Motorcycle Consumer News / Motorcycle Consumer News / Touring Forum

Lakenenland needs help

torqueman — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 18:40:56 GMT

A couple of years back my wife and I were riding our motorcycle in the MI UP. In the middle of nowhere I saw something interesting at the side of the road. So intresting I turned around and headed back to see what it was.

What was saw was a unique piece of Americana called Lakenenland. Lakeninland is by Tom Lakenen's own description, a JunkYard Art Park. But don't let his description scare you off. It is truly a unique art park with all steel sculptures created by Tom. After getting back from our trip I looked up Tom on the Internet and have kept in touch every since.
,
http://www.lakenenland.com/index.html

Make sure you check out the photos of his work. The photos don't do it justice as many of these sculptures are huge.

So how does he need help? Well the township of Chocolay has been trying to shut him down for several years. It makes no sense as he has opened his 37 acers to the public 24x7. He has two ponds he stocks with fish for the kids to fish in. He keeps firewood and a shelter for picnics. This is really a very nice place that any township would be proud to have as a tourist trap.

If you would like to help just write a letter to the editor at Editorial Dept of the Mining Journal at 249 West Washington Street Marquette, Mi 49855.

Mosquito Pass and Local Area

modette — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 09:30:16 GMT

It was a pretty good ride Saturday with the brother in-law. He dropped his bike once, and I came close to it a few times. Only damage was to my $150 Marsee tank bag that I strapped to the rear rack. Lesson learned what is secure for the street is not anywhere close to secure for off road duty. It came off early on and jammed itself int he rear wheel. Lucky for me I was going slow, and I was also lucky that the only think inside it that took damage was a water bottle.

Mosquito Pass:
http://cowrw.forumotion.net/park-county-f5/cr12-mosquito-pass-t32.htm?highlight=mosquito+pass

A road off of Mosquito Pass:
http://cowrw.forumotion.net/park-county-f5/cr783-near-mosquito-pass-t31.htm?highlight=mosquito+pass

For those lazy to click, here are a few pictures from the ride:

Edited: I updated the link to the forum for the whole trip report/pictures. New forum, works better for layout of trip reports and road reviews.

N. Carolina

drummer — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 05:05:52 GMT

My mechanic has a link to his favor roads in NC. If you are not familiar with the state, here are some good suggestions for rides.

http://bombarsbeemers.com/roads.aspx

story for my brother, may he ride in the clouds

hardcore rider — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 18:08:26 GMT

THE RUN TO FLORIDA
FOR BARTON BECK
by James Beck

I have ridden motorcycles for over 40 years. I was taught by my older brother. I love bikes and I respect them. I've been hurt by them and I have hurt them. I have been on the asphalt with them and on the dirt. I have ridden short distances and long distances for many reasons. I have been rained on, snowed on, been through a West Texas dust storm and even took a honeymoon on one. The day I decided that I was going to Florida on one, was for a whole different reason. An Arctic Blast was what the weather man called it and it was a good one. I knew that it was coming but at that time I did not know that I would be in the middle of it.

You see, My younger brother Bobby, who lives Wichita Falls, Texas, called me and told me that our older brother, Bart, who lives in Brooksville, Florida, was in the hospital, very sick. I had known he had a few problems, but his being in the hospital bothered me. I didn't know where Brooksville was. Bobby had said that Bart's wife, Lynn, had called and said she was on her way back to the hospital, and would call later. I told Bobby to call me when he heard what was up. He did.

Bobby asked me if I was sitting down. “This ain't good,” I thought. I told him I was, and he said that Bart was gone. We lost our brother. Bart was 56 years old. I asked how it happened, the whole of it not sinking in yet. He said that he had septicemia. I know what this is, because I fell ill with it on the job as a cop. He said that a leaking valve or artery and the diabetes did not help, and he had a heart attack. He said that he would try to learn more. I told him that I would call him later. I went outside and told my wife that Bart had died. She was on the phone at that time with my sister Pam, who had known that Bart was sick. This was a sad time.

Later, when I talked to my brother Bobby, I made mention that a memorial run to Florida was due. I knew he had a bike that would make it there and back. I had seen his new ride just a few months before. I had taken a trip on my 08 Electra Glide (yes a bagger), up to Wichita Falls. I had left my job as an Investigator for the Aransas County Sheriff's Office, when the new Sheriff took over. I told Bobby I was not in the best financial shape, and the gas on the bike would be cheaper that in the truck. Also, since Bart was a biker in all the sense of the word, this was our way to pay our dues. He agreed, and said that he would have to put it to paper, and see what he had left in his money. Bobby is a realtor in Wichita Falls. Housing sales are not so good right now.

I talked it over with my wife, and she left the decision to me. After all, at fifty-two, I am now the oldest living brother. I called Bobby and told him that I was in. I told him that it was going to be cold but that we would have to push on through it. Bobby said that his 1500 Vulcan would make the trip no problem. The first Barton Beck memorial run of the Beck brothers was a go. Now I needed to get off work from a job I have had only a few months. That turned out to be the easy part.

I collected some cash, a good credit card, and made the plans. I would ride from Rockport, Texas. Bobby would ride from Wichita Falls, Texas. We would meet in Houston, Texas, at our sister's home in the Woodlands. I spent the better part of the Tuesday evening getting my bike ready, and packing my T-bag. I had received my Touring Handbook from HOG, which has excellent maps in it. I sewed the second patch from HOG onto my vest. It looked good along with the 2008 Golden Aspen Rally patch, and the one that says “I rode mine” Ruidoso 2008.

We met on a Wednesday night in Houston Texas. I had ridden up on my bike. My wife followed in her truck with extra coats and leathers for Bobby, since he had mentioned that he did not really have cold weather clothes. The next morning we were up and on the road at 5:00am. We stopped in The Woodlands to get gas. Traffic was lite, and it was the starting of the Arctic blast. It was forty nine degrees when we left the Woodlands, and never got higher than that. We stopped at The Waffle House in Orange, Texas, on I-10, and tried to warm up with coffee and food. I used the hand drier in the men's room to warm up my hands and coat.

We hit Louisiana at about 11:30am. We were freezing, but we pushed on. East on I-10. Cold. The day was falling fast as we rode across Louisiana. The distance is almost as bad as crossing Texas, from El Paso to Houston. I tried to think about the road, and found my self thinking about the conversations that I had with my older brother. They were few and far between since the death of our dad in 1995, and our mom in 2001.

I remember that when our dad died in 1995, Bart was the one in Naples, Florida that had been taking care of him. I had flown into Ft. Meyers earlier in 1994 with our sister, and Bobby had picked us up at the airport. The trip was when our mom had taken sick. Mom and dad had semiretired there, after each of them had suffered a strokes at different times. We talked again at mom's funeral. Bart had always preached the family thing. I believe in the family, but he had almost shoved it down our throats. I didn't know it, but I was about to learn why.

