Getting ready for the Dragon

It's about a month to the Dragon run & Rolling Thunder XXII is coming up so I needed to put a new set of shoes on my ride.

The Avon Venoms are good tires that stick well but my style of riding flattens them out. So this time I'm trying Continental high mileage.

Backroads Tour

Mid-90's today and we went on a tour of the local backroads through Warrenton, Culpeper, Orange & Thornburg. The big disappointment of the day was I finally get R.D. to The Stable for a great sandwich & big surprise it was closed. 

I was all ready for a great "Robert E. Lee". That sucked.

But it was a great day and a great ride.

It's a Good Day to Ride...

 

Ken & I took advantage of the perfect weather to enjoy our favorite ride. What else, but Skyline Drive. 

The only snag was having to bleed Ken's rear brake in Front Royal.

The payoff was lunch at The Stable in Culpeper. An added bonus was a free appetizer of BBQ that the owner was giving out to get an opinion. It was the perfect blend of Memphis & Virginia styles. The pulled pork & their delicious cole slaw and I will have a hard time on what to order next time.

Check out the video of today's ride. I'm still learning how to edit the sound.

Ride through the 'Burg (video)

I didn't feel like sitting in my room watching TV waiting to go to work. The weather was great and I feel like ridin'. I figured I'd get some practice with my GoPro. So here's a little video of River Rd. and Downtown Fredericksburg.

The video has no sound this time. I'm still learning and for some reason when the camera is mounted on the bars or near the motor the vibration makes a loud annoying sound.

GoPro Video Camera

So I bought a GoPro Motorsports Wide video camera. It arrived last Friday and had the opportunity to use it the next day. Right out of the box it worked great.

I did learn that if you mount it to the handle bars the camera rattles inside the protective case. I had to make a wrap for the camera from an old fleece jacket to fix that problem.

The files worked fine in iMovie and it took about an hour to edit the raw video down to about 15 minutes.




Near the end of the video is when the wild grouse flew right at my face. I ducked just in time and the tail feathers brushed my helmet visor.

I'm really going to have some fun with this, I can't wait for the Dragon Run in June.

Good Day, Bad Day

R.D., Andy & I went out for a great ride through the backroad twisties around Manassas & Stafford. Had a great lunch and the weather was perfect.

The bad part. Stopped to fill-up and on the way to Andy's start smelling a strong odor of gas. I look down and no cap, gas flowing down the tank and all over me.

Luckily Whitt's HD was open today and was able to get a new cap.

Met another XLF'er today

Met up with Kristin from N.J. (near Philly) Although I slept through my alarm I managed to get there not too late.

I took her on a tour of some good Virgina back roads. VA 688 through Orlean & Hume was a great ride. 

There was even enough daylight to ride a few mile on Skyline Drive to get some mountain views.

The exciting part of the ride was dodging a wild Grouse that flew right at me. I ducked just enough the tail feathers just brushed my visor. 

A cold ride & breakdown scare

It was supposed to be mid-50's but when the clouds came out the temps dropped. But I still went to Waugh's and back.

Back in the 'Burg I stopped for some lunch and started up for the short ride home and she sputtered out and wouldn't start back up.

The problem was almost too simple. The vacum tube for the fuel petcock had come off and the carb was bone dry. I was able to squeeze my chunky fingers in just enough to get the tube back on and she started right up. 

Tonight's project: trim the worn end of the petcock vacum tube so it fits nice & snug.

Lunch Ride part 2

Yesterday was such a great ride. We decided to do it again. This time after a nice ride we ended up in the 'Burg at Buffalo Wild Wings for some great burgers.

Lunch Ride

Ken & I took advantage of the 70+ temp today and rode about 100 miles. We started out going to Culpeper, VA to stop by a great sandwich shop called The Stable. Anyone that is going through there should stop by, you won't be disappointed.

Then we took a wrong turn but ended up in Orange and stopped by the local Harley dealership and took a break before heading home.

Before & After...

Now that the front is riding better it's time for it to look better.

I finally got off my ass and cleaned up the downtubes. It's not a perfect shine yet. But it will get there.

It's still 1000x better than it was.

Pretty much done now...

I'm getting just about everything done now. Progressive 812's on the back and now Progressive springs in the forks.

