJsWDtR_GjbtGEYQna&index=4&t=39s" target="_blank">Battlefield raw GoPro footage</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4L830QoGD8&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlaixyJsWDtR_GjbtGEYQna&index=3" target="_blank">Riding down Main St., Boonsboro, MD</a><br />
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The only negative about the day is the seat on my Suzuki Boulevard. It's not really designed for touring, that is, spending all day in the saddle. After four hours or so my rear end begins to hurt. (I have read this comment about the Boulevard elsewhere on the Internet.) Were I to keep this bike permanently I'd buy a touring seat.<br />
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One of my planned major motorcycling milestones was an October ride to Harper's Ferry, but as I drove by the Route 340 interchange for it only two miles away, I've essentially done that. I'm four months ahead of schedule! </div>
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<b>20 June 2018</b><br />
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I had a very pleasant 21 minute motorcycle ride into work this morning; I left at 6:11 AM. I wasn't the only person on the roads, but by the usual Northern Virginia standards, I wasn't far from it. Back in February I talked to a friend of my mine who motorcycled to work, and he reported it to be therapeutic. Yes, it is.</div>
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<b>21 June 2018</b><br />
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The Summer Solstice is here! It occurred this morning at 6:08 AM when the sun was directly over the Tropic of Cancer, or at 23.5° north latitude. At 6:08 I was putting on my helmet and preparing to motorcycle to work; I left at 6:11 AM. It was another pleasant 21 minute commuting ride made even more pleasant by a purchase I made yesterday.<br />
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On the way home from work I bought a mesh motorcycle jacket for the summer - this one has armor (pads) at the shoulders, elbows and back, and allows the air to flow through the garment much better than did my thick, protective leather jacket. (It looks nowhere as cool but feels much cooler, if you know what I mean.) It also has reflective piping which I tested last night - yep, it works. I got it on sale at the motorcycle shop in Springfield. It's almost like wearing a tee shirt, and will keep at bay the temptation to not wear all the gear all the time (ATGATT) because of summer heat. I see lots of guys wearing tee shirts on motorcycles but just cannot seem to do that myself. I watch too many crash videos on YouTube - skin rubbed onto the asphalt - "road rash" - is not pleasant.<br />
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Yesterday I also built myself a nice little three shelf storage place to put motorcycle helmets, gloves, etc. in the garage so I no longer have to pile stuff atop the freezer. Much better. Now all I need for the garage is a bunch of Harley-Davidson metal signage - <i>and the Harley-Davidson</i> - and I'll be set.<br />
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No ride tomorrow. (1) The forecast is for rain most of the day. (2) I'll be at a Scout Camp. Grrrr.<br />
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<b>22 June 2018</b><br />
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Lately I've been watching moto vlogging videos by a fellow calling himself "The Georgia Ramblin' Man." (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYU_1SMp_WI" target="_blank">Introductory video</a>.) In these he rides past Georgia pines in his Suzuki Boulevard and talks in his pleasant southern voice about whatever he has a mind to discuss. Since nearly all southerners have the gift of gab to some extent, these are fun. As soon as I figure out how to incorporate a spoken voice from within my helmet to a GoPro camcorder I may try the same thing.<br />
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Because I need yet another creative outlet. Published books, family scrapbooks, YouTube videos, Google photo albums, photography, websites, a perfume review and a daily blog just aren't enough.<br />
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<b>25 June 2018</b><br />
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I created <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr" target="_blank">a new YouTube playlist for all my motorcycle videos</a>. More videos to come! Also, I've put 1,750 miles on my bike since the 31st of March!7<br />
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My wife has to work again Friday and I do not. The weather forecast is sunny and 90 degrees. Where do I ride Marva the Motorcycle to this week? Hm. Chancellorsville?<br />
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<b>26 June 2018</b><br />
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Yesterday after lunch I gave myself a motorcycle skill test: Could I bring a Diet Coke home from BGR in a cup with lid in my saddlebag without spilling? I did, nary a drop.<br />
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I had a nice, brisk ride into work this morning. At speed it was actually a little bit chilly in my mesh jacket - which I find refreshing during the summer.<br />
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<b>27 June 2018</b><br />
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The Japanese are in the space exploration business. The other day I read about their Hayabusa-2 space probe; it's set to land on an asteroid, Ryugu, and return to earth with samples. They've done this before with the original Hayabusa probe. Impressive. Of interest is the name Hayabusa, meaning "peregrine falcon." Sportbike motorcycle fans know the Suzuki Hayabusa as arguably the world's fastest production motorcycle - the thing can do 186 mph! You can find used ones at reasonable prices. You can also find bits of them littered along the roads as a result of amputation candidates exceeding their skills.<br />
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A friend of mine who is a biker doesn't know I now ride. I'm looking forward to my first conversation with him, when he asks what I bought as a starter bike. I plan to innocently reply, "I found a recent model Suzuki Hayabusa. It's tricky, but I'm learning. I'm planning to take it to freeway speeds on I-95 soon." (The joke, as any experienced motorcyclist knows, is that a Hayabusa is probably the world's worst starter bike.) The MSRP for a new Hayabusa is only $14,700. Not bad for something that claims the title "fastest."<br />
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I took a nice ride last evening (the sun was about to set) on Marva, my far slower Suzuki, along some local streets I don't explore much. The traffic was very light and I had many roads all to myself, which is always pleasant. Almost time for an oil change. I think that will have to happen next week.<br />
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<b>28 June 2018</b><br />
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Another pleasant commute to work this morning on the back of my steed, Marva. (Or is it mare, Marva?) What do I know from horses? I'm from L.A. It'll be hot going home, however.<br />
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I'm off tomorrow, and the weather is expected to be sunny - and hot. That means a motorcycle ride. But to where? I was considering riding up to Motorcycles of Dulles to test ride a Zero electric bike and possibly an Indian. We shall see! And so shall you, as there will probably be videos...<br />
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<b>2 July 2018</b><br />
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On Friday I motorcycled up to a dealership north of Dulles airport - Motorcycles of Dulles - and test rode a Zero electric motorcycle as well as an Indian Springfield. (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6SqrB4s1AI&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr&index=19&t=0s" target="_blank">Video of Zero test ride</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPqFBcHSrLA&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr&index=21&t=0s" target="_blank">video of Indian Springfield test ride.</a>) The Zero was... kind of weird. Is anyone used to a perfectly silent motorcycle? I didn't care for the seating position - it felt like my upper body was too far forward, like I'd go over the handlebars in case of a heavy brake. Unlikely, but that's what it felt like. The salesman and I agreed that the bike wasn't really for a guy my size, age or disposition. But I suspect electric bikes will catch on. Harley-Davidson is supposed to introduce theirs next year.<br />
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The Indian Springfield was an entirely different thing! Now we're talkin' - what a gorgeous bike! I think I like it better than a Harley Road King. (The ride on both is similar, with the Springfield being possibly more agile and nimble.) The problem is that there are far more good used Road Kings on the market than used Springfields. The Springfield looks wonderful in jade green and black like the one I test rode, or even in simple red. They even look great in black! I'm a sucker for retro styling...<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLj-8lsMpBc&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr&index=20&t=0s" target="_blank">More video of my Friday ride is here</a>. It isn't very often you see a Karmann-Ghia in that good a shape - and I can't recall the last time I saw a c. 1972 Ford Maverick! I was planning to ride to Goldvein to visit the Virginia Mining Museum there but the traffic on Route 29 was too heavy and, frankly, it was way too hot. So I turned around, eventually getting home via I-66. Freeways no longer intimidate me. I just do my 65-70 mph and confine myself to the slow lane.<br />