We pushed on across Louisiana and into Mississippi. Night was upon us. The temperature had dropped, as did the sun, and the bikes were as frozen as the riders. We stopped in Pascagoula, Mississippi, at around 8:30pm. We got the key to the room at the motel and unpacked. Then, we stepped next door to Frank's Buffet, and ate like we were hungry. We were. The TV weather news said that they were expecting freezing temperature, and bring in the plants. I thought about my bagger. I went out and got out the cover and covered her up.

Morning came, and with it the feeling that I had been on a motorcycle way to long the day before. I looked out and saw that Bobby's bike had frost. We packed up, ate breakfast, got gas, then hit the road. Pushing on. Our goal was to reach Brooksville, Florida, by night time or we froze. We rode hard and steady through the bottom of Alabama. I had never seen the Battleship Alabama up close until then. We went down the tunnel in Mobile and out the other side, and there she was off to the right. I had searched for her on Google Earth one time long ago, when I was looking for the CVS 70 Carl Vinson, the aircraft carrier that my son, William, is on. This day I kind of peeked at her through the face buff that kept me warm. My helmet was keeping the heat on my head. She looked great sitting there, as does the Lexington aircraft carrier in Corpus Christi, Texas, near home. Home, a long way back there. We pushed on, across the Mobile, Alabama bridge, stopping to eat on the other side.

I checked the HOG travel book and saw that from the Alabama State line, down I-10 to 75 would be a way to go. We would keep moving on an interstate highway, instead of cutting down state highway 27 to 19. I wanted to keep moving, and not stop in cities. Bobby said that when he drove a truck through Florida, that was the way he went. We put on the cold weather gear, got gas, and pushed on. The temperature was dropping, and we had a long way to push South in one day. I was hoping for a temperature change, and I got it. It went down.

About thirty five miles into Florida I was in the far left lane of the three lane East bound I-10 and Bobby had just moved over to the middle lane so I could swing over. I was leading and he was off my right quarter when we both noticed the right rear mud-flap of the forty foot trailer in front of us in the far right lane banging away under the trailer. I looked at Bobby about the time it came loose. Bobby took the far right lane as the flap and metal bar was sliding towards us in the middle lane.
The timing seemed to be perfect and the flap was using the middle lane. I was still in the far left lane. Then it caught air and flew up and headed in my direction. I saw it and gripped the bars and ducked down onto my tank holding the bike steady and stared through the bottom of my windshield at the road to stay up. I knew at this speed I had a good chance of clearing it before it touched down. Wrong. Bobby saw the flap lift off the asphalt and new that it would hit me. It Did, my front tire went over the Rubber part and heard the clank of the metal bar under my bike.
I sat up and leaned my bike over as I road and Bobby came up beside me and looked under my bike to see any damage. Stopping now was out of the question and I did not want to use the pickup service I got with Hog. No oil leaking and no visible damage so we pushed on. The flap and bar met me as it hit the ground in front of my tire. I was lucky. It was cold, how cold I was to find out later.
Stopped for gas somewhere in between Pensacola and Tallahassee on the highway. Still cold. Warmed up with the hand drier again. Pushed on to Tallahassee and beyond. Stopped at the turn onto I-75. Got gas and saw dusk.
The day was ending and the cold got worse. I began to feel numb on the fingers and I was tired. I knew that I had ridden many more miles on a bike than Bobby and knew that he must be cold and tired.
I thought of Bart and knew that he would have done the same for any one of us. I was to learn that he had done this for bros in Florida. Night fell and found us cutting the speed down for safety sake. The road is black and that does not reflect the headlights well. I turned on the spot lights. Seemed to help some. I was still in the lead since my bike had cruise control and keeps us at a steady pace. The cold was biting into my toes in the steel toed Harley boots.
I was wearing long-johns, two t-shirts, a sweatshirt, vest and leather jacket and a pair if cover alls.
The cold was trying to beat us but it did not know why we were doing this and it was not going to win.
Stopped for gas at about eight fifteen. Cold and tired and one hundred and three miles to the Best Western in Brooksville. Pushed on. We rode into Brooksville Florida at ten thirty. I went in the office of the Best Western to get the keys to the room that had been reserved for us. The kid at the desk watched as I peeled off the helmet and face buff.
I looked at him and he said “you guys are crazy' I asked for the key and then asked what the temperature was there. 28 degrees and fifteen mile an hour wind was the answer on the TV above the desk. Plus 65 miles an hour on the bikes gets us around,17 degree windshield.
Cold.
We rode around to the room and I looked for other bikes that maybe were there for the funeral of Bart. There were none that I saw. We entered the room and did not unpack until we thawed out. We stood looking out the window at the bikes standing over the heater in the room. Thawed out and hungry we rode to the Denny's across the highway. Came back and saw a couple of bike down near the front as we rode past.
Next morning was Friday the day of the funeral. I showered and dressed and stepped out to greet the Florida sun. Cold but no where near the biting as the night before. We had pushed on and had made it and now the day was Bart's.
I saw some men and women down near where the other bikes were.
I told bobby this and he got ready to go and meet them and see if they were here for Bart.
We walked to the group and the eyed us as if we were outsiders, we were.
I was within five feet of the group when I asked “y'all here for Bart”
the man closest to me said yes and the a few others said yes.
I then put out my hand and said “ I am James Beck” thanks for coming and shook every one's hand and hugged the girls and thanked them. Bobby was doing the same when one of the men said “ are you the brothers from Texas. I said yes at the same Time as Bobby and then the hugging and hand shakes started again.
I was asked when did we arrive and how far was it. I said last night at ten thirty and it was twelve hundred and forty miles.
Someone said how did you make it through the cold and I said “for Bart”.
That seemed to be enough for all the bikers who had ridden miles with our brother, Bart, and they treated us as brother bikers. There were some from Brooksville, Naples and the Keys and one from Georgia. I'll name as many as I can later.
We were then told that the procession would start at Bart's favorite pub called RUE'S PUB.
Bobby said that he had passed it back when he was driving a truck for a living.
They said we all should be there around twelve thirty. Lynn would be there just before the Limo arrives.
Lynn, A sister in law that I had only seen in wedding pictures and talked to on the phone maybe three times. This would not be easy for me or Bobby to do because she knew and loved our brother and was there when he passed. I figured that if the tears fell so be it.
We arrived there at RUE'S Pub and saw that there were a lot of bikes in the lot. I pulled into an empty spot that would fit two bikes, across from the door to the pub. I learned later that this spot was for us and several bikes were stopped from parking there.
I met Mitch, the Pres of the Christan Riders group that Bart was a member of. After the handshakes and the hugs of the members, he said that we were put in line just behind the limo and Bart would be in a Cherry wood box inside with Lynn and her family. I learned that Bart had been cremated and Lynn's brother had hand built the box in just a few days. My chest was pounding at the love that was flooding the air. I was blinking and had yet to meet Lynn.
The procession would then leave and travel the roads that Bart liked to ride, all the way to the Bushnell Florida National Cemetery. Bart was a Viet Nam Vet as I. He in the sixties and I in the early seventies.
He Served on the Aircraft Carrier Saratoga on the maiden voyage out of the Bremerton Washington Ship Yard in the sixties after our mother's Grandfather designed the new carrier deck.
We were talking to a cute little lady named Kim, we turned when she did and there stood Lynn. She hugged someone and then we were pointed out to her. I went toward her and she put her arms around me and Bobby. I on one side and Bobby on the other. This hold lasted for a good while before we let go. Lynn said that Bart talked about us and asked if I was still the cop. I said yes but not like before.
Lynn then went and got the small box of Cherry wood. It was not sealed and friends and brother and sister riders were placing small personal items into the box. I took off my Texas Peace Officer dog tag and chain and placed it in the box.
It was time to line up the bikes as the limo had arrived. I was stepping out the door of the pub when Lynn handed me the Cherry wood box. I was asked to place it anywhere in the Limo. My heart beat with pride as I place the small box, that held the remains of Bart Wayne Beck, in the limo. I placed it square in the middle of the rear seat. “this is for you bro”.
My chest was pounding and I needed air. I walked over to the two County Deputies who were to escort us out of the county, since the Florida National cemetery is in the adjoining county. I introduced myself and thanked them for the service they were providing. I as a Deputy Sheriff had done this duty many times in the past.
We left the Parking lot and the roar of the twenty or so bikes was behind us. I felt small on my bike and very quiet. My stock pipes barley audible from the custom thumpers behind us.
We turned right from the parking lot went up the highway for a quarter of a mile then did a u-turn to head out. I was told earlier that the limo would travel Bart's roads he liked to ride. The hills and curves made me believe that he enjoyed the ride. I did. We topped a hill and in my mirrors I could see the double line of motorcycles and then the long line of vehicles. I noticed that tears were streaming down my face or the mirrors were blurring. I blinked and stopped looking back. I focused on the back of the limo and keeping a distance from the vehicle.
The ride lasted forty minutes or so with the turns being slow because of the size of the Limo. Sometimes we just stopped in the road and let the Limo take the turn slowly.
We arrived at the gate to the Florida National cemetery and stopped. The gate attendant checked in the Limo and was told that there were a lot of vehicles.
The attendant came back to us and said stay in Isle three. We followed the limo in and stopped two or three city blocks from the gate in isle three. Then isle four was taken from the overflow of vehicles.
I felt proud that Bart had so many people that called him friend and that some where he had found peace with God and rode with a Christan group. I walked and talked to many a friend. I was told by several that they met Bart when he started building his knuckle. They had helped him and he had helped them on their bikes.

