Ride to meeting

[MrE]

I rode up to Speed's Cycles for the club meeting yesterday. Met Hollywood. Was pretty windy but not too bad. Speed's new shop is a lot nicer than the old one. Right on the main drag in Elkridge.

Took the interstates up there from Hamilton since I had to be at the BOD meeting early. Tried to take backroads home. Managed to avoid the interstates and had a good ride even though I stayed on main roads. Can't really remember what roads I was on, other than taking 108 to 32 to 144. Was on 80 and 85 at other times. Just sort of zig zagged across. It was pretty hard with no map and not having the sun as a reference. I am usually really good about being able to follow my nose, but I got turned around since one little road that I was on was closed due to a tree blowing down. But I made it home in time for some soup and a nap.

Enough rambling and avoiding work... Got too much to do.
mikeout...

[Banshee]

bikeride, soup, and a nap - sounds like an excellent day to me!

I freaking love soup!

-banshee

[Sonar]

Too bad we didn't get to meet; it was my first meeting and I don't recall anyone wearing a red helmet at the tire repair lecture. Did you notice that Harley of Maryland (Elkridge) looked like a "ghost town" Sunday afternoon? Not to disparage my Harley Riding Brethren, which I would probably still be if not for a "Poser salesman" with a dyed black Conway Twitty hairdo", at this particular dealership, who blew me off like a fly rather than a returning customer wishing to drop 25K on a new Ultra Classic. Oh well, after one test ride, I realized that Harleys are more attitude and artwork than engineering marvels and they would have to wait many a year before I was old enough to ride one of their machines.
There I go ranting like a jilted lover. Truth is, I got tired of the guys with the 5-old-old motorcycles who had more chaffing on the thighs of their chaps from walking around in them after they trailered their bike to some rally rather than wearing the seat of their jeans out, God forbid, riding it there.
Let me stoop before I start to get personal.

[MrE]

Now the VRod is a pretty technologically advanced machine/engineering marvel. At least that is what some folks that I know and trust have told me. One friend said that if "they" put the VRod motor into a Sport Touring chasis, everyone would be playing catch-up.

My Harley experience is a ride around the block on a brand new sportster and a ride around a different block on a Buell. Both vibrated the heck out of me and I was impressed with neither. But I can see why the women like riding on the back.

I haven't personally had the opportunity to ride a VRod but I have been told to jump at the opportunity if it is presented. Not as much for the bike but for the engine.

Oh, and I have a white helmet now. The red one is dead (just got old and then got moldy in the basement). That picture by the way was taken on the way back from the AMA Superbike races at Mid-Ohio a few years ago. I was cruising at about +20, trying to keep up with an RT using a Valentine-1, and I snapped the self portrait with a disposable camera. Not bad camera work if I do say so myself. Do not try this at home.

FWIW.

[JimVonBaden]

I rode over to the meeting too, on the yellow K75S. It rained from the moment I left Occoquan until I got to Speeds. I took 95 to 270, big mistake as the road was a mess and busy too. Then I took 495 briefly to 95 again ond on into speeds off 195.

Good meeting, Anton really knows how to do a tech show and tell, even if it was just patching a tire. I loved the humor, BMW riders are definitely a notch above the rest.

The ride back was nearly double the distance at about 120 miles. But the weather was better and I did a Mike and got turned around, and just wandered until I found myself near DC.

Looking forward to the RTE tomorrow.

Jim