So, did we do something cool or crazy? Let us know in the comments.
Posts Tagged ‘motorcycle touring’
New Motorcycle: Cool or Crazy Decision
Posted: October 26, 2023 in UncategorizedTags: CVO, CVO road glide, Harley, Harley Davidson, I bought a 120th anniversary road glide, I bought a Harley davidson, I bought a Harley Davidson CVO, I bought a Harley Davidson road glide, I bought a new motorcycle, I bought a road glide, Motorcycle, motorcycle blog, Motorcycle Ride, motorcycle riding, motorcycle safety, motorcycle touring, new motorcycle, new motorcycle cool or crazy, road glide, sport bike, Sportbike
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Motocycle Rides: The Raptor in the cold with rain and snow.
Posted: October 12, 2023 in Motorcycle, Motorcycle Rides, motorcycle touringTags: GPS, Harley, Harley Davidson, Motocycle Rides: The Raptor in the cold with rain and snow, Motorcycle, motorcycle blog, Motorcycle Ride, motorcycle ride to Senica rocks, motorcycle riding, motorcycle riding in cold, motorcycle riding the raptor us route 250, motorcycle safety, motorcycle tour, motorcycle touring, motorcycle touring blog, motorcycle touring in virginia, motorcycle touring in west virginia, riding the raptor us route 250, Senica rocks, shoeshow ski resort, snow on the motorcycle, snowshoe wv, sport bike, Sportbike, Staunton va, switchback, tail of the dragon, The Raptor, US Route 250
Over the Columbus federal holiday weekend Debbie and I took our first long ride on the new motorcycle (I will be posting about the new motorcycle soon). The weather was supposed to be cool but not terrible. However, cool turned into cold and cold turned to a mix of rain and snow.
This was also likely the last overnight trip of the season as we head, quickly, into winter! Winter sucks!
Sunday morning, we pulled out and headed south to Staunton, Virginia. Our goal was to ride “The Raptor”, 88 miles across 8 mountains with sections of twisties that rival the Tail of the Dragon.
The Raptor lived up to its appearance on the map. Multiple up and down hill switchbacks, tight twisty turns many exceeding 90 degrees. In other words, it is a lot of fun for riders that like this type of road. This is also a road, like the Tail of the Dragon, that if you don’t pay attention, AND ride within your abilities, you could get yourself into trouble.
There’s nothing quite like riding US Route 250, the Raptor, on a motorcycle. It’s a thrilling experience that takes you through some of the most scenic and challenging roads in the country. You’ll encounter twists and turns, mountains and valleys, forests, and farms, as you cruise along this stretch of asphalt.
When we finished The Raptor, I wanted to turn around and head back to do it again. But the temperature had dropped, and Debbie wanted to head to the hotel. Alas, I was relying on the GPS and did not realize it was set to “Scenic” not fastest. OPPS! About an hour into what I thought was to be, at most, a 30 minute trip I realized my mistake. 20 minutes later we made it to the Corduroy Inn and Lodge at Snowshoe, WV, our stop for the night.
At this point I started to understand fully (not that I did not already know from being there multiple times) that we were at a ski resort. Debbie and I started laughing about our situation and quickly made for the Inn.
The next morning, I walked out to see how the weather impacted the bike and parking lot. There was some snow on the motorcycle, but the parking lot was good to go, with no ice or snow. Also, upon check out we were told we should have used the parking garage… thanks guys we will know for next time.
By the way, our room at the Corduroy Inn was genuinely nice, we would stay there again.
Pulling out we headed first to Senica Rocks for breakfast and the view. It was cooling off even more and starting to rain so we spent little time on the view.
Back on the road we headed to the house and made it home on a filthy and wet motorcycle and looking forward to warm showers!
40 New Roads to Ride your Motorcycle
Posted: October 5, 2023 in Motorcycle, Motorcycle Rides, motorcycle touringTags: all American roads, american byways, Bayou Teche scenic byway, bucket list, Cascade loop, Harley, Harley Davidson, Motorcycle, motorcycle blog, motorcycle bucket list, Motorcycle Ride, motorcycle ride on american byways, motorcycle riding, motorcycle safety, motorcycle touring, motorcycle touring blog, motorcycle travel, new all-American roads, new American byways, new roads to ride, Newfound Gap road, sport bike, Sportbike
A few years ago, I wrote about a website that the federal government did right. The Federal Highway Administration’s America’s Byways website is a good place to look for roads to ride. I use this website often to find interesting roads to travel while at or on the way to or from my destination.
The website has both roads designated as American Byways and All-American Roads. The homepage describes the differences between the two types of roads.
I am revisiting this website because they have added forty new roads to the list that now totals 184 byways for us to travel. You can discover the roads by clicking on the state you want to travel and see what National Bayway or All-American roads are there for you to explore.