Twenty five minutes later and it was time to move to the Pavilion where there would be Marine color guard to give the memorial and a twenty-one gun salute for the service he had done for his country.
I was told to pass the limo when it stopped and circle out onto the road way so that all could park. I did this and there was still a long line of vehicles. I sat on one side of Lynn and Bobby on the other I held her hand and the hand of her grandmother who sat on my left. I felt the grandmother jump when the guns went off. Three times she was stirred. The flag was folded and handed to Lynn.
After it was over we stood and the Pastor asked who would be escorting the remains to the vault. Lynn asked Mitch to do it and I saw in this man the pride that I had felt at placing the box in the limo. There was no way that I would have objected to this. My chest was pounding.
When we left out of the Florida National cemetery I stopped traffic as the limo turned left and told Bobby to keep going. I had done traffic on several bike runs with other groups and this seemed to the the natural thing to do since I was in the lead and could do it safely.
Bobby kept on and I noticed that the second row rider filled my spot very smoothly.
I caught up with the group in the rear and followed them to several old watering holes that Bart like to go to. Then it was to Bart and Lynn's home to give him the going away party he had asked for and deserved.
Stories were told and beer was passed around. Bart was gone and not forgotten. This I liked. One member of the group who had ridden many a mile with Bart and had know my parents when they lived in Florida, gave to me and my brother, Bobby, a compliment that I will cherish for as long as I live. Brad come up to me and said the journey we had taken in the freezing cold and the miles we logged to do this for Bart, our brother, proved that we were “Hardcore” I had heard this term in many ways but never towards me, this one meant the most. All I could say was “Bart would have done the same”. Yes, he would have.
I learned that Bart was a stickler for safety and that he had quit smoking and cut back on drinking and wanted every one to get along. He was known for his negotiation skills at breaking up a potential bar fight and was the first one to take up for a bro. I learned that he would drive or follow a bro home to make sure he made it. I learned that he had held Lynn as he exhaled his last breath.
I rode back to the motel thinking of the stories that were told of Bart's adventures by friends.
I began to realize that my job here was done. We had been invited to a breakfast on Saturday but I began to feel the tug of the high way and the need to hold my wife.
The next morning I asked Bobby to pull out with me early and we would explain later. My whole being wanted to go home.
We hit the highway in seventy one degree weather and rode fast and steady to Mississippi.
From there we left on Sunday Morning and decided that if we hit Houston before dark that I would cut South and he would stop on the North side at our sisters.
We arrived outside of Houston just before dark. I said I was tired but needed to be at work on Monday the next morning. I was pushing on. I wanted to go home and hold my wife. I said my goodbyes to my brother and we split up at the Highway fifty-nine. I South and he North. Waving and he was gone.
I was getting very tired as I passed Victoria Texas, South bound on Hwy fifty-nine. Victoria Harley, I waved. My eyes were blurring. I was alone on the road and it was getting very late.
I began to wonder what would happen if I did not make it home. What would Missy, my wife do.
How would she survive. How would she pay bills. I noticed that my pipes were getting loud. This was something that I had not heard. I was thinking that this maybe be the burn in part of a new bike. I was pushing seven thousand miles now. Then I realized that the sound was not my bike but another. I looked around and saw nothing but the sound was still there. The sound of an old knuckle head , thump.
I knew that I was going to make it home, Bart was making sure I did.

To my brother Barton Wayne Beck may he forever ride in the clouds and watch over us.
To Lynn, my sister. Love is a small word, for what you and Bart had is much bigger. God bless.
To all the bros at the motel we had pictures made of and to Brad who kept saying I looked like Bart. Thanks, my life is energized with the family I have gained.
To Kim who without really knowing it, she made Bart smile.
To Victoria Harley, with the utmost respect for the service you have provided me.

Thanks
Hardcore Deputy James Beck
State Of Texas

Tours of Europe

craigaz — Sun, 07 Nov 2004 10:09:25 GMT

I am interested in booking a 7 to 10 day tour of Europe for next summer. I was thinking of the Alps maybe to Spain or Hungary. Some internet searching came up with tours by Beach, Edelweiss, AdMo Tours and Bosenberg. I am taking the wife and I want to stay in nice places. Can anyone give me some recommendations based on their experience?