<br />
So I'm riding down the main street in Manassas when a smallish car pulls in front of me, Robert E. Lee Virginia commemorative license plate and Confederate flags in the rear window. I honk and give him a thumb's up, me being a Civil War buff and all - besides, flying Confederate flags is a mark of bravery these days. At a light - I'm still behind him - I holler something, he looks at me and says, "I know you!" Turns out it's Bobby, a kid who used to live up the street from me when I lived in a townhouse in Springfield. My giving him a stack of my old Camp Chase Gazettes kind of turned him into a Civil War reenactor. (A Reb.) The last time I saw him was at an event in 2012. He was regaling us with special forces stories from Afghanistan. What were the odds of seeing him in Manassas?<br />
<br />
Saturday afternoon Cari and I headed over to Coleman Powersports for their Can-Am Demo Day. (A Can-Am is a three wheeled vehicle - two wheels in the front, one in the back. We took a class riding them in late May.) We took a Can-Am out onto the street: I drove and Cari was the passenger, and Cari rode it around in the parking lot. They're fun and (relatively) safe: ABS, traction control, electronic stability program, semi-automatic transmission. I wouldn't have a problem at all with Cari taking one out for rides, etc. after building up confidence. They work fine with two passengers, too - I drove and Cari sat in the back. They are very easy to ride and stable.<br />
<br />
(Do you live in Virginia? I have an offer from Can-Am for free three day training. Let me know if you are interested.)<br />
<br />
This morning I saw a motorcyclist stranded near the local gas station, so I drove him the short distance to his home so he could get his wife to take him to work. Enter my Samaritan of the Road good deed into the Biker Books...<br />
<br />
<b>3 July 2018</b><br />
<br />
I bought myself a cooler pair of gloves yesterday. I have been riding with a pair that are suitable for fall, winter and early spring - but not summer. My new ones are padded and "armored" (plastic bits over the knuckles), but are generally mesh and are somewhat shorter and much cooler.<br />
<br />
Riding into work this morning I can feel the air flowing around my fingers. When I ride on warm days with my other gloves my hands sweat and the gloves get difficult to put on and get off - which is a problem because I'm generally doing this all day.<br />
<br />
One of the things I do at night is watch motorcycle crash videos on YouTube. Whenever I admit this to other motorcyclists, they cringe. Why do this? Because, "Wise men learn from their mistakes. Wiser men learn from the mistakes of others." I'm watching these analytically and asking myself, "Would I find myself in this situation? If so, how would I react?" It must be admitted that the great majority of these videos are of young men on sport bikes doing foolish things: Wheelies, going into turns way too fast and otherwise just riding aggressively and running into (sometimes fatal) problems. That's not my ride.<br />
<br />
According to the Hurt Report (yes, that's what it's actually called), the great majority of crashes with new motorcycle riders occur within the first six months of riding. I have now ridden 3 months; I'm halfway through this dire statistic.<br />
<br />
A friend of mine suggested a ride to New Market, VA on Friday, but the current weather forecast is for 100% chance of thunderstorms. This pleases me not at all.<br />
<br />
<b>9 July 2018</b><br />
<br />
I was expecting thunderstorms on Friday but they never really turned up. I took a little motorcycle ride to Manassas (using a woodlands route) and back (using I-95) in the morning, just as light rain drops started appearing on my visor. During this trip I found a Civil War site that I didn't know about - something of a surprise given that I've lived in Northern Virginia for over thirty years as a major Civil War buff! (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXjyZLBe9qY&t=0s&index=3&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr" target="_blank">VIDEO - I called it the "Better than Nothing Ride."</a>)<br />
<br />
The rain really didn't develop - so after vacuuming in the house in the afternoon I took another ride, this time towards Mount Vernon and up the George Washington Memorial Parkway into Alexandria. No video for that one, but there probably will be one someday when I repeat the ride...<br />
<br />
Saturday! I found my GoPro! It was in one of the only places it could have been, in my VW, in the trunk. Apparently I must have laid it down in there for a moment when we went to the pool on July 4th. I only found it when I took out the tan convertible top cover and flipped it off. So I used it to take <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdVd83opXms&t=0s&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr&index=2" target="_blank">a video of Saturday's next adventure, test riding a Harley Trike at a Harley-Davidson dealership</a>.<br />
<br />
This was... a bit disappointing. In terms of three-wheeled motorcycles and overall ride experience, I found that I liked the BRP Can-Am better, mainly because steering one was a less twitchy experience. They look weird, but they ride better. Cari certainly found that the Can-Am (with the semi-automatic transmission) was a far more welcoming and straightforward experience than the Harley. I also like the safety features built into a Can-Am that a Harley Trike does not have: ABS, traction control and the electronic steering program. I suppose had I spent a couple of days in a class with a Harley Trike the way we did with the Can-Am I'd probably like it more - but there it is. It doesn't look like we'll be buying a Harley Trike after all.<br />
<br />
Yesterday I took Cari on a motorcycle ride to where I park near work and back again, nearly an hour's ride and about 23 miles round trip. This was my longest two-person ride thus far. I'm becoming more comfortable with it - but while the 800cc Suzuki Boulevard will ride two, it would be a more stable and reassuring ride on a bike with a touring frame and big engine...<br />
<br />
<b>10 July 2018</b><br />
<br />
I replaced the final gear oil in Marva the motorcycle yesterday. (The Suzuki Boulevard M50 is shaft-driven.) It wasn't hard or time-consuming to do and was probably needed. Next up: Flush and replace the coolant. That's harder; it requires that I lift and possibly remove the gas tank to access the radiator cap. I suppose I should also replace the spark plugs as long as I'm in there.<br />
<br />
While I am indeed a beginner motorcyclist, I have twice demonstrated a valuable skill: bringing home a Burger Joint Diet Coke in a cup in my saddlebag without spilling any of it. I did that yesterday.<br />
<br />
<b>11 July 2018</b><br />
<br />
It can't really be, but it seems my Suzuki Boulevard rides smoother now that I've changed the oil, the coolant and the final gear oil. I'm sure it's really just my imagination. Next up: spark plugs. I'll probably need to get the Denso X22EPR-U9 or NGK DPR7EA-9 plugs from the dealership. The local auto parts place doesn't carry them, or has an Autolite substitution. Japanese parts for a Japanese bike!<br />
<br />
I found a place that has a Kawasaki Vulcan Voyager. I plan to stop by on Friday. I want to test ride one of these, or a Vulcan Vaquero... Thus far, I have ridden ten bikes: three Can-Ams, three Harleys, two Suzukis, a Zero, a Victory and an Indian. If I were Donald Trump and could buy anything regardless of cost I'd probably get the Indian Springfield right now...<br />
<br />
Nice ride into work this morning - the sky was lit orange from the rising sun. Very pretty. I gave a thumb's up to an older dude passing by on a Harley Trike, flying a U.S. flag and a POW flag. The usual two fingers down "keep the shiny side up" gesture isn't really appropriate for a Trike as you can't (easily) drop those.<br />
<br />
Last night I stopped for a guy on a chopper who was pulled over to the side with his seat removed; turns out he was having some kind of electrical problem and help was on the way. He didn't need a ride.</div>
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<br />
<b>12 July 2018</b><br />
<br />
Yesterday I confirmed something a Harley salesman told me on Saturday: Virginia motorcyclists and bicyclists can run red lights - sort of. Because motorcycles aren't always sensed by the strips at traffic lights, a biker can exit (with care!) after two minutes or two light cycles, whichever is shorter. I have personally observed this phenomena at a couple of intersections near where I live and, yes, applied the law to my own situation - ahem! - without being aware of it.<br />
<br />
<b>13 July 2018</b><br />
<br />
I took my bike over to Coleman Power Sports in Woodbridge to buy a couple of spark plugs but found they could replace my tires while I waited, so I did that. I put on Michelins... New shoes for Marva!<br />
