March 2013

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MARCH

2013 Volume 19 No. 3

ine

Motorcycles, Travel & Adventure

DESTINATION: VERMONT

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W H A T ’ S MON THLY COLUMN S

I N S I D E FEAT URES

MESSAGE FROM LT. GOVERNOR SCOTT..................................4

MOTORCYCLEPEDIA’S LECTURE SERIES.................................15

FREE WHEELIN’.................................................................................6

NORTHEAST HO .............................................................................24

WHATCHATHINKIN’..........................................................................8

TOURING VERMONT WITH SCENIC MC TOURS ..................34

POSTCARDS FROM THE HEDGE .................................................9

THE SUGAR HOUSE RULES........................................................36

THROTTLE BLIPS............................................................................10

2013 NYC INTERNATIONAL MC SHOW ..................................38

ON THE MARK.................................................................................11

MAIN STREET MUSEUM..............................................................42

BACKLASH .......................................................................................12

POLKA DOT RESTAURANT..........................................................44

MYSTERIOUS AMERICA...............................................................16

HOPE AND ELMWOOD CEMETERIES......................................46

BIG CITY GETAWAY........................................................................18 WE’RE OUTTA HERE .....................................................................20 GREAT ALL AMERICAN DINER RUN.........................................21

M OTORCYCL E REVIEWS 2013 BMW C600 SPORT SCOOTER.........................................60

PRODUCT REVIEW S

UPCOMING EVENTS CALENDAR ..............................................49

GARMIN’S ZUMO 350 LM ..........................................................40

INDUSTRY INFOBITES ..................................................................50

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHTS................................................................52

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE .......................................................54

LUNASEE ASL1000 ACTIVE SIDE LIGHTING.........................63

Brian Rathjen • Shira Kamil ~ Publishers Contributors: Jeff Bahr, Dan Bisbee, Mark Byers, Bill Heald, Mike Stackhouse, Dr. Seymour O’Life Motorcycles, Travel & Adventure

BACKROADS • POB 317, Branchville NJ 07826 Phone 973.948.4176 • Fax 973.948.0823 • email editor@backroadsusa.com • web www.backroadsusa.com

For Advertising Sales Information: 973-948-4176 BACKROADS (ISSN 1087-2088) is published monthly by BACKROADS™, Inc. 2013. All rights reserved. BACKROADS™ may not be reproduced in any manner without specific written consent from the publisher. BACKROADS™ welcomes and encourages submissions (text and photos) and suggestions. Include phone number with submissions. BACKROADS™ will only return material with enclosed sufficient postage. The written articles and opinions printed in BACKROADS™ are not necessarily those of the publisher and should not be considered an endorsement. The Rip & Rides® published are ridden on the sole responsibilty of the rider. BACKROADS™ is not responsible for the conditions of the public roadways traversed. Please respect the environment, read your owner’s manual and wear proper protective gear and helmet. Ride within your limits, not over them.

MARCH 2013 • BACKROADS

Page 4

A Message from Vermont’s Lt. Governor Phil Scott

Welcome to Vermont!

Motorcycles have been a lifelong passion for me. Like many born with the “need for speed” gene, I got my first bike at a young age – a mini-bike at age 10. Next came a 250 Ossa at age 14. As a senior in high school, I chopped and then built a 500 Triumph. I’ve been riding, and working on bikes, ever since, and even started and owned a motorcycle shop when I was 24. I now alternate between a Harley Fatboy and a Triumph Thunderbird.

But more important than the type of bike you ride is the ride itself. Vermont is a place that I can honestly say is completely different from the seat of a motorcycle than from the driver’s seat of a car. A bike offers you a different pace, a chance to take in the beautiful scenery, breathe in the crisp Vermont air, and discover some of the state’s most special backroad “gems” you would otherwise miss from the Interstate.

Fall is a very popular time for riders to visit Vermont, and although it’s hard to predict the peak of the fall foliage season to the day, anytime from the last week of September to the middle of October will offer you a leaf-

changing experience you won’t soon forget.

It’s a lot of fun to build a ride around a theme, whether it’s the “Country Store Tour of Vermont” or a group ride in support of military veterans. I’d like to share a ride I put together last fall, while campaigning for my second term as Vermont’s Lieutenant Governor. I called it my “Cycling Vermont’s 14” Tour, and the 567-mile ride took me through all 14 counties in Vermont.

Although I completed the ride by bicycle, the tour would be just as special from a motorcycle (and it wouldn’t take as long as the 8 days it took me complete my 2-wheeled tour).

To plot out mileage and stops, simply plug the following 14 towns into your mapping program and choose the option for a bicycle itinerary (so you stick to the backroads) - St. Johnsbury, Newport, St. Albans, South Hero, Colchester, Burlington, Middlebury, Rutland, Manchester, Bennington, Brattleboro, Springfield, Woodstock, Barre If there’s a particular region of the state you’re especially interested in seeing, you might choose just a portion of the loop in that area. And if your tour takes you through Montpelier (the smallest capital city in the United States), consider taking an hour to explore the Vermont State House, where I have my office. Volunteers offer free State House tours during the summer, June through November, between 9 and 3, Monday through Friday.

You can find more great ideas for your stay in Vermont at: www.vermontvacation.com.

Enjoy your visit to Vermont!

MARCH 2013 • BACKROADS

Page 6

FREE WHEELIN’ BRIAN RATHJEN the motos lane There is little doubt in my mind that the United States hardly lives up to its moniker of the “Land of the Free.”

Sure, we are “numero uno” in so many things and I would like to see some other nation land an all-terrain vehicle on the Planet Mars the way we did. But the United States has one of the most intrusive cash cow systems on the planet.

In fact, after all the travels we have been fortunate to do around the globe, it seems to me that, as far as the western world goes, the local state governments and the Feds milk the US population for everything they can get.

If you had to write one big check for the amount of taxes they hit us with, every time you do or buy anything, there just might be a revolution.

But, as riders there is one thing that makes no sense to me at all and that is why we get charged the same as cars and trucks when we make such a minimal impact on our highway system is beyond me.

With just a few exceptions there is nowhere else on the planet that the local government does not cut motorcyclists a break or simply give them a free pass.

If it were up to me I would follow the lead of the nation of Colombia.

On the big roads there - well, as big as a road does get in South America – there are toll plazas along the route.

As you approach these plazas motorcycles, or motos as they are called everywhere but the USA, are directed to a “free pass” lane where they scoot by for free.

Free.

Why do we not have this here in the United States?

Oh, right. Money!

It seems to me that the only thing our leaders have in common with us is the way they emulate the four-stroke engine…

Suck, Squeeze, Bang and Blow!

They suck every penny they can get.

The squeeze us till we scream.

Then they bang us with more and more revenue gathering games.

And, then they just blow us away, until they need more cash, which will be the next time you reach for your wallet.

On top of that we have a President that actually has the audacity to tell us we should be happy for all the government does for us and how we have not, did not, and cannot create the very jobs and businesses that keep this cash sucking monster in power.

If you changed the name of the government to, I don’t know, let’s say Mafia, it would actually make more sense.

Actually, the Mafia would probably give us a better deal.

Sorry, I didn’t mean to insult the mob by comparing them to Congress, the Senate and our local and federal governments. That was rude of me, but back to motorcycles and tolls.

Although I would love to see lane-splitting here in the east, it can’t and won’t happen as the lanes are too narrow, but allowing a transponder E-Z Pass to let motorcycles go toll-free through the bridges and highways would be beneficial in so many ways.

(Continued on Page 14)

MARCH 2013 • BACKROADS

Page 8

W H ATC H AT H I N K I N ’ SHIRA KAMIL shira’s special Vermont ice cream run I know what I’m thinking - about one of my favorite thing to write about – ICE CREAM! I do have to put a disclaimer on these tasty stops as I have not been to any but have gotten good recommendations. That said I’ll bring you on a 200-mile loop, starting from the Killington Classic home base, the Killington Grand Resort. You’ll get a beautiful scenic tour of Vermont with three, count ‘em, three ice cream stops.

Heading out of Killington, you go east for about 30 miles towards Woodstock. Of course you could just hop on Route 4, but what fun would that be. Lets snake around a bit and see what we can find.

Don’t shoot the messenger is you happen upon some pavement that’s not; remember you’re in Vermont and it’s all good.

If you are starting out early, when you get to the Mountain Creamery in Woodstock you can have some breakfast, served from 7-11:30am, before your ice cream, or how about some ice cream on your breakfast. They are famous for their Vermont country breakfasts offering items such as buttermilk pancakes, French toast, mouthwatering waffles and high quality meats including locally smoked bacon and ham. Their corned beef hash is ground and seasoned in their kitchen. Homemade muffins, scones, coffee cake and a variety of pastries round out the breakfast menu. How could ice cream not be good on top of any of these? But keep some room in the belly, as the next stop will have some interesting and tasty lunch offerings.

After a good breakfast you’ll have some time to digest and enjoy the wonders and sights of Vermont as you head north toward Waterbury. Traveling on some smaller roads, of course, eventually you’ll be riding along the White River on Route 14. Once in Depot you’ll vector west a bit on Route 64, then

north again on Route 12 and a bit on Route 2 to your next stop of the Prohibition Pig. Here they are serving up lunch on Fridays through Sundays starting at 11:30. If you’re still a bit stuffed from breakfast, how about a light salad before dessert? Perhaps a nice endive with apples, guanciale, walnuts, toasted hazelnuts and dressed with EVOO and white balsamic with grape must. If you have room for more their sandwiches and burgers sound amazing – a Bahn Mi of fried pork chop, cucumber, carrots, daikon, mint, cilatnro, sriracha mayo and fish sauce? You can put the icing on the cake, or should I say ice cream in the belly, with a little bit of bourbon maple bacon ice cream – WHAT!? Genious, I tell ya!

From here you’ll have a nice 40 mile trot along Route 100, over Route 17, the Appalachian Gap, and through Camel Hump State Forest (gotta love that name). You’ll head south on Route 116 toward the burg of Bristol. Here you’ll find your last stop on the Vermont Ice Cream trail at lu.lu! ice cream.

They make their ice cream the old fashioned way, by hand, in small batches with emphasis on fresh, local, sustainable ingredients, using the traditional French custard style ice cream base. Their topping, sauces and mix-ins are made from scratch as well.

Flavors such as Caramelized Banana, Salted Caramel and Fresh Ginger are amongst their rotating flavors. I’m sure you’ll find a bit of maple somewhere on the list as well. Eat up, you’ll have to savor lu.lu!’s scrumptious creamery for the next 50 mile ride back to Killington.

You’ll head south on Route 116 then bang a left onto the twistilicious scenic Route 125, also known as the Middlebury Gap. From Hancock you’ll head south on Route 100 and back to your home base where you can recover from your sugar rush and relax to ride another day. Enjoy and remember, you can NEVER have too much ice cream.

You can download this dreamy ice creamy loop here: www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/oidm5q mountain creamery, 33 central st, Woodstock, Vt • 802-457-1715 prohibition pig, 23 south main st, Waterbury, Vt • 802-244-4120 lu.lu! ice cream, 11 main st, Bristol, Vt • luluvt.com

BACKROADS • MARCH 2013

P O S TC A R D S FROM THE HEDGE BILL HEALD the pigskin connection

Page 9 tion, which is (in most cases) always advancing. Ultimately, you as a rider need to remember that your helmet is an incredibly important part of your two-wheeled life and you need to make the purchase accordingly. A perfect fit is absolutely essential, and you should shop carefully and budget like your life depended on it, because it may well come to that (but hopefully it won’t).

Sad but true: as we age we are more susceptible to head trauma, which makes avoiding said hits all the more important and selection of a really premium lid even more critical. They also have a shelf life, which is usually five years although you should check with the manufacturer of your particular choice on this. Also, if your helmet does suffer damage of some sort they can inspect it for you to see if it is still up to the task, but the best thing to do is just bite the bullet and replace it.

I have no idea what will happen in the National Football League regarding head injuries, lawsuits, changes in rules, etc. But I do know we will continue to ride in a potentially hostile environment, and need to take steps to stay trauma-free by riding smart and reduce the impact of impacts as best we can should we be unfortunate enough to need such protection. It doesn’t hurt that so many of the latest helmets out there are actually a pleasure to wear (even in really hot weather), as it provides an incentive to always stay current. Like all motorcycle apparel, the breed just gets better and better at everything we ask it to do. And unlike football, at least we don’t have linebackers gunning for us, a split second after we catch the ball. Our opponents are bigger and heavier, true, but not quite as enthusiastically violent.

There’s weird things afoot as I type this, and I’m not just talking about the wildly fluctuating weather here in this first quarter of 2013. At this particular point in time there’s also wildness going on in a distant land called New Orleans, where there’s apparently a magnificent ritual of some sort that inspires people to paint themselves up in bright colors and shriek like crazed baboons. True, such jocular behavior is not in the least out of place in parts of New Orleans year ‘round, but further research indicates this was in fact revelry inspired by the more jockular behavior of a professional football competition. Of course. This explains much.

If you keep up with the NFL’s latest rumblings, you no doubt know there is quite a controversy developing around concussions and their long-term effects. The term helmet-to-helmet hit and the damage such impacts can inflict on human beings it can do is a regular topic in the sports world, especially if you encounter sports talk radio. There is a fair amount of intrigue involved with liability and such, not to mention the cost of care often years after the damage was done and some terrible long-term effects. But the bottom line here is how head injuries can be far more serious than many previously thought, and whenever the subject of helmets and blows to the head comes up I naturally start to think about moTHE 2013 torcycle helmets and the never-ending battle of trying to protect our delicate noggins. This is a very complex science, because what you’re ultimately trying to do in not just protect yourself from dings and trauma introduced by all kinds of debris the outside world can hurl as you motor along at speed, but lessen harder impacts that cause concussions should you leave your mount and hit the terra firma. It is this application that is really challenging, because in the case of both motorcycle and football helmets you’re trying to limit the deceleration of your delicate brain (which floats in a liquid suspension system) when the skull stops suddenly when in motion, like when a motorcyclist hits something like a curb or a linebacker hits a wide receiver. Most brain trauma I’m familiar with happens in this manner, and the helmet liner’s job is to limit movement by both cushioning the “braking” process and deforming and therefore absorbing the energy of any violent deceleration that occurs.

Since the degree and speed of impacts can vary on an almost infinite scale you can see how hard it is to protect from every conceivable kind that is theoretically survivable. If the lining material (still usually expanded polystyrene as they’ve yet to find anything that works better, is as light in weight and as reasonably priced) is too stiff it can transfer too much energy to your head; too light and it can’t adequately decelerate your brain in more intense impacts. Naturally I’m simplifying things considerably, but in a nutshell is a primary ele- Sport touring riders are among the most discerning of all motorcyclists, and the Concours® 14 supersport tourer's comment of the challenge helmet makers face. bination of technology, comfort and continent conquering performance meets the toughest demands of this selective crowd.

One of the things that’s fortunate about the time we It is powered by a muscular heart derived from the legendary Ninja® ZX™-14 sportbike. Comfortable ergonomics make live in is the study of head trauma has come a long way, it well-suited to long days in the saddle, while offering proper body positioning for sport riding. Its overall performance will and helmet designs on the motorcycle side has im- entice riders to pull out the big maps and plan extraordinary sporting tours through the next county or country. proved accordingly. I have been very fortunate in that I’ve not had any concussions in many, many years but I know a few folks that have (all from race track incidents) that have had to go through long recovery that was quite unpleasant. But, they survived their injury to ride again. Helmet makers are forever trying to improve their products, and the things about the latest models we notice right away include more comfort, less noise, better ventilation, lighter weight and better visors to name just a few of the attributes. What you don’t see in the latest helmets is the R&D and ultimately material refinement that improves their ultimate protection func-

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MARCH 2013 • BACKROADS

Page 10

THROT TLE BLIPS JEFF BAHR the cure I recently learned that the worst thing you can do as a motorcyclist is to purchase a new machine in the colder months. But it can also be the best - especially when you’re ailing. Allow me to explain.

September of 2012 was a lousy month for me.

First, an important income source dried up quite unexpectedly. Next, to add insult to fiscal injury, my allergies flared up to a debilitating level never before experienced. As I lay in bed sick and agonizingly unsure of the future, I did what most any childish man would do – I sifted through motorcycle magazines plotting my next machine purchase.

In all honesty the move wasn’t that spontaneous. I’d been looking to replace my Kawasaki Versys for some time and figured that now was as good a time as any - maybe better since a new bike could conceivably lift my spirits as I confronted yet another economic disaster in the making. Hey, if one must be broke, one can at least do it in style.

Please understand that there was nothing at all wrong with the Versys. In fact, it was one of my favorite machines. But I now wanted something with a center stand and it had to have ABS – two things that the Versys lacked.

So I contacted a good buddy who put me in contact with a worthy dealer and things got rolling. The 2012 V-Strom 650 Adventure that I’d lusted after since the Javits show was now in my cross-hairs. Soon, it would be parked in my driveway.