The test ride was amazing. The improvement on the handling, braking and ride are like night & day.

I can't wait for spring to get here for some longer rides.

Bike Expo in the 'Burg

Today I met up with R.D. & Jr., Ken, Andy & John for the Fredericksburg Motorcycle Expo.

I met Dave Perewitz and got his autograph on my helmet.

For a February day it was pretty good riding weather. 

It's all better now...

She's back from the shop and even though the wind was very gusty I wandered around for about 50 miles before heading home to get ready for work.

She's gettin' all better now

With all the tinkering, wishful thinking it turned out to be the stator. It was burned up nice & dark (as you can see) everything else is fine and she should be up and running very soon.

Taking her to the Shop...

Well, I guess I'll never be good working on electrical systems. I was hoping to stumble across the problem and get it fixed. But, riding season is coming up and I have 2 long rides planned. Nothing sucks worse than breaking down 600 miles from home.

So I took her to a mechanic today to get her fixed right.

Mid-Winter Blues

There's been a few mild days fit for winter rides but I wouldn't know because I'm still trying to figure out this electrical/no-spark problem.

I'm runnin' out of time, It's looking like I'll need the help of a pro to get this fixed.

October Solo Ride

I woke up late and decided to go for a ride. The skies were crystal clear blue, the air was crisp.

I ended up riding about 200 miles. Every mile better than the last.

Another Perfect Day

The summer heat is beginning to break. It was almost cool enough to put on a jacket.

About 250 miles today and going for another ride tomorrow.

Mid-Summer Skyline Ride

Hit Skyline again with Ken and had a great ride. I never get tired of ridin' in the mountains. It was hot in the valley but what a great pay off when you get up in the mountains and that cool air kicks in.

The bright spot of ride was stopping by "The Stable" in Culpeper for the best sub sandwich I've had in years. I highly recommend stopping by.

"I'm on Vacation!"

Despite having to work on Friday and the weather sucked a little on Saturday. I finally hit the road today. Hitting the mountains at Waynesboro I rode south on the BRP for about 50 miles and then turned back north. Rode the southern end of Skyline.

3rd Annual Skyline Drive Cookout

It was supposed to rain in the afternoon, but we headed out to the mountains anyway. Every now and then the clouds would show up then the sky would turn blue and the sun stayed out for a perfect day.

R.D. brought Roma Jr. along for his first ride and it was a good day to join in. Gourmet burgers, BBQ chicken & hot dogs hot off the grill, slaw, tater salad & fresh watermelon made it a great lunch. (I must say I'm a great grill cook)

So much delicious food it was tempting to take a nap in the cooler temps. This one topped the list of one of my favorite rides.

Frazier-Mason

It was a scorcher! Topping 100 today in the 'Burg. But still many hundreds of riders showed to honor the memory of our local fallen soldiers.

Rolling Thunder XXI

It couldn't have been a more perfect day to ride up to D.C. for Rolling Thunder XXI. This year riders from the XLF & BHO met up for a great day.

I only took one wrong turn on the way up and everything went great. If you ever get the chance I highly recommend it. The constant rumble of so many bikes is amazing.

Seeing so many veterans really makes you appreciate what they did to protect our country.

Outer Banks Bike Week

Three days of perfect weather on the Outer Banks for my first visit to the area.

Toured the area to check out the Light Houses, Wright Brothers Memorial and Bike Week events.

The ride home kinda sucked with the cooler temps and rain. But the luck held up. The rain never feel hard mostly mist & scattered drops.

D.C. field trip

The weather didn't exactly cooperate but it was good enough for a quick ride to D.C. and a tour of the National Air & Space Museum...

It was cool but comfortable in the morning. But the temps dropped a little and threatened rain on the way home.

The 5 Guys burgers on the way home was a great way to end the ride.

Freezin' in the Mountians

I took XLF members Dan from PA and Rene visiting from Cali on a tour of the Virginia mountians. It was 70 yesterday but mid 50's today and high-40's on Skyline. But it was still fun. (Except the early morning ride that taught me my low temp long ride breaking point.

Early Spring Ride

Early Spring Ride
Originally uploaded by flskevin

Mid-50's yesterday and rode about 40 miles to set the carb rebuild. It was over 60 today so I ended up riding about 100 miles today to get ready for the up coming season.