<br />
New motorcycle tires are somewhat slippery, and must be ridden on and scrubbed up for about 100 miles before they take on their long term grip and ride characteristics. (There were signs all over Coleman notifying service customers of this.) So, nervous, I ran the bike around in the parking lot a bit to see just how slippery they were. And then I warily rode out onto the streets of Woodbridge. As it turns out, it wasn't a problem. Not the way I ride, anyway. I got around just fine with nary a skid or slip.<br />
<br />
By the way, while at Coleman I spoke with a sales guy who is a self-proclaimed Harley guy, and I asked him about a rumor I've been hearing from other Harley guys about Harley transmissions. It seems like they have transmissions where it can be a challenge to find neutral gear. He confirmed that, yes, they do have that reputation. This is a problem I had with my learner bike in my beginner's safety course, and represents a deal-breaker for me: I have to be able to reliably find neutral all the time. I don't want to be sitting at intersections screwing around with the transmission trying to find neutral when I should be paying attention to other things. Hm. If and when I do test ride another Harley this is an important test. (I have no problem with my Suzuki in this regard, and the Indian and Kawasaki were fine, too. I did notice this while test riding the Harley Trike last weekend.)<br />
<br />
My second stop was a Kawasaki dealership up the street from Coleman to test ride a 2018 Kawasaki Vulcan Voyager, a big, heavy, full dress bike. (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWi1mFncBJM&t=0s&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr&index=3" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>.) It's a pretty bike with lots of features: only $17,400 out the door (that includes taxes, dealer prep, title, etc.)! <i>(Late scratch: The sales guy contacted me via text. Now it's $16,750!)</i> Wow. Price-wise it compares very favorably with a Harley or an Indian: Kawasaki - with the traditional Japanese build quality - gives you a lot of bang for the buck. And I like the way it rode. BUT. Do I really want or need a full dresser bike? I don't know. How many intercontinental trips am I planning to take, anyway? It's another thing to decide.<br />
<br />
I left this second dealership and took a series of scenic country roads and byways through central Prince William county and Fauquier county to my next stop: Goldvein, Virginia, site of a Virginia gold mining museum. There was actually gold mining in Virginia? Yes... and it is explained here. (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7uZNiCV-jA&t=2s&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr&index=2" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>.) I knew of Goldvein before as in the Nineties there used to be a small television station broadcasting from there; I used to watch the international films they aired. I never supposed that it was named Goldvein because of actual gold mining activity, but I should have known better. Virginia is a place with literal place names. If you come across a Gallows Road, yes, they used to hang people there. If you are on Old Keene Mill Road, yes, there was a mill there owned by the Keene family, etc.<br />
<br />
I chatted with a patient and helpful county employee there for nearly an hour, then headed to a Bojangles on Route 17 for lunch, then merged onto I-95 north for home. By the time I got home I put nearly 100 miles on those fresh tires.<br />
<br />
<b>15 July 2018</b><br />
<br />
I did another (far briefer) ride to further scrub up my tires. Went home when it started raining lightly. New tires + rain = no thanks.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>17 July 2018</b><br />
<br />
Wheeeeeee! I replaced the spark plugs in my Suzuki motorcycle last night, and took it for a little test ride. It is punchier. That and the new tires have improved the bike's ride characteristics. I had a nervous couple of minutes with the spark plugs; at one point I had a difficult time extracting one of them. I had to use a long flexible grabber tool to get the plug out of the deep housing. I think next I'm going to adjust the clutch. I'd like the friction zone in a position to grab more readily, more like a hydraulic clutch.</div>
<div>
<br />
<b>18 July 2018</b><br />
<br />
My motorcycle maintenance was continued yesterday when I adjusted the clutch and replaced the (expensive) air filter. In fact, it was the most expensive air filter I have ever purchased! This month I've done an oil and oil filter change, final drive oil change, coolant flush, new spark plugs, new tires, new air cleaner... I'm done for the time being. The parts guys didn't give me the right filter at first - Arrrgh! - I had to go back and get the right part.<br />
<br />
How important is it to have a clean air filter? Well, engines have to breath and obviously you want the cleanest air going into the compression chambers you can provide (free of leaf particles, bugs, grease, etc.), but in reality there's a lot of tolerance. It's worth mentioning, however, that I once fixed a car that was having stalling problems by simply replacing the world's cruddiest air cleaner. It was so clogged it was actually starving the engine for oxygen! This was not my car, by the way.<br />
<br />
I mentioned that installing new plugs made the bike zippier and more responsive. Changing out the spark plugs made a difference in the bike's top end, too. I was on I-95 yesterday and found I could more easily reach 70-75 mph. In fact yesterday I got to 77 mph, a new record for me on that bike. But it still wants a sixth gear. The 800cc Suzuki engine kind of runs out of breath at around 75 mph. (Well - with me on it, it does.)<br />
<br />
Back to air cleaners: Like just about everything else associated with motorcycles, air cleaners come in a wide variety of custom styles and designs. Naturally, there are skulls. <a href="https://img.etsystatic.com/il/d7f10d/1159060979/il_570xN.1159060979_6xdr.jpg?version=0" target="_blank">Here's one with red eyes, flames and vampire teeth</a>. The only way he could be more terrifying is if he was also holding a ballot with the circles next to the Republican candidates filled in.<br />
<br />
I'm pretty sure I have blogged before about my aversion to death's heads. No matter how bad I am, think I am or am destined to become, I just can't have this. I once saw a used Harley Road King in a showroom; skulls everywhere. I'd be spending hundreds of dollars removing all that stuff. For me, a skull signifies Golgotha - or the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.<br />
<br />
<b>19 July 2018</b><br />
<br />
A brisk, cool and pleasant motorcycle ride into work this morning unaffected by the fact that the taillights of a Jaguar sedan were glaring at me almost the entire way. And it's hard to believe how much better that bike rides with the new tires and spark plugs. Sometimes, on smooth pavement, it almost feels like it's gliding. And the sky was spectacular as the sun was rising: red, orange, light blue... at one point I noticed the colors were reflected in the chrome of my headlight, making it look somewhat cosmic.<br />
<br />
I might get to ride a friend's Harley Road King today at work. I'm still deciding if that's the long term bike for me; my initial impression of one in Utah was very positive. When I told my youngest daughter I was interested in that Kawasaki full dress bike she offered sage advice: <i>Don't buy a motorcycle simply because it's a good deal. Buy the one you really want</i>. I'm not sure what that is yet, but I've got the list narrowed down.<br />
<br />
I was disappointed with the Harley Trike. I thought perhaps that was the ride for me (us), but I was unhappy with how twitchy the steering was in a one-wheel-at-front-two-wheels-in-back configuration. One quick swerve to avoid a pothole and the whole trike does an unnerving, convulsive shake to the left or right. They look weird, but I'm much more content with the ride with the Can-Am configuration (two wheels in front, one wheel in back). Can-Ams are fun!<br />
<br />
<b>20 July 2018</b><br />
<br />
Checking weather... hmmm... mid-80s in the afternoon and partly sunny, no real chance of rain. Yep! Friday is again a motorcycle ride day! But where to go...?<br />
<br />
Southern Maryland! I plan to ride out to the Indian Head Highway and head south onto Chicamuxen Road, and then south to Riverside Road and head back north. In other words, make a big circle around a place called Ironsides, Maryland. With lunch somewhere that looks like about a three or four hour local ride. Hm. I see there's a Harley-Davidson dealership just off of Indian Head Highway on Livingston Road. I may have to stop in. Test ride a new Road King with the Milwaukee 8 engine, maybe?<br />
<br />
Doing a google search for the Harley dealership I found <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/ColorizedHistory/comments/2g7eqs/harley_davidson_motorbike_dealership_gang_in/" target="_blank">an exceptionally cool circa 1925 photo of a Harley dealership in Washington D.C.</a> (Somebody colorized it.) The location of this place was on H Street, NW in D.C. - Chinatown.<br />
<br />
There will certainly be a video posted on Monday.<br />
<br />