Riding it home on that late-fall day I felt rejuvenated, hopeful, dare I say even happy? Sure, my health was in the crapper and my finances were like a bad joke, but by golly I had a shiny new bike under my butt! And hadn’t I worked through economic crises in the past? In this triumphant moment life

had suddenly become a smorgasbord of possibilities and I was the hungry hombre hoping to devour it all in huge oversized bites. Well, that was the plan anyway. Unfortunately, nature had ideas all her own.

In those first days of bike ownership cruddy weather and responsibilities kept the machine grounded. That’s when the initial longing began. Since this was the first motorcycle that I’d bought in the colder months I was operating in uncharted territory. Sure, I could run out to my unheated garage every now and again to steal a glance at the bike, but that was like chewing without swallowing. So I worked out a compromise. I’m certain my neighbor questioned my mental faculties when she spotted me sitting motionless on the bike and making Vroom noises, but good neighbor that she is she never once said a word.

Then the flu season hit. I had been coughing for months due to the allergies but this added a whole new spectrum of “fun” to my declining health scenario. Sometimes my fever got so high that I actually forgot about motorcycling altogether (don’t worry – I genuflected as I wrote the previous sentence). But invariably, it would be thoughts of riding and thoughts of riding my new bike in particular that helped yank me from the doldrums.

Isn’t that the way it is with motorcycles? Even when we’re not with them we’re still with them. The love of these rolling companions can help straighten just about every curve that life can throw at you.

A few weeks after my bout with the flu I relapsed.

Every agonizing symptom came back for an encore and I was in the pits physically and emotionally. Then I acquired pneumonia. Lucky me! As I sucked on my inhalers and swallowed my antibiotics I peered down at my garage from my bedroom window. In an effort to cheer me up, my far better half had opened the door so I could see my new bike parked inside.

You know, it’s funny. That bike is nothing but a piece of steel; an inanimate object, something most would never equate with hope and rebirth. But you and I know the truth - for you and I have taken its mystical cure.

See you on the road my friends. I’ll be the one coughing and smiling.

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BACKROADS • MARCH 2013

Page 11

ON THE MARK MARK BYERS VermontloVer Back in the winter of ’05 (I like saying that), I told my wife Betsy that I wanted to celebrate Independence Day in a very old-fashioned way. I described a small town with a parade, a bandstand, and white New England church steeples rising far into a clear blue sky. A couple days later she informed me that, come 30 June, we were riding our motorcycle to a place called Brandon, Vermont. I eagerly anticipated that destination since I’d never been to the Green Mountain State.

To get there, we took a circuitous route through New York that almost strayed into Canada and dropped us in Vermont via the Grand Isle in Lake Champlain, with a side trip to St. Anne’s Shrine on Isle la Motte. Like a good motorcyclist, once we got to the “mainland,” I headed straight for Route 108 and Smuggler’s Notch. An ardent fan of “The Sound of Music,” Betsy insisted on a pilgrimage to the von Trappe Family Lodge in Stowe. No July day is complete without ice cream, so it was off to Waterbury for a tour and a cone at Ben & Jerry’s (Cherry Garcia for me).

During our ten-day stay, there was no shortage of places to ride: the Shelburne Museum, the Teddy Bear Factory, Otter Creek Brewery, the Wildflower Farm, the ferry to Fort Ticonderoga, and enough places to buy cheese and maple syrup that it made my head spin. While Betsy was looking for moose and bear, I tried to ride as many of the gaps in the Green Mountains as I could.

The easy way to remember the top 4 is to think of LAMB (Lincoln, Appalachian, Middlebury, and Brandon). If you’re into riding beautifully twisty roads, the Green Mountain gaps are for you.

Several things stand out about our 4th of July in Brandon. It was everything for which I’d hoped and more.

There was a big parade, led by local folk artist Warren Kimble and other city notables, all dressed as Uncle Sam. A little girl detached herself from one of the many floats, ran over to me, and pressed a small container of maple syrup into my hands. Later, when we went to watch the fireworks, a man walked up and handed me a pocket-sized copy of the Bill of Rights (which I still have). Only in Vermont can you come to see a parade and leave with syrup and the Bill of Rights.

That was our first exposure to Vermont, but certainly not our last. We fell in love with the State, especially its rural, natural beauty and winding roads that follow her many tumbling streams. Everyone we met was friendly, especially to a middle-aged couple on a motorcycle. Local cafes and diners featured locallyfarmed, fresh food and we ate more than our share of great cheese. One day, I loaded a saddlebag with ice, immersed in it a bottle of wine and some Cabot Cheese, and we rode to a tumbling waterfall not far from Route 100 for a picnic.

Now, we need very little excuse for a ride to Vermont from our home in Maryland. Despite multiple visits, we always find something new: the last time it was the British School of Falconry in Manchester, the Vermont Country Store in Weston, Plummer’s Sugar House, and the auto road up Mount Equinox. There’s an inn we love, the Gray Ghost in West Dover, with stores and restaurants nearby that allow us to just put up our feet and sit by the fire with a glass of wine.

I don’t know how they’ve done it, but somehow Vermont has managed to pack an incredible number of things to do into a very small state and still kept it charming. Any other place so dedicated to visitors would look like a giant tourist trap. Riding north this past summer, the sky got noticeably more clear as we left the metroplexes behind, to become the electric blue sky we remembered and loved. As much as we’ve been there, we still haven’t seen it all and Vermont is still

fresh for us. As a motorcyclist, the more Vermont roads I explore, the happier I get. A friend in Rutland taught me on our last trip that we don’t even need to worry about the gravel roads – they’re just fine. We may just have to go back to Vermont for Independence Day this year: I hear Bristol has a great 4th of July Outhouse Race!

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Page 12

BACKLASH Long Time Dealer and Friend Says Goodbye To all our customers, It is with great sadness that Bergen Sport Cycles is closing its doors! Thank you, everyone, for giving us the opportunity to serve your power sports needs over the past 44 years. It truly has been our pleasure. We wish you all the best now and in the future Please don’t forget RIDE MORE, stress less.

All the Best Donna and Jim Brian You refer to Tim Severin’s “The Brendan Voyage” on page 60, Jan. ’13, about crossing the Atlantic. Many years before that Severin and three of his Oxford University friends convinced BSA to loan them two 650s with sidecars and the four of them set off for Afghanistan, which he wrote about in “Tracking Marco Polo”. Great trip, great book, one of the four flying home, the other three riding out of Afghanistan three-up on one BSA motorcycle, without sidecar. He never did say what BSA might have said to him upon their return to England.

Clement Salvadori - California Hi Brian, Shira, Didn’t get much of a chance to thank you guys after the seminar. Having you two there was a real honor for me, I mean that. I hope you enjoyed it. I said the same to Michael and Nuri. Having you two, Mike and Nuri, the Mosca brothers and Tony Lisanti really made me feel like part of a Backroads “family”.

Thanks again. See you soon.

Peter Miller

In Person from the IMS in NYC this JAN Hi Brian and Shira, Great to meet you both again in New York, man, that’s one crazy city, I

MARCH 2013 • BACKROADS

Letters to the Editor couldn’t sleep with the constant noise and there are so many people, give me our island any day.

As you know our booth was next to the elevator and all we seen for 3 days was people coming down to the show, the elevator was never empty.

In all my life, I have never seen so many motorcyclists in one place, as you know we ran out of all literature and had to use our charm ( the little we have) on Sunday to get by.

I read the story again of your Ireland adventure ride last night for the third time.It is simply a beautiful descriptive story, to be honest, I found it very moving. Anyone who reads it who may have the slightest interest in visiting Ireland will surely by inspired to commit to coming over.

Many, many thanks again to you both, Kind regards, Paul Rawlins - Managing Director Celtic Rider Hey Backroads, It was great seeing you both at this year’s International Motorcycle Show in New York. Even though there were so many vendors selling so much cool stuff, the best thing I came home with was your Backroads Visor Tint. Without even trying, you guys solved a long-standing pet peeve I had with my old faithful SHOEI helmet. Ever since I added the pin lock visor the space between the insert and the top of the opening drove me crazy when riding into direct sunlight. Thanks again making my riding experience a better one. See you in Cooperstown.

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BACKROADS • MARCH 2013

…And Through Social Media Sorry I didn’t make it over to the show. Too many irons in the fire right now. Hope it was a success, and that you guys had fun. I’ll see y’all in Cooperstown, if not before... and also planning on riding the 250.

Tom Watson We were very glad to be able to spend a few minutes with you on Saturday.

Glad Brian is getting better but I shall miss another rendition of his Happy Birthday song. Hope to see you again in 2013.

Stephen Pitman Glad I did not miss ya this time Brian...lol! The Backroads 250+ has been penciled in also.

Joe Blazky Hoping to get out for a ride with you guys in the spring. Great to meet you at the show.

Susan Stark See you in Cooperstown! Who is going to Cooperstown? I know I am! Already booked at the host hotel!

Leigh-Ann Zaolino Great weekend with the best of friends. So glad we were able to make it.

Betsy Byers

The Mets, The Mayans and Exile…

Friends, A cold, rainy day here at home. No good for riding, but a ray of sunshine appeared in the mailbox, in the form of the new Backroads issue.

Best of all was Brian’s column, detailing the events of his personal travails this past year. Like so many of his friends, I knew bits and pieces of what had transpired, but this finally laid it all out, in chronological detail. Not an easy thing to do, but just wanted him to know that a lot of us care, and appreciate his sharing.

Fred Rau

Page 13 Brian, I just read your Febraury column. Brilliant article man – even if you did have to go through hell on earth for fodder. You and Shira are da bomb!

I choked up when you spoke of how supportive she has been in your life.

It made me think of Maria – a woman who has literally changed my life for the better. Truthfully, I’d be lost without her…

I’m overjoyed that this cancer thing seems like it’s now in the rear-view mirror (knock on wood). You’re here, the world’s still here – hell, the Mets might even win a few this time ‘round!

Sure there will be challenges, health and otherwise, but you have people who love you bro to help you carry the weight.

So go out there and ride goddamit!

Jeff Brian, Thank you for sharing your journey through your health problem. I realize that the magazine info is a couple of months behind & I fervently hope that you are now feeling better. 2012 was not a good year for your health & to get gut punched twice in one year can almost be overwhelming.

You & Shira are like family to me and I ache for your troubles. May you climb that health ladder to where you are comfortable and be your old self. My prayers go out to you.

David Cushing I just received the February issue of Backroads Magazine, and was quite shocked to read the article about your medical condition. Obviously, I had no idea and did not hear of it before hand from anyone. I hope you are in good spirits and that you make a full recovery. Cancer sucks; there’s nothing good about it, except I guess it makes you appreciate the daily stuff you never really pay attention to. No need to throw a lot of canned phrases at you as I’m sure you’ve heard them all. Just really hope you get better and that you have no lingering effects from this. See you soon.

Your friend, Larry Barasch

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Dear Brian, Never mind that it’s been a dog’s age since we’ve seen you, but we feel we’re catching up with you and Shira every time we pick up Backroads. And so it was with shock, horror and (ultimately) awe to read about your illness, radioactive quarantine and, looks like (god willing) the road to recovery. Thank God for good drugs, supportive wife and friends (and honey, had we known, we would have joined those back-yard carolers of yours!).

May 2013 be the road back to wellness! And may we finally see you again before the year gets old… we have so much to tell you. Off to Puerto Rico (again!) today, back soon.

Much love, Barb and Bruce Brian, I just read in the February issue of Backroads about all your problems for 2012. My heart goes out to you and I wish you all the best for 2013. It WILL be a good year, count on it. And as for your wonderful better half, sounds like she’s a keeper. I hope we can make your spring event, I want to give both you and Shira a big hug, well, especially Shira.

I’m already getting burned out on the snowblower, and here in Ohio the days are getting longer, and I need to get on the bike before forgetting the shift pattern on the Beemer. Lets all ride, and by all means safely.

Philip Eramo

Free Wheelin’ 6)

(Continued from Page

First off it might encourage many more folks to take up riding, just as a way of commuting to and from work each day.

More bikes on the road is always a good thing.

Let us remember that in the United States motorcycles and motorcyclists are considered second class citizens, while in Europe and elsewhere riders are given far more courtesy on and off the road as every family there most likely has a few motorcycle or scooter riders at their dinner table each night.

Looking back at the highways of Colombia, and the courtesy their government gives to its motorcycle riding populace, it would just make more sense traffic-wise. If you don’t have an E-Z Pass and you have to fish around your riding gear for coin every few miles on the Garden State Parkway it certainly adds up minutes that could and should be utilized to keep the rest of the traffic flowing in a more timely manner. Add in every other rider on the same road and the time wasted becomes enormous.

It would take just a minimal effort from local highway departments to address this and to give a free pass to American riders on the road.

Maybe then we can really be the “Land of the Free!”

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MOTORCYCLEPEDIA’S LECTURE SERIES

HOW TO AVOID A TICKET

Despite single-digit temperatures, Motorcyclepedia began their much anticipated lecture series with a talk from veteran law enforcement and former Highland Falls Police Chief Peter Miller.

Although advertised as “How to Avoid a Ticket” the seminar really dealt with motorcycle laws and regulations and what informed police will look for on your motorcycle, if and when you are pulled over.

Miller’s 2-hour presentation was well created, and Peter came across with that great combination of knowledge, sincerity and down to earthiness that played well with the capacity crowd.

It was easy to see that Peter is a passionate rider as well as a gentleman with decades of law enforcement under his belt.

Miller has spoken to various law enforcement groups around the nation for a number of years specifically on motorcycle rules, regulations, safety and the proper and safe way to deal with riders on the road; and his years of experience came across in this lecture.

His stories and anecdotes made their serious point, yet Peter was able to maintain a good sense of humor through the entire evening which kept the crowd both interested and compelled to be part of the interaction that made this night a success.

I dare say we all learned something from “The Man’s” point of view.

Although much of the motorcycle stops and pull-overs are done in the interest of saving lives in the long run, we still feel there are many municipalities that use the ticket book as a great means of building up the local coffers.

Backroads’ feelings on this were brought up by Pete directly, and though we understand the need to encourage riders to become more responsible and

BY

PETER MILLER

safer motorcycle operators in the long run, it is hard to deny that some towns still use both riders and drivers as cash cows.

Perhaps if more riders followed some of Peter’s suggestions this despicable practice would fade away as more riders become legal and responsible motorcyclists.

One of the things we took away from Peter’s lecture was that many riders are their own worst enemy. And we all need to step up to be more accountable and serious motorcyclists and by doing so, hopefully, become a bit more accepted by the public in general.

I addition to the informative lecture we all got to spend some time strolling around the museum itself. If you have never been to Motorcyclepedia then you owe it to yourself to take a ride over and experience one of the finest and eclectic motorcycle museums on the planet.

We felt the first of Motorcyclepedia’s Lecture Series was an evening well spent and as the season rolls around Motorcyclepedia will be holding more of these interesting and informative discussions.

Next lecture up is “How to Take Care of the Nut Behind the Handlebars!” presented by Michael Friedle to be held on Saturday, February, 23.

You can learn more at their website motorcyclepediamuseum.org.

The museum is located in that prime riding region along the Hudson River at 250 Lake Street, Newburgh, New York- 845-569-9065.

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Morton’s BMW Motorcycles Presents Dr. Seymour O’Life’s MYSTERIOUS Bread & puppet 753 heights rd, gloVer, Vt 05839 802-525-3031 • Breadandpuppet.org The Northeast Kingdom of Vermont is home to many amazing things. The stunning and natural beauty, the fine riding roads, the many comfortable inns and B&Bs and a few odder things as well – one of which has to be Bread & Puppet.

Located in a large complex of old barns outside the tiny burg of Glover, Vermont you will find Bread & Puppet, most likely the largest collection of giant stage puppets on the planet.

Walking into the barn museum, which is free by the way, you will immediately run into some of the wildest, bizarre and unusual puppet creations you have ever seen. I know we were blown away.

A MER IC A Bread & Puppet is not a Vermont native. This entire project was created back in the mid 1960’s by German immigrant Peter Schumann, who has said, “We believe in puppet theater as a wholesome and powerful language that can touch men and women and children alike, and we hope that our plays are true and are saying what has to be said, and that they add to your enjoyment and enlightment.”

Besides rod-puppet and hand puppet shows for children, the concerns of the first productions were rents, rats, police abuse, drugs and other problems of the neighborhood. More complex theater pieces followed, in which sculpture, music, dance and language were equal partners. The puppets grew bigger and bigger. Annual presentations for Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving and Memorial Day often included children and adults from the community as participants. Many performances were done in the street. During the Vietnam War, Bread and Puppet staged block-long processions and pageants involving hundreds of people.

To say Bread & Puppet was and is a politically radical theater group is an understatement.

Over the years Bread & Puppet has been involved in protesting some things while supporting others. We do not see them voting Republican.

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They have been consistently anti-war, they have tried to shut down Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant, they have shown support for Daniel Ortega’s Sandinistas after a junta had taken over Nicaragua in 1979 as well as the Zapatista Uprising of 1994 and the radical MOVE Organization.

