Posts Tagged ‘motorcycle touring’
Wow…. a really cool short film about Royal Enfield Mortorcycles in India!
Posted: July 7, 2014 in custom motorcycle, Motorcycle, motorcycle touringTags: custom motorcycle, india, india motorcycle, Motorcycle, Motorcycle Ride, motorcycle touring, Old Delhi Motorcycles The Film, Royal Enfield
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Royal Enfield Advert
Posted: July 2, 2014 in Motorcycle, Motorcycle racing, Motorcycle Rides, motorcycle touringTags: Café Racer, custom motorcycle, Motorcycle, Motorcycle racing, motorcycle riding, motorcycle touring, Royal Enfield, Royal Enfield Continental GT, sport bike
Royal Enfield Advert
Motorcycle Radio, new podcast ready and looking for some patrons!
Posted: June 27, 2014 in custom motorcycle, Motorcycle news, Motorcycle racing, Motorcycle Rides, motorcycle safety, motorcycle touringTags: Harley, Harley Davidson, Motorcycle, motorcycle radio, motorcycle riding, motorcycle touring, motrocycle racing, patreon, patreon.com, sport bike
Motorcycle Radio…The #1 Motorcycle Show in the US
During the last episode of the DawgHouse Motorcycle Radio (the podcast, #265, is available here) I learned something interesting. Turns out Ken and Phil have been paying for the cost of the show from their pockets the entire time, over 5 years.
The most expensive part of the effort is the bandwidth that folks use to download the show. The web hosting provider charges by bandwidth consumed which limits the show to about 140,000 downloads per month. They (now we?) have been maxing out the available bandwidth on a reoccurring basis.
The price jump from the current level of bandwidth to the next level is insane and in order to improve the show and make it more available to everyone the DawgHouse is looking for some patrons. If enough folks become patrons the DawgHouse it might even add video…although I am not sure if that is a good thing, unless we get hot models to stand behind the hosts!
To help find those patrons the DawgHouse has begun using Patreon.com.. What is Patreon.com you ask,,,,
“Founded in May 2013 and based in San Francisco, California, Patreon was created to enable fans to support and engage with the artists and creators they love. Empowering a new generation of creators, Patreon is bringing patronage back to the 21st century.”
The DawgHouse is in that awkward position where it needs more listeners in order to get advertising but can’t get the additional listeners without extra funds!
So, the show is remaining free to all but if you want to help take The DawgHouse to the next level please consider becoming “a patron of the arts” (say that with your noise up raised and with a rich person accent)……… well the show is kinda like art, right, in a Jackson Pollock kind of way?
On the “radio” again tonight!
Posted: June 24, 2014 in Motorcycle, Motorcycle newsTags: Harley, Harley Davidson, Motorcycle, Motorcycle news, Motorcycle racing, motorcycle radio, motorcycle riding, motorcycle touring, sport bike
The DawgHouse Motorcycle Radio Show on NTNradio.com
Looks like I am becoming a regular host on the “Dawghouse Motorcycle Radio Show“. Just hit the listen live button.
If you are interested, the show will be live 6-8 (EST) tonight and available on Podcast sometime after the show ends.
I will post about the podcast when it is up.
Motorcycle ride on the Harpers Ferry Road.
Posted: June 18, 2014 in Motorcycle Rides, motorcycle touringTags: Harley, Harley Davidson, Harpers Ferry, MD, Motorcycle, Motorcycle Ride, motorcycle touring, sport bike, sportsbike, WV
Good description of Harpers Ferry Road!
This road kind of parallels the Potomac River and the C&O Canal starting in the south on the Maryland side of the river across from the town of Harpers Ferry, WV and is a great road for motorcycles. We rode from there to Sharpsburg, MD which is where the Civil War battle of Antietam was fought (this link will take you to our ride to the Antietam Battlefield).