Craig

One Vacation Day

drummer — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 05:16:23 GMT

So yesterday was a mental health day for me and that means a ride by myself to the blue ridge mountains. And being a student of Covey, let me start with the end in mind – why do I ride?
The day started by my awakening to find that the weathermen had changed the forecast from 8 hours previously: the day is gonna have off and on thunder storms. Undaunted, I then went to Google maps and the local TV station radar and found where the current storms were and where they were going. As luck would have it, my first destination was where the storms were: Mabry Mill. I thought well that is two hours away so by the time I get there, they will have moved on.
I departed at 8:00 A and no rain just lots of dark clouds. After an hour and one-half, the sun was out and this gave me hope that my plans of dodging any showers was working. But as anyone that lives near the mountains or knows about mountains, this was a STUPID thought. As I neared Stuart, VA I could see the mountain tops in front and the first thought was, “wow, I have never seen clouds that dark,” the second thought was, “why didn’t I bring a camera.” While passing by Stuart on Rt 8 the sun gave way to clouds and eventually wet pavement, but still no rain. The air was much colder (yes, mid summer and usually 80’s this time low 60’s) and I was happy that I packed my coat liner in my bag. As I proceeded up the mountain I left the trailling traffic behind as I could take the twisties much faster than they could. All the time I was thinking, it is getting darker and the traffic coming towards me have their wipers on. Still, I proceeded up the hill. With each drastic hard left sweeping turn, I would turn my head fully and pick my spot to exit the corner and immediately think, “how wet is this pavement, am I too fast, how long has the pavement been wet and is the oil washed off?” Then I would be distracted by the view of the mountain and the green hillside turned to shades of gray with billowing white clouds coming up out of the dark gray valleys – a sight I had never seen. With each blind right hand corner I would think, “at least no one is behind me if I need to slow and hopefully no one is in my lane when I go around the corner.”
I reached the first plateau and it was brighter but I could see adjacent mountains that again were shades of gray and much darker. I rode out of the brighter spot, around a couple of corners and found myself getting rained on with the ceiling much darker. I turned around, and got back to the brighter spot and stopped to put on my liner. I thought that I was about 2 miles from the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP) and Mabry Mill was about 1 mile from there, maybe I could ride through the bad spot and get to my destination. I got back on the bike and attempted the ride again. This time I got about ½ mile further but the rain was much more intense and there was no end in sight to the hell clouds – it was a bad direction. I turned around and decided to ride the mountains and eventually get to the bottom and then home. To end the saga, I did just that with brief periods of rain and some times heavy periods at that, but ya know what? It was all worth it. The ride was cleansing, purifying, and I saw sights that I had never seen before. What a great wet and wild ride.

Last night I was watching “Hot Bikes” and they asked a guy, “why do you ride.” His first response was mine, “freedom.” I said amen and my wife said, “freedom from what?” So I attempted to respond but gave a feeble response at that. So in thinking about it, I have come up with the following:
• Daily stresses, although my own personal perception based on emotions, cause me to feel closed in – work will make you feel trapped sometimes.
• Family life is sometimes a matter of doing for others and not having a balance of personal control: it happens, but the control must be regained.
• Seeing the same things day in and out become accepted constants rather than realities that amazing. The simple joys are stripped from us due to consistency.
By riding, I must shed the stress, all that is real is the ride. I place myself in danger the moment I take my mind off of the ride.
By riding, I am in control of not only the bike, but where it is I go, what I do, and how I do it. Stresses become so much less important.
By riding, I have faced the unknown, returned refreshed, and seen beauty in sights not seen. This returns me to seeing beauty in daily items around me.
By riding, my sense of freedom is returned so that I feel less closed in.

I-40 @ NC&Tenn closed

drummer — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 05:03:59 GMT

Just a heads up - if you are going to be traveling on I-40 near the NC and Tenn border, it is closed in NC due to a rock slide. Probably for quite some time
http://www.wral.com/traffic/story/6278952/

This is posted on Oct. 26, 2009

New York State tour

Newbie — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:56:05 GMT

Well just about time to put the bike away this year and I was thinking about going for a tour of New York State next year. Any suggestions on roads that I should take or places to stay? I will probably head up to Lake Placid and then drive south but I am flexible and do not have any set plans. I will probably avoid the Americade time as I am not big on the crowds but would like to head out in early June.
Thanks

Alps 2010

ST-TLW — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:57:30 GMT

My wife and I finally have reserved 2 weeks through our timeshare in the Alps region. We will be staying one week a hundred miles or so south of Munich, Germany then another week in Axams/Tyrol area of Austria.

Our plan is a probably spend another week afterwards wandering around wherever strikes us as needing more exploration. The first two weeks will be by motorcycle. Right now I'm leaning toward renting a BMW R1200GS but I need to visit a dealer to see if the RT may be a better choice.

I'm still gathering information on the area so we can make the most of our time. I've got the available DVDs from Netflix, have the Hermann book on Riding the Alps, reading what I can find on the net, and even bought a Learn to Speak German in your car CD. That last one isn't going so well. I've had the Spanish CDs for a couple years an still need to hear it spoken very slowly por favor.

I looked at shipping my ST1100 but the costs and hassles don't seem to support going that route. I thought it would be kind of cool to ride on a NJ plated bike.

I've determined that the visit to the beer gardens in Munich will require an overnight stay since I never mix riding with any drinking activities. I don't usually drink beer but the experience doesn't look like it should be missed.

Anyone here that has done it, please feel free to offer advice.

Road Trip 2009 (Death Valley)

modette — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 08:57:30 GMT

Left Colorado Springs, CO July 8th at 2pm and returned July 14th, around 5pm.

Trip Mileage: 2,400

Gas Prices: $2.40/Gal to $3.79/Gal
Hotels (about because I do not remember what they were with tax):
???? - Blanding, UT
Abbey Inn - Cedar City, UT $100
Stovepipe Wells Death Valley, CA - $120
Valley Inn - Mesquite, NV $44
Travel Lodge - Farmington, NM $55

All the above Hotel/Motels worked out and were friendly and bike safe. Abbey Inn was the nicest of the bunch. Travel Lodge we had a bum in the morning beg us for money and entered our room while we were packing up the bikes.

We started the trip off with a 250 mile short ride to Hotchkiss, CO where we stayed at my buddy's friends house. Weather was great as we rode through Gunnison National Forest. There were a ton of deer which made speeds a little slower on road 92.

After some food, and sleep we headed out to 65 to Grand Junction, and then down 141 to Gateway, CO to a car museum located there. It cost $9 per adult to get in, I would say it was okay of a museum. Kind of odd someone would pick that area with not much around or nearby to build a car museum. After walking around and checking out the autos we headed south to 491 and then west into Utah. For the night we ended up in Blanding, UT. Yeah, it is pretty bland there. We stopped for the night.

From Blanding, UT we rode west on 95 to 24 and then south on 12 through the Dixie National Forest. Then we headed south west on 143 through Cedar Breaks National Monument over to Cedar City, UT. We stayed at a place called Abbey Inn which turned out to be a very nice place. The pool was relaxing and it was near places to eat.

