Posts Tagged ‘Harley’

Motorcycle ride to Antietam Battlefield

Posted: August 29, 2013 in Motorcycle Rides
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Last weekend Debbie and I went for a motorcycle ride to Antietam Battlefield.  The American Civil War battlefield is near Sharpsburg, Maryland about half way between Martinsburg, WV and Frederick, MD.

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Ride to Antietam

This was the worst one day battle in American History.  23,000 soldier were killed, wounded or went missing in only 12 hours.  After seeing the battlefield and understanding the tactics of the time I find it hard to understand how these men walked into the open for the cannons to…just wipe them out!

The battlefield itself is well maintained and there are monument to many of the units and men that fought and died on that day.  The museum has a thirty minute movie covering the action, I suggest you see the film first as it will lay out what occurred in a broad scope so you will have some context as you move outside.

You may run across two, non-military, names that were unexpected to see in a place like this.  Clara Barton, founder of the Red Cross and, then Captain, Oliver Wendell Holmes. Holmes, who was left for dead at Antietam, would later become a famous member of the American Supreme Court.

We also spent part of the day just wheeling around and by the time we arrived at home we had put nearly 120 miles on the bike.  And for a great change, there was never even a threat of rain.

Old School Motorcycle Run…. West Coast

Posted: August 23, 2013 in Rally
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EDR-2013-PATCH

I ran across the EL DIABLO RUN on the internet.   If you are a west coast rider check it out,  it looks like a lot of fun and

From the website this is a throwback, old school, or whatever you want to call it, kind of ride.  I am adding the El Diablo Run to my motorcycle riding bucket list.  Baja is already on this list so maybe I can combine the two someday

Motorcycle Ride to PAW PAW

Posted: August 20, 2013 in Motorcycle Rides
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Well, Paw Paw, West Virginia was not the intended destination, in fact, we just went out to ride.

We pulled out about ten in the morning (on the Ultra Limited) and head west on Route 7.  I noticed the exit for Virginia State Route 9 and decided, what the heck let’s see where Route 9 goes.  We knew it went north to Martinsburg, WV but that was about it.

Route 9 in Virginia is also known as Charles Town Pike and passes through rolling farmland and the towns of Paeonian Springs (which has a historic district) and Hillsboro.  Hillsboro sets in the middle of a gap in the Blue Ridge Mountains. A short climb out of Hillsboro and you have a great view of Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia.

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RT 9 at WV/VA boarder

At this point VA Route 9 becomes WV Route 9 and also becomes a four line highway. While we did not take the road, by the looks of the area I can image that “old 9” down the mountain would be full of twistiness!  Crossing the Shenandoah River we scooted through Charles Town and Martinsburg, we did not stop to look around, today was just about riding. A little after Martinsburg the road becomes a 2 lane again.

When we reached Berkeley Springs we did stop.  Right in the middle of the town is the Berkeley Springs State Park. The town (its real name is Bath) was considered the country’s first spa and resort area because of the mineral spring producing 2,000 gallons a minute.  George Washington even visited the springs. Heck the town even has a castle!

Continuing on Route 9, up the mountain out of Berkeley Springs we summited to a spectacular view of the Potomac River in the valley below. We decided to have lunch across the street from the fabulous view at Panorama at the Peak restaurant. This is a farm to table, organic, restaurant and the food was awesome!

Back on the bike we rode down the mountain and into the Cacapon River Valley.  This stretch of road from Berkeley Springs to Paw Paw was very lightly traveled, I doubt that we passed a dozen cars.  It undulates along the Cacapon River and was just a very nice ride!

motorcycle ride

Riding in the Cacapon River valley

We reached the end of WV 9 when we hit Paw Paw.  It is a very small town at the intersection of WV 9 and 29 and was the point where we began our return trip.  We did not retrace our route instead we zigged and zagged through a variety of roads until we reached Route 7 at Winchester, VA.  After stopping at the Winchester Sonic restaurant for ice cream (I love there coconut milkshakes) we quickly made it back home.

We put in 198 miles on this trip with only a few stops….it was a great day with the wife and the bike!

