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!
I found this on Roberthoodwheels blog! Crazy, funny and scary at the same time. If you have saddlebags take this as a warning!
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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
Yamaha 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!
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!!
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!
Patent Drawing for Liquid Cooled HD Motorcycle
I ran across and interesting post on MotorBikeWriter.com a few days ago regarding this subject. I have often wondered about this and was always curious why the VRod is the only water cooled bike in the HD stable. But, I never put any real effort in looking into this effort and I doubt that anyone in Milwaukee would answer the question for me! LOL.
But, after a few Bing searches I came up with some surprising things like the Cycle Word report on Harley’s patent for water cooling the heads. Even more detail on the patent was on The Kneeslider.com, although I wonder how much the radiators in the lower fairings would warm my feet.
Now I know that many of the hard core Harley Davidson fans out there would be put out by the departure from history. Many of them (me) enjoy the simplicity and tradition but, the fact is that the EPA is going to force this sooner or later. Based on what I see in the patent drawings and things I read looking into this, I think Harley is attempting to go liquid cooled in a manner what will not change the classic look of an HD motorcycle.
An interesting article, from the online version of the UK’s Telegraph newspaper, concerning Mr. “Easy Rider” Peter Fonda. Mr. Fonda is suing Dolce & Gabbana because he has “suffered injuries to his peace, happiness, feelings, goodwill, reputation, image, loss of fair market value of his services, and dilution of his current and future publicity value,” resulting from their unlicensed sales of his image (from the Easy Rider movie) on $200 t-shirts. If you want to see how much of a monetary value he places on his market value take a look at the article!
I would have posted a picture of the t-shirts but I have no desire to further hurt Peter’s peace, happiness and good will. 😉
Harley Davidson in China (from “The Alantic”)
Harley’s are HEAVELY taxed!
Harley’s are categorized with horses, bicycles and electric bikes!
Harley’s cannot be ridden on highways and major avenues!
Harley riders in China are the same as Harley riders around the globe!
Well I have called my bike a steel horse, but really, not riding on highways that has to suck.
Well, after the post about the man killed trying to break 300 mph mark…. The 52 Express team is aiming to break the land speed record at either Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah and South Africa’s Hakskeen Pan. You can read more in a Fox New article about the attempt.
This photo is from their Facebook page.
Welcome to Gettysburg Bike Rally
This past weekend Debbie and I attended the 2013 Gettysburg Bike Rally. The rally is split into multiple venues, the All Stars Complex and Granite Hill Campground and the American Civil War Wax Museum. While not part of the official rally, Battlefield Harley Davidson also hosted a good number of vendors. We did not make all the venues passing on the Wax Museum, but maybe next year.
Debbie and Karma with Bubba Blackwell
On Saturday we met our friends Tim and Karma at the dealership and after checking out the store and vendors we then rode over to All Stars Complex to watch Bubba Blackwell, American Dare Devil. We got there a little late but did get to watch him drift, wheelie and generally make several Harley Davidson bikes do whatever he wanted them to do. I was impressed with this ability to bring an Ultra Classic bagger to a pipe dragging, all the way up wheelie!
But other than Bubba this venue was a bit….light on vendors and things to do. We spent most of our time waiting to participate in the “Parade of Chrome” ride to the Granite Hill venue. I would have to guess that there were over 500 bikes lined up to ride in the parade through downtown Gettysburg.
It was apparent, as soon as we arrived, that the campground was the main base for the rally. The majority of the vendors were at the campground as well as the biker build off, bikini contest and the main stage for the headlining acts (War was the main band this year).
For diner we rode back into town looking for a nice place to eat, but it was clear that there was going to be a long wait no matter where we went. We were referred to a local spot called “Sharpshooter Bar and Grill”. When we arrived the outside was packed with bikers of all types, but indoors it was open and we got a seat as soon as we walked in. The manager, Ed, was our waiter and he took great care of us. The food was great, the service was great. I would highly recommend Sharpshooter if you are in the Gettysburg area!
Apparently the heat and sun really took a toll on us. Sunday morning no one moved until nearly 10AM. For breakfast we rode into town and ate at the Farnsworth House (a B&B that serves breakfast to the public). The House was there during the battle of Gettysburg and has over 100 bullet holes to prove it.
After our meal we decided to ride through part of the battlefield before heading home. The easiest part of the battlefield for us to get to was the confederate line. We rode along the line stopping at several points to look at the monuments and history. The view from where General Pickett started his march into the Union cannons was eerie, knowing that an entire Infantry division was destroyed.
After the riding the length of the Confederate line we said our good byes to Tim and Karma and we all headed home. All in all it was a great weekend on the bikes and with friends.
This is report from the Associated Press about a tragic accident that occurred in the State of Maine. Bill Warner was attempting to break the 300 MPH mark when he crashed.
I JUST WANT 2 RIDE!! 