After another good night sleep we headed off on 56 west to NV which turns into 319. Then it was south on 93, were we did a detour to Ash Springs, NV to make sure my buddy would have enough gas in his Suzuki TL1000R to make it to Tonopah, NV. We rode the ET Highway up to 6 and then to Tonopah with his fuel light on for 30 miles. Probably did not help doing 80-140mph...LOL From Tonopah we decided to keep going, and rode down 95 to 267 which is the northern entrance to Death Valley. We headed to the Motel there at Stovepipe Wells to make sure we got a room. We were about dead from the 120+ degree heat. I think at night it only cooled to 80 degrees. This was my 5th visit and stay at Stovepipe wells, first time I opted for the $120 deluxe room, it has a TV. Which was nice to kill some time with so I think it was worth the extra $$$. Food there was outrageous, I think it was $16.97 for the chicken stir fry...oh well you got to eat and they are the only game in town unless you want food from the gas station. The pool was very refreshing, not sure why German Tourist and in general European tourist love Death Valley...evey time I have been the majority of people are German Tourist. At least it made for a good show at the pool, where the girls (although too young) got topless and were running around and they kept pulling on their bottoms...LOL, and a security guard that was female doging at people for using the same shower (the sign was flipped down and not really good wording where the mens was located). Yes, we got yelled at too, we assumed it was co-ed as the door was left opened and you could see individual showers with curtains and everyone going in was in their suites so not a big deal really. I'm not even sure why a place like Death Valley has a security guard and the first time I have seen one there. Anyways after staying till the pool closed to people watch and have a laugh we went back to the room and went to bed.

We woke up and left by 5:30am I believe. We headed over to Zabriskie Point, then down to Badwater, and south to 127 through the southern entrance of Death Valley. We took 127 south to Baker, CA where once stopped for gas Erik got talking with a guy who mentioned "I hope you have some good tires" at which point I took a look and the cords were showing. Erik called his wife who looked online and found a place in Las Vegas, NV opened. So we called and he said he had a rear tire 'Full Bore' in stock and with instillation it be $180. To we head off to Las Vegas by way of I15. I got to say I highly recommend this place, the owner was friendly, even offered us some beers, we BS'ed while the tire was installed. Overall a very good place.

Sam's Cycle Supply
3900 N. Rancho Dr.
Las Vegas, NV 89130
702-367-7267

After the tire install Sam opened up the vending machine and gave us some COLD bottled water for free...I guess he knew we were pretty thirst as he made fun of me for non-stop drinking COLD water out of his water machine. He recommended us stopping in Mesquite, NV as he said the rooms were a lot cheaper then staying in St. George, UT. So we took his advise and stopped in Mesquite at the Valley Inn. Nothing special but you can park in front of your room and they have pool. Plus it was only $22 for the each of us...not bad at all and it seemed pretty safe and secure around there. Although nothing close to walk to for diner so we had to ride a few miles down the road to get food. We ate at a Mexican restaurant called Lupes and it was okay but kind of pricey, plus they charged like $3 for sour cream without first mentioning that it was that much.

Next day we headed off, and at least by now it was not as hot and we still left early to make sure we did not ride in 104 degree heat again. We rode up I15 to St. George where we took 9 into Zion National Forest. It cost $12 and is pretty short ride through considering the price. I just renewed my Annual Park Pass. Also let it be known there is like a 1.8 mile tunnel that is two lanes but for whatever reason they only let one side at a time go through and only so many vehicles...if it would of been later in the day and hotter I would of been pissed off. When you are not moving it gets hot in your leather jacket...even if I do have vents. I do not think it was worth $12 to see, too many people and too small. We then headed east to 89 which goes through the Grand Staircase National Forest and to Lake Powell. From there we entered the Navajo Reservation and took 98 south to 160. Just past Kayenta there is road called 59 which on a paper map shows as paved, but on the Garmin it shows as dirt. It turned out it was paved and a nice ride. We took that too Many Farms, and then went north to Round Rock and took a left on 12, all the way to AZ and 134 which took us to 491 and back north to Shiprock, AZ. From Shiprock we took US64 into Farmington, NM. We got a room at the Travel Lodge as everything else was booked up as a Rodeo was coming to town. Travel Lodge had not jacked their prices yet so it was $55 a night. I only stay at places I can park outside the room, so it gets limited real quick.

From Farmington we headed east to 17 north out of Chama. It took us over to Antonio, CO where we stopped and saw Cano Castle. The guy said it was Jesus Castle and gave me a flier. From the way he talked and the flier he sounded like a hippie stills tuck in the 60's. Fromt here we headed north on US285, the 17 North out of Alamosa, CO, back to US285 to US50. US50 east to 9 north to Guffey, CO. Some back roads which again on a Garmin show as dirt, they been paved for probably 30 years, and we took US24 from Florissant, CO back into Colorado Springs.

Day 1 Colorado Springs to Hotchkiss, CO:

Day 2 Hotchkiss, CO to Blanding UT:

Day 3 Blanding, UT to Cedar City, UT:

Day 4 Cedar City, UT to Stovepipe Wells (Death Valley):

Day 4 Stovepipe Wells to Mesquite, NV:

County maps for plotting out weekend trips...

sgtslag — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 08:23:33 GMT

I love to take day trips on local county roads exploring the local scenery and small towns nearby. To make this easier, and to find out just what is available to my wife and I, and our touring friends, I logged onto Google, and searched for Minnesota county maps. I found a state office which sells 18" x 28" maps (1" = 2 miles), or 36" x 56" maps (1" = 1 mile), for $0.50/$1.50 each. I ordered nine smaller scale maps of all the surrounding counties we like to frequent, for a whopping cost of $8.55, delivered!

Next I may have to order the same for Northeastern Iowa, and Southwestern Wisconsin (I live in SE Minnesota). Sometimes our day trips run up to 200-300 miles, and cover small parts of three states.

If you fancy day trips, in your local area, I would suggest checking to see if you can get similar maps. They don't cost much, but they will show you where you can go safely ("Is that County road paved? And where does it go, anyway?..."). There are many little towns near my location which neither my wife, nor I, have ever been to. We've known about many of them, but we have never visited them. Since we ride nearly every weekend we can, and since we're growing tired of the same old routes, this seems to be a small investment with a huge payoff. YMMV. Cheers!

Tent Space's Around the Country

modette — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 09:13:41 GMT

Torque can you please pin this thread...

I saw this on the ADVRider forum and thought maybe I should start a thread here seeing as this is a good group of people that travels and in this economy could use a break on Hotel/Motel bills. If you take me up and you also have a home with space please post up the details and location of your space, the idea is to have a network so we can travel around the country and see more for less money.

If this thread gets long of tent spaces I will edit this post (the first one) and list by state, and user name and location so a quick check here will let you know if their might be a space available.

Please only post to this thread if you have a TENT SPACE, make another thread for comments or suggestions.

Monument, CO
I have great views of the Frontrange, Pike's Peak, Norad, and the Air Force Academy. Be a great view to wake up to. We have one of the bigger yards, it is a safe area, pretty quit at night, with stores not to far away. You can either ride the bike into the back yard and park it on the concrete slab or park it in the garage. Also we have a fire pit table, chairs and BBQ.