Changing the light bulb

Posted: August 16, 2013 in Uncategorized
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Well, the low beam burned out on our Electra Glide Limited a few days ago so it was time to attempt to swap it our ourselves (with a little help from our dog Emmy).

After a quick visit to Frederick Harley Davidson for a new bulb, I checked on-line for some tips to how to proceed, there were not many.  I was really worried a bit that I would have to remove the fairing to replace the bulb, but it turned out that was not the case….you just need three hands (and a paw).

The first step was to remove the outer chrome bezel by removing one screw and a short clockwise twist.  Removing that bezel revealed an inner one holding the light housing on with three screws, (note leave the top one for last(.

After the housing was pulled free, there is a wire spring that holds the bulb unit in the housing, the bulb is released by sliding the spring from its catch.  The bulb itself is released by pressing in on the detents on each side of the plug.

Making sure my skin did not touch the new bulb’s glass (the oils from our skin will decrease the life of the bulb I am told) I traced back the disassembly to assemble the light again. I did use blue Loctiite to ensure that the screws would not vibrate loose.  There was just one item that gave me a bit of concern and that was the wire spring on the inside of the outer bezel.  I was not sure where the spring was to align and just took my best guess.  I will keep a close eye on that part for the next few weeks to make sure it stays in place.

All in all it took the three of us about 30 minutes to swap out the bulb and get on the road again.

Harley Davidson In China – Dragon Riders!

Posted: August 6, 2013 in Motorcycle Rides
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Life Behind The Wall published a really nice post on a ride with the ex-pat motorcycle club Dragon Riders!

Beyond the obvious good time she had on the ride, the item that struck me the most was “ Harley is illegal to ride in Hangzhou city but they didn’t seem worried at all about it as one by one all Bikes began to arrive. “

Tie that statement with the comment from my earlier post regarding how it is illegal to ride a Harley Davidson on the highways —- not quite right!

Celebrity Motorcycle Accidents

Posted: August 6, 2013 in Motorcycle news, motorcycle safety
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Triumph motorcycle

Ann Margret Triumph

Following up on the last post about a crash, how about more crashes!

Motorcycle.com recently published a top 10 list of “Celebrity Motorcycle Accidents”.  While these are all US based they are interesting to read.

Who knew that Ann Margret and Lauren Hutton even rode motorcycles!

Casual Full Dresser…. Yamaha’s Street Glide Yamaha BOLT Recall

Posted: July 30, 2013 in Motorcycle news
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yamaha bagger

Casual Dresser

Yamaha’s XV1900A CFD (Casual Full Dresser) motorcycle looks, to me, to be a head on assault on Harley’s Street Glide.  It looks a lot like a Street Glide, and is designed to a cruiser that can take on long distance rides as well.  It has a 1900cc air cooled V-twin engine which is a bit bigger than the Street Glide.  You can find more about the bike here.  I personally like the look!  But I want to know if the Formal Full Dresser comes with a bowtie and tails?!

In other Yamaha News….. BOLT Recall

2014_XVS950CU_BWC1_CA_1_lYamaha is recalling certain model year 2014 XVS950CU (Bolt) motorcycles manufactured March 2013 through June 2013. Slack or sag in the wiring harness may allow it to contact the exhaust manifold causing the wires to melt, and possibly short circuit.

If the wires short circuit, the fuses will blow which may cause the engine to stall. An engine stall while riding, increases the risk of a crash. Yamaha will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the wiring harness and secure it away from the exhaust. If the wiring harness is damaged, it will first be replaced.

The recall is expected to begin by the end of July 2013. Owners may contact Yamaha at 1-800-962-7926.Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

ALSO

Is it me or is Yamaha taking even more styling ideas from Harley?  Really, these two bikes looks so much like their counterparts it’s crazy!

The Bridges of Pennsylvania,,, A motorcycle ride.

Posted: July 29, 2013 in Motorcycle, Motorcycle Rides, motorcycle touring
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The Bridges of Pennsylvania,,, A motorcycle ride.

Foggy start to the day

This past weekend Debbie and I rode with the Northern Virginia Motorcycle Club (NOVA MC) to see and ride through a bunch of covered bridges in Pennsylvania.  This was an all-day ride; we left the house on a foggy Saturday morning at a few minutes after six AM to get to the rally point.  The club met up outside a Starbucks in Chantilly, VA before rolling out for the day.

