Greatest Arby's Ever...

Riding south on Rt. 1 towards Richmond I stopped at an Arby's for lunch. This could be the fanciest Arby's on the planet.

When I went inside it was "WOW". It looks like a high end steak house.

Classical music playing, an expanded menu including rotisserie chicken, fresh veggies and a complete vegetarian menu.

The decor was cool, fireplace, high ceilings, high back chairs, condiments on each table including pepper grinders.

Backroads History Tour

Nothing special planned for today. I ended up riding about 150 miles of backroads and stopping at every road side historical marker.

There are a lot of markers in the Fredericksburg - Caroline & Spotsylvania area.

I found the remains of the Garrett House where John Wilkes Booth was killed. It's actually in the median of the road divider but all that's there are a couple of large foundation rocks.

Virginia HD Tour stamp #2

It was cloudy & cool this morning. Looked like rain was on the way but I headed out to Winchester any way.

By the time I arrived at Grove's HD to get my passport stamped it cleared up and warmed up nicely.

I rode Skyline Drive from Front Royal to the Sperryville exit for the ride home.

Best Week Ever & it's not done yet!

It's been sunny & warm all week. Leaving for work sometimes several hours early to take the long way in.

Today I stopped by Carl's for a Cherry Slush Float.

Forecast for great weather all weekend. The plan for tomorrow is to ride to Winchester & get my HD tour stamp and then ride Skyline south to Sperryville and end up passing through Culpeper on the way home.

Hopefully The Stable will be open.

16 more to go...

I picked up my Virginia HD Tour passport today and East Coast was my first stamp.

16 more dealerships to visit before the end of Summer.

Lookin' Good...

Nothing special about today's post. Just a new pic of the Sporty...

Cloudy & Warm ...

The sun wasn't out as much today but it was just as warm. I didn't venture out as far today. Rode though the back roads of Spotsy county.

Spring 2010

The warm weather broke so it was time for a day ride. 70's in the valley but at altitude it was still a little chilly. Snow was still on the sides of the road on Skyline...

The Time is Here...

Winter has finally wandered off and the trees are just starting to turn green. It's warm & sunny this week. I began riding to work again.

Tomorrow's forecast is calling for 75 & sunny. It's looking like an all day ride tomorrow.

Step 3 complete...

Day three of ridin' is complete. Headed down to Orang for a visit to Waugh's HD to pick up my reward points card & a new wallet.

Step 2 Complete

Another sweet day. Got out for about 125 miles plenty of backroad twisty ridin'.

3 Day Weekend

Sunny and warm for the next three days.

Step 1 - get the Sporty inspected.

Step 2 - do some ridin' Sunday.

Step 3 - Monday ride to somewhere.

Sunny & Cool...

The sun came out today & warmed the day up enough to get out and do some ridin'.

Hopefully tomorrow I can do it all over again.

Had to ride today

Yesterday was a day of shoveling the rest of the snow off the driveway I decided to reward myself with a ride around town.

It was a sunny & warm day for a ride, keeping an eye out for sand on the roads left over from all the snow.

I stopped at Smokey Bones for some BBQ baby back ribs.

So I finished a great lunch and as I'm getting ready to leave a passing waiter with a try full of water glassed loses it and a full glass of ice water dumps in to my helmet that was sitting upside down on a chair next to me.

I may have blurted out "Fuck" & "Cock Sucker" really loud at first but it was such a one in a million shot it was kinda funny. (I may have offended a few after church patrons) After the initial outburst I calmed down quickly and started laughing a little. It was a bolt out of the blue to remind that shit happens sometimes.

The staff was really cool about it. They quickly brought out a lot of towels so I could dry out the inside of my helmet. I had already paid for my meal but the manager insisted I get a refund. (I was adamant about wanting to pay. The meal & service was great) I did make sure the waiter got his full tip.

I also received a $25 gift card for for it all which was a total surprise.

Sometimes a little disaster works out just fine.

No Ridin' this weekend

Apparently the end of the world hit the 'Burg this weekend. It was close, record snows and about 2' here.

So, I guess it will be a few days before I get another chance to ride.

Winter Boredom... Sporty Slide Show

More snow this past weekend. Sitting around bored next thing you know I'm making a slide show...

Springtime in January

Cold on Saturday, cold & rain on Sunday, rain Monday morning. But by noon it was sunny & warm.

Had a great day riding around the 'Burg & running errands.

Got a little scare when making a hard right turn I scraped the bottom pipe of my new exhaust on the pavement. I'm sure that won't be the last time that happens.

D.C. Bike Show

Ken & I went to the International Motorcycle Show in D.C. and it took more than 2 hours to see all the bikes and anything associated with bikes.

After the show lunch at Hooters. No members of Congress were there.

First Fire...

The new Big Growl Down & Outs are installed and today was the first start up to make sure everything is on right.

Got 'em on...

It took me a couple of hours to get the new Big Growl Down & Outs on. They fit great, went on easy and look great.

Hopefully it will warm enough so I can take her out, start her up and make sure everything is right.

Happy Birthday to me...