And, like true anarchists, they have a strong opposition to the World Trade Organization and Capitalism in general.

Yep, not voting to the right here.

Still, not wanting to be less than open-minded we dropped in on a rehearsal one afternoon and you gotta love a good puppet show, regardless of the agenda.

In 1974 Bread and Puppet moved to a farm in Glover in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. The 140-year old hay barn was transformed into a museum for veteran puppets.

The company gets the name Bread & Puppet from the theater’s practice of sharing its own fresh bread, served for free with aioli, with the audience of each performance as a means of creating community, and from its central principle that art should be as basic to life as bread.

Page 17

Nothing too anarchistic there. Kind of nice, actually.

As I said, when we visited, they were just starting a rehearsal with a number of young Canadian high school students and we took a seat in the back of the barn and watched Peter Schumann direct and advise the kids on how to move the puppets as well as the audience.

It was obvious that, after all these years, Schumann is still a very motivated man and his love of puppetry and zeal to put on a great performance is very apparent. The kids were having a great time as were we just watching Schumann work his magic, and finished productions from Bread & Puppet are usually just that – a bit of puppetry magic.

You can visit Bread & Puppet almost every day, but they do most of their performance in the summer and if you are touring the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont you should make some time to visit and walk among the giant puppets that make Bread & Puppet another stop in this Mysterious America.

O’Life out!

MARCH 2013 • BACKROADS

Page 18

Hanover Powersports Presents

BIG CI T Y G ETAWAY the Vermont marBle museum 52 main street (rte. 3), proctor, Vt 05765 WWW.Vermont-marBle.com • 800-427-1396 In the tiny hamlet of Proctor, right off Route 3 in central Vermont you will find a museum dedicated to Vermont’s #1 natural resource.

No… not maple syrup, you sap. Marble and the Vermont Marble Museum.

To get there you will cross the Otter Creek on one of the most pleasant bridges we have ever seen. Built of stunning white marble this small bridge lets you know you are in a very special part of Vermont - the part of Vermont that creates some of the finest marble on the planet.

Marble has long been part of Vermont’s heritage and at one time, Vermont Marble Company was considered the largest U.S. corporation in the world.

Vermont marble products were being made from a local outcrop marble as

daytrip ideas to get out of the daily grind early as 1785, and a commercial quarry was opened in Dorset, the first quarry in Vermont, and believed to be the first in North America, not soon after.

A wonderful American natural resource, Vermont marble products of all kinds are now found around the world. And it has been quarried, carved, otherwise prepared and shipped for hundreds of applications in Vermont by immigrants from all over the world.

The museum’s historical exhibits include early photographs, samples of many products and is rich with information about the evolution of the marble industry. We spent a few hours here and learned about owners, investors, innovators and the hard working people that quarried and moved huge slabs and produced everything from Supreme Court pillars to gravestones. It is all centered right here at the exhibit location in Proctor, Vermont.

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START: BEACH RD WEST, LAKE GEORGE, NY LEFT ONTO ROUTE 9L LEFT ONTO ROUTE 149 WEST CROSS ROUTE 4 ONTO CLAY HILL RD RIGHT ONTO DEWEYS BRIDGE RD LEFT ONTO CR 17 LEFT ONTO LOWER TURNPIKE RIGHT ONTO CR 12 LEFT ONTO TRUTHVILLE RIGHT ONTO DEKALB LEFT ONTO CR 21 RIGHT ONTO SOUTH RIGHT ONTO CR 18 LEFT ONTO ROUTE 22A RIGHT ONTO CR 18A/YORK ST

LEFT ONTO CHURCH ST RIGHT ONTO ROUTE 30 LEFT ONTO ROUTE 140 STRAIGHT ONTO ROUTE 133 LEFT AT MAIN ST RIGHT ONTO MARBLE ST RIGHT ONTO WHIPPLE HOLLOW RD RIGHT ONTO WEST CREEK RD LEFT ONTOTOWN HILL RD RIGHT ONTO ELM ST RIGHT ONTO GORHAM BRIDGE RD BEAR RIGHT ONTO NORTH ST LEFT ONTO MAIN ST VERMONT MARBLE MUSEUM ON LEFT 210 Route 10 West, East Hanover, NJ

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BACKROADS • MARCH 2013

Page 19

in Arlington National Cemetery is an icon to which many travel to pay their respects.

But did you know that this famous tomb was created in Vermont?

The Vermont Marble Museum tells the fascinating story of the creation of this shrine, from the quarrying of the block of pure white marble to the carving in Proctor, and final delivery by rail to Arlington Memorial Cemetery. Upon entering the display we spied the original documents and photography from the design of the Tomb, a panoramic mural of Arlington National Cemetery, and a glimpse into the modern-day Changing of the Guard Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington, VA. Showing daily in the Museum’s Theater is a stirring, patriotic ten-minute documentary: “America’s Eternal Flame: The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier”.

It is a moving and patriotic display, as is the Hall of Presidents that features stunning marble busts of all the presidents.

Slightly off topic the museum also has Earth Alive, which is a learning experience for children and adults.

This is a hands-on exhibit that brings to life the history of our planet and explains its ongoing geological evolution.

It seemed out of place with all the great marble artwork and creations, but the kid in us “dug” it anyway. Notso particularly loved the full triceratops skeleton.

Strolling around the Vermont Marble Museum we were amazed at the variety and difference one can find with marble; from Vermont Verde Antique green to Danby White, types of marble can be as different as night and day. The museum has one of the greatest displays of marbles from around the world and they also have craftsmen that can create marble for you as counter tops and other household items.

2013 SUPER TENERE

The gift shop offers all sorts of things marble and we love our salt and pepper mills that we bought and stashed in our saddlebags for the ride to their new home.

Just a short ride away is the Southerland Falls Quarry.

Here the viewing area allows the visitor to see the original Proctor quarry. The Southerland Quarry is set in the center of town, and it is well worth it to take a short hike and view a quarry scene complete with a “quarry stick”.

The stunningly lovely blue-green water is some 150 feet deep! It is even better when you realize that this is one of the oldest such quarries in the United States.

We really enjoyed our visit to this part of Vermont and when riding in this region you might want to make it a point to stop by the Vermont Marble Museum as it is well worth exploring.

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MARCH 2013 • BACKROADS

Page 20

Bergen County Harley-Davidson Presents

WE’R E OUTTA HE RE inn at mountain VieW Farm darling hill road, east Burke, Vermont 05832 800-572-4509 • WWW.innmtnVieW.com As you might have heard there are few more picturesque regions to ride than the famed Northeast Kingdom of Vermont.

With hundreds of miles of great roads running through farms, forests and mountain valley, this part of Vermont is always a joy to travel to and through.

The area is also known for its many wonderful inns and B&Bs, but one of the nicest we have come across is the stunning Inn at Mountain View Farm.

Most every place you will find in this part of the United States has a history, but the Inn at Mountain View Farm’s runs deep and long.

In fact the historic marker that sits outside the entrance to the farm has the first part of the history on one side and the rest is continued on the back.

We have never seen that before.

Built in 1883 as a gentleman’s working farm by Elmer A. Darling, a visionary Vermonter and graduate of MIT, the Mountain View Farm was a model farm, which once supplied meat and dairy products to Mr. Darling’s prestigious Fifth Avenue hotel in New York City. At its highest point this property took in 7,000 acres of land including the impressive Burke Mountain for which the farm is named.

We met Marilyn as she was walking from her beautiful gardens that she takes a very hands-on approach to and she told us a bit of how she and her husband came to own such a stunning property.

In 1989, she and her husband John Pastore, a Boston cardiologist, were living and working in the Boston area, and were looking for a vacation property that would make them feel relaxed and refreshed. They found the perfect property in East Burke, Vermont and convinced the owner of a 440-acre historic farm to sell them a 62-acre parcel with breathtaking views of rolling meadows and mountains in the distance. Marilyn was in love with the land and planned to build a house like the one in the movie ‘Out of Africa’.

As Marilyn told us that was the sane part! Instead, after their purchase, the owner put the rest of the farm up for sale and, in some fit of midlife madness, they bought the remaining 378 acres and a village of barns including a brick creamery, a 300 ft. cow barn, a piggery, carriage barn, Morgan horse barn, ice house, threshing barn and a large farmhouse.

a weekend destination keeping you on the backroads As time went on plans and ideas evolved and the Inn at Mountain View Farm was born.

And, we are sure glad it was.

It really is a stunning farm. From the barns, to the main house Creamery to the wooden rope swing tied up to the huge tree – it is everything a Vermont Inn should be.

In 2003, the farm became home of the non-profit Mountain View Farm Animal Sanctuary and is now dedicated to caring for needy farm animals, especially those with a difficult past.

The impressive cow barn, which we toured with Marilyn, was once home to 100 Jersey cows, and remains one of the largest farm structures ever built in Vermont. It is still a landmark for students of barn design and history. We marveled at its size and construction.

A carriage barn and stately Morgan horse barn also frame the farm courtyard. On the cupola of each barn is a weathervane that identifies how the barn was used in the last century.

The Creamery, a very handsome brick structure, is by far the finest in Vermont. Its steam engine, still in place in the breakfast room, powered churns and an adjacent grain mill. Today, the on-site Creamery has been restored as a popular 14-room inn, featuring walking, mountain biking and gardens in the summer as well as cross country skiing, snowshoeing and sleigh rides in the winter. The Inn is an exceptional site for weddings and receptions, business retreats and conferences.

But for our purposes it is a wonderful home base while exploring all that the Northeast Kingdom has to offer. From the Inn at Mountain View Farm’s drive, in every direction, you will find miles and miles of excellent riding and plenty of hard packed gravel too – for you riders who appreciated a dusty bike. For you riders who prefer asphalt do not fret the gravel roads in these parts are well maintained and a breeze to ride.

The Inn does not serve dinner, but a number of eateries are within easy striking distance, but the Inn does serve up a delicious and filling breakfast of wonderful local favorites in their breakfast room that holds the old steam engine that powered the place when it was a working creamery.

Shira enjoyed the view of the farm from the wide

BACKROADS • MARCH 2013

Page 21

windows - I studied the engine and how intricate and beautifully it was made and preserved. Different stroke for different folks, I guess.

The Inn at Mountain View Farm is a true jewel of the Northeast Kingdom and well worth stopping for a night if traveling through or a few nights if

you are looking for a home base that will truly please your body and spirit.

Our Rip & Ride will bring you to the Inn at Mountain View Farm from the Lake Champlain Ferry at Burlington that crosses over from New York’s Adirondacks. Enjoy the ride and your stay.

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MARCH 2013 • BACKROADS

Page 22

G RE AT ALL AMER IC AN D INE R R UN Wally’s american grill 291 killington access rd • killington, Vermont, 5751 802-422-3177 • WWW.killingtonsBest.com/Wallys Okay, so this is easy… we love this place.

For sure there is a lot to like about Wally’s, especially when it is called an American grill…

So here is our story. We were up at the Killington Classic and while going through the different flyers and brochure we come across an ad that said the “Best breakfast on the mountain!”

Hmmm. Okay we were game.

So here I am to tell you the folks at Wally’s truly have their act together. Their menu is deep with breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The staff could not be more friendly and, from the second we walked in, we felt like we were part of some comfortable Vermont mountain family.

So, of course we can tell all about the menu, and we will, but we will save the coolest thing about Wally’s for last.

Think great OJ! With breakfast you can start by building your own omelet – which a carnivore like me is want to do. Bacon, sausage and cheddar worked well and I have to say this might have been the best omelet I have ever had.

If Wally’s were down the block from Backroads Central I would be there all the time.

They offer other delectable items like the “All In” with French toast, eggs, bacon or sausage or “The Full House” with pancakes instead of toast. Their

tasty places to take your bike

Country Frittata looked scrumptious, as did everything else that was brought by our table.

We got a chance to sit down with the owner Britt Crompton. She and husband Casey set out to create a comfortable eatery where folks could relax and enjoy themselves, family and friends. I think they succeeded.

But let’s move on to lunch… oh, we haven’t forgot about the coolest thing Wally’s is known for. I will get to that.

So, we are going to talk lunch…. The Steak Bomb… shredded steak, onions, peppers hot Italian sausage, ‘shrooms and American cheese all poured onto a torpedo roll.

The Turkey Carver and its brother, the Maple Roasted Ham Carver, are just to die for.

Let’s talk pasta…. Baked ziti, linguini and homemade meatballs… believe me I know what homemade means…

This place is awesome.

There was also a superb looking Pork Porterhouse topped with cranberry apple chutney and farmhouse mashed potatoes. Hey, how far is Killington from NJ? But, we have been talking decadent here… let’s get healthy.

Fish…… Lobster Ravioli, Seared Maple Salmon…remember this is Vermont, king of all that is maple.

Not to take away from the kids menu I must mention that I did catch a whiff of the Mac & Cheese coming by. Nuff said!

So, here is basically a shoe-in for the Best of Backroads next year… but wait. Did I forget something?

What, the horseshoe bar? Well, that is awesome, retro and very cool! But, no…something else.

BACKROADS • MARCH 2013 I did!

When the very athletic waitress came to take our order she had a tee-shirt on that said ‘Fresh Squeezed’ with a brilliant half an orange on the front. I took a breath and said nothing. I am not stupid. Then I spied the orange roller coaster.

From a cooler, the oranges are carried up to the ceiling and then spend the rest of their short lives winding down the track to the juicer.

Where the BEST OJ in the world is created. I kid you not. If I could only get one of these for Monkey With A Gun. So, have we gushed enough? It is always fun to write for you all, but a true pleasure when it is an eatery as great as this.

Enjoy Wally’s…we did!

Page 23

Page 24

MARCH 2013 • BACKROADS

NORTHEAST HO

One of the facts I have learned in touring is to never hold yourself to a set schedule and that flexibility in your day to day riding can be part of the key to success. The other is finding a bit of luck as well.

As last year’s Americade approached we began to make plans to ride north into Canada and then perhaps to the Gaspe and swing around into Maine.

As Americade week approached some family issues came about and the need to stay close by became apparent. So with that in mind and home never more than a day or two away we left Lake George and headed east to Vermont.

Earlier in the week we had crossed Lake Champlain by ferry but today we wanted to cross over on the new bridge built at Crown Point. It didn’t seem all that long ago that we watched, via the internet, as they blew up the old one; but here we were crossing the newly named Great Lake on a spanking new span.

We followed east up and over the Green Mountains on Route 17, also called the Appalachian Gap, stopping along the way to take a gander at the huge boulder alongside the road that has the Lord’s Prayer carved into its rocky granite side.

Heading over the Gap I realized it was the only time I could remember that we had the road virtually to ourselves and we made the best of it.

Running south along Route 100 we took lunch at the always perfect Rochester Café, where the food is super and the maple milkshakes beyond delicious.

Our destination this night was a bit different, as the Fairlee Motel came with something big – like a giant movie screen outside the window of our motel room.

You see the Fairlee Hotel is also the local drive-in, one of only two such combinations in the United States.

Our route brought us along some of Vermont’s best and little ridden backroads and soon the warning light on my dash was telling me I had only a few more miles of fuel left.

We stopped in the town of Straford where the small general store had two pumps sitting outside.

Problem was that they were just closing up and the pumps were shut down for the day. I asked where my next best bet for fuel was and I was told about 10 miles away. The computer said a bit less than that.

BACKROADS • MARCH 2013

Page 25

How surprised were we when the gentleman who owned the store opened it all back up and turned on the fuel pumps for us.

He said he would hate to think we would be stuck on the side of the road on such a beautiful Sunday afternoon.

Genuine New England hospitality right there in front of us.

Route 132 that led into this tiny town deserves some mention as well as it has to be one of the finest riding roads in the region. Curvy, well paved and just a delight to ride we would make it a point later this day to ride it again…twice!

We got to the Fairlee Motel & Drive-In around 4 and the movie couldn’t start till 9ish that night so we did a little quick research and discovered that the birthplace of Joseph Smith, the prophet and founder of the Mormons was not all that far away. Happily it was back the way we just came and Route 132 would come into play again.

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Whatever you think of the Mormons, there is no denying that they are successful and wealthy. The monument for Smith and the grounds that surround it are spectacular and well worth the stop if you are exploring this part of Vermont.

We returned to the motel, showered and rode over to a local restaurant before returning for the movies, as it was a double feature – The Hunger Games and A Cabin in the Woods.

Shira hates slasher films and was a bit upset that after said slasher film she would be left alone, with me, basically in what was a cabin in the woods.

Heh heh heh…

The next morning we headed north through the heart of what is known as the Northeast Kingdom. Always on the look out for the slightly odd or down right bizarre we headed to Bread & Puppet – a sprawling old barn that is full of the largest and most fantastic puppets we have ever seen.

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MARCH 2013 • BACKROADS

The museum is free and all that is asked is donations and it is well worth the stop. Bread & Puppet hold performances during the warmer months and we had the good fortune of sitting in on a dress rehearsal with the director, Peter Schumann, explaining to a group of high school kids how and what they were going to do during that upcoming weekend’s performance. It was like getting part of the show before opening day. I am not sure who enjoyed this place more me or Notso, our puppet-traveling companion.

