Archive for the ‘motorcycle touring’ Category

Essential Motorcycle Prep for Spring Riding

Posted: March 5, 2025 in Motorcycle, Motorcycle advocacy, Motorcycle Rides, motorcycle safety, motorcycle touring
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Spring is here, and your motorcycle is beckoning you to hit the open road.

Before you embark on your two-wheeled adventures, take a moment to prepare your bike for the riding season. While the T-CLOCS (Tires, Controls, Lights, Oil, Chassis, and Stands) inspection is essential, let’s delve into some often-overlooked tasks:

  1. Check Your Gear:
    • Retrieve your riding gear from storage. It might have been sitting in your saddlebag for months.
    • Clean your gear thoroughly. Run it through the wash or clean it by hand.
    • Apply water repellent or waterproofing for added protection.
    • Remember, rainstorms are not the preferred method of cleaning your gear!
  2. Inspect Your Helmet:
    • Your helmet deserves special attention. Start by cleaning the exterior. Those bugs from 2023 should be easy to remove by now.
    • Remove and clean the interior padding following the manufacturer’s instructions.
    • Don’t forget to check every nook and cranny for any unwelcome guests—SPIDERS (not the Can-Am species).
  3. Evaluate and Replace Gear:
    • Take a close look at your riding gear. Are your helmet and gloves still in good condition?
    • Remember, you are responsible for your own safety. If something isn’t right, repair or replace it promptly.
  4. Give Your Motorcycle a “Colonoscopy”:
    • If you didn’t adequately prepare your bike for winter, it’s time to peek up your tailpipe.
    • Inspect all areas for leaks and ensure everything is in ship shape.
  5. Give your bike a rub down: Happy ending optional!
    • Give it a good wipe down to clean off the dust and debris that adhered to your bike over winter.
    • Now is a good time to give your motorcycle a waxing to help preserve the paint.
  6. Restock your saddlebags or backpack:
    • If you pack a first aid kit replace what you used last year or what is now expired.
    • Sunscreen and ChapStick…might want to swap them out for new.
    • That candy bar you had for an emergency snack, go ahead, and eat it now and put a new one in its place.
  7. Review the owner’s manual:
    •  Get yourself reacquainted with the bike.
  8. Check your insurance:
    •  Did you stop or reduce your insurance on the motorcycle over the winter? Give a quick call to your agent to get your insurance up to date.
  9. Remind yourself about PANIC STOPS:
    • Find an unused bit of road or parking lot, get up to speed and BRAKE HARD! Get that feeling about what you and your motorcycle will do when you must make a sudden stop.
    • Ride with a passenger? Then run this exercise with them on the motorcycle as well. It is best to know how it feels in a controlled environment before you really need to do it. OH, check your brakes before you do this to make sure they are good to go.

This is not an all-inclusive checklist or recommendations, I am sure each of you can add more items, but it can get you started for the new riding season. Remember, a well-prepped motorcycle ensures both safety and enjoyment during the riding season.

Have any additonal tips…put them in the comments!

Ride on, ride safe

Fall Motorcycle Riding Tips for Safety

Posted: November 12, 2024 in Motorcycle, Motorcycle advocacy, Motorcycle Rides, motorcycle safety, motorcycle touring
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Riding your motorcycle in the fall can be a fun, pleasant, awesome adventure!  But it can be hazardous as well.  Here are a few reminders to help make fall motorcycling more of an adventure than a hazard.

1) Gear Up

Weather during the fall can turn quickly. I started a day in sunny warmth then misty rain and then snow and back to sun during one ride. I am sure many others have had the same occurrence. So, this tip is to wear, or take, gear to protect yourself from the cold and rain…. just in case.

2) The deadly leaf

Pretty when they turn colors but when they fall, they can become “Leaves of Death”! It’s a bit dramatic but, if you take a wet leaf to your visor, it can be a problem. Leaves on the road, wet or not, can make traction dicey, as well as hiding potholes and other hazards. The tip here is to pay close attention to where you are going.

