Posts Tagged ‘sport touring’

Motorcycle Quarantine Ride: Hallowed Ground Scenic Byway (Part 2)

Posted: April 4, 2021 in Motorcycle, Motorcycle Rides, motorcycle touring
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James Madison’s Montpelier

As noted in in Part 1 of this Quarantine Motorcycle Ride series on the Journey Through Hallowed Ground Byway, had to occur over three seasons.  Part 2 Leesburg to Montpelier occurred last summer.

This leg of the ride started on a cool summer morning.  Blue skies, white puffy clouds, and the local weatherman, promised a comfortable day to ride the motorcycle.

Our eyes and the weatherman were right! Our ride on the Harley Davidson Ultra Limited motorcycle was smooth and sweet.  Great tunes and light traffic made this leg of the Hallowed Ground Byway nothing short of great.

This part of the Byway is packed full of sites that just beg to be stopped and explored as this part of Virginia is packed with history and historical sites.

Getting to Montpelier took us past the following historical sites, and these are the major sites. There are many, many smaller sites in each of the towns you pass through.  This leg of the Hallowed Ground Byway can, by itself, could take a week to work your way though.

Ball’s Bluff Battlefield Regional Park | Nova Parks

George C. Marshall’s Home

President’s Monroe’s Oak Hill

Bull Run Battlefield (1st and 2nd Battle for Manassas)

This section also passes though the Northern Virginia wine and brewery corridor.  For example, there are over a dozen breweries and 30 vineyards in Loudon county alone! Just do not drink and ride, of course!

Of course, the destination of this motorcycle ride was the home of President James Madison’s home Montpelier.  Montpelier was the plantation home of the Madison family, including the fourth President of the United States James Madison and his wife Dolly.

Montpelier is both a National Historic Landmark and part of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.  Completed in 2008 a major restoration (by the National Trust), in part to return the mansion to its original size of 22 rooms.

Archeological investigations provided information on African-American life at the plantation. Philanthropist David Rubenstein funded and enabled the National Trust to restore the slave quarters in the South Yard and open a slavery exhibition, The Mere Distinction of Colour, in 2017.

Getting to Montpelier is a wonderful ride through historic lands.  If you are in the area, on the Journey Thorough Hallowed Ground Byway or not, take the time to stop.

Harley Davidson States 50 New Models in 5 Years. What do you want to see?

Posted: March 24, 2017 in custom motorcycle, Motorcycle, Motorcycle news, motorcycle touring
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ijustwant2ride

Recently the Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Company stated that they were going to introduce 50 new models in 5 years. From my perspective there are now 49 models still on the delivery line now that the “Street Rod” has hit the road. 

Ijustwant2 ride.comOver the last few years Harley Davidson has put out a lot of new stuff that appears to have been setting the stage for this 50 models in 5 years effort.  The electric motorcycle prototype “Live Wire” (which I got to test ride), the Street 500/750, the water cooled 104 and Milwaukee 8 engines are what I think are the underpinnings of this 50 models in 5 years push. 

So with 49 motorcycle models still to go what can we expect? Harley Davidson has already stated that there is going to be a production electric motorcycle by 2020.  In my mind that would be two additional models, one a variant of the Street line and one a cruiser (maybe based on the Dyna?).  Which gets the 50 models in 5 years down to 47 unknown bikes.   

NOW for question.  Just WHAT would you like to see in that list of 50 models in 5 years?  We spoke on that during the show #401 of the DawgHouse Motorcycle Radio show a while back.  One of my ideas would be a true sport touring motorcycle.  Something that would push back on the BMW and Triumph sport touring motorcycles.  Harley Davidson did have a sport touring motorcycle in the past, the FXRT which, seemed to have good reviews.  I just never remember seeing one. 

If you were charged to creating one of the 50 models in 5 years what would it be?