October 2012

gaz Ma our le T cyc tor Mo

OCTOBER

ine

Motorcycles, Travel & Adventure

Summer’s Great Rivers Run

Shira’s Final Ice Cream Run of the Season Our monthly columns and upcoming events

2012

Volume 18 No. 10

BERGEN SPORT CYCLES BERGEN SPORT CYCLES What Better Time To Ride More, Stress Less

What Better Time To Ride More, Stress Less

30 US H’Way 46 East, Lodi, NJ 07644

973-478-7711 bergensportcycle.com

30 US H’Way 46 East, Lodi, NJ 07644

973-478-7711 bergensportcycle.com

903cc LIQUID COOLED V-TWIN CHROMED STEEL RIMS AND SPOKES ADJUSTABLE WINDSHIELD

BERGEN SPORT CYCLES What Better Time To Ride More, Stress Less

30 US H’Way 46 East, Lodi, NJ 07644

973-478-7711 bergensportcycle.com

Check out the 2012 Honda NC700X, and what do you see? An adventure-style bike? An urban assault commuter?

A country road explorer? A two-up getaway machine? Or perhaps all of the above? Whatever your personal vision of the NC700X may be, color it fun because this is one bike that offers a perfect blend of style, handling and power for tackling whatever the day's agenda may hold. Credit its long-travel suspension, abundant torque and more, plus a six-speed gearbox or the choice of an automatic Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT) with a Combined Antilock Braking System. So whether you're new to the sport, a longtime rider or just getting back into the riding scene, the NC700X offers the comfort, ease of use and practicality of an everyday motorcycle that's also surprisingly affordable.

BERGEN SPORT CYCLES What Better Time To Ride More, Stress Less

30 US H’Way 46 East, Lodi, NJ 07644

973-478-7711 bergensportcycle.com

W H A T ’ S

I N S I D E FEAT URES

MON THLY COLUMN S FREE WHEELIN’.................................................................................3

GREAT RIVERS RUN.......................................................................27

WHATCHATHINKIN’..........................................................................4

SHIRA’S SUMMERTIME ICE CREAM RUN..............................44

POSTCARDS FROM THE HEDGE .................................................6

PRODUCT REVIEW S

ON THE MARK ..................................................................................7

ADAPTIVE TECHNOLOGIES GLOWRIDER JACKET..................8

BACKLASH .........................................................................................9

BAGS FOR BIKES............................................................................42

THOUGHTS FROM THE ROAD....................................................12 MYSTERIOUS AMERICA ...............................................................14 BIG CITY GETAWAY........................................................................17 GREAT ALL AMERICAN DINER RUN ........................................20 WE’RE OUTTA HERE .....................................................................22 UPCOMING EVENTS CALENDAR ..............................................33 MOTORCYCLE MARKETPLACE...................................................36 WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE........................................................41 INDUSTRY INFOBITES ..................................................................46 Brian Rathjen • Shira Kamil ~ Publishers Contributors: Mark Byers, Bill Heald, Reg Pridmore, Ashley Rhodes, Steve Smith, Dr. Seymour O’Life

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

For Advertising Sales Information: 973-948-4176

BACKROADS (ISSN 1087-2088) is published monthly by BACKROADS™, Inc. 2012. 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.

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2012

FREE WHEELIN’ BRIAN RATHJEN SeriouSly? The real Problem wiTh The moTorcycle induSTry and women You know even as I write this I wonder if the powers that be (Shira in this case) will ever let it see the light of day. It seems that any time I write anything that has to do with women riders I get some misplaced grief. It doesn’t matter what I say but if it is any way away from the “Politically Correct” idea of today’s women riders I probably will get nailed.

Just the other day I was sitting in Backroads watering hole, Monkey with a Gun, with a woman, who has been riding all sorts of bikes for years, and in the middle of our conversation I was told that my article on the Womens’ Conference – which was really a call for the AMA to hold a National Rally - was totally off base and it is because of guys like me – heavy-duty white guys – that women are held down in the industry.

To say the least I am always a bit stunned when I get called a misogynist or anything remotely like it, as I have the highest regard for women riders.

I have always said so and Backroads has always done its best to promote this. Any of you kids notice this magazine is owned by a woman?

My argument is and has always been that some women insist on wanting

Page 3 to be accepted and then turn around and do their best to separate themselves from the other mainstream riders – also known as guys!

It kills me that some letters we get are so angry that I dare question the AMA for spending so much on a “Women’s Conference” (Not a rally don’t you dare call it a rally… it is a conference dammit!) and not on a National Rally for all AMA members - male, female, straight, gay, Martian, Vulcan… etc…

Sorry, gals, believe it or not I am on your side, but perhaps like some of your elders, you are so wrapped up in the women’s thing you just don’t realize that you have somebody that is really on your side here.

Just today I received what I like to call e-mail support – Shira calls it hate mail- once again because I wrote the June editorial on the AMA. Ladies, please hear me out.

We want everybody to ride bikes. Everybody. But as I get thrown on the carpet for saying that some women spend more time angry at the hard facts of riding as a female (the need for more gear and more applicable machinery), rather than figuring out what would work best product, gear and ride-wise for their particular situation; one of the biggest problems goes unchecked and rarely discussed at all: The use and exploitation of women in some motorcycle advertising.

I am sure some riders (probably male) would vehemently disagree that some advertisements are over the top, and if you are one of these riders I suggest you contrast and compare Backroads to other regional magazines and some national publications as well; many of them are, especially some (Continued on page 5)

OCTOBER 2012 • BACKROADS

Page 4

W H ATC H AT H I N K I N ’ SHIRA KAMIL The PaSSing wave Seems the summer has come and gone. As I heard someone comment, ‘I don’t know what I did this summer, but I have pictures to prove I did something.’ And I know that we have plenty of pictures, and words, to prove we were on the move and getting around this summer as well. Over the next couple of months, we’ll share those with you and give you plenty of fodder for future trips.

During the past months of hot weather riding, many thoughts floated through my helmet and some even stuck so I could put them down on paper. Some new, some rethoughts, but all worth some pondering.

I don’t know when or where the ‘wave’ came about from riders. I did a Google search to see what I could discover, and found a nice piece from one Tom Ruttan of Cycle Canada from 2002. You can follow this link and read it yourself: www.ekho.com/elton/PC800/The20Wave.htm When I first started riding, I did give a little wave to any bike that passed. I felt great to be a part of this wonderful two-wheeled world and wanted to acknowledge those who felt the same way. Over my riding years, however, I began to think about the different riders out there. Not knowing anything about them other than by what they ride and how they dress, I formed conclusions and, based on those, decided not to lift my hand to some of the passers-by. What, you might ask, would make me decide to snub some and not others. Looking at the gear, or lack of, the rider and passenger were wearing made me think that they really didn’t care much about themselves. Yes, it could be hovering at the century mark on the thermometer, but that is no reason to be hitting the road (pun intended) with a cut-off t-shirt, shorts and flip-flops, much less on the passenger sometimes.

We have gone on, ad naseum, about wearing the right gear and the benefits, warm or cool. I will always steer folks in the right direction for some excellent protective clothing. But when I’m riding and don’t have the ability to

convey that sage information to the almost-naked rider heading my way, I choose not to acknowledge their presence. No, I’m not a snob. This may sound really crude, but if they think that little of their welfare and can’t imagine sliding down the asphalt having their skin ripped from their bodies, I’m not going to initiate any action that may distract them from the task at hand of piloting that motorcycle. Oh come on, Shira, how can a simple wave be such a distraction. It probably can’t, but I’m not going to take that chance. Keep your hands on those bars and travel on, my clueless friend.

Another rant, and also one that has appeared several times in my column, is speed. We spent a lovely week traveling around the beautiful state of Vermont this summer. Just a year after Hurricane Irene, you can see so much destruction. The size and amount of the boulders that litter the now-dry river and creek beds is bewildering.

But the good people of Vermont have done a wonderful job of picking up most of the pieces and putting things back in order. There are so many newly paved roads and businesses that have pulled themselves out of the rubble and brought it back together. Good on ya, Vermonters!

But you’re still some of the slowest drivers I have ever been behind – though not for too long, I must say. Yes, there is a speed limit and I pay very

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2012

Page 5

close attention to that when traveling through towns and villages. When there are homes and people around, I slow down. Give me a nice, smooth piece of twisty roadway and open country and I’m going to make the best of it. If you happen to be in my way, I will safely pass you, my turtle friend.

Heading to the Killington Classic, we encountered many of the folks who attend Americade, I assume, as they were riding in the same manner as they do in Lake George. Putting along, paying no attention to who or what may be around them, they ramble along. Look, I do not ask you to ride the way I like to ride, so PLEASE do not force me to ride the way you do. When I last

checked, those pieces of reflective glass on the ends of each bar were not optional equipment. It is perfectly acceptable for you to move your head, even the slightest, to take a look in them and see if there might be a parade forming behind you. I can’t fault anyone for doing the speed limit, but when you choose to do ten miles an hour under that, I can begin to fume a bit, especially when there is a group of you blocking the roadway and, worse yet, getting angry when I decided to safely and quickly put you in my mirrors. We are all on two wheels, so let’s try and share the road safely and happily. If you move over just a bit, I’ll even wave at you when I pass, gear or no gear.

Free wheelin’

Sure, let’s write a mean letter to the editor and let the serious misogyny get a free pass.

But, even in other parts of the media a stereotype of women riders has been groomed and is flourishing; and that is “I am a Women and I ride, aren’t I special!”

Well, no, you’re not. You are cool. You are hip. And, you are most likely a lot of fun to ride with… You are no more special than any male rider.

Maybe you are a bit special at the family reunion when you ride up on your bike and your cousin Susie so wishes she were you.

But perhaps, when you go for a ride with friends, you should just be a motorcyclist looking to have fun, ride well and becoming a more proficient rider – male or female.

Unfortunately that idea of simply being a human with motorcycle riding tendencies doesn’t fly with the all-powerful media.

I can’t tell you how many times Shira has been approached by producers looking to use her for various cable or book projects only to be passed over simply because she does not fall for the “I am a Women and I ride, aren’t I special” moniker.

Nope, my honey is a rider, who happens to be a female. As Samantha Carter might have said in the first Star Gate SG-1 “Just because my reproductive organs are on the inside instead of the outside doesn’t mean I can’t kick your ass in the twisties!”

I loved Sam – you go girl.

Perhaps, instead of separation we should just try to simply ride together a bit more often.

(Continued from Page 3)

of the local “biker” publications, chock full of half naked women filling their pages – all of which has absolutely nothing to do with riding motorcycles.

Here is a major block to woman advancing in the sport.

Yes, I am a guy and I love women. But, not portrayed the way they are in so many of these motorcycle publications.

Is this sport male dominated?

Yes, it is, but that is changing; and not quick enough for me.

I am not against attractive models and we do have the occasional ad that features attractive women and men – but you will not see anything like some of things we find littered through the motorcycle industry.

The full-page ad on page 25 of the June Power Sports Business shows just how troublesome all this is. On the other hand Harley-Davidson had a wonderful ad in Glamour that same month, portraying a women rider in the most positive way. Who is really on your side here?

Some major players in our industry claim to be all for women riders and then allow an ad like this. Sorry, this is unacceptable.

I deal with dozens of local shops and dealerships each month and many of the best are owned and run by women.

I can’t think any of them are happy by some of the ads they must see each day.

It perplexes me to be scolded when so many manufacturers and distributers continue to use half-naked and, in some cases, totally naked women in their advertising?

OCTOBER 2012 • BACKROADS

Page 6

with amazing dexterity. In the motorcycle world, sometimes the dramatic exit from the saddle happens at high speeds (see GP racing, especially back in the day before traction controls and less-brilliant suspensions) where a BILL HEALD “high side” would launch a rider so stratospherically during the unplanned dismount process they nearly would have rendered the whole Curiosity misiT’S all abouT mounTing sion unnecessary because we would already have a man on the scene. But as Ah, I do like a title that has a certain double-enwild as these episodes were (and occasionally are), the low speed, nay even tendre, don’t you? There are two very different substationary dismounts, can be very dramatic as well. I have participated in a jects being addressed in this column, and the first few, and at the time I had no idea I was about to provide literally years of involves the conclusion of a previous topic, namely amusement for spectators as I did some f you’re really good you may land poised very ornate gymnastics just trying to the acknowledgement that (at least in the case of on one knee, in a Wolverine pose a la the gracefully exit a parked motorcycle.

Dunlop motorcycle tires built in Buffalo) a big part of the fabrication of these precious hoops is still In one scenario I had been riding a cinematic X-Man (who also is a damn fine done by human beings. Dunlop has recently told fairly tall machine (I have a fairly moddancer, ‘cause he’s Hugh Jackman). me since the decade or so since I visited the facility est 30” inseam) and after successfully there is more automation, but the human component is still a vital part of the putting down the sidestand at a gas station and getting one foot firmly on the tire creation process and therefore a critical ingredient in helping your ride pavement, the trailing leg encounters some aspect of the seat (or a bag cruise, roost, thunder, carve up and otherwise enjoy the road. I find this to strapped to it) and gets caught, resulting in a strange, one-legged dance in be fitting, for motorcycles have a special relationship with the humans that lateral fashion like a chorus line of stretching sumos as I try to get my leg operate them and it’s nice to know this relationship is still a part of the critical free without crashing violently to the ground. Typically, trying to adopt an tire-making process, too, even these days where microprocessors seem to be air of “I meant to do that” like cats do when they do something physically taking over everything. Technology marches on with miraculous new comimpossible (yet clearly unintended) doesn’t work too well, either, as people pounds, computer modeling of new designs and all sorts of tricks to give are usually too busy rolling around laughing to notice. tires better traction, longevity and durability. But there are still flesh-andEven more drama has ensued when I’m dealing with centerstand deployblood craftspeople that build the tires that we mount on our favorite twoment, especially after riding in the rain and/or on unimproved roads that left wheelers, and I for one am very pleased about this bit of retro goodness. As slippery debris on the bike’s undercarriage. When you have this situation, I am obsessed with tire development, I’ll have more on some of the latest and a rider who has covered many miles this day and may be a trifle fatigued, advancements in the very near future. and of course a surface where you’re trying to put the machine on the cenSpeaking of mounting, let me wander off the trail a bit and talk about disterstand that’s not exactly level or clean, you can have some unplanned inmounting; a topic that finds its origin in a very recent sporting competition terpretive dance with the motorcycle. I’ve done this routine with machines that took place in England. Maybe it’s me (it usually is), but I remember built in factories all over the world. The bigger tour rigs especially have a when the Olympics was every four years instead of two, just like the year lot of mass to deal with, and my favorite is when the mighty two-wheeled used to be 12 months long instead of the 7 1/2 that it appears to be now. pachyderm leans dramatically away from you while you try to deploy cenWeird, that. terage and naturally you refuse to acknowledge the inevitable by just letting Anyway, we now stroll into the garden of dismounting adventures that was it return to Mother Earth. You try to stop it from going down on the far side, seeded by the aerial antics of gymnasts leaving their Olympic pommel horse (Continued on Page 8)

P O S TC A R D S FROM THE HEDGE

I

290 Route 100 West Dover, VT 800-745-3615

Book your Autumn 2012 Today Group Oriented

We can accommodate group dinners on site

Hot Tub/Outdoor Pool

www.grayghostinn.com

Firepit • BYOB Bar • Wi-Fi Hot, cooked-to-order, breakfast

Ironhorse Motorcycle Lodge is the Smoky Mountains Premier ‘Motorcycle-only’ resort.

Located in the heart of the Smoky Mountains and minutes from all the great motorcycling roads like ‘Tail of the Dragon’, Cherohalla Skyway, Blue Ridge Parkway and Moonshiner 28. Amenities include on-premise restaurant for breakfast and dinner with creekside dining, covered bike parking, nightly group campfire, laundry, gift shop and WiFi DSL HotSpot. We have a pavilion with multimedia entertainment, private function meeting room, RV sites as well as rustic luxury cabins cabin rooms, bunkhouse and tent camping.

Perfect for singles, couples or group getaways.

Located in Stecoah, NC • 828-479-3864 • www.ironhorseNC.com

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2012

Page 7

reading glasses and I find myself squinting at the Zumo more frequently.

I marvel at the likes of Norm Smith, who rode his GS across Siberia at 78, and the motorcycling longevity of Joe Katz, Dave Swisher, and David MARK BYERS Hough. There’s probably still no technical question about boxer motors that Joe can’t answer, “Million Mile Dave” has a BMW mileage award named Time for him, and David Hough is still the Dean of motorcycle safety writers. I “Time and tide wait for no man” goes the old saw, and recent events prove don’t think any of them has ever thought of motorcycling as something to its truth. I’m sitting in the waiting room of a hospital neuro ward in which do when they got around to it, but rather that NOT motorcycling would be my father is recuperating from a ruptured blood vessel in his brain. It is one something they’d do when forced to by circumstance. of those little, ticking time bombs that go with four-score-and-eight years of On the day this July that my wife, Betsy, announced her intention to retire living. The prognosis is good, but it left indelible marks he’ll carry for the from teaching, literally the first words out of my mouth were “Call the Gray rest of his life: slurred speech, random lapses in consciousness, and the need Ghost for reservations to Summer Squeeze.” She’d already lost a sister to for a walker, among others. illness this year and somehow I knew it was a marvel at the likes of Norm “Carpe Diem” moment – an opportunity not “What in the devil does this have to do with motorcycles, Byers?” is undoubtedly your query.

