May 2017

RIDE • EAT • SLEEP • DISCOVER

W H A T ’ S MO NT HLY C O L U M NS

I N S I D E 26

FREE WHEELIN’ ..................................................4

Motorcycles, Travel & Adventure

WHATCHATHINKIN’ ...........................................5

Publishers

Brian Rathjen • Shira Kamil

Contributors

Dan Bisbee, Mark Byers, Victor Cruz, Ken Freund, Bill Heald, Lori Weiniger

POSTCARDS FROM THE HEDGE.......................6 ON THE MARK ....................................................7 THOUGHTS FROM THE ROAD ..........................8 BACKLASH ........................................................10

Editorial Office BACKROADS, POB 317 Branchville NJ 07826

INDUSTRY INFOBITES .....................................12 BIG CITY GETAWAY .........................................14

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973.948.4176

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973.948.0823

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editor@backroadsusa.com

online

www.backroadsusa.com

SHIRA’S INSIDE SCOOP ..................................24

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WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE ............................55

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GREAT ALL AMERICAN DINER RUN ..............16

ON THE COVER: Country Store at Big Walker Lookout

39

MYSTERIOUS AMERICA..................................18 WE’RE OUTTA HERE ........................................21

FE AT U RE S VIRGINIA IS FOR MC LOVERS ........................26 SPRING BREAK UPDATE.................................36 TAKE A HIKE • FRANCONIA NOTCH ..............39 MARTIN MOTO MODERN CLASSICS ............42 RIDING THE ITALIAN ALPS .............................46

PR O DU C T R E V IE W S FIXNZIP AND NUKE TAPE .................................38 HARLEY-DAVIDSON STREET ROD .................45 DISCOVERING THE MOTORCYCLE.................50

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BACKROADS (ISSN 1087-2088) is published monthly by BACKROADS™, Inc. 2017. 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.

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MAY 2017 • BACKROADS

FREE WHEELIN’ BRIAN RATHJeN Here Comes tHe Future and it’s not so brigHt In late August the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, part of the Department of Transportation, published what it called “ advanced notice of proposed rulemaking” specifically on “vehicle-to-vehicle communications.”

Although carefully worded to stress privacy, this technology can easily be abused and give our government more power over where we go and when.

This first baby-step proposal is aimed towards light vehicles – cars and truck, not motorcycles, but that can be easily changed.

What exactly is V2V? Well, NHTSA has published a phrase to describe the information cars would broadcast. It is the ‘Basic Safety Message’ - “An integrated V2V system is connected to proprietary data busses and can provide highly accurate information using in-vehicle information to generate the Basic Safety Message,” says NHTSA’s technical report on V2V. According to the report the “Basic Safety Message” will be broadcast by the vehicle’s dedicated short-range communications system. According to NHTSA, this system will need to transmit certain specific information.

“For example,” says the technical report, “when a DSRC unit sends out a BSM, the BSM needs to: Contain the relevant elements and describe them accurately (e.g., vehicle speed; GPS position; vehicle heading; DSRC message ID, etc.).”

Basically authorities will be able to track your position, direction and speed. I could say that I hope that the Powers that Be will not abuse this, but

let’s be real; they will as soon as they can get away with it.

Imagine being told that you broke a few laws or went over the posted limit 22 times on your Sunday ride.

For sure New York City has just installed speed cameras, much like Europe has. Nothing is as much fun as getting a letter from Austria claiming we owed some $300 American because Shira rode through a yellow light. Our friend Steve had just finished a few weeks on the road. No issues, No incidents. No tickets. But, then Steve gets a ticket in the mail generated from a speed camera a block from his house. Oh, no points involved – just send us the money!

It now is poised to get worse.

The report continued… “NHTSA finds that it is helpful to think of these emerging technologies as part of a continuum of vehicle control automation,” said the policy statement.

“The continuum, discussed below, runs from vehicles with no active control systems all the way to full automation and self-driving.

Great… self-driving cars.

No more real driving. No more good days on the road. No more fun.

Is it just me or has our wonderful future that we have been hearing and waiting for since childhood, become just a little more suck ass than we hoped?

Well, if you look at the numbers you will find the future is here and now in some ways.

Before I continue I know that certain Law Enforcement officers and readers of Backroads are sure to say that towns stop riders and drivers for safety reasons and that money isn’t ever a factor.

Well, I believe most Americans will disagree with that.

For sure the rider zipping through traffic at 90 miles per hour in a 65 will and should be stopped, most tickets are written for far less dire transgressions and, like they said in Jerry McGuire, “Show me the money!”

A recent report by the National Motorist Association had a list of the Top 15 states that run the most speed traps and collect the most road-user fees.

Continued on Page 11

BACKROADS • MAY 2017

WHATCHATHINKIN’ SHIRA KAMIL

CyCles To every thing – turn, turn, turn – there is a season – turn, turn, turn – and a time to every purpose under heaven.

We are all creatures of habit. Whether working for yourself or others, there are routines, schedules and timetables that are adhered to, either begrudgingly or by one’s own nature. While I always knew this in the back of my mind, it became blindingly clear to me this morning – specifically at 4:30am. It’s not like I never realized it before and it hasn’t been drilled into my head, literally, every morning, but today I stitched the sequence together.

Why 4:30am, you may ask? For that is the time the creatures of habit begin to stir. It’s like a Rube Goldberg machine. First there is the unmistakable hacking up of a hairball, presumably on the only carpeted part of the house.

This sets off the parade of little white paws across my head, in search of anything that may be loose on my nightstand to send crashing to the floor. Trying my best to ignore the mayhem, there is then a black feline at my side trying to tunnel under the blankets and onto my body for warmth. Thinking that I may be able to entice Morpheus back for a few minutes, there is the distinct sound of bubbling, gurgling and popping coming from the coffee machine beginning its wake-up cycle. To finish the endless noises impeding the rest of my sleep, the furnace then kicks on, signaling the time to rise is nigh and I must abandon hopes of those last minutes of ZZZs. The routines don’t stop once the coffee has been downed, as there are multiple tasks that need handling, one before the other, in order to get through the day.

Lucky for me, we reside in a round house, so the constant chasing of my tail to figure out why in hell I came into a certain room brings me back to my original quest.

Eventually all the chores are finished and the real work day can begin.

As with chores, tasks and obligations, there is an order and sequence to the beginning of a new riding season. Yes, for many riding is a year-round enjoyment and although the beginning of this year brought seasonable temps that certainly made it bearable to be out on two wheels, I am a fickle rider. So, as the snow melts and the crocuses (croci?) pop their heads through the leftover bed of winter leaves, the late signs of motorcycling spring begin to show. Certainly the most anticipated is the musical sound of the street sweeper, the Red Wing Blackbird of two wheels. Here in Backroads Central land, we are fortunate to have a very diligent crew who come sweeping by, clearing the shoulders of months of grit, sand and debris so that we may enjoy our kind of sweeping through the beautiful curves.

Following the cleansing of the tarmac comes the next arrival of the vernal turn in the shape of a donut – a shiny black donut. Heading into the stable during the winter to visit the hibernating motorcycles, a once over reveals the necessary maintenance before that first ride.

Every couple of days, while working away in front of the computer and looking out the window, visualizing the green buds and warming temperatures, I hear the thud of the UPS/FedEx delivery. Rushing to throw open the door, I find a tire here, a new chain and sprocket there and a top case or some saddlebags yonder. Spring is a time of change and this certainly applies to the motorcycle. My trusty old friend the Honda 919 is now sporting a beautiful gold chain and a spiffy Givi topcase while the sturdy road warrior BMW has a pair of new Continental shoes for her first dance of the spring.

It always amazes me the things I find in my tank bag

Page 5 and top case before that first ride. Being that creature of habit, I tend to organize both receptacles but by December there is an accumulation of a year’s worth of travel ‘stuff’ – ferry passes, park entry forms, all sorts of receipts and an array of stickers bought for Monkey with a Gun. The sorting and removal of these mementos has me reliving each trip and looking forward to more travels to come.

As with spring, my rides start off discreetly, bidding the shedding of layers of dust and cobwebs worn through the winter and letting the new shoots of adventure emerge. A new cycle begins and I am wideeyed with anticipation to see what it will bring.

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MAY 2017 • BACKROADS

of the roads ‘round here somehow retain this crappy seasoning until the little towns that share vehicular resources finally get the street sweeper to fire up, which usually happens around, well, August. If we’re lucky.

BILL HeALD We press onward. There is evidence that the next stop for some vehicles last winter after attempting to circulate this road was the body shop, for there treasure in tHe Verge are all kinds of ABS, fiberplastic (or whatever they’re calling it these days) It took awhile, but we actually had some winter and other bits of bodywork peeking out from the melting snow. I can’t help in these parts. If you’re curious where these parts but think the companies that started building bodywork for motorcycles are, they are in New England just north of Hither many, many years ago later found themselves needing to grow (and fast) as but a few miles south of Yon. After a couple of substantial snow events folmore and more exterior components of cars and trucks went the lightweight, lowed by enough cold air to keep the sides of the roads white and deep, the rustproof polymer route. Take a look at most new cars and you see huge, final melting process has commenced (I hope) and the snow banks are reone-piece structures that tend to fly to bits during a collision but are fairly ceding into, well, mud, mostly. But this process is very revealing, for as you fast and easy to replace. They leave behind evidence of their often-violent motor along in the crisp, pre-insect air there are very interesting stories to be demise for the passing motorcyclist to see, and leave us to ponder about what told by what the vanishing snow reveals just off the road. sad drama may have transpired. It’s a weird thing, this junkyard rite of Ride with me for a moment and I shall narrate Spring. It is never celebrated in song, but if it was this epic journey of discovery. We pick up the tale T’S WEIRD HOW PRETTy muCH EvERy yEAR WE I’d figure it would be a composition by Sondheim as we exit the grocery store, armed with dental gET THIS PARALyzINg ATTACK OF PRECIPITATION or the Southpark lads. floss, British Digestives and other essentials. Why THAT CLOgS uP TRANSPORT, COvERS THE EARTH Weaving on home, we stick to the backroads (of digestives instead of cookies? I’m on a Triumph IN A SPARKLINg bLANKET AND mAKES A LOT OF course) and observe a few bits of tree violence on after all. That said, it should be acknowledged that FAmILIAR LANDSCAPES uNRECOgNIzAbLE. some of the tighter little forest roads. This could my Triumph is an imported chap yet has lived here be the work of snow plows again (fantastic on for eight years, and knows nothing of Brexit, The Crown on Netflix or the slinging snow, brutal on roadside structures both natural and man-made) and left side of the road motoring. A short dash and we head for a winding road on this particular road the violated remnants of those arrow-like markers used through the park. The receding glacial remains uncover mostly gravel and to try to steer those plows away from the vulnerable borders are observed in sand, but when you get to the corners you start to see some intriguing ara few places, badly damaged. Granted, taking one of those civic dump trucks chaeological road remains. As in racing, corners are (in my view) where the with a massive plow affixed down these really narrow tracks can’t be easy, action really happens, and during the snow season it’s also where non-racing especially when visibility may be compromised due to “The Blizzard of vehicles tend to interact with either the side of the road or other transports.

2017.” It’s weird how pretty much every year we get this paralyzing attack This is because corners are the prime location for exceeding the always-critof precipitation that clogs up transport, covers the earth in a sparkling blanket ical speed-to-available-traction ratio, and can destroy control quite quickly. and makes a lot of familiar landscapes unrecognizable. Even though I’ve exOn this outing, I actually saw the sad remains of one of those omnipresent perienced the cycle for decades now, it is still fascinating to go through this black plastic mailboxes that tried to hitch a ride with a sliding passenger vefeeling every year that it will never actually melt; that what was green and hicle or snow plow and got mangled. You can observe things when riding in dry will never emerge again. But it does, and here we are riding along watchthese corners because your speed is down, primarily because the sand, gravel, ing the last vestiges of winter’s grip slowly vanish forever. Except for the etc. I mentioned earlier is not restricted to just the berms on the side. Some Continued on Page 13

POSTCARDS FROm THE HEDgE

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BACKROADS • MAY 2017

ON THE mARK MARK BYeRS a simple plan Spring is here, but I have few plans. There are some marks on the calendar: a spring rally, a couple Pro bike races, and a fall track trip, but in between are large wastelands of unfilled riding time. I’m due for a big, solo journey. I need to point the prow of the bike south and barge off by myself or with a small group to put some road beneath the wheels. I need the sound of the engine and the wind to put an end to the cacophony of discordant voices from the endless daily national tantrums.

Back in February, as if he sensed my dilemma, a friend offered a weekend ride for three of us to Daytona and back, leaving on Friday, hanging out Saturday, and returning on Sunday. It’s a total distance of around 1,850 miles for me and a bit more for him. It’s a shakedown cruise of his new V-Strom in preparation for a 50-hour coast-to-coast charity ride later this year.

Even though the ride is two months away, I’m giddy with anticipation.

I’m booking a hotel and looking at maps and calculating gas stops. He wants to manage this ride just like his coast-to-coast affair, so we’ll be on a 2½ hour stop/fuel/stretch schedule, allowing for 11 minutes per stop to keep the leg clots at bay. I’ll meet him on I-81 in Staunton, Virginia, about 230 miles into his trip and 160 miles into mine. Good thing he’s an early riser. I may even go to Staunton Thursday night and get a room-in-a-box across from Mrs. Rowe’s Restaurant (because of her most excellent pies). Maybe I’ll go to the Byers’ Street Bistro downtown instead (no relation).

Either way, that Friday morning I’ll be headed south with two fellow riders.

Importantly, it will be long after the two-wheeled revelers have left Daytona

Page 7 and well past any Spring Break debauchery. There is deliberately no function in town on the weekend of our arrival: we’re a three-man rally unto ourselves and we like it that way. We won’t be setting any records, cruising at somewhere between “keeping up with traffic” and “ticket.” We’re all in our 50’s, so we’ll leave the stunt riding to others (at least we hope so).

We have ham radio licenses, so we’ll have bike-to-bike comms, but our intent is to run silent, run deep. None of us is a fan of chatter and if we arrive at Daytona never having spoken to one another over the airwaves, that’ll be fine with us. I’ll be listening to my own soundtrack, comprised of the motor and the tires and the wind and whatever I happen to be singing at the time… or not. I sure as hell will not be listening to what passes for “news” these days. If my 1,000-miler to Madison a few years ago is any indication, the absence of input will actually leave me refreshed: motos are my fortresses of solitude.

We already know there are plenty of diners still open at our projected arrival time, so to keep the fatigue at bay, we’ll use Camelbaks and eat lightly of fruit during the trip for both nutrition and hydration. I love sliced apples or orange wedges, as they contain lots of moisture. My beloved TicTacs will be close at hand to ward off dragon mouth. It’s surprising how much of a pick-me-up they are. Upon arrival, I suspect I’ll reward myself with a Grand Slam breakfast, followed by a really nice sleep!

Ok, there might be a nightcap at the hotel bar or perhaps a PBR at the allnight bowling alley across from the hotel…

Saturday, there are only two goals: a racetrack and catfish, with the speedway being the lesser of the two – my friend has a catfish fetish. My planning session is deep into Googles of out-of-the-way dives where they speak fluent catfish and sweet tea (“sweet tea” being redundant in the South, as it should be served no other way). Maybe we’ll find a bar with a jukebox full of Skynyrd, in homage to their origins in nearby Jacksonville.

Either way, it’ll be early to bed, as a 0400 wakeup will beckon. And then, it’ll be just a 14 ½ hour hop, skip, and a jump home up the slabs for me and a couple hours more for him. Three days, three bikes, three guys and a lot of pavement – it’s a simple plan, but sometimes that’s just what I need.

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THOugHTS FROm THE ROAD

MAY 2017 • BACKROADS

Victor Cruz

Will selF-driVing Cars make motorCyClists more saFe?

The white hat hackers were able to remotely control the wiper blades, turn on the radio and turn off the ignition.