Our route further north brought us around the stunning Lake Willoughby with its tall rocky cliff and pristine shoreline. This is one of the prettiest lakes in Vermont to be sure.

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the little town of Derby you will find something quite remarkable; the border runs right through it and, even more remarkably, right through the middle of the Library and Opera House. Yep, there is a red line down the hall of the library and on one side you pay your late fees in dollars and the other in loonies.

The street is wide open and the border line is quite obvious, as were the US Border Patrol that told us that riding into Canada right here would be a very bad idea, not to mention expensive.

Across the line is the Canadian town of Stanstead.

Happy made a break for it but I pulled him back – crazy puppet.

The Northeast Kingdom is as pretty as Vermont gets and here, in a state known for its inns and hotels, we were booked for a lovely night at the stunning Inn at Mountain View Farm.

Overlooking Burke Mountains and with a huge amount of acreage the Inn at Mountain View Farm is the quintessential Vermont getaway.

Spending the afternoon exploring the tiny roads, many of which enjoy being just gravel, can’t be beat even when you discover the DTW, or Down to Earth Worm Farm – oh, we kid you not.

Here business is wigglin’.

We rode back to the Mountain View, showered and then rode to Junipers at the Wild Flower Inn – a farm to table restaurant that came highly recommended by the locals and did not disappoint.

The Northeast Kingdom has much to offer today’s riders. Whether it be the farms, inns, history or the spectacular roadways and scenery we truly enjoyed this part of Vermont. But Vermont had many miles left to explore, so back

BACKROADS • MARCH 2013

Page 27 we went later that summer for our Summer Squeeze at the Gray Ghost in late August and afterward we set off in the Granite State to see what else we could find.

We hit into Vermont from the southeast, picking up from where we left off with our Summer Squeeze Rally in West Dover.

We had a few days to explore some of the roads that we have missed in the various times we have been riding this Green Mountain state.

Along for the ride with us this day were Mike Mosca and his daughter Courtney and we rode along some of the tiny roads that cut east from West Dover. Here and there you can still see the damage from Hurricane Irene. Although Vermont has done yeoman’s work rebuilding the state after all the destruction in 2011, work that nobody has really heard about as Vermonter’s don’t whine, they simply pick up their lives and get on with it.

Louisiana should take notice.

Still a full year later hard work was being done on bridges and road repair,

but the rocks, boulders and crushed trees would be staying in the near empty stream and riverbeds for generations to come.

A stark reminder of what an errant hurricane can do to a mountainous New England region.

Our first stop this day was the American Precision Museum where we got an up close look at how the Industrial Revolution changed Vermont, New England and the fate of the United States.

This town also has the recognition of having the longest two-lane covered bridge in the world.

The Cornish-Windsor Bridge is a full 450 feet long and links Vermont to New Hampshire, although it is really considered part of New Hampshire, we still think of it as a Vermont covered bridge. We did the obligatory ride over to New Hampshire noting that on the eastern side they warn you to “Walk your horses or face a $2 fine!”

With Courtney in dire need of some sugar we vectored west towards Rochester and the famed Café for a bit of lunch and a maple milk shake.

This route brought us back up and over the mountains and along the first named “Gap” of the day – the Rochester.

Page 28

MARCH 2013 • BACKROADS off for our own ride, with the idea of seeing what we could find before ending the day up in the town of Killington and the new “Classic.”

Our first stop this sunny, but breezy, day was Middlebury. We had driven over for dinner the previous night and thoroughly enjoyed American Flatbread’s varied and unique pizza, so we thought we would revisit the town the next day. Middlebury comes complete with marvelous waterfalls, winding roads, Norman Rockwell scenery and white church steeple; the quintessential Vermont town.

After lunch we continued “Gap Baggin” as we crossed the Brandon Gap, the Middlebury Gap and the half-paved Lincoln Gap. This brought us right to the bottom of the Appalachian Gap. App Gap, as it is now called, is a sport rider’s wet dream especially when newly paved, which is a big possibility in the future. Right now it is a tad rough.

One of the closest rider-friendly bed & breakfast to these gaps is the Crossroads, owned by fellow riders Gena and Ron, which is just south of the intersection of Routes 17 and Route 7, and is just minutes from all the great Gap Riding in the Green Mountain state.

The Crossroads is a great place, the rooms more than comfortable, with various birds - a few parrots and a cockatoo – quite entertaining. With this prime location, superior roads right at the end of the driveway, and such rider-friendly hosts it is the perfect home base for you or your group to explore this part of Vermont.

After a great and filling breakfast we said our goodbyes to our hosts and fellow riders and Shira and I took

While there we did a bit of searching for O’Life’s Mysterious America column at the Henry Sheldon Museum.

The Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont is the oldest chartered community history museum in the United States, welcoming visitors and researchers since 1882.

The place was full of great Vermont history, both public and private and a superb look at their local fair as well.

There were a bit of oddities to be found – a marvelous quilt of stitched together silk “cigar bands” and what we had really come here for, the Petrified Indian Child. Much like the Cardiff Giant in New York State this was a hoax that suckered a lot of people in the 1800’s and it now lies behind a curtained off room on the second floor of the museum.

While we were there we spotted a painting of the town of Ver-

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BACKROADS • MARCH 2013 gennes and the massive waterfalls they have there that were spilt by three separate industrial buildings more than a century ago.

We had never been there before so we fired up the bikes and rode back north towards the Lake Champlain town.

Just south of town I saw the largest solar panel array I had ever see. The Addison Solar Farm consists of 186 ground-mounted, south-facing solar arrays that would take up eight acres on the parcel and generate an estimated 1.2 million kilowatts of electricity per year.

It was very impressive and fits in well in an area that was on the cutting edge of water and hydroelectric power a century before.

The falls in Vergennes are the last of many big falls found on the very same waterway, the Otter Creek, that flows through Middlebury, miles away.

The three falls (actually one really wide cascade) are stupendous and we understand that the town has taken to lighting them in colors on special occasions.

With early afternoon heading towards late we rode south on Route 22A and then east back to the mountains on Route 73 that rose and fell, twisting and turning as it followed the track of the ever present Otter Creek, the longest flowing large stream in Vermont.

In the town of Brandon we stopped for lunch and took a walk around the center, taking in the damage from the previous year’s hurricane.

We had held a Backroads’ Rally here a few years back and it was sad to see that the tavern we had all had such a good time in had been ripped in half by the waters raging down off the peaks.

We followed the gap back over to Route 100 and in no time were rolling into Killington, and the home of the Killington Classic.

We checked in at the comfortable and close by Snowed Inn and then rode up to registration for our wristbands and updated schedule of events.

That night they held a Mixer to welcome riders and to let newcomers know what to expect over the next few days of the Classic complete with band, bar and dinner for those pre-registered.

For us it was an early night with a nearby dinner and plans being made for the next day.

As if in memory of Irene the winds picked up that night to a howling banshee

Page 29

MARCH 2013 • BACKROADS

Page 30 and for a short time I was worried about the bikes getting knocked over, but somewhere around 3am they petered out and the next day was glorious, well for us, as we heard many had gotten caught in small rain squalls that day, but for the most part the weather was fine if a bit blustery at times.

The Killington Rally had set up a few things this day and along with some demo rides from Victory and a local Ducati shop there were a lot of riders out doing the Scavenger Hunt. With this you had to get to a number of locations and get your ticket stamped. We had been to a few of these before and we had a few new places we wanted to take in along with chasing down a number of hay-bale creatures created for Killington’s Annual Hay Festival.

The creativity here is outstanding and we found dozens of neat hay animals – raccoons, tigers, peacocks, foxes and Mr. Happy and Pepe’s favorites a happy face and monkey. All these creations can be found along the roads in and around Killington and made for a bit of extra fun this day.

On the road we headed to the Vermont Marble Museum, in Proctor, right over the finest bridge I had seen yet in Vermont, with another set of falls on the Otter Creek right below it. Guess what it was made of?

These cascades, called the Great Falls, are the highest in Vermont at over 120 feet.

This part of Vermont has long been known for its fine marble and throughout the world you will find Vermont marble on some of mankind’s greatest monuments and buildings. In Washington D.C. alone the Lincoln Memorial,

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the Treasury Building and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier are all created with Vermont’s best.

I expected the museum to be good, but it was far more than that. It was great and I was amazed at the history and story of marble in Vermont.

New marble salt and pepper shakers followed us back home.

Our next stop was part of the Classic’s Scavenger Hunt and we found The New England Maple Museum where one can learn everything you need to know about America’s first real agricultural commodity.

BACKROADS • MARCH 2013 The route here brought us through some great Vermont backroads and across two more covered bridges, the Gorham and the Cooley.

Here we found a number of motorcycles all on the hunt for the next stamp on their tickets. This museum was interesting, but paled in comparison to the marble museum.

By now the sun showed it was well past lunch time and we scooted along some tiny roads turning a quick 10 mile jaunt into a 30 mile run; but soon were back in Killington with lunch in front of us.

Tonight the Killington Classic would be running a parade run from the mountain to the nearby city of Rutland where the town would be holding a block party for the event.

It sounded like a plan and it was, as the parade ran without a hitch and there were plenty of restaurants and interesting shops in downtown Rutland to explore, as well as a beer tent for those inclined and a live band.

We stuck around for a few songs and then rode back to Killington.

The next morning as Classic’s tours were heading out we went to the vendor area to see what was being offered. Not wanting the vendors to be too large of an area the folks at the Killington Classic offered a number of tables and tents hawking and selling products ranging from local dealers with machines on hand to suspension set-ups, local touring and with just a few selling, what I call, “biker crap.”

We’re sure as the seasons roll by this part of the mountain will grow with quality entrepreneurs and maybe some day it will rival the famed Americade Tour Expo.

For the rest of the weekend we did our best to explore parts of the state before vectoring toward New York, scooting right below Lake George, which seemed appropriate and then down through the Adirondacks, Leather Stocking region and Catskills before crossing into New Jersey and back home.

Page 31 Fairlee Motel and Drive-In • 1809 US Rte. 5 North, Fairlee, VT 802-333-9192 • www.fairleedrivein.com Inn at Mountain View Farm • 3383 Darling Hill Rd, East Burke, VT 802-626-9924 • www.innmtnview.com

Crossroads B & B • 4571 Ethan Allen Hwy, New Haven, VT 802-453-5958 • www.crossroadsbb.net Snowed Inn • 104 Miller Brook Rd, Killington, VT 802-422-3407 • www.snowedinn.com Rochester Café & Country Store • 55 N Main St, Rochester, VT 802-767-4302 • www.rochestercafe.com Junipers • 2059 Darling Hill Rd, Lyndonville, VT 802-626-8310 • www.junipersrestaurant.com American Flatbread • 137 Maple St, Middlebury, VT 802-388-3300 • www.americanflatbread.com Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial • 357 LDS Lane, S. Royalton, VT

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MARCH 2013 • BACKROADS

ExpLORING VERMONT, NEW HAMpSHIRE AND MAINE WITH A pROFESSIONAL TOUR GUIDE As springtime nears and the 2013 touring season approaches, trip planning is reaching its usual highpitched pre-season crescendo. Everyone is itching to get out and do some great riding on roadways and mountain passes where cars and traffic are few. A favorite riding area for those in the know are the rural mountainous regions of Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.

Can’t decide which roads are best, not sure about the nicest places to stay and eat at in Vermont, New Hampshire or Maine? An excellent solution for getting the most out of your riding is to explore an area with a professional touring company. Scenic Motorcycle Tours, a company that specializes in tours of Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, can help you with just that.

If you’re having a hard time deciding on just which tour to take, Eric Sampson, SMT’s Tour Leader, has some helpful incite. ‘Most people claim the tough decision is which tour to go on. They consider a loops tour including awesome rides like the 200 mile 4-State Route, featuring the scenic byways of Vermont, the Connecticut River Valley in Southern New Hampshire, the Berkshires of Massachusetts, and New York’s Adirondack’s. They also yearn for a destination tour including a different resort each night in Vermont or New Hampshire, featuring Mt. Washington and northwestern Maine or the Northeast Kingdom and the Lake Champlain Islands. These are all wonderful selections! The whole region is magnificent and the roads are incredible.

Personally I’d pick the June tour. It’s our first of the season, everything is in bloom when we go in June, plus everyone has cleared out from Laconia the week before. Not to mention the weather for touring is ideal.’

Graham Sampson SMT Tour Director, takes pride in his choice of accommodation and dining selections. ‘I consider it a nightly reward for touring enthusiasts after a long day of riding on incredible handpicked roadways, mountain passes, and winding, snaky twists! You’ll simply love the superior accommodations at luxury resorts featuring unbelievable meals prepared with the freshest ingredients centered upon the regional Farm to Table food net-

work, which is at the heart of the Scenic Motorcycle Tour.’

Gail Gilvey, Tour Coordinator, adds ‘Whether you select a loops tour that has you unpacking just once or a destination tour that brings you to a different resort each night, you really can’t go wrong. Tours are kept small to insure that everyone has a nice time. The highend resorts and scrumptious, delectable meals add to the enjoyment. Of course the chase vehicle makes sure you are always taken care of. The best thing to do is to select a tour that fits your calendar as soon as you can to insure that you get your tour of preference and be comforted that you will definitely have a great time regardless of which tour you select.

After making the initial decision and booking, the only thing needed to do is show up ready for four jam-packed days of fun and unforgettable riding.

The company is strongly committed to its guests and handles all of the planning details. SMTs mission is to make it an enjoyable, hasslefree experience.

The decision to have the tour guide show you some spectacular scenery and asphalt or explore on your own for a while is always yours. You’ll have contact with the chase vehicle and help in planning from the guides to ensure your trip is the best it possibly can be.

Start planning your 2013 trips now. Do your research and booking so you’ll have an amazing time to look forward to, and look back on, this 2013-touring season.

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MARCH 2013 • BACKROADS

Page 36

The SugAr House Rules Mark Byers Among the things you’ll notice about motorcycling through Vermont are the treecovered hillsides and mountains that surround her beautiful, undulating roads and streams. There’s gold in those trees – amber gold – as about a quarter of them are Sugar Maples. A magical thing happens between February and April: a fifteen-inch maple will slurp water from melted snow to make sap at the rate of about 150 gallons a DAY and Vermont sugar farmers will tap a small fraction of that sap to process into the amber elixir we all know and love as Vermont Maple Syrup.

As a motorcyclist, the best way to unlock the mystery of syrup production is to ride those beautiful, twisting byways until you see a sign advertising one of Vermont’s “Sugar Houses.” That’s how I found a small, hand-painted sign next to Townshend Road in Grafton, VT, saying “Maple Syrup, Visitors Welcome.” That was all I needed to find John Plummer’s Sugar House. John and his family are third-generation sugar farmers who, for the last 30 years, have tapped about 4,000 maples and turned their sap into syrup and related products.

John himself conducted our tour and I was impressed at how he is using a mixture of tradition and technology. Gone are wooden taps and galvanized buckets that need to be emptied daily: buckets are replaced by blue plastic taps plumbed into flexible black plastic pipes. A suction pump at the sugar

house draws the sap into holding tanks.

To shorten the boiling process, John runs the sap through a reverse-osmosis filter that removes about 40% of the water.

This innovative step reduces the boiling time, because it takes about 40-50 gallons of sap to create 1 gallon of syrup. It’s still labor-intensive, however, especially when John has to don his snowshoes and go on the mountain to repair a pipe eaten by squirrels or bear. John really doesn’t like squirrels!

Technology only goes so far and the last step is still necessary: boiling. During syrup season, the cookers in the boiling shed will run night and day to turn the excess water into steam and leave behind the syrup. John says that many times, he can’t see the people on the other side of the boiler for the steam rising toward the vented roof of the sugar house.

Syrup is still graded by color using a series of samples John keeps nearby and it’s critical to keep the temperature within about a degree of the magic number to make perfect syrup.

Syrup isn’t the only tasty product to emerge from the cookery: a heating/cooling process followed by whipping produces a maple cream spread that’s great for bagels and a similar technique yields maple candy.

When the cooking is done, left over is a maple sugar that John granulates and sells too. If you need to know how good the maple cream tastes, my wife can testify. As for the syrup, I like to drench my pancakes and sausage with it, for it is goooood.

On John’s web site, there are even suggestions for using syrup as a replacement for sugar in recipes and there’s a recipe for a maple milkshake!

Plummer’s Sugar House is at 2866 Townshend Road, Grafton, VT or ride the web at www.plummerssugarhouse.com for ordering, hours, and directions. Or, find your own maple nirvana plying the outstanding roads of the Green Mountain State. No matter where you go, Vermont’s sugar houses rule.

MARCH 2013 • BACKROADS

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EVENT RECAP

2013 INTERNATIONAL MOTORCYCLE SHOW • JACOB JAVITS CENTER, NYC

Over the past few years the New York Motorcycle Show has been bothered, pestered and beat up by everything from the holidays to NFL playoffs to Mother Nature.

