Café Racer TV
This TV show has been around for a while and its fourth season is set to start on the 6th of November. It is presented on the Velocity Channel (part of the Discovery Network).
As the name implies Café Racer covers the bikes, builders and life style of the Café Bike scene. I have watch the show for the last two years and it is enjoyable. My favorite show was the one where they connected the café bike scene to pin-up girls!
I enjoy this show and my DVR is already set to record.
Well this was the first day of the fall that I needed chaps for a motorcycle ride. Pulling out at 7:45 AM the temp was 45F, cool before I began moving. My wife had to work today so I followed her to her favorite breakfast stop Chick-fil-a.
Shenandoah River
After eating our breakfast she went to work and I began my ride. With my destination of Winchester Motosports set I had no particular route in mind, so I decided to take “River Road”, County road 606, which I picked up at its intersection with VA Route 7. This road follows the Shenandoah River for about 10 miles. The views are picturesque now but in a few weeks when the leaves reach their peak color it will be spectacular!
When 606 leaves the river (and changes names several time) you weave through backcountry Virginia until you reach the intersection of US Route 50 and 606. I was tempted to turn around and ride 606 again but I moved on towards the Royal Enfield dealership.
As I mentioned a few posts ago I found Winchester Motosports when I looked at the new Royal Enfield Continental GT website. I thought it would be neat and visit the store and check out the bikes they had on hand.
When I arrived I meet Ed and the owner Carl. Turns out that Winchester Motosports is not only a Royal Enfield dealer but is also a Moto Guzzi dealer. They are also one of the largest motorcycle consignment resellers in Northern Virginia. They were also, at one time, dealers in Victory and Triumph bikes.
Carl is a very gregarious guy who, you can easily tell, absolutely loves what he does. His knowledge of the bikes he sells (or sold) is immense. I really enjoyed my conversations with Ed and Carl! If you are interested in Enfield’s, Moto Guzzi or a used bike of any kind I would consider Winchester Motosports as a first stop. 
After ogling the bikes for a bit it was time to start for home as the weatherman said that rain was coming in the afternoon. Weaving through more back roads, I ended up on US 340 and then hoped on VA Route 9. About an hour or so later I was back in Leesburg. Round, trip I put on 125 miles on a pleasant, but cool, fall day.
There was one big negative on today’s ride. I dropped by phone and now the screen is krap and the pictures are not right. Nearly all the photos on this site have been taken with my Nokia 928 phone. I have been very happy with this phone and camera.
Really?????
I can see Sugarloaf Mountain from my home. I was told that the entire mountain is a park and that we should go and check it out. Well today I did and was GREATLY disappointed. Motorcycles are not allowed in the park!
I noticed the administration building across the street from the entrance and decided to find out why I was prohibited from entering the park. I spoke with a member of the board of directors (Stronghold Incorporated) and he stated that the entire board a voted to exclude motorcycles due to noise. In particular the “whiney” noise of some bikes. He pointed to my HD Ultra Limited and said that those were mostly ok but it was impractical to exclude some but not others.
The noise, he said, interfered with the numerous weddings and social events held on the mountain and at the mansions located on the park (the mansions are quite impressive. That they had received many complaints from the attendees of the parties and weddings and it was not practical to bar bikes on the certain days and not others.
As our conversation ended he stated that if I wanted to go into the park that it would be ok. I declined the offer on principle.
I have always had a desire for a Café Racer. As a kid I want to get a Honda CB350 and convert it to a Café bike. Never happened, but it has always been in the back of my head. I have been tempted to convert the wife’s Harley Sportster into a Café Bike but she is not very keen on the idea. But if she upgrades ………
Royal Enfield Continental GT
A friend of mine sent me a link to the new Royal Enfield Continental GT. This is a good looking modern Café bike. According to the literature, its 535cc engine produces 30 horsepower, not sure if that will get you to “A Ton” (100MPH) but it would be fun to find out.
Looking about the internet for pricing, I think the bike may be a bit pricey. I get the impression that it will be around $7000 dollars, about the cost of a Harley Davidson Sportster. But, you would not have to convert the GT as you would the Harley. But, I doubt the resell value is anywhere near comparable between the Royal Enfield and the Harley Davidson. But, which would be cooler to tool about on? Both work for me.
Alas, I cannot justify another bike in the garage nor can I afford one (I do not start to work until Monday). Turns out that there is a Royal Enfield Dealer near my home, Winchester MotoSports I might just ride over and check out what they have. The Continental is not scheduled for release until late November but they may have other bikes in stock.
“Harley, we have a problem”, to paraphrase a classic NASA moment. While this recall is not as bad as being stranded in orbit, it is pretty bad.
Even though the NHTSA has been closed Harley has taken the initiative to issue a “DO NOT RIDE, DO NOT DELIVER” notice to owners and dealers on the following 2014 bikes built between May 3, and Oct. 14:
25,185 Touring motorcycles,
FLHTCU,
FLHTK,
FLHTP,
FLHX,
FLHXS,
FLHTKSE
FLHRSE,
and 3,861 Softail CVOs and Trikes, models
FLHTCUTG,
FXSBSE,
FLSTNSE
The problem is with the new hydraulic clutch system. The hydraulic clutch may lose the ability to generate enough lift to disengage the clutch. If the clutch does not disengage as intended, the rider may have difficulty slowing or stopping the motorcycle, which could result in an accident.
If you own one of these machines contact an authorized Harley dealer immediately to arrange for an inspection. The press release states that “The dealer will pick up, inspect and make the necessary repairs at no cost to the owner.” (bold underline is mine)
You can read more from Harley press release here.
I recently turned 28000 miles on my 2008 Softail! I do feel bad about this though I have only put 1100 miles on this bike so far this year. The Ultra Limited, on the other hand, has nearly 6000 miles to date.
If the weather holds I hope to get to at least another 1500 miles total before the end of the year.
Spider or a Spyder
Can-AM is having problem where a break master cylinder melts and break fluid leaks onto a hot surface causing a fire. According to what I read no one has been hurt but better safe then sorry!
Here is a link to Can-AM’s notification webpage.
I rode in the Rattle The Runway Ride on the 8th of September. Below are photos from the event.
Recently I have had battery issues on my Harley Davidson Heritage Softail Classic. The battery does not hold a charge for more than one day of nonuse.
To connect my charger, I have to remove both seats and attach the clamps to the battery. As often as not the clamps would slip off and the battery fails to charge.
Harley has Battery Charging Harness with LED Charge Indicator for $14.95 (that’s right not HD (hundred dollar)). This product not only lets me charge or maintain the battery but flashes a red LED when it reaches a level that it requires charging. I bought the device at Frederick Harley Davidson.
Installation was straight forward: remove the seats, attach the leads to the battery, tuck in the fuse, zip tie the lead to the frame and put the seats back on. After I have used this for a while I will let you know what I think of product.
The HOG life
After doing the math it was cheaper in the long run to join as a HOG life member.
I have no idea where I would wear the pendent/medal, guess I will put it in my dealer/event pin collection. The patch I will put on my biker/pirate vest. 😉
The benefits of a life member are the same as a full member except I get the pin and patch… Oh, and do not have to pay the annual fees again.
I JUST WANT 2 RIDE!! 