Last October, Bloomberg ran a story titled, “Self-driving cars will be the We live in an age where botnets can be rented and used to launch distribbest thing to happen to motorcycles”. It’s worth thinking about. So what’s uted denial of service attacks, if you happen to want to partially bring down the connection? eBay or Amazon, or a slice of North Korea, for There’s been no shortage of stories in the press about example. Forget about buggy software. I can’t autonomous cars and advanced driver assistance systems sleep as a passenger when someone else is driv(ADAS). Features like adaptive cruise control, lane asing. I don’t know about you, but I don’t plan to sist and blind side warnings have been around a long give up control to a four-wheeled rolling robot time, and what was once exclusive to higher end vehiwhile navigating Manhattan or crossing the cles has drifted downstream to the mid-size category.

Brooklyn bridge.

Auto braking is making in-roads. With sensors and Where’s the poll numbers that show how cameras mounted behind windshields, companies like many people actually want to buy or ride in a JN Phillips have developed tools that can recalibrate this self-driving cage? Seems like nobody is asking technology whenever your auto glass needs replacethe easy questions. Hard enough to yield the ment. Regulators are mulling over making auto-braking keys to your kid, let alone trust technology with a mandatory feature in all passenger cars by 2020. your life. So far, there’s only been one casualty Will self-driving cars be the best thing to happen to motorcycles? in a Tesla Model Sl; the accidental death of an avid Tesla fan and blogger Let’s get real for a moment. Would you give up control of the wheel to who used to post his hands-free driving skills on YouTube. Apparently, the hackable software? Fact: bug-free software is nonexistent. Tesla claims its sensors misjudged the side panel of a white tractor trailer, mistaking it for onboard system is closed loop, impossible to hack. During a field test, a cousky, and the car ended up driving the man beneath the 16-wheeler. This happle of college kids hacked a friend’s Jeep while following close behind it. pened after a million miles of testing. Rest assured that ADAS will improve?

The Bloomberg story quotes Karl Viktor Schaller, head of development at BMW Motorrad. His argument goes like this: When robots are at the wheel, far fewer bikers will die on the road.

That’s allegedly because the car will see you coming towards it well before you see it. Robotic cars will calculate your speed, and know not to turn in your path.

This assumes many things. For one, that ADAS suffers from zero glitches; that the sensors and cameras are in perfect sync and in working order. Tell me something, have you ever gone a month without the need to reboot your computer? My Lenovo ThinkPad is highly reliable, but I wouldn’t bet my life on it.

Schaller believes the additional (alleged) safety afforded by self-driving cars will help spur motorcycle sales among the risk averse populace. “It would mean a dramatic enhancement in safety for the motorbike,” Schaller said. “And it would guarantee a wider user martin moto group.”

567 Rt 100 North, Boyertown, PA 610-369-3120 • www.martinmoto.com That is the hope. A mountain of trust has to be crossed (for news and upcoming events) by elephants for that to happen. Maybe when 60% of cars on the road are piloted by GPS and software, wannabe bikers will suddenly decide that riding is now a safe pursuit. That’s doubtful, since reports show the exact opposite. Riding just got more dangerous. The bad news is that traffic fatalities, for years in decline, have ballooned by 7% in the past 18 months, the largest uptick since 1966(!) We all know the culprit here: smartphone addicts texting to distraction.

In the first six months of 2017, overall traffic-related fatalities were up over 10%. NHTSA chief Mark Rosekind called the increase in driving deaths “an immediate crisis.” Bloomberg: “A disproportionate number of these fatalities are motorcycle riders, as revealed by one shocking statistic: While bikers account for less than one percent of vehicle miles traveled in the U.S., motorcyclists suffered 14.2 percent of all traffic deaths in 2015.”

Victor Cruz is a 16-year member of the Yankee Beemers, serving as Secretary and editor. He’s organized group tours through AZ, CA, CO, NM, Canada and Europe. A long-time contributor to Backroads and BMW ON, he is principal of MediaPR.net, a tech marketing firm in Boston.

Contact him at vcruz@mediapr.net.

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bACKLASH Tenerife Thanks Hi Shira and Brian, Thanks a lot for sending us your magazine. It was good reading and especially fun of course, to read about our joint adventure on Tenerife.

I got an e-mail from Kimberly some time ago, asking if we would join them on a tour to Sardinia & Corsica, Riders Heaven, So that is what we are going to do in October. The tour organizer is Adriatic Moto Tours, which is new to us. But Kimberly and Mark have done a few tours with them and think they are very good. So I’m sure it will be a great tour. http://www.adriaticmototours.com It was so nice meeting you on the tour and hope you are doing well. You never know, maybe we will meet again on a tour someday, somewhere. And if you for whatever reason are travelling to our part of the world, just let us know.

Best wishes from Finland, lotta & olli Brian & Shira, Thanks for the memories! Nearly 25 years ago I spent three days riding around Tenerife, and despite having since ridden a myriad of locations around the globe, still count that as one of my greatest adventures.

Kudos on the fabulous pictures, too.

Fred rau • owner/operator Fred rau motorcycling Brian and Shira, Greeting from New Hampshire, where we are currently having a blizzard and cable/internet service is down, so I’m writing an old-fashioned letter.

Here’s my renewal of my subscription. I just finished reading about your trip through the Canary Islands, and enjoyed it mucho.

I just came back recently from a couple of weeks in New Zealand, where my son and I toured through the country for 2 weeks with Fred Rau as our

MAY 2017 • BACKROADS

Letters to the Editor leader. Fred has some interesting stories about you and the beginnings of your publication, and said he has tried to get you to join him on the tour of New Zealand, but without success so far. I would highly recommend the New Zealand tour as spectacular in so many ways. Plus I got to see Burt Munro’s fastest Indian in his hometown of Invercargill. Anyway, you should check it out and write about it – it would make great reading and photos.

Regarding your article about young people and motorcycling, I passed the bug along to my son, who also rides, and can now afford to go on adventure motorcycle tours with me. So I’ve done my bit.

Keep up the good work, dave owen – Wolfeboro, nH Hey Backroads, The Mountains of Tenerife - fun story and cool words, Brian. My grandfather’s family came from Santa Cruz. I’ve never been, but what a place!

Those mountain roads look amazing! Does this mean that I have to, once again, follow your example? Reminded me a bit about 191 in eastern Arizona on the New Mexico border. Used to be labeled 666, the “Devil’s Highway”.

I’d say that was the most technical road I ever rode in the USA. You can rent BMWs from a clean outfit in Scottsdale: www.azride.com. Hope to do that trip again in 2018.

My Canada trip from Seattle (hats off to you) ran in this month’s MOA but they left out many cool photos. I brought five guys with me on that trip.

I must have spent 40 hours organizing it.

But, having the itinerary on hand based on your cover story served as my guide. So I must thank you for that.

This year we’re going to Morocco in October with IMT Bike out of Madrid. It’s a deal, too. You and Shira should come!

Victor Cruz Victor, we spotted your article in the MOA – they can never use as many images as we send them. But the story was great and good for you!

BACKROADS • MAY 2017 You will love Morocco. We did this same tour about a dozen years back.

Still one of the most memorable journeys we ever took.

PLUS Scott Moreno, who runs IMT and is a New York City native and a huge Mets fans, is seriously great people. Humans rarely come better.

If we could we would return in a second! We are really excited for you guys.

We feel your pain for setting up the Canada ride – If we had a clock going for the time put into our Spring Break and Fall Fiesta Rallies we would probably not do them – okay, we still would. ~ BR

The Spring Break Approaches Dear Backroads, I’m thinking of going on the West Virginia rally, what time do we need to show up at the Country Inn in Berkeley Springs on Thursday?

Thanks, Gil Cramer Gil, You will find our rallies easy-going events. Usually folks start arriving late afternoon - we have no set schedule. Just to come and have fun.

In this issue we will have some riding and destination suggestions with GPS links for downloads.

In Local News….

Hey Brian & Shira, There is nothing like opening the mail to find home being profiled in your favorite motorcycle magazine! Until that gets one-upped by a mention!

Lee Remick was always lovely (and Gene Rayburn, well that’s an interesting bus stop story for the Spring ride). Can’t wait to read the rest of the issue! andrea Williams still Backroads is the best thing that has happened to motorcycling since the invention of a hot piece of metal containing fast moving metal parts (shrapnel), with an explosive incendiary liquid as well as circulating boiling water

Page 11 with glucose, all attached between two wheels, that is strapped between and under two legs moving down an asphalt surface at incredible speed.

Best with hair flowing in the wind while wearing flip-flops, shorts and tshirt.

Keep it up. The changes I’ve seen you make in Backroads over the years are commendable.

Kindest regards, Johann

We’d love to hear from you. Send your thoughts electronically to editor@backroadsusa.com Free WHeelin’

Continued from Page 4

Coincidentally these same 15 states rank the worst in actually using this cash for actual transportation spending, with the money going elsewhere.

The list comes as no surprise to us here at Backroads.

The #1 offender is our own state of New Jersey, followed by Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Delaware, Hawaii, California, Maryland, Connecticut, Florida, New Hampshire, Michigan, Illinois, New York, Virginia and Vermont.

But the abuse to both riders and motorists gets worse. These states with the highest collection rates of annual fuel taxes, tolls, and license fees per lane mile – get away with more than three times the average of all the other 35 states.

Three times!

New Jersey has a whopping 32.6 speed traps per thousand miles and ranks the worst in the nation. The US average is just 9.1.

Jersey is 3.5 times the national average. I know the teachers want to blame Jersey’s Governor Christie, but this gorging of the public goes across party lines.

So now we have proposals to allow the government to follow us around whenever and wherever we go somewhere on public roads.

Bad enough my iPhone is doing this already. When will it end?

Page 12

IN Du STRy INFObITES bmW RETuRNS TO AmERICADE FOR THEIR 35TH AND DIRTDAzE FOR gS NIgHT A special GS Night will be offered by the BMW Factory at DirtDaze 2017.

BMW product specialists will ride to DirtDaze on Friday, June 9 at 6:30 pm, arriving with prizes on a fleet including the RnineT Scrambler, the new R1200GS, and some other surprises. Some of the bikes will be seen in public for the first time that week, and attendees get the inside scoop before much of the U.S. The whole BMW factory demo fleet is available to all registered DirtDaze attendees.

“GS Night, by BMW is a special addition to DirtDaze,” says Christian Dutcher, the event’s director. “We’re delighted to have BMW factory support at the event, and I know all of the attendees will be very excited when team BMW rolls in.”

Americade is celebrating their 35th year in Lake George NY, June 5-10, 2017, and BMW will provide factory demos on a wide range of models, including R nineT Pure, the 2017 R nineT Racer, the 2017 R nineT Scrambler and more! All registered attendees are able to test these models at Americade’s HQ, Tuesday through Saturday of Americade, June 6-10.

With BMW’s presence, Americade’s 35th will offer the most factory demos of any event in the U.S. “Americade’s attendees ride more miles than much of the riding public, and they have a special interest in BMW,” said Christian Dutcher. “So, we’re very excited by BMW’s return.”

A full list of Americade week activities and demo providers can be seen at www.americade.com. Registration is available online now through May 1, and onsite at the Lake George Holiday Inn, June 6-10 • 518-798-7888.

DirtDAZE is held on a private, 53-acre adventure bike oasis. The rally offers great adventure bike rides, roads through the mountains of the Adirondacks and Vermont, factory demos, obstacle courses, onsite camping and world-class rider training. Details are available at dirtdazerally.com/specialevents/ and 518-798-7888. There are some volunteer positions available and prospective volunteers are encouraged to contact sue@americade.com.

TOuRATECH RALLy – HuNTINgDON, PA AuguST 17 – 20 Each year, rider training is a huge part of the Touratech Rally experience for many riders. They partner with expert trainers to make world-class edu-

MAY 2017 • BACKROADS

News from the Inside cational and skill-building opportunities available.

In 2017 Touratech is excited to announce that once again, they’re working with Pine Barrens Adventure Camp at Rally East. These guys are amazing riders, fantastic teachers and cool guys too! They have, simply put, the best off-road rider training program on the east coast and they’re bring the program to Touratech Rally East.

Local pros from Dirt-First Off-Road Training offer a ladies-only class and a variety of clinics for riders. The Dirt-First program has been at the past 2 rallies and these guys know how to conquer any terrain under any conditions. Every rider can benefit from the tips, tricks and skills these experts bring to the table.

Space is limited so find the class that fits you and reserve your spot ASAP! Rider Training does not include admission to the rally. You must be a paid rally attendee to participate in rider training. For more information or to sign up log onto https://www.touratechrally.com.

CONgRESSIONAL bILLS REINTRODuCED TO CuRb ENTHANOL Calling the Federal Ethanol Mandate “a Flop,” a bipartisan group of lawmakers have re-introduced two bills in the U.S. House of Representatives to cap the ethanol content of commercial gasoline and decrease the total volume of renewable fuel that must be contained in gasoline on the American market.

Reps. Goodlatte, Jim Costa (D-CA), Steve Womack (R-AR), and Peter Welch (D-VT) issued a joint statement after reintroducing H.R. 1315; “The Renewable Fuel Standard is a well-intentioned flop…it’s clearer than ever that the federal government’s creation of an artificial market for the ethanol industry has resulted in a domino effect that is hurting people across the country.”

The RFS Elimination Act has the support of 60 bipartisan cosponsors and would repeal the Renewable Fuel Standard, which mandates that 36 billion gallons of renewable fuels (primarily corn ethanol) be part of our nation’s fuel supply by 2022. The RFS Reform Act, which has the support of 42

BACKROADS • MAY 2017

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cosponsors, “eliminates corn-based ethanol requirements, caps the amount of ethanol that can be blended into conventional gasoline at 10 percent, requires the EPA to set cellulosic biofuels levels at production levels, and decreases the total volume of renewable fuel that must be contained in gasoline sold or introduced into commerce for years 2017-2022.”

gEORgIA bILL WOuLD ALLOW mOTORCyCLES TO FILTER FORWARD AT SIgNALS Introduced February 27, House Bill 490 in Georgia would allow the operator of a motorcycle to “overtake and pass in the same lane occupied by the vehicle being overtaken under certain conditions”: (1) The vehicle being overtaken is stationary in traffic awaiting the change of a traffic-control signal; (2) The motorcycle is not traveling more than ten miles per hour; and (3) The motorcycle is being maneuvered to be placed in front of stationary traffic or to gain access to an adjacent turning lane.

SumATRAN RIDERS mEET WHAT? A bizarre video from Sumatra appears to show a group of dirt bike riders encounter a diminutive entity that leaves them stunned as it scurries away.

The incident allegedly occurred on the outskirts of the country’s capital city of Banda Aceh and was purportedly filmed by one of the riders as they barreled down a dirt trail.

In the odd footage, the group suddenly comes to a stop when one of the riders has fallen off of his bike, ostensibly because he had just spotted the small ‘being’ that can briefly be seen in front of them.

Presumably just as surprised as the bikers, the entity runs away from them, but one brave rider chases after the mysterious being.

The pursuit does not last too long as the entity manages to dash into some tall grass and subsequently vanish from sight.

Despite attempts from the confused witnesses to find the mysterious being in the grass, their search proves to be fruitless.

Since being posted to YouTube, the video has garnered more than two million hits with astounded viewers debating what exactly they had just seen.

Theories on the creature range from some kind of elemental or supernatural being to simply a normal human that had been bathing in a nearby river and didn’t expect any visitors.

Of course, given the fantastic nature of the footage, the possibility that it was a clever hoax cannot be ruled out.

You can find it on the Backroads FaceBook Page: www.facebook.com/Backroads-Motorcycle-Touring-Magazine postCards From tHe Hedge

Continued from Page 6

bits and pieces, that is. These relics remain, and serve as mute testimony to the slide-making, crash-inducing, road-fouling menace that forced us to park our 2-wheeled rides and weather the storm.

Of course, you don’t have to endure a snowmageddon to get into the roadside artifact world. There’s a nice little S-curve very close to my house, where, for some reason, motorcycle license plates have been recovered on several occasions. I’ve started a small collection (although it’s in the basement, so it might as well be under a foot of snow). There’s for lack of a better term a Biker Bar not far away from the plate depository, and this bar often has many vintage V-Twins that tend to vibrate (the way they do) and leave parts behind. License plates are most susceptible, apparently. Soon I will have a selection of all our New England states, and then who knows? I think tank badges could be next. Oh, and I won’t have to wait for winter to trigger their release either.