Please PM me or email me at: wearbar at gmail dot com

Bert's Bike Fest

js25 — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 09:07:02 GMT

Hi from the noob in Socal.
Just wanted to see if anyone went to the bike fest last weekend?
Was it any good?
Thanks
JS

Been gone from here due to exploring roads....

modette — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:40:21 GMT

For more please see my site...not that I am pimping my site
http://cowrw.yuku.com/forums/75

Brother in-law crossing a stream, this is over near Leadville, CO CR-11:

Checking out another stream on CR-11:

This is CR-2 also near Leadville, CO:

Here is the bottom of Hagerman Pass, Leadville side:

Here is the brother in-law trying to get traction, as there was snow on the road as we got closer to the top:

Touring Magazine

mcnationpodcast — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 20:03:15 GMT

I am looking for a magazine dedicated to touring that may give ride suggestions and informative articles on packing for trips, etc. Can anyone provide any insight?

A trip to ride the Cabot Trail in Nova Scotia.

rnielsen — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 15:03:59 GMT

I'm heading to Nova Scotia to ride the Cabot Trail with my two sons in about a month. One rides a KLR 650, the other a DR 650, and I ride a Suzuki Boulevard M50 cruiser. Guess who won't be doing much off road riding on this trip?

Although I've used Automap to lay out the trip, I'd still appreciate any helpful hints, must sees and any other tidbits you'd care to share. Our general plan is to cross the northern U.S. at about 300 miles or so a day, reducing that to about 180-200 miles a day in Canada. That's so we'll have time to smell the flowers AND take a few pictures along the way.

Several ferry rides are planned, across Lake Michigan on the SS Badger from Manitowoc, WI to Luddington, MI for starters. Next ferry is across Lake Champlain from Port Kent, NY to Burlington, VT with a further stop at Ben & Jerry's ice cream factory for a taste or two.

We'll traverse the Bay of Fundy through New Brunswick, cross to Prince Edward Island via the Confederation bridge and then come back to the mainland on the Wood Islands ferry before heading to Port Hastings. From there we'll head north on the Cabot Trail stopping in Cheticamp, NS before heading south again. Our final ferry ride will be from Digby, NS to St. John, NB before heading back to the states.

We hope to ride U.S. 1 down the Maine coast with a stop in Bar Harbor finally reaching Saco-Biddeford Maine. Then it's back across New Hampshire, Vermont and New York before dropping down into Pennsylvania to ride the Grand Army of the Republic highway (U.S. 6) across most of the state.

Once through Ohio we hope to see the Duesenberg-Auburn-Cord museum in Auburn, IN before getting serious about heading for home -- at that point a couple of days away.

Sixteen days in all on the road, about 4500 miles to ride and hoping for good weather, but prepared for the worst.

Any ideas you'd care to share?

Ray Nielsen, in Minneapolis and going for a breakfast ride tomorrow.

story for my brother, may he ride in the clouds

hardcore rider — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 18:09:36 GMT

Iron Butt Association

thelostshark — Wed, 23 Feb 2005 10:56:03 GMT

Any one here a member? I was thinking of doing one of their rides (shortest are 1000 miles in 24 hours or 1500 miles in 36 hours) this summer. It seems from their web site that registration for their big rally every odd year is done 18 months in advance. Is that right? How tough is it to get into that rally? thx tls

jib

Mt. Magazine Lodge, Arkansas

OzarkHarleyGuy — Sun, 01 Oct 2006 06:53:31 GMT

I've made reference to this new lodge before and the great riding around the area. Now that I've stayed at the lodge I can add my recommendation to the accomadations. Try to get a room on the 3rd floor, which features spectacular scenery overlooking Blue Mtn Lake. The rooms with king bed features a 2-person jacuzzi tub and other ammenities expected in a nice room. The restaurant features high ceilings with huge rustic log beams and fantastic views. The indoor pool also overlooks the valley below. Same way with the exercise room.

Here is the website:

http://www.mountmagazinestatepark.com/lodge-cabin-rest/lodge/

A cycle hangout just a few miles from the lodge is Shirleys Outback located a few miles north of the visitor center on Hwy 309.

ibafran's 09 trip

ibafran — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 19:39:25 GMT

As noted mostly in the Forum Meet&Greet Ride thread, I got a kitchen pass for a road trip this year. I was hoping to spend it with forum members, but it didn't pan out.

A budd and I got out of chicagoland on the slab on a sunday. We quickly bailed off the slab for some sightseeing on our way to Birmingham AL. Sights of note: The Nothing Fancy Holiness Church was truely drab and unremarkable. An Amish carriage was drawn by a sort of high-stepping horse. I didn't expect such horseflesh of that calibre. Did the north 90 miles of the Natchez Trace.

Tuesday, we 'wasted' the whole day in the Barber Museum. We were the first in and the last to be kicked out. Bud, the docent, must be listened to. He has the very best stories. As noted elsewhere, the museum has a great overlook of the most beautiful race track that I have ever seen. If you can get a free lap on it, PM me and tell me how its done. Don't look at the track if there is a possiblity that you might be susseptible to 'track lust'.

Wednesday, we wandered over to Two Wheels Only (TWO) and rode around there. Best sight was a free range black bear trying to cross the road as I rode past at about 20mph with about 20' of separation. We eyed each other and I waved. I don't know why the bear didn't wave back?

Thursday, GT, owner of TWO, routed us a nice loop over to the west end of the Cherohala. The Dragon was ridden as it was handy to do so. Sight of the day was a supermotard rider slowly riding the opposite way on the Dragon and waving wildly at oncoming traffic. My best guess is that we were about to come upon a crash site. It turned out to be a semi tanker truck coming the other way and taking both lanes/whole road for the tight turns. I have never seen, nor heard of, a biker doing this. Usually, there is a pilot cage waving a red flag preceeding such a truck.

Friday, we rode the southern 200 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway. I am told that the southern part is the best. The whole two hunnert miles was the best sight. Also the biggest downer of the trip was having to follow a cage on the BRP at 35mph in a 45mph zone. It got worse when that cage caught another cage doing 26mph. Neither cage bothered with turning out at any of the overlooks to let us bye.

Saturday, we turned for home. I had a misty-eyed moment as we left the BRP. Traveling the slab, we missed an interstate ramp and got side tracked. In order to recover without backtracking on the slab, we lucked out into a great back road. If you can get to Marion, Virginia check out route 16 going towards Hungry Mother State park. Is it wild. You can take it north (mostly) past Tazewell all the way up to Interstate 77 near Beckley. It had a great sign near the start, "Truckers. Last Chance To Turn Around" Best sight along there was a flat bed truck unloading hunting dogs (Blue Tick Hounds?). Biggest regret of my trip was failing to turn around and talk to the dog people to learn something about hunting with such animals.

Sunday, rolled up I-65 in IN with all the show hot rods from the Nationals in Louisville. Just a great morning looking at all the nice cars. Traffic on the slab got obnoxious by late morning and we bailed out for some back roads into chicagoland. The chi-town x-way construction barrels were out in force. And the traffic just got worser and worser as we headed into the heart of the city. A big 3-day Lollapalooza fest was going on and the concert traffic was a midday nightmare.