Yesterday I rode a co-worker's Harley Road King a little. I had no shifting problems with it, and once again without knowing it I was up to 50 mpg. Those bikes are exactly like the cars with big engines from the Sixties - you get in them and without intending to you're speeding along because they have power to spare. That was my thirteenth motorcycle and my fourth Harley I've ridden.<br />
<br />
<b>23 July 2018</b><br />
<br />
I did indeed take a ride in Southern Maryland on Friday; it was fun! (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGPr-b24o5k" target="_blank">VIDEO</a> - I forgot to bring my GoPro! Grrrrr.) My wife and I need to do that ride when the leaves start changing color in the fall, it ought to be spectacular!<br />
<br />
I test rode a 2018 Harley-Davidson Road King, the one with the new Milwaukee 8 engine. The Mil-8 is indeed somewhat smoother than the 103 it replaced. It was very nice... I noticed no finding neutral issues at all with the transmission. However, the shifter was set a bit low and I had a tricky time getting my boot under the shifter between the lever and the foot pad, and so I gave up and simply started using the heel shifter for the first time. I can see why people say once you get used to a heel shifter you won't go back. Yes, this is easier. The dealership's price on it was very good, which suggests where my counter-offers can be if and when I ever negotiate a price for a new Road King.<br />
<br /></div>
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<b>24 July 2018</b><br />
<br />
There's a Harley-Davidson plant in York, Pennsylvania about three hours north of us. They offer free plant tours. We ought to go... but it isn't offered on weekends. Hm.<br />
<br />
<b>25 July 2018</b><br />
<br />
Last night I watched <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTnCfY2XdWE" target="_blank">the Georgia Ramblin' Man's assessment of the Indian Springfield</a> after he rented one for a week in New England. (He normally rides a 800cc Suzuki Boulevard as I do.) If it came to buying a Harley Road King or an Indian Springfield, he'd take the Harley - mainly because, (1) The Indian seat is uncomfortable for long rides, (2) The engine puts out a lot of heat at stops and slow speeds, and (3) Harley has a superior dealer network to Indian. Okay, then... this is helpful information. The seat is a real deal-breaker for me. My Suzuki Boulevard has a cruiser seat, not a touring seat. After a little over an hour in it my lower back begins to hurt and I find myself shifting around. The usual remedy for Boulevard owners is to replace the seat with a $500 Mustang replacement seat, but I'm probably not going to do that. I'd rather move up to a bike with a larger frame and a more powerful engine.<br />
<br />
<b>26 July 2018</b><br />
<br />
I had an interesting motorcycle ride into work this morning - it was foggy and humid, which meant that my visor kept fogging up. A lot of the time I had it partially open on the detent to clear the fog, but doing that directs wind into my eyes. I don't like it at speeds greater than about 30 miles per hour. It occurred to me that what I really needed was about a 1/4" gap. A flattened cigarette butt would probably work, but I don't have a supply of those. (Some biker I am!)<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBdXFFZRZ7k&t=2s" target="_blank">My new favorite motorcycle video</a>: a beginning rider puts a GoPro on his helmet and gets a video of his very first experience out on the street. It alternates between being amusing and terrifying. I'd never do this. Being a mature, wary man and an engineer, I went about it differently.<br />
<br />
I practiced in a parking lot well before I felt ready to take my bike out onto streets, and that was only after rush hour when I knew the residential streets near my house would be uncrowded. Looking back on it, I'm satisfied with the way I created a riding skills progression: Three day safety course, parking lot practice using increasing speeds, uncrowded residential street experience, city street experience, limited parkway speeds, lengthier rides, city streets in increasing amounts of traffic, commuting to and from work, test riding more powerful bikes, higher and more sustained parkway speeds, multi-hour rides, riding in rain, riding in heat, limited riding on gravel, interstate and higher freeway speeds, express lane merges and speeds. I've built up my abilities and confidence bit by bit in the past four months. I'm now at the point where I feel I'm ready for a touring class Harley-Davidson and longer rides.<br />
<br />
In fact... I was listening to a podcast about a rider describing his "Big Stupid" - insanely long rides. (One notable one was around Iceland.) The idea of taking a motorcycle across the United States appeals to me now; I want to do this sometime.<br />
<br />
Still - I wish I had self-canceling turn signals! I ride around with a turn signal on way too often! Being a car driver you don't appreciate how wonderful an invention self-cancelling turn signals are.</div>
<div>
<br />
<b>27 July 2018</b><br />
<br />
The weather forecast: "Partly cloudy in the morning followed by scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon. High 89F. Chance of rain 15-35%." Hmmm.<br />
<br />
After peering at Google Maps I have today's motorcycle destination: the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-XADGRa4Ts" target="_blank">Stafford Civil War Park</a> in Stafford, VA - a place I have never visited.<br />
<br />
From the website: "Opened in April 2013, the Stafford Civil War Park is the site of 1863 winter encampments and fortifications of the Union Army’s 11th Corps, 1st and 3rd Divisions, following the December 1862 Battle of Fredericksburg. Many of the soldiers referred to the site and that winter, then and afterwards, as their 'Valley Forge.' Over 3,500 soldiers died throughout Stafford County during that winter. Situated on 41 acres, park visitors can see and learn about Civil War era battery and winter hut site remains, a corduroy road, a late 18th and early 19th century sandstone quarry, and remnants of the 1660s Potomac Church Road bed."<br />
<br />
Okay, I'm in! And this time I'll make sure to bring the GoPro camera. Video to be linked here later - or, you can go to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr" target="_blank">my YouTube motorcycle videos playlist page</a> to find it.<br />
<br />
Afterwards, I think a visit to the <a href="https://indianbikesva.com/" target="_blank">Fredericksburg Indian dealership</a> (only 17 miles away) is a good plan. Maybe test ride another Springfield... And then I'll head north on I-95 to get back to Springfield before the promised thunderstorms arrive.<br />
<br />
<b>30 July 2018</b><br />
<br />
As promised, I did indeed venture down to the Stafford Civil War Park on Friday. It was interesting! (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrSRdqICmz4&t=0s&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr&index=4" target="_blank">VIDEO</a> - At fifteen minutes the video is a bit long, but I did it that way for people who probably wouldn't ever make it out to the park. I got one good comment right away: "Interesting video! Ever since you got your trusted motorcycle and started taking videos I have been able to see places like this civil war park that I didn't know existed." Yep. That's one reason why I take them.)<br />
<br />
I was going to test ride an Indian Springfield at the dealership I visited, but, due to approaching thunderstorms, I decided not to. I spent my time instead heading out to the Spotsylvania battlefield to get the GoPro video I didn't before. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMX1f2dwPo0&t=9s&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr&index=3" target="_blank">That video is here</a>. (If you object to the folky 1961 Wayfarers Trio music I used, turn the volume off!) Finally, the last part of my Friday ride (Harley dealership, I-95 and Route 1 traffic) is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIWROmsCOmY&t=3s&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr&index=2" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
It was a pleasant ride down I-95 to get there, but heading north in the afternoon was a little chancy. I thought I would be spending time underneath an overpass waiting out a thunderstorm, but that didn't happen. A fast-moving system dumped rain ahead of me. I never got a drop!<br />
<br />
<b>31 July 2018</b><br />
<br />
Yesterday I had lunch with my rugby pal Kelly, who happens to be a longtime biker. You can imagine what most of the conversation consisted of. I am such an inept liar... just to see his reaction I was going to reveal to him that my beginner bike was a used Suzuki Hayabusa (a sportbike that can do 180+ mph), which I found "twitchy," but instead I blurted out that I ride a Boulevard. Dang!<br />
<br />
<b>1 August 2018</b><br />
<br />
I rode my motorcycle to work this morning on wet pavement. It was no big deal. On fresh tires with plenty of tread I simply rode carefully, not doing anything extreme (my usual riding style) and avoiding painted surfaces, which tend to be slippery. I read somewhere that even in the pouring rain you still have about 80% of the traction you'd have on dry pavement, so I was fine. No fears - just some wariness.<br />
<br />
<b>2 August 2018</b><br />
<br />