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MAY 2017 • BACKROADS

Hanover Powersports Presents

bIg CITy gETAWAy mount Vernon 3200 MOUNT VERNON HWY, MT VERNON, VA 22121 WWW.MOUNTVERNON.ORG It is the most visited private home in the United States.

Mount Vernon – the Virginia plantation George Washington called home.

Mount Vernon can be found just a few miles south of Washington D.C., a city that was finished a few years after Washington’s death in December of 1799.

Lying alongside the Potomac it is a beautiful site and one could understand why Washington once said, “I can truly say I had rather be at Mount Vernon with a friend or two about me, than to be attended at the Seat of Government by the Officers of State and the Representatives of every Power in Europe.”

daytrip ideas to get out of the daily grind Washington’s father, Augustine, first owned the land and named it Little Hunting Creek Plantation, and built a modest one and a half story farmhouse in 1735.

When he died the property was left to Washington’s elder half-brother Lawrence.

He renamed it Mount Vernon after Admiral Edward Vernon, his commanding officer whom he served under at the Battle of Cartagena in the War of Jenkins’ Ear (Britain vs Spain).

After his brother’s death Washington first leased the land and then took ownership in 1762. He immediately went about expanding the home and surrounding buildings. He expanded the house, raising the roof to make the Mansion two and a half stories high. In 1774, he added the north and south wings, the cupola and piazza to create the structure we see today.

We arrived early on an August morning, hoping to beat both the crowds and the heat. The tour of the mansion revealed many things that we never knew.

Although Mount Vernon looks to be stone it is actually made of yellow pine and Washington used an unusual process. Rustication is a technique designed to make a wooden house appear to be constructed from stone by beveling the edges of the siding boards to resemble individual blocks of stone. The siding was painted and sand was thrown onto the wet paint, creating a rough stone-like texture. Like many of Washington’s solutions it was simple, economical and got the job done.

Per Washington’s orders the cupola is topped with a weath-

BACKROADS • MAY 2017 ervane in the shape of a dove of peace. Not only did the cupola add a great focal point to the home, it also acted as a cooling system as warm air rose through the house and out the top.

Eighteenth century air conditioning?

We said that Mount Vernon is the most visited private home in the United States, but it always had guests as the Washingtons frequently had house travelers, friends and dignitaries. The Washingtons themselves hosted as many as 677 guests at the mansion in the year of 1798.

George Washington loved to share his home and the surrounding property, in fact he said, “I have no objection to any sober or orderly person’s gratifying their curiosity in viewing the buildings, gardens and farms about Mount Vernon.”

Over 85 million people have visited Mount Vernon since 1860, when the estate officially opened to the public. Today, Mount Vernon welcomes an average of one million guests each year.

The estate, gardens, and farm of Mount Vernon totaled some 8,000 acres in the 18th century. Presently, an estimated 500 acres of this historic property have been painstakingly preserved along the banks of the Potomac River.

The rooms at Mount Vernon have mostly been restored to their appearance at the time of George and Martha Washington’s occupancy. These rooms include Washington’s study, two dining rooms (the larger known as the New Room), the West Parlor, the Front Parlor, the kitchen and some bedrooms.

During our tour we took in the many rooms, parlors and enslaved servants quarters but one room gave us a place to stop and think about what we were viewing.

Here, on the second floor, was what Washington called Martha’s room, though it was bedroom to them both.

Here in this room is the very bed that George Washington - general, founding father and first president of these United States - died.

We have no words nor did we say much when we walked along the path above the Potomac River to the Tomb of George Washington and saw his stone sarcophagus behind the iron gates. Humbling and significant was what was before us.

Walking back we spent a good deal of the rest of the morning at the Ford Orientation Center. Here you will learn all about George Washington, from his years as a British soldier, (do you know he started the French & Indian War? Kinda.) to his days as a surveyor and onto the rising unrest against the British and the Revolutionary War and finally his Presidency and retirement from public life.

Remarkably Mount Vernon does not accept grants from federal, state, or local governments, and no tax dollars are expended to support its purposes. Primary sources of income are revenue from the retail, ticket sales, and generous donations from foundations, corporations, and individuals.

Mount Vernon is truly a national treasure and, as you know we love our American history, it is well worth spending a day walking the same grounds that our founding father and first president called his home.

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Hannum’s Harley-Davidson Presents

g REAT A LL AmERICA N DINE R RuN

tasty places to take your bike

pine taVern 585 FLOYD HWY NORTH - ROUTE 221, FLOYD, VA 24091 540-745-4482 • WWW.THEPINETAVERN.COM “The best fried chicken in the region, without a doubt.”

I heard this comment from across the showroom at Frontline Eurosports, and the man making the statement was Hugh Huff, owner of Frontline and well regarded local fried chicken expert and connoisseur.

For some reason when Hugh says this in his deep Virginia inflection well, I for one, believe him!

What Hugh was talking about was the chicken at a place called the Pine Tavern, just north of the town of Floyd, Virginia on a happy road called Broken Mountain or Route 221 to the more stodgey. There is another way into Floyd, as it is right off a fairly pleasant piece of pavement called the Blue Ridge Parkway, just down the road on Route 8 off Tuggle’s Gap. We’ll revisit this road after lunch, okay?

With Floyd being in our general direction of travel and having been through Floyd just days before, we decided to loop back south and check out the Pine Tavern, their fried chicken and what ever else they had to offer.

The historic Pine Tavern had its start back in 1927. Back then old State Route 221 ran behind the restaurant and the Pine Lodge served meals in their lobby. Now the new road is on the other side, but the fare is much the same as it was back in the day – what they like to call traditional Blue Ridge cuisine.

We’ll call it one of the best meals you’ll find in the region.

The Pine Tavern has a few motel suites and one cottage, pet friendly and starting at $80/night that run alongside at the Pine Lodge (540745-4428) and from what we could see they were very nice, so this could almost be a We’re Outta Here!, but this month a GAADR will do nicely.

Being just under 2 miles from the hustle and bustle of downtown Floyd (just kidding - Floyd is about as laid back and quaint as you can get) should you decide to stay a spell, the musical entertainment and arts community will keep your nights full.

The Pine Tavern has a very family feel about it and, in truth, most meals can be served family style or individually. While we were there, on a sunny and warm October afternoon, the place had a good deal of families enjoying a nice meal together. The talk and laughter simply added to a wonderful ambiance that the tavern naturally seems to have.

All their family style meals start with fried chicken and then you can add country ham, pulled pork BBQ or roast beef. In addition you can add mashed potatoes, green beans, dumplings and others.

Extra servings are included if the kids are still hungry after the hefty servings that come to the table.

Chances are that unless you are with a large and tight group you will be ordering an individual meal and the Pine Tavern certainly has you covered with offerings of roast beef and gravy, country ham steak, sirloin steak that is aged and cut on premises, grilled chicken and pulled pork BBQ that is slow roasted and smoked overnight in the Pine Tavern’s smoker.

Shira had the pulled pork and she seemed to be enjoying it intensely. Our friend Doc went for the homemade meatloaf, that also garnered no complaints from the tough foodie crowd.

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They also offer up a tasty spinach and tomato lasagna, a spicy grilled catfish and the Pine Tavern’s “Big Salad” that can come with fried or grilled chicken tenders or the catfish.

But, we had come for the fried chicken and that was on my corner of our large table. A half bird coated and fried to absolute perfection. As per Hugh’s suggestion, I had sides of the real mashed potatoes and the green beans. Add a little gravy and I had something more like a full dinner than a late lunch.

Ahh, the tales of the Pine Tavern’s fried chicken were true… Crunchy and flavorful, not too greasy and perfectly moist and delicious.

In my mind this chicken is kinda hard to beat and if you are a lover of FC then you might want to make sure your routing down through Virginia brings you

to this region and the Pine Tavern, certainly a worthy stop on the Great All American Diner Run. I had mentioned a return run to Route 8… this time going east from Tuggle’s Gap on the other side of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Do yourself a favor, after lunch head back up and take a spin down this snakey and technical piece of pavement, it will be well worth the ride!

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morton’s bmW motorcycles Presents Dr. Seymour O’Life’s mySTERI Ou S AmERIC A sHot toWers • HoW We built bullets baCk in tHe day….

I recently read that Homeland Security had put in an order to purchase 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition. That is a staggering amount of bullets, considering at the height of the Iraq war the military then had 6 million rounds.

1.6 billion bullets is enough ammo for a sustained 20-year hot war.

Head into any Cabela’s or such a store and there are rows and rows of various ammo to be bought. I get catalogs all the time from Cheaper than Dirt and other suppliers It is amazing that there is so much ammo to be had and that is only in the US – the rest of the world is armed too.

These days, unless there is a run on bullets, there is plenty to go around; although I do wonder where Rick and the crew get their bullets on The Walking Dead.

But it wasn’t always so and before the industrial age came along ammunition had to be made individually and the process took time.

Then there was a breakthrough of sorts - the Shot Tower.

Before shot towers came around, lead bullets for musket guns were made using special molds. The shot tower idea was simple and easy.

From the very top of the tower workers would pour molten lead through a sieve. While falling through the empty tower, the lead would cool and form into perfectly round balls. These would land in a basin of water to be cooled further.

This sped up the process of producing ammunition enormously.

These tall, tower-like structures were the main factories for musket balls and they began to spring up all around Europe after the construction of the first shot tower by William Watts in 1783 in Bristol, England.

In 1807, Thomas Jefferson had Congress pass the Embargo Act of 1807, which forbade all international trade

to and from American ports, and Jefferson hoped that Britain and France would be persuaded of the value and the rights of a neutral commerce. This was the end of importing lead shot from England, France and the rest of Europe where shot towers produced tons of shot for American export. With this turn of events shot towers began to be constructed in the colonies for American consumption. The first two were in Philadelphia (Sparks Shot Tower) in 1808 and the Jackson Ferry Tower in Wytheville, Virginia in 1807. Both these towers produced shot and bullets for the War of 1812. The Sparks Shot Tower in Philadelphia is the first “smoke stack” type tower in America.

BACKROADS • MAY 2017 There was a time when they were making bullets off the Natural Bridge in Virginia.

Today the Shot Towers are all but gone‌ But, we have a few to show you - one in Philly and the other a bit further south in Baltimore, Maryland and one we visited when in Virginia.

JaCkson Ferry sHot toWer Located right along the New River, just outside Wytheville, Virginia, this shot tower is 75 feet of American history.

Looking more like a fortress than a manufacturing facility, the Shot Tower was soundly built during the early 1800s by Thomas Jackson. Taking seven years to construct, Jackson used local gray limestone blocks for the walls that measured two and a half feet thick. The region is filled with lead mines and this, combined with the need to quickly and accurately, created shot lead to the building of this particular tower that stands today.

It made shot for the War of 1812 and supplied the confederacy with ammunition during the U.S. Civil War. The Tower was donated to the State of Virginia by the Lead Mines Ruritan Club and was opened to the public in 1968 after extensive renovations. Today, the tower is one of three remaining shot facilities in America, and is probably the only one of this particular design in the

Page 19 world. For this reason it has been designated both a National Historic Landmark and a National Historic Engineering Landmark.

We found the Shot Tower easily enough, just a short ride from the Bolling Wilson Hotel, and along a very picturesque part the New River.

The tower is open on many days and you can take a stroll around and up it to see how this all worked and to get a better idea of how tall it really is.

sparks sHot toWer 101-31 CARPENTER ST, PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA Built along the Philadelphia waterfront at Front and Carpenter Streets by plumber Thomas Sparks, John Bishop, and James Clement, the Sparks Shot Tower first opened on July 4th, 1808.

The Sparks family kept it running for four generations. In its day, the Sparks tower revolutionized the production of ammunition.

The tall, chimney-like shot tower was remarkable for a structure erected in 1808. The Sparks Shot Tower was an important processing site during the War of 1812 and the Civil War, churning out thousands of rounds for both war efforts.

Four generations of the Sparks family kept the tower in operation until 1903 when they finally shut down. The City of Philadelphia bought the

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MAY 2017 • BACKROADS

site in 1913. The tower, which is now managed by the Philadelphia Department of Parks and Recreation, is surrounded by a public playground and can be seen from I-95.

I bet you thought it was just another smoke stack?!

pHoenix sHot toWer 801 E FAYETTE ST., BALTIMORE, MARYLAND Baltimore’s Phoenix Shot Tower, also known as “the Old Baltimore Shot Tower,” was the tallest structure in the United States when it was built in 1828. Its cornerstone was laid by Charles Carroll, the last living founding father and the richest man in America at the time.

The building is considered an engineering marvel because it took more than one million bricks to construct; it was erected in less than six months without the use of exterior scaffolding, and it stood as the nation’s tallest structure for nearly two decades. At its peak, the tower produced up to 500,000 25pound bags of shot a year, making it one of the nation’s largest suppliers of ammunition. It operated until 1892, when rising costs forced the owners to abandon it.

In 1921 it was purchased and plans were set in motion to replace it with a gas station, but the citizens of Baltimore strongly objected. By 1928 the city had bought the tower back and it became one of Baltimore’s first National Historic Landmarks.

All three of these towers are still with us and tell a bit more about the history of this nation which many have never had the chance to learn - well worth the trip along the backroads of Mysterious America. ~ O’Life Out!

bmW mOTORRAD uSA ANNOuNCES THE K 1600 b bAggER BMW Motorrad USA announced pricing and product highlights for its much-anticipated K 1600 B, the BMW bagger developed specifically with American riders and great open American roads in mind. Largely based on the technology used in the BMW 6-cylinder tourer K 1600 GT and GTL, the K 1600 B features a spectacular backward sloping linear design with a specifically engineered rear section to reflect the characteristics of a grand American tourer. This not only makes the Bagger appear low-lying and slender; but also, thanks to the new rear frame, significantly reduces the height of the passenger seat.

As with the K 1600 GT/GTL, the Bagger’s 1,649 cc in-line six-cylinder engine produces 160 hp and 129 lb-ft of torque. The bike comes standard with three riding modes (Rain, Road, and Dynamic), Dynamic Traction Control, cornering-optimized integral ABS Pro, heated seats and hand grips, power adjustable windshield, cruise control, multifunction display with onboard computer, and Dynamic Electronic Suspension Adjustment (D-ESA) with “Road” and “Cruise” damping modes. Gear Shift Assist Pro, Reverse Assist, Hill Start Control, adaptive headlight, floorboards and more, are all available as options.

The 2018 Model Year K 1600 B will have a MSRP of $19,995.00 (plus a $495.00 destination fee).

BACKROADS • MAY 2017

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bergen County Harley-Davidson Presents

WE’RE OuTTA HER E bolling Wilson Hotel 170 E MAIN STREET, WYTHEVILLE, VA 24382 276-223-2333 • WWW.BOLLINGWILSONHOTEL.COM We’re asked many times if we have ever ridden in a place or region that we could see ourselves living?

Except for the 3 months out of the year we call winter, we’re pretty happy where we are. But, if pushed, the region of southwest Virginia, in and around Wytheville, would certainly be on the short list.

This part of the mid-Atlantic region, with I-81 running squarely down its middle, is home to hundreds of miles of some of the finest motorcycle riding in the nation.

Many are just meandering sweepers of pavement, with an easy and fun pace to be found. Others are far more technical and skill, concentration and tenacity must be brought to bear.

You ride the 32 miles from Marion to Tazwell, known as the Back of the Dragon, with its 300+ curves pulsating over three mountains and tell me you were not impressed and Shira will buy you ice cream.

The local chamber has a list of other such rides in and around the region and you can spend a week down there, on the road each day, and not cover them all.

It is a rider’s paradise.

Although it is the backroads that make this region, it is also a crossroads for two major interstates: I-81 and I77. At this juncture you will find the city of Wytheville.

The town has some history to it as it is named after George Wythe, a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence, and mentor to Thomas Jefferson and the “Father of American Jurisprudence.” It was the scene of

a weekend destination keeping you on the backroads Civil War action with Toland’s and Stoneman’s raids. It was also the birthplace of first lady Edith Bolling Wilson, wife of Woodrow Wilson, our 28th president. It is well accepted now that, after Wilson had a stroke, she basically assumed his duties and was defacto president of the United States.