Moments of idiocy: We camped except for 2 nites in a motel. The tree frog noise was unbelievable. The one camp without tree frog noise was so quiet that it felt eerie. One nite was so hot&humid that I considered sleeping naked in the camp shower under a slow cold water drizzle. I would have slept in the lake iff'n I wasn't scared that the turtles would eat me before dawn. Rolling my fully loaded bike off the center stand one morning, I managed to foul that up and have a tipover trapping one boot under the bike and taking a nice gouge out of the opposit shin. My budd and a passerby had to get the bike off my leg before I could get up. Managed to gaze at the BRP scenery long enough to roll off the pavement doing about 50mph on a straight section, right hand side. Fortunately, there were no sign posts or other hard objects to hit. Unfortunately, there was only about 2 feet of gentle downslope/shoulder before the 100 foot downcliff started in earnest. And I didn't have a long way to fool with the problem before the next curve would arrive. A very gentle and judicious application of throttle had it drifting back toward the pavement and my come-to-geebus moment turned into a 20 mile litany of "thankyou-geebuz & thankyou Dog for saving my butt yet again" prayer session.

There was lots and lots of other great stuff along the way. We met some fine people, some of 'em were bikers. After so much practice on mountain curves, my fav hometown curves are as nothing. I have returned home with enough adventure that it is as if I can see home for the first time as it really is. Home ain't as pretty as when I left it.

edit:questions and conversation about this trip are welcome.

Sequoia National Park

RePete — Thu, 21 May 2009 15:18:22 GMT

Janice and I are hosting an "est" tour for a small group of out of state friends in the Fall of 2010. We're going to visit the lowest point in the western hemisphere, the highest peak in the lower 48, the largest living thing on earth, and the oldest living thing on earth. You can cover all these places in 500 miles, but we are taking 1 1/2 weeks and throwing in at least a thousand extra curves. We'll stay on lakes and rivers in family owned lodges.

In planning this playtime, I got thinking about Sequoia and decided to mention how special it is in case anyone is making the trek to California. I love the place.

The sequoia forest of giants is a magical fairy kingdom high on a mountain top. The air is thin and filled with the scent of the trees and the light is soft. The silent, towering giants dominate all creatures there and people speak softly...even the children are strangely subdued.

We prefer the southern (Three Rivers) approach. The mountainside is very steep here and the top is guarded by a large granite out crop (Morro Rock).

The Gate Keeper

The last 7 miles to the top are wonderfully twisty and posted at 35 mph by the Park Service.

We have a standing offer of a free dinner for anyone who can average the speed limit up the hill. In 27 years, no one has enjoyed a free meal.

Almost there in 1982

Morro Rock offers a view of half of all Christendom if you are up for the 20 minute hike.

Finally, 1982

Words fail me (my wife won't believe it) to describe the majesty of a Giant Sequoia. So...

1991

Sorry I couldn't get all of the tree in the picture. Many of these trees predate the birth of Christ and are still growing as fast as ever...my hair should take note. I forget how many 3 bedroom houses could be built from one tree, but it is a bunch. The largest of them all is the General Sherman Tree (not in the picture). It is 36 feet through at the base and the first branch is at 60 feet and is 12 feet in diameter.

Sadly we don't stay in the park anymore. They moved the park facilities to an area away from the Sequoias to protect them from us people. It seems we were walking around the trees and damaging the root systems...go figure. Gone are the days when you could dine, sleep, and shop among the great trees. Still an hour or two with the Sequoias is time well spent.

Planning on a westcoast trip down the PCH in May of 2010

Archie A — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 08:55:23 GMT

Planning on a westcoast trip down the PCH in May of 2010. Leaving Albuquerque NM and planning on riding up to the Redwoods then down the PCH, is May a good time to ride California and Oregon?

Archie A

Ultra vs. Goldwing

SRG — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 11:07:41 GMT

Here is a comparison of a Harley-Davidson Ultra to Honda Goldwing. I would like to put it out there for people to get a perspective from someone other than MCNews. My biggest concern is why doesn't MCNews notice these things in their reviews?

http://www.ba-marc.org/writeups/hd-gw1800comp.htm

Going to Americade

Dewey — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 19:18:26 GMT

My wife and I (and two other couples) are going to Americade this year. None of us have ever been there before and are looking for any advice anyone has to offer. The lodging's all set, so we're mainly looking for advice about events to attend, sights to see, etc.

After Americade, we're riding down to Cape Cod, so we're interested in anything about the Cape, also.

Thanks for the help!

Butter Tart Trail

Newbie — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:26:36 GMT

If you like butter tarts then you might want to take a little tour here, you can even get Goat Butter tarts.

http://www.wellington-north.com/documents/Butter_Tart_Trail_Brochure_09-10.pdf

The festival starts this Saturday...

Short Trip

drummer — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 03:48:09 GMT

Well I took today off to go to Charlotte, NC. It is only two hours and from what I can tell through heavy rain. But since I will not be leaving until this afternoon, we will see what the weather brings. The reason for my trip is tomorrow at 8:00 AM, I am at the Kyle Petty offices for a day of advanced safety riding being taught by the guy who teaches the NC Highway Patrol two wheel squad. I am really looking forward to this and I will post back as much as I can with pics.

For some advance reading, here is the web site for the course.
http://www.motomark1.com/pms.html

Planning a clockwise trip around Lake Superior, through Canada...

sgtslag — Wed, 27 May 2009 09:29:33 GMT

My wife and I are planning to circle Lake Superior in July. I was wondering if there are any details we need to know before we arrive at the border from the US side going, and coming down, from Canada. We have our passports, and our Minnesota Driver's licenses are in full compliance with the new federal ID requirements.

My bike is equipped with a headlight modulator (bypass switch installed), along with a brake light flasher (5x flashing, then on steady until released -- quick connect wiring, can be bypassed, if needed). License tabs, and insurance, are up-to-date. Wondering what, if anything, is different in their M/C laws, or customs. Thanks. Cheers!

A Ghostly trip

rnielsen — Thu, 07 May 2009 20:42:31 GMT

My riding buddy/neighbor and I are leaving Saturday morning, heading southwest to visit some ghost towns in NM.

We'll take three easy days to get to Raton, then on to Dawson, Elizabethtown and points further south. Los Cerillos, Madrid, Golden then south to Socorro where we head further west.

Kelly beckons as does Magdalena, Reserve, Alma and Mogollon. Silver City and Pinos Altos are next followed by Tyrone and Shakespeare before beginning the trip home. The last one will be Lake Valley, near Hillsboro and after that we get on the superslab for the ride home to Minnesota.

Hopefully we'll have some good pictures to post as my buddy is usually a very good photographer. The overall plan is to write an article for a motorcycle magazine, sometime soon after we return.

Wish us well and stay tuned for further tidings.

Ray Nielsen, in Minneapolis and getting antsy!