I didn't bike into work today because of the threat of thunderstorms during the rush hour home. But the sky was beautiful once again this morning; it would have been reflected attractively in the chrome headlight housing on my Suzuki. I was admiring the reflection of the sky and clouds on it as I rode home yesterday.<br />
<br />
I have come to a conclusion: Any bike I own will have to have a heavily-chromed headlight nacelle. That's a part of the visual cues that say "motorcycle" to me. The Harley-Davidson Road King and the Indian Springfield both have this design feature. A few months ago I was concerned about wind blast and thought I'd want a fairing rather than a chrome nacelle, but I now think, for the riding I commonly do wearing a full face helmet, a removable windshield will be adequate. I've been riding without one since the end of May and I'm fine on the freeway doing 60+ mph. Now, were I to ride all day at freeway speeds for days at a time, that might be different. But I don't do that. (Yet.)<br />
<br />
Fact is, I like the wind and breezes. A film set in a windy locale will always attract me, and my idea of a perfect place to live is a place that is often gusty. The wind blowing outside the house is like music to my ears.<br />
<br />
A thing I often see on my motorcycle journeys in the Virginia countryside: high voltage lines and stanchions spread off into the distance. I find these very picturesque. I don't know why. Nothing says "country" to me more than a line of power stanchions going off into the distance. Some photographers make careers out of obsessively covering one visual topic - I suppose I could make this mine. High Powered Art. (The closest thing I have is a photo gallery of weathervanes, which I also find fascinating.) Next time I see this I really need to pull over and get an image.<br />
<br />
The other day I mentioned having lunch with a rugby friend who also happens to be an avid motorcyclist. Turns out he owns a 1975 Harley-Davidson FLH. When I got back to my desk I started looking these up. Guess who also owned a 1975 Harley FLH? Elvis. I always knew Kelly was cool - this confirms it. My pal Avery once owned a 1973 Mazda 1600 Sport Truck; in high school we'd gather on the Astro-turfed flatbed to have our lunch. Because of this association the 1973 Mazda Sport Truck has always been esteemed by me as being the coolest of mini-trucks. The '75 Harley FLH joins that list, along with the 1965 Karmann-Ghia my father had and the 1972 Ford LTD Brougham I learned to drive in.<br />
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<b>3 August 2018</b><br />
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So. Friday. Normally I head out on a motorcycle somewhere. From 9 AM to Noon the forecast is cloudy with a chance of thunderstorms anywhere from 0% to 20%. At 1 PM to 3 PM that chance increases from 40% to 50%. Do I chance it? I don't know. Maybe I'll do a short "Better Than Nothing" ride. There are some Civil War Trail stops in nearby Manassas I'm unfamiliar with. Maybe I'll ride to those.<br />
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<b>6 August 2018</b><br />
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I did a "Better than Nothing" ride to Manassas on Friday; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5fQ8rZI_Yc&t=1s&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr&index=2" target="_blank">here's that video</a>. I dodged the thunderstorms... I liked seeing the Quaker guns! (These are logs stripped of bark and painted black to resemble, at a distance, cannon. The purpose is to fake out Union observers.) As much tourism as I've done on Civil War sites in the past 34 years I've never seen one before. I also learned who the local Henderson Road is named for.<br />
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<b>9 August 2018</b><br />
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I had a delightful ride in to work this morning, cool and brisk. Did I mention that I am now parking (for free) around a park that is a closer walk than my former spot? Well, I am. There are little slots to fit a motorcycle that a cop has "blessed"; he said he wouldn't issue a ticket and, probably, neither would anyone else. I've seen other bikes parking there - in addition to a heavily-traveled 1992 Suzuki VS 800 Intruder that is the model forerunner to the Suzuki I have. (It goes Intruder -> Volusia -> Boulevard.)<br />
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Hey! I've put almost 3,000 miles on my bike in four months! That's about 187 miles a week, "knees in the breeze." Tomorrow is Friday - and the forecast is great! Ambitious motorcycling plans underway.<br />
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<b>10 August 2018</b><br />
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The weather forecast for the northern Shenandoah Valley is good! Partly cloudy from high 70s to mid 80s with at most a 15% chance of showers.<br />
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My plan for today: No longer intimidated by interstates and freeway speeds I'll take I-66 for about 70 or 80 minutes to Strasburg, Virginia at the north end of the Shenandoah Valley, stop briefly, then take Route 48 into West-By-God-Virginia along what is known as "Corridor H" for some distance. A West Virginian co-worker told me about it. He said he sees motorcycles there all the time, which tells me something. It looks scenic and pleasant, and I've never been there before. I might also visit the Warren Rifles Confederate Museum in Strasburg.<br />
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I'll take scenic Route 55 back home from Front Royal if not pressed for time.<br />
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<b>13 August 2018</b><br />
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I had a SPLENDID biking day in great weather on Friday. As planned, I rode all the way out to Strasburg, VA then rode to West Virginia via route 48 and, after having lunch at the Kac-Ka-Pon in Wardensville, traveled upon a short length of Corridor H. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sfrS_yn5Uc&index=2&t=320s&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr" target="_blank">That video is here</a>. I rode 242 miles there and back...<br />
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I wanted to see what 250 miles on a bike was like in case I ever get to travel across the country. I'd do it in 250-300 mile increments. Yes, it's doable - especially on a big Harley. On my Suzuki cruiser my rear end hurt after about an hour, but that's because it doesn't have a touring seat like on a Harley touring class bike (Road King, Street Glide, Road Glide, Ultra).<br />
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I also wanted to see what difference a windshield or fairing would make. Since late May I've been riding without the windshield. On Friday morning I did sustained speeds of 65-75 mph on I-66 for a bit more than an hour... Yes, I'd want a windshield if I were to make a practice of that. Also, I'd want hearing protection! The wind noise on the helmet for that long is objectionable. At the end of the day I felt a little like I had been in a rock concert or something.<br />
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<b>15 August 2018</b><br />
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A cool and enjoyable motorcycle ride into work this morning. I saw a huge flock of birds darting around in the sky, something I probably wouldn't have noticed in a car. It's true, when you're on a bike you are much more a part of the landscape and the road than when you're in a car.</div>
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The trick is, of course, to remain unsmeared upon the landscape.</div>
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<b>16 August 2018</b></div>
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Wanderlust. I had a nice ride into work this morning on my bike, but was disappointed when I arrived at my destination, a little space around an oval-shaped urban park in Alexandria. What I really wanted to do was just keep going. Maybe north to Massachusetts or New Hampshire to visit first cousins on my mother's side I have never met, or west to Hannibal, Missouri to take the Mark Twain home tour, or south to Atlanta, Nashville or some other Civil War battlefield site place I've never seen. </div>
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Tomorrow is Friday, and so I shall calculate the chances of thunderstorms and come up with a motorcycle excursion somewhere. Not an epic West Virginia ride again so soon... somewhere closer, I think. I'm growing fond of Manassas and Fredericksburg. The places have been there during the last 31 years I've been a Virginian, but they seem more fun traveled to on two wheels for some reason. Hm. Perhaps it's time I tried the Chancellorsville Stonewall Jackson flank march road. A good portion of that is gravel. It would be a good test/learning experience/confidence builder for me. Motorcycling on gravel is like riding in the rain: minimize lean and don't attempt anything sudden.<br />
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<b>17 August 2018</b><br />
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The weather forecast is good, my bike is gassed up, the battery on the GoPro is charged, my ice water Thermos is filled and the roads beckon. I think the plan today is to head down to the Chancellorsville battlefield - but we'll see. I may venture off onto some other road based on whim.<br />