The following are a few examples of the new roads added to list and might make my bucket list:
Cascade Loop, Washington – 440 miles
Newfound Gap Road Byway, Tennessee – 50 miles
Door County Costal Byway, Wisconsin – 67 miles
Trail of the Ancients, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico – 480 miles
Bayou Teche Scenic Byway, Louisiana – 296 miles
Sandhills Journey Scenic Byway, Nebraska – 438 miles
If you do not have National Scenic Byways & All-American Roads website in your riding toolbox… do it now!
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Motorcycle Recall September 2023: Ducati
Posted: September 28, 2023 in Motorcycle, Motorcycle news, motorcycle recall, motorcycle safetyTags: ducati motorcycle recall, ducati recall, Harley, Harley Davidson, Motorcycle, motorcycle blog, Motorcycle Ride, motorcycle riding, motorcycle safety, motorcycle touring, sport bike, Sportbike
Be aware that this motorcycle recall list is for the United States for the last 30 days, there is no way I could cover the entire world. But in the world of global manufacturing, if a motorcycle is being recalled in one country there is a good chance it is under recall in others.
Also, this should not be considered a definitive list, check for yourself if you have any questions.
If you are US based, use the NHTSA website http://www.safercar.gov. Enter your VIN number to see if your motorcycle is affected by the recall.
If you are based outside the USA, use the appropriate website to locate recalls that may impact you.
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NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V620000
Manufacturer Ducati North America
Components STRUCTURE
Summary Ducati North America (Ducati) is recalling certain 2018-2020 XDiavel S and XDiavel Standard motorcycles. The side stand bracket may fail, causing the side stand to open while riding and resulting in an unexpected engine shutdown.
Remedy Dealers will install a new side stand bracket, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed October 3, 2023. Owners may contact Ducati customer service at 1-888-391-5446. Ducati’s number for this recall is SRV-RCL-23-004.
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Ride On, Ride Safe
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Motorcycle News: BMW issues a “DO NOT SALE” order to its dealers
Posted: September 25, 2023 in UncategorizedTags: BMW motorcycle, bmw motorrad, bmw tells dealers to stop selling motorcycles, Harley, Harley Davidson, Motorcycle, motorcycle blog, Motorcycle Ride, motorcycle riding, motorcycle safety, motorcycle touring, sport bike, Sportbike, stop selling bmw motorcycles
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Down Shift – BMW Motorrad Stop All Sales
BMW has issued a “Stop All Sales” request to North America dealers for both new and used motorcycles. There are not a lot of details yet on the reason, but it looks like it has something to do with the emissions control function of the machine.
While the order is “temporary and voluntary” and does not impact the safety of the rider it is something that is unique. We will have to wait for more information from BMW Motorrad.
My Take – This is very unusual. I cannot recall any other time that a manufacturer had told its dealers not to sale vehicles. Telling dealers in the United States, Canada, and Mexico not to sale motorcycles is a very big deal.
Is BMW going to provide funds to dealers that cannot sale motorcycles if this is something goes on for more than a little while?
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Ride On, Ride Safe
Motorcycle News: An impressive new WORLD RECORD and the Motocompo is back!
Posted: September 20, 2023 in MotorcycleTags: BSA Bantam 175, electric honda motocompo, Guinness world record, Harley, Harley Davidson, honda motocompo, honda motorcycle, Leslie harris world record, Motorcycle, motorcycle blog, Motorcycle Ride, motorcycle riding, motorcycle safety, motorcycle touring, sport bike, Sportbike, world record motorcycle racer, world record motorcycle rider
Up Shift – New Motorcycle World Record
Guinness has certified that New Zealand’s Leslie Harris set the record as the world’s oldest motorcycle racer! At 97 he recently completed the Pukekohe 43rd Classic Motorcycle Festival in Auckland. He won the event in 2019 and finished 4th this year beating his son (8th place) and granddaughter (21st place).
My Take – WOW, I hope I am still riding at his age!!!! By the way, he races a BSA Bantam 175cc bike in these races.
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Hitting Neutral – Honda Reintroduces the Motocompo
The original Motocompo was produced from 1981-1983 and is now a collector’s item. The new Motocompo was just released and will be available in the US and a few other areas. The new “electric” version of the scooter will sell for around $1000. Some stats of the new bike: (the original machines stats)
Max Speed – 12 MPH (30 MPH) Range – 12 Miles (40 miles)
Full Charge – 3 Hours Weigh – 265 lbs (100 lbs)
My Take – Not sure this is an improvement over the original which weighed less and had more than 3 times the range with a 50cc gas engine. Also, 100 pounds is somewhat easier to handle than 265. If I were going to spend this money, I think I would look around for an 80’s model in working condition.
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Ride on, Ride Safe
Need new motorcycle tires? Bridgestone and Michelin rebates.
Posted: September 12, 2023 in Motorcycle, Motorcycle advocacy, Motorcycle Rides, motorcycle safetyTags: bridgestone motorcycle tire rebate, bridgestone motorcycle tires, Harley, Harley Davidson, Michelin motorcycle tire rebate, Michelin motorcycle tires, Motorcycle, motorcycle blog, Motorcycle Ride, motorcycle riding, motorcycle safety, motorcycle tires, motorcycle touring, sport bike, Sportbike
If you need new motorcycle tires now may be a good time to make a purchase. Both Bridgestone and Michelin are offering rebates on their motorcycle tires. By the way, the picture above indicates that I needed a new set of tires before I took the picture!