This year the stars all came into alignment and this time around everything seemed right with the big two-wheel event in Manhattan.

Yep, temperatures in the 50s are welcome in the middle of January any year.

We saw more helmets being carried around this show than any for a long time.

Other good things were happening as well, as many of the manufacturers rolled into the Javits with a number of new and improved offerings.

The entire industry is aware that we need new riders to enter our world if the industry is going to continue to survive.

A number of OEMs brought in new entry machine, but Honda seemed to lead this charge with three different versions of a new 500.

Kawasaki’s new Ninja 300, an updated version of their best selling 250, looked to appeal to the new rider as well.

The new water-cooled R1200GS was there as well as the new F800GT sport touring machine.

Harley-Davidson brought all their new machines in from Milwaukee and on the other side of the twin market, Ducati had a number of stunning machines including the new Hyperstrada.

Can-Am introduced their upgraded new Spyder three-wheelers and the electric machines from Zero also show major upgrades from last year’s entries.

Triumph showed off its new Trophy, which looks to be a serious mileage eater and the colors on the new Tigers were superb.

Yamaha and Star had a number of new offerings as well as Suzuki who was also raffling off two custom Hyabusas.

Once again the Victory machines were very impressive and gave proof that Harley wasn’t the only one making quality American machines.

Indian is now in the capable hands of Polaris and, although the new

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Page 39 Indians are not rolling yet, they still had a big presence at the show with Burt Munro’s “Fastest Indian” machine on display (they even started it, which was a thrill for those there) and Mike Wolfe from the History Channel’s American Pickers was at the Indian booth as well, as he is a dedicated Indianophile.

There were seminars on a variety of subjects as well as a serious stunt show featuring Aaron Twite and Chris ‘Teach’ McNeil, two of the best stunters on the planet.

The MotoGP Experience got folks up close to some of the fastest racing motorcycles on the planet, with a dozen machines on display.

The little ones were invited to test ride a collection of pedal-less

Strider bicycles on an exciting race course designed with gentle turns, small obstacles and more. This interactive feature was a perfect introduction to the twowheeled world for future motorcycle riders.

Like we said, we need new riders!

For us the show moved fast and we had a constant crowd of friends and readers, from near and far, dropping by to say hello to us and our buddies Notso and Pepe. We were able to catch up with Paul from Celtic Rider, as he was stateside doing a couple of the motorcycle shows, and personally hand him the issue with our tour with him this past summer. Mark Byers, one of our intrepid contributors and his lovely wife Betsy lent a hand over the weekend manning the booth - thanks for the lunch breaks, guys.

Sunday evening came up fast and soon all were breaking down.

Once again the New York Motorcycle Show was over but, as always, that just heralds in another new season and we just can’t wait.

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MARCH 2013 • BACKROADS

Page 40

PRODUCT REVIEW

• GARMIN’S ZUMO 350 LM

Garmin’s newest edition to their motorcycle line-up is the Zumo 350 LM. Taking the unit out of the box our first impression was that the shape of the 350 looks a lot like the old 550; the big difference being the comfortable feeling rubber-style coating on the shell of the waterproof unit.

In the past we have reviewed and put thousands of miles on the Zumo 550, 600 and 660 so we were curious to see what Garmin would be offering with its latest addition.

The 350 LM comes with a wide and very bright, glove-friendly 4.3 inch screen. In addition to the rugged rubberized shell, the unit is created to withstand the occasion “fuel spray”. As with other Zumos there is a 3.5 audio jack so you can plug in some ear buds or link the 350 to your machine’s communication system. The unit also has an excellent Bluetooth system.

Here is where we found the new 350 to start to differ with Garmin’s previous models. There is a slot for a mini-SD card, which we assume is used to store pre-planned routes created by BaseCamp (more on this in a second) but, unlike the 660, 600 or even 550, the Zumo 350 LM does not have an MP3 player or XM Radio.

This unit is strictly about maps and guidance and any extras were left on the designer’s drawing board.

Many riders like bringing music along for the ride and my 660 carries hundreds of songs on its mini-SD card. I have a few other cards in my tank bag for even more tuneage. The XM satellite radio, on my 660, is an incredible

bonus, especially during baseball season and while on long highway stretches, and the ability to instantly access weather and radar coverage has saved my ass more than a bunch of times.

For reasons unknown Garmin has chosen to do without these valuable extras on the Zumo 350 LM. But, while taking some things away they have added others such as a maintenance log which allows you to store at what mileage you last performed various maintenance and upkeep on your bike. This is a nice feature but it will not remind you when it is time to change your oil again, you can only look back and see when you last did it. Still it can take the guess work out of basic bike maintenance.

The LM designation stands for Lifetime Maps which is an excellent thing as Garmin is constantly upgrading its already superb maps and being able to have the most current versions is always a good thing.

The Zumo 350 also has a currency convertor, world clock, language guide and alarm – all useful things to have along on a trip for sure, but know some of these work just for 30 days and then you need to pay for a subscription service. Like other Zumo units the 350 has local listings for fuel, lodging and restaurants, in addition to others, while you are on the road.

But gone is the app that lets you save your favorite destinations. We truly miss this as I have dozens of cool places stored on my 660 and it is good to be able to return to any of them from where ever I am.

BACKROADS • MARCH 2013 With the 350 you can only save the last place you were.

When mapping out a custom route on BaseCamp, we sometimes get very intricate and have a large number of waypoints along the route.

Downloading our Backroads 250+ route to the 350 during this review we found it had split the route into three separate files.

You would have to ride till the end of #1 and then fire up #2 and so on.

On the previous Zumos the entire route downloaded to one file, which preformed flawlessly.

To be honest the 350 multiple routes worked perfectly too, but you will have to go from route #1 to route #2 and so on while riding very long pre-planned routes.

We inquired about this to the Garmin Wizards in Olathe and according to Garmin’s Ben Johnson: “With the creation of the Zumo series we had many users that wanted to create routes that the Zumo itself wouldn’t always calculate due to riding style or preference. Therefore when we began work on the Zumo 350 we moved to the “Trip” format, which is a type of routing plan that contains multiple “routes” as the previous Zumo knew them. This allows the unit to offer guidance much farther and much more detailed than before – but it does take a little more setup in BaseCamp to do this. For the average user the Zumo will do everything they need out of the box – but for the power user – with the use of BaseCamp – long detailed trips can be created and navigated successfully on the Zumo 350.”

We will go more into detail on “shaping points’ and exactly what Mr. Johnson is describing in an upcoming article, but suffice it to say you will need to work a bit harder and have to be very careful when you are laying out any custom routes, but you can also make incredibly lengthy trips with this. Or, you can do it the old fashioned way-point way and just have multiple files for longer rides and be done with it.

You also cannot “share’ your routes with other Zumo users as you can with the other units.

The mounting bracket for the motorcycle is hardwired to the bike and is clean and functional and can be quickly mounted to most motorcycles on the market today.

The great thing with all the Zumos is that you can pop them into your car or truck whenever you want, but where the previous models mounts had power built into them the 350 has a combination of suction cup mount, a single USB power chord and the unit itself. Where before we could hard-wire the automobile mount in a semi-permanent nature, with the Zumo 350 LM you have to remove the power cord every time you remove the unit. Where the previous mount was a clean deal, this is just another cord we needn’t have to deal with, and yet another thing we didn’t understand.

We were also curious that we couldn’t readily access the 350’s battery. Unlike the previous Zumos, where you could easily remove or replace the battery if needed

Page 41 the 350 has no easy access to the battery.

When the battery needs to be serviced or replaced we guess the 350 would have to be sent back to Kansas and Garmin.

The more we compared the 350 to the 600 or 660 the more we were confused on why Garmin released the 350 with this new “paradigm” on what motorcycle riders need and desire in a high-end GPS. And, the Zumo 350 LM, which lists for around $699, is a high-end GPS unit.

More or less the same price as the previous Zumos.

Still we love the look and feel of the 350.

The super bright and glove-friendly screen is awesome; but the lack of features we’ve grown accustomed to in our GPSs is sorely missed with the Zumo 350 LM. If you are simply looking for a solid GPS to get you from point A to point B and do everything in-between, safely and confidently and you are not a “BaseCamp Power User” and have no need for music or the other options available on some other Garmins then the Zumo 350 LM might be for you.

For more information log onto www.garmin.com.

MARCH 2013 • BACKROADS

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A COUPLE FROM WHITE RIVER JUNCTION VT • THE

S ERICA U N O B OUS AM

T RI STE ERMON Y M V

MAIN STREET MUSEUM • The Museum of Misfit Stuff

Dan Bisbee

the main street museum 58 Bridge street • White riVer Junction, Vt (802) 356-2776 • WWW.mainstreetmuseum.org hours: thursday-sunday • 1-6pm

OK, first things first. The Main Street Museum is not on Main Street. I discovered this after riding up and down Main Street several times on Sunday afternoon. Finally, I stopped at the Polka Dot diner for directions and a slice of Vinegar Pie. On the surface, vinegar and pie don’t seem like they belong together, but the combination was actually quite delicious. After finishing the pie, the waitress directed me to the Main Street Museum around the corner on Bridge Street.

Once you know the Main Street Museum is on Bridge Street, it’s easy to find. Just look for the 20 foot tall humanoids in front of the old fire station. The armless giants with spindly legs have been carved from wood and then blackened with a torch. It’s unclear if the charring was done as an artistic touch or as a statement on the effectiveness of the fire department. But the charred creatures are just the tip of the iceberg of weirdness that waits inside the museum.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words but I’m not even sure pictures can capture the essence of the Main Street Museum. Calling it a “Cabinet of Curiosities” doesn’t really do it justice, although numerous large cabinets are scattered around the place. Many of the curiosities border on the bizarre: things that make you scratch your head and go WTF (that stands for Weird Things Found). Just inside the front door a large, ornate, gold colored picture frame caught my eye. A red leather-like matte surrounded a small glass box in the center measuring maybe two inches by three inches. Surely this significant-looking piece must display a rare and important artifact; I looked closer. Peering into the illuminated box I observed two of Elvis Presley’s toenail clippings.

The story is that in 1972, Elvis was staying at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas. The maid, while cleaning The King’s facilities, came across the clippings and swept them into her pocket as a souvenir. After she retired, to cover some bills, she sold the clippings to a collection agency. The artifacts were subsequently sold to a collector in Cincinnati. Their path from the collection agency to the Main Street Museum is a bit murky - but there they are, on display for your viewing.

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Meanwhile, over in the back corner in an illuminated Mason jar is another piece of Elvis: his gallstones. Apparently, in 1962, while in the Army, the King had gallstone surgery. Money was exchanged, and the artifacts made their way to an Elvis enthusiast. Years later, a gift of the gallstones was turned down by the Hard Rock Café. After that, they ended up in White River Junction as a gift from a collector. Like the toenail clippings, their journey to the Museum is a bit cloudy, kind of like the jar containing the stones, so you’ll just have to accept their presence on faith.

BACKROADS • MARCH 2013

Page 43 The Museum is more than a shrine to bits of Elvis though (OK, so there’s a framed Velvet Elvis in the restroom). Its main attraction is the Sea Monster. Apparently it was discovered in the nearby Connecticut River, so it should more precisely be called a River Monster.

The skeleton of the Monster is displayed in a giant lighted case. Supposedly, it was dug up from the nearby

If you haven’t figured it out by now, weird stuff abounds in the Museum.

Over on a shelf is a small alien in a jar of bright green fluid. The curator believes it’s from the planet Xenon, based on the color. Next to the alien is a canning jar containing a perfectly preserved Happy Meal, complete with toy, which has been run through a blender. And then there is the half-dinosaur, half-Madonna Virgasaur sculpture. A mounted squirrel holding a squirrelsized rifle peers out from the wall. In back, near the fur-bearing trout, hangs a large, framed arrangement of dried flowers, fungus, and felines. Yes, dehydrated cats (plural!). No details are given. I’m not sure an explanation is possible or even desirable.

Connecticut River in the mid 1990s and it doesn’t look like anything ever seen anywhere before. It’s over 8 feet long and the skull alone is 18 inches long. Its origin has perplexed all those who have studied it. The Vermont Monster Guide calls it a “Pseudosaurus.” The display card says it is “Mysterious in origin and somewhat contumacious in aspect.” While you are pondering that, I will tell you that also on display nearby is a rare Flying Jackalope. I think it may be of similar origin.

In the back of the Museum, a stuffed moose head gazes out from the wall.

Deer heads and antlers surround the moose, like some sort of macabre ode to road kill. Just in front of the moose sit a full-sized stuffed albino llama, bobcat and deer. During my visit the deer was adorned in a fox stole that was given to Elizabeth Taylor by one of her husbands, Senator John Warner. How it ended up in White River Junction is another mystery.

Sometimes it’s all in how you display something. You might call it rusty bits of metal found by the railroad tracks. Properly displayed in a beautiful Victorian-Era gilded picture frame, it becomes “Relics of the Glory Days of the Railroad in White River Junction.”

The Museum seems cluttered and disorganized, like it doesn’t know what it wants to be. But that may be part of the design. It is an assortment of collections and asks the questions: “What do we collect? What do we preserve for future generations?” The Main Street Museum has amassed an anthology of stuff that doesn’t seem to belong together but, when properly presented, it just somehow works - kind of like Vinegar Pie.

Elvis’ Toenails

MARCH 2013 • BACKROADS

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BONUS GREAT ALL AMERICAN DINER RUN VERMONT • the polka dot restaurant 7 main st, White riVer Junction, Vt • 802-295-9722 Dan Bisbee America is becoming more and more homogenous. If I see an Applebee’s restaurant, I can pretty much tell you what it’s going to look like inside and where the restrooms are. The same goes for any of a number of fast food places.

A lot of the sameness can be attributed to rapid growth along our interstate highway systems that bypass the old downtown area. White River Junction, Vermont is one of these bypassed towns.

Interstate 89 and 91 cross just up the road and several hotels have sprouted up near the interchange. Just across the Connecticut River in tax free New Hampshire, the big box stores, fast food and, yes, Applebee’s make up the “Miracle Mile.” Nestled in between, next to the river by the railroad tracks is downtown White River Junction. It remains much like it was 50 to 100 years ago. This is especially true at the Polka Dot Restaurant. It began serving people when the railroad was in its heyday and not much has changed at the Polka Dot since then. It has that old time charm that is missing from a lot of modern places. You call the place a little rundown but I like to call it authentic ambiance. While a few upscale restaurants are nearby, the Polka Dot is decidedly downscale.

When I visited, I took a stool at the counter but as soon as I sat down, Mary, the owner and cook told me to sit at a different stool. She then explained that the air conditioner wasn’t working particularly well and the stool

OLD TIME AMBIANCE AND VINEGAR pIE I had selected was directly opposite the grill and it could get a bit warm. She was right and I moved to the other end nearer the cash register. The counter had space for nine stools but one of them was missing the seat. Like I said, the ambiance is authentic.

The “Dot” as the locals call it, is a throwback to the diners of yesteryear. Don’t go in expecting a menu full of fancy wraps and modern sandwiches. The menu calls it a B.L.T. If you would like “Applewood smoked bacon layered with vine ripened heritage tomatoes nestled on a bed of organic romaine lettuce and served on specialty bread with our signature homemade mayonnaise”, go somewhere else. Here, it’s simply a B.L.T. and it comes with an appropriate price: $4.25 during my visit last summer. Being the big spender that I am, I splurged an extra ten cents to have it toasted. The most expensive thing on the menu is the hot hamburger sandwich with gravy, potato and vegetable for under $8.00.

They don’t have a kid’s menu but the regular lunch menu lists a Peanut Butter and Jelly. I am told liver and onions is on the dinner menu.

In addition to the nine eight stools at the counter there are a half dozen booths that are a bit lumpy and could at best be described as cozy for four adults. The restrooms down at the end are, shall we say, snug: more of that authentic ambiance.

BACKROADS • MARCH 2013

Page 45 After enjoying my B.L.T. and a Coke that came in a red plastic cup with a million dishwasher cycles on it, I ordered up the Dot’s signature dessert: Vinegar Pie. Now don’t wrinkle up your nose yet, it’s actually very good.

Think of a cheesecake with a bit of bite to it.

Now cover it with strawberries and a dollop of whipped cream. It was just the right thing on a hot July afternoon.

When I went to pay, the bill was also a bit of a throwback and Mary carefully added up my BLT, Vinegar Pie and Coke by hand, even scribbling out a mistake (although she did use a pocket calculator to figure the tax).

Downtown White River Junction is experiencing a bit of a renaissance with the Hotel Coolidge, the Center for Cartoon Studies and Northern Stage theatre. Passenger trains still depart from the depot which also houses a museum and a few freight trains rumble through.

A couple of newer, trendier restaurants have opened up nearby but the ‘Dot remains virtually as it was 50 or even 75 years ago. If your travels take you through White River Junction, make it a point to stop at the Polka Dot Restaurant and order the vinegar pie. Just don’t sit near the grill.