We do love a town with interesting history and Wytheville has that.

It also has a wonderful hotel along its Main Street that is named for the first lady – The Bolling-Wilson Hotel.

The Bolling Wilson Hotel was built in 1927 as the George Wythe Hotel where it operated until the late 1960’s.

For years is sat unused and then saw many duties, including a bank.

When the last bank decided to move and the building became available it was purchased by local entrepreneurs Bill and Farron Smith who set about refurbishing and modernizing the stately old hotel.

We spent a few days here and after each day of exploring the local roads, sites and venues, we’d happily spin our wheels back to Wytheville and the comfortable and friendly confines of the Bolling-Wilson.

The rooms are extraordinary, as is the entire historic building with a staff that is more than a bit attentive. When they refurbished the place they were

Page 22 able to mix the classic and deep history of the building and city with a modern and romantic flair of today. It is a wonderful combination.

We’ll start with the beginning of each day when we’d open our door to find a basket full of yummy items – yogurt, muffins, fruit, juice and such.

Coffee is available 24 hours a day (we loved this!) and we’d grab our basket and scurry up at dawn to see the sun rise over the Virginia mountains atop The Perch rooftop terrace – complete with gas powered fireplace to shoo the morning chill away. This was a beautiful way to start the riding day and day’s end found us at the hotel’s restaurant Graze on Main with a stellar bar and an excellent selection of menu items and daily specials.

You will also find a few other places in and around town, with the 1776 Log House coming to mind and, for those in the know, Skeeter’s World Famous Hot Dogs can be found right across the street from the hotel, right next door to the Edith Bolling-Wilson Museum – both of which are worthy stops when you are staying in Wytheville.

The Bolling-Wilson Hotel offers today’s riders a great alternative to the regular chain hotels you will find off the interstate, for not that much more in price (rooms start around $149) and with that you will have a superb room and all that goes with it, whether you are on your way to someplace else or making a few days of exploratory riding in this wonderful part of the USA the main part of your riding agenda. Either way you will certainly enjoy your stay in Wytheville.

MAY 2017 • BACKROADS

inn at burWell plaCe 601 WEST MAIN STREET, SALEM, VIRGINIA 24153 540-387-0250 • WWW.BURWELLPLACE.COM There are some towns that just have the most dynamic location as far as we riders are concerned. In southwest Virginia there is Salem. Not only does it have one of the top regional motorcycle shops, Frontline Eurosport, but it seems that all the roads around this town lend themselves to an awesome time riding two wheels.

Like many places here in the south, Salem has a bit of history going for it as well. It had skirmishes with Union troops during the war and it is said that the Salem Flying Artillery fired the last Confederate shot at Appomatox before Lee surrendered.

Located along the Roanoke River (the city of Roanoke is a short hop away) Salem has its busy section (like most of America) but as you head into the more sedate and historic parts along West Main Street, just past Lake Spring Park, you will find another piece of Salem history – the Inn at Burwell Place.

We have stayed at some very nice bed & breakfasts over the year, but Cindy Lu has something very special here. When doing a bit of research for a trip we were doing heading south Shira came across the inn and pointed out one or two of the “Yelp” reviews.

We know that folks on this site can be hard case customers but I liked it when I saw this, “Calm, relaxation, comfort, style, and romance. Too much?

Not at all! The Inn at Burwell Place has all the elements of a lovely Southern style Bed & Breakfast, with some touch of European sophistication (did I say Nespresso?). I loved everything about it: my cloud-like bed, the cleanliness

BACKROADS • MAY 2017 of the rooms and the house, the warm and friendly service, the rocking chairs, and of course, the unique atmosphere of the home.”

On this trip we would be swapping tires, as we were heading to CLASS at Virginia International Racewa,y and Frontline would be doing the honors first thing on Saturday.

We needed to overnight nearby and this sounded like it would work and it most certainly did.

We came down to Route 460 from up in the mountains, seeking out a piece of pavement with a most interesting name – 12 O’Clock Knob Road.

We had just come north on Route 221, also called Bent Mountain road. This is with good cause as it is a real roller coaster in spots and heading down into Salem on 12 O’Clock Knob was simply icing on the cake.

We pulled into the gravel drive and looked up the hill to the home.

Built back in 1907, it had that impressive, almost haughty feel to it, but that was quickly dispelled when we entered the inn, let in by Cindy Lu’s friend an active duty Army Colonel who was on leave and spending some time at the inn while back state side.

He called Cindy Lu to find out which room would be ours and led us upstairs.

The Inn at Burwell Place has three rooms: 2 suites with queen 4 poster beds, private baths, fireplace, sleeping/sitting porch and a whirlpool tub and a bedroom with all that sans fireplace and porch.

Ours was a suite and the high bed needed to be climbed into and was more than comfortable. By the way… the bathroom was superb, with old-style tile

Page 23 and shower pressure like a NYFD fire truck.

Wow, they do not make showers like these any more! I wondered how we could get this at home – really superb.

After we got settled and showered we went to explore the property and small Victorian mansion. Downstairs a baby grand piano was covered with cut crystal and in one room a carousel horse had taken residence.

By this time Cindy Lu had arrived and introductions made. Wonderful lady and with a fine home that she is just a bit proud to share.

It was a busy Friday evening and she seemed able to cut through local red tape and pull some strings to get us a table at a popular local restaurant that was almost more than we needed. But there was no denying that the Blue Apron served a serious upscale cuisine and a few of their smaller plates did the job for us this evening.

We took an after dinner stroll in the warm autumn night taking in the sites and sounds of the historic section of the town before meandering back to the Inn at Burwell Place.

We had a most comfortable sleep that night and were greeted in the morning with a basket of muffins that went along with the yogurts and other things already in the room. The in-room Keurig machine did the trick for our caffeine addiction and made for a great start to the day, which would be a long one for us.

The Inn at Burwell Place makes a town like Salem, Virginia, that already has so much to offer (being at a riding epicenter always helps), even more special.

We can never see staying at a chain or Bates Hotel when B & B options are available and, if you have never stayed at a B & B, the Inn at Burwell Place will make you a believer.

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Ferris aCres Creamery 144 SUGAR STREET (ROUTE 302) NEWTOWN, CT 06470 203-426-8803 • WWW.FERRISACRESCREAMERY.COM SEASONAL HOURS – CALL BEFORE VISITING ROUTE SHEET ON PAGE 51 GPS DOWNLOAD: www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/faebn4 Every now and then – well actually a lot more than now and then – I get suggestions for a stop on my never-ending ice cream run. When the name features ‘farm-creamery-dairy-homemade’ anywhere in it, it’s pretty certain that I’ll get there sooner rather than later.

This month’s tasty stop came courtesy of Tricia Szulewski, a very talented rider and writer for Women Riders Now, American Iron and RoadBike, in addition to being an all-round nice gal. Seems Ferris Acres Creamery is pretty close to her home and, as she put it, if she told me about it she’d have to kill me.

Well, I’m still here and I’m passing it along for you to enjoy.

We were heading back from a trip to Cape Cod – quite lovely – and I made it a point to be routed by Newtown, CT. Nestled on quiet and scenic Route 302 is Ferris Acres Farm. Back in 1894 William David Baldwin Ferris, a descendant of the first Ferris to arrive in Newtown around 1703, purchased the farm. And that farm has since been in the Ferris family, in one form or another. It morphed from orchard and beef (run by Charles D. Ferris) to dairy (transitioned by Charles D. Ferris Jr.), growing and evolving continually and has always had at least one member of the Ferris family adopting the farming tradition.

BACKROADS • MAY 2017 The creamery came into existence in 2003 when Shirley, wife of Charles Ferris III, started developing her original and unique ice cream recipes.

2007 saw Terry, wife of Charles IV (Charlie), bringing on-site ice cream sales to the repertoire. Today, there are three generations involved in all aspects of the Ferris Acres Creamery daily chores and running of the business.

We pulled in to the large parking area on a sunny afternoon, ready for some dairy delights. You’ll find a few picnic tables scattered about for your comfort. Shedding our gear, we made our way to the red barn housing the creamery. Be prepared to spend some time reading through the EXTENSIVE menu, complete with full descriptions of their over 32 daily flavors. While we were studying the board, a couple asked if we were ice cream aficionados or just stopping for a cone. A bit perplexed, we asked what prompted such a question. They said we were taking quite some time deciding and Brian had been busy taking lots of images. Seems they, too, take their ice cream very seriously, finding any homemade shops along their travels, and Ferris Acres sits quite high on their favorites’ list. She suggested the Sweet Cream and/or Coffee. We took note and made our decisions.

Brian stepped up and ordered two scoops: one Sweet Cream and one Toasted Almond. I, too, went for the double pleasure of Bad Attitude (dark chocolate ice cream with salted caramel swirls) and Elvis’ Dream (vanilla with peanut butter, banana and dark chocolate chunk). Every bite was delicious, no matter which cup or cone it came from. The texture was spot-on, the consistency was perfect and the flavors were complete. Ferris Acres

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makes their ice cream daily. While they are down to a herd of 50, they are purchasing their cream from Guida’s Dairy, a cooperative that has previously processed their milk into cream.

If you are seriously jonesing for a load of ice cream, Ferris Acres can fill your belly with any number of sundaes – one dozen to be exact. There are delicious milkshakes, floats, malts and ice cream sodas. Perhaps you’ll take the Creamery Challenge: 12 scoops of ice cream (6 flavors) loaded with 6 toppings, whipped cream and a cherry for $16. If you finish this whopper by yourself, you’ll be awarded a Creamery t-shirt.

We enjoyed our treats, sitting at a picnic table, watching the world go by on scenic Route 302. All too soon our ice cream was gone and we were back on the bikes to finish our ride to Backroads Central. It was a perfect stop for my Inside Scoop – thanks again, Tricia.

We’re gonna start this little ride from the Barnstormer BBQ in Fort Montgomery, NY. Geoff is one hell of a pit master and you can’t go wrong with anything you eat at this great place. Have some lunch and then take a nice ride to Ferris Acres for dessert.

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In the heart of some of the best roads in the U.S including the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Plan your adventures with us as a pitstop.

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MAY 2017 • BACKROADS

BACKROADS CENTRAL TO BEDFORD PA Taking care of business on a Monday after the storm, whose winds and clouds barely made it to Backroads Central, we rode some of the friendlier Interstates to a neat place we found in Bedford, Pennsylvania – the Jean Bonnet Tavern. The ride through the Endless Mountains was fairly quick and pleasurable as, once away from the cities, many of these roads run through some seriously pretty vistas and scenery.

A few hundred years old, this tavern saw birth to the Whiskey Rebellion, still serves up a great meal and has some very comfortable rooms upstairs as well.

While we were checking in, another couple pulled up on a Suzuki Bandit.

They had been on the road for work for a month and were heading home to Indiana. Introductions came about and after an evening of food, banter and stories new friends were made.

The Jean Bonnet s a fantastic inn and well worth searching out if you are crossing through this region.

BEDFORD PA TO NEW MARTINSVILLE WV Plan B might have meant ‘Brrrrr’ this next day with the sun coming up on the eastern edge of the Laurel Highlands and the temperatures hovering in the mid-30s. Heavy frost coated the porch, steps and the bikes.

After packing the machines up for the day we rolled them into more direct, if still chilly, sunlight and went to have breakfast that came with the room ($129 – but we had a two room suite).

Loving the ride to, in and from Virginia words + images: Brian Rathjen How many times in our lives do things seem to come in bunches? You could have weeks, maybe months with nothing big planned and then suddenly things appear on the calendar and begin to bunch up and overlap.

In no time you have to make decisions, to prioritize and, sadly give up one for the other.

That began to happen in the beginning of last Autumn for us.

A number of motorcycle events came along: a vintage weekend in Alabama, the AIMExpo in Florida, a two-day high performance CLASS riding school in Virginia, our perennial favorite Chincoteague Oysterfest and then, when we thought we had a semi-plan, a media introduction for a new BMW model back at home in New Jersey.

Our riding schedule went from famine to feast in a few weeks.

Although we’d like to have done it all, it was not going to happen and some choices were made and a plan put together. Well, as much of a structure as Shira and I are comfortable working with.

But you might have heard the Yiddish proverb: “Man plans, God laughs.”

When we decided on riding with BMW then scooting south for oysters and a long ride down the coast and the Outer Banks of North Carolina before heading over to Virginia International Raceway and CLASS (AIMExpo and Barber will happen another year), a large beast of a storm came barreling across the Atlantic. Hurricane Mathew caused a lot of pain and suffering as it crossed the islands and then up the coast. Our plans were meaningless in the scheme of things, but we did need to go to Plan B. Plan B … always full of the unexpected and always a bunch of fun.

With the coastal excursion scrubbed we decided to follow Horace Greely and go west.

Again we made motorcycle small talk with our friends from Indiana and then said our goodbyes and fired up both Gerbing liners and gloves this day.

We looped around the lot to get our bearings and then headed west on US 30 – the Lincoln Highway. The brainchild of entrepreneur Carl Fisher this was one of the first roads to stretch across the nation from Time Square in New York to San Francisco, crossing 14 states to do so. This day we spent about 100 miles heading west on this great old road.

This highway is full of Americana and just plain odd things. Giant quarters, huge gas pumps, old historic motor courts; if you keep your eyes open you can see all sorts of things along the Lincoln Highway in Pennsylvania.

One solemn place that can be found right off this road is the Flight 93 Memorial outside Shanksville. We had been here many years back, before there was anything more than a chain link fence that people had adorned with loving memories and tokens of empathy.

Today there is a most magnificent memorial. Grand in style and beautifully created, yet with a sad air and feel for the tragedy that occurred here on September 11th, 2001.

Because of the actions of the 40 passengers and crew aboard one of the planes, Flight 93, the attack on the U.S. Capitol was thwarted. Brave men and women all.

We spent some time walking the memorial and inside the visitors center where we both

BACKROADS • MAY 2017

were moved in ways we hadn’t felt in many years.

The Flight 93 Memorial will do this to you.

We continued west on US 30 into the heart of the Laurel Highlands at a good pace as this part of the Lincoln Highway is blessed with hills, summits and some great turns. What it is not blessed with is passing lanes. Many think Pennsylvania got its name from William Penn.

That is just a coincidence. It is actually derived from a native word Peensllvukiddime’ – which means No Passing, No Way, No How - or something like that.

We rode by Fort Ligonier, a British fortification from the French and Indian War, and then south along the Monongahela River or the Mon as it is called locally.

Here along the river we’d pass US Steel plants and other industry.

Although still a beautiful area, industry gives it a bit of a black eye and this was brought home when I vectored us south to one particular town along this river.

Donora. On this crystal clear day it was almost hard to believe that much of our EPA regulations and much of the cleaner

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air we have today had it beginnings here along the Monogahela River because of a tragedy that happened many years back.

The 1948 Donora smog was a historic air inversion resulting in a wall of smog that killed 20 people and sickened 7,000 more in Donora, just 24 miles southeast of Pittsburgh.

Today you will find a Historic Marker and a SMOG Museum as well.

By that time we felt we needed a more rider-friendly environment so we moved along southward towards the border with West Virginia.

If you read Backroads on a regular basis you know we love this state and we stealthily crossed into the Mountain State on a small and unsigned road, the older pavement of this part of Pennsylvania suddenly replaced with a pristine blacktop and the understanding that passing zones are all right and maybe a good thing!

By evening we had made the Ohio River at New Martinsville.

We rode through the historic parts of the riverside town and stopped by a historical marker that com-

Page 28 memorated a Native American burial mound that would now be part of the Ohio River due to the many dams and purposeful flooding along this waterway. This Adena Mound was just one of hundreds that were ignored and, many times, leveled as Europeans made there way west. In truth many of these mounds so matched the natural terrain that no one thought that they were doing anything else but clearing land for crops. Thankfully many now know the archeological significance of these sites.

We rode around the town a bit and found a cheap, clean and road-worthy motel and went out to have a really nice meal. Tuesday date night on the road – fried chicken and the post-season Cubs game on TV.