Lots of good rides planned early. Rolling Thunder XXI & Outer Banks Bike Week.

Warm weather on the way

It was cold and rainy last week so I decided to rebuild the carb and do some tinkering. Trying to get it ready for the '08 season. This Sunday is supposed to be 60 so I guess that's when I'll set the idle and go for a test ride.

Winter Sucks!

Except for a few day last month the winter riding days have been few and far between. Where's all this global warming?

This spring the plan is to ride down to Kill Devil Hills, NC and ride the outer banks.

Smoothin' out the ride

This winter's project was improving the sporty's ride. So I went with the best and installed new Progresssive 812's.

The improved ride is amazing! If I had known they rode this smooth I would have done this years ago.

Late Fall Ride

Fall Ride
Originally uploaded by flskevin

Ken & I head out for ride north in to the mountians. The very cold morning paid off to be a great day. Except for the 30 minute wait at the Front Royal KFC it couldn't have been a better ride.

Fall Color Ride

Fall Color Ride
Originally uploaded by flskevin

We went on our fall color ride today. THe weather was perfect but drought conditions and warm temps only about 1/2 of the trees have started to turn.

But it was a great day wth a lot of bikes out on the road today.

October Clear Skies

October Clear Skies
Originally uploaded by flskevin

Clear Skies, warm weather & open roads leads me to ride the mountians again. The leaves are just starting to turn. Bright reds, yellows and orange contrasting off the green made this a sweet ride.

Clear Skies, Cool Air

Clear Skies, Cool Air
Originally uploaded by flskevin

Fall is on the way. The air is getting a little crisp & cool which makes the riding perfect. A beatiful clear blue sky made it a great day to explore local back roads.

Perfect Day, Perfect Ride...

Perfect Day, Perfect Ride...
Originally uploaded by flskevin

Perfect September weather was just the beginning. After a month long down time replacing his tank R.D. was eager to join me on a easy going ride through the mountians.

Everything was perfect, the weather, the pace, even lunch was good.

R.D.'s #1

RD's
Originally uploaded by flskevin

The plan was to hit Skyline for our cookout. Things just didn't click. R.D.'s tank sprung a leak so he couldn't make it and the weather looked like rain.
So we decided to get lost on a few back roads and ended up at Vereran's park in Woodbridge and fired up the grill fo some burgers & dogs.
It turned out to be a good decision, heavy storms and lightning hit the are around the time we usually are heading home.

Skyline 777

Skyline 777
Originally uploaded by flskevin

90+ degrees today so we head up to our favorite ride. Once we get in to the mountians the AC kicks in and it gets even better.

Next ride will be our 2nd annual Skyline cookout.

Blue Ridge Parkway

Blue Ridge Parkway
Originally uploaded by flskevin

I get on the BRP north of Asheville N.C. and it is a great road to ride. Light traffic and easy going scenery. After a while we end up in the mountians and before long you are actually ridiing through the clouds. 90+ degrees for the forcast but along the parkway a comfortable cool that my light jacket is perfect for.

About 200 miles of riding ended up past the Virginia state line and the connection to the interstate for the ride to get home before dark. (and beat the rain)

I highy recommend to anyone to ride the BRP if you get the chance.

Day two on the Dragon

Day two on the Dragon
Originally uploaded by flskevin

Since I had at least 550 miles ahead of me for the ride home it was going to be a short day.

So we rode the Dragon north and stopped and took a break then rode the Dragon back the other way. Riding the Dragon south is very different from riding 129 north.

We ended up riding for about 4 hours which was perfect for a long relaxing evening.

Day one on the Dragon

Day one on the Dragon
Originally uploaded by flskevin

Hit Robbinsville early with plenty of time to relax and rest up for the riding ahead. Fourteen riders joined in on the ride. THe Dragon is as challenging as ever a road I have been on. I'm sure I only got to 3rd gear a few times.

We rode the "loop" today. Starting out on 129 north and ending up on the Cherohala Skyway back to Robbinsville. It was about 150 miles of some of the twistiest road I could ever imagine.