Now it’s our time to support them.

To volunteer or donate please call or visit:

516-717-1364 www.ncff-oww.com

MARCH 2013 • BACKROADS

Page 46

A Little Bit of Italian Artistry in Vermont hope and elmWood cemetery Barre, Vermont Mike Stackhouse So, you have a bit of a dilemma. You want a new motorcycle but your significant other is longing to go to Italy and gaze at carvings by skilled Italian artisans. What DO you do? Well, may I make a suggestion? Buy the new bike and take your other half on a scenic ride to Barre, Vermont. How is that going to help? Allow me to explain.

About 25 years ago on the way to a snowmobile race, a friend pulled into a cemetery and by the lights of the car, showed me some amazing art work in what he called, ‘the stone cutters cemetery”. It took me until the summer of 2001 (I wasn’t looking that hard…) to finally find the Hope Cemetery and revisit this truly remarkable collection of carvings by the area’s Italian artisans.

While it isn’t exactly “the stone cutters” cemetery, it IS the greatest collection of monumental artwork by and for the Italian master craftsmen that immigrated to Barre in the 1890s. Hope was opened in 1895 and is an 85acre testament to the skill of those that made their livelihood carving the gray granite that Barre is so famous for. Although there are “normal” stones in the cemetery, they are overshadowed by great pieces that would be at home in a museum anywhere in the world.

As my son and I strolled silently through Hope Cemetery, various pieces caught our eyes. All were different and I’m sure a reflection of the artisan’s personality. It’s difficult to imagine the hundreds of hours spent shaping and smoothing the flawless pieces of granite that are there.

One of the first stones we came across was “The Sitting Angel”, a work by Louis Brusa. The family monument depicts an angel sitting, legs crossed with her chin in her hand, as if she were saying, “OK, I’m waiting….” Brusa’s own stone shows him sliding into death as his wife holds him in her arms. Ironically, giving these monuments to the world is what killed Brusa and many others like him.

Until ventilation was mandated in the mid-1930s, the air in the shops would be so thick with stone dust that it was said you couldn’t see from one end to the other. Because of this, many carvers lost their lives at an early age (between 35 and 50 years of age) due to silicosis, tuberculosis and allied lung diseases. If you check the dates on the stones you’ll notice this. You will also notice that many died in 1818 and 1819. This was due to a flu epidemic that swept the community at that time.

In the cemetery there’s a marvelous stone for Elia Corti as well.

Carved by his brother William Corti and brother-in-law John Comi, this piece of art is carved from a single block of granite and depicts Corti sitting with his hand on a shortened column (meaning life cut short) surrounded by his tools of the trade (calipers, chisel, square and hammer). Detail of his clothing, right down to the last thread, has to be seen to appreciate the love and tears that I’m sure were put into his memorial.

Other stones include a bi-plane headed through the clouds (to cloud nine perhaps?), Bettini’s “The Empty Chair”, a replication of Michelangelo’s “Pieta”, the Russo ship, the Vanetti mausoleum with

BACKROADS • MARCH 2013

Page 47

stainless steel doors and granite filigrees.

There is also a soccer ball and a cube set on edge. Everywhere you turn there’ll be another fine work of art that catches the eye.

Remember, while you are there, a lot of the decorations on the monuments are symbolic. A rose means love, oak-honor, pine and cone-healing, morning glory-resurrection and so on. A broken tree truck or shortened column means cut down in the prime of life, a draped urn is sorrow and a flame is eternal life. Pay attention to detail and you’ll see many of these things hidden in the carvings.

Hope Cemetery is located just north of the junction of routes 302 and 14 on 14(There’s a 43-ton monument to the Italian artisans on the corner) While you’re in the area there is another place you should visit as well. A little east of the intersection on 302 you’ll come to the intersection of Hill Street and 302/ Washington St. (There’s a Mobil on the corner) If you glance to the left you will see another cemetery. This is Elmwood.

Older than Hope, it contains some marvelous stonework as well. Where

Hope seems to have symmetry to it, Elmwood has more types of monuments then a headstone history book. Starting with old slate and marble stones, the selection includes tall spires, Scottish flavored crosses and even cast Zinc (white metal) monuments.

Probably the one of the grandest stones is the “Jackson Angel”.

Carved from a single piece of granite, it marks the graves of Dr. J. Henry Jackson and Dr. Joe W. Jackson. The father and son served the Barre area for many years. The stone’s background is done in “shell rock pitch” which is just about a forgotten art these days.

The cast zinc monuments were interesting as they’re cast from white metal and are hollow. They have a blueish tinge, which makes them easy to pick out once you know what they are. I talked with one of the groundkeepers

MARCH 2013 • BACKROADS

Page 48

and mentioned that I’d read where bootleg whiskey was hidden in the hollow memorials during prohibition. He said that he hadn’t heard that, but about ten years ago there was a drug bust in town and the dealers WERE hiding dope in one. (A stone for the stoners?)

Another interesting work is a hand-carved, rope-like column rising over 30 feet with a polished urn on top.

This marks the grave of William Barclay Sr. (18501907) who was a mayor for three terms as well as being a Scottish immigrant and granite manufacturer.

Other monuments include, Robert Paddock’s (the first doctor in Barre.1768-1842), the Levi Bolster stone with intricate carvings, a zinc metal lamb and the William LaPointe bust. It’s a neat little stroll in which, every time you turn around, something will catch your eye.

Both Hope and Elmwood are well worth the visit if you’re in the area. Should you find yourself in Barre with more than an afternoon to walk around, also visit the Rock of Ages quarry and downtown Barre where many other great works are on display. See, I told you there was a way to get the bike and see some great stonework at the same time.

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BACKROADS • MARCH 2013

Page 49

UPCOM IN G EVENTS CAL ENDAR

What’s Happening

FEBRUARY 2013

MAY 2013

23 • Ramapo Motorcycle Club 95th Crotona Midnight Run. Sat., Feb. 23-Sun., Feb. 24. Sign in: 10:30pm • Key Time: Midnight - 12:00am. Location: Nathan's parking lot, Central Park Ave, Yonkers, NY. This is the longest running motorcycle event in the USA. Be part of History. More info at www.ramapomc.org

16-19 • BACKROADS Spring Break 2013. Cooperstown, NY. This rally will feature a complete issue of Backroads’ columns in one weekend - Great All-American Diner Run, Big City Getaway, and, of course, Mysterious America. Our home base will be the Lake Front Motel, sitting right on Lake Otsego and walking distance from downtown Cooperstown. www.backroadsusa.com/rallies.html

23 • 3pm - Motorcyclepedia Museum Seminar Series • The Most Important Operating System on the Motorcycle: Adjusting the Loose Nut behind the Handlebars.

Michael Friedle, MSF RiderCoach and BMWMOA Ambassador with over 600,000 miles of road riding experience, will help to tune up your mental skills before this year’s riding season. Street Smarts and Rider Perception will be the topics in an interactive format with an emphasis on situational awareness, your actions and possible consequences and the gathering of information all around you. Included in your $11 museum entrance fee.

23 • Harley Davidson Long Branch Chili Cookoff. Sign up to enter your chili recipe in our annual contest. More details • www.hdlongbranch.com • 732-229-8518

MARCH 2013 2 • Bob’s BMW, 10720 Guilford Rd, Jessup, MD • Tech Session - 11am-Noon • Subject of this Tech Session is GoPro VIDEO – a Product Tutorial! More and more riders are using the amazing and versatile little GoPro camera to get professional quality video of their riding experiences. You can too! Learn at Bob’s. Attendance is FREE but please register to attend. www.bobsbmw.com/road-crew/events-and-rides/monthly-tech-sessions/ 7 • Morton’s BMW Motorcycles, Fredericksburg, VA • 6:30-8:00 pm. FREE new owner seminar. If you've bought a BMW recently, join us as we show you how to check fluid levels and do other routine checks. Pick up tips on making adjustments and setting the bike up to your needs. Info at www.mortonsbmw.com or 540-891-9844.

14 • Harley-Davidson of Long Branch Motorcycle Boot Camp. Bring your buddies and learn a thing or two. Sign-in @ 6:30 - Camp @ 7pm. RSVP please. 671 Broadway, Long Branch, NJ • 732-229-8518 • ww.HDLongBranch.com 16 • Liberty Harley-Davidson St. Patty’s Day Party with corned beef and cabbage from noon-2pm • 12 W. Milton Ave, Rahway, NJ • 732-381-2400 • www.LiberyHarley.com

16-19 • Concours Owners Group Northeast Spring Fling. Bedford, PA. For details please contact Jason 814-535-8669 • www.tinyurl.com/COGSpringFling2013 17-19 • Mothers for Daughters Weekend. Join hundreds of riders for a weekend of riding and fun in beautiful scenic Vermont and help raise money for breast and ovarian cancer research. See website for full details: www.mothersfordaughters.com 17-19 • Morton's BMW Spring Fling Rally, Natural Bridge, VA. Meet up with hundreds of riders -- all brands welcome -- for a weekend of riding, relaxing, and just hanging out. Dinners on Friday and Saturday evening, vendors, seminars, guided rides on- and off-pavement, door prizes, and much more. Details at www.mortonsbmw.com or 540891-9844.

18 • Twisted Throttle Open House • 570 Nooseneck Hill Rd/Rte. 3, Exeter, Rhode Island • 401-284-4200 • www.twistedthrottle.com 25 • Morton’s BMW Motorcycles, Fredericksburg, VA • 4:00 pm • Ride To Eat with the Morton's crew! Meet us at 4:00 pm for a nice ride through the countryside to an interesting restaurant each month. Details at www.mortonsbmw.com or 540-891-9844.

26 • Vermont Thunder, Sharon, VT • www.VT-Thunder.org 30-31 • CLASS at Virginia International Raceway. Join Brian and Shira from Backroads Magazine for two days with Reg Pridmore and the crew from CLASS. Learn smoothness and cornering amongst friends. For more information visit www.CLASSrides.com

JUNE 2013 1-8 • Americade • www.americade.com • World’s largest motorcycle touring rally. Join with thousands of motorcyclist for a week of riding, fun, seminars and commaraderie.

15 • BACKROADS 250+ • It’s a Jersey Thing. Have a great day riding 250+ miles ALL IN NEW JERSEY. Sign in: Chatterbox Drive-In, Augusta, NJ 8:30-9:30am • $10 charity donation. Printed and GPS routes available. Endsite: Sprinkle Shack, Sparta, NJ. For more information please call 973-948-4176.

16-17 • International Motorcycle Spring Show • International Centre, Toronto, Canada • Dealer displays of new 2013 bikes and great deals on used bikes, accessories, vendors, superstores, clubs & associations, stage shows, custom bike competition. Best bike in show wins $5000. Free parking. For more info 905-771-0132 • www.motorcyclespringshow.com

8-16 • 90th Anniversay Laconia Bike Week • www.laconiamcweek.com • Join thousands of bikers for a week of music, parties and great events.

28 • Motorcycle Mall Yamaha Hot Winter Nights Event • 5-8pm • 655 Washington Ave, Belleville, NJ • 973-751-4545 • www.motorcyclemall.com

20 • Thunder in the Valley Motorcycle Rally, Johnstown, PA • www.JohnstownThunder.com

30 • Cycle Motion Yamaha Hot Winter Nights Event • 9a-4p • 1269 Dolsontown Rd, Middletown, NY • 845-343-2525 • www.cyclemotioninc.com

23 • 5th Annual Baer’s MS Poker Run to benefit Multiple Sclerosis. Two sign in starts: Baer’s Sports Center, 330 Grandview Ave, Honesdale, PA or Harmony Lodge #8, 519 Rte. 206, Andover Twnshp, NJ. $20/pp incl. pin or patch, poker hand, raffles, 50/50, live music by Big Boss Sausage, vendors and more. Endsite: Airport Park, Matamoras, PA • 570-253-2000 • 570-686-2917 • 570-228-1896 • www.WRVR.net

30 Morton’s BMW Motorcycles, Fredericksburg, VA • 4:00 pm • Ride To Eat with the Morton's crew! Meet us at 4:00 pm for a nice ride through the countryside to an interesting restaurant each month. Details at www.mortonsbmw.com or 540-891-9844.

APRIL 2013

JULY 2013

4 • Morton’s BMW Motorcycles, Fredericksburg, VA • 6:30-8:00 pm • FREE new owner seminar, Morton's BMW Motorcycles, Fredericksburg, VA. If you've bought a BMW recently, join us as we show you how to check fluid levels and do other routine checks.

Pick up tips on making adjustments and setting the bike up to your needs. Info at www.mortonsbmw.com or 540-891-9844.

9 • Women’s Track Day - New Jersey Motorsports Park, Millville, NJ • Sponsored

by Tony’s Track Days. Join Shira from Backroads Magazine and a host of other women and learn to be smooth on your motorcycle while perfecting your cornering skills. For more information please visit www.TonysTrackDays.com

4 • Harley-Davidson of Long Branch Women’s Garage Party. Join the ladies and learn what’s new in Harley-Davidson and what fits your needs. Sign-in @ 6:30 - Party @ 7pm. RSVP please. 671 Broadway, Long Branch, NJ • 732-229-8518 • ww.HDLongBranch.com

19-20 • Crossroads Motorcycle Rally 2013, Farre’s Field, Waterbury, VT • www.crossroadsmotorcyclerally.com

AUGUST 2013 23-25 • Kingdom Thunder Rally, Burke, VT • www.kingdomthunder.org

13 • Morton’s BMW Motorcycles, Fredericksburg, VA • 9:00 am-4:00 pm • Spring Open House at Morton's BMW Motorcycles, Fredericksburg, VA. See and ride the new models, from the scooters to the GS and the K 1600 series! Join hundreds of other enthusiasts for demo rides, door prizes, food, music, vendors (more vendors welcome!), and much more. Details at www.mortonsbmw.com or 540-891-9844.

25 • 1st Annual Poker Run to benefit the Harmony Lodge Foundation • Sign in: Harmony Lodge #8, 519 Rte. 206, Andover, NJ 9am-12Noon • Endsite: Franklin Fireman’s Pavilion, 137 Buckwheat Rd, Franklin, NJ. $20/pp incl. food and drink, top 3 poker hand prizes, 50/50, raffles, vendors, live music by Morning Door and more • For more info visit www.harmony8nj.com

27 • Morton’s BMW Motorcycles, Fredericksburg, VA • 4:00 pm • Ride To Eat with the Morton's crew! Meet us at 4:00 pm for a nice ride through the countryside to an interesting restaurant each month. Details at www.mortonsbmw.com or 540-891-9844.

29-Sept. 1 • Killington Classic Motorcycle Rally, Killington, VT • Rides, demos, vendors, contests, parade, music, dinners, fireworks and SO MUCH MORE! Registration opens May 15 - DON’T BE SHUT OUT OF YOUR FIRST CHOICES. 518-798-7888 • www.killingtonclassic.com

27 • Open House at Bob’s BMW, 10720 Guilford Rd, Jessup, MD • An Open House at Bob’s is always FUN! Motorcyclists of all types and stripes (that’s right, not just BMW riders) come from far and wide to help make the day memorable. Grab some delicious food served up by the Blue Knights while you catch up and exchange stories with lots of your fellow riders. The Major Brand factory reps never miss a Bob’s Open House, so why should you? They’ll be here eager to fill you in on the latest great gear and accessories.

And of course, you know you'll find SAVINGS — and SURPRISES too! More info: bobsbmw.com 28 • Motorcyclepedia Museum Season Kick-Off and Swap Meet • 250 Lake St, Newburgh, NY • 845-569-9065 • www.motorcyclepediamuseum.org • Clean out your closets and saddlebags and sell your stuff. Space is limited, call for table details.

NO DEALERS.

GET READY FOR SPRING! START PLANNING YOUR RIDES, TUNING YOUR BIKE AND CHECKING YOUR GEAR. SNOW WILL BE GONE BEFORE YOU KNOW IT.

POLAR BEAR GRAND TOUR 2012-13 To check on Polar Bear cancellations & updates call A.M.A. Dis. #2 • 908-722-0128 Feb. 24 • BAHRS LANDING, 2 Bay Ave., Highlands, NJ 07732 PH# 732-872-1245 • www.bahrs.com March 3 • FIREHOUSE EATERY, 455 Saint Georges Ave. Rahway, NJ 07065 Ph# 732 382-9500 • www.firehouseeatery.com March 10 • LONG VALLEY PUB & BREWERY, 1 Fairmount Rd., Long Valley, NJ 07853 Ph #908-876-1122 • www.restaurantvillageatlongvalley.com March 17 • THE CHATTERBOX, #1 Rte 15 South, Augusta, NJ 07822 Ph#973-300-2300 • www.chatterboxdrivein.com March 24 • BRIAN'S HARLEY-DAVIDSON, 600 S. Flowers Mill Rd., Langhorne PA Ph# 215 752-9400 • www.brianshd.com April 7 • CHEEBURGER CHEEBURGER, 100 Reaville Ave. Flemington NJ 08822 Phone # 908-782-9000

MARCH 2013 • BACKROADS

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IND USTRY INFOBITES

News from the Inside

MOTORCYCLE JOURNALIST KEVIN ASH KILLED DURING PRESS LAUNCH “It is with deep regret that BMW Motorrad confirms the fatal injury of Kevin Ash in a motorcycle accident during a launch event in South Africa. The accident happened to the north of a town called George, 250 kilometres east of Cape Town. Out of respect for Kevin’s family and friends, no further information is being made available at this time.”