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<b>20 August 2018</b><br />
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Thursday: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99p0eSR_ir4&t=0s&index=3&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr" target="_blank">Short motorcycle video about Fort Washington</a>. I learned an important rule. After donating blood be sure to fully hydrate oneself before heading out into the heat. Whew.<br />
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Friday was great! I biked down to Chancellorsville Battlefield, and... well... <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5S9cx8xMFLs&t=858s&index=2&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr" target="_blank">here's the video</a>. I successfully passed my Gravel Test and, at a light near Fredericksburg, saw a biker light a cigarette before merging onto I-95. How does one smoke a cigarette in the face of a 70+ mile per hour wind? Well - I was impressed. I got my Suzuki up to 87 mph (a new motorcycle speed record for me) on I-95. It is absolutely not comfortable! That bike, a cruiser, not a tourer, is happiest at between 60-70 mph.<br />
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Saturday: After some errands with my wife a friend and I made the scene (as Dad used to say) at the Fairfax Harley dealership. They had a basic black 2016 Road King (103 cubic inch engine) with ABS for $16,000 (but that price is negotiable). Tax, fee and other stuff adds another $1,000. Nice - excepting the minor scuff when the bike got dropped on the crash bar at some point in its history. BUT - I sat on a Honda Gold Wing and started the engine. No vibration at all. Before I pull the trigger on a Harley I really feel the necessity of trying a Honda Gold Wing, just to be complete. Guys that ride them love them. I need to call Coleman Powersports in Falls Church and arrange for a test ride.<br />
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There are Honda People and Harley People just as there are Chevy and Ford People. Which am I? My friend Avery: "Honda bikes have the annoying habit of always starting." "You know why guys on Gold Wings never wave back? They're looking for the button that does that." My son-in-law: "I'd rather see my sister in a whore house than a brother on a Honda." And so it goes... </div>
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<b>27 August 2018</b><br />
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My daughter and granddaughter are visiting, but on Friday my wife took them shopping at Tyson's Mall for the day. So on Friday I left them for a mother-daughter day and test rode a Honda Gold Wing - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XFmujYz-pM&index=3&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr&t=23s" target="_blank">that video is here</a>. A four cylinder motorcycle with a fully automatic transmission, wow. It was wonderful... very smooth and refined. I can't imagine a motorcycle more technologically advanced than this bike. (It's $28,000 out the door with tax, fees, etc. - somewhat more than my VW convertible car!) But is this what I want? No, not really. As good as this bike is - and it is very good - for me a motorcycle is more like a Harley Road King. I'm more a Harley guy than a Honda guy, I think.<br />
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Also on Friday I took a little jaunt out to The Plains, Virginia - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPXBEt6XbZc&index=2&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr&t=3s" target="_blank">Video</a>.<br />
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<b>28 August 2018</b><br />
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I'm told by a number of sources that the chopper scene (that is, radically customized motorcycles) is dead, and that these things are today worth only a fraction of the tens of thousands of dollars invested in them. I can't say that I lament the passing of choppers - I never thought they were cool. I remember they were all the rage when Easy Rider was released in 1969 (I was 13), and I saw a few episodes of that reality show about the guys who built these things for a living. But it seems that the new generation esteemeth them not, and that they are in the process of dying out like the people who can recite "The Ballad of the Minnow" from repeated childhood viewings of <i>Gilligan's Island</i>.<br />
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Which brings me to a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5LztVoL98Q&feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">really funny video</a> by a guy named Sean who runs a business in Pennsylvania selling used motorcycles; he takes an especially ridiculous example of a chopper out on the road for a test ride. The thing has an open primary belt running from the (huge) engine to the transmission just waiting to suck up any loose bits of clothing or shoelaces - or fingers. For some inexplicable reason the bike has all kinds of machined metal pointy bits for impaling the rider during an accident, and the rider's view is pretty much limited to the gas tank - which has a dragon painted thereupon. It has no gauges so there's no telling how fast you're travelling, and there is no suspension. Potholes in the road are transmitted directly up the rider's spinal column. But it's stylish!<br />
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I've been reading motorcycle forums here and there as of late, and have become aware that a major division between bikers forms around Harleys and sportbikes. To what might be called the "Sportbike Community," Harleys are considered to be slow, low tech, underpowered and, basically, much like your grandfather's Oldsmobile: boring. I watch a lot of motorcycle crash videos on YouTube (I do it to learn from others' mistakes) and have seen countless young men rearing up on their Japanese bikes pulling wheelies - only to fall over backwards, flinging bits of broken plastic everywhere and removing great swaths of skin from their (often) unprotected arms. There is much swearing when this happens, and the helmet-mounted GoPro usually also contains video of another motorcyclist staring into the rider's helmet asking, "You okay, Bro?" I remain unconvinced that this is better quality motorcycling than can be found upon my grandfather's Harley.<br />
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But, hey, I'm 62.<br />
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The subject of horsepower comes up in biker forums frequently. Harley-Davidson is not in the habit of releasing horsepower specifications for their bikes, for good reason. By and large their engines are unimpressive in this regard. Harley emphasizes torque, which is what you want in the touring world. In the sportbike world horsepower is king, and when this is thrown in some Harley guy's face the response is something along the lines of, "Horsepower will get you into more trouble than horsepower will get you out of," which I find persuasive.<br />
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But, hey, I'm 62.<br />
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The 50 cubic inch V-twin engine on my 2008 Suzuki Boulevard produces about 50 horsepower. It propels my 544 pound bike with an acceleration and at a rate of speed which I can easily use to injure myself if I decide to become an idiot. The used 814 pound Harley Road King I might someday buy with its 103 cubic inch V-twin engine produces about... 76 horsepower. It doesn't seem like much of an improvement, but I have ridden one of these and compared to my Suzuki it rides like a Cadillac. I suppose the difference is torque. I also like the greater stability and centeredness in the larger frame; it engenders confidence at higher speeds, which is what you want in a touring bike. <br />
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<b>29 August 2018</b><br />
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AAUUUGGGHHHH! I dropped my bike! Well, actually, I <i>leaned</i> my bike. Into the car.<br />
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This morning shortly after 6 AM I pulled the Hyundai out of the garage and then wheeled my bike out to close the garage door. I set the kickstand - or I thought I set the kickstand - and started to walk away when I heard the heartbreaking sound of 544 pounds of metal and rubber crash into the side of my car, near the front tire.<br />
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I'm not sure why this happened. Either the kickstand was not fully forward and locked or the bike's position in the dip where the Aco drain is located was an uncertain footing (that's what I think). At any rate it broke off my left side mirror; I'll be buying another. Riding without it makes left lane merges trickier. As far as I can tell that's the only damage to bike, car or Aco drain. Pulling the bike upright wasn't difficult as it wasn't fully down. (And I'm a big guy.)<br />
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So what have I learned? Park the bike on flat pavement and avoid the Aco drain!<br />
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<b>30 August 2018</b><br />