The road is only about 13 miles long it is twisty, with lots of elevation changes, stomach dropping dips, blind corners and blind entrances to the roadway; it is not a road for the beginning rider to take lightly or with speed. It is also scenic and lots of fun, even if the speed limit is only 35 MPH. There are several neat places to stop along the route including the C&O Canal, Antietam Battlefield, Antietam Iron Works Inn, and Harpers Ferry of course.
The road has views of some great stuff; railroad tunnels, rail road overpass, small towns, rock walls, open farm land, cool barns, mountain cliffs, and on and on!
If you are ever in this area I highly recommend a short side trip to ride this road…and then get some ice cream across the river in Harpers Ferry!
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- Starting at the south end of Harpers Ferry road
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- US 340 overpass
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- East end of Harpers Ferry tunnel
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- West end of Harpers Ferry tunnel
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- Potomac River
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- C&O Canal Tow Path
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- Great views on Harpers Ferry Road
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- Sharpsburg, MD
Motorcycle ride to the 9/11, Flight 93 Memorial and National Park
Posted: June 16, 2014 in Motorcycle RidesTags: 911, flight 93 memorial, Harley, Harley Davidson, Lincoln highway, Motorcycle, Motorcycle Ride, motorcycle touring, national park, sport bike
Park Entrance
This past weekend Debbie, our friends Tim and Karma and I took a motorcycle ride to the Flight 93, 9/11 Memorial and National Park.
We mounted our bikes and had kickstands up at about 9AM, headed north and west on Interstate 70. WOW, the traffic on I70 was very heavy; it was like a Friday afternoon on a holiday weekend heavy. I understand why everyone wants out of the Washington DC metro area, but come on guys; did you not know I wanted the highway to myself?!?!
The first point where the traffic begins to thin, but only slightly, was as we passed the Hagerstown Outlet Mall. But traffic did not really become light until we reached the I70 and I68 intersection, from that point on things were calm and smooth. At least until the temperature began to drop the further north and the higher elevation we made.
While I was comfy behind the fairing on the Ultra Limited the others were quite cool and in the mood for warmth and food. We stopped for breakfast about 10:30 at “Cathie’s County Store” near the intersection of I70 and PA 915. Debbie declared that Cathie’s home fries were the best she ever had! Pulling back out onto the interstate it was not long before we were onto US 30, also known as the Lincoln Highway.
Just a short way before the actual park entrance we crested a ridge and saw dozens of wind turbines and at the same time understood why they were there. From the time we crested that ridge until we nearly reached the interstate again there was a constant wind, sometimes enough to cause the bikes to move a bit in our lane.
When we reached the Flight 93 Memorial I was pleasantly surprised how full the parking lot was for a cool, overcast Saturday. We arrived at the park just as a park ranger began a presentation of the events of that day. His presentation was a pointed reminder of the events of 9/11 and the courage of the crew and passengers of Flight 93 knowing that the terrorists were intending to crash the plane into a building. While their efforts cost the lives of 40 they likely saved the lives of hundreds if not thousands.
After that solemn stop we rode south stopping at Highland Harley Davidson in Somerset, PA. Tim needed to buy a heavier shirt for the trip back. While he claims otherwise, I am sure he bought one off the women’s rack as the shirt he bought had thumb holes “to hold it in place”…. 🙂
From Somerset we rode south to Cumberland, MD and I68 then back towards home. We stopped for diner at the Longhorn Steak House in Frederick, MD. After a good diner we said out goodbyes and head for the house.
Debbie and me
I am cold but happy
Breakfast at Cathie’s County Store
One of the alters of rememberance.
The bolder marks the crater Flight 93 made on impact.
Windmill are everywhere in that part of PA.
New motorcycle in the family!
Posted: May 13, 2014 in MotorcycleTags: Harley Davidson, HD, Motorcycle, Motorcycle Ride, motorcycle touring, rushmore, ultra limited
After much discussion and checking of numbers Debbie and I have bought a new motorcycle. We are now the proud owners of a 2014 Harley Davidson “Rushmore” Ultra Limited! We traded our 2011 Ultra Limited and Debbie’s 883 Low. I was VERY surprised that see tossed her bike into the trade but she stated that she misses riding with me. Plus, she has mentioned a couple of times that, after popping her hamstring and the resulting physical therapy, she just does not feel secure when coming to a stop and holding up the bike.