Bridgestone
From July 1st through September 30TH
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Michelin
From September 1st through September 30th
REDEEM UP TO $80* BACK ON MICHELIN MOTORCYCLE Tires
- Get a $80 MastercardMD Reward Card1 via mail-in rebate with the purchase of two (front and rear) qualifying Michelin Cruiser Motorcycle tires.
- Get a $60 MastercardMD Reward Card1 via mail-in rebate with the purchase of two (front and rear) other qualifying Michelin On-Road and Road Racing Motorcycle tire.
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Ride on, Ride Safe
I need new motorcycle armor!
Posted: September 11, 2023 in Motorcycle, Motorcycle Rides, motorcycle touring, Product ReviewsTags: CE level 1 armor, ce1 armor, CE1 motorcycle armor, D30 motorcycle armor, Harley, Harley Davidson, Harley Davidson switchback motorcycle jacket, Motorcycle, motorcycle armor, motorcycle blog, motorcycle jacket, Motorcycle Ride, motorcycle riding, motorcycle safety, motorcycle touring, sport bike, Sportbike
I have a favorite motorcycle jacket, a Harley Davidson “Switchback” that is now ten years old. When I put it on to ride Howard’s Twisted Tongue, I noticed the elbow armor was broken into several pieces.
This jacket has been great for three season motorcycle riding. It has a zippered, removable textile cover that, when on, provides good wind protection as well as some basic rain protection. When the cover is removed it is a mesh jacket for those warm to hot days. There are pockets for elbow, shoulder and back armor built into the jacket.
The modern version of this jacket has zipper vents where you have roll up the vent covers. It looks stupid and is a stupid design.
When I took a closer look at the broken elbow armor, I also noticed that the other armor was breaking apart as well. The armor that came with the jacket was CE level 1 and was now past it use by date. I needed to replace this motorcycle armor as soon as possible.
I had to go to my local Harley Davidson dealership to find out where they are with a motorcycle I would like to buy and while I was there, I noticed that they had replacement armor for sale. One trip solved my armor issue, I still have an issue regarding the new motorcycle though.
The new armor is also CE Level 1 but is radically different than what came with the jacket 10 years ago. The old armor was very thick and not very flexible. The new armor is very thin and highly flexible. The documentation stated that upon impact it becomes hard and absorbs the impact, I hope I never have to find out.
During all this I also noticed that the mesh seam under the right arm was coming apart. A trip to the local seamstress fixed that problem. My favorite motorcycle jacket is showing its age, I wish I could find another motorcycle jacket with the same features.
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Ride on, Ride Safe
Motorcycle Ride: Howard’s Twisted Tongue
Posted: September 2, 2023 in Motorcycle, Motorcycle Rides, motorcycle touring, UncategorizedTags: harepin turns, Harley, Harley Davidson, howard's lick, Howard's twisted tongue, Lost river state park, Motorcycle, motorcycle blog, motorcycle howard's twisted tongue, Motorcycle Ride, motorcycle riding, motorcycle safety, motorcycle touring, motorcycle travel, sport bike, Sportbike, switchbacks, technical motorcycle road, West Virginia Route 12
Howard’s Twisted Tongue is also known as Howard’s Lick, Lost River State Park Road, and West Virginia Route 12 this is a technically difficult road to ride your motorcycle. It is an unmarked 1 to 2 lane road with multiple 180 switchbacks and hairpins.
I had never heard of Howard’s Twisted Tongue until a few days before we made the ride. My riding buddy, Mark, discovered this ride on a map, it was close by and looked like it might be fun, so it was time to mount up and ride.
The weather on the day we took off for Howard’s Twisted Tongue was perfect for riding motorcycles. It was partly sunny and early morning cool.
It did not take long to get to the road, and we knew from the start that it was going to be a bit of a challenge as it became a steep incline immediately. I don’t know how high we climbed but my best guess would be between 800 and 1000 feet.
Did I mention multiple switchbacks and hairpins? There are a bunch of tight turns, many are a little off camber, and most are ascending or descending steeply. You need to watch yourself as many of these turns have gouges in the road from heavy vehicles or vehicles towing trailers. The road itself is, as I noted, unmarked, in mostly good condition but with some rough and potholed areas as well.
The climb up is well worth the ride, as you will ride along the ridge top for several miles. The views from the top of the ridge are great and there are a surprising number of very expensive homes along the road.
After a few miles you will start the descent which will take you into Lost River State Park. I have been to Lost River State Park in the past and I like to make the park a day ride destination.
Howard’s twisted tongue ends, for us, at the intersection of 12 and 259 at the town of Mathias. If you are going to ride this road, be ready for some technical riding. You will be in low gear for a lot of time. Make sure you get your head turned and remember to “look where you want to go”.
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Ride on, Ride safe
I JUST WANT 2 RIDE!! 