Smith, who rode his GS across to lose. It was indeed a wonderful trip, comI try not to use this column as a vehicle for with great friends and the chance to fly Siberia at 78, and the motorcy- plete cathartic vents, but events in life ultimately probirds of prey, to eat great food, drink some cling longevity of Joe Katz, Dave wine, and recharge our aging batteries. On the vide my inspiration, so hear me out. What this episode, among others, has driven home is that way home, we got the call about my dad.

Swisher, and David Hough. we need to seize the opportunities we’re given to Keeping with that spirit, we have reservaride our motorcycles, and to enjoy the pleasures inherent therein, whenever tions for the Fall Foliage Rally in Lancaster and I’m signed up for the we can lest some quirk of fate remove our ability to do so.

Shenandoah 500 Dual-sport ride in October. In between, there’ll be some There’s no place for “I’ll do it when I get time” or “I’ll do it when I retire.” bicycle race work and moto commuting. Next year is my big “five-oh” and I know too many people who’ve never found that time or, having retired, I hope we can mark the occasion with some kind of trek worthy of the occawere suddenly confronted by health issues that made completion of their sion. My riding bucket list includes the Isle of Man, Spain, and the Alps, so dreams impossible. A hunting buddy’s father retired from his third career, hopefully genetics, fate, and the miracles of modern medicine can keep me ready to travel, only to fall prey to cancer. Our plans are puny and ineffectual in shape to make those things happen, along with many more commuting compared to those of fate, who keeps its own counsel on our ultimate destidays and offroad rides between. nation and timetable.

Like the replicants in “Blade Runner,” we all have a finite genetic program Riding a motorcycle requires a considerable amount of strength, coordirunning that dictates how long we’ll last. Unlike them, we have a modicum nation, concentration, visual acuity, and fitness. Unfortunately, age is neither of control over how long that program runs, so it behooves us to take care of kind nor patient. Approaching fifty, I find throwing my leg over that garourselves. Ultimately, with the time we’re given, it’s what we do with it that gantuan dual-sport to require considerable effort. At the end of a long day matters. There are a lot of roads to take and a lot of things to see from the of touring, my throttle hand is stiff and mildly painful. My riding buddies back of a motorcycle, but anything can happen while we’re waiting for the and I are intimately acquainted with “Vitamin I,” our code name for Ibupronext opportunity. To paraphrase the old saw, time and rides wait for no man. fen. I’ll be damned if I can read most maps without the help of drug-store Carpe ride.

ON THE MARK

I

HARLEY-DAVIDSON OF LONG BRANCH 671 Broadway, Long Branch, NJ 732-229-8518 • www.HDLongBranch.com

Check our website for the new Halloween shirts available soon.

OCTOBER 2012 • BACKROADS

Page 8 PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

GLOWRIDER ELECTRO-LUMINESCENT JACKET FROM ADAPTIV TECHNOLOGIES

It’s a fact: we are less visible than cars on the road.

We are even less visible when it’s dark out.

That’s why Adaptiv Technologies developed the GlowRider Electro-Luminescent Motorcycle Jacket.

The fully CE-armored GlowRider jacket is created with 600D polyester outer shell and integrates patented and patent pending Electro-Luminescent, or EL, technology directly into the jacket. With the push of a button, EL panels on the back and shoulders light up to significantly increase your nighttime visibility.

Powered by a rechargeable lithium battery hidden in the sleeve, the EL panels will glow for 10+ hours on a full charge.

So you can ride all night and still be seen Like other jackets, the GlowRider has passive reflective material on the jacket. But reflective material only works when a light is shone directly on it. Not so good when a car

is going around a turn, or you’re in a vehicle’s blind spot. The active EL panels of the GlowRider jacket enhance your visibility regardless of whether any light is shining on you.

Aside from lighting up, the GlowRider is also an awesome all-season jacket. When it’s cold, it has a zip-out quilt liner to keep you warm. When it’s hot, the GlowRider has strategically placed air vent zippers. The waterproof outer shell is excellent in the wet and it also has adjustable waist straps and sleeve snaps for a personal fit as well as micro-fiber collar and cuffs for comfort. The GlowRider also has an interesting clear wrist pocket for a map or smartphone.

Great if you use your phone as a GPS.

The GlowRider is available in black and high-viz neon green (our choice) and sells for $299. Log onto www.adaptivtechnologies.com for sizing charts and to order.

PoSTcardS From The hedge (Continued from Page 6) and your death grip on the handlebar with your left hand and handle/fold-out grip/whatever with your right results in yanking you over the bike so you can join it in its new location a few feet over from where you started. If there is a skinny teenage gymnast deep, deep within you, you may release your Kung Fu grip just in time to perform a perfect forward roll and land on your boots in a stunning “you bet your saddlebag I meant to do that” dismount that fellow riders might actually politely applaud before they stroll over to see if you broke anything on your person or conveyance. If you’re really good you may land poised on one knee, in a Wolverine pose a la the cinematic X-Man (who also is a damn fine dancer, ‘cause he’s Hugh Jackman).

Sometimes you just have to appreciate the folks that build the tires you mount on your bike, and likewise appreciate the occasionally standing dismount when it happens with grace and style. Oh, and two words: engine guards. We don’t want our gymnastic routines to require extensive repairs, after all. Some people think things like this don’t happen to experienced riders, but these days, distractions abound; waiting to help us land that Gold Medal.

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2012

Page 9

BACKLASH

Letters to the Editor

She Said…

Rebuttal for Sept. 2012 Whatchathinkin’ There was a time years ago that I didn’t understand what would be exclusively unique about being a woman motorcyclist, except for the fact that there aren’t as many of us. I felt like you do, and wanted to just “blend in” with the mass - the mostly male mass. I even resented all the women who did want their own events and magazines, because I thought we were just as “good” as our male counterparts. Creating separate entities would just defeat that fact, or so I thought.

But, I now understand the need for women riders to be recognized separately from men. Because women, quite simply, are not the same as men.

Yes, there are some burly strong women, but that’s not the norm. I’ve noticed a similarity in the women vs. the men I teach the BRC to. Women, for a multitude of reasons of which a psychology professor could better explain, do not have the same “confidence factor” that most of the men have. Women respond differently than men do to certain teaching methods. And then there’s the obvious, women’s bodies are built differently than men’s bodies. Most women are shorter, weaker, have completely different body types, and experience monthly hormone changes unique to our female anatomy.

You posted the question, “if you want to want to be part of the motorcycling community, why do you want to separate yourselves?”

Perhaps it’s to make a statement to the masses, that says, “we are here, and we have different needs and desires than the status-quo.” Perhaps it’s simply to celebrate our differences and likenesses in an arena that brings us closer together as a minority.

On a similar note, I’ve attended my share of Gay Pride parades for the same reasons. My gay and lesbian brothers and sisters are fighting for equal rights every single day. We live, work, and love in a world that does not treat us equally. But having one day, one festival to celebrate what’s beautiful about ourselves and all that we’ve accomplished, as well as to energize the crowd for the hard road ahead is hugely important toward making change happen. No, separate is not equal. But I don’t think the AMA IWMC exists to “separate” women riders. It exists to acknowledge and celebrate them.

Finally, we don’t “want” to be part of the motorcycling community. We ARE part of it. That’s the whole point.

Should I go on? As you can tell, I feel quite passionate about the subject. Partly because I have made it my mission to keep our female minority represented in the pages of a 97% male-dominated magazine. If we accept that what’s good for the guys is good enough for us, we will continue to see tortoise-like progress in areas like women-specific gear, motorcycle fitment, and the like.

Have we made progress in these areas? Certainly!! But we can and should always strive for better. Don’t you think?

Sincerely, Tricia

on the menu sound like what we southern rednecks call “Frogmore Stew”... which we make quite often when I visit home. (you can Google that or try Wikipedia... LOL) The trick is in the timing of the addition of the ingredients into the tall stock pot.

Shira... ok, I know this is from a guy’s point of view, but I can’t agree with you more in that women thinking they need to have their own rallies/meets/conferences, etc. Maybe I’m stepping out too far on a limb, but it’s like the Miss Black America pageant, the American Latino Awards, and other “minority only” events. For the life of me, I can’t understand how these groups who’ve historically fought for their right to be included by everyone can’t see the irony of themselves now wishing to exclude others from their little clique. While I understand that some of their issues may be unique, some of us men have unique issues too... but no one sees me calling for a short, fat rider’s conference so that I can air my grievances to the motorcycle corporations about tall seat heights and the lack of quality off-theshelf riding gear in large sizes. We simply learn to improvise & adapt.

Besides, as you said... at the end of the day, they can’t just ride in a bubble.

They still must integrate themselves into the whole of the riding community.

And as for a ladies only riding class... a parallel would be teaching your teenager to drive on a straight country road in Nebraska..., and then flying them into NYC, Atlanta, or LA, and say “...ok, drive me to Yankee Stadium.”

Long Island Yamaha

67 North Broadway • Route 107 • Hicksville, NY

He Said…

I see in the Sept. edition where you’ve published a ride to the Hut, when their future was in doubt. I’ve got that weekend off, and just wanted to make sure that the ride is still on now that it appears they’re good to go. If so, I’m gonna invite a few friends to meet us at the Chatterbox and ride along with us. I took a bunch of my Goldwing friends up there in early June... and since they loved it, I’m pretty sure a few of them that are somewhat local may want to tag along.

Anyway, loved reading this month’s issue last night during my breaks on the midnight shift, even if it did give me a sudden craving for seafood when reading about Skippers Pier. The Waterman & Harbor Steamers

www.LIYamaha.com • 516-935-6969 Come experience our full line of Yamaha products, sales and service.

OCTOBER 2012 • BACKROADS

Page 10

VISITING VERMONT THIS FALL? CHECK OUT THESE GREAT MOTO-INN MEMBERS… Fire Pit • Free WiFi Cooked-to-order Breakfast Heated Pool • BYOB

Brian and Shira

We welcome everyone from a lone rider to a full chapter

344 Route 100, West Dover, VT www.BigBearsLodge.com 802-464-5591

• Great base camp with four Vermont Gaps just minutes from the door • Garage Parking

TWO WHEELS WELCOME

So... Bravo!

Brian... glad to see you’ve got a good handle on the meanings of “y’all” & “all y’all”. Of course, you omitted the possessive plural form (all y’all’s)... but hey, I understand you’ve got space & layout limitations. :) Oh, and if he’s there... tell Mike Mosca that I really enjoyed reading his Viking trip story to Newfoundland. I can’t wait to ride up there myself sometime after I’m done with work.

Ok, I’ve bored you enough. Have fun... I’ll see you in a few weeks.

Tom

• Tools and Cleaning Supplies available • Homemade three-course breakfast • Six comfortable rooms and large guest area with WiFi and pool table. BYOB

CROSSROADS

Bed & Breakfast 4571 Route 7 Ethan Allen Pkwy New Haven, VT GPS: N44 06.763 W73 10.518

802-453-5958 www.crossroadsbb.net

I’ve enjoyed your magazine for years, especially the rip n rides. I saw on the website you have many great GPS downloads. For those of us who don’t have GPS but still want to follow the rides, do you have/could you post the routes in an MSWord/text format? Thanks and ride safe.

Gregory J. Bonin Gregory, The Rip & Rides you refer to are usually in the issue containing the story.

If you’ve missed it, try looking for it the issue online. Many times the GPS routes are just too complicated to translate to a turn-by-turn text route.

Friend Brian: Hope you and Shira are well. Still enjoyin’ each issue, y’all do very goodly.

In the recent edition, you commented about your new Kruz Locker, and the two of you seem to be gettin’ on. Over the years I’ve tried a few throttle locks on my GSs, and currently have a Kaoko—the one that looks like a “cog.” I have even drilled a small hole between the “teeth” of the cogs and mounted a small grease fittin’, and that way I find I can better grip and twist it at speed. But it still is a bit cumbersome.

I’ve e-mailed Steve Ruth at AKS. He seems a decent-enough bloke, and thinx I’ll like the Kruz Locker better. I think I’m game, but then I saw your comments and so before I spun the wheel I thought I’d ask for anything else you could add, experience-wise. Sure, you’re a big lug. But you do know stuff.

Many thanx, Scott Jenkins BR, – Looks like I will have to go back to Ireland to look at the Gap of Dunloe.

Curious thing about the magazine is that it almost makes me want to go back to New Jersey – just for the food.

CS

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2012 Brian and Shira, We just got back from a cross country road trip. My husband Chuck rides a BMW K1300S and I have a BMW R1100S. We shipped our bikes to San Jose, CA. We picked them up and went to the Moto GP in Monterey. On our way back we stayed with people from the Motorcycle Travel Network. If you are not part of this organization and you like to travel by motorcycles you have to join. It costs $40 a year. This is how it works. You agree to host people at your convenience and in turn they agree to host you. The website is great. You plug in the state you want to travel in, and click on the map to see if there is anyone near where you are going. A list of amenities is included with a picture of the house. So they may list queen size bed and private bath, laundry facilities, and whether they are willing to take people on short notice. Contact information (not addresses) is included and you contact the hosts and see if it is convenient for them to host you on the date you desire. Breakfast may include cooked food or toast and coffee if the hosts have to go to work. We stayed with three different couples on the trip and it is nice to stay with someone that you have something in common with. You give the hosts $20 for two people to cover expenses. So if you only stay with one host a year, the membership has already paid for itself. We have also made friends that we still stay in touch with.

We traveled over 4000 miles from California to New York. We went into Canada to avoid the heat wave the lower states have been having. The highlights of the trip included seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time, the road north of Lake Mead in Nevada and the mountains of Colorado.

Kathy Giglio - Glenmont, NY

More Moto-Inns?

Brian & Shira, Do you think there is a market for a motorcycle-focused bed and breakfast based in the Catskills Area of NY state? I was thinking of a career change and I have a bug for starting a motorcycle B&B that offered facilitated tours and packages. I’m just looking for a reason to live, work, and ride this region…any thoughts?

Tom PS Thanks for the level of professionalism you have brought to local motorcycle publications.

Page 11 Tom, We know of a number of MC–friendly B&Bs. The one thing is ... It is a seasonal idea so you’ll need a draw for the off-riding season.

The Gray Ghost has the ski areas right there as does Crossroads in VT too.

We have a specific listing for Moto-Inn rider friendly inn: www.backroadsusa.com/moto-innlistings.html As with any endeavor you are looking at a bunch of hard work...But nothing great comes easy.

Where specifically were you thinking? If you choose to do this please let us know and we will help in everyway possible.

BR Hey Backroads, Thanks to your many reviews on awesome destinations, my girlfriend and I enjoyed a week at the “Iron Horse Motorcycle Resort” while exploring the entire southern Smoky Mountains...before heading into TN and continuing our exploration of the Blue Ridge Parkway and beautiful countryside. We’re now situated at Ives Run Campground in Tioga, Pa...excited about riding through the Grand Canyon as was described by Kenneth Dahse in your August 2012 edition.

BTW~John & Charlene wish you and your staff well!

Lake Tiorati Open …

Hi Brian & Shira, Please let your readers know that Lake Tiorati off the Palisades Parkway is open for business. Catch it at exit 16 off the Palisades Interstate Pkwy or at Tiorati Circle (the northernmost) on Seven Lakes Drive and enjoy once again.

Mark Weinstein Hudson Valley Harley Riders

Got something to say? We’d love to hear it.

Letters may be edited, never censored, to fit. email: editor@backroadsusa.com

OCTOBER 2012 • BACKROADS

Page 12

THOUGH TS FR OM THE ROAD The SPecial relaTionShiP Much is written in the UK national press about the ‘Special Relationship’ between us on our modest little island and our distant cousins in the good ol’ US of A. We like to think that beyond the old ‘You say to-may-toes, we say tomaaartoes’ saying, that we share common values, friends and foes, and a little bit of DNA. So, does this all-round love-in extend to biking tastes?

I came of age biking-wise back in the days when Steve McQueen’s ‘seminal movie On any Sunday hit the screens, and shortly after the launch of Bike Magazine, which was to become THE voice for British bikers. We smoked around (smoked being the operative word) on 49cc 2-stroke ‘sports’ mopeds, bell bottom Levis flapping in the breeze, nylon paddock jackets inflating like a miniature hot air balloon, eyes screwed up against the icy blast that comes with a 44mph top speed. Head full of Pink Floyd and what kind of underwear Jackie Smith in Form 5S might wear.