3) Beware of shade

There are dangers in the dark. Cold temps at night can bring freezing conditions to the roads, ice can appear and hide beneath the “Leaves of Death!”. While the warming morning sun may melt most frozen paths, those in the shade may not melt as fast. Tip, be extra cautious as you move from sun to shade.

4) Lighting the darkness

T-CLOCs is your friend. Darkness comes quickly this time of year. Are your lights working properly? Check to make sure.

5) Tires, hoops of hazards

Yes, it is part of your T-CLOCs but if you are wanting to ride in the fall with slicks (or just worn-out tires) you might what to change your mind. Those slick tires + slick leaves and possible ice patches just might just make those hoops of hazards into something much worse.

6) Squirrels and deer HATE you!

Animals are looking far and wide for food now that winter is approaching. That patch of green grass across the road looks mighty tasty to a hungry animal, so much so it will walk or run right in front of you. Tip, pay attention to the sides of the road for Bambi and Thumper.

7) Tighten up your riding skills

Just in case you have a Bambi moment, when was the last time you practiced a panic stopped from 50MPH to 0? Have you practiced panic stopping with a passenger? If not, please do yourself a favor and do so!

8) Check the weather… often

Referring to item 1, in the age of the cell phone it will pay to check your weather throughout your ride. You might have all the right gear on, or stowed, but riding in the rain on a cool fall day across leaf crusted roads is not something you should do if it can be avoided.

9) Grab Fall by the Leaves

There are not many good riding days left in year. Get out and ride, just make sure you are fully prepared.

If you have any fall riding stories or anecdotes please add them to the comments.

Explore Skyline Drive: A Must for Motorcycle Lovers

Posted: October 7, 2024 in Motorcycle, Motorcycle advocacy, Motorcycle Rides, motorcycle touring, motorcycle tourism
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If you ride a motorcycle you need to add Skyline Drive to your Bucket List!

Skyline Drive, part of the Shenandoah National Park, is one of the jewels of the National Park system.  It is 105 miles of vistas, twists, turns and occasional wildlife. It is possible you will see deer, turkeys, squirrels, or even bears!

This year we toured the entire length of Skyline Drive, south to north, a few weeks before peak fall color.  Traffic was quite light, and the overlooks had few if any other travelers. 

We stopped for lunch at the Loft Mountain Wayside. My wife and I shared a delish smash burger with a side of giant onion rings.  We have traveled this road many times and have never had a bad meal at any of the restaurants.

Fall Colors on Skyline Drive

I have said it before, Skyline Drive proves that riding in a car is like watching a movie, riding a motorcycle is being in the movie. Riding this road in the fall will prove that to anyone.

One thing everyone should know is that during fall, when the leaves are at their most colorful, the road become packed with “leaf peepers”. 

The 35 MPH speed limit becomes difficult to reach due to all the vehicles. I would avoid the area unless you are ok with spending the entire day on the parkway (emphasis on park).

Riding Skyline in the spring or fall can be cool experience. By cool I mean that the temperature can be 10-15 degrees cooler than the valleys below. Throw an extra shirt on just to be safe. Also, the road is not cleared of leaves, ride carefully especially in the mornings when the leaves are damp from dew.

Front Royal, Virginia

When you are at the northern terminus of the park you are in Front Royal, Virginia.  There is a lot of great riding in that area as well, spend a couple days exploring the area and the town, Main Street is a must see.

When we arrived home, we had ridden about half the day and 251 miles.  Another great day on a motorcycle.

Riding Front Royal

Fort Valley Road Ride                   Thrill and Chill Ride

Be on the lookout for BEARS!!

Day 3 West Virginia Cryptid & Paranormal Motorcycle Ride

Posted: July 26, 2024 in Motorcycle, Motorcycle Rides, motorcycle touring, motorcycle tourism
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It was already a warm day when we pulled the motorcycle out of the garage at 7:30AM.  The weather forecast called for a heat advisory and temperatures reaching 98.  That is 98 Fahrenheit which would, for us, not include the extra degrees of pavement heat!  But we had more of West Virginia paranormal to explore!