Road trip to Robbinsville

Road trip to Robbinsville
Originally uploaded by flskevin

The ride down to Robbinsville went smooth. It took us about 12 hours stopping for a lot of breaks and a long lunch. We even stopped by Ghost Town HD in North Carolina.

We arrived just in time. The riders we were meeting had just got back from a beer run. We were staying in a dry county and it's 30 miles to the closest beer.

Frazier-Mason Memorial ride

Frazier-Mason Memorial ride
Originally uploaded by flskevin

One of my co-workers lost her son in Iraq earlier this year. I have had a few friends wounded and one killed. So when I heard that a Memorial Ride was planned I was all over it.

The event honored Army Sgt. Nicholas Mason and Marine Sgt. Joshua Frazier, both of whom died serving in Iraq. It benefited scholarship funds in each of the soldiers' names. Over 500 bikers showed up.

If you get the chance to help a local vet, please do. It doesn't matter if you agree with the war or not. These soldiers have volunteered to serve and every little bit can help.

One way to help is to visit www.AnySoldier.com

Getting ready for the Dragon

A big ride is coming up. In 2 weeks I will be riding to Robbinsville, NC to ride the Tail of the Dragon. US 129 has 318 curves in just 11 miles. The #1 motorcycle in the country. The best part is there are about 15 XL Forum riders coming in from all over for this one.

Basically I'm checking everything on the bike & getting all the stuff I need to pack and psyching myself up for a great ride.

Rolling Thunder XX

Rolling Thunder XX
Originally uploaded by flskevin

We had a great ride with a couple of thousand fellow riders out of Dumfries and made our way up to D.C. for Rolling Thunder XX. I can't imagine a better way to celebrate our fighting men & women and remember all those who have not come home yet.

Skyline Drive May 2007

Skyline Drive May 2007
Originally uploaded by flskevin

It took us a while to get back on the road. But perfect weather and Skyline was callin'. So 6 of us took off for our first ride of the season.

Lots of bikes were on the road. Rolling Thunder is tomorrow and tens of thousands of bikers will be descending on the area.

USMC Museum

USMC Museum
Originally uploaded by flskevin.

On a perfect day we began the 2007 riding season with a trip to the USMC Museum. It was just the right ride to get back on to the road. The museum is a must see if you are in the area.

New life for my Sundowner

New life for my Sundowner
Originally uploaded by flskevin.

Well, it's been more than a month since my last ride. In the interim I decided to reshape & recover my sundowner seat.

Today was sunny & about 50 so it was time to go for a ride and test out that seat. More than 75 miles and the seat felt great!

It's a good thing I was able to ride today.

It started snowing tonight.

That Gopher better be right!

If Puxatawney Phil is correct and winter is going to be short it can't be soon enough for me. After the slush & snow finally melted this week the weekend is looking promising for a ride. Hopefully a ride to Waugh's Saturday will shake the withdrawls.

Christmas came early

Christmas Eve the temps reached mid-60's so I gave myself a gift of a 50 mile ride through the Spotsy backroads.

Appomattox Courthouse Ride

I don't know if it's global warming but the unusually warm day was perfect for riding. Gary & Jeff joined up for a ride through Louisa to Appomattox Courthouse. The all day ride took us on a 275 mile circuit back home.

I would be willing to sacrifice the planet's future for more winter days like this. It's not like I have any kids to worry about it!

Turkey Weekend Ride

Turkey Weekend Ride
Originally uploaded by flskevin.

Almost 70 and sunny late fall? Sounds like a day to ride. The morning was pretty cool but bundle up until the temps rise and it was fine. We wandered through Northern Virginia until we ended up in Point of Rock, MD. Took some twisty back roads over to Hampton Roads and worked our way through some mountian roads the Charles Town, WV. Then we made our way back home. A three state tour was just what I needed. Since winter is setting in and this may be the last one til spring.

Veteran's Day '06

Veteran's Day '06
Originally uploaded by flskevin.

Robert & I rode up to D.C for Veteran's Day. 75 & sunny mid-November and a great day honoring the veterans.

November 5th Skyline Ride

November 11th Skyline Ride
Originally uploaded by flskevin.

The November weather has been good for riding. A little cool but not too bad. Gary & I decided to head north on Skyline to Front Royal. The sun broke early and it turned in to a great day.