NEW MARTINSVILLE WV TO WYTHEVILLE VA We have to name GPS routes when we create them so I stole a Jimmy Buffett song and called this one ‘A Salty Piece of Land” as our highlight was to be J.Q. Dickinson Salt Works outside of Charleston. We like to cook and discovered this salt a few years back and have been singing its praises ever since. We had 180 miles of curvy West Virginia mountain roads to cover to get there. Let the fun begin!

Not far from New Martinsville we picked up West Virginia 16. We have been on this road before, but far to the south heading north. Today we’d tackle it from the top heading down and we have to tell you that Route 16 is a keeper, especially in the northern part of the state. Beautifully twisted and well paved it was a pure pleasure to ride through the quickly fading morning mist.

In the town of Ellenboro we made a stop to see a gentleman by the name of Sam Hogue. Mr. Hogue is a craftsman keeping a fading craft alive as he makes the most incredible marbles you can imagine and lucky for us he had them on display when we arrived a bit early that morning.

MAY 2017 • BACKROADS Our plan to arrive at J.Q. Dickinson Salt Works worked perfectly as we ate up those hundred and eighty miles by one in the afternoon and they were happy to give us a tour of their place and show us just how they handcraft this salt that had its beginnings some 400 million years ago when this region was under an ancient sea. J.Q. Dickinson salt is without peer and, as foodies, we would not say this lightly.

We bought a year’s worth for ourselves and a few gift samples for other culinarybent friends.

Our original thought for this week was to spend a few days in Wytheville, Virginia. We had a rally down here a few years back and loved the area.

The problem was that is was now later in the afternoon and we would have another 180 miles to get to Virginia.

We fueled up, cinched up, hunkered down and got going.

180 mountain miles….easy.

Truth is we flew through the rolling hills and deep valleys of West Virginia this day eating up the miles at a rapid and fun pace.

Route 10 was incredible, magnificent, awesome, spectacular. Damn pretty neat. We do not know if this particular roadway has one of those cool southern names as they like to give, like Dragon this or Snake that – but Shira started calling Route 10 in West Virginia the Backwards Aardvark.

It works for us.

Route 598 that ran above Bluefeld offered one of the most impressive views of the day and we were glad we stopped. The open bathrooms added to our pleasure.

BACKROADS • MAY 2017

By then the sun was heading west and it was time to get to Wytheville post haste. In October the late afternoon sun eats up your time quickly.

There is a new hotel in Wytheville- well, actually it is an old hotel that has been reborn, and we thought the Bolling Wilson would be a perfect base camp for a couple of days worth of backroads exploring of the region.

The hotel is named for Edith Bolling, who was Woodrow Wilson’s wife and the only First Lady from the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Many say she was the President when Wilson suffered a debilitating stroke that was hidden from the public for years.

She was an impressive woman and the hotel named after her is as well.

THE DRAGON’S VARIOUS BODY PARTS Okay, so the southerners enjoy naming their more interesting roads with clever names.

Down on the North Carolina and Tennessee border you will find Deal’s

Page 29 Gap – better known as the Tail of the Dragon. Up here in southwestern Virginia you will find the Back of the Dragon and the Dragon’s Claw. They have a few other colorfully named routes that will particularly appeal to we motorcyclists - the Possum Run, Horn of the Cow, Turkey Strut and, our favorite, the Wooly Mammoth.

Nope, not making those names up – these routes are to be found in this part of the Dominion State. But today we were thinking that there be dragons out there…

But before we got all Saint Georgie we wanted to make a run to a local piece of history.

We had recently become fascinated with some of the remaining “Shot Towers” that are still standing. These towers date back to the late 1700s and were used to make musket balls by the thousands. Firewood and lead were taken to the top of the tower, where a furnace was fired to melt the lead. The molten lead was then poured through a sieve, which would form individual drops of lead of a specific size. Different sieves were used to produce shot of varying size. The molten drops would then free-fall 150 feet, during which they would become spherical in shape, and cool enough to become rigid.

These balls were used in the Revolution, the War of 1812 and the Civil War. There is one in Philly, one in Baltimore and one famous tower, the Jackson Ferry Shot Tower, stands along the New River not too far from Wytheville.

This was the #1 on my things to do list this day and so we went.

The tower is in fantastic shape and still can be used today if the local Cabela’s runs low on musket balls.

Our route then jumped onto what the locals call the Claw of the Dragon and we ran along tiny roads through the towns of Galax, Ivanhoe and then

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MAY 2017 • BACKROADS

Mount Rogers National Recreation Area before we clipped though Marion (named after the famed Revolutionary hero the Swap Fox – my Mom’s favorite) and rode through Hungry Mother State Park onto Route 16, better known as the Back of the Dragon.

Feeling like a character from Game of Thrones we charged onward and upward and quickly remembered that Route 16 – the same road that we had been on again and again on this trip – can be very serious when it wants to.

The Back of the Dragon is 32 miles in length has some 260 turns and reaches elevations of over 4,500 feet all along a very, very technical roadway.

I will admit this is not my favorite style of riding.

Over the years I have found I prefer a road that allows for more of a waltz between the rider and the bike. This was less waltz and more like my brother-in-law Jan dancing at our wedding. A kind of choreographic chaos that deserves complete attention. Still, you want to ride this beast.

BACKROADS • MAY 2017 The colors up atop the peaks were heading towards prime time and I stole glances here and there and appreciated the short straights that allowed for more than a peripheral glance.

The plan was for lunch in Tazewell, which became lunch in Burkes Garden which then was a bite at Big Walker Lookout.

We should have stuck with Tazewell, as Burkes Garden, as lovely and remote as it is was, was a bust for lunch and Big Walker, touristy place it is, had a tower and ice cream and not much else.

Still ice cream and coffee on a beautiful autumn day in the mountains of Virginia is always a good thing and we could always grab a small bite to tide us over till dinner back at Skeeters Famous Hot Dogs, across from the Bolling Wilson Hotel back in town.

Our long day loop was fun, exciting and tiring and we looked forward to dinner with friends Deb and Doc, who live in Wytheville; BMW folks to the core it is always great to catch up with old friends.

WYTHEVILLE TO SALEM VA This night we needed to be in Salem, Virginia so as to have new tires put onto our machines early Saturday morning at Frontline Eurosports – friends and advertisers that have a super facility and understood our need for fresh rubber for our day at VIR and Reg’s CLASS. We headed east past the Jackson Shot Tower making mid-morning time through the mist, hoping for a break in the clouds that really would never come this day.

It was right about then that we made the Virginia / Texas connection. Did you know there was one? We didn’t but there was the sign to the “Birth Place of Stephen Austin” – No…not the Six Million Dollar Steve Austin, but rather Stephen F. Austin who established the first Anglo-American colony in the Tejas province of Mexico and saw it grow into an independent republic of Texas.

He is known as “The Father of Texas” and the city and its limits are named for him.

We rode to the park memorializing him, which was found along the banks of the New River and surrounded by wild cotton plants.

Nod to the Lone Star State completed we headed back onto our route, which would wind up some twisty local roads and bring us to the Blue Ridge Parkway near Fancy Gap. We headed north along the Parkway that was fairly empty this Friday, as it seemed everyone on the Parkway was waiting to get a seat at the small restaurant at the Mabry Mill. We stopped for coffee and a digital mo-

Page 31

Page 32 ment at this favorite photo stop along the Blue Ridge.

I like to say “I know a place” and today I did as soon the little restaurant and hotel at Tuggles Gap rolled into view and the soup, salad and grilled cheese and bacon could not be beat.

We were told to follow down along the Crooked Road Music Trail to the town of Floyd for a real treat and that is exactly what we did.

Floyd is a charmer of a Virginian mountain town and a centerpiece of local acoustic music. The many shops and restaurants were worth the visit and we spent a good deal of time looking about Floyd and have logged that one into the books for a return trip – maybe with a hundred or so friends.

MAY 2017 • BACKROADS Back on the Blue Ride we rode north and then cut off onto Route 221 that was an absolute pleasure to ride with its miles of sweepers. Unlike the frenetic back and forth of the Dragons Back the previous day, here on 221 there was a smooth and beautiful dance. We then found 12 O’clock Knob Road into Salem – here the dance became more of a tango as we headed to a beautiful Bed & Breakfast Shira had found in Salem called the Inn a Burwell Place.

Over 100 years old this stunning mansion was just a bit different from some of the other places we stayed at during this trip and a very welcome change and just a bit opulent.

SALEM TO SALEM (WELL, WINSTON-SALEM NC) The main point of this 11-day sojourn south was to partake in a two-day high performance riding school.

For such it is highly recommended that you have very fresh tires on your bike. We had shipped down the latest Avon Storm 3D sport-touring tires for both Shira’s Honda 919 and a set for my normally dual sport shod GS and so we were at Frontline early the next morning.

Not only is this shop superb (getting both bikes in when they opened the doors and done by 10 am) but they were serving breakfast and were

BACKROADS • MAY 2017 having a nice post breakfast ride too. We hung around for both.

It is not unusual for Frontline to have such mini-events. We have always thought the difference between a good dealership and a great dealership is how they treat and interact with their customers. Hugh Huff led this ride himself with a beautiful three-wheeled Morgan.

We were met there by our friend Doc and after we said our goodbyes and thanks to the folks at Frontline, he joined us for a romp south to the town we had stopped by the previous day – Floyd – as Hugh had mentioned that the best fried chicken in the region was to be found at the Pine Tavern Lodge, just north of the town. This place was one of those old motels that, back in the day, you parked your car next to your bed. These days the car or bikes have to stay outside but the rooms are comfortable and well priced and the food was Virginia mountain classic.

Hugh was right, we love fried chicken, and it was extraordinary!

Doc headed back home and we headed east of the Crooked Trail – Route 8 – back over the crest that the Blue Ridge Parkway rides atop, and down the very snaky eastern edge of the mountains.

We headed south through Virginia and then followed along any really tight and squiggly lines we could find on the map.

We did get our kicks on Route 66…in Virginia.

Page 33 This ain’t Rocket Science kids… we look at the maps, find some rivers, find some hills, find some roads your parents would drive around and go! It works every time, except when it don’t.

By late afternoon we crossed into North Carolina.

If yesterday we went a bit lavish, tonight would be “Chain Night” - chain hotel, chain restaurant, chain movie theatre.

The Magnificent Seven sounded good.

WINSTON-SALEM TO VIRGINIA INT’L RACEWAY We did need to get to the track this day, but we needn’t get there too early, so we backroaded it out of North Carolina and back into Virginia and plodded along anything that looked vaguely interesting.

By lunch we had ridden through one large town that was overtaken by, what I call, the Mallification of America. Sure there were a number of restaurants and though we allowed for this the previous night, I want more from the USA when riding. We continued onward and eventually found the tiny town of Chatham, Virginia and a nice local Mexican place across the street from the Virginia Uranium Company – but even better than that – the Simpson Funeral Museum.

Celebrating and giving a better understanding to a difficult, but necessary task, this museum is one of a kind and certainly will find its way into O’Life’s Mysterious America soon.

We arrived at VIR by mid-afternoon, in time to take our room along the front straight and watch the remainder of the SCCA races being run that day.

Pretty much heaven for us motorheads.

Later that night we were joined by monthly columnist and all around swell guy Mark Byers, who was also going to be taking CLASS. Hey, maybe there is a reason that the people who put this magazine together each month constantly work of their meager riding skills? I wonder why that is?

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We’d tell you all about CLASS, but that is an article in itself, suffice it to say if you really wish to improve your riding, confidence and become a smoother and more proficient motorcyclist, then constant practice and mentoring is a must. Reg Pridmore’s CLASS is a perfect place to do this.

Three days later, with some 300 additional miles on both machines, we refitted them for street use and began the few days trek back north.

MAY 2017 • BACKROADS

Our thought was to ride through the Piedmont region of Virginia so we headed in a sweepy northeast direction from Danville at the North Carolina border.

Civil War history runs deep here and Danville was the final home of the Confederate government before the surrender at Appomattox.

We passed by the Battlefield at Sailor’s Creek. It was here on April 6, 1865 that the last large battle of the war took place in Virginia. Actually three skirmishes at once, these battles led to Lee’s final surrender just one month later.

The visitor’s center was informative and, if not for the need to get home, would have led us to more Civil War discoveries. But, the good thing is I know we will return to the region soon.

As we began to run down towards the Rappahannock and Potomac Rivers that empty into the Chesapeake Bay the land took on a different contour, with miles of swoopy backroads lined with scrub pine and sand. The roads here were surprisingly delicious and we got to put our rekindled riding skills to work.

We crossed into Maryland and then down to the burg of Leonardtown, for an evening with Mark and Betsy Byers. Mark has more toys and stuff than any one night can fill and we had a lovely time and appreciated the chance to hang with good friends that are such a big part of this magazine’s extended family.

From this part of Maryland it was a long, but doable, ride back home, up around Baltimore and then into the southern parts of Delaware and up through Pennsylvania on roads that we ride on a regular basis.

By mid-afternoon we were rolling over the Free Bridge into New Jersey at Belvidere and from there it was an easy run up through the Skylands and to Backroads Central where we happily rolled the bikes to a stop amongst the leaves that had all taken the plunge while we were away.

If it was late summer when we left, it was surely autumn when we returned.

Now with machines ticking and cooling amongst the leaves and happy cats fed, petted and given enough attention, we got to pour a cup of coffee, sit down and watch the foliage tumble, as the trees gave up the summer, and do that thing that most of us do after a great trip…sit back and wonder how we did all we did and saw all we saw in just 11 days.

Even if the trip wasn’t what we had planned in the beginning we will take Plan B any day.

BACKROADS • MAY 2017

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RESOURCES Jean Bonnet Tavern 6048 Lincoln Hwy, Bedford, PA 15522 • 814-623-2250 • www.jeanbonnettavern.com

Flight 93 Memorial 6424 Lincoln Hwy, Stoystown, PA 15563 • 814-893-6322 • www.nps.gov/flni

Donora SMOG Museum 595 McKean Ave, Donora, PA 15033 • 724-823-0364 • www.donorasmog.com

J.Q. Dickinson Salt Works 4797 Midland Dr, Charleston, WV 25306 • 304-925-7918 • www.jqdsalt.com

Sam Hogue’s Mountain Marbles Lee St, Ellenboro, WV • 304-869-3146

Bolling Wilson Hotel 170 E Main St, Wytheville, VA 24382 • 276-223-2333 • www.bollingwilsonhotel.com

Edith Bolling Wilson Birthplace Museum 145 E Main St, Wytheville, VA 24382 • 276-223-3484 • www.edithbollingwilson.org

Hungry Mother State Park • 2854 Park Blvd, Marion, VA 24354 276-781-7400 • www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/hungry-mother E N Umberger Store • Skeeter’s Famous Hot Dogs 165 E Main St, Wytheville, VA 24382 • 276-228-2611

Frontline Eurosports 1003 Electric Rd, Salem, VA 24153 • 540-387-9780 • www.frontlineeurosports.com

Pine Tavern Lodge 585 Floyd Hwy N, Floyd, VA 24091 • 540-745-4428 • www.thepinetavernlodge.com

The Crooked Road Heritage Music Trail • www.myswva.org/tcr Inn at Burwell Place 601 W Main St, Salem, VA 24153 • 540-387-0250 • www.burwellplace.com

Tuggles Gap Restaurant & Motel 3351 parkway Lane S, Floyd, VA 24091 • 540-745-3402 • www.tugglesgap.biz

Simpson Funeral Museum 16 S Main St, Chatham, VA 24531 • 434-432-1085 • www.simpsonfuneralmuseum.com

Sailor’s Creek State Park 6541 Sayler’s Creek Rd, Rice, VA 23966 • 804-561-7510 www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/sailors-creek

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MAY 2017 • BACKROADS

Day Two • To Stonewall Jackson Resort www.sendspace.com/filegroup/V0i50hTqCCBe7ktpr1hYKA

Today’s route is a bit shorter - 200 miles - but exciting as we head deep into WV. You will have time to stop and see the Paw Paw Tunnel, a 3,118foot-long canal tunnel on the Chesapeake/Ohio Canal and then cross one of the oddest privately owned bridges in the USA in Old Town running down and across West Virginia to the Stonewall Jackson Resort outside Roanoke.