Adrian Roderick, general manager for BMW Motorrad UK, said: “We are shocked and deeply saddened to hear the awful news about Kevin Ash; one of the most well-liked, experienced and respected journalists in the extremely close-knit motorcycle community.

Losing Kevin is a tragedy which will be felt across the entire industry. He was a friend, as much as a journalist, and will be sorely missed. Our heartfelt thoughts are with his family, friends and colleagues at this awful time.”

Neale Bayly, Backroads journalist, knew Kevin well. Neale said, “It’s hard to say how many times I’ve crossed paths with Kevin Ash around the world in my career. From track introductions in Malaysia to Museum tours in Italy, and all number of street rides in America, England or Spain. I’ve eaten breakfast, lunch, and dinner with him many times in strange places on this planet and have only one consistent memory of him. Just a seriously down to earth and friendly bloke. A fantastic rider, a true stand out in the world of motorcycle journalism, and a consummate professional, when the riding was done he was always quick to be where the fun was happening. It’s a sad day to hear of his passing, and I’m sure for BMW an extremely difficult time as they introduce their new GS to the world. My thoughts are with Kevin’s family and friends today and I will take some solace that Mr. Kevin Ash didn’t waste any of his time on this earth. He rode hard, rode well and always did it with a smile on his face.”

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MSF TURNS 40…

This year, the Motorcycle Safety Foundation celebrates 40 years of providing motorcyclists with rider training and education in its mission to create and support motorcyclists of good riding character and to save lives. Further, the Foundation initiates programs in public information and education, as well as public policy, with a goal of creating a safer riding environment.

Established in 1973 when few formal, research-based motorcyclist training programs existed, the notfor-profit MSF created an education training program that has evolved from a single learn-to-ride program into a comprehensive training system with the breadth and depth to address a variety of riders’ needs and interests and promote lifelong learning.

Since its inception, MSF curricula have been used to train approximately 6.5 million motorcyclists and are expected to exceed seven million riders later this year. A factor for this increased training pace can be partially attributed to MSF’s relatively recent emphasis on adult learning principles, the practice of placing greater responsibility on the student, and overall learnercentered facilitation as opposed to instructor-centered instruction.

For safety information or to enroll in the RiderCourseSM nearest you, visit www.msf-usa.org or call (800) 446-9227.

RIDERS BLOCK CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY FOR MARRIAGE PROPOSAL Call it what you want, but you gotta admit Hector “Tank” Martinez’s marriage proposal was a bit over the top. The California sportbike rider and member of the 710 Bikerz and 300 of his friends blocked the I-10 freeway

BACKROADS • MARCH 2013

Page 51

in West Corvina on Sunday January 27th while Martinez did a quick burnout (with pink smoke) took off his helmet, got down on one knee and proposed to his girlfriend Paige Hernandez.

According to published reports, the California Highway Patrol isn’t very romantically inclined and issued citations to about 20 motorcyclists who were hanging around on the surface streets after the incident.

One CHP officer said others involved in the stunt may be charged as well. Potential charges could range from various misdemeanors to felonies for impeding traffic, according to CHP Officer Jose Barrios.

“It’s a public safety issue as well,” Barrios said. “Reckless driving, stopping when it’s not an emergency stop — just a few of the violations they were committing at the time.”

If the CHP follows the same procedure it did when the members of the rock group Imperial Stars shut down the 101 Freeway in October of 2010, Martinez will likely face some type of felony charges.

Oh, and Hernandez said yes.

OFFICIAL WANTS TO BAN MOTORCYCLES FROM MOUNTAIN PASSES In another bizarre example of “more laws make our lives better”, the website autoevolution is reporting that Alain Perret, prefect of Lower-Rhine region in France, wants to ban the access of motorcycles in the high mountain passes of the Vosgi during weekends.

For those of you not up on your French politics, a “French Prefect” is a little like an American congressman only he or she isn’t elected, they’re appointed as local or regional representatives to the national government. The French Motorcycling Federation and the Federation Francaise des Motards en Colere (translated as French Federation of Angry Bikers) have already filed a complaint against the proposed law.

In 2010, the group’s 40,000 bikers protested a proposed ban on lane splitting and in December 2012 the Federation took to the streets and painted warnings on French roadways near speed cameras, so it will be interesting to see what the group does if this asinine law is actually imposed.

One thing’s for sure, French motorcyclists are not afraid of a little political activism.

BMW SELLS HUSQVARNA TO KTM CEO The BMW Group has announced that it is selling the Husqvarna Motorcycles brand to a company owned by KTM CEO, Stefan Pierer, for an undisclosed sum. In a deal pending approval by European anti-trust authorities, Pierer Industrie AG of Austria will acquire Husky from BMW Motorrad.

The German OEM issued a release Friday saying that the agreement is part of a realignment of its motorcycle business that puts the focus on urban mobility and e-mobility. “In the context of changing motorcycle markets, demographic trends and increasing environmental demands, BMW Motorrad will expand its product offering to exploit future growth potenetial,” by focusing on those two segments.

BMW further states that its motorcycle division, “achieved a new sales record in 2012. With the realignment of its motorcycle business, BMW Motorrad aims to maintain profitable and sustainable growth over the coming years. Its current core business consists exclusively of premium vehicles in the categories “Tourer”, “Enduro”, “Sport”, “Roadster” and “Maxi-Scooter” from 650 to 1600 cc. BMW Motorrad entered the urban mobility segment for the first time in 2012 with the C 650 GT and C 600 Sport maxi-scooters.”

DUCATI SAYS 2012 BEST SALES YEAR EVER Ducati North America announced that 2012 was the company’s best year in the market, with a 21% increase over 2011 in total sales of motorcycles and a 42% jump in its apparel division.

Chief Executive Cristiano Silei thanked passionate American Ducati fans “Ducatisti,” for driving 2012 U.S. sales up 21% over 2011. The US (for the second year in a row) is the Italian motorcycle company’s biggest market, where ”One out of every four Ducati motorcycles sold [worldwide] is sold in North America,” Silei said. “It’s a love story.”

Silei said he was guardedly optimistic that 2012 might have been the last bad year in the motorcycle sales slump that began with the economic crash of 2008.

“Maybe this is the bottom,” he said. “I certainly hope so. The market has been stable for the last two years, so maybe we have reached a plateau. For us, we are posting record numbers now.”

(Continued on next page)

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NEW HARLEY-DAVIDSON MOTORCYCLE RETAIL SALES GROW 6.2% WORLDWIDE A strong fourth-quarter 2012 capped a year of gains for Harley-Davidson, Inc. marked by solid growth in earnings and retail new motorcycle sales.

Worldwide retail sales of new Harley-Davidson motorcycles grew 7.5% in the quarter and 6.2% for the full year, compared to the year-ago periods.

“Thanks to the outstanding efforts of our employees, dealers and suppliers, Harley-Davidson achieved its growth and restructuring goals in 2012,” said Keith Wandell, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer.

“The ambitious restructuring of our manufacturing operations, aimed at delivering better responsiveness for customers and greater operating efficiency, is now largely behind us,” Wandell said. “Motorcycle sales grew in 2012, fueled by exceptional products and retail experiences. Together with our dealers, we grew sales to U.S. outreach customers faster than to core customers, grew U.S. market share and continued to expand internationally.”

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHTS VERMONT TEDDY BEAR COMPANY Vermont Teddy Bear Company is the largest maker of handcrafted, American-made Teddy Bears! Embraced by the scenic Green Mountains, Lake Champlain, and the Adirondack Mountains, the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory colors the countryside in beautiful Shelburne, Vermont, USA. Join us on our fun-filled Vermont Teddy Bear Factory Tour and see how the Best Bears in the Universe are born. You’ll get a behind-the-scenes view of our working Factory and will see firsthand how we create our beautiful Bears – from cutting and stitching to stuffing and sewing. Led by our energetic staff of Bear Ambassadors, our interesting and educational tours run daily. After the tour, browse for gifts and souvenirs in our Bear Shop and create your own “Make a Friend for Life” Teddy Bear.

HARLEY’S WOMEN’S VELOCITY RIDER COMFORT SYSTEM The new Velocity line of women’s Rider Comfort System (RCS) items from the Harley-Davidson® MotorClothes® line expands the options for riders who demand maximum comfort and versatility in changing temperatures. The three-layer system begins with the RCS Velocity Base Layer (P/N 97351-13VW starting at $75) ), a 100% polyester top made with Cocona® Natural Technology™ for extreme breathability, exceptional evaporative cooling and odor resistance.

It’s matched by the mid-layer Velocity RCS Soft Shell Jacket (P/N 97350-13VW, starting at $160), a 100 percent polyester soft shell with fleece backing, zippered front and extended cuffs with thumb holes.

The Velocity RCS Waterproof Leather Jacket, starting at $425, outer-layer features waterproof lightweight cowhide leather construction with waterproof spandex side panels, three zippered vents and padded elbows and shoulders. It’s sized

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BACKROADS • MARCH 2013

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PRODUCT SPOTLIGHTS to accommodate other RCS base- and mid-layers. All RCS Velocity tops are available in XS – 3W sizes.

For full hand comfort, the new Velocity RCS Waterproof Textile Full Finger Gloves listing for $75 are made from 100 percent nylon spandex and feature an ergonomic thumb and pre-curved fingers with touch-screen finger tips. Sizes include XS – XL. These and additional Velocity RCS items are part of the complete line of RCS gear available now at most Harley-Davidson dealerships.

For additional information on Harley-Davidson MotorClothes Apparel and Collectibles, see your local Harley-Davidson dealer or visit harley-davidson.com. To find a dealer near you, call 1.800.LUV.2RIDE in the U.S. or Canada.

THE SCHUBERTH C3 PRO & C3 PRO WOMEN THE FIRST HIGH SPEED FLIP-UP HELMET WITH INTERNAL ANTENNA Light, quiet, compact - these features have characterized the Schuberth C3 flip-up helmet for years. Now Schuberth is presenting a completely updated premium partner to the base model C3 - the C3 PRO. The C3 PRO features a molded rear spoiler developed in the Schuberth wind tunnel for minimizing buffeting at higher speed riding. The internal antenna and Bluetooth receiver enhance the communication range up to 1/2 mile and FM radio reception for the Schuberth Rider Communication System. The refined inner lining offers a plush, comfortable fit. The new vent scoop boosts airflow through the helmet to over 2.5 gallons of air per second at 65 mph. With a wind tunnel tested sound rating of just 82 dB, the C3 PRO is the quietest Schuberth helmet ever. The C3 PRO, and female fit C3 PRO WOMEN flip-up helmet features over 20 additional enhancements and will be available this spring.

Based on additional research, the C3 PRO WOMEN is specially fitted for a woman’s facial structure, featuring a special contour and materials in the cheek pads to better fit a woman’s higher cheek bones, narrower jaw and smaller facial features.

The easy-to-install, fully integrated Schuberth Rider Communication System (SRCS C3 PRO) plugs into the C3 PRO’s internal antenna for improved FM radio reception and pairing distance of up to 1/2 mile.

The C3 Pro will be available in glossy and matte black, glossy silver, glossy white and Hi-Viz yellow; C3 Pro pricing starts at $799.

SINGLE WRENCH SEEKS LIKE-MINDED SWINGARMS Late-model BMW motorcycles with single-sided swingarms use an array of T50 Torx bolts to fasten the rear wheel.

Access may be difficult due to a recessed wheel, obstructing mufflers, and saddlebags. In addition, the factory specifies relatively high torque of 60 newton-meters (44 foot-pounds). As a result, road or trailside wheel removal can be challenging.

CruzTOOLS developed the T50 Star Wrench specifically for this application. Measuring approximately 7.5 (190mm) by 4 (100mm), the wrench is long enough to provide necessary torque yet fits easily into a tankbag or saddlebag. Star tips are compatible with Torx standards and provided on both ends for increased flexibility. The wrench is manufactured to precision tolerances using high strength S2 material, and sports a durable satin finish.

The T50 Star Wrench is available now and retails for $16.95, part number T50BM. For more information, please contact CruzTOOLS at PO Box 250, Standard, CA 95373 U.S.A.; toll-free 888-909-8665; fax 209536-0463; or visit their web site at www.cruztools.com.

A COMPLETELY NEW EDITION OF MOTORCYCLE JOURNEYS THROUGH NEW ENGLAND BY KEN AIKEN Whitehorse Press is pleased to announce publication in June 2013 of a completely new edition of Motorcycle Journeys Through New England. This all-new version of the most popular touring guide to the region offers more suggested routes than ever, and more detailed descriptions of the best things to see and do while visiting.

Each of the 28 day-long trips through Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island —has a detailed route description, turn by turn directions, an easy-to-follow relief map, and many colorful photographs. The author’s affection for and knowledge of his native turf is obvious as he leads twowheeled travelers through twisty mountain passes and beautiful valley backroads to the most scenic, intriguing destination spots in the northeast.Well-known motorcycle-touring roads like Vermont’s Route 100, the Mohawk Trail, and the Kancamagus Highway are covered, but Aiken’s inclusion of little-known roads frequented by local riders sets this guide apart from others. Most trips take one day to complete, but multi-day tours can easily be created by linking adjacent trips to accommodate various riding styles, from sightseeing two-up travelers, to sport riders bending the curves, and even a number of off-road recommendations for the adventurous dual-sporters.

Ken Aiken is the author of Touring Vermont’s Scenic Roads, and Motorcycle Journeys Through Atlantic Canada, and has been a contributing editor and reviewer for most of the major motorcycle touring magazines, including Backroads. He has been an annual seminar speaker at Americade, the northeast’s premier touring rally held the first week of June in Lake George, New York and will be there this year to launch his new book and sign copies.

Softbound, 5-1/2 x 8-1/2 inches, approx. 300 pages, color illustrations and relief maps, detailed route instructions, $27.95. Copies will be available at your local bookstore, motorcycle dealer, or can be ordered in advance directly from the publisher, Whitehorse Press, 107 East Conway Road, Center Conway, NH 03813-4012. Telephone toll free 800-531-1133 or visit their web site at www.whitehorsepress.com.

MARCH 2013 • BACKROADS

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Welcome to the Jungle - The Art of Learning to Ride Skillfully A column dedicated to your riding survival

Sunday Drivers • Part II Last month I was talking a bit with all of you on how it seems that Sunday Drivers can be a bad thing for us and, at least for me, Sunday seems to bring out the odd, angry and down right maniacal.

Just a week after the Reading Incident with our friends the Greeks, I was meeting another riding buddy Mike Bellantone, up at High Point State Park, in northwestern New Jersey, just below the border with New York state.

Attempting to kill some time as I live a tad closer to High Point than Mike does I looped down through Struble Road into the Walpack Valley and then made my way north and across County Road 650 and then to the monument at High Point via Sawmill Road which cuts directly through the park to Route 23. Moments later I parked across from the stately stone building I have always admired at the crest of Route 23, right at the monument’s entrance.

Just second later Mike arrived and pulled around to my right, his wheels rolling over just a few inches of the grass. Looking down at the soft grass and soil, wet from the previous night’s rain, he rolled forward onto the macadam and put his stand down on a firmer surface.

Now not that the next fellow in this story was a Sunday Driver per say…

But his attitude was the same as the joker from the previous week.

Mike and I were talking and planning where to ride and where to stop for lunch when I spotted said man walking directly towards us at a brisk and determined manner. It was in the low 50s yet he was wearing just a tee-shirt.

Where did this guy come from, I thought, and what does he want with us?

I would soon find out as he started speaking loudly at the two of us with an indignant and slightly belligerent tone.

It seems he felt we had ridden all over his lawn and left tire tracks.

This was not true at all, as I never touched the grass and Mike just barely did and got off of it immediately. Not because it was park grass, but because there was no reason to park on it and leave a golfer’s divot behind.

It was still fairly early and I hadn’t had my coffee and I have never reacted well to unknowns angrily in my face for no real apparent reason.

“Your lawn..really? I pay taxes in this state, I think it is my lawn too, besides where are the tire tracks you are talking about?”

He looked about and Mike had ridden so lightly on this small piece of grass that you would have to be Tonto to see anything.

This fact mattered not as he angrily told me this was his private property and there was a sign saying as much - on the other side of the house, inside

the entrance to the park.

Well, I thought, it might help to have that outside as I have ridden past this wonderful structure for years and assumed it was part of the park.

Wanting to diffuse this escalating situation I simply said…

“Okay, gee – We’re sorry.”

“What you say?” he barked and took another step towards me.