My new exhaust pipes arrived today. The only good thing about the freezing cold temps is I have plenty of time to get these on without worrying about losing ridin' time.

Winter Ride

What a difference a week makes. Last weekend snowed in under 15". But the roads are clear, yesterdays rain cleaned off the road sand and it's warm enough to ride.

Got my new side mount solo bag mounted & it looks great....

December weather...

Three straight weekends in November with warm riding came to an abrupt end with a heavy wet snowfall.

I guess this gives me time to change the oil and other tinkering that the Sporty needs.

One Fine Day...

Late November and it's 65.

A perfect day for a ride through local Battlefield parks. Spotsy Courthouse battlefield was a great place for an afternoon ride.

Gettin' Cooler...

The weekend weather is stayin' nice so after I replaced the front brake pads on my truck the reward was an afternoon ride.

It was a little cooler but still clear & crisp. A lot of bikes out today.

74 & Sunny...

Three days of grey, cold, rainy & mostly sucky weather and today the sun came out and warmed everything up for a sweet late November ride.

So I headed out and by the end of the day racked up about 175 miles.

Days like this is the reason you don't pack up the Sporty for the winter.

70 & Sunny...

I still had to work today but it was such a great November day I decided to take the very long way in. Headed east on some backroads and before I made it Back to the 'Burg 75 miles had gone by.

I stopped by Famous Dave's for some BBQ and then headed in to work.

Lee Drive...

It was such a clear & cool day I decided to take a long way to work & ride my favorite road in Fredericksburg.

Lee Drive...

Winter's settin' in...

This years riding season is just about over. Cold, rainy & windy are not my favorite elements to ride in. But, if it's sunny I'll be riding to work.








I figured out a creative way (I think it's creative) to cover the cutout for the rear fender turn signal posts.

I made a cover out of sheet metal and attached my old tank emblems.

Fall Colors Ride

Another great day to hit the mountains and check out the fall colors. It's not the peak of the season yet but it was very nice.

It was just cool enough to make it another perfect ride

Fall = Perfect Riding

Sporty's runnin' great so it was time to hit Skyline and enjoy a perfect day...

I am complete again...

My Baby came back from the shop today and the universe makes sense again.

Just in time for the perfect Fall weather.

The trees are just starting to turn and the mountains should be a blast of colors for the next few weeks.

New Front Wheel

Before I finally broke down and took my baby to the shop to get the primary fixed I got a great deal on a 21" American Wire 80 spoke chrome front wheel.

Hopefully she will be home before the fall colors break out in the mountains.

The Culprit...

Here it is. This is what a burned out throw out bearing looks like.

Now comes the majority of the work. Taking the clutch completely apart to clean all the particles of metal that used to be the bearing case.

Trudging along...

I started on the tear down & removed the primary cover. So far the only damage is the burned out bearing.

Next step is the clutch basket removal.

Replacement parts won't be in til next week so I have plenty of time to get it ready.

Ready for Sugery

The new parts will be arriving next week. So I have her up on the lift ready.

I will be taking the primary cover off soon and start breaking down the clutch.

Down for the count...

The clutch decided to stop working yesterday. I thought it was a broken clutch cable.

Further inspection turns up that it is the clutch throwout bearing.

Rain, Rain, Rain...

Sunny & mild all week long and planned a sweet 350 mile ride. But rain and heavy overcast clouds ruined that plan.

I could go in the rain but it just makes it miserable. Besides I don't want to have to clean & polish for 8 hours after the ride is over.

Sunny day in the Mountains

With all the rain and thunderstorms when the skies cleared a ride in the Shenandoah Mountains along Skyline Drive seemed like a great idea.

Even though it was low 90's in the valley by the time you're on the drive it was put on a jacket time.

The day was perfect, lots of sun, cool air up high & a lot of bikes.

Takin' the long way home...

If you are not in a hurry to get home the Blue Ridge Parkway is the road you should travel. Sweeping curves, magnificent vistas and a relaxed pace make it one of the great journeys.

Weekend Dragon Ride

Tail of the Dragon / Cherohala Skyway video

U.S. 129 south / Robbinsville, N.C. video

3 days 'bout 1500 total miles. Caught in a hard downpour on the Asheville mountain overpass, neck, legs & hands aching but it was all worth it.

I rode more mountain twisty roads than ever before. The Dragon, Cherohala Skyway, US 129 south & Blue Ridge Parkway.

(notice the GoPro mounted on my helmet. That's how the video is taken.)

Packed & Ready...

Dragon ride is 3 days and counting. The weather is sketchy at best but I'm ready to go.

Some Gave All

Nicholas Mason & Josh Frazier are 2 of Fredericksburg's soldiers that gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

The Frazier-Mason Some Gave All ride is a way to honor their memory and help other soldiers. 

About 1000 motorcycle riders showed up for today's ride to honor our Fredericksburg area soldiers killed in Iraq.

Rolling THunder XXII

It was a great day to visit the Nation's Capitol and pay our respects to out Veterans. 

I placed my tribute to my uncle at the WWII Virginia monument and Ken made his way through the Vietnam memorial.

Rolling Thunder XXII video