OK folks…. just FYI….. If you ride a typical cruiser or touring motorcycle the geometry of the motorcycle requires a much flatter load angle. The bottom of the frame will hit if the angle is to high. This video shows it very very well!
Use this fail video as a “WHAT NOT TO DO” when it comes to loading your bike. Find a location to get a flatter angle, it will just work out better in the end!
Few commerical enterprises can say they have been in business for 100 years or more. Even fewer motorcycles companies reach that mark. This month Moto Guzzi reaches that mark.
Moto Guzzi started after the first World War by veterans who had decided to go into the motorcycle business as soon as the war ended. The motorcycle company they created would go on to have a big impact on the industry.
A short list of Moto Guzzi’s achievements include:
Moto Guzzi was also one of the first motorcycles to reach the artic circle when, in 1928, a GT500 Norge, ridden by a brother of the founder, made the journey.
They also tried out an eight cylinder 500cc race bike out in 1955. It could reach over 170 MPH! While they had a technically advanced engine, the rest of the motorcycle was not able to keep up with the engine technology and it was shelved. It would be decades before racers would again be hitting 170 MPH on the track.
The unique and “quirky” Moto Guzzi has fans all over the world and those fans will have a chance to own a special “Centennial” edition of the following motorcycles.
Congratulations to Moto Guzzi and here is to the next 100 years!
This byway is 180 miles of American history. Stretching from Gettysburg, PA to Monticello, VA the byway covers sites and history from the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, multiple Presidential homes, plus 18 National and State parks. By motorcycle, this ride is a fun way to learn and honor American national heritage.
The majority of Hallowed Ground Byway is US Route 15 which runs right through our hometown. This made it an easy decision for a motorcycle ride (like we need an excuse for a ride).
While this should have been an easy long weekend ride for us it was anything but easy. Because of Covid and the changing quarantine restrictions we had to do this ride over 3 seasons of the lost year of 2020. We started our ride, of the Hallowed Ground Byway, at the Gettysburg Battlefield in the spring.
Part 1 – Gettysburg, PA to Leesburg, VA
Gettysburg by motorcycle is fun and it would be extremely easy to spend several days touring the battlefield and the town. You will not be the only motorcycle there, it is surprising how many folks ride their “iron” horses to the national battlefield. I highly recommend that you take a bus tour of the battlefield as the guide will provide a running commentary of what happened at each stop as well as the sites between stops.
Gettysburg by motorcycle is fun and it would be extremely easy to spend several days touring the battlefield and the town. You will not be the only motorcycle there, it is surprising how many folks ride their “iron” horses to the national battlefield. I highly recommend that you take a bus tour of the battlefield as the guide will provide a running commentary of what happened at each stop as well as the sites between stops.
At the time we rode this leg of the Hallowed Ground Byway most of the historic sites were open with very tight restrictions. Many of the indoor facilities were closed but you could still visit the outdoor sites.
I cannot speak to a lot of regarding local accommodations in Gettysburg. Being only a little over an hour from home we did not need to stay overnight. There are a lot of hotels, campgrounds, and such but with the quarantine limitations in place, few were open. Restaurants were mostly restricted in Pennsylvania and less so in Maryland (at that time).
The day of the ride was overcast and cool. The motorcycle was running well, and we were ready for a day behind bars. We rode around most of the Gettysburg Battlefield stopping a few of key points of the battle before heading south on the byway.
The ride south from Gettysburg is an easy county ride on both 2 and 4 lane roads. There are MANY, MANY places to stop along this leg of the Hallowed Ground Byway for example:
National Museum of Civil War Medicine
Multiple covered bridges
Multiple State Parks
Vineyard, Breweries and Distilleries
Catoctin Mountain Scenic Byway
Unfortunately for us most everything was closed or very restricted. This day was more about the ride and being with each other than about the sites. One thing that is true is the couple that rides together tends to stay together. On this daytrip we had a great time, just the two of us.
The next leg will cover the Hallowed Ground Byway from Leesburg to Montpelier, home of President James Madison.
Ride On, Ride Safe
The motorcycle riding Norman Reedus (The Walking Dead) and friends are back on TV for season 5. The show is on AMC (check local listings) and streaming AMC.COM.
I just finished watching episode one, in which Norman and Josh Brolin (Avengers/Deadpool) ride New Zealand’s North island. In addition to the normal tourist “stuff” like the Lord of the Rings Hobbit village and glow worms the show really discusses the impact of the Māori on New Zealand and Māori culture.