A trip to sturges

caseysanta — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 11:19:29 GMT

I am thinking of going back to Surges this year but I do want to complete the ride by going through the Rockies. Does anyone have any ideas on the route to take? I would like to travel the high country. We are from East Tennessee and will go home as soon as Mama says so. Any help will be appreciated.

caseysanta

09 Ultra Classic vs 09 Goldwing

JjR — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:03:37 GMT

I have owned GL1800's (last one was a 06) and always loved them. Also owned a 03 Ultra Classic which was nice but very underpowered and hot in the summer.

Now that HD has come out with the new 09 Ultra Classic I would like to hear any thoughts from current owners on the bike? I have read that they still have issues with heat but they supposedly handle better.

The 09 GW I have read that it got a few extra ponies and now is available with XM.

I like a good sound system on a bike, how does the HD's compare withe Wings?

Any feedback appreciated......

Red Light Sideways

Capri142 — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 05:53:53 GMT

Friday night coming home from work after a late night and a long day and week at the office. I was looking forward to a nice weekend and a bike ride with my lady up along A1A on Saturday morning. Partially distracted by the cop riding along in the lane next to me I did not see the yellow until too late, of course at which time I laid on both the front and rear brakes. The rear brake locked up nicely and all of a sudden the bike was doing a sideways skid. My, it's been more than a few years since I've done one of those, and the last time was on a much smaller bike. Anyway I slid nicely through the red light, coming to a stop about a third of the way into the intersection. I pulled the bike around, the rest of the way through the intersection and off the road to the right, fully expecting the cop to pull over ahead of me. He drove on by, flicking his high beams as he passed, I guess he had better things to do or maybe he had been in the same situation himself. Taking a few deep breaths, knowing that another bullet had missed me in more ways than one, I drove on home back in my Motorcycle Mode...PAYING ATTENTION!

Dr Phil

CO - Out Riding already in the Mountains

modette — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 08:58:58 GMT

I decided to go explorer a dirt section of road I had not been on, I always cut through the shorter section. This was a pretty long ride on dirt, but was relaxing. Good ride to this area also on paved roads. The highly traveled paved roads were clear of sand, however the less traveled ones have sand on them still.

Not a bad start to the year.

How much do you budget for motel rooms?

torqueman — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 10:59:02 GMT

You all know by now that one of my big hot buttons has been the rising cost of motel rooms. It is totally out of control.

People who can most afford to pay for rooms get the best price breaks. I have learned to play the system a little myself in recent years by asking "can I have the corporate rate for xyz?" Where xyz is some local large company. I justify it ethically because I don't really say I work for them I just say I want the discount. In some cases I have had the price cut 50% doing this.

Still this is not always a magic bullet and I wish there was some easer way to get real price breaks on rooms. So please let us know not only what you budget but how you find rooms at that rate. And can you stay in budget or is reality that you will go over?

Alabama to Arizona

cmart007 — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 20:41:51 GMT

I'm heading cross country from Alabama to Arizona in late April. I'll probably camp every other night and am looking to stay off the super slabs. Highway 82 looks interesting, any suggestions??

Charlie

Ted Simon NZ Motorcycle Tour

NZ Motorcycle Tours — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 12:39:29 GMT

Renown author of "Jupiter's Travels", "Dreaming of Jupiter", and motorcycle global traveller is to tour New Zealand in January 2010. Recognised as an inspiration for thousands of motorcyclists to ride motorcycles and see the world, Ted Simon at 78 is doing it again in the company of friends and enthusiasts alike. This is a fantastic opportunity for those who admire Ted and would like to travel with him through New Zealand, an opportunity like this to see New Zealand and ride with Ted Simon is not one to be missed.

With hundreds of thousands of global motorcycle riding under his belt Ted Simon is still on the road revisiting old friends, observing the world and it's changes. His travels are well chronicled in all his books, "Jupiter's Travels" alone gives the reader 4 years of stories covering 78,000 miles and 45 countries, "Dreaming of Jupiter" covers Ted Simon doing it all over again at the age of 70 in 2001.

Ted Simons' return to New Zealand has been organised by John Rains of Te Waipounamu Motorcycle Tours Ltd, New Zealand's leading motorcycle tour and rental company established 22 years ago. If you would like to come along, information about this unique tour can be found on the following websites -

www.jupitalia.com

www.motorcycle-hire.co.nz

www.fredrau.com

www.nzmotorcyclerentals.com

Isle of Man TT

RePete — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 14:16:27 GMT

In my wanton and frivolous youth, before mortgages and responsibilities, I was foot loose and fancy free. Among other things, I attended TT week on the Isle of Man twice in the early '80s. Perhaps some would like to look back with me...besides it's January.

I flew from Vancouver, B.C. both times and my bike was with me on the some plane.

The queue to catch the ferry in Liverpool was an event onto itself with bikes and riders from all over Europe and beyond.

Ferry tickets were very hard to come by and some people rode all night to make their booking.

upper loading ramp

lower loading ramp

This is enough for now. I'll be back later. Stay tuned for the next adventure...or not.

Opinions from Bridgestone Sport Touring Riders

chromeisking — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 04:59:14 GMT

I switched from Metzler M1s to an Avon Storm ST which is a terrible tire, IMHO. Slicker than snot on a wet road. I'm planning on buying either Bridgestone BT016s or BT021s for SPORT TOURING.

I'd appreciate first-hand feedback from any SPORT TOURING riders that have run either of these tires. Grip wet and dry, times to heat up, miles and type of riding (aggressive or conservative), etc.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Scott

Pikes Peak

modette — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 15:16:58 GMT

I hit Pikes Peak today on the Honda 599, people kept asking me before if I had done Pikes Peak. Well now I can say YES for on the bike. I'm not sure how much it cost a motorcyclist to get in, I would guess the $10 per person cost, I hold a Season Pass which cost $100 but gets in your whole car load, it has already paid for itself.

I had great weather going up and coming down, however I knew it would be good because my view from my house is of Pikes Peak So to get the weather forecast I just looked out the window...hehehehe

Here are a few pictures from today. By the way it was 31 degrees at the top.

At the Top:

Part way down:

A trip through Tenn.

caseysanta — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 12:39:49 GMT

I traveled Tennessee last week from N-E-S and W. Total trip 1543 miles.
I went down the Nazes Trace for several miles. i picked it up just South of Nashville and Took it to about the Alabama line. I live in the mountains of East Tennessee and ride the BRPW a lot. I guess that has spoiled me because I thought the Trace was boring. It's beautiful but the same all the time.
I went over to Tunica Miss. and then returned home across Northern Miss and Alabama. Turned North to Nashville and came on home.
It was a good ride and I would recommend it.

caseysanta

PS; It's All In The Ride

Bike Show in Vermont 09

ibafran — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 17:30:27 GMT

http://www.shelburnemuseum.org/whats_on/new_exhibits_detail.php?id=37

The show is opening in May 09. In a round barn in Vermont.

Anybody visiting it should post up their reactions to the bikes and the building.