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That little morning drop incident yesterday with my bike cost me $100 for a new Suzuki mirror. It's on order and will arrive tomorrow or early next week. But the exercise had me thinking: How much would it have been had it been a Harley? 2X? 3X?<br />
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I've been reading about the Harley air-cooled engine's characteristic of producing ample amounts of heat at stops and in traffic on hot days - heat which is transmitted upwards for the rider to enjoy. (The Indian's air-cooled engine does it, too.) This is especially a problem with the Harley's exhaust system with a catalytic converter; many owners simply have the cats removed, because motorcycles don't get smog tested. But with Kawasaki's (lower cost) water-cooled Vulcan Voyager, there's a built in heat management system that directs the heat away from the rider. Hmmm. Water-cooled...<br />
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Frankly, I'm growing a bit tired of trying to decide upon what bike comes next. For about $760 I can get a comfortable seat and install a crash bar with highway pegs on my Boulevard. Maybe I should just do that and simply stay in the slow lane of the freeway.<br />
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<i>Wanty wanty, want want want</i>. I don't enjoy having the wants. I'm mature enough to realize that a Harley Road King will not make me a more content person - that only comes from within. Last night I watched an entertaining and thoughtful video from a biker on that very theme: <i>Why Getting Your Dream Bike WON'T Make You Happy</i>. My comment: "I'm 62 and life has taught me the truth of what you say. Contentment comes from within. The happiest man isn't the one who gets what he thinks he needs, but is content with what he has."<br />
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To be honest, I'm always a little nervous when I get what I want. Here's what runs through my head:<br />
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(1) This is a path to financial ruin.<br />
(2) I don't really deserve this.<br />
(3) It'll prove to be a disappointment and then I'll be unhappy.<br />
(4) Did I strong-arm my poor wife into this?<br />
(5) Is this really me? Or am I playing at something?<br />
(6) What if I break it? Then I'll be unhappy.<br />
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And so on. One of the problems with the examined life is that one can over-think things.<br />
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You have to hand it to Harley-Davidson. Despite all their advertising tapping into a culture that seems to be about the working man and gritty industrial America, the fact is that, with their pricing, Harleys are luxury items. $38,000 for a new full dresser touring bike? Please. That's $10,000 more than I paid for my last car!<br />
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Back to the mirror: I rode in to work again this morning - the thunderstorm that was forecast held off - and noted the difference that a missing left mirror makes. Merging into a left lane requires me to turn my head and look. Not a bad practice, of course, but I'll be better off when that replacement mirror arrives.<br />
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It's not like I have a big ride planned for tomorrow. I don't. The forecast is for a good chance for scattered thunderstorms. I'll probably just do another one of my shorter "Better than Nothing" rides. (I have one in mind.) And that's fine. Fall will bring less rainy weather (it always does), and I'll head back out to West Virginia to try some of the roads northeast of Wardensville. When I was in the visitor's center there I got a "Ride the High 5" pamphlet extolling the sights of WV roads. Good work, WV.</div>
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<b>31 August 2018</b><br />
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The weather is okay now but thunderstorms might move into the area at about 2 PM. So that means I do one of my Better Than Nothing rides for this particular Friday.<br />
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I think I'll go to Mount Vernon, and then take the George Washington Memorial Highway into and past Alexandria, then up along the west bank of the Potomac, past Fort Marcy, link up to the Beltway, take Connecticut Avenue north to the D.C. Mormon Temple, then head south along various roads and the Rock Creek Parkway through D.C. back into Virginia. After that... I'm not sure. Maybe into Quantico. I have a route I want to try down there. Depends upon the weather...<br />
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<b>3 September 2018</b><br />
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My Friday motorcycle ride was an extended "Better than Nothing" ride because the rain and thunderstorms held off. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7o9FS2EtwU&t=2s&index=2&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr" target="_blank">The video is here</a>. (Yes, I know, it's too long.) I did two things I had in my mind and wanted to do: (1) I took the George Washington Memorial Parkway its entire length from Mount Vernon to the beltway - 25 miles, and (2) I re-took the ride down Possum Point Road where we once test rode a Harley Trike. The Possum Point ride was fun because I accompanied a Harley salesman and a guy who was test riding a Heritage Classic. I also picked up my replacement mirror at Coleman Powersports - hooray!<br />
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<b>5 September 2018</b><br />
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Having awakened somewhat in advance of when I normally get up, I left the house on my bike earlier, by about 15 minutes. Wow, it's getting darker these days! You can really tell that we're getting less daylight. And, on a motorcycle, this brings some challenges...<br />
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On darker mornings you can't see potholes or edge traps as well as you can when the sun is out. But I've ridden into work enough now that I know where the rough pavement is. Still... it's interesting. A feature of what one might call end-of-season or off-season motorcycling.<br />
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I plan to ride as long as I can. I have a thick leather jacket and heavy gloves to ward off the cold, but my legs will get cold. We'll see how long my riding season is!<br />
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<b>7 September 2018</b><br />
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The weather forecast for today isn't promising: a 20% chance of scattered thundershowers again, with the rain beginning in earnest at about 2 PM. I guess I'll do yet another one of my trademark Better than Nothing rides. Ah, but where to?<br />
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Perhaps the Bristoe Station Battlefield Heritage Park, south and west of Manassas. That's not a long trip and I haven't been there since 2009. And then south to the historical little Prince William County hamlet of Brentsville - same comment.<br />
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<b>10 September 2018</b><br />
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Despite concerns about rain I got a full day of motorcycling in on Friday. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdHXNZ5SIcE&index=3&t=41s&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr" target="_blank">Here's that video</a> - I rode to Brentsville, Bristow, Catlett and Brandy Station - 120 miles. Sadly, the Brandy Station Graffiti House wasn't open, but I visited there in 2009 and took photos...<br />
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<b>11 September 2018</b><br />
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Yesterday I attached a wooden broomstick to my motorcycle, attached a GoPro to the broomstick, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8D6ntNUAh04&index=2&t=3s&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr" target="_blank">came up with this</a>. It was not an optimal mount as it somewhat interfered with my manipulation of the clutch. No bueno. My friend Bob said it looked kind of scary. It looked far worse than it was; I was perfectly safe.<br />
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Interesting news in the motorcycling world yesterday... BRP announced the new <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIAKx2w3RFI" target="_blank">Can-Am Ryker</a>, a 500 or 900cc three-wheeled bike that starts at only $8,500! It comes standard with traction control, ABS, stability control and fully automatic transmission - this might be just the thing for Cari someday! Can-Ams are fun... <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUOcA7t1H3I&t=293s&index=32&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr" target="_blank">I have blogged about this before</a>. </div>
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<b>12 September 2018</b></div>
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I hate the City of Alexandria.</div>