We got quotes from multiple dealers and Frederick HD gave us the best deal. We did have a lot of “extras” added prior to delivery (with two still on back order), some of those items were:
Streamline grips, floorboards (the passenger boards are back ordered)
Screaming Eagle Stage 1 air cleaner
Screaming Eagle Thunder exhaust
Painted inner fairing (back order)
Air wing luggage rack LED light
XM Satellite radio module
Chrome hand controls. (they had to put grips on anyway)
Saddlebag rails
Mirrors on the fairing.
The infotainment system is easy to read, but is going to require some study to fully understand and use. For example, the default country was set to Canada and I have not yet found a way to change that, guess I need to read the manual.
After our first ride Debbie did mention that the ride is better than the old bike. She said the passenger area is roomier and more comfortable.
The bike is wearing the “limited edition” Daytona Blue paint. I am not sure how limited that paint really is but the metal flake (Debbie calls it sparkles) in the paint really shines in the sun.
Weather permitting; we will be taking a long trip to our niece’s high school graduation in a few weeks. That will be the first real test of the comfort and ride of the 2014 v. 2011.
Motorcycle Rides: Well here is one website the Federal Government got right! America’s Byways.
Posted: March 11, 2014 in Motorcycle, Motorcycle RidesTags: all American roads, Harley, Harley Davidson, Motorcycle, Motorcycle Ride, motorcycle touring, national scenic byways, scenic byways, sport bike, Sportbike
How did I just find out about this! The Federal Highway Administration (part of the US Department of Transportation) has an interactive website called America’s Byways. It highlights the Scenic Byways of America and, no kidding, it is well done. Now we have a new tool to help us plan our motorcycle rides.
The website describes itself this way; “The National Scenic Byways Program is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration. The program is a grass-roots collaborative effort established to help recognize, preserve and enhance selected roads throughout the United States. The U.S. Secretary of Transportation recognizes certain roads as All-American Roads or National Scenic Byways based on one or more archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational and scenic qualities.”
America’s Byways is an interactive, map based, website that will provide you a listing of each of the 150 different roads. Those roads are comprised of the National Scenic Byways and All-American Roads. You can select the road from a national or state map to see basic information on the road (length, average time to travel the road and historical background) as well as route maps, directions and photos.
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- American Byway map page
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- American Byways info page
Another Motorcycle Ride to No Where in Particular (or, An Impact with a Stink Bug!)
Posted: October 7, 2013 in Motorcycle, Motorcycle Rides, motorcycle touringTags: blog, Gander mountain, Grove's Harley Davidson, Harley, Harley Davidson, HD, Motorcycle, motorcycle blog, Motorcycle Ride, motorcycle touring, Suzuki, VA, Virginia, West Virginia motorcycle ride, Winchester, wordpress, WV
My friend Doug and I linked up this past weekend to going riding. We had no particular place in mind and decided to scoot over to Winchester Harley Davidson to look at the 2014 bikes.
We rode west on US 7 and then cut across VA 601(the Secret Blue-Ridge Mountain Northern Stretch) to US 50 where we continued west until we reached the dealership. We spent nearly an hour at the dealership looking at their bikes and merchandise. They did not have very many of the “Project Rushmore” 2014 bikes, with the exception of Street Glides. They had six or seven of the new Street Glides in most of the available colors, in particular I really like the Big Blue Pearl paint. As we were leaving the dealership we decided to visit the Gander Mountain outdoor center.
