Snippets

[Crusty]

They say Hello back and wish you had been able to come down.

[BKB]

I've got 2 of those Kermit chairs, John. If you can't scrape up the $$ by next summer, you can borrow one of mine. Leg extensions & cup holder included. I highly recommend them. Very comfortable, & sturdy. Had them for about 10 years & use them for everything. & if you work at it, the legs will fit in the bag with the chair, so you only have one piece to pack on.

[Crusty]

At 4:40 AM


I woke up at 3:00 and I was wide awake, so I’ve just spent the past hour and a half playing on Google Maps plotting my route to Tuktoyaktuk. I’m barely computer literate and I don’t know how to do a screen grab of the map with my route on it; but I can describe it.

Starting from my house in Cheviot, Ohio, I’m going to head for Cedaredge, Colorado to visit a friend. From there, I’m heading for Missoula, Montana and Rt. 93 north. That will bring me into Canada. I’ll ride that through Banff and Jasper National Parks, then I’ll pick up rt. 40. I take that to Dawson Creek, BC, then get on Rt. 97 and take that to Watson Lake in Yukon and then take Rt. 4 to rt. 2 to the Dempster Highway (Rt.5) to Inuvik then up to Tuktoyaktuk and the Beaufort Sea (Arctic Ocean).

From there, I head back down the Dempster and ride into Dawson City, then I’ll take the top of the World Highway over into Chicken Alaska. I won’t be in Alaska for a long while; I’ll take Rt.5 to Rt. 2 to Alcan Border then get on Rt.1.

I’ll be on Rt. 1 for a while, but then I’ll get on Rt. 37 just before Upper Liard and take that south until I hit Rt. 16. That will bring me to Prince George and Rt. 97 which will bring me back into the US in Washington.

Once back into the US, I’ll make my way down to Cornville, Arizona, where I’ll visit with another friend, then head for home.

I’ll be doing a little backtracking, but not very much. it’s basically one big loop.

Google says it’s 10,700 miles, but it will be more; just as they say it’ll take 184 hours. That only applies if you travel at the speed limit and never get a red light. I figure it’ll take me about a month. It’s going to be one hell of a ride - the Ride of a Lifetime.

Now, I think I’ll try to get a little more sleep.

[sprink]

Picked up "Ghost Rider" by Neil Peart to read while I sit around. Just read about the northern parts of your route yesterday. Screwloose Dan did some form of it quite a few years ago on a sportster. Sounds like quite a ride. Looking forward to more planning and then the stories!

[Crusty]

Winds of Change



I learned to ride motorcycles in the late 60s. I had friends like John Annal and Joe Hardy who had bought basket case Indian Chiefs and were riding them around. John had a ’48 and Joe had a ’47. At that time, you could get a basket case for $50.00 or an assembled running Chief for $200.00. Being broke teenagers, we settled for cheap.

I went with John down to Lucky Thiebault’s (pronounced T-Bolt) place, one day. John was buying an old mouse trap so that he could convert his bike to a foot shift/hand clutch setup.

Lucky was an interesting character. Two things stand out in my memory. First, he hated dogs that chased motorcycles. He had a scabbard on the front forks of his bike that held a baseball bat he also had copies of the Massachusetts law saying it was legal to kill any animal who attacked you on a bike. Second, he felt that motorcycle evolution stopped with Flat head engines. He didn’t like overhead valves.

I’ve noticed that Harley riders, in general have leanings in that direction. They don’t like changes. When the MoFoCo introduced the new Sportster Frame on the XLCR, then extended that to all the Sportsters in 1979, Harley riders didn’t like the change. I heard comments like, “It makes the bike look Japanese.”

In 1983, the XR 1000 debuted, and I heard more negative comments. I remember one biker I was talking to at a Stealership telling me that his Sportster was making 90 Horsepower (it was built); why should he consider getting an XR?

Then came the Evolution Engines. First, the Big Twins, then the 883 followed a couple of months later by the 1100. More negative comments, but fewer in number, as Harleys were becoming popular and the new bikes didn’t break like the older bikes did.

Then Erik Buell came along and showed how to get almost double the Horsepower and torque reliably out of a Sportster engine while making it handle and stop an order of magnitude better.