Day Three • Free Day in the Mountain State

We have a bevy of different ride suggestions for you, please feel free to do any or none of them – it’s up to you - as there is so much to see and so many great pieces of pavement (& gravel) to experience...

Marietta Mound Builders Lunch Ride (240 miles) www.sendspace.com/filegroup/ijtSuZzxdN6rF%2Bw3icjDkQ

If you’re coming to our 19th annual Spring Break Rally we’ll be featuring one of our favorite states – West Virginia. Less than one year ago much of the Mountain State was devastated by floods and, watching it on the news, we knew we would be right back bring a hundred or so riders with us.

For those of you who use modern GPS technology on your machines we have links below for our ride down to Berkley Springs, then onto the Stonewall Jackson Resort, a few day ride suggestions and a nice loop up to our final night at Canaan Valley Resort.

You will be able to find the .GPX files and printable Rip & Rides to be downloaded from our website at www.backroadsusa.com/rallies.html.

Day One • To Berkeley Springs www.sendspace.com/filegroup/Peqa0Y2UNdXtVZATdOfVRQ

This is a long first day (285 miles) from our start at the Delaware Water Gap. Along the way we’ll cross hill and dale, along some favorites and then south along the Susquehanna River and right past the infamous Three Mile Island that had a partial meltdown in March 1979.

Down past the Mason-Dixon Line we will ride through Catoctin Mountain Park and right past Camp David. The final blast into West Virginia will be just that and enjoy our return to The Country Inn in Berkley Springs.

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

This is a slightly longer route that involves a ferry across to Ohio at Sistersville and, eventually, to the riverside city of Marietta – where we will first visit an ancient Hopewell Burial Mound. This cemetery has one of the largest sites of Revolutionary Officers in the USA as well. From there it’s a short ride for lunch along the river at the Levee House. We will cross back over the Ohio River into West Virginia and ride east before picking up a good bit of the Sweet Lil’ 16 route on the way back.

Sweet Lil’ 16

(200 miles)

www.sendspace.com/filegroup/KS2X%2FfezIdRQtxk3A4ND1Q

Looking for some twists & turns? We gotcha covered with a ride down one of the most entertaining roads in a state full of curvy roads. If you start early you could do it both ways.

Salty & Sweet

(260 miles)

www.sendspace.com/filegroup/Fp71uaeaOVy2sxXzo3CddA

You can hardly go wrong here in West ‘By God’ Virginia. Shira’s put together a ride which brings you to J.Q Dickinson Salt Works – some of the best salt on the planet – then up to Charleston for a scoop or three of ice cream before heading back to the Resort.

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Day Four • To Canaan Valley Resort (270 miles) www.sendspace.com/filegroup/cFULRcUamW2hPF9nTZhwjQ

Our ride suggestion this day will head south and then east before turning north and we hope we put together a day ride that will thrill you. Plenty of twistalicious paved mountain roads, past scenic railroads and giant telescopes (SETI - Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence Project) and the famed Seneca Rocks – a staple with many a WV Backroads’ ride.

Enjoy Canaan Valley State Park, where the deer will come and greet you.

Day Five • Homeward Bound

We hope you have had a super time on the 19th edition of the Backroads Spring Break – but it might be time to head home and that route is up to you.

Ride Safe, Ride Smart, Ride Home!

Myths & Legends

(300+ miles)

www.sendspace.com/filegroup/pdHyhA%2BY9IleQqDd6VxFDw

This early start day trip heads southwest for some hot dogs with the hillbillies (go for the Homewrecker – if you dare) and a date with the Mothman – the legendary West Virginia monster along the Ohio River in Point Pleasant.

We promise you will meet the Mothman!

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MAY 2017 • BACKROADS

Some Things You Don’t Need, Until You Need Them

E

veryone has their ‘go-to’ stuff they keep somewhere on the bike, whether tankbag, topcase or saddlebags. An extra fuse, some zip ties, cleaner and rag for the face shield, perhaps some hidden cash and fake passport. Whatever it may be, you have your reasons but here are two items that make sense to find a home on the motorcycle ‘cause you won’t know you need them until you do.

FIxNzIP • A quICK FIx FOR A bIg PRObLEm It can be more than an annoyance. Your jacket, a longtime companion and partner for so many miles, has suddenly let you down. Or, more specifically, its zipper has let you down.

Snapped right off – leaving you a couple of hundred miles away from home with no way to close up your gear. In the cold and the rain, because this never happens on a sunny day.

We have a really simple solution for you – FixnZip. When zippers fail it is usually not the teeth but the sliders that go. With FixnZip you can quickly replace that damaged or missing zipper sliders. Simply remove the old slider and replace it with the FixnZip and tighten it.

We appreciated the knurled thumb-screw and workmanship.

They work on a wide range of zipper sizes, can be used on nylon coils as well as plastic and metal teeth and on both opened and closed end zippers.

They are small enough to keep a couple in your tank bag, where they might sit for years until that day when you suddenly need them.

The FixnZip come in a few sizes, cost about $10.99 a pop and come in multi-packs too. You can find out more or order yours on their website: www.fixnzip.com.

NuKE-TAPE! • WHEN yOu CAN’T FIx IT… Whaaaatt’s that? It’s duct tape rated for use by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Really, no joke, we’re dead serious.

It’s used in nuclear power plants to seal end caps on stainless steel pipes, hold labels and signs, and seal duct work.

Duct tape has long been the standard, but most duct tape comes in rolls that are too big to carry on a motorcycle. Nuke-Tape comes in flat 2”x6” strips, 20 strips per pack, stacked together like a pad of sticky notes. There’s a tab on one end so you can pull off one strip of Nuke-Tape at a time. Use what you need, put the other strips back in the tankbag.

Packs of Nuke Tape cost just $5 - one product that you won’t know you need until you do.

Log onto bestrestproducts.com to get yours and, while there, see some of the other great and useful products Best Rest has to offer.

BACKROADS • MAY 2017

Take a Hike Exploring Franconia Notch State Park

words + images: Dan Bisbee When I’m out on my motorcycle, I try to avoid the Interstate highways. They’re only good for two things: getting from where I am to where I want to be fast, and keeping other traffic off the good roads.

However, I may have to make an exception for one tiny section of Interstate 93 through Franconia Notch State Park. I’ve ridden and driven through here dozens of times but have never taken the time to actually see everything.

It’s a short 6-mile stretch of Interstate that squeezes between New Hampshire’s White Mountains from Lincoln to Franconia. A wagon path was cut through here in the early

Page 39 1800s, and a century later US Route 3 was built on top of the wagon path.

An Interstate highway through Franconia Notch was first proposed in 1959. Due to the sensitive landscape through which the highway had to pass and environmental concerns, construction was not completed until 1988. Instead of a traditional four-lane Interstate, a compromise was struck and The Franconia Notch Parkway was built. It’s called a “Super Two” highway, with limited access like an Interstate, but with only one lane in each direction. This is one of the only stretches of Interstate in the country where traffic passes single file. The speed limit drops to 45 MPH, but that’s OK because it gives you more time to enjoy the scenery. When the highway was completed, this section had its own exit numbering system. Lately though, the Franconia Notch Parkway moniker seems to be slipping away.

The big signs on the highway are gone, and the exits now follow the I-93 numbering sequence.

Franconia Notch State Park is flanked by 4100-foot-high Cannon Mountain to the West and 5260-foot-high Mount Lafayette to the east. The peaks are only separated by about three miles, but they loom high over the roadway which passes through at about 1900 feet. The scenery is stunning; you could easily spend a day here. Recently, I did just that.

My first stop was at The Flume. While it is technically on Route 3, it’s an entrance ramp to the Parkway. The Flume Visitor Center has all the tourist

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amenities you would expect (including a concrete pad for motorcycles) where I purchased a Discovery Pass, which allowed me access to The Flume and the Cannon Mountain Tramway. I stepped out back and hiked the trail to The Flume. It’s a narrow gorge, 800 feet long and carved up to 80 feet deep in granite. The width varies from 12 to 20 feet wide and you are walking through a crack in the earth. There is boardwalk that allows you to walk up the river through the gorge while the water splashes beneath you. At the top, the river tumbles over Avalanche Falls into the narrow deep canyon. The Flume is dark, wet and cool. Most definitely cool.

After The Flume, I headed up the highway less than a mile where I pulled off at a rest area called The Basin. It’s a short hike to a waterfall swirling into a 20-foot diameter granite pothole being carved by the water. Just upstream, the water cascades down a naturally carved sluiceway. The sound of the rushing water is peaceful; unfortunately it is unable to completely cover the noise

MAY 2017 • BACKROADS of traffic hurrying by just a few yards away.

My next stop was at Lafayette Place. There are many hiking trails through Franconia Notch; Lafayette Place is where most hikers start out.

Even on a Monday afternoon, the parking lot was ¾ full. The lots fill up on weekends and parked cars spill out on the shoulders of the Parkway. I briefly looked at the trail map and realized that most of the hiking trails go up from here and decided that two wheels was a better form of transportation. At the Hiker Information building, I learned the difference between poisonous and venomous (If you eat it and get sick, it’s poisonous: if it bites you and you get sick, it’s venomous) and how to protect yourself from bears. I retreated to my bike, eying the bushes for snakes and bears.

Another mile up the road I stopped at Boise Rock. In the 1800s Thomas Boise was passing through the notch on horseback when a blizzard overtook him. He ended up killing his horse and wrapping himself in its hide. All I could think of was that scene from The Empire Strikes Back. When rescuers found him, they had to cut the frozen hide off to get him out.

Further up the road I stopped at the Old Man Historic Site. The Great Stone Profile was first documented by men surveying for a wagon path through the Notch in 1805.

When news of the remarkable face made it to the cities to the south, people began coming to see it. Soon, traveler amenities began springing up and folks stayed for the cool mountain air. The Old Man of the Mountain looked over the Notch until 2003 when the he tumbled down. The state of New Hampshire wasn’t about to forget about their most famous attraction and have expanded Profiler Plaza. Here, at what used to be the best

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viewing spot of the Old Man, they have reconstructed the rock formation in miniature and mounted it on poles. If you stand in just the right location, the face appears on the mountain just like it used to. The effect is good, but not quite the same as the original.

Just around the corner from Profiler Plaza is the Cannon Mountain Ski Area. They have been skiing here since 1932, making it one of the oldest ski areas in the country. In 1936 they installed the first aerial tramway in the country to bring skiers to the top of the mountain. The current tram, installed in 1980, whisks up to seventy people to the summit in 8 minutes. The run is just over a mile long and gains over

2000 feet in altitude. In the winter it carries skiers, in the summer, sightseers like me. From the unloading station at the top, it’s a five-minute walk along the edge of the mountain to the observation deck where the 360-degree view is breathtaking. On a good day, New York’s Adirondack Mountains can be seen over Vermont’s Green Mountains.

After getting my fill of the view, I took the tram back down to the base lodge. Next door, I checked out the New England Ski Museum. It’s a small building tracing the history of skiing in New England back through the decades. Perhaps the most impressive display was the one of Bode Miller’s Olympic medals. Bode lives nearby and learned to ski at Cannon.

For my final stop of the day, I hiked to the top of Artists Bluff, which is at the north end of the Notch. It’s a short scramble up a rocky path to the overlook where I was able to look right down through the Notch. The view of the notch is amazing: a giant green carpet below me with a single seam of highway snaking through it.

Some folks may find the highway a distraction to the natural beauty, but it’s what makes the beauty accessible to so many people.

Back on the bike, I left Franconia Notch State Park on I-93 and realized that despite spending the whole day here, I had ridden just over 8 miles in nearly 8 hours since arriving at The Flume. It was not much of a day for riding. The scenery, on the other hand, was spectacular even if it was on the Interstate.

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MAY 2017 • BACKROADS

Martin Moto Modern Classics Motorcycle Show The days of hard snowstorms seem to be sliding back in the calendar, the mornings are starting earlier, the days are stretching longer in the evening and the sound of baseball can be heard south of Georgia.

In the eastern parts of the Keystone State there are other signs of the changing seasons as well.

Now celebrating its 7th year the annual Modern Classics Motorcycle Show has become one of a few rites of spring.

Held at the Boyertown, Pennsylvania showroom of Martin Moto this one and a half day event (Friday night and all day Saturday) finds the showroom clear of new machines and filled with over 100 rare, beautiful and iconic motorcycles from the 1960s, 70s, 80s and 90s.

We have made it a point to head over to Martin for the last few years as who wouldn’t relish spending a few hours surrounded by these wonderful machines and, just as importantly, the people who come to see them.

Admission was just $10 and this also allowed you to vote for your choice on the Best of Show.

The creation of owner Dennis Martin and avid motorcyclist Jack Broomhall, this show certainly deserves the moniker “Classic’ and, even though this event is held at Martin Moto, it is really not a vehicle for the dealership and the shop itself is actual closed for business for this event.

But, even though the store is really “closed” this day it is good to remember that they are open for real business the rest of the year.

I got there around 10 am and the Specializing in Motorcycle place was already filled with hunRepair, Parts & Supplies • Cycle Tires Mounted & Baldreds of winter-weary riders lookStocking a full line of heated gear anced • Batteries & ing for a two-wheel fix – and the Make your riding season last all year.

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The Modern Classics theme this time around was The Quickest and The Fastest! and had a selection of period bikes that were praised as the fastest production bikes of their time, to go along with this point were a number of drag racers also from the same region of time.

Acclaimed artist Makato Endo was there, this time immortalizing our friend Klaus’s Munch Mammoth in ink with his remarkable chopstick style.

This is also something of note.

This event draws true fans of motorcycles to it, many of those who are in the business, but not related to Martin in any way.

On board with machines on display were a few from Bob Henig - of Bob’s BMW in Maryland – Klaus Huenecke from EPM Performance in New Jersey and other notables from the industry were in attendance including the legendary (?) Joe Saluzzo from Rider Magazine and many others that are some of the hard workers behind the scenes in our industry both locally and on the national level.

The Modern Classics brought out a lot of people.

I talked a bit with show maven Jack Broomhall, getting an idea of how much goes into this show. Not just in the planning and execution, but in finding the people and machines and then the logistics of getting them to Boyer-

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MAY 2017 • BACKROADS

town and into the shop (that also has to be cleared).

Another thing that is remarkable with this event is that each bike has a card along with it telling the history and pedigree of each machine. With just about every card I read I learned a bit more about that machine. It would take hours to cover them all – so I stuck with the bikes that popped out to me – either for sheer “wow-ness” or that I had some connection to, whether having owned, ridden or ridden with back in the day.

There was a lot of “back in the day” talk going around Martin this day. And, that is part of the pure beauty of an event such as the Modern Classics.

I was also impressed with the amount of knowledge that the folks here have gathered over the years.

I am sure that at some geek convention there are those deep in arcane knowledge on ancient Nintendo or Atari – but here it was about older, but not ancient, motorcycles and their history, their allure and their attraction to riders like us.

I watched as one guy began counting the pleats on a Gold Wing saddle to make sure it was the stock seat.

“The devil is in the details,” I said to him.

He smiled and agreed. It was an original as so much else here this day.

The phrases “I had, I rode, I wanted one of these” was said again and again.

The winner of this year’s Modern Classic: People’s Choice Awards: 3rd place Ron Zuk’s Triumph 650 Drag bike, 2nd place Eric Heilveil’s 1952 Vincent Black Shadow and 1st place Bob Henig’s MV Agusta Monomoto - a weird one wheeled thing – but extremely cool.

The Exhibitors’Choice (voting open only to individuals exhibiting bikes: Brad Beers’ 1982 Honda CX500T. This show is becoming more than just an excellent gathering of great machines, but a happening and assembly for so many that are looking for a shot of “bike” just when they need it most.