Doug rides a Suzuki Intruder without a windscreen and on the way to Gander Mountain he had an olfactory impact with a stink bug at about 60 MPH. His telling of the incident was particularly funny in that he was getting a strange smell, off and on, during the ride over to Gander Mountain and attributed it to the normal smells of riding. Once in the store the smell was following him around until he noticed it was coming from his shirt! A quick trip the restroom fixed that issue. I am sure if we were members of a motorcycle club he would have a new nickname!
After riding through “Old Town” Winchester we meandered through the border area of Virginia and West Virginia. I would bet we crossed the state line no less than 10 times. We traveled several “really” back roads including “Smokey Hollow Road” and “Il Pugh Road” until we emerged onto Route 11 (the same Route 11 as the Potato Chip ride). We took Route 11 north to Charles Town, WV and then Route 9 (same Route 9 that Debbie and I rode) back to Leesburg.
I put a bit over 175 miles on the bike that day and Doug and I both agree that we need to do it again soon. Like a dummy I forgot to take pictures on this ride!
Motorcycle Ride to a Potato Chip Factory.
Posted: September 17, 2013 in Motorcycle, Motorcycle Rides, motorcycle touringTags: blog, Harley, Harley Davidson, HD, HOG, I-66, I-81, interstate 66, Interstate 81, Johnny appleseed, Kawasaki, Mama Zuma’s, meems Bottom Covered Bridge, Motorcycle, motorcycle blog, Motorcycle Ride, motorcycle touring, Mount Jackson, Northern Virginia, northern Virginia motorcycle club, NOVA MC, route 11, Route 11 Potato Chip, Strasburg, Suzuki, VA, Virginia motorcycle ride, Woodstock, wordpress, Yamaha PW50
Last Saturday I rode with the Northern Virginia Motorcycle Club (NOVA MC) to the Route 11 Potato Chip factory. Debbie had to work so she missed out on the fun. 
The start point was in Manassas, VA with a link up time of 8 AM but I left the house early in order to stop and have breakfast with Debbie. We stopped at the Chick-fil-a in Leesburg to have a quick meal I then went to ride and she went off to work.
We had eleven bikes, several with passengers, show up for the ride. After a short safety brief from the road captain “Chaz” we started to roll out…. But, one of the bikes had a malfunction, it would not start. After a few attempts at “bump starting” it was apparent it was not going anywhere. We confirmed that the rider had the issue covered and then set off.
It was a bit cool when we hit the road, around 60 degrees (Fahrenheit) and of course even cooler as we road down Interstate 66. After the merge of I-66 and Interstate 81 we took the first exit (Route 11) and headed south. We rode though the towns of Strasburg, Woodstock (where we noticed that the temperature was now around 55 degrees), Edinburg, and Mount Jackson.
Turns out that I-81 was the major interstate replacement for Route 11. 11 begins at the Canadian border at Rouses Point, NY and ends in Louisiana. Route 11 is 1,645 miles or 2,647 KM in length.
Turning off Route 11 we hit Wissler Road (VA 720) and rode through Meems Bottom Covered Bridge. The bridge was a bit tricky, it had raised wooden planks for cars to traverse, which caught me a bit off guard. Going into a dark covered bridge with dark sun glasses trying to keep a good distance and pace while riding on raised planks….interesting!
A few miles from the covered bridge is the Route 11 Potato Chip factory. It is out by itself, you have to want to go there, which we did. They were not cooking chips that day but I have to admit that for a place that deep fries their product it was remarkably clean! The owner gave us an overview of how the operation works which was interesting and we sampled all their different types of chips.
I liked the BBQ chips the most and bought a bag for myself. I also bought a small bag of their “hot” chips, Mama Zuma’s! Now that was a spicy potato chip!
After the visit to the chip plant we stopped for lunch at Johnny Appleseed’s restaurant. The food was nice and the lunch conversation was better. After we ate it was time to head back. We took VA 340 North and I followed the same path as when Debbie and I visited New Market Battlefield (click here for that ride).
All in all it was another great ride with the NOVA MC!
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- The MC at the chip factory
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- NOVA MC!
I JUST WANT 2 RIDE!! 