The traditionalist H-D folks hated Buells. The idea that a Harley could actually go, handle and stop was sacrilege. besides, they looked funny. A bike made with an S&S engine, a Drag Specialties frame and having not one component made by HDI was perfectly acceptable as a Harley, but a Buell Thunderbolt, made by a company owned by the MoFoCo using parts manufactured by the MoFoCo was to be sneered at. Buells were generally looked down on by many of the H-D faithful and the majority of Stealerships.

Now, Harley has come out with new models. Everybody mocked the Pan America until all the BMW riders started getting rid of their Bavarian Blimps and buying every Pan Am the MoFoCo built. Nobody likes the Sportster S (Including me) and people are quick to dump on the new Nightster. “It ain’t a real Harley!”, “It looks like a Jap bike!”

On Badweb, there are many Harley haters. They can’t forget that Jackass Wandell killed Buell. (I find it interesting that they see nothing wrong with the way Polaris killed Victory; which to me was a very similar action) The haters will find nothing good about the new Harleys. Personally, I’m hoping that the MoFoCo does bring the Bronx out. It looks like a bike that I might want.

On the XL Forum, as well, there are many who are quick to denigrate the new bikes. They aren’t pushrod engines and they’re water cooled. Harleys ain’t supposed to be water cooled! “The new Nightster looks like a bad Japanese copy of a Harley!”

It feels like I’m back in 1969 in Brockton, Massachusetts at Lucky Thiebault’s shop listening to him expound on why Flatheads were the pinnacle of motorcycle engineering.

So far, none of the new bikes meets my needs, though the Pan America comes closer than the other two. The Bronx, however looks like something that might just fit my needs. I plan to take a demo ride on all of them before I pass final judgement. Maybe the Spurtster S will capture my heart. I’d give long odds against that, but until I ride one, I just don’t know. Maybe the Pan American will speak to me. I’m impressed enough with what I’ve read and seen in person, that it has a real possibility. And I even like the new Nightster, in spite of some flaws in its design (for my wants).

I won’t badmouth them until I ride them. It was a Demo ride that made me fall in love with Buells. And it was a Demo Ride that hooked me on a new Roadster. And it was a Demo ride that made me realize that a Triumph was the wrong bike for me, back in 1996.

I do get tired of all the blind hate, though.

[sportsterpaul]

Amen John, I’m with you. I keep an open mind although a narrow one, ha!

[Crusty]

Summer Plans


For a low profile summer, I think it’s going to be a fairly busy season for me.

In the near future (like this weekend) I’m going to meet Joe (Gravydog) somewhere for lunch. He’s been traveling with his family out west to places like Utah, Colorado and Yellowstone Park. He’s planning to be home this Thursday and wants to meet for lunch on Sunday. We’ll figure out where on Friday.

The Docking Kit for my new windshield is “In Transit” but it’s scheduled to be delivered on Thursday. I’ll change out the fork oil when I’m installing the kit, since I’ll have to pull the fork legs to put the docking hardware on. I’m still amazed that I got the windshield for only $30.00.

Next on the agenda is to go up to Dark Horse and pick up my engine. It should be ready by the end of this month. That gives me plenty of time to get the gentleman’s Express back together and to break in the new engine before my month of travel in August.

August is when I plan to put in some miles. The Tramp side of my nature is going to be catered to. I’m going to ride up to Taxachusetts and visit. I want to try to get in a ride around the Quabbin Reservoir with Ernie and Kathryn. I spent a bit of time on Google maps and I’ve got a good secondary roads route planned. I went on the XL Forum and asked folks about recommended BBQ joints and Mike from Long Island responded with a few suggestions. Google says it’s a 4 hour ride, which means (with stops) it’ll be an all day ride through some very beautiful country. The fact that all three of us will be on Sportsters just makes it a little sweeter.

I’m also planning to go by the Shop and see everybody there. The shop always feels like home to me and I really enjoy seeing everybody there. I’ve been doing business with the shop since 1972. It’s gone through three locations and a name change, but it’s still one of the best places I know to experience what an “Old Time” shop is like. I have decades of stories and many good memories about the place and the people.