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2017 Harley-Davidson Street Rod

The new Harley-Davidson Street Rod motorcycle is a muscular middle-weight built to blitz the city streets. An addition to the HarleyDavidson® Street model family, the Street Rod is agile, powerful and tuned for maneuvering through traffic and congestion. Steeped in tough Harley-Davidson Dark Custom styling, bearing a stance that’s poised and aggressive, the Street Rod always looks ready for action.

“The Street Rod will put the thrill in any urban commute,” said Mathew Weber, Harley-Davidson Chief Engineer for the Street Rod. “We’ve paired the potent new High Output Revolution X 750 engine with a revised chassis and up-rated suspension components to make the Street Rod quick, light-handling and easy to ride.”

The Street Rod backs up its performance with a liberal dose of HarleyDavidson Dark Custom styling.

The High Output Revolution X 750 engine produces 18 percent more horsepower and 8 percent more torque than the standard Revolution X 750 engine (U.S. and Canada markets only). The new single overhead-cam VTwin engine features a larger air box, a new dual-throat throttle body, revised four-valve cylinder heads and high-lift camshafts, and a higher-volume muffler. The compression ratio is bumped from 11.0:1 to 12.0:1, and the engine redline is increased from 8,000 to 9,000 rpm.

“We’ve improved air flow and then tuned this new engine to maximize mid-range torque,” said Weber. “It really delivers a punch between 3,000 and 5,000 rpm, power you can always feel and use in real-world riding situations.

Liquid cooling helps maintain that performance and rider comfort in stopand-go urban traffic.”

The new Street Rod chassis is engineered to match the performance of the High Output Revolution X engine. The front end features rigid 43mm in-

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verted forks gripped by a lightweight aluminum triple clamp. Fork rake angle is tightened from 32 to 27 degrees to quicken the steering. Coilover rear shock absorbers have an external reservoir to increase fluid capacity and improve control. The shocks increase the rear suspension travel by 31 percent, to 4.6 inches. A new swing arm is slightly longer to accommodate the taller ride height, and has new performance-inspired styling. Lean angle is increased from 28.5 degrees left and right to 37.3 degrees right and 40.2 degrees left. The Street Rod rolls on light-weight, 17inch front and rear Split 7 Spoke Black Cast Wheels and new Michelin Scorcher 21 radial tires. Dual 300mmdiameter front disc brakes deliver confident stopping power. Anti-Lock Braking (ABS) and the Harley-Davidson Smart Security System are factory-installed options for the Street Rod. “The Street Rod is the most nimble motorcycle in the current HarleyDavidson line-up,” said Weber. “Tires, wheels, suspension and frame geometry are engineered to work together and deliver handling that’s light and precise at all speeds.”

A new seat shape is designed to fit the rider’s contour, and seat height is raised by 3.7 inches, to 29.4 inches, to enhance the rider’s view forward over traffic. A flat, drag-style handlebar puts the rider in a fist-forward posture on the bike. The Street Rod also features new forged foot controls and aluminum foot pegs that are positioned for a comfortable seating position that also makes it easy for riders to get feet down to the ground at stops.

Street Rod styling highlights include a new color-matched speed screen, a short aggressive street fighter-inspired tail, and all-new LED tail lamp and turn signals with a Street Rod signature look.

The Street Rod will be offered in three color options: Vivid Black, Charcoal Denim, and Olive Gold.

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MAY 2017 • BACKROADS

Riding the Italian Alps and Dolomites with Hear the Road Tours

tory, the center of Siena has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is one of the nation’s most-visited tourist attractions. Here we walk the giant main square, and take in the sights along narrow medieval streets of stone, worn smooth by countless footsteps over millenia.

Sidewalk cafes offer a respite before we continue riding.

For day three we continue north 170 miles from Siena to Modena, through the Chianti wine region, past Firenze (Florence) and over Abetone Pass.

Modena is a large city on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. This too is an

words + images: Ken Freund For true motorcycle enthusiasts, what could be better than combining a comfortable, good-handling machine with a breathtaking ride through the fabulous Italian Alps and Dolomites?

Italy is an amazing country, with a long history, wonderful food and incredible scenery - and great hospitality to go with it all. Italian-born Enrico Grassi, the founder of Hear the Road Tours, loves to show his country to others and has spent many years learning the best roads and places to go. His strong passion shows as he proudly introduces visitors to his homeland.

I sampled an 11-day tour led by Grassi that ran from Rome on a loop north into the gorgeous Alps and Dolomite mountains, through a wide variety of terrain and climate zones. Day one includes time to visit Rome for tourism, pick up the bikes from the rental shop, and a welcome dinner allowing the participants to get acquainted. Our small group included one couple and five solo riders, from all over the world.

Day two saw us riding 178 miles from Rome to the ancient Tuscan city of Siena, which is the ancient capital of the province of Siena. The road north is fairly flat autostrada, which allows us to get familiarized with the bikes, roads and Italian signs and driving style. Siena, as with other Tuscan hill towns, was first settled by the Etruscans (c. 900–400 BC). Seeping with his-

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ancient town, now known for its famous sports car manufacturers; De Tomaso, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati and Pagani have all been located in this area. It’s been a hot day and it feels good to take our riding gear off and quaff a cold drink...or three with dinner!

On day four, we go approximately 200 miles from Modena to Hotel Pieve di Piscogne, a lovely four-star lodge near the

BACKROADS • MAY 2017

historical center of Pisogne in a low hilly area above the lake. Enroute, we spend hours skirting huge Lake Garda, Italy’s largest, which is bustling with speed boats. Later we skirt Lake Iseo, then traverse lovely Maniva Pass, which is a sign of things to come as the mountains loom around us.

For day five, our route takes us a brisk 185 miles from Pisogne to Bormio, over the Zambia, San Marco, Maloja, Bernina, Forcola Livigno, Eira and Foscagno Passes. The distance belies the amount of sights and sounds as we twist and turn our way upward. My kind of riding, and a great warmup for Stelvio!

Bormio is a quaint small city located in the Province of Sondrio, Lombardy region of the northern Italian Alps.

Thanks to its thermal baths, which are said to have healing powers, Bormio has long been a popular tourist attraction. In fact, ancient-Roman empire aristocrats traveled to Bormio to enjoy the soothing warm baths, many of which are still in use

Page 47

today. The town is built around the historic Piazza Cavour and Via Roma, a historic main trading point on the old trade route from Venice to Switzerland.

Bormio retains its unique medieval town center, attracting many tourists for its proximity to great skiing. Within Stelvio National Park and the center of the upper Valtellina valley, it is a popular winter sports resort that annually hosts the Alpine Ski World Cup and was twice the site of the Alpine World Ski Championships. But we are here for the summer sport of motorcycling, and Bormio’s location near the foot of Stelvio Pass also makes it a wonderful base for three nights stay.

Stelvio Pass (Italian: Passo dello Stelvio) is the most famous mountain pass in northern Italy, with an elevation of 9,045 feet. That makes it the highest paved mountain pass in the Eastern Alps, and second highest in the Alps, just 148 feet below France’s Col de la Bonette. Stelvio’s 75 hairpin switchback turns - 48 of them on the northern side - are a

Page 48

challenge to negotiate in any weather. We had rain and fog, which takes it up a notch or two! Our day six is reserved for an epic 144-mile loop, which includes a ride up and back over the legendary Stelvio, plus the Umbrial, Resia, Zernez, Livigno and Eira Passes, dipping briefly into Switzerland. Day seven is a free day in Bormio, which of course I put to good use running Stelvio and surrounding mountain roads again, as this area contains some of my favorite scenery and roads in the whole world!

On day eight, we leave Bormio for Canazei, a 181mile run that takes us from the fabulous Alps to the incredible Dolomite mountains. Our route crosses over the Tonale, Cles, Cavalese, and Lavaze Passes and along Lake Carezza. The rugged and gorgeous Dolomites have jagged, dramatic barren-rock peaks that thrust into the sky, capped year-round with snow at the higher elevations. Canazei is a quaint mountain town of about 2,000 inhabitants in the far northern Italian region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. It’s nestled in the Dolomites which reaches from the River Adige in the west to the Piave Valley (Pieve di Cadore) on the eastern flank.

Northern and southern borders are defined by the Puster Valley and Sugana

MAY 2017 • BACKROADS

Valley respectively. Here, we again stay two nights, with a day riding a 150-mile loop over a dozen passes through some of the most beautiful scenery and roads imaginable. If I could find a way to live here, I would!

On day 10, the ride from Canazei to Ravenna is 219 miles, crossing Rollo Pass, then through Martino di Castrozza, and Bassano del Grappa—home of Grappa wine. As we leave the mountains, the roads straighten and the higher temperatures at the lower elevations are very noticable, as the sense that the ride is coming to an end begins to set in. The last day on the road, day 11 brings us south from Ravenna near the Adriatic coast, then on over to Rome, nearly 300 miles and our longest riding distance in a day. However, much of it is on high-speed autostrada, so we still reach the rental shop by late afternoon. Later, we gather for a final farewell dinner and share goodbyes and stories of the trip.

Challenging and conquering the Alps and the Dolomites should be on the bucket list of every serious motorcycle enthusiast. Mountain passes such as Stelvio, Bernina, Fedaia and Giau, along with Umbrial in Switzerland are etched into memory, as the endless curves, valleys, snow-capped peaks and steep breathtaking roads stir the soul.

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BACKROADS • MAY 2017 Looking back on the tour, fond memories of quaint alpine villages, challenging mountain roads with countless curves and switchbacks, crystal-clear lakes and scenic views to die for, come rushing back.

Beautiful renaissance cities, tiny medieval hamlets, and ancient volcanic lakes are all part of the experience. Comfortable lodging, delicious foods and wines, plus interesting riding companions complete the package. For this tour, riders must be able to negotiate switchbacks and very tight turns; some of the other tours are not as challenging. But the rewards are also great, bringing a sense of achievement and adventure that only comes with such a twowheeled journey.

Enrico Grassi, leader and founder of Hear the Road (HTR) Tours is fluent in Italian and English. What makes his tours stand out is the fact that you’re riding with the owner and founder of the company, and his pride and passion for Italy constantly show up. He has spent years scouting and riding the routes, and finding the right lodging and dining experiences for his clients. Our tour came with an excellent book containing the daily routes drawn on maps, along with a free Italian cell phone that can be used to contact Enrico on his mobile phone, make emergency calls, or receive calls from home free of roaming charges. It really came in handy when I got separated from the group after stopping perhaps too long, for photos.

A new but similar Alps and Dolomites tour of eight days and seven nights, with six riding days over 950 miles replaces the tour above. It now starts and ends in Milan, instead of Rome, reducing the time and distance spent on highways getting to and from the mountains. Hear The Road Motorcycle Tours of Italy offers small group and custom tours with a variety of itineraries along spectacular roads, that will allow you to explore Italy. HTR collaborates with Blue Strada Tours and its owner Bill Kniegge, who operates specialized motorcycle tours in and around the mountains of North Carolina, USA. Bill knows Italy well, and can help with questions and booking at 704-292-8801, or visit www.motorcycletoursitaly.com.

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For every rider - on or off road, whether they like doing it in the dirt, carving the twisties, or cruising the backroads, we have their weapon of choice.

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BOOK REVIEW

MAY 2017 • BACKROADS

DISCOVERING THE MOTORCYCLE BY ARMAND ENSANSIAN

Route 739 • Dingmans Ferry, PA • 570.828.1920

Discovering the Motorcycle by Armand Ensansian is a wonderful and comprehensive book about motorcycles, their development, design and culture. Included in the book are clear and interesting conversations about motorcycle engines, ( with illustrations), profiles of important motorcycles, influential people in the industry and the culture that develops. As the author takes us through the history of the motorcycle, he includes relevant facts about the era and it’s social context. This parallel history broadens and deepens the readers perspective. In addition, Armand has gone above and beyond to provide hundreds of beautiful photographs which enhance the reading experience. It’s clear in reading this book that the author is more then a scholar. He’s obviously, ‘in the life’ himself. Armand peppers his book with tips from DVD’s and movies to watch, to what to bring on a motorcycle overnight trip. This is both a Coffee Table Book and Reference Book, for beginner and advanced riders alike. This book is full of interesting facts and in many ways is a tribute to the sport. As a rider of 40 years, it made me fall in love with motorcycles all over again. It’s an enjoyable and captivating book, well worth the investment.

You can get your copy, along with some great swag to support your love of motorcycles, on their website: www.discoveringthemotorcycle.com or on amazon.com ~ Lori Weiniger

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

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BACKROADS • MAY 2017

Page 51

Rip & Ride® – FERRIS ACRES CREAmERy 144 SugAR ST (RTE 302), NEWTOWN, CT 06470 • 203-426-8803 • www.ferrisacrescreamery.com • SEASONAL HOuRS – CALL bEFORE vISITINg 80-MILE ONE-WAY FROM BARNSTORMER BBQ 1076 ROUTE 9W, FORT MONTGOMERY, NY

SOuTH ON ROuTE 9W CROSS bEAR mOuNTAIN bRIDgE LEFT ON ROuTE 9D RIgHT ON ROuTE 403 STRAIgHT ON ROuTE 9 SOuTH LEFT ON WINSTON LANE RIgHT ON SPROuT bROOK RD RIgHT ON OLD ALbANy POST RD ImmEDIATE LEFT ON ROA HOOK RD LEFT ON ROuTE 9 SOuTH SECOND ExIT AT ROuNDAbOuT TO ROuTE 202 EAST ExIT HuDSON AvE/LOWER SOuTH ST RIgHT ON mAPLE AvE RIgHT ON CROTON AvE LEFT ON ROuTE 129 STRAIgHT RTE 118/CROTON LAKE RD LEFT ON ROuTE 100

RIgHT ON RTE 35/WOODS bRIDgE RD RIgHT ON ROuTE 121/CROSS RIvER RD LEFT ON RESERvATION RD RIgHT ON SCHOOLHOuSE RD LEFT ON HONEy HOLLOW RD LEFT ON ROuTE 137/STONE HILL RD RIgHT ON WESTCHESTER AvE LEFT ON WESTCHESTER AvE LEFT ON LuKE WOOD RD RIgHT ON mICHIgAN RD RIgHT ON ROuTE 123/SmITH RIDgE RD LEFT ON CANOE HILL RD LEFT ON FERRIS HILL RD RIgHT ON vALLEy RD LEFT ON ROuTE 106/NEW CANAAN RD LEFT ON ROuTE 7/DANbuRy RD RIgHT ON ROuTE 106/SHARP HILL RD RIgHT ON RAymOND LANE LEFT ON DuDLEy RD ImmEDIATE RIgHT ON SPOONWOOD RD

RIgHT ON CHESTNuT HILL RD LEFT ON HIgH RIDgE RD LEFT ON W mEADOW RD LEFT ON RIvERgATE DR RIgHT ON RIvERgATE DR RIgHT ON STONEbRIDgE RD LEFT ON NEWTOWN TPKE RIgHT ON NORFIELD RD RIgHT ON RTE. 57/WESTON RD LEFT ON RIvER RD LEFT ON LyONS PLAIN RD LEFT ON DAvIS HILL/vALLEy FORgE RD RIgHT ON RTE. 53/NEWTOWN TPKE LEFT ON ROuTE 53 RIgHT ON ROuTE 107/HILL RD RIgHT ON CROSS HWy LEFT ON POvERTy HOLLOW RD RIgHT ON ROuTE 302 FERRIS ACRE CREAmERy ON LEFT

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MAY 2017 • BACKROADS

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

Lightning Riding “I’m rolling thunder, pouring rain, I’m coming on like a hurricane.

My lightning’s flashing across the sky, You’re only young but you’re gonna die.”

AC/DC - “Hell’s Bells” West of Chicago, the sky darkened. I only needed to ride 80 more miles and I hoped the turn on I-39 would keep me ahead of it, but the wind turned cool and brought the odor a farmer would say “smells like rain.” It wasn’t the rain about which I worried – it was the flashes in the distant clouds. At Rockford, those clouds started pelting me with big, splashy drops. Blue electricity arced all around and the thunder sounded like it was tearing open the sky, so I sought refuge under the awning of a convention center.

As I removed my helmet, a man came out to check on me. When I mentioned that I was taking cover from the lightning, he said, “You don’t have to worry about the lightning: you’re on rubber tires!” I didn’t want to piss off a guy at the only shelter I had, so I just smiled, thanked him, and got out my phone to tell friends in Madison I’d be delayed.