Ohio River Scenic Byway

We were soon on the Ohio River Scenic Byway headed north to Moundsville, WV home of the Indian Burial Mound and the WV State Penitentiary.  The Ohio River Scenic Byway runs 452 miles alongside the Ohio side of the river. 

The road, for the entire distance we traveled, was in great shape.  As far as “river scenic” I would have to say NOPE!  The trees and brush have grown to the point that you only get a short glimpse of the river and that is mostly around the areas that have a bridge.

However, if you are like me and consider industrial views as scenic you are in for a treat.  This part of Ohio and West Virginia are heavily dotted with industry. Electrical plants with cooling towers rising, to what looks like a thousand feet. Miles of stainless-steel pipes and trestles moving “stuff” back and forth between the plants and the river.  It is quite spectacular.

West Virginia Penitentiary

Crossing the river back to West Virginia we were soon at our first destination, the WV Penitentiary.  From its start and up until it was closed this was always one of the most dangerous prisons in America. Until capital punishment was ended 94 men met their end at the end of a rope or in the electric chair. Many more died at the hands of fellow inmates.

Closed in 1995, it is now not only a tourist destination it is also a training center, and a film location.  Because of all the death and violence many people claim that the prison has a large and heavy paranormal presence.

The penitentiary has been on many paranormal TV shows as well as movies.  Movies were filmed here as far back as 1955 with stars like Robert Mitchem, Jimmy Stewart, Kurt Russel and others.  One of my favorite TV shows, Netflix’s Mindhunter also filmed in this prison.

Well, this day we did not see any ghosts, although I have not checked all the footage, but maybe if we do the overnight tour?

Indian Burial Mound

Directly across the street from the Penitentiary is the Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex. It is the site of one of the most famous and the largest of the Adena Burial mounds.

Unfortunately, the complex was closed that day.  The mound has been here since about 250 BC, so I imagine that I have some time to stop by in the future!  It is quite a bit larger than one would imagine so I am looking forward to checking it out.

The Trip Home

Boy was it a hot day!  We rode for a bit and then stopped a Quaker Steak and Lube in Wheeling, WV.  As always, never had a bad meal at one of these restaurants.  Before we got back on the bike, we put our cool vests on.  These vests are the water evaporation type, you soak them then put them on. Today they lasted about 150 miles before they were dry!

Normally we would wet them down again but today we were only an hour or so away from home we just packed them away in the tour pak. 

This 3-day adventure was well worth the time and was an enjoyable ride!

Click Here for Day 1                                                Click here for Day 2

Ole Sparky
Ghost Hall

Motorcycle News: Synthetic Fuels and Seat Belts

Posted: July 18, 2024 in Motorcycle, Motorcycle advocacy, Motorcycle news, motorcycle safety, motorcycle touring
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ijustwant2ride

What you need to know: E-Fuels – Study: Synthetic fuel can be used without any problems

European scientists have completed a study that shows the new fuel, Eco100Pro, is safe for general use.  The fuel was tested on the engine test stand, on a racetrack during the ADAC XC Cup, and on the road. The scientists came to the same conclusion: “No losses in power and torque compared to regular gasoline from the gas station. No higher fuel consumption. No technical risk for the combustion engine. But at least 77 percent fewer CO2 emissions.”

So, the internal combustion engine in cars and motorcycles should continue to operate efficiently without modifications, if filled with Eco100Pro. 

My Take: Ok, sounds good. No changes are needed to our motorcycles, and we get reduced emissions. I checked the price, wow, about 85% more than fossil fuel.  That can be overcome by increasing production.  But I saw nothing that indicated increasing production any time soon.

What you need to know: CFMoto has patented “seat belts” for motorcycles.

CFMoto has patented a unique safety feature for motorcycles, resembling “seat belts” but designed as flexible straps at the rider’s waist to enhance safety during specific circumstances.