When I leave Mass., Kathryn will be riding along side of me. We’ll head to Cheviot and spend a couple of days. David loves playing Tour Guide and we’ll hopefully show Kathryn some of the high points of Cincinnati. Jungle Jim’s, Skyline Chili, the Mushroom House, Aglamesis Brothers Ice Cream Shoppe, the Spaceship House (actually in Newport, Kentucky) and crossing the Ohio River on the Anderson Ferry.

Then, we’ll pack the bikes with camping gear and head for the WVBR. It’s one of the highlights of the year. It’s always a Good Time in a beautiful part of the Country with really Good People After the Rally, I’ll ride back to Taxachusetts with Kathryn. Then, I’ll head for the Springfield, Mile over Labor Day weekend.

When I write it down like this, it really doesn’t look that Laid Back. It does look like a hell of a lot of fun, though. And I’ve left out a whole lot of “Minor” details.

One thing is certain; I won’t be bored.

[sportsterpaul]

Good for you John, glad some has got solid plans! Maybe Greg and I will be doing the WVBR?

[Crusty]

Riding To A Meet&Eat


Yesterday, I rode to the Millstone BBQ in Logan, OH to meet with Joe and Brian for lunch. Joe just spent a few weeks traveling with his wife, daughter and dog towing a camper to some really beautiful parts of the country and I wanted to hear about his trip. I also brought a bunch of parts that I’ve been wanting to give him for a while.

For Meet&Eats, I’ve developed a pattern. On the ride to a new location, I usually take the quickest route. That most often means taking the Interstate. But on the way home, I ride secondary roads. That way, I get to see some of the more beautiful areas of the state.

As I was riding up I-71, I was struck by all the green. New crops were growing and the land that has been brown since last fall is now lush and vibrant. It looked especially beautiful.

The other thing that struck me is how much engine noise the windshield reflects to my ears. The Cussed'em ran fine, but I could hear all kinds of taps, rattles and hisses from the engine. If I kept my face shield closed, the helmet blocked most of the noise, but when it was open to let some air flow through, the sounds were loud. I remember when I was riding my old Shovelhead up in Maine and didn’t have to wear a helmet. The first few rides had me wondering if the engine was about to self-destruct. Then I got used to the sound and it didn’t bother me. I hope this is a parallel situation. Although I don’t recall hearing this much noise from the Roadster which had a similar windshield.

On the more positive side, the windshield made the ride a lot less tiring and my neck and shoulders weren’t nearly as sore as they have been after similar rides.

I got to the Millstone very early and waited around for a while. Once again, it was the first time I’d been there and I didn’t want to be late. I could smell the BBQ from the parking lot and it smelled really good. Joe showed up first and we transferred the boxes of parts to his bike and he got them strapped down securely. Then Brian arrived and we went inside. While the three of us were talking in the parking lot, a group of bikers came out and told us that there was a 45 minute wait for a table. However; they had arrived at the peak of the lunch rush. When we went in, we were told it was about a 20 minute wait; then we were seated in less than 5 minutes.

The three of us all ordered different items. I got a Half Rack of ribs with two sides of BBQ baked beans. Joe also got an appetizer of bacon wrapped burnt ends, which he shared with us. My opinion of what I ate was that it was good, but not great. I’ve been spoiled by Velvet Smoke The burnt ends were nowhere near as good as VSs, in spite of being wrapped in bacon. The ribs were good; but not even close to the ribs from VS. And the price of an equal dinner from Velvet Smoke is a whole lot less. Still; I would go back. I just think I’m fortunate to live only 4 miles from the best BBQ joint anywhere (In My Opinion).

After we ate, the three of us rode through the Hocking Hills on wonderful back roads to Ash Cave. It’s an enormous cutout in rock with a neat waterfall. We walked up the path to the cave and shot the breeze for a while. The whole Hocking Hills area is just flat beautiful. It was a worthwhile place to stop and see some of Ohio’s natural beauty. The longer I live here, the more I find to like.

After that, Joe turned towards the east and Brian and I turned west. Brian and I rode together until our paths diverged and he went northwest toward Prospect and I went southwest toward Cincinnati. I went south to Chilicothe and picked up US Rt. 50 west and rode that into the city.

I got home around 7:00 PM. It was a great ride and I met up with good friends and had really good conversation with them both. And I got to see something I didn’t even know existed! I can’t think of a better way to spend a day.

[sportsterpaul]

Thanks for sharing, glad it was good all around!