The whole “saved by the rubber tires” myth was repeated after this year’s Dakar Rally, when Slovakian rider Ivan Jakes was reportedly struck by lightning while riding during Stage 3, but finished the day. Doctors correctly credited his survival to the tall bike’s ability to carry the lightning to ground, but members of his crew attributed

it to the insulation from his tires. The doctors were right. Usually, people on motorcycles who are struck by lightning just plain die, and it has nothing to do with the tires.

It happened about two years ago to a 44-year-old rider in New Mexico. It happened to a 45-year-old coming back from a charity ride in Kansas. According to a NOAA study of the 261 lightning-strike deaths from 2006 to 2013, 14 of them were on bicycles, motorcycles, or ATV’s. Over the same period, no one got killed by lightning while sitting in a car. Since all of their vehicles had rubber tires, there must be something more to it.

To discover why cars are a good place to shelter and bikes are not, I consulted fellow motorcyclist Joe Kmetz, who is one of the Navy’s foremost experts on lightning. Joe makes sure the aircrew and equipment don’t get barbecued when lightning hits a plane – a fairly common occurrence. When I asked him about the rubber tire belief, he snorted and said, “That lightning bolt will hit you and arc across the gap between the wheels and the ground like it was nothing. Think of the arc across the air gap on a spark plug, only much bigger.” Joe should know: he and his crew use giant capacitors to hit real aircraft with bolts they create in their lab to make sure the energy is dissipated harmlessly.

How powerful is lightning? A typical strike is 300 million volts at about 30,000 amps, or enough to power a fluorescent bulb for a year! Lightning can heat the air to 50,000 deg F and boil the sap inside a tree, causing the bark to explode. Lightning also takes many forms, including forks off of a main beam and “streamers” or “side flashes.” The people who have been lucky enough to get hit and live, like the Dakar rider, are true miracles

BACKROADS • MAY 2017

Page 53

and were undoubtedly struck by one of the more indirect, less powerful forks of lightning and not the main strike. But, all strikes are serious.

So why is a car, airplane, or other enclosed metallic vehicle superior to a motorcycle when it comes to lightning protection? Motorcyclists jokingly refer to cars as “cages,” but in the case of lightning, that is exactly what they are. Kmetz explained it this way, “Cars act as a ‘Faraday Cage’ that conducts the electrical current around the occupants, protecting them from the strike.

Since the current takes the path of least resistance between the strike and the ground, it goes through the metal in the car rather than the people.”

Not only does the car frame conduct electricity, but so does the metal in heated windshields and the steel belts in tires. So much for rubber insulation: cars struck by lightning frequently have melted tires. Without that metal “cage” around us, motorcyclists are vulnerable and the lightning will travel through glasses, dog tags, zippers, belts, wallet chains and any other metal it can find. Unfortunately, since we’re essentially a big bag of liquid electrolytes, it’ll travel through our bodies and if it’ll boil the sap in a tree, it’ll boil the liquid in our bodies and split us open too. In short, you just don’t want to screw around with lightning when riding a motorcycle.

I really should have taken shelter much sooner than I did: it doesn’t have to be raining for lightning to strike and it can reach out miles from the storm.

In my haste to leave Chicago, I took a huge risk and I was lucky to find refuge when I did. A good early-warning system is to turn on your AM radio if you have one: lightning puts out radio waves in the AM band and if your radio is crackling, it’s a good time to get inside. My usual procedure should serve everyone: when the black clouds gather, find a diner, order a cup of something and a piece of pie, and relax. Most summer storms are short-lived, but not quite as short-lived as we might be if we ever ride the lightning. ~ Mark Byers

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MAY 2017 • BACKROADS

RIDE LIKE A PRO NJ Advanced Riding Training Classes Being Held in New Jersey ‘NEVER FEAR that U-turn or dropping your 800lb. or any motorcycle again’ • You can learn the 3 simple techniques that master low speed maneuvers that Motorcops have been using for years • Our instructors - all active or retired motor officers - will instruct the use of Motorcop riding techniques to help you better control your motorcycle

There is a difference between just riding and riding well

Pre-registration is recommended as classes fill quickly.

Gift certificates available • Course Fee is $175.00 Visit our website to take advantage of this special offer.

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BACKROADS • MAY 2017

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uP C Om I N g E vE NT S CAL END AR

What’s Happening

EVERY MONTH - WEATHER PERMITTING

MAY 2017

Every Tuesday • Two Wheeled Tuesday at Spiegel Restaurant • 26 1st Avenue, NYC. An eclectic gathering of motorcycles served with multi-cuisine meals. Kick some tires, have some couscous, enjoy the crowd • www.spiegelnyc.com • 212-228-2894

6-7 • Woodstock H-D Demo Ride event - All Day, Both Days. Harley-Davidson Demo Truck is IN THe HOUSe. Ride any or all 2017 models. 949 Rte. 28, Woodstock, NY • 845-338-2800 • WoodstockHarley.com

Every Thursday • Bike Night at the Chatterbox Drive-In, Rtes. 15/206, Augusta, NJ. Tire kicking, good food and friends • www.chatterboxdrivein.com

7 • Ramapo MC Club Spring Charity Fun Run to benefit the Helen Hayes Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation.Sign in: 9am @ Rhodes North Tavern, 40 Orange Tpke, Sloatsburg, NY. Self-guided route along Hudson Valley’s interesting roads with stops for poker/dice/scrabble games to win prizes and support a worthy cause. Details: Richard Roberts (914) 422-1806 • rdcptrmc@yahoo.com • www.ramapomc.org

2nd Friday April thru September 9th @ 6-8pm • 120 N. Queen Street, Lancaster, PA • The Lancaster County Motorcycle Dealers Association invites you to share their passion of riding and discover all that historic downtown Lancaster has to offer • More info: www.2FbN.com Every Saturday April thru October • Bergen County Harley Davidson Saddle Up Saturday. 9am for coffee and bagels. Ride departs at 10am. Return to the dealership for FRee food and music. Proper attire MUST be worn! No shorts or sneakers. BCHD, 124 essex St, Rochelle Park, NJ • 201-843-6930 • www.bergenharleydavidson.com

APRIL 2017 23 • 24th Annual Gathering of the Nortons. Washington Crossing Historic Park, River Rd, Washington Crossing, PA. 10am-1pm. FRee. All welcome to celebrate the unapproachable Norton motorcycle. Pre-1983 vintage bike parking area and prestgious Norton row. All makes of motorcycles welcome. RIDe ‘eM DON’T HIDe ‘eM. www.dvnr.org 23 • Motorcyclepedia Museum Spring Swap Meet & Warehouse Sale. Two locations: 250 Lake St and 21 Liberty St, Newburgh NY. 8am start at both. Vendors Wanted. For full details and to register as vendor, please visit www.motorcyclepediamuseum.org or call 845-569-9065 ext. 501 27-30 • Horizons Unlimited, Appomatox VA. Adventure Travellers Rally. Full details at www.horizonsunlimited.com/virginia 28 • Woodstock H-D Open House Tent event. BBQ @ 11 4/29 only, vendors, games, prizes, ride and bike wash and more. 949 Rte. 28, Woodstock, NY • 845-338-2800 • WoodstockHarley.com 29 • Bob’s BMW Spring Open House 9am-4pm. Bob’s biggest event of the year. Product Reps, vendors, seminars and speakers, special sales, food, prizes and more. 10720 Guilford Rd, Jessup, MD • 888-BMWBOBS • bobsbmw.com 30 • Pets for Vets Poker Run sponsored by elks North West District. Sign in: Tramontin H-D, Route 80, exit 12, Hope, NJ 9-11am. $20/pp donation incl. food & beverages, music, prizes. end: Sussex elks Lodge #2288, 152 CR 565, Sussex, NJ Noon-5pm.

100% proceeds/donations for Pets for Vets Northern NJ • PetsForVets.com • 973-2627829 • nancy@tramontinhd.com

5-7 • Frontline eurosports 2nd Annual Spring in the Mountains Rally. Mountain Lake Lodge, Pembroke, VA. Full details: www.frontlineeurosports.com 12-14 • Buzzard Bottom 10 presented by Poverty Riders International and Buzzard Brent. High Country Motorcycle Camp, Ferguson, NC. Camping $12/night, meals available. Come early and stay late. Full details: highcounrymotorcyclecamp.com • Brent 336-973-3911 • brent.hcmc@gmail.com 13 • Bergen County Harley-Davidson Hunka Hunka Mother’s Day Bike Wash • Noon3pm • $5/bike. The men of Orange Theory Fitness sudsing up your ride to benefit Kicking Cancer’s Ass. Free BBQ, music and more. 124 essex St, Rochelle Park, NJ • 201-843-6930 • www.BergenHarley.com 13 • Tramontin Harley-Davidson Vintage Motorcycle Day • 11am-4pm • Colonial Chapter of the AMCA and Tramontin H-D, the oldest dealership in the US, have teamed up for a nostalgic trip back to the good old days of motorcycling. Antique motorcycles on display, swap meet (old and new), live music, food & beverages available for purchase. exit 12, Route 80, Hope, NJ • 908-459-4101 • TramontinHD.com 18-21 • COG Spring Fling Rally, Bennington, VT. Great riding in all directions. Group catered dinner Saturday at a local museum. event and registration details @ tinyurl.com/COGSpringFLing2017 or contact nead@cog-online.org • 914-953-4154 19-21 • Morton’s BMW Spring Fling Rally. JWeekend of great roads, good food, interesting scavenger hunt and terrific company @ Natural Bridge Hotel, Natural Bridge, VA. Your rally fee includes vendors, route sheets, door prizes, scavenger hunt poker run with a prize for the winner, Friday Brats & Brew dinner, Saturday dinner & presentation and more. Complete info and registration @ www.mortonsbmw.com • 540-891-9844.

20 • Bergen County Harley-Davidson Battle of the Bands • 4 bands - 1 winner. Music starts at noon with free BBQ • 124 essex St, Rochelle Park, NJ • 201-843-6930 • www.BergenHarley.com and check Facebook for full details and updates 20-21 • New Sweden BMW Riders 4th Annual New Sweden 450. Start: Cycle Gear, 2070 Route 70 e, Cherry Hill, NJ • end: P.J. Whelihans, 1854 Route 70 e, Cherry Hill, NJ. 450 miles over 2 days on some of the great back roads in the Delaware Valley area.

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MAY 2017 • BACKROADS

uP C Om I N g E vE NT S CAL END AR This year the route heads north into NY. To find out more, point your browser towards www.450.nsbmwr.com 28 • Dawn Patrol MC Memorial Day Ride. Sign in: Bradley Gardens Firehouse, 24 Old York Rd, Bridgewater, NJ 9am-Noon with coffee & donuts. end: Dawn Patrol MC Clubhouse, 106 Robert St, Bridgewater, NJ. Info: 908-722-4357 • dawnpatrolmc.com

What’s Happening 30-July2 • Conserve the Ride 2017 sponsored by AltRider. ADV Getaway in Palmerton, PA. $305 registration includes camping, catered meals, GPS-led rides for all skill levels, seminars, giveaways and more. Full details www.altrider.com • 206-922-3618

JULY 2017

JUNE 2017

8-9 • Ramapo MC Club’s 41st Annual Ramapo 500. 500 miles of gorgeous scenery and backroads, free camping, onsite trailer rentals, nearby hotels, river swimming, Saturday night dinner, awards and prizes, Sunday breakfast, starter pins and finisher patches. Sign in: RMC Clubhouse/Veterans Memorial Assoc, 66 Lake Rd, Congers, NY • 7am. Details: Fred Peck (845) 300-1247 • rmc@ramapomc.org • www.ramapomc.org

3 • Cars & Motorcycles of england at Oakburne Mansion, Westtown, PA. $5/adults, $4/seniors/ $3 kids, $20/show vehicle registration • Gates open 8:30am, 10am judging, 2:30pm awards • Over 250 cars and motorcycles on exhibit. Full details call 267-2587071 or visit dvtr.org/CMoe.html

14 • Street Skills LLC Cornering Confidence Track Day course @ New York Safety Track, Harpersfield, NY • 585-802-9859 • www.streetskills.net

18-21 • bACKROADS SPRINg bREAK - ALmOST HEAvEN TOuR. See page 44 or full details @ backroadsusa.com/rallies.html.

5-10 • DirtDaze - Lake Luzerne, NY • 518-798-7888 • www.DirtDaze.com 6-10 • Americade - World’s largest touring rally - Lake George, NY • 518-798-7888 • www.americade.com 9-11 • Street Skills LLC On-Road style cornering confidence courses @ Americade.

Lake Luzerne, NY • 585-802-9859 • www.streetskills.net 10-18 • Laconia Motorcycle Week - world's oldest motorcycle rally - Laconia, NH • 603-366-2000 • www.laconiamcweek.com 15-17 • 25th Anniversary Mid-Atlantic Women’s Motorcycle Rally, Front Royal, VA Holiday Inn Blue Ridge Shadows. Featured speakers and seminars, rides and more.

For full details visit www.mawmr.org 18 • Last Ride of the New York Cruisers. Start: Mobil gas station, Hutchinson River Parkway North, White Plains, NY • 8:30-9:30am KSU 10am. Shirt ride with lunch to follow. For more details email: KQuinn5801@gmail.com • 914-774-4468 19 • 26th International Motorcycle & Scooter RIDe TO WORK DAY • RideToWork.org 21 • 30th Annual Gooch’s Garlic Run presented by Blue Knights NJIX benefitting families of children stricken with illness. Sign in: 4:30-6:30pm Rockaway Townsquare Mall, Rt. 80/Mt Hope Rd, Rockaway, NJ. KSU: 6:30 - ride to Newark’s Iron Bound District. $15 pre-reg/bike • $30 VIP reg incl. VIP ride spot, event t-shirt and pin • $20 day of ride/bike • Full Police escort with great food, music, vendors at endsite • Full details visit www.BKNJIX.org 22-25 • Thunder in the Valley, Johnstown, PA • JohnstownThunder.com 23-25 • Hudson Valley Motorcycles Ducati Demo Days - only stop in the tri-state area.

Demo ride your choice of 2017 Ducati motorcycle. 179 N. Highland Ave/Route 9, Ossining, NY • 914-762-2722 • HVMotorcycles.com or check Facebook for details.

AUGUST 2017 17-20 • 3rd Annual Touratech Rally east, Huntingdon, PA. 4-day rally with opportunity for riders from around the US and the world to camp out, attend workshops and presentations, improve riding skills meet industry pros and explore fun mountain roads.

Rides for different experience levels and all street-legal motorcycles are welcome. Go to www.touratechrally.com for details and signup.

25-27 • The Dream Ride experience. Motorcycle Rally & Ride, car/motorcycle shows, activities for Special Olympics, live entertainment, on-site pet adoptions, celebrity appearances, vendors, raffles, fun and more. For full details: DreamRide.org

SEPTEMBER 2017 3 • Dawn Patrol MC Labor Day Ride - Lime Dot and Route Sheets. Sign in: Bradley Gardens Firehouse, 24 Old York Rd, Bridgewater, NJ 9am-Noon with coffee & donuts. end: Dawn Patrol MC Clubhouse, 106 Robert St, Bridgewater, NJ with food, beverages, live music, vendors and more. Info: 908-722-4357 • dawnpatrolmc.com

21-25 • bACKROADS FALL FIESTA - Ny STATE OF mIND TOuR. See page 44 or full details @ backroadsusa.com/rallies.html.

OCTOBER 2017 14-19 • bACKROADS CLASS Rally. Ride to and from vIR with a small group. Details: www.backroadsusa.com/rallies.html 15 • Ramapo MC Club Fall Foliage Tour to benefit the Valerie Fund for childhood cancer research. Guided or self-guided tour along Hudson Valley’s autumn foliage roads. Sign in: Rhodes North Tavern, 40 Orange Tpke, Sloatsburg, NY @ 9am. Details: Kent Sullwold (845) 304-3454 • kms.elec.engr@gmail.com • www.ramapomc.org

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