I have reviewed previous seasons of the show and found them mostly enjoyable with the exception of the sound quality when talking between bikes. This season sound is better but at times still difficult to understand. Is the technology not there or is a style choice?
A running joke during the show was how people would recognize Norman but not Josh/Thanos. That was funny, guess the makeup and special affects worked because no one recognized Josh.
I will watch the rest of the season.
Women have been riding motorcycles from the start. While men my dominate the motorbike culture, women have always been there having fun and enjoying the two wheel life.
I am not here to give you a play by play of the women who have sent motorcycle records, but I thought you might enjoy some pics from times past and the women who were there…. On their motorcycles.
There are so many crazy motorcycle videos out there I thought “Why not start a new weekly post?”. Not sure where this is going but drop me a note in the comment section if this is something you would like to see. Otherwise, I will do it until I lose interest, LOL.
In this video we find out that those little bumper sticks will wreak a motorcycle and the guy’s buddy has some quick reflexes.
Hitting Neutral – Orange County Chopper is closing shop in the state of New York and moving to St. Petersburg, Florida. The following came from their Facebook page:
“And so, it begins, the next chapter in the Orange County Choppers story. Ground has been broken at the all-new OCC Roadhouse, Museum and Entertainment Complex in St. Petersburg, Florida.”
During a radio interview with WKRG, Paul Senior added some more commentary on the reason for the move:
“There’s more of a sense of freedom down there. I think I have more of a fan base down there in Florida and the riding season is nine months maybe even ten. In New York, you have a short season, maybe only three months or so. The whole thing makes sense.”
He added politics and taxes played a major role in his decision.
“Sometimes it’s just time for change, you know? Where I’m at in my life, it’s time for change and you feel the freedom in Florida, you don’t feel it so much in New York anymore,”
My Take – The last several years have been extremely hard on the motorcycle industry. I bet Orange County Choppers have been hurt more than the big guys. This move will reduce the tax burden and possible other costs.
This is a hard time which requires hard decision. Good for them for making that hard decision. I hope it works out.
*****
Up Shift – Josh Herrin (racer with MotoAmerica) recently set a world record for the fastest motorcycle elbow drag. He drug is elbow for about 100 feet (30 Meters) at 100.9 MPH (162.4 KPH) establishing the record!
The idea for this world record attempt came from a brain storming session with his sponsor “Fresh n Lean”.
My Take – Very cool! It is also great to see a sponsor step up to do things like this in the motorcycle world!
*****
Down Shift – Armed FBI raid on Ducati North America. The FBI finical crimes division raided the headquarters of Ducati North America as well as the homes of some of their corporate leaders. To date, there has been no official statement as what warranted the raid or what is going on. Ducati released a statement that confirmed that the raid occurred, and that Ducati was fully complying with the government.
My Take – Something that make you go hummmmm. Is Ducati in trouble or are they the collateral damage from some other party. Stay tuned.
Ride on, Ride Safe
2020 the lost year…. It was hard to find the weird motorcycles among all the hate and vile of social media this year. I found a total of 12 strange, wonderful motorcycles for this year’s list. Reducing from 12 weird bikes to 9 was not very hard either.
Just a quick note, these motorcycles may have been around for a few years, but I first noticed them this past year.
Also, there seems to be a bit of “SteamPunk” vide with many of this years winners. Which is your favorite weird motorcycle for 2020?
The Born Free Motorcycle Show is one of the best chopper jamborees around. It always gets the coolest and craziest choppers to attend and show off. DicE Magazine covered the show and produced a “Coffee Table” picture book all about the bikes at the show.
At 300 pages of the coolest motorcycles, choppers, bobbers, racing and culture pictures the book is fun to flip through. The creativity of some of the builders is hard to believe.
This book will grace my coffee table for quite a while.
2020 the lost year…. Just not a lot of cool motorcycle “art” this year. I only found 9 motorcycle tanks that I thought were really special.
The tank is the center of attention for almost all motorcycles. Some folks can get really creative on what they paint or construct for their motorcycles. I really hope that 2021 folks can get back to crazy paint, sheet metal and other tools to produce some truly unique projects.
If you have a candidate for 2021’s list please drop me a comment below!
I JUST WANT 2 RIDE!! 