Heading north on US Route 15 we crossed into Maryland at Point of Rocks passed through Frederick and quite soon entered Pennsylvania and the first stop. This bridge was literally just across the state line off of Route 15.  I am not sure where we stopped or the name of the bridge but the picture is below. From that point on we attempted to capture a picture of the name or historical marker.

After a bit we rolled out to see the other bridges.  About one o’clock we stopped for lunch at The Old Mountain Stone Inn in Bloomfield, PA.  The food was good, the company better but the show was the best (LOL).  About half way through our lunch a poker run arrived and they were having a lot of fun which made it a lot of fun for us to watch!!

The Bridges of Pennsylvania,,, A motorcycle ride.

Pennsylvania Amish country.

During lunch we also noticed that the incoming weather was getting much worse and decided to cut the ride a “bit” short.  We decided to visit the longest covered bridge (271 feet) in PA, the Academia Bridge.  From there we jumped on PA Route 75, which passed through the Pennsylvania Amish country.

Storm Chaser Powers ACTIVATE!

It was on Route 75 were we got the wettest!  While we had experienced sprinkles and light rain we got a downpour, and of course nowhere to really pull over.  We finally reached a gas station where Debbie and I did the group a big favor; we put on our rain suits, which normally guarantees the rain will stop.  We split off from the main group to head home shortly after that stop and we might have had ten rain drops from that point on!  I hope the others fared as well!

About Northern Virginia Motorcycle Club

NOVA MC is a “Meetup.com” group that “is for motorcycle enthusiasts who are interested in taking short jaunts, usually on weekends, around Virginia’s highways and byways.”  Debbie and I discovered them about a year ago and this was our second ride with the club.  I have to say that we have tried to ride more with them but life, schedules and other events have conspired to limit our experience with the club.  BUT, I can say that without hesitation, if your live in Northern Virginia and want to ride in a motorcycle agnostic environment and want to have a good time, check them out!

Saddlebag Lighting

Posted: July 11, 2013 in Product Reviews
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Saddlebag Lighting

As noted in a previous post, we had some work done on the Ultra Classic Limited. Today I will cover and review the Air Wing Saddlebag Lid Rail LED Light Kit (Part Number 68388-10) we had installed.

I am a big proponent of lighting up my rear end (the bike that is).  This would not have been the first lighting change the rear I would have made but Frederick Harley Davidson had a good deal on for lights.

Harley Davidson Bag Light

Air Wing Saddlebag Light (braking)

When we bought the bike the Air Wing Saddlebag Rails were already installed.  The rails look good and prevent some of the normal scuffing that occurs when folks mount and dismount the bike.  These lights fit under the little “wing” are almost invisible with the smoke lens (red is also available). 

The lights function as supplemental running and brake lights only and that is why I am giving the lights a  4 out of 5 review.  I can only assume that there is not enough room in the rail tubes to add the turn signal function, but that would have been a great additional feature and earned a 5th star.

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Fairing Mounted Mirrors

Posted: July 10, 2013 in Product Reviews
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We had some work done on the Ultra Classic Limited. Over the next few days I will describe what we had done by Frederick Harley Davidson.

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Mirror with LED Turn Indicators

The first item is the fairing mounted mirrors.  We purchased this because I was having issues seeing out of the standard mirrors. I am 5’8″ and sit well in OEM saddle but I needed to lean left or right to get a clear view of what was behind us. Because of that I have not been comfortable with knowing what was going on behind me.  I have been associated with the fairing mounted mirrors on the Street Glide and I did not have a problem using that type of mirror. So I had the standard mirrors replaced with the fairing mounted type with illuminated chrome covers (Part Number 92600-10).  The illumination provided is amber LED running lights which also function as another turn signal indicator.

So far so good, we had the 115 mile ride this past weekend during which I was continuously doing the minor adjustments one does with mirrors.  I have the right mirror just where I want it but the left one still needs tweaked, but I am sure I will get it right soon.

My early review of this product would be 4 out 5.  I would have liked the LEDs to be a bit larger in order to be even more visible.

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