While this invention aims to prevent riders from being thrown off during impacts or braking events, it is engineered to release the rider in scenarios like falls or sideways forces. The concept introduces a novel approach to motorcycle safety, potentially reshaping industry standards.

My take:  This seems to be a possible solution to the introduction of forward-looking radar and automatic breaking.  I do not believe that automatic breaking should ever be integrated into motorcycles. Forward-looking radar and adaptive cruise control I have no problem with.


The true test of CFMoto’s innovation lies in its real-world application, raising questions about practicality and effectiveness that may only be resolved through future testing and potential legal challenges

Day 2 West Virginia Cryptid & Paranormal Motorcycle Ride: Mothman We Are Coming

Posted: July 16, 2024 in Motorcycle, Motorcycle Rides, motorcycle touring
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After a very busy 1st day on the motorcycle visiting a bunch of West Virginia paranormal sites, we were ready to mount up and head out on day 2.  The weather folks said this day was going to be hot a one, but we could take an early start as our first stop, “The Mystery Hole”, was not scheduled to open until 10AM.

Unfortunately, it turns out that the Mystery Hole has an issue with getting good help and was closed.  So, we rode on to our next stop, the Mothman Museum.

I have visited the Mystery Hole many times, as it is only a couple miles from my childhood home. However my wife never has and I wanted to share it with her.

A great bonus to trying to visit the Mystery Hole is it resides alongside one of the most fun roads in West Virginia, US 60 also called “The Talon”.  If you are ever in this area, you must ride this road.  While a couple miles shorter, it does rival the Tail of the Dragon for fun.

The Talon is a wonderful package of twisty roads and switchbacks all through forest and cliffside landscapes.  Low traffic levels allow you to ride at your pace and comfort but will challenge you if you want to step it up.

The downside of The Talon is that you can no longer see the New River Gorge and all its natural beauty. The state has allowed the undergrowth to get to a level where there are only a few small “blink and you will miss it spots” where the gorge is visible. Sad very sad, a great opportunity for increasing tourism missed again.

Stay Tuned for a video of the Talon/US 60.

Once we got to the bottom of the mountain, we rode alongside the Kanawha River to and through the state capital Charleston.  This day the morning sun was glistening off the gold gilded dome of the Capital Building making it pop like a gold jewel in a cityscape setting. Unfortunately, I forgot to turn the camera on.

Not that much later we were getting off the motorcycle across the street from Mothman HQ.  There was a large crowd at the museum.  By large I mean there were at least 20 people in the gift shop and about that many in the museum proper.  There were another 10-12 more hovering, in the afternoon heat, around the Mothman statue waiting their turn for photos.

By now it was early afternoon, and the weather folks were right it was HOT.  We made the decision to make a direct ride to our new, unfinished but finished enough, Ohio home. We were off the road early and with a shower and air conditioning.

mothman cryptid
The Men in Black are aways watching the Mothman!

Click here for Day One of the West Virginia Cryptid and Paranormal Ride! 

Getting Twisty on US 50! (a short video)

Posted: July 11, 2024 in Motorcycle, Motorcycle Rides, motorcycle touring
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Ok why did I get a bug splat just as I hit record??!?!! This is my first attempt in using the Insta360 camera. I save it at 720p for size reasons but I think it came out al right for the 1st attempt.

I did not use the “on phone” editing tool with this clip. I down loaded the Insta360 Studio to my tablet. The Insta360 Studio worked ok, but I had to go to another tool to add the audio and logo. I am sure I can do it in the Insta app, just could not find the right menus.

West Virginia Cryptid & Paranormal Motorcycle Ride Day 1

Posted: July 9, 2024 in Motorcycle, Motorcycle Rides, motorcycle touring
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WV cryptids and paranormal motorcycle

Over the holiday weekend Debbie and I decided to create a motorcycle ride out of something that is a bit unique to West Virginia, Cryptid and Paranormal activity.