I said…a tad louder “We said we are sorry – won’t happen again!”

“Better not,” he said as he spun around and marched away as determined as he arrived.

Mike and I gave each other that “Holy Crap” look and shrugged, fired up the bikes and continued on. Sometimes it is easier to just say you are sorry and leave. Besides this was the furthest and highest part of Weird NJ and “Mother” might have have a bead on us with “Pappy’s” thirty-aught-six, ready to make the headlines that night; so better to ride on.

Later on this day we ran into a big house fire in Warwick and traffic was being diverted and rerouted to make way for the many firefighters rushing to put out the spectacular blaze. We wanted to make a left but ahead of me traffic was stopped and I looked left and ahead and then proceeded to make a left in the middle of the stopped traffic when I saw the BMW X5 bearing down on me. I came to a sudden stop and quickly back-pedaled the GS out of the way.

Usually it is the car that makes the bad left – today it was me - by not checking once again to the left I nearly rode into the woman who was just allowed to proceed and she did so at a great rate of speed – she was in a rush I guess – but, still my error by not looking twice.

For that second I was the Sunday Driver – it was just an error and an error is not the same as a mistake. Mistakes happen when errors are not corrected. Errors can scare you. Mistakes almost always hurt.

See sometimes it is we that can be our worst enemies and we will talk about this next month in this final of three installments.

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Brands you Know and Trust

ALL THAT GOOD STUFF

MOTORCYCLE TRAILERS DAYTONA, BIKETOBERFEST, STURGIS AND BEYOND

From Long Island’s Premiere Motorcycle Outfitters…

BARN TRAILERS

SALES 718-426-7039 • www.barntruckrental.com RENTALS 57-05 BROADWAY • WOODSIDE NY 11377 (OFF THE BQE & LIE)

Sussex Hills Ltd. 15 East Deer Park Rd, Dix Hills, NY

631-262-0600 • www.ReadyRiders.com

Specializing in Motorcycle Repair, Parts & Supplies • Cycle Tires Mounted & Balanced • Batteries & Hard

Now stocking a full line of heated gear Make your riding season last all year.

Parts • Dynojet 250 Dyno available for testing

973-875-2048 946 Rte. 23 South Sussex NJ 07461

Norman Gross Since 1976 Our Reputation Speaks for Itself

For All Your Harley-Davidson Needs

3 miles north of Sussex Borough

WASHINGTON CYCLE WORKS We cater to road racers and support all Track Day organizations Check us for Suspension Setups • One-piece Road Race suits in stock

WCW

www.washingtoncycleworks.com

Washington Cycle Works

Junction of Rtes. 57/31 • Washington, NJ 07882

908-835-0043 Closed Sun-Mon • Open: Tues-Thurs 9:30AM-7PM • Fri 9:30AM-6PM • Sat 9AM-3PM

ATTENTION ALL RIDERS

Come Ride the Dragon Deals Gap

318 Curves in 11 Miles

www.dealsgap.com 800.889.5550 17548 Tapoco Road, Robbinsville, NC 28771

Deals Gap Store Motel Bar and Grill

RIDE LIKE A PRO NJ Jerry ‘Motorman’ Palladino’s Training Classes Being Held in New Jersey ‘NEVER

FEAR making a U-turn or dropping your 800lb. motorcycle again’

• Male-Female-Big-Small: It doesn’t matter • You can learn the 3 simple techniques that motor cops have been using for years • Our instructors - all active or retired motor officers - will show you how to use the motor cop riding techniques to better control and handle your motorcycle

Looking for a great rider-friendly place to lay your head after a perfect day’s ride? Perhaps an eatery that truly appreciates your two-wheeled business?

Have we got some suggestions for you.

Go directly to www.backroadsusa.com and check out the new Moto-Inn Program. Listed by state, all the members actively seek motorcyclists as customers and warmly welcome you. Remember to look for the Moto-Inn logo at these fine establishments and tell them you saw them in BACKROADS.

Check our website for available dates

www.RideLikeAProNJ.com Pre-registration is recommended as classes fill quickly.

Gift certificates available • Course Fee is $150.00

MARCH 2013 • BACKROADS

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MOTORCYCLE MARKETPLACE

ALL THAT GOOD STUFF

The Boat House Restaurant Join us for Brunch, Lunch or Dinner overlooking Swartswood Lake

Member

Excellent Ride Destination Tuesday ~ Sunday 11am-9pm Brunch 10am-2pm • Closed Mondays Call for Seasonal Hours 1040 Cty Rd 521 • Swartswood, NJ 973-300-0016

www.theboathouserestaurantonline.com Worth the ride from anywhere!

lley’s Hudson Va ne Riding Number O t Restauran Barbeque W North 1076 Route 9 mery, NY Fort Montgo

oute 9W icturesque R Located on P Perkins Drive minutes from State Park and Harriman Point historic West just south of

845-446-0912 rmerbbq.com www.barnsto

Celebrate the Holidays with some awesome barbeque!

If you go home hungry it’s your own fault

Sharing your passion for good food since 1983

NOW AVAILABLE

Member of

Barbeque Catering Flexible Affordable Ready When You Are Join Us for 1st Friday Celebration 1st Friday of each month from 6 to 9pm Live Music • Dinner Specials

‘50s-Style Drive-In Restaurant Full and Varied Menu Room for the Whole Gang Cool Nights, Hot Bikes • Two-Wheels or Four, join us at

THE CHATTERBOX DRIVE-IN

320 Front Street, Belvidere, NJ • 908-475-2274 • www.thisilldous.com

GREAT FOOD • GOOD TIMES • EXCELLENT RIDING

Open Daily for Breakfast and Beyond • 7am to 4pm • Sunday 7am to 1pm Try our Full Throttle Breakfast Special every Saturday + Sunday

Located at Ross’ Corners • 1 Route 15 • Augusta NJ • 973-300-2300

www.chatterboxdrivein.com

If you didn’t like cool stuff, you wouldn’t be reading this magazine.

Here’s something you’re going to love.

TORQ-IT Screwdriver/Speed Wrench/ Palm Ratchet All In One Tool Variable Speeds Over 600RPM Low Profile, with an “Ergo” Grip and a Non-Slip Design Accepts All 3/8” and 1/4” Sockets and Extensions

BASIC SET: $19.95 • DELUXE SET: $29.95 • ACCESORY SET: $9.95

TORQ-IT PRODUCTS, INC. 1701 Manor Road • Havertown PA 19083 Tel: 1.888.876.9555 • Visit Our New Website: WWW.TORQ-IT.COM

BACKROADS • MARCH 2013

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MOTORCYCLE MARKETPLACE

ALL THAT GOOD STUFF

Who do you think keeps Backroads’ computers running?

718 Main St, Boonton, NJ

973.335.0255 • www.PCPS.com

First Class Postage $40 • One Year - 12 issues Securely mailed in an envelope • Credit Cards gladly accepted.

NAME ____________________________________________________ ADDRESS ________________________________________________

SUBSCRIPTION FORM

CITY/STATE/ZIP ____________________________________________ Credit Card No. ____________________________________________

Get BACKROADS delivered to your home EVERY MONTH! Expiration Date: ________________Security No. __________________ Just fill out the simple form and mail it along with your check (gotta pay the Postman): Don’t Miss an Issue! Mail your Subscription TODAY! BACKROADS • POB 317 • BRANCHVILLE NJ 07826

MARCH 2013 • BACKROADS

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MOTORCYCLE MARKETPLACE

ALL THAT GOOD STUFF

www.beemerboneyard.com USED OILHEAD & K-BIKE PARTS Hundreds of used parts at 50% off new cost or less Order online 24/7 ~ M/C, Visa, Discover or PayPal 100% money-back guarantee ~ parts ship in 24 hours

N EW MAINTENANCE PART ~ BELOW RETAIL No Backorders ~ We Stock What We Sell We now carry German Liqui-Moly Engine & Gear Oil for BMWs

973-775-3495 • M-F 12pm~5pm • inquires@beemerboneyard.com

American • Metric • Sport • Parts & Accessories • Award-winning Service • Performance Work • Dyno Tuning • S&S Pro Tuning Center • Power Commander Tuning Center

JDS CYCLE PARTS EST. 1988 247 W. Westfield Ave, Rosell Park, NJ

908-245-2445

10% OFF

Mention this ad for your snowmobile package

Stumpy’s YAMAHA

Your Toy Store at the Shore

50 YEARS AND GOING STRONG! YES-WE ARE OPEN FOR BUSINESS YAMA-HOTLINE • 732-776-5514 1207 Rte 35 South • Neptune, NJ

www.Stumpys.com

BACKROADS • MARCH 2013

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MARCH 2013 • BACKROADS

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2013 BMW C600 SPORT • WORDS: BRIAN RATHJEN •

IMAGES:

BMW MOTORRAD

Scooter on

SteroidS I admit that most of my scooter experience comes from many weeks in the Florida Keys, so I came to riding the BMW C600 Sport with a pre-arranged paradigm. One that quickly melted away once I had just a few miles of saddle time on BMW’s new ride under my belt.

The C600 sport is a bit lighter and a bit more aggressive than its slightly more copious brother C650 GT, yet in that BMW odd way they are both powered by identical DOHC 647cc parallel twin engines and it doesn’t take long before you are thinking that, power-wise, the C600 Sport is more motorcycle than scooter- regardless of what it appears to be.

Regarding power, the C600 Sport is a little beast, running with nearly 50 lbs of torque and over 45 horses. When we say little you must keep in mind

that for a scooter it is a pretty brawny package as the machine weighs in at some 515 lbs., easily the size of most middleweight motorcycles.

It is a substantial machine.

Like most scooters these machines are automatic and the slick CVT transmission allows for a smooth line of power to the rear wheel via an oil-bath enclosed 525 chain.

On our private test course, also called CR 519, the C600 Sport easily outaccelerated the Honda NC-700X when the Honda was in automatic mode.

The C600 stops going fast at 115+.

One could get into serious trouble on Duval Street with this!

This energy is kept planted to the road with Marzocchi suspension, both front and rear, and though lacking in real adjustability still worked well even with larger riders on less than smooth pavement. Thanks to the 15-inch wheels that carry tubeless Pirelli Diablo Radial with a 120/70 front and a 160/60 rear, the C600 runs on significant rubber as well.

Visit one of the most beautiful islands on earth.

Haunting landscapes, rugged coastlines, extraordinary roads and renowned Irish hospitality.

Self-guided tours leave the exploring to you while taking care of all the travel details.

Plan now for your Ireland Adventure.

Visit our website for full details

www.celticrider.ie

BACKROADS • MARCH 2013

Keeping all this bravado in check are three 10.6” discs utilizing two-piston floating calipers with ABS. The C600 Sport accelerates well and it decelerates equally admirably.

Combine all this with the machine’s low center of gravity and the C600 Sport can really haul. We found it was well planted and rock steady on all the fast straights and the tight curves that we searched out and soon we were tossing this scoot around like an oddlooking GS. Looking at the dash, the C600 Sport includes both an LED and analog speedometer and a vertical LED tach. You can also check the ambient

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temperature, your fuel, the time and your average speed and mileage.

The C600 and 650 also have heated seats and grips that work either automatically depending on temperature or can be turned on in a conventional manual way.

On the highway the C600 Sport felt right at home, especially when the three-position windshield was raised to its highest setting.

This is a scooter you can go places with for sure. As far as stowage goes, the C650 GT has a larger rear trunk, but the Sport does have a very trick large panel that drop from below the rear seat; which

MARCH 2013 • BACKROADS

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Husqvarna TR 650 Strada and TR 650 Terra Two powerful characters for on- and off-road riding.

Their slim, wiry stature and masculine, dynamic design gives the new Husqvarna TR 650 models a progressive, light and energetic look, whether as the “Terra” version for light terrain or as the “Strada” version for asphalt-based motorcycling fun.

Town & Country CYCLE CENTER

will easily hold a full face helmet and some other smaller items as well while parked. But, you cannot ride the sport while this extra room is being used, as the sidestand won’t retract until this extra room is closed. Consider it a parking option.

FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE BMW C600 SpORT If a scooter was in my future it would be hard not to take a good look at both the BMW C600 Sport and 650 GT, even with the $9560 and $9990 price tags and the $600 “Highline” package that most US-bound C-machines will have already on board. Once dedicated motorcycle riders get used to the scooteresque ergonomics and twist and go power of the C600 or C650 they will believe that a scooter can and will handle like a midsized sport bike.

115 Route 23N • Hamburg NJ • 973-875-2111

www.townandcountrycyclecenter.com

Still, the C-Series retains that scooter appeal that seems to reach out to non-riders in some strange way.

On the way back to the office one sunny and warm December afternoon I rode along one road that I frequent with larger motorcycles. Many times on this road I pass the same couple walking their dogs and each time I pass them, in a slow and courteous manner, I get the “stink eye.” I take it they don’t appreciate motorcycles.

But, this time, they looked up and saw the C600 Sport and gave a big wave and smile.

Huh, who would have thunk it? I guess it is all perception.

If you are looking for a scooter that has a phenomenal combination of power, comfort, handling and style the C600 Sport and C650 GT have everything you’d be looking for and you will find them at your local BMW dealer now or log onto www.bmwmotorcycles.com.

BACKROADS • MARCH 2013

PRODUCT REVIEW • LUNASEE

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ASL1000 ACTIVE SIDE LIGHTING SYSTEM

Review by Jeff Bahr For riders looking to enjoy our sport as safely as possible conspicuity is the name of the game. This word, though cumbersome, is essential in preserving life and limb as we motorcyclists run the gauntlet of modern-day traffic – especially at night. Bright clothing, reflectors and other attentiongrabbing items lead our fight in this never-ending mission to be seen, but perhaps nothing snares the eye as effectively as a dedicated lighting system.

With headlights out front and taillights in the rear motorcycles make their presence known. When viewed from the side, however, the effect is far less pronounced. In fact, motorcycles often disappear into the night when viewed from this angle – a dicey prospect in our world of distracted and inattentive drivers.

The aptly-named Lunasee Active Side-Lighting System addresses this problem by transforming each wheel into a ring of light that seemingly shouts to other motorists, “Hey, look at me!” In doing so, it also issues a bold styling statement.

But don’t fall under the assumption that this effect is accomplished via an assortment of heavy, space consuming components. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

The Lunasee system is comprised of a high- intensity LED and a strip of luminescent tape that mounts directly to the motorcycle’s rims. The LED bathes the tape in a concentrated beam of light requiring scant amperage to get the job done – just what’s needed for smaller machines lacking in alternator output or larger rigs already stressed to the max by an inordinate number of accessories. Energized thusly, the tape produces an intense green glow as the wheels spin. Actually, that’s somewhat misleading. The eye-grabbing effect lasts for a few minutes when the bike comes to a standstill - the perfect safety RX for a rider stuck at a traffic light or stop sign.

Installation involves mounting the tape to each wheel, placing the LED pods for maximum efficiency, and hooking the small electronic brain to the battery. Brackets of varying lengths are provided to address most mounting issues, and spacers and double-sided tape round out the kit.

A handy applicator tool is provided to ease the installation of the light emitting rim tape, and an installation tutorial is available on Lunasee’s website so even the most technologically challenged or ham-handed will have a fighting chance of installing the unit properly.

Out on the road at night the Lunasee system performed flawlessly. Not only did it instantly improve the machine’s conspicuity, it garnered more than a few “that’s cool!” remarks from fellow motorcyclists.

For safety-minded riders, and/or those looking for some nighttime pizzazz, the Lunasee ASL1000 Active Side Lighting System is hard to beat. For $199.95 it will turn any bike into a green, be-seen machine. For a product aimed at improving conspicuity, it doesn’t get much better than that.

Lunasee LLC • 1800 N. Greene St., Suite F, Greenville, NC 27834 252 353 4354 • www.Lunasee.com

MARCH 2013 • BACKROADS

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SATURDAY

JUNE 15

raindate: Saturday, June 22

$

10

charity donation

JOIN US ON THE ONE AND ONLY BACKROADS 250+ A motorcycle road tour exploring the best and sometimes hidden backroads of New Jersey.

This entire event will be run within the state boundaries of Jersey with plenty of sights, stops, points of interest along the way and some surprises as well.

Lodging available in the area • Email us for Garmin GPS route information

Start: Chatterbox Drive-In, Rtes. 15/206, Augusta, NJ • Sign-in: 8:30am-9:30am End: Sprinkle Shack, 640 Rte 15, Sparta, NJ

FEEL THE FREEDOM!

Ride New Zealand with brian and Shira

Backroads Magazine

February 2014

13 Nights • 2000 miles of Fantastic Riding Auckland to Christchurch (North & South Islands) Large selection of motorcycles to choose from Guided Tour with support van There’s Plenty of Time to get your ducks in a row and join us for a trip of a lifetime.

Choose from these bikes…

For more details and bookings please contact: Fred Rau • 951-672-0239 • Fred@FredRau.com Visit Te Waipounamu Website for information

www.motorcycle-hire.co.nz