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For the past four months or so at work I have been parking my car on the road for free (on the occasions like this morning when rain is expected and I bring my car and not a motorcycle). There's an out of the way spot people park at - which was totally fine with the police and parking enforcement as long as you parked to the right of the no parking sign. Tax-hungry control freak Alexandra changed that; now you can't park there anymore. They re-signed it. They just can't stand to have people parking anywhere in the city for free. There is tax revenue to be gained, so that the city officials can spend it to demonstrate how virtuous they are - in order to get reelected.</div>
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I can still park my motorcycle for free on nearby city streets - so far. There are some little unsigned spaces I can fit into. But I suppose the weasels at parking enforcement will shut those down eventually, too. BIG GOVERNMENT.</div>
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<b>13 September 2018</b></div>
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Hurricane Florence is in the news, but it appears that it is going be well south of the greater Washington D.C. area where I live. Still, we'll get some rain. Just enough to screw up the Shenandoah Valley ride I was planning with a friend for tomorrow. (Forecast: 65% - 75% chance of thunderstorms.)</div>
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I might try a little "Better Than Nothing" ride locally. </div>
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I got an invitation to join a Marine Corps veteran's motorcycle riding club yesterday. This was unexpected. I need to fully ponder it. (There are major differences between a riding club and a motorcycle club.) My initial take is that, being a beginner, for the near future I need to remain a solo rider for various reasons, safety being one. </div>
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<a href="http://www.motorcycle.com/mini-features/2019-can-ryker-revealed.html" target="_blank">Here's a good article about the new Can-Am Ryker</a> - which I am convinced anyone can ride and have fun upon. A senior VP for Can-Am has an interesting quote: “We know our customers. We know why they buy a Spyder and why they don’t. We know who they are, which demographics they belong to. And we especially know we have a massive growth opportunity. Our regular customer is 62 years old, on average. Sure, that’s high, but isn’t 60 the new 50?" I'm 62, and no, 60 isn't the new 50. It's the same old 60.</div>
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An interesting thing about the Can-Am Ryker is that it was designed by French-Canadians. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhnonBYfbdE" target="_blank">Here they are talking about it in French</a>!<br />
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<b>14 September 2018</b><br />
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Another Friday; another day off. It's supposed to start raining at around 1 PM, so I don't have time for a long motorcycle ride. I'll do another one of my shorter "Better than Nothing" rides - this time, I think, to relatively nearby Manassas. I've never seen the Liberia mansion site, so I'll try that.<br />
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<b>17 September 2018</b><br />
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Yes, I did get out on my bike on Friday, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4cDmUbrkrc&t=15s&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr&index=2" target="_blank">that video is here</a>. I rode to Manassas and Quantico; a 90 mile trip. "Better than Nothing." My friend Barry and I were planning a ride in the Shenandoah Valley, but canceled it due to rain forecasts. As it turned out, all we got locally was some drizzle which didn't even wet the pavement. There was no rain in the Valley, either. We could have done this. Grrrrrrr.<br />
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I've been invited to join <a href="http://marineveteransrc.wixsite.com/mvrc" target="_blank">a Marine Corps veterans riding club</a>. (I met a member of it while wearing a USMC hat in a Harley dealership.) I'm not sure if I'm up for this or not, but it doesn't matter because we seem to have a problem with schedules. They have a ride this weekend that I can't do.<br />
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I'm a little sheepish about taking part in any such assemblage; I was a peacetime Marine. Don't get me wrong: I am "proud to claim the title" and all that, but the closest I ever got to combat was the time I fired a .22 LR on base at a metal pipe and had a small bit of the bullet ricochet back and hit me in the leg, scratching me a little. For any service member there is a credibility structure that might go something like this<br />
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Served in peacetime<br />
Served overseas<br />
Served overseas in combat<br />
Served overseas in combat and was wounded<br />
Served overseas in combat and was badly wounded<br />
Served overseas in combat and was wounded (badly or not) and received a medal<br />
Served overseas in combat and received the Congressional Medal of Honor<br />
Was killed in overseas combat<br />
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I have heard lots of decorated veterans describing their service and they all seem to agree that the <i>real </i>heroes are the ones in the very last category.<br />
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<b>24 September 2018</b><br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqG979Ke_3w&list=PL6cgtmyikyYlGWLnE-mkxf1G7FwoJr4Pr" target="_blank">Friday "motorcycle" video</a>. ("I Havta Grease Wheezer" - a reference that only <i>Our Gang</i> cognoscenti will understand.) The weather has been crappy and I am suffering from motorcycle ride withdrawal.<br />
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<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/bmw-teaching-motorcycle-drive-itself-so-it-can-help-save-ncna910801" target="_blank">The BMW automated motorcycle</a>. Now, I'm sure that BMW motorcycles are decent machines and built with the usual German fanaticism regarding precision. BUT. I hate the way, on some models, they simply bolt on squarish aluminum boxes for saddlebags instead of designing something that preserves the lines of the bike. My daughter correctly pointed out it looks like somebody got some makeup cases at an Ulta or Sephora and attached them to the bike. It looks so clunky and ungainly. (Not all BMW bikes look like this, to be fair, and on the automated bike the electronics are in those cases.)<br />
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<a href="https://www.confederate.com/" target="_blank">Confederate motorcycles</a>! ("The Art of Rebellion.") What unusual designs... $125,000 for the P-51 Combat Fighter. <a href="https://www.confederate.com/p51" target="_blank">Check out the video</a> - it's a small price to pay to watch the gasoline shake about and the gears move. </div>
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<b>26 September 2018</b><br />
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This being autumn, I re-installed the windshield on my motorcycle. Only this time I raised it up about three inches. What a difference that made! Before, my helmet was still getting the slipstream and I wasn't really sure what the windshield was doing for me. The extra height gives me a more comfortable and (relatively) still pocket of air to sit in. I can even crack the visor and not feel an onrush of wind. Much better.<br />
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The other motorcycle maintenance item I need to take care of is to bleed the front brake and replace the fluid. The brake is starting to feel a bit spongy - I probably have some water or air in the system. It's an easy fix: one beard on the BDS, Beard Difficulty Scale. ("It's common motorcycle knowledge that the longer your beard, the more mechanical experience you have about bikes." - Peter Camburn. Believe it or not the BDS seems to be a kind of standard with "how to" motorcycle videos - I've seen this before. Even Harley-Davidson uses it.) I watched a RevZilla YouTube video wherein a genial, pierced, bearded and tattooed guy named Lemmy shows how to bleed brakes properly.<br />
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...all of which causes me to wonder: will my lack of facial hair, piercings and tattoos make me look like a misfit astride a Harley? (A misfit among misfits?) Well, if it does... tough. If the Marine Corps had wanted me to have facial hair, piercings and tattoos they'd have issued them to me when I became a civilian again in 1978.<br />
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<b>27 September 2018</b><br />
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I bled the brake line in my motorcycle last night. (My rear brake is a mechanical shoe.) New brake fluid = no spongy feel anymore. Nice. So I put on all my gear to go give it a road test and, after about 5 or 10 minutes, it starts raining again. Arrrrgghh! I am so sick of the rain!<br />
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The rain is holding off for tomorrow, however, and that's what matters most. Why? I'm headed out to Front Royal tomorrow morning to meet Barry, my Harley-riding friend, and then we're headed up (south) the Shenandoah Valley for a ride. </div>
Brighamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16450830005503932437noreply@blogger.com2