Cryptid – Noun – An animal whose existence or survival is disputed or unsubstantiated, such as the Yeti.

On Day 1 we pull out of the house at 7AM only to return a few minutes later to grab something we forgot!  LOL, I hope we are not the only ones that do this as often as not.  After that we were soon on US Route 50 climbing up the mountains into West Virginia.

Stay tuned for some short videos on the “Twisties of Route 50”.

THE GRAFTON MONSTER: By mid-morning we are riding into the town of Grafton, WV.  We planned to visit the Grafton Monster Museum, but it is closed for renovations.  We also missed, by two days, the Grafton Monster Festival.  Disappointed we remount and headed out to the next stop Phillipi, WV.

THE PHILIPPI MUMMIES: Turns out there are more than just mummies in Philippi. Located in the towns visitors center we discovered that “Lurch” from the TV show “The Adams Family” is from Philippi.  So, a two for one Lurch and the Mummies. They even have had a “Lurch Fest” in 2023, is it an annual event?

As for the mummies, there are really mummies in Philippi.  These two mummies have traveled the world and are now resting in the visitor’s center.

When in Philippi make sure you take a ride over the longest covered bridge in WV. It is also the only covered bridge on a US Highway, US Route 250.

Expect a video and short post on the bridge.

TRANS-ALLEGHENY LUNATIC ASYLUM: Located in the town of Westen, WV the asylum is one of the most haunted locations in America.  They offer both history tours and ghost tours.  If you are of a particular strength, you can even have overnight stays. 

While we did not see any ghosts during our visit so many people belive that they have that it has been featured on many paranormal documentaries. If you are traveling on Interstate 79 through WV it should be on your itinerary.

FLATWOODS MONSTER: Located in the town of Sutton, WV the Flatwoods Monster Museum documents the local history of monsters.  First spotted in 1952 and dubbed the “Green Monster” this cryptid is fully part of the community.  The town has even erected a “Home of the Green Monster” sign. 

We met Adam Smith, who runs the museum, and discussed a bit about the monster and how it is part of the video game Fallout 76, along with other West Virginia cryptids.

Let him know you are a Fallout fan you might get a surprise… while supplies last!

BIG FOOT MUSEUM: Located just a couple blocks from the Flatwoods Monster Museum, Big Foot is afoot.  The Big Foot Museum holds a lot of background information on the Big Foot phenomenon along with several casts of “actual” big footprints. The museum also holds a large volume of books in its library collection.

At this point we needed to decide where we were going to ride to spend the night. The decision was between my mom’s and our new home in Ohio.  It did not take long to decide when we looked at the weather radar, mom’s it was. 

BTW we did get wet, again!

Click here for day 2

Vintage Motorcycles: Group Rides

Posted: July 8, 2024 in Motorcycle, Motorcycle Rides, motorcycle touring, vintage motorcycle
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Each month I display a few “old school”, or vintage motorcycles pictures based on some theme.

These are the one’s that I like the most, for whatever reason, … or… it’s my blog and I like these pictures or videos.

If you have any vintage pictures of group rides please share in the comments!!

Ride On, Ride Safe

Virginia DMV and Motorcycle Safety

Posted: May 14, 2024 in Motorcycle, Motorcycle advocacy, Motorcycle Rides, motorcycle safety, motorcycle touring
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The Virginia Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, Commissioner Lakey, recently sent motorcycle owners correspondence regarding motorcycle safety (see below), highlighting the Virginia Riders Training program. The letter also included a pamphlet regarding the Rider Training program (above).

Shockingly, statistics reveal that 76% of motorcyclists involved in crashes in Virginia had not completed a training course. Even more alarmingly, 1 in 4 riders in these accidents lacked an “M” motorcycle endorsement on their licenses.

This data underscores the importance of training and proper licensure. As we mark Motorcycle Safety Awareness month, I am grateful for the Commissioner’s efforts in raising awareness through these letters and educational materials. It is my sincere hope that more individuals seize this opportunity to enhance their skills and ensure safer rides for themselves and others.

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