Garelli, Puch, Fantic, Casal….names long gone, yet permanently etched in my heart. Those of us who moved up to ‘proper bikes’ when our pimples had disappeared and the heady age of 17 had been achieved, got themselves Kawasaki KH 250s, Yamaha RD350s, or in the case of the super rich, the lusted after Suzuki GT380 triple. To own one of these beauties would be up there with seeing a naked Jackie Smith.

No British iron amongst that lot? Well, our home-grown motorcycle industry had all but imploded, a victim of union control long before Maggie Thatcher put the boot in. Maybe some American-style patriotism might have helped avoid its demise. Who knows….

I, like other UK teenagers obsessed by the motor bicycle, wondered what it would be like to ride coast-to-coast in America; on a Harley no less! I’d gorged myself on Peter Cave’s pulp fiction which glorified Hell’s Angel culture, as a newspaper delivery boy I’d delivered newspapers, covers emblazoned with some larger-than-life nutter in a star spangled cape attempting to leap the Grand Canyon on a jet cycle. This was about as far removed from a teenager’s existence in ‘70s Britain as living on Mars. The ignominy of failure was eclipsed in my mind by the fact that this dude waltzed around in a

MOTORCYCLEMADNESS 8 State Hwy 94 • Lafayette, NJ • 973-579-6088 • 877-252-9828

New Jersey’s Largest Pre-Owned Bike Seller Over 100 Clean Street, Dirt and ATVs In Stock AT ALL TIMES

Ashley Rhodes star spangled cape and called himself Evel. How cool is that as a patriotic statement!

Moving on four decades, the biking landscape has changed beyond recognition. Britain long ago shrugged off its post-war hardships and has now become home to the lifestyle biker. My compatriots of yore who survived tearing around on ‘70s drum braked death trap two strokes with spindly legs encased in nothing more than denim, have been reborn and tempted onto various European exotics; BMW 1200 GSs, Ducati Multistradas and Triumph Tigers are slowly nudging out the Japanese superbikes beloved of nineties riders who all thought the purchase of a Honda CBR900 Fireblade would infer World Superbike status upon them, at a time when British WSB riders were on the crest of a wave.

Always a nation of seafarers and travellers, British motorcyclists have taken to the world’s highways with gusto; Ted Simon, Nick Sanders, Charley and Ewan….they’re all at it. Touring is the new mantra in the British biker’s lexicon.

So, has American motorcycling reached this same stage of evolution? Are Americans up for a long vacation in the saddle, or a life-changing round the world trip? Are they embracing new exotic machinery? I would say yes and no. In my motorcycle clothing store in Cali, Colombia, all the long-distance bikers would call in for a chat. The US riders; usually mounted on KLR 650s, BMW 800 GSs or Suzuki DR650s, have generally been committed hardcore riders, but when I visit the States all I seem to see is Harleys. Nothing wrong with that, but I get the impression that a lot of the pioneering instinct and desire to explore one’s country is overshadowed by the need to make a ‘lifestyle statement’ at the local ‘show n’ shine’.

Readers of Backroads are ‘proper’ motorcyclists in my opinion, so I’m not preaching to the converted, but if every one of you could convince a friend to get out and enjoy his or her bike wouldn’t that be great? There’s 312 million of you-you wouldn’t want an upstart little island like Britain to steal the thunder of the country that gave us Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Kerouac’s On the Road and Easy Rider, would you?

WFO

inc.

Motorsports

**WE NOW BUY AND SELL USED MOTORCYCLES** Quality Late Model Motorcycles - All Manufacturers

IKES OR ALL B F ID A P H TOP CAS HUGE selection of Parts and Accessories for cruisers and sportbikes 600 Helmets In Stock: Icon, Shoei, Suomy, HJC, Scorpion and more HUGE selection of apparel: Mens and Womens - Street and Dirt First Gear, Rocket, RIver Road, Fox, Thor, Alpinestar and much more Professionally Trained Mechanics • Gold Wing Experts

WE BEAT ANY INTERNET DEAL Located 1/4 mile north of 206/94 intersection and 1 mile north of Newton Tues: 9-6 • Wed: 9-5 • Thurs: 10-8 • Fri: 10-5 • Sat: 9-2

Closed: Sunday and Monday

www.MadMotorcycle.com

Luggage • Jackets • Pants • Boots • Rain Gear Tools • Exhausts • Tires • Sprockets • Chains • Brakes Bar Risers • Lines • Ramps • Lifts • OEM Parts

SPORT • CRUISER • TOURING SPEED LIMIT

WFO

* Large Selection of Helmets * Track and Race Bike Set-Up * Track Day Information

wfomotorsports.net

* Suspension Work

973-579-5103

* Tires - Mounted and Balanced

* Great Service and Reasonable Prices

188 Halsey Rd (Rte. 626), Newton, NJ 07860 • fax 973-579-1806

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2012

Page 13

1269 DOLSONTOWN RD • MIDDLETOWN NY 10940 845-343-2552 • WWW.CYCLEMOTIONINC.COM Cycle Motion is your provider of motorcycles, ATVs, scooters, snowmobiles, and utility vehicles by Kawasaki, Suzuki, Polaris, Yamaha and Can Am. With a large parts department, qualified service technicians and a full shop full of parts and accessories, we're here to meet all your power sport needs.

CYCLE MOTION

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.

is now a Can-Am Dealer

Cycle Insurance Agency Inc. Recreational Vehicle Specialists Agents who ride and understand your Motorcycle Insurance Needs

MEMBER

MEMBER

Ask about our Tour Cycle Program – the Ultimate in Coverage

Passenger Coverage • Accessories Coverage Medical Payments Coverage 448 Lincoln Ave • Hawthorne NJ 07506 • 973-427-2246 www.CycleInsuranceAgency.com Serving New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania • ATV • Jet Ski • Snowmobile

OCTOBER 2012 • BACKROADS

Page 14

Morton’s BMW Motorcycles Presents Dr. Seymour O’Life’s M YSTE RIOUS AME RICA lineSville SPillway where duckS walk on The FiSh Every now and again the good Doctor O’Life suggests places and things for me to do and see. Knowing we’d be heading back from the Ozarks this last July he sent me an email with some more of his ‘demands’.

The message said he had heard of this place, where ducks walked on the backs of fish.

Riiight…, I thought.

But O’Life was adamant on this and insisted that Shira and I

stop by Crawford County and the Linesville Spillway to see this enigma for ourselves.

When we crossed from Ohio into Pennsylvania I told Shira we would be vectoring off our planned course to follow a tip from O’Life. I usually keep these little forays close to the chest till the last second as Shira feels she has been dragged into more than her share of the weird, wacky and odd world of Mysterious America.

I could feel her eyes roll when I radioed her the good news.

We quickly moved along some tiny backroads in the general direction of this month’s Mysterious America stop.

Back in 1930, in the midst of the Great Depression the Federal Government’s Civilian Conservation Corps went about creating what is today the largest manmade lake in the state of Pennsylvania.

The lake became known as Pymatuning and on the eastern side these days one will find the Linesville Spillway.

What sets this spillway apart from all the other spillways is that it is home to thousands of oversized carp, attracted by the bread thrown into the water by visitors; this is known as “The Place Where the Ducks Walk on the Fish”, coined by local businessman Alpine Maclaine.

Well, with over 300,000 visitors this spectacle, that doesn’t really advertise, is the second most visited place in Pennsylvania, coming in

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2012

right behind the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. And, riding along the causeway – Hartstown Road – we could see a large, and fairly full, parking lot to our right.

Along the wall overlooking the water were dozens of people of all makes and models. Seniors, families with little ones running around, tweens and teens and younger couples (like us?) all tossing food over the side and laughing a great deal.

We walked over and looked down.

Remember those eyes that Shira was rolling just a few paragraphs back? Well now they were about as wide as I have ever seen them and the sight below elicited a “Holy Friggin’s Crap!” a diversion from her normal calm and quiet tone.

Looking past her my mouth dropped as well, for below us and for a hundred yards on either side were thousand of the biggest carp I had ever seen and all of them were in a frenzy to get the fish food, bread and pellets that the humans were tossing over the side of the wall into the waters below.

Atop of the fish were dozens of ducks trying their damned best to get in on the buffet as well. Literally walking atop the backs of the carp!

Page 15

OCTOBER 2012 • BACKROADS

Page 16 It as one of the most bizarre things I had ever seen and I understood why the Master of Mystery had sent me on the quest for fish and fowl.

As the carp tumble and scramble over the mud-brown backs of one another, their mouths open and widen and make a hollow sucking sound as the bread and pellets hit the water — a sound that is just plain creepy.

A few years back the state of Pennsylvania attempted to outlaw the feeding of bread to the fish, instead wanting the people to buy pellets.

That didn’t go over exactly as planned and the local uproar was intense, to say the least.

Today you can bring bread or buy pellets at the food concession stand near the spillway itself.

This odd dinner ritual has been going on for decades now as each spring, when the ice fades away and the water warms the giant carp swim in from their deep water winter retreat and right behind them are the ducks, as both species know a good and easy meal when they see it.

The entire town and surrounding region celebrate this symbiotic animal relationship between humans, fish and fowl and even the fire truck of the Linesville Volunteer Fire Department proudly declares that Linesville, PA is the place “Where ducks walk on the Fish.”

You might ask where did all these carp come from?

Easy answer; The common carp, “cyprinus arpio,” is a large omnivorous species that can be found in most Pennsylvania waters. Carp are actually members of the minnow family. Coming originally from Asia, they were spread throughout Europe by the Romans. Carp were first stocked as a food fish in the U.S. in the late 1870s by the newly created Fish Commission.

They were then spread by state governments to most U.S. watersheds in an effort to take pressure away from native fishes.

Carp are everywhere.

Another minor point of interest is at the main intersection of the town, at its sole traffic light, on the Maclaine Building at the northwest corner is a sign reading “<==CHICAGO: 500 miles / NEW YORK: 500 miles==>” but, the true midpoint between the two is actually about a mile west. I am sorry to say I missed this but here is another excuse to go back to, what I think, is one of the neatest Mysterious America’s we have had to date!

RiSiNg WOLF gARAgE NYC EXCLUSIVE MOTORCYCLE PARKING FACILITY We p r o v i d e a f r i e n d l y, c l e a n a n d s e c u r e environment for the motorcycle enthusiast Service Area Personal Storage Air Compressor Battery Charging

Monthly Parking Long & Short Term 24 Hour Access Video Surveillance

By Appointment Only East Village NYC Ph: 212 475 5858 • Fx: 212 505 5205

risingwolfgarage@aol.com

www.risingwolfgarage.com

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2012

BIG CIT Y G ETAWAY

Page 17

daytrip ideas to get out of the daily grind

groundS For SculPTure 18 FairgroundS road , hamilTon, nJ 08619 (609) 586-0616 • www.groundsforsculpture.org Brian Rathjen As we are all constantly reminded by those less fortunate to not actually live in the Garden State many, folks around the nation don’t think much of New Jersey. For many their entire NJ experience has been flying into Newark Airport at night with the fire belching refinery seeming to touch the bottom of the jets as they float just feet above the Turnpike.

But we are here today to tell you that ain’t so.

In fact, to our non-Jersey readers, we would like to offer up a simply incredible ride, through the very heart of Jersey, and one of the most impressive sculpture gardens in the United States – the incredible Grounds for Sculpture found in Hamilton, New Jersey.

Located on 42-acres of the old New Jersey State Fair Grounds, it was founded in 1992 by artist J. Seward Johnson to promote an understanding of and appreciation for contemporary sculpture for all people.

These days it is a simply marvelous place to spend an afternoon with well over 200 sculptures and displays from dozens of artists and sculpture moving through a plethora of artistic tastes, styles and talents.

This day’s motorcycle ride is all about showing the best of New Jersey and

Page 18

the beauty of the Grounds for Sculpture so let’s talk a bit about the ride.

Hamilton is located just outside the state capital of Trenton – okay, we don’t have much great to say about Trenton, but we’re Backroads and we will get you to the Grounds for Sculpture in typical backroads-style with some fantastic roads that we dare say are some of the best we have stitched together in some time.

Our ride will start from the Chatterbox Drive-In, in Augusta, and meander a little more than 90 miles south through, as Uncle Floyd would sing, the “Heart of Jersey!” With so many miles of great paved road this ride will ride through the core of the counties of Sussex, Warren, Hunterdon and Mercer.

This 2 to 3 hour journey combines deep forests, verdant farmlands, a number of stream and river crossings on bridges almost forgotten by the state.

We’ll scoot around the busy university town of Princeton and avoid Trenton at all costs.

When you arrive at the Grounds for Sculpture, admission price of $12, prepare yourself to be amazed at what unfettered human spirit can accomplish.

Our visit there was part of a “Mystery Ride” day I had put together for Shira.

Trusting me, perhaps foolishly, to bring her someplace special, unique and a bit cool, I programmed the circuitous and enjoyable route into her GPS and just asked her to have a little faith in me on this day’s ride. She did just that.

Pulling up to the Grounds for Sculpture she had the biggest mile under her helmet as this was a place that was on her “bucket list” of things to see and after the fantastic ride south she was more than happy with her surprise destination.

The “Grounds” were exactly what we expected. Large and open, with well groomed paths winding in and around the hundreds of sculptures and pieces of art along the way. The Grounds for Sculpture has done a superb job of mixing the natural lay of the land, local and exotic fauna, bamboo, water and all the statues to create a peaceful and harmonious setting.

OCTOBER 2012 • BACKROADS

The lotus flowers were enormous and, if you are a photographer, this is certainly the place to be on a sunny day.

We stopped by the visitor’s center to get some basic information and a map and we were off exploring the sprawling canvas that is the Grounds for Sculpture. Along the way you will run into a number of buildings, the gazebo, that serves up ice cream and chilled drinks during the weekend, the water gardens, the Peacock Café that offers a “grab and go” casual lunch menu for dining indoors or outside in the courtyard, including sandwiches, salads, soups, and pizza. During the warmer months, for a nominal fee, selections from the cafe menu may be packed in picnic baskets and enjoyed throughout the park.

For a finer dining experience you might consider what we did and take an outdoor seat at Rat’s, a five star restaurant waterside across from the Monet Bridge. In fact the whole Rat’s experience is very impressionistic.

Rat’s, conceived as part of sculptor Seward Johnson’s vision, is designed to make visitors feel they have stepped into a village reminiscent of French

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2012

Page 19 impressionist Claude Monet’s beloved town of Giverny. Overlooking Johnson’s sculptures inspired by Impressionists paintings, as well as the lily pond and bridge inspired by the works of Monet, Rat’s offers a magical ambiance for dining and a lovely complement to the Grounds For Sculpture experience. And, the bust of the woman thrusting from the lily filled pond with the mist surrounding her made it that much more surreal.

The lunch, soft shelled crab BLT and pulled pork sandwich, was reasonably priced and delicious.

After dining we continued on throughout the grounds finding art we absolutely loved, such as Robert Roesch’s giant tree-base menorah called Baruch Ashem and the stroll through the Forest of the Subconscious. At every turn at the Grounds for Sculpture you will find something that will amaze, delight or simply make you say, “huh?”

Between our ride there and the Grounds themselves we promise you a phenomenal day of riding and exploring the heart of Jersey.

You can find the Rip & Ride® on page 43.When downloading the GPS file from SendSpace, ONLY click on the blue download box. And remember, our maps may differ from yours if you don’t have the latest updates. Enjoy!

Your local source for KTM motorcycles

Off-road • Street • Adventure Sales and Service

Celebrating 30 Years and Counting!

210 Route 10 West • East Hanover, NJ www.HanoverPowersports.com • 973-428-1735 NOW OPEN MONDAYS: 9AM-5PM

Hanover Powersports has a great selection of all things KTM, including the elusive 990 SMT in stock.

Get yours today for some great Autumn riding.

Tear up the street or track with the RC8

OCTOBER 2012 • BACKROADS

Page 20

O’Toole’s Harley-Davidson Presents

G REAT ALL AMERICAN DINER RUN harry’S Place 104 broadway, colcheSTer, cT (860) 537-2410 • www.harrySPlacecT.com Steven Smith I’ve come to realize how small Connecticut is since moving to here from New York years ago. I’de like to think I’ve just about ridden corner to corner, and a lot in between while doing day rides by myself or when taking our children to some cool destinations. We’ve found many incredible road side places here in the Nutmeg State. Color me surprised when we happened to fall into a great “Mecca” road food location just by happenstance.

We were riding some of the fantastic roads around the “casino zone” and after deciding to head north instead of taking the Hadlyme Ferry east, we found ourselves headed north on Route 85 in Colchester. I think both of our internal lunch whistle already sounded and we were looking for a small mom & pop location to grab a bite for lunch. As we passed Harry’s Place I got the signal to double back from Bill.

It was a wise choice.

Pulling in we found parking to be bountiful, although the rear parking lot is pea gravel. The picnic tables in front, sides and out back are the only seating choice here, making this more of a fair weather venue. We walked up front to the place where painted lines and arrows on the pavement depict where the line should be formed, as a form of crowd control. Next to the line was a 4-side cube with the menu. We never even saw it initially as we zoomed in on the burgers. It was after the lunch rush and we walked right up to the front of the line where very pleasant staff took our orders.

Harry’s Place has been around since 1920, and they are very well known to locals and travelers heading to & from the casinos. The specialty of

tasty places to take your bike

the house since opening has been their superb burgers. They start out with a freshly made ball of quality ground beef cooked to order with a long list of extras and condiments, placed on a bakery fresh custommade soft roll. The ground beef is put on the hot flat grill, flattened out with a spatula, and they come out looking like a large, thick and incredibly juicy slider.

I ordered a bacon cheese burger with a side of fresh, homemade potato chips. When you’re called by name to the pick-up window you are asked if you would like salt or pepper on the burger, which I found to be a nice touch.

You can get hot dogs too, but the burgers are what Harry’s is known for. The menu is chockfull of other typical New England drive-in fare such as whole fried clams, scallops, and fried oysters, and freshly battered fish sandwich. For sides there are fries or cheese fries, onion rings, and fresh made potato chips to name a few.

I found out later that we should have looked for the plaque outside that denotes Harry’s Place being listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Wow! Great food and a bit of history all in one. Harry’s Place is open daily seasonally 11AM to 10PM, Mid-March through Halloween, weather permitting. Bring cash – they do not accept credit cards.

O’TOOLE’S HARLEY-DAVIDSON®

4 Sullivan St. • Wurtsboro, NY • 845-888-2426 • www.OToolesHD.com

Sales • Service • Parts • Accessories Convenient location for the entire New York metro area New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Nassau + Suffolk Counties in New York

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2012

Page 21

Rip & Ride® • HARRY’S PLACE 104 BROADWAY, COLCHESTER, CT • (860) 537-2410 •

BEGIN AT FOXWOODS RESORT & CASINO 240 MGM GRAND DR MASHANTUCKET, CT

TAKE TROLLEY LINE BLVD SOUTH TAKE RIGHT ONTO CT-214 W/LANTERN HILL RD CONTINUE TO FOLLOW CT-214 W TURN RIGHT ONTO CT-12 N TURN LEFT ONTO CONNECTICUT 2A W TAKE EXIT 2 TO MOHEGAN SUN BLVD TURN LEFT AT SANDY DESERT RD

TURN RIGHT ONTO ALEXANDER RD TAKE THE 1ST LEFT ONTO OLD SALEM RD/SALEM RD CONTINUE ONTO ALEXANDER RD TURN RIGHT ONTO WITCH MEADOW RD TURN LEFT ONTO CT-85 N/HARTFORD RD CONTINUE TO FOLLOW CT-85 N CONTINUE ONTO BROADWAY HARRY’S PLACE WILL BE ON THE RIGHT

TURN RIGHT ONTO CT-32 N NORWICH-NEW LONDON TPKE TAKE THE 1ST LEFT ONTO NEW LONDON TPKE TURN LEFT ONTO CT-82 W/SALEM TPKE CONTINUE TO FOLLOW CT-82 W TURN RIGHT ONTO HOPYARD RD TURN LEFT TO STAY ON HOPYARD RD TURN RIGHT ONTO HAYWARDVILLE RD

O’TOOLE’S HARLEY-DAVIDSON®

WWW.HARRYSPLACECT.COM

4 Sullivan Ave, Wurtsboro, NY • 845-888-2425 • www.OToolesHD.com

OCTOBER 2012 • BACKROADS

Page 22

Bergen County Harley-Davidson Presents

WE’RE OUT TA HERE

a weekend destination keeping you on the backroads The cork FacTory hoTel

480 new holland ave., SuiTe 3000, lancaSTer, Pa 17602 • 717-735-2075 • www.corkFacToryhoTel.com During this past winter we spent a lot of evenings watching the Food Network’s “Chopped.” In this show four chefs are given some odd combinations and are expected to make something wonderful with it.

Sometimes our “We’re Outta Here!” is somewhat along these lines.

We take a bunch of interesting places, people and things and combine them into one great recipe.

So, with that in mind use your best Ted Allen voice and open your Backroads’ Mystery Baskets.

Today we have…. a tasty Pennsylvania city, an old cork factory, a motorcycle-riding mayor and some delicious roads.

If you put that all together right you can take a ride through the rolling Pennsylvanian Amish country and to the city of Lancaster – the Red Rose City.

For years this town has been in an incredible renaissance, led by Mayor and motorcyclist Rick Gray.

Some of you might remember that our own American Motorcycle Association had a president by that same name. Well, the author writes with a raise of the eyebrow - one and the same.

Over the years Rick has invited us to come down and see his city and this Spring we did just that and spun our way south along the Delaware river and then west towards Lancaster county and the city.

We have been down this way a number of times; but this time we planned to overnight in a most unusual place – a former cork factory now turned urban getaway - the Cork Factory Hotel.

If there were a poster child for real urban renewal it would be here. The original factories were built

BACKROADS â&#x20AC;˘ OCTOBER 2012 right after the Civil War and soon the Lancaster Cork Factory was in full swing. A few years later the company changed hands and the Armstrong Cork Company ran it for decades.

In 1965, the cork factory was sold to Kerr Glass Company, which manu-

Page 23 factured steel bottle caps and glass and plastic products until early 2002.

In 2004 the Baldwins, a Lancaster County family, purchased the old place and set about recreating it into something truly special.

In 2009 they opened The Cork Factory Hotel. In 2012 we came rolling up.

The hotel is incredibly well done. Much thought went into every aspect of the place.

From utilizing the old brick walls and huge wooden beams to the interesting use of both art and tool to decorate the building.

As you ride up the huge smokestack dominates the building and our room was so close to it we could almost touch it.

Unlike some more urban inns the Cork Factory Hotel has ample off the street parking in their large lot and, if you like, you can simply park your machine for the night and take the ten minute walk into historic Lancaster itself, with its warren of old streets, historic townhouses and stately houses of worship.

If you want to stay put you are in great shape too as the Cork & Cap restaurant served us up a marvelous dinner that night.

Joining us this evening was his honor Rick Gray and his wife Gail, an artist of immense talent; we know as she was kind enough to show us her studio later that night.

Dinner at the Cap & Cork was scrumptious, with a great and varied menu and attentive staff; and after dinner we were given the mayorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tour of his fair city.

To say Lancaster is happening is a pure understatement.

(Continued on Page 26)

BEST VALUE ATV.

THE RIGHT SIZE FOR ALMOST EVERYONE Foretrax® Rancher

New! Sportsman® 400 H.O. Hardest Working Smoothest Riding Features: • NEW! Integrated front storage box has 6.5 gal. volume • On-Demand True AWD maximizes traction • Legendary smooth Independent Rear Suspension with 9.5” of travel • A full 11.25” of obstacle-clearing ground clearance

FourTrax® Rincon®

TRX®250X

Big Red

powersports.honda.com

Vehicles shown with optional accessories. Avoid operating Polaris RANGERs on paved surfaces or public roads. Riders and passengers should always wear helmets, eye protection, protective clothing, and seat belts. Always use cab nets. Drivers of RANGER vehicles must be at least 16 years old with a valid driver’s license. Warning: ATVs can be hazardous to operate. For your safety: Avoid operating Polaris ATVs on paved surfaces or public roads. Riders and passengers should wear helmets, eye protection, protective clothing and seat belts. Polaris adult ATV models are for riders aged 16 and older. Be sure to take a safety training course. For safety training information in the U.S., call the SVIA at (800) 887-2887, see your dealer, or call Polaris at (800) 342-3764. In Canada, see your local dealer. ©2011 Polaris Industries Inc.

Polaris Metuchen

MULTI-PURPOSE UTILITY VEHICLES CAN BE HAZARDOUS TO OPERATE. FOR YOUR SAFETY, BE RESPONSIBLE. ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET, EYE PROTECTION AND APPROPRIATE CLOTHING. ALWAYS WEAR YOUR SEAT BELT, AND KEEP THE SIDE NETS AND DOORS CLOSED. AVOID EXCESSIVE SPEEDS, AND BE CAREFUL ON DIFFICULT TERRAIN. ALL MUV DRIVERS SHOULD WATCH THE SAFETY VIDEO “MULTIPURPOSE UTILITY VEHICLES: A GUIDE TO SAFE OPERATION” AND READ THE OWNER’S MANUAL BEFORE OPERATING THE VEHICLE. NEVER DRIVE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF DRUGS OR ALCOHOL, ON PUBLIC ROADS OR WITH MORE THAN ONE PASSENGER. BIG RED IS ONLY FOR DRIVERS 16 YEARS AND OLDER. DRIVER AND PASSENGER MUST BE TALL ENOUGH FOR SEAT BELT TO FIT PROPERLY AND TO BRACE THEMSELVES WITH BOTH FEET FIRMLY ON THE FLOOR. PASSENGER MUST BE ABLE TO GRASP THE HAND HOLD WITH THE SEAT BELT ON AND BOTH FEET ON THE FLOOR. RESPECT THE ENVIRONMENT WHEN DRIVING. UTILITY ATVs and TRX250X ARE RECOMMENDED ONLY FOR RIDERS 16 YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER AND CAN BE HAZARDOUS TO OPERATE. READ THE OWNER’S MANUAL. BE CAREFUL ON DIFFICULT TERRAIN. BE A RESPONSIBLE RIDER. ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET, EYE PROTECTION AND PROTECTIVE CLOTHING, AND PLEASE RESPECT THE ENVIRONMENT. OBEY THE LAW AND READ YOUR OWNER’S MANUAL THOROUGHLY. ALL ATV RIDERS SHOULD TAKE A TRAINING COURSE (FREE FOR NEW BUYERS. ASK YOUR DEALER OR CALL ASI AT 800887-2887). NEVER RIDE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF DRUGS OR ALCOHOL, ON PAVED SURFACES, ON PUBLIC ROADS, WITH PASSENGERS, OR AT EXCESSIVE SPEEDS. NO STUNT RIDING. Big Red®, FourTrax®, Rancher®, TRX® and Foreman® are trademarks of Honda Motor Co., Ltd. ©2012 American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (07/12) 12-1101

911 Middlesex Ave. (Rte. 27), Metuchen, NJ 08840

732.491.2900 www.VictoryMetuchen.com

Get your Fall Fun and Work Vehicles before the leaves hit the ground.

911 Middlesex Ave, Metuchen, NJ (732) 906-9292 Find Us on Facebook • SportHonda.net

2012 Teryx™ 750 FI

Visit our showroom located in Central New Jersey Just 10 minutes from Staten Island, 30 minutes from NYC and 1 hour from Pennsylvania

Come in today for your Fall fun and cleanup vehicles.

2012 MULE™ 600 KAWASAKI CARES: Always wear protective gear appropriate for the use of this vehicle. Never operate under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The Kawasaki MULE™ side x side vehicle is an off-highway vehicle only, and is not designed, equipped, or manufactured for use on public streets; roads or highways. Specifications subject to change without notice. Availability may be limited. Warning: The Teryx side x side vehicle can be hazardous to operate. For your safety: Always wear a helmet, eye protection and protective clothing. Never ride on public roads or pavement. Avoid high speed turns or abrupt manuevers. Be extra careful on difficult terrain. Protect the environment and obey all laws and regulations that control the use of these vehicles. ©2012 Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A.

Kawasaki Metuchen 911 Middlesex Ave, Metuchen, NJ (732) 491-2900 Find Us on Facebook • KawasakiMetuchen.com

©2012 Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. (BRP). All rights reserved. ®, ™ and the BRP logo are trademarks of BRP or its affiliates. In the U.S.A., products are distributed by BRP US Inc. BRP reserves the right, at any time, to discontinue or change specifications, prices, designs, features, models or equipment without incurring obligation. Some models depicted may include optional equipment. BRP highly recommends that all ATV drivers take a training course. For safety and training information, see your dealer or call the ATV Safety Institute at 1-800-887-2887. ATVs can be hazardous to operate. For your safety: always wear a helmet, eye protection, and other protective clothing. Never carry passengers on any ATV not specifically designed by the manufacturer for such use. All adult model Can Am ATVs are Category G ATVs (General Use Models) intended for recreational and/or utility use by an operator age 16 or older. For side-by-side vehicles (SxS): Read the BRP side-by-side Operator’s Guide and watch the Safety DVD before driving. For your safety: wear a helmet, eye protection and other protective gear. Fasten lateral net and seat belt at all times. Operator must be at least 16 years old. Passenger must be at least 12 years old and able to hold handgrips and plant feet while seated against the backrest. ATVs and SxS are for off-road use only; never ride on paved surfaces or public roads. Always remember that riding and alcohol/drugs don’t mix. Never engage in stunt driving. Avoid excessive speed and be particularly careful on difficult terrain. Ride responsibly.

Can-Am Metuchen 911 Middlesex Ave, Metuchen, NJ (732) 491-2900

www.CanAmMetuchen.com

Your Ducati Source

Take yours home today.

All New 2012 Monsters 696, 796 and 1100 Evo. Shop our large selection for the latest in Ducati Performance parts, apparel and accessories.

CROSS COUNTRY BMW

911 Middlesex Ave Metuchen, NJ 08840-2224 (732) 635-0094 www.ccbmw.com

SAVE THE DATE Saturday, Nov. 24

SAVE THE DATE

Saturday, Nov. 24 Annual Open House Watch for Details

Annual Open House Watch for Details

Cross Country Ducati Factory Authorized Sales and Service 911 Middlesex Ave, Metuchen, NJ 08840

732.635.0094 • www.ccducati.com

Make us your

One-Stop for Apparel, Riding Gear and Accessories.

WE HAVE IT ALL!

CROSS COUNTRY CYCLE 911 Middlesex Ave, Metuchen, NJ (732) 635-2900 Find Us on Facebook • crosscountrycycle.net

OCTOBER 2012 • BACKROADS

Page 26 Brewpubs abound, fine dining is everywhere and other great paces to stay like the Arts Hotel can be found.

We made a mental note to revisit the famed Central Market, the country’s oldest farmers’ market, which we had stopped by a few years back at our Backroads’ Fall Fiesta that we held in nearby Stroudsburg.

We returned to the Cork Factory later that evening and after a nightcap at the bar with the very attentive Jasmine filling the drinks we got talking about how cool this town really was.

Taking all of Lancaster in we realized we would need to come down to the city for a number of days to get it all in.

And, we almost did just that.

We rearranged our plans and spent the next day taking in the sights, sounds and smells of the Amish country in PA. We had to spend some time in Bird-in-Hand and Intercourse and along the backroads of this part of Pennsylvania we found a few neat gems that we will be passing along to you in upcoming issues.

But, for now, let’s stick with the city of Lancaster and all that it has to offer.

In typical Backroads fashion we will get you there with style and finesse and also throw in a great lunch stop as well.

Enjoy your ride and we’ll see ya next month.

Rip & Ride® • THE CORK FACTORY HOTEL 480 NEW HOLLAND AVE., LANCASTER, PA 17602 • 717-735-2075 • WWW.CORKFACTORYHOTEL.COM APPROXIMATELY 145 MILES ONE WAY • GPS DOWNLOAD: WWW.SENDSPACE.COM/PRO/DL/YIQLO5 (GPS ROUTE MAY VARY FROM PRINTED ROUTE)

START WHERE RTE. 94, I-80 AND RTE. 46 COME TOGETHER IN COLUMBIA, NJ CROSS RIVER TO RTE. 611 SOUTH RIGHT AT 512 RIGHT AT ALPHA OR NORTH BROADWAY BEAR LEFT AT OLD PA – 115 LEFT AT MOUNTAIN ROAD STRAIGHT AT BUSKIRK / UPPER SMITH GAP / 3002 BEAR LEFT AT LITTLE GAP – THROUGH PALMERTON RIGHT ON RAMP TO 248 SOUTH RIGHT AT 873 – BECOMES MAIN ST. LEFT AT MOUNTAIN RD. LEFT AT 309 RIGHT AT 142 CROSS I-78 HARD RIGHT AT MOSELEM SPRING RD. LEFT AT MAIN ST. RIGHT AT SHOEY RD. RIGHT AT MAIN ST.

LEFT AT IRISH CREEK RD. LEFT AT SHARTLESVILLE RD. LEFT AT 181 RIGHT AT N. HEIDELBERG RD. RIGHT AT W. PENN AVE. LEFT AT NORTHVALE BLVD. LEFT AT W. HIGH ST. RIGHT AT S. 2ND ST. BEAR RIGHT AT NEWMANSTOWN, RD. / 419 LUNCH AT THE FRANKLIN HOUSE TAVERN AT INTERSECTIONS OF 419/897 IN SCHAEFFERSTOWN, PA AFTER LUNCH CONTINUE SOUTH 419 BECOMES 501 THROUGH LITITZ P/U RTE. 222 IN LANCASTER LEFT AT EAST WALNUT ST. LEFT AT NORTH PLUM RIGHT AT NEW HOLLAND CORK FACTORY HOTEL ON RIGHT

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2012

Page 27

Great Rivers Run Brian Rathjen For those of you who enjoy your machines German-style you are probably aware of the MOA - The BMW Motorcycle Owners Association.

As marquee clubs go this is a big one and each year, for the past 40, they have been holding their international rallies at various venues and regions across the nation.

In truth some are better than others and last year’s event that was held in Pennsylvania was a scorcher with some rally goers actually spontaneously combusting during the closing ceremonies.

This year they would head to the mid-west, Missouri to be exact and the town of Sedalia to be specific.

A few years back we had planned a tour along parts of the mighty Mississippi, but biblical floods squashed that idea and with the announcement of the Sedalia rally being made last summer we thought we would give it a shot and booked a room immediately.

Right after production of the August issue and with the crazy mid-week 4th of July behind us we packed our two BMWs – Shira’s F650GS and I my new R1200GS Rallye Edition, which looked like its color scheme was designed by Captain America – and headed out on a route that would take us south then west towards the “Show Me” state.

Little did we realize that this trip would be about so many of the great rivers that help create

Montgomeryville Cycle Center 2901 Bethlehem Pike, Hatfield, PA 215-712-7433 • www.MontgomeryvilleCC.com

and mold this nation.

We crossed from New Jersey in Pennsylvania along the Delaware Water Gap and the river. We have been this way countless times but I am still always taken with the gap’s raw and rocky beauty.

By lunch time we stopped at the famed Funck’s diner where we got into a nice conversation with two airman in fatigues; great young men doing a great service for our nation.

They were asking about our little smiling puppet friend and we told him of Happy’s world travels and such.

As we got up we thanked them for their service and then Mr. Happy surprised us by pulling out a credit card (from where we still do not know) and quietly paying for their lunch.

Nice move Notso.

We had the entire day ahead of us, and we have the route into West Virginia, ferrying across the Susquehanna down pat, and by nightfall we found ourselves not too far from the West Virginia border near the town of White Sulphur Springs, home of the famed Greenbrier Hotel.

One of the grandest hotels in the nation it is also home to the not so secret anymore Underground Bunker that was built to hold Congress in case the Reds decided to push the button down during the Cold War. Sorry, I make Donald Fagen references whenever I can.

The Greenbrier is truly magnificent and I

Friday, October 19 • 9am - 7pm Saturday, October 20 • 9am - 5pm Please join us for our Annual Classic-Antique-Custom Motorcycle Show and Flea Market

OCTOBER 2012 • BACKROADS

Page 28 noted this as we road a ¼ mile down the road to the Village Motel where their motto is “No refunds after 30 minutes!”

Nothing too good for my baby, I tell ya.

Still White Sulphur is a neat little burg and the local restaurant did a good job of filling us up and, in truth, the “No refunds after 30 minutes!” room was clean and comfortable.

Surprise - we awoke to a light rain that would haunt us for most of the day; sometimes harder than others.

West “By God” Virginia has always been one of our favorite places to ride and thus it was today – rain be damned. We grabbed a cup of coffee at the neatest little diner called Mel’s in Sulphur Springs and then headed west towards Charleston. Along the way we crossed over the New River, which, it is said, is one of the oldest on the planet. How they, whomever “they” are, know this is beyond me but it goes great with this story so let’s not quibble. Outside of Beckley we traversed through a deep gorge road designated Rte. 99. I am sure this road is spectacular on a bright sunny day but there was an eerie splendor this morning as the bikes rode through the fog, mist and raindrops with the cliff walls closing in along the ride.

By early afternoon the sun had begun to peak out and, along the border with Kentucky, we caught up with a coal train. This beast seemed to stretch for miles and the road snaked alongside the tracks with the train sometimes above us, other times below.

The race was on.

Just when we thought we would outrun this beast we got stuck at a rail crossing and had to wait till our adversary passed us by.

When the gates rose the chase was back on and it took us nearly 15 minutes to finally pass the locomotive pulling all that coal.

We hooked a right and crossed an ancient steel bridge into Kentucky.

Here the road ran along a hard charging stream; muddied up from the heavy rains of the previous night and day and then we started west along Route 80.

On the map this looked like a good deal, but in fact, although it had its moments it began to get a bit ponderous. Especially when I knew that Kentucky had so much more to offer.

Yep this road, even in the wet was all dry.

We needed liquidity, slickness and more fun. We needed more KY! We overnighted in the town of Glasgow, which looked nothing like the city of my ancestors, and rethought our road choices on our route to Sedalia.

The next day was nothing less than spectacular.

Getting back to basics we scooted along the tiniest roads we could find.

Our plan was to get to Paducah, just across the Ohio river from Metropolis that evening and my planned route was a good day’s 270 miles.

This part of Kentucky is known for a few things – caves and Corvettes being two of them. This day we felt like doing a

Street Legal 2012 SMR 511

F.W. SPEER YAMAHA 7 Main Ave • Passaic, NJ • 973-778-6256 • www.SpeerYamaha.com Tri-State Metro Area’s Oldest Yamaha Dealer. Last of the Mom and Pop Shops.

We are not a boutique. Gold-Certified Service Department. Top Ten in the Country.

Experience the full line of Husqvarna motorcycles, sales and service we have to offer.

Street Legal 2012 TE449

Street Legal 2012 TE250

Remember last year…Be prepared.

Town & Country CYCLE CENTER • 973-875-2111 www.townandcountrycyclecenter.com

115 Route 23N • Hamburg NJ

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2012

Page 29 Along the way we crossed, what we believe, is the shortest ferry crossing in these United States – The Kentucky Green River Ferry.

This ride is so short that the Zumo says get on ferry and leave ferry in the same sentence. Well worth the ride.

Scooting south we ran along the Tennessee border and then into the region called the Land between the Lakes.

I am sure it is striking by boat, but The Trace, as the main road was called, did not offer much by the way of vistas. We were even turned around at the elk and bison viewing area as no motorcycles were allowed.

Thanks “Loud Pipes Save Lives Guys!”

By late afternoon we pulled into the city of Paducah. Located at the confluence of the Tennessee and the Ohio Rivers, this is a great river town.

Paducah and Chillicothe, Missouri, are the only two cities named in the world-famous song “Hooray for Hollywood”, which opens the Oscars each year.

We found, what we think is the neatest bed & breakfast we have ever stayed at atop a restaurant in the historic section of the town - The 1857 Bed & Breakfast.

Our third floor abode came with a bedroom, shower room, bathroom, walk-in closet, washer and dryer, full kitchen, large living room and, of course, a pool salon – for billiards after dinner. All incredibly appointed and ours for the night; or two if we wanted.

bit of spelunking so we meandered to Kentucky’s Mammoth Cave.

Arriving around 9:30 we avoided the crush of tourists that were, at that moment descending on the huge caverns, and did the self-guided tour through the historical entrance.

If you have never been to Mammoth Caves and you are riding in the area it truly is one of our natural wonders. In fact there are about 400 caves right in this region. We brought Happy and Pepe in for the tour as neither had been in a cave before and it is amazing to think that these caves have been used and occupied for over 5,000 years. These days when you leave you are asked to walk over Lysol infused mats, the parks way of trying to combat white nose fungus that has killed over 6 million bats in the last number of years.

Returning to KY’s backroads we rode in and out of rain most of the day, but that didn’t seem to slow our pace or our enthusiasm one bit.

BMW • HARLEY-DAVIDSON • SUZUKI • YAMAHA • HONDA • KAWASAKI • DUCATI ALL SERVICED AT ECKENHOFF

ATTENTION SOUTH JERSEY & PHILADELPHIA We are your Local Motorcycle Service Center Located at 919 Church Road, Cherry Hill

MOTORCYCLES - SCOOTERS - ATV

Eckenhoff Motorcycles is a Dealer for Hyosung & Zero Electric Motorcycles

Family Owned & Operated for over 25 Years Cycles serviced by Rob Kiviat and Gary DelFico Complete Motorcycle Service 845-482-5300

OCTOBER 2012 • BACKROADS

Page 30

Pool game done – with me Game 6in’ Shira, who couldn’t believe it, we went off to wander about the historic section of Paducah.

Paducah on a Saturday night was really happening. Along the old Market Square and Broadway they had closed off the streets and made a pedestrian walkway. A good rock & roll band was playing the classics and hundreds of locals were sprinkled around the bars, restaurants and shops.

Along the river, where the Tennessee meets the Ohio we found the huge flood wall that the US Army Corp of Engineers had created after the devastating flood of the winter of 1937 when the rivers rose 50 feet above flood stage and engulfed the entire city.

This evening all was happy and dry and the murals painted on the wall did an excellent job of explaining the history of one of America’s most important river ports.

Paducah was and is a big part of the Atomic Age and refined nuclear fuel has been created outside of town since the 1950’s.

We had an excellent time in Paducah and we will surely return next time we head this way.

By this time we had realized that this trip was really starting to revolve around some of the nation’s greatest rivers with the Delaware, Susquehanna, New, Tennessee and Ohio all being crossed so far.

Not to mention the awesome Green River!

Although Paducah was grand we had come to this region for another reason and a super one at that.

Across the Ohio River sits the city of Metropolis, Illinois.

And, as one would think, this town has a great admiration for a particular person.

Yes, I know the entire news media is caught up with this topic and we have never wanted Backroads to fall into petty politics, but the truth here is that this guy Kal is an illegal alien, but we will forgive Superman for this.

We think he has earned his citizenship by now.

And, the Superman Museum in Metropolis was a must see this day. Just riding down Market Street you can see his huge statue standing majestically “For Truth, Justice and the AMERICAN way!”

We’re Not Just a Shop, We’re a Destination The Metropolitan Area’s European Riding Center Headquarters for Moto Guzzi Triumph We stock new and Vespa

Simple

is good.

With the right people to take care of it, your Harley-Davidson will give you a lifetime of pleasure.

Pick the wrong shop, and your dream bike becomes a nigtmare.

It’s a simple choice, don’t screw it up!

Experienced Knowledgeable Staff Large Inventory • Personal Attention Discounts for New Customers

With 31 years in business, we know what we’re doing.

pre-owned vehicles

Celebrate Autumn. th

OCT. 7 OPEN HOUSE SEASON’S BEST PRICES

BRANCHVILLE MOTORS Conveniently located across from the Branchville train station on the Danbury line of Metro North

63 Ethan Allen Hwy Ridgefied, CT

203.544.7901 www.Branchville.com Tues-Fri: 9am-6pm • Sat: 9am-4pm

Carrying only the best in motorcycling gear and apparel for scooterists.

Visit our Ebay store for our clearance and closeout items.

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2012

Page 31

Opposite page: Scenes from Paducah and the Superman statue to greet you in Metropolis, Il. This page: Clark and the original Daily Planet Building sign, riding the Great River Road, outside of Lambert’s Cafe and Happy standing his ground in New Madrid.

We spent some time and money in the museum, which holds the greatest collection of Superman memorabilia in the world. Earth, not Krypton including George Reeves costume from the ‘50’s (always my Superman) and so much more.

The inner-geeks in us tore free and we loved the place.

But, soon it was time to be up, up and away and we flew…well rode towards the Mississippi River where we were to cross by ferry over the Big Muddy.

Problem was the Big Muddy wasn’t too big this day, with the huge drought, and the ferry lay aground with no water to lift and carrying it from the dock to the river.

Ha, foiled again!

Plan B brought us south along the Great River Road and into the state of Tennessee where we crossed the Mississippi by bridge and soon made our way north to the riverside town of New Madrid.

We like to throw in a bit of history in these trips when we can and New Madrid has an incredible story to tell.

When you think earthquakes you most likely think California. But, truth be told, in 1811 and 1812 the earthquakes that shook the New Madrid region were the worst and most powerful quakes ever recorded by man.

A number of seismic monsters, over 8.0 on the Richter scale shook buildings as far away as Cuba and Boston. The entire region changed. The Mississippi River flowed backwards, islands sunk, lakes formed and sand holes blew.

Back then this area was wilderness and frontier land; so not many were killed and damage was minimal by today’s standards.

The museum in New Madrid told us the entire story and we should all pay attention; for if and when this happens again it will change the United States, as we know it.

We rode along the river for a spell and then headed for dinner at the famous Lambert’s Café in the town of Sikeston. The Food Network called this place the #1 restaurant in the USA to pig out at, and they were not kidding. Southern Magazine rated it the #1 southern

restaurant in the nation.

Entering and putting our name on the waiting list, we could see where Cracker Barrel got its format. Large, open dining room with big bench seating, tons of paraphernalia and stuff hung all over, and the din of the diners all having a good time.

This is also the home of the throwed roll. No kidding. You raise your hand and the waiter will fire in a hot roll, dripping with hotter butter, over hand, from across the room. Catcher’s mitts are optional but recommended.

Hog Jowls (Shira will never be allowed back in temple after that meal) and Fried Catfish never tasted so good. The portions were huge and the se-

138 Orange Ave (Rt. 202), Suffern, NY 10901 -4PM • 9 AM

OUSE T. 6th WAYS AY OC ARY OPEN H D R GIVEA U T • S A S S R E E S D V I JOIN U YEAR ANNI S • DEMO R L 5 A I r C u E o P f or •S D • FOO MUSIC

845-357-1190 www.locomotionpowersports.com

Page 32

OCTOBER 2012 • BACKROADS

lection very southern.

I am so glad this place is in Missouri.

With a plan laid out and charted on the Garmin Zumo we headed out on what was already a hot and humid day.

Sikeston also has another claim to fame, more important than throwed rolls, and that it is the northernmost city to grow cotton commercially in the United States. It is safe to say the south starts here.

That morning we rode along farm roads with young cotton, just coming up, and hundreds of red wing black birds darting around our bikes with their bold red and yellow stripes laying against their black bodies made even more impressive by the deep green of the cotton plants.

Soon the foothills of the Ozarks were on the horizon and entering them the road and the ride changed dramatically for the better.

Roads like 67, 34, 106 and, the incredible 19 were a true rider’s paradise.

It was like riding along a “Hot Wheels” track that someone had twisted into an odd shape. Along these roads the ride wound up and down twisting to the right and left all the while tucked away from the blazing sun and along a deep and tall forest.

Even after our beloved West Virginia, this was the best riding of the journey so far.

That morning we had done a little research and were vectoring towards the Lake of the Ozarks where we took a room for two nights at a phenomenal

We quickly learned one of the major differences between the northeast and the midwest. At home a county road usually means decent pavement and superior riding. In the Show Me State it means a small road scratched out of the earth, graded and coated with creek gravel. Creek gravel has the consistency of large pebbles and small stone and, when it gets deep, it likes to grab the front wheel and move your bike around in an abrupt manner.

Planning my route around County Roads this day we ended up with a good deal of this and in the heat it made for a challenging morning.

Bed & Breakfast called the Bass & Basket. Located right on the shore of this mammoth man-made lake the place was a perfect hideaway and with the plethora of things to do in and around the Lake of the Ozarks we did not feel bad sticking around for a couple of nights, especially with the BMW Rally a little bit more than 100 miles away.

Let us throw a bit of history your way. The Lake of the Ozarks is not a natural body of water. It was created in the early ‘30s when Missouri constructed (Continued on Page 34)

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2012

Page 33

UPCOM IN G EVENTS CAL ENDAR E V E RY M O N T H - W E AT H E R P E R M I T T I N G Every Sunday • Eastern Suffolk ABATE Breakfast Run. Crossroads Diner - Calverton NY. 10:30am. Eat and Ride After • 631-369-2221 Every Sunday • Biker Breakfast at Tramontin Harley-Davidson, Exit 12 I-80, Hope, NJ (GPS: 485 Hope-Blairstown Rd, Rte. 521) 9-11am • www.tramontinhd.com First Sunday of the month • Layton Meet at the Layton Deli, corner of Dingmans/Bevans Rd, CR 560, Layton, NJ. Meet around 8am – breakfast available. Join others for a ride or head out on your own Every Tuesday • The Ear - Spring St, NYC. Come meet some fellow riders and do some benchracing or whatever. 8pm-ish Every Wednesday • Chelseas Restaurant/Pub, 1051 Rte. 22 East, Lebanon, NJ 6-9pm, weather permitting all summer • www.chelseasrestaurantpub.com Second Wednesday • Harley-Davidson of Long Branch Bike Night at McGillicuddy’s Tap House, 601 Main, Loch Arbour, NJ • 6-9pm. • www.hdlongbranch.com • Live music and prizes Every Thursday • Bike Night at the Chatterbox Drive-In, Rtes. 15/206, Augusta, NJ. Tire kicking, good food and friends • www.chatterboxdrivein.com Every Saturday • Stop by the dealership at 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. • Bergen Harley-Davidson/BMW Motorcycle, 124 Essex St, Rochelle Park, NJ • 201-843-6930 • www.bergenbmwmotorcycles.com

SEPTEMBER 28-30 • 4th Annual Colors in the Catskills. All-marque motorcycle rally at Hunter Mountain during their Oktoberfest. For full details please see ad on page 45.

29 • Micatech Open House and Fall Foliage Ride.Join Adventure bike ride will feature 100+ miles of scenic dirt roads in Central New Hampshire and will start at 9am at teh Micatech factory in Hillsboro, NH. Refreshments, door prizes and a factory tour will be featured. Camping is available in the area. For more information contact Sue@Micatech.net • 603-464-6400 • 800-464-6494 29 • 9am-4pm • Celebrate Oktoberfest at Bob’s BMW. This annual, family-fun event is a great way to spend the day. Ride to Bob’s early for fresh coffee and donuts and stay for an authentic German lunch! Kick tires with fellow enthusiasts and shop great specials.

Details of the day are in the works. Check back for updates at bobsbmw.com

OCTOBER 6 • Liberty Harley-Davidson 15th Anniversary Kick-Off Bash. BBQ, live bands, vendors and more • 12 W Milton Ave, Rahway, NJ • 732-381-2400 • www.LibertyHD.com 6 • Locomotion Powersports 5th Anniversary Open House. Music, food, demo rides, giveaways and specials • 138 Orange Ave/Rte 202, Suffern, NY • 845-357-1190 • www.locomotionpowersports.com 7 • Branchville Motors Open House with great seasonal specials and pricing • 63 Ethan Allen Hwy, Ridgefield, CT • 203-544-7901 • www.Branchville.com 12 • 24th Annual Harvey C Irons Make-A-Wish Ride hosted by Blue Knights NJIX. NEW START/END SITES: sign in: the Chatterbox Drive-in, Rte. 15 Augusta, NJ. • 9am.

Escorted ride leaves 11am Sharp. $20/pp; under 12 free. End: Hamburg FD Pavilion, Rte. 23, Hamburg, NJ. Live entertainment, vendors, charity auction and unlimited food • 973729-4072 • mlittle_2@msn.com

What’s Happening • 4 Sullivan Ave, Wurtsboro, NY • 845-888-2425 • www.OToolesHD.com 14 • The Seeing Eye® Charity Ride 2012 to benefit Seeing Eye Foundation. Sign in: Tramontin HD, Exit 12, Hope, NJ • 9-10am - ride leaves 10am. Endsite: Lewis Morris Park, Sugarloaf area A&B, Morristown, NJ. Live music, 50/50 and items for raffle. Seeing Eye dogs and puppies will greet riders at park. $20/rider; $25/pass. pre-reg • $25/rider; $20/pass day of event. includes breakfast at start and lunch at finish • www.seeingeye.org/motorcycle or 973-539-4425 ext. 1863 19-20 • Montgomeryville Cycle Center sponsoring their Antique, Classic, Custom Motorcycle Show and Flea Market. Friday 9am-7pm; Saturday 9am-5pm. Please check website for full details • 2901 Bethlehem Pike, Hatfield, PA • www.MontgomeryvilleCC.com • 215-712-7433 21 • American Spirit MC 16th Annual Tombstone Tour to benefit the Hicksville Post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Sign in: 9-10am, VFW, 320 South Broadway, Hicksville, NY. $20/rider; $10/pass. Food, music, prizes. • ww.americanspiritmcinc.com • 516644-1106 21 • O’Toole’s Harley-Davidson Fall Foliage Run through the Catskills. Meet at dealership; sidestands up at 11am • 4 Sullivan Ave, Wurtsboro, NY • 845-888-2425 • www.OToolesHD.com 21 • 24th Annual Harvey C. Irons Make-A-Wish Ride hosted by the Blue Knights NJIX. NEW START AND END LOCATIONS: Chatterbox Drive-In, Rte. 15, Augusta, NJ. Sign in starts 9am; Ride leaves 11am. $20/pp incl. coffee/donuts at start, lunch at end, entertainment, vendors and auction. Lunch served at Hamburg FD Pavilion, Rte. 23, Hamburg. NJ • Information: 973-729-4072 • mlittle_2@msn.com 25-28 • COG Fall Foliage Rally, Matamoras, PA. A convenient base will be chosen. Sample rides and group dinner on Saturday evening. Rally fee required. Contace Dave at 484553-1665 fo details or visit www.cog-online.org.

27 • Book signing by Rider, enthusiast and author of the Adventurous Motorcyclist's Guide to Alaska Phil Freeman. 10-11:30am and 1:30-2:30pm. Phil will also be presenting an Iceland Seminar: Fire and Ice. Stop in and enter to win a free Alaska Adventure. www.bobsbmw.com

NOVEMBER 3 • 6-10pm • Bob's BMW 30th Year Anniversary Celebration. Tickets will be available months in advance. Expect a private, catered evening among fellow friends with lots of surprises, amazing giveaways, first heard announcements from Bob, plus an official tribute to Bob’s BMW! Visit www.BobsBMW for details.

24 • Cross Country Cycles Annual Open House. 911 Middlesex Ave, Metuchen, NJ • www.crosscountrycycle.com • 732-635-0094

DECEMBER 15 • Holiday Cheer at Bob's BMW. A day reserved to thank all of Bob's devoted customers. Stop by for fresh pastries and coffee in the morning our infamous soup, snacks, beverages, one-day only specials and more.

JANUARY 2013 19 • Bob's Annual Bus Trip to the International Motorcycle Show. Tickets will include round trip transportation to NYC, entry to the IMS and a snack for the ride home. Space is limited and we sell out every year. Details to come. www.bobsbmw.com

13 • Morton’s BMW Ocktoberfest. 9am-4pm. Demos, vendors, door prizes, music, free German food to first 400. 5099A Jefferson Davis Hwy, Fredericksburg, VA • 540-8919844 • www.MortonsBMW.com 13 • Bergen County BMW Octoberfest. 11am-3pm. Bikes, Brats, Music and Beer tasting.

124 Essex St, Rochelle Park, NJ • www.bergenbmwmotorcycles.com • 201-8436930 13 • Woodstock Harley-Davidson Chili Cookoff. 11am-3pm. $7 all you can taste. Judges wanted. Vendors please contact BK@WoodstockHD.com • 949 Rte. 28, Kingston, NY • 845-338-2800 • www.WoodstockHD.com 13-14 • O’Toole’s Harley-Davidson Demo Days. Come take a ride on the new 2013 models

FULL TIME SALES HELP WANTED Cross Country Cycle located in Metuchen, NJ is seeking full time salespeople. Experience in the motorcycle/powersports industry and knowledge of the product lines (Honda, Kawasaki, BMW, Ducati, Triumph, Polaris, Victory, Can-Am, Sea Doo, Vespa, Piaggio) is preferred as well as a valid motorcycle license. If you do not have experience in the powersports industry there will be rigorous training sessions required before stepping foot on the sales floor.

Must possess strong communication and customer service skills.

Stop in the dealership to fill out an application or email your resume to:

info@metrogroupofnj.com 911 Middlesex Avenue Metuchen, NJ 08840 • (732)491-2900

Are you ready for the most comfortable motorcycle saddle?

A saddle that fits properly eliminates pressure points that reduce blood flow. It takes a solid understanding of human anatomy and extensive motorcycle experience to make a truly fine motorcycle saddle. Let Rick’s medical expertise as a critical care nurse and extensive riding experience combine to create a truly great saddle hand-made just for you. Prices start at $269.

www.RickMayerCycle.com

Page 34 the Bagnell Dam and bottlenecked the Osage River for hydroelectric power.

Construction started on the dam in 1929 and was completed in 1931. The resulting reservoir, the Lake of the Ozarks, has a surface area of 55,000 acres, over 1,150 miles of shoreline, and stretches 92 miles from end to end. At the time of construction it was one of the largest man-made lakes in the world and the largest in the United States.

With the entire lake at our disposal we followed a suggestion from a posting on the Backroads FaceBook page and took a ride over to Ha Ha Tonka Park to see the ruins of one man’s dream.

In 1905, a self-made, prominent Kansas City businessman, Robert McClure Snyder, began construction of his dream home atop a 250foot cliff overlooking Big Spring, a natural spring in the south-central Missouri Ozarks, just outside of Camdenton. This region is known as Ha Ha Tonka, or Hahatonka, and is most often translated as the “Land of the Laughing Water” because of the sound the water makes at the base of the cliff.

Unfortunately Snyder was killed in one of the first automobile accidents in Missouri history the next year and it was left to his sons to complete the castle. For 20 years it operated as a hotel and then, as with all great old buildings, it mysteriously burned leaving only the huge stone skeletal remain that is part of the park today. The ruins and the views were impressive, but so was the 100+ heat so we headed back towards a friendly marina, parked the bikes and rented a Sea Doo watercraft for the afternoon.

If the view from the cliffs was good the view from the water was even better as we squirted by million dollar homes, ugly condominiums and some super natural beauty squeezed in between. The Lake of the Ozarks might be just a bit over developed these days. We skipped along the water trying to catch air with each passing power boats wake and went as far as the “Danger” sign at the Bagnell Dam before doing donuts and quick u-turns all the way back towards our home base. It was still hot, but we did our best to get soaked while on the Sea-Doo. By evening we retreated back to the Bass & Basket where we had a cold bottle of white in the fridge, a lounge chair on the dock and a cool lake for that occasional dip with the required buoyant noodle to float easily around.

The same noodle, I would have you know, that the Navy SEALS use, although theirs are more cammo and stealth in nature and not so bright neon as ours.

That night after the sun set we cabbed it to a fine local bistro and had another great meal, making it an early night as we had our last charge into Sedalia the next day.

The temps kept rising the next day and we tried to get used to riding through 105 degrees.

The route up to Sedalia was just under 100 miles so we rolled into town by early afternoon.

After checking in we registered at the rally and took a quick look at the ample and well thought out Missouri State Fairgrounds. Most

OCTOBER 2012 • BACKROADS

of the vendors were in air conditioned buildings and we had arranged for a new set of chain and sprockets to be UPSed here as Shira’s had begun to give up the ghost and we would need to change these before the journey home the next week.

The rally opened the next day at 9am and we were there early to take in the number of air-conditioned buildings packed with great vendors and to set up the bit of maintenance on the bikes.

This rally, more than any other, has so many interesting and informative seminars. Subjects such as world touring, new products, rider safety and techniques abound. And, with the triple digit temperatures outside the seminars sounded better and better.

Still we managed to help the motorcycle industry’s economy in a great way as the BMW MOA Rally is farkle city and our credit cards were reduced to silly putty before we were done here.

The entertainment was well beyond your normal rallies too, with the likes of The Fabulous Thunderbirds, The Outlaws and others taking the stage during the event. One other odd thing, which we had to see, was the Anvil Launch.

Each day at 4pm this fellow would launch an anvil about 150 feet into the air with explosives. I knew this was going to be good when the guy lit the fuse and ran like hell. A large boom followed and the anvil rocketed upward and then slowed before flip flopping end over end back to Earth with a muffled thud.

It doesn’t get much better than that and it certainly brought the little boy out in me.

BMW had the demo truck present, so all got to see the newest machines from Germany.

Although the temperatures seem to mellow a bit as the rally progressed it was still blisteringly hot, bouncing in and around the century mark, and come Saturday we were already in get home mode.

But there was still plenty to see and do. The vintage motorcycle display had a wonderful grouping of classic BMWs and we spent some time watching the GS Giants track and a number of GS riders honing their off-road skills.

During the rally some women got together and organized a Women’s GS ride. While Shira had very much wanted to attend, her bike was down for the day and thanks to some of the other women who attended, we’ll have coverage of that in a future issue.

The Missouri State Fairgrounds has a number of really great restaurants and choosing what to eat was almost a problem.

Looking at the rally as a whole I have to say that the BMW MOA, the magazine folk – Vince Winkel and crew and all the volunteers – do a superb job of balancing the many plates that go into making a rally such as this happen. This 40th rally

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2012

Page 35

Opposite:The remains of Snyder’s castle in HaHaTonka State Park, the only way to cool down at the BMW rally was some ice cream - two or four-legged,GS Giant competitor’s bike with beer tent in the background, BMW ON editor Vince Winkel displaying Valerie Thompson’s award, Pepe waiting to win his prize at the closing ceremony, GS Giant course, vintage bike display and riding towards the St. Louis Arch.

offered so much and really delivered, regardless of the heat.

Although some folks insist that the BMW National Rally will be held in Death Valley next year, we know it will really be held in Salem, Oregon where we are pretty confident it will be far cooler.

We had taken the backroads here but the need to head east and into cooler air was imperative. We have a marvelous interstate system here in this nation and making time east to Pennsylvania seemed like a plan. But, in keeping with the great rivers we had crossed we had one more on the list of famous American rivers – The Missouri.

We rode east along Route 50, which in just a few miles became a real pleasurable ride, and then along some serious backroads that were as good as it gets and by lunch time we were riding through what has been called the prettiest town in Missouri, that happens to lie right on the big river with the same name.

All good things must end they say and with a few days of century-plus heat we needed to head east and into a more pleasurable atmosphere.

The Interstate Highway System in the United States is a true marvel at crushing the miles between Point A and Point B and by late afternoon we were scooting through downtown St. Louis and beneath the Gateway Arch.

The Gateway Arch, or Gateway to the West, is the centerpiece of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in St. Louis, Missouri. It was built as a monument to the westward expansion of the United States. At 630 feet, it is the tallest man-made monument in the United States.

Mighty impressive, I tell ya.

(Continued on Page 39)

OCTOBER 2012 • BACKROADS

Page 36

MOTORCYCLE MARKETPLACE

ALL THAT GOOD STUFF

The Riverton

Travel along the scenic backroads of the Delaware river.

Meet the Markopoulos family and taste chef George’s Greek American cooking.

Best bar menu, lunch or dinner.

Fresh poppers, perogies, calamari, clams and crispy wings with 8 different sauces.

…your personal heaven on earth!

Located in Arden, only 15 minutes from Philippi, on the beautiful Tygart River in West Virginia, our bed & breakfast is the perfect place to call home while exploring the Mountain state.

Tues. thru Sat. 11am-10pm Sunday: Breakfast 9am-Noon Lunch and Dinner served until 9pm

Rates from $70 - $90 per night

John, Christina, chef George and Eoanna welcome you and your friends.

The Riverton Hotel and Restaurant

866.909.4262

Member of

At Belvidere-Riverton Free Bridge, Riverton, PA

www.AngelBandFarm.com

610-498-4241 • www.rivertonhotel.com

Box 696 • North River Road • Philippi, WV 26416

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

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

845-446-0912 rmerbbq.com www.barnsto Worth the ride from anywhere!

Celebrate the Holidays with some awesome barbeque!

If you go home hungry it’s your own fault

Sharing your passion for good food since 1983

NOW AVAILABLE

Member of

Barbeque Catering Flexible Affordable Ready When You Are Join Us for 1st Friday Celebration 1st Friday of each month from 6 to 9pm Live Music • Dinner Specials 320 Front Street, Belvidere, NJ • 908-475-2274 • www.thisilldous.com

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

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

WCW

www.washingtoncycleworks.com

Washington Cycle Works

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

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

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2012

Page 37

MOTORCYCLE MARKETPLACE

Sussex Hills Ltd.

ALL THAT GOOD STUFF

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

Now stocking a full line of heated gear Get ready for some cool riding.

Parts • Dynojet 250 Dyno available for testing

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

Norman Gross Since 1976 Our Reputation Speaks for Itself

For All Your Harley-Davidson Needs

3 miles north of Sussex Borough

MOTORCYCLE TRAILERS DAYTONA, BIKETOBERFEST, STURGIS AND BEYOND

BARN TRAILERS

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

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

Member

Excellent Ride Destination

EAST COAST TRAILERS HONESDALE PA • 570-729-8870

6’ X 12’ Haulmark Passport $

269000

Ramp & Side Door • Lights 72” Headroom • 14” Tires • Stone Guard

GenMar HANDLEBAR RISERS

KAWASAKI • HONDA • YAMAHA • SUZUKI • TRIUMPH • MOTO GUZZI • ETC Raise your handlebars for a more comfortable ride and still retain stock look.

From $59.95 to $139.95 Order Toll Free (877) 471-1515 Info and Fax (505) 743-2243 • www.zianet.com/GenMar

Gen Mar Mfg. Inc. • 110 1st Street • HC1 Box 35 • Arrey, NM 87930

www.stopngo.com The Best Tire Repair.

Know Before You Go! 800-747-0238 If you didn’t like cool stuff, you wouldn’t be reading this magazine.

Here’s something you’re going to love.

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

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

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

Tuesday ~ Sunday 11am-9pm Brunch 10am-2pm • Closed Mondays Our Deck is Open for the Season 1040 Cty Rd 521 • Swartswood, NJ 973-300-0016

www.theboathouserestaurantonline.com

OCTOBER 2012 • BACKROADS

Page 38

MOTORCYCLE MARKETPLACE

ALL THAT GOOD STUFF

Specializing in Ducati, BMW, MV Agusta, Triumph and Aprilia Service • Repairs • Suspension upgrades and engine performance Give us a call or stop on by 41 Ballard Rd • Middletown, NY www.europeancycleservices.com 845-725-7707

The BACKROADS Moto-Inn listings will give you some great ideas for places to stay and eat.

Check it out here: www.backroadsusa.com/moto-innlistings.html

Largest

Join Us in 2013 Patagonia, Peru or Bolivia

in Latin America

New for 2013 - DAKAR Visit our website for all 2013 tour dates Ride through Chile, Peru and Argentina.

Visit the full range of our beautiful and enchanting places and see our lakes, other-worldly deserts, the dramatic Andes, snow-covered volcanoes and, Independent touring or guided tours with multilingual guide, mechanic and support vehicle. 12 Years organizing tours and BMW rentals, BMW Travel Partner and Official BMW Dealer 70 motorcycles in fleet

of course, the magic world of Patagonia.

email info@motoaventura.cl web www.motoaventura.cl

Touring North Central Virginia?

Then ride on over to the NEW Comfort Inn & Suites in Orange

Moto-Inn Approved Tell ‘em Backroads sent you!

‘50s-Style Drive-In Restaurant Full and Varied Menu Room for the Whole Gang

BIKE NIGHT IS BACK AT

THE CHATTERBOX DRIVE-IN GREAT FOOD • GOOD TIMES • EXCELLENT RIDING Located at Ross’ Corners • 1 Route 15 • Augusta NJ • 973-300-2300

www.chatterboxdrivein.com

cboxdrivein

The newest motorcycle-friendly Motorcyclist Owned & Operated hotel closest to Skyline Drive… Large indoor heated pool and spa • Free deluxe hot breakfast buffet just 30 miles away!

Microwaves and fridges in every room • Large rooms + suites available

15% Discount to all Motorcyclists

Comfort Inn & Suites 334 Caroline St (James Madison Hwy), Orange, VA 22960 540-672-3121 • www.comfortinn.com/hotel-orange-virginia-VA657

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2012

(Continued from Page 35)

Page 39

started, crossing the Delaware River and riding through the magnificent Delaware Water Gap; just a short ride from home base at Backroads Central.

What a great midsummer’s ride. A touch over 3,000 incredible miles, all sorts of conditions and roads, touching 11 states and crossing an untold number of rivers, big and small, historic and unknown; but all part of the landscape of these United States.

Next year’s BMW International Rally will be held in Salem, Oregon. I smell another big trip a’coming!

By evening we were on the far side of Indy and making plans for one more big day’s charge east along the interstates.

The previous weekend the AMA Vintage Days were held at Mid-Ohio Race track and a few of our riding buddies rode out for what is one of the best motorcycle events in the United States.

Our friend Mike had been in touch with me and he mentioned they we going to ride the Pennsylvania Alleghenies back east towards home and they had made reservations in the town of Warren for that Monday evening.

Looking at our maps we felt we could easily surprise them and then ride along with them back to New Jersey.

Along the way we made a few stops, one very solemn at the Avenue of the 414 Flags in Hermitage, dedicated HUDSON VALLEY REGIONAL to the 414 days Americans were held hostage in Iran; which was quite a sight with so many Old Glories waving under the clear blue sky. Then we continued on east and found one for Seymour O’Life at the Pymatuning Reservoir.

This place is known as “Where the Ducks Walk on the Fish.”

Here is an attraction that does not advertise, yet it draws over 300,000 visitors a year! That would make the Spillway the second most popular tourist destination in all of Pennsylvania, trailing only the Liberty Bell.

This is an upcoming Mysterious America for sure.

By evening we rolled into Warren, just 20 minutes behind, Mike, Pam and Ed. 949 Rte 28 • Kingston, NY 12401 It was good to meet up with friends on the road and, www.woodstockharley.com where we just wanted to go home before, now we wanted more two wheel adventure.

Besides the Allegheny River was still to be crossed.

Route 6 across the Keystone state sounded like a plan, at least for awhile, as “six” is nice, but not nearly as fun as the many roads that crisscross the mountains that lay just to the south. We told our friends we might peel off, as they were really looking forward to riding Route 6 across the Keystone State but we, as they say, “had been there and done that,” and Route 44 south through the Alleghenies gave us a full morning of twisties and elevation changes.

We found a nice lunch at McConnell’s Country Store and Fly Shop, in the town of Waterville, that has tasty sandwiches, comfortable picnic tables, fuel and everything “fly fishing!”

With threatening powerful thunder storms heading towards us and some major construction on our planned “backroads route” we opted to pick up the big road near the Susquehanna River, at Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, which was ironic as this was where the BMW MOA held last year’s International Rally - in the same type of blistering heat. In a short time we were back where we

WOODSTOCK HARLEY-DAVIDSON

Saturday

October 13th 11am - 3pm

COOKOFF ALL THE TASTING YOU CAN FOR $7 JUDGES NEEDED NO EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

CALL 845-338-2800 WANT TO COMPETE? Please email BK@WoodstockHarley.com

OCTOBER 2012 • BACKROADS

Page 40

TEAM LYLE GARDEN STATE RALLY SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13 to benefit Eddie’s Road Eddie’s Road is a program of The Eddie James Foundation for Children.

Founded in memory of Eddie James, the focus of our non-profit foundation is to stop the cycle of abuse through proper education, mentoring, counseling and activities that encourage children to reach their full potential without the influences of violence, addiction or neglect.

TEACHING MOTORCYCLISTS SINCE 1966

Is Motorcycling For You? Here’s a great way to find out…

A two-hour, first-touch experience with a motorcycle and not designed to teach a person to ride. The INTRODUCTORY MOTORCYCLE EXPERIENCE will help a potential rider determine whether motorcycling is a good personal choice, as well as ensure a person is aware of the risks and requirements for being a good, safe and responsible rider.

Already Riding Your Own Bike?

Here’s a great way to refresh your skills…

For riders who already have basic skills. Similar to the BRC, the Basic RiderCourse 2 is done on your own motorcycle at higher speeds. Informal classroom component to discuss safety concepts based on past riding experiences and current knowledge. For a BRC2 minus the license waiver component (no classroom activities and no knowledge or skill test), there is a skills practice offering.

THE MORE YOU KNOW THE BETTER IT GETS PH: 516-541-1119 • 718-847-2015 Email: Tramas847@aol.com Web: Tramas.com • Tramas2Ride.com

9am to 5pm • Meet: 60 Reading Rd, Branchburg, NJ $30/rider • $40/two-up • Free food at the end This is a charity motorcycle Scavenger Hunt. The concept is simple.

Rally starts at 9am, with rider’s area open at 7 - rider’s meeting 8.

Scoring opens at 3pm - closes at 5:15; food at 5:30 - prizes at 6:30 Each rider is given a book with bonus locations, which are each worth some amount of points. You have 8 hours to ride to as many bonus locations as possible, all in the state of NJ, either take a picture or answer a question and get back to the starting point. No set route, no minimum or maximum number of bonuses to collect.

This is not a race - 450 mile cap on mileage to make sure there is no unwarranted speeding.

Every participant will receive a t-shirt and rally towel. Towel must be in all pictures. Top 3-5 finishers will receive prizes and trophies.

For absolutely all the information you’ll need to participate in this very fun day rally, please visit: http://www.itgutcheck.com/tlgs2012.html Here you can register (cut off is 30 riders so DON’T GET LEFT OUT)

Rider Education Of New Jersey

Make-A-Wish Foundation® of New Jersey

Inc.

presents the 24th annual

Basic RiderCourse • $275 Basic RiderCourse 2 (old ERC) • $125

Harvey C. Irons Make-A-Wish Ride

“New” 3 Wheel BRC & The Advanced RiderCourse

* * * NEW START/END LOCATIONS * * *

Over 20 Years Experience!

Learn to Ride! Learn to Ride Better!

Chatterbox Drive-In, Rte. 15, Augusta, NJ

No Permit Needed!

HAMBURG FD PAVILION, Rte. 23, Hamburg, NJ

To Learn More or to Register Online Visit RENJ.com Call Today: 1-800-8WE-RIDE Motorcycle Safety Foundation & New Jersey State Approved MVC Written and Road Test Waived (certain restrictions apply)

Hosted by BLUE KNIGHTS NJ IX

Sunday Oct. 21st sign up starts 9am at the Enjoy coffee, doughnuts and fresh bagels.

Escorted ride leaves at 11:00am

SHARP!

Come back from the ride and enjoy Live Entertainment, vendors, charity auction and unlimited food. Lunch & drink included in the $20.00 pp registration fee.

Children under 12 are free. d tione Sanc AMA

NO P E

TS A LL

OWE D More info at BKNJIX.org Call 973-729-4072 • email mlittle_2@msn.com

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2012

Page 41

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

by Reg Pridmore Taken from his great book Smooth Riding the Pridmore Way which is available at classrides.com, Whitehorse Press, Amazon and other fine booksellers

Obstacles & Panic How should you slow down when you encounter surface irregularities such as gravel and sand, especially in a corner?

First of all, the secret is to set a speed that’s within the limits of your ability.

If you encounter sand and try to put the brakes on at 80-90 mph, you’ll get hurt. If you’re going 20-30 mph, you can survive. In general, if you stay off the rear brake, there’s a good chance you’ll come through these situations but you have to learn not to tense up. Relax. Even if you get into a little slide, try not to let it faze you. A slide is nothing compared to the consequences of panicking, sitting up, and possibly drifting into the other lane. In so many cases, it is a panicked reaction to marginal circumstances that causes a rider to crash.

I’m always painting scenarios in my mind. Once, while entering a blind right-hander, I was doing just that. Sure enough, when I came around the corner, there was a huge truck in the middle of the road. Fortunately I could cope with it, because I’d managed my speed, set up properly for the corner, and was mentally prepared to react to such a situation. It’s helpful to imagine the worst possible scenarios. If you’re ready, you’ll manage. If you’re not, the results could be very scary.

When it comes to dealing with sudden obstacles, some people feel it’s better to “lay it down” as a means to avoid contact. Bad idea. I have too much of a can-do attitude when it comes to avoidance. I prefer to believe that I have the ability—borne of practice—to escape most situations unscathed.

A few years back I had a 90 mph get-off at a CLASS session. Someone hit me. I did my best to manage the situation, applying the brakes right up to the tire barrier on the side of the track. By the time I crashed I had scrubbed off a lot of speed. My injuries would have been much worse if I hadn’t done this.

There was no way I was going to just “lay it down.” I managed the situation

Wheel Sport Center Inc. 399 HUGUENOT ST • NEW ROCHELLE, NY

914.636.7235 • fax 914-636-6184

WheelSportCenter.net • NewRocYamaha.com Franchised Yamaha Dealer for over 50 Years

as long as I could.

When faced with these situations, some people think, “I can’t make it.” In contrast, I’m very strong-willed about being able to pull it out. I say, “I can do this!” Most times I’ve won—a couple of times I’ve lost. But I’m convinced it’s better to try to save it.

In general, you should get most of your braking done in an upright position, where traction is greatest. However, sometimes you’ll need to brake in corners, and sometimes you’ll need to continue your braking into the turn. For racers, it’s critical. For the average rider, it’s something to at least be familiar with. Think of it this way: If your life depended on applying the brakes in mid-corner—for instance, if you encountered an animal or other hazard— you need to have experienced it and not be scared by it. It can be done, but you can’t just “grab and stab”.

How do you do it? Obviously, you can’t just lean over at 45 degrees and slam the brakes on. This is an area where a good feel for your brakes and exceptional smoothness and finesse are essential for control. Most racers combine smooth front brake action with a sufficient quantity of engine braking to get the job done. Champions such as Nicky Hayden frequently “bring the rear wheel around” by overusing the engine’s braking ability. They rev the engine, downshift two to three times, and lock up the rear wheel momentarily by feathering the clutch in and out.

This is where “trail braking” comes into play, which involves releasing the front brake as smoothly as you applied it. In other words, apply the throttle to accelerate out of the turn at the same time you’re trailing the front brake off. Try practicing this movement in the garage prior to using it on the road or track. Once learned, trail braking will make the bike more manageable as you come back on the gas. The important thing is to manage these inputs subtly, because of the reduced traction while you’re leaned over in a turn. If you don’t practice, you’ll panic come the critical time. copyright Reg Pridmore/Geoff Drake from Smooth Riding, the Pridmore Way.

OCTOBER 2012 • BACKROADS

Page 42

PRODUCT REVIEW

BAGS FOR BIKES – LINERS TO SIMPLIFY YOUR TRAVELS BagsforBikes inner liners are a unique brand of motorcycle luggage from bagsforbikes.com. Each bag is crafted by hand in Baldwin, Ga. at the foot of the Blue Ridge, in a shape that fits the shape of your saddlebags.

“We started with Nomad bags in 1999 because their saddlebags are a unique rounded-off shape,” said Karla Kiefer, designer and maker of the bags. “Then it turned out that there is a demand for inner bags that fit Moto Guzzi, Norge, Kawasaki Concours, my husband’s Harley Road King, and more. So there’s a specific pattern for each bike, and in addition, people can choose whether they want extra map pockets, eyeglass pockets, dividers, full-trunk bags or ones that only fill the outer clamshell, and more.” And with a little tweaking, the patterns can be changed to fit a particular bag not listed on the website.

Personalization doesn’t stop there. After choosing from a number of colors for the K-Dura fabric or a lighter weight nylon fabric, the customer can specify individual embroidery.

The Sussex County Farmer’s Market

Come with empty saddlebags and bring home dinner 37 Plains Road at the Sussex County Fairgrounds • Augusta, NJ

Open through October • Saturdays 9am-2pm

The most Rider-Friendly Farmer’s Market in the Region Come and meet YOUR Farmers

EACH AUTUMN WE LIKE TO REMIND YOU TO WATCH THOSE FALLEN WET LEAVES, TO PACK THE ELECTRIC GEAR AND MAKE THE MOST OF THE GREAT COOLER TEMPERATURES AND

TAKE A RIDE.

“Many prefer an image of their motorcycle, but we’ve had club logos, nicknames, symbols, what-have-you,” Kiefer said. “The only item that we don’t customize is the strap handles. We use super-strong webbing that wraps completely around the bottom, so it can take just about any weight without breaking.”

The bags make it convenient to carry one’s possessions into the hotel or store them in a tent, without going to the trouble of disconnecting the outer trunks. A unique double-zippered top flap makes it a breeze to insert and remove bulky items.

Some bags come with a suitcase style zipper with a double pull. There are even several bags that can expand to the whole saddlebag.

“It’s not a mass-produced item, although prices start at just $84 a pair,” said Kiefer. “When you get these, you have luggage that not only fits your motorcycle, but is a one-of-a-kind accessory tailored to your personal style.” And all workmanship is completely guaranteed against falling apart.

Karla also works full time as a registered nurse at the local correction facility and is busy starting a new line of clear bags. So if you need a clear motorcycle bag to take to work at the local jail, this may be the only place to get them!

Her prized possession is a picture of a bike parked on a dirt road in South America, with a pair of liners holding equipment. Other past destinations have included Canada, Australia, and numerous European countries.

We ordered a set of bags for Shira’s F650GS sporting Trax side and top cases.

After sending the measurements and a digital image of the Backroads’ logo, we quickly received our liners within 10 days – pretty great turnaround for a handmade product. With a brief stop at Backroads Central for laundry, the bags were loaded and put into the cases with a perfect fit. They even have outside pockets for those ‘empty spaces’ not normally filled. Having liners for all three bags made it a breeze to carry stuff from bike to hotel and to keep them organized if not totally unpacking.

You can find all the offerings from Karla’s easily-navigated website to order a set for your bike – now get packing!

www.bagsforbikes.com

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2012

Page 43

Rip & Ride® • GROUNDS FOR SCULPTURE 18 Fairgrounds Road , Hamilton, NJ 08619 • (609) 586-0616 • www.groundsforsculpture.org Approx. 96 miles one way • GPS download: www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/v4a82b

EXIT CHATTERBOX FROM REAR EXIT LEFT AT RTE. 206 SOUTH RIGHT AT PRICE RD (STATE TROOPER BARRACKS) LEFT AT AUGUSTA HILL RD. RIGHT AT CR 519 LEFT AT CR 627 STRAIGHT AT CR 626 LEFT AT CR 521 SOUTH LEFT AT FRANK CHANDLER RD. RIGHT AT CR 622 LEFT AT CR 619 LEFT AT DOVE ISLAND RD. RIGHT AT DUCK POND RD. LEFT AT WEST END RD. CR 614 RIGHT AT RTE. 94 SOUTH LEFT AT PHIL HARDIN RD. RIGHT AT CR 519 SOUTH LEFT AT CR 608 RIGHT AT CR 611 RIGHT AT QUAKER RD. CR 669 LEFT AT CR 621 IMMEDIATE RIGHT AT QUAKER CHURCH RD. STRAIGHT ON CR 615 RIGHT AT CR 613 BEAR RIGHT AT ALPHANO RD. LEFT AT RTE. 46 RIGHT AT BARKERS MILL RD. RIGHT AT MT. BETHEL RD. CROSS CR 628 BEAR RIGHT TO CR 629 CROSS US 57 STRAIGHT TO POINT MOUNTAIN / MT. LEBANON RD. RIGHT AT ANTHONY RD. LEFT AT WOOD GLEN RD.

AT STOP CROSS AND STRAIGHT AT CR 628 LEFT AT CR 513 RIGHT AT HOFFMAN CROSSING RD. LEFT AT MT. GROVE RD. RIGHT AT CALIFON-COKESBURY RD. BEA LEFT AT CR 639 LEFT AT MAIN ST. RIGHT AT CHERRY ST. BECOMES CR 629 AROUND ROUND VALLEY RESERVOIR BEAR LEFT CR 269 RIGHT AT BARLEY SHEAF RD. LEFT AT ROCKAFELLOW MI RIGHT AT RIVER RD. LEFT AT CASE BLVD. CROSS RTE. 202 LEFT AT CR 650 RIGHT AT BARLEY SHEAF RD. LEFT AT CR 514 IMMEDIATE RIGHT AT CR 609 LEFT AT CR 602 FIRST RIGHT AT LINDBERGH RD. RIGHT AT HOLLOW RD. RIGHT AT CR 518 LEFT AT HOPEWELL PRINCETON RD. STRAIGHT AT CARTER RD. BEAR LEFT AT LAWRENCEVILLE RD. BEAR IMMEDIATE RIGHT AT FACKLER RD. RIGHT AT PRINCETON PIKE LEFT AT FRANKLIN CORNER RD. RIGHT AT US 1 EXIT AT WHITEHEAD RD STAY TO RIGHT BEAR TO EAST STATE ST. FOLLOW SIGNS TO GROUNDS FOR SCULPTURE

Come Ride the Dragon Deals Gap Store • Motel Bar and Grill

Deals Gap 318 Curves in 11 Miles

www.dealsgap.com 800.889.5550 17548 Tapoco Road • Robbinsville, North Carolina 28771

OCTOBER 2012 • BACKROADS

Page 44

alSTede FarmS 84 cr 513, chester, nJ 908-879-7189 www.alstedefarms.com Open everyday from 9am to 9pm (Fall hours may vary) Yes, I know this is the October issue, but I just haven’t had enough ice cream yet. When does one, really, have enough ice cream?

In our never ending search for good homemade ice cream, this month we’ll bring you to a farm which will satisfy so many needs; really good sweet treats, farm fresh fruits and vegetables and a playground for the kids including farm animals, things to climb and the always-fun corn maze. Let’s start with ice cream, as that’s the main focus here, right?

Alstede Farms was founded by Kurt Alstede, a first generation farmer, in 1982. On their 600 acres of land in Chester, NJ, they produce apples, peaches, strawberries, raspberries, currants, gooseberries, pumpkins, corn, tomatoes and many other specialty vegetables. Most of these fruits make their way into the ice cream machine where they produce some very fine ice cream indeed. With an offering of 32 flavors, including some seasonal sensations like green apple caramel, peach blueberry and pumpkin, I’m sure you’ll find something to tickle your taste buds. To put some extra flavor atop your icy delight, they offer a toppings bar. In the mood for something soft? They have that too, with your vanilla, chocolate and twist filling the cup or cone. Being on a farm, you can order up a delicious thick milk shake – any flavor you fancy – with fresh milk from Byrne Dairy – white or chocolate, skim or regular. Feel like a super indulgence? How about a banana split or hot fudge sundae. Like your sweets but watching the calories? Alstede Farms will help with their slushies available in strawberry, apple cider, blueberry lemonade or peach.

Shira’s Summertime Ice Cream Ride

For over 30 years Circle Cycle has helped riders get and stay on the road Our variety of powersports products is second to none.

Whether you’re riding offroad, backroads, or on the track, we’re here to get you where you need to go.

In northern New Jersey there isn’t a friendlier or more knowledgeable staff than ours. We’re happy to help you find the parts you’ve been looking for.

Online Shopping Available Check our catalog pages - if you don’t see what you want, give us a call or stop in - we’re always ready to help!

The end of summer is almost here and autumn clean up is around the corner. Get the right tool for the job.

Circle Cycle

SUSSEXMOTORSPORTS

For the discriminating rider.

446 Route 23 • Sussex, NJ • Located across from the A&P Shopping Plaza

973-875-3640 • www.sussexmotorsportsnj.com

CIRCLE

570 Broad Ave, Ridgefield NJ

CYCLE 201-945-2200

web: www.circlecycle.net

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2012

Page 45

On our visit, I sampled the very fresh peach ice cream with an extra scoop of ultimate brownie to satisfy my chocolate cravings. That first spoonful of peach was like biting into the freshest summer sweetness you could find, with the ultimate brownie being the perfect combination. Had I been so inclined to tour the farm and work off those ice cream calories, I definitely would have come back for another scoop of coffee and caramel for dessert.

I said that Alstede Farms was an all-inclusive destination. If you happen to bring the kids, or are just a kid at heart, you will find their resident farm animals (horses, cows, sheep, goats, donkeys, rabbits and various fowl) all craving attention and snacks. Just step inside and buy a bunch of carrots and you’ll make a friend for life (or at least until the next person feeds them). Need a little exercise – try climbing the huge hay pyramid and get a different view of the area. They have an 80-foot long hay tunnel for your little rug rats to explore and, after they’ve navigated that, you can take the hay wagon out to the fields and pick your own fruits and vegetables. If all this has worked up an appetite that ice cream can’t fill, you can either bring your own pic-a-nic basket and enjoy it on their many covered picnic tables or stroll over to the Hen House, where hot dogs and light refreshments are available every day, with a larger variety including German wursts, burgers, Philly cheese steaks and their accoutrements, on weekends.

Colors in the

Catskills 5 The 2012 Alstede Farms Corn Maze honors Lou Gehrig. Whether or not you are a Yankees fan, most baseball fans know who the legends are, and Lou Gehrig is certain included in that list. Playing in the same ‘Murderer’s Row’ line up with Ruth, the ‘Iron Horse’ set a record for consecutive games played while being a home-run and RBI machine. The maze, covering 10 acres, has a smaller section for little ones or those who give up easily.

For a complete listing of what’s available for picking, their many special events and entry pricing, take a look at their website – www.alstedefarms.com gPS download: www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/pjzcx1 Remember, GPS route may vary if your maps are not the same. When downloading from SendSpace ONLY click on the blue download box.

At Hunter Mountain

sponsored by MAX BMW FREE All-Brand Motorcycle Rally

Sept. 28-30, 2012 FREE all-brand gathering featuring off-road riding, sport riding and sport touring, along with the Hunter Mountain OktoberFest!

Come join us to see the finest show Mother Nature can offer, enjoy the unspoiled roads the weekend before Columbus Day, and also enjoy the company of your fellow riders of all types. Visit motorcycle vendors, attend interesting seminars and an opportunity to participate in off-road schools led by Team MAX. Hunter Mountain's Annual Oktoberfest features fantastic live entertainment surrounded by the autumn beauty of the Catskills. The modern celebration of the harvest features a farmers market, plenty of vendors, free crafts, pumpkin painting for the kids, and much more. Free Admission!

Entertainment includes the Alex Meixner Band, Radlpass Trio from Austria, Germania Almrausch Schuhplattler Verein, Die Lustigen Almdudler, Captain Squeeze and the Zydeco Moshers, Doug Marcus and Bill’s Toupee Band

On-site lodging is available at the Kaatskill Mountain Club or Liftside Village Condominiums and camping is also on-site. Call 800-486-8376 for details. Lodging reservations at 518-263-5580.

www.Huntermtn.com

Lodging d On-Site Discounte Available ng te Campi and On-Si

OCTOBER 2012 • BACKROADS

Page 46

INDUS TRY INFOBITES RIP We at Backroads, along with our friends at Twisted Throttle, are mourning the loss of Dereck “Chappy” Chaput who died in a motorcycle accident while commuting from work on August 20th.

Chaput, 28, was the customer service manager at Twisted Throttle and was simply one of those guys you liked being around.

He always had time for anything small or large that we at Backroads needed from Twisted Throttle.

News from the Inside R I P normally means Rest in Peace – For Dereck we think it more likely means “Ride in Perpetuity” – for this was a man who never seemed to rest and always wanted to ride!

Dereck you will be greatly missed.

GOOCH’S GARLIC RUN PAYS OFF This year’s Gooch’s Garlic Run was a hot one but the intrepid still came out to show support and help the kids. At the Blue Knights Check Award dinner they were able to present three families with a check for $8,000 each – making the total raised a whopping $32,000. Thanks to all you riders for your generosity and especially to the Blue Knights for their wonderful, and continued, help to our communities.

RIDE THE EAST – OF EUROPE THAT IS – AND MUCH MORE Adriatic MotoTours has released their 2013 tour dates. You can choose from a host of 9 to 16-day inclusive tours including Greece, Balkans, CzechHungary and so very much more. If you prefer going on your own, they offer self-guided tours as well which will give you the motorcycle and accommodations and set you on your way. Or you can just get the bike and go. Check out their site at www.smtours.com.

GREAT GIRL GEAR AT A GREAT PRICE Girl Gear is offering some significantly reduced prices on their jackets as Shelly, the owner, is slowing the business. The jackets and chaps will continue to be sold on the internet, but she will no longer be attending rally’s as a vendor.

“I have met some wonderful people by selling at rallies. The women have been kind and generous. Unfortunately, my schedule and personal life does not allow me to be on the road as much as previous years. I hope to see friends and riders at future rallies, but this time I will be on my bike. Over the years I have had great feedback on the durability, warmth and water resistance of the clothing. They have been put to the test. Thank you for all your support.”

Shelly Reiner • Girl Gear, LLC (651) 245-1033 • www.girlgearapparel.com

PEDIATRIC BRAIN TUMOR FOUNDATION MOURNS LOSS OF CO-FOUNDER DIANNE TRAYNOR Dianne Traynor, president and co-founder of the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation and co-founder of the Ride for Kids motorcycle charity program, died July 12, 2012, in Atlanta after a long illness. She was 67.

Dianne and her late husband, Mike, began the Ride for Kids program in 1984 to raise funds for childhood brain tumor research. Its success led them to start the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation (PBTF), which is now the world’s largest philanthropic organization dedicated to finding a cure for the deadliest form of childhood cancer.

Dianne was instrumental in the establishment of the Central Brain Tumor Registry of the United States and the Society of Neuro-Oncology’s journal, Neuro-Oncology.

She also helped to organize the Alliance for Childhood Cancer, an advocacy organization made up of other nonprofits, medical professionals and social workers.

“Dianne Traynor, with her husband Mike, established the major foundation in the world for helping children with brain tumors,” said Dr. Darell Bigner, director of the PBTF Institute and the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2012

Page 47

Center at Duke University and chair of the PBTF’s Scientific Advisory Board. “They devoted all their energy toward helping children by sponsoring research, college scholarships for survivors, and family support programs. I know of no one who led a more noble way of life.”

Following Mike’s death in 2009, Dianne became the PBTF’s president and chairman of the board. She also served on the board of directors of the Central Brain Tumor Registry of the United States, and was a patient advocate for the National Cancer Institute’s Brain Tumor Specialized Program of Research Excellence.

Many organizations honored Dianne’s accomplishments during her lifetime. She and Mike shared the American Motorcyclist Association’s Hazel Kolb Brighter Image Award and Motorcycle Consumer News’ Culberson Memorial Award for their work with Ride for Kids. Her efforts were recognized by the Society of Neuro-Oncology, the International Society of Pediatric Neuro-Oncology, and the International Brain Tumor Therapy and Research Meeting. In 2011 Duke University established the Mike and Dianne Traynor Lecture to honor the couple’s research legacy.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Dianne’s memory to the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, 302 Ridgefield Ct., Asheville, NC 28806, 800-253-6530 or www.curethekids.org.

HELP A VETERAN, WIN TWO MOTORCYCLES Sweepstakes gives everyday people the opportunity to contribute to the healing of America’s injured troops while having the chance to win Harley-Davidsons® What’s more American than a Harley-Davidson® motorcycle and supporting our troops? TWO HarleyDavidson® motorcycles while supporting our troops!

Healing Heroes Network (HHN) has begun its 2nd year of its highly successful “Harleys for Heroes” sweepstakes, where participants may donate for chances to win two Harley-Davidson® motorcycles (a 2012 Fat Boy® Lo and a 2012 Street Glide®), as well as a year’s worth of gas.

Healing Heroes Network is a 501(c)3 charity organization based out of Palm Harbor, FL. HHN provides financial assistance for treatments to military personnel who were injured in the line of duty while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan since September 11, 2001. The Harleys for Heroes Sweepstakes is a fun way to spread awareness for HHN’s honorable cause and to get people excited about donating.

The money raised through the “Harleys for Heroes” Sweepstakes will be used to help HHN accomplish its mission of helping these brave warriors heal and return them to the quality of life they deserve.

“Harleys for Heroes” sweepstakes started July 1, 2012, and ends February 15, 2013. To donate for the sweepstakes, visit www.GetTheBikes.com. The drawing will be held on or around February 18, 2013. For more information on the Healing Heroes Network, please visit www.healingheroes.org.

THE AMA HAS LAUNCHED THE 2012 VOTE LIKE A MOTORCYCLIST CAMPAIGN The 2012 AMA Vote Like A Motorcyclist campaign provides many online tools to help riders stay informed this coming election. These resources include voter registration, ways to support a candidate’s campaign, and the 2012 AMA Voter Guide.

The 2012 AMA Voter Guide provides candidate biographies, links to their campaign websites, photos

Ride Ireland!

Ancient culture, mysterious and enchanting landscapes, roads created by a motorcycling god, stunning rugged coastline and renowned Irish hospitality.

Check out our website:

www.celticrider.ie

OCTOBER 2012 • BACKROADS

Page 48 and scorecards for federal incumbents seeking re-election. A key component is the candidate questionnaires and their fuel-gauge rating on where they stand on motorcyclist-related issues.

How the 2012 AMA Voter Guide works: The AMA sends a questionnaire to every federal and gubernatorial candidate of the major political parties.

Once the questionnaire is completed, the AMA scores it in the form of a fuel gauge. A full tank indicates a candidate is 100 percent in agreement with the priorities of the AMA. For those candidates who have not yet completed the questionnaire, the AMA has an easy-to-use email feature for you to contact the candidate to urge him or her to complete the questionnaire..

NEW WEBSITE FOR CHOOSING RIDER’S GEAR Motorcycle riders can go to this new Internet resource, www.MotorcycleGear-and-Riding-Info.com, for information they can use to zero-in on gear that best suits them, their motorcycle and their riding style.

“This website helps riders to determine the features they want in gear and accessories for themselves and their motorcycles,” says Brian Salisbury, website editor and long-time motorcycle rider.

“It helps riders to quickly sort through many different products — their features and qualities — when hunting for equipment that meets their individual demands.”

The website also includes lots of information about motorcycle travel, how to ride more safely and comfortably and how to get the most enjoyment out of riding.

Visitors to the site can add comments and recommendations about their favorite rider gear or motorcycle equipment that performs particularly well for them.

And there’s a “Motorcycle Stories” section containing road tales and articles Salisbury has written for various publications including Backroads.

“I’m always researching and adding product and riding information to increase the site’s strength as a reliable ‘go-to’ resource for motorcycle enthusiasts,” Salisbury says.

To check out the site, contact the editor or add your motorcycle gear recommendation, go to www.Motorcycle-Gear-and-Riding-Info.com

Autocom We’re Back - Actually, we never left…

The Best Motorcycle Communication System on the Market

NEW IMPORTER, NEW PRODUCTS, NEW DEALERS Enjoy crystal clear audio from ALL of your favorite devices. Integration for music, GPS, radar detector, phone, bike-to-bike including CB and more.

ANY BIKE To experience why Autocom is the clear choice for communications see one of our dealers or call

ANY SPEED

GUARANTEED

Rocket Moto

Blue Ridge Powersports

Hollis, NH • 877-533-4245

Harrisonburg, VA • 540-434-7345

Country Rode Motowerks

Max BMW Motorcycles

Mortons BMW Motorcycles

Fairport, NY • 585-421-0480

North Hampton, NH • 603-964-2877

Fredericksburg, VA • 540-891-9844

Pro Cycles

Adventure BMW

Blue Moon Cycle

Clifton Park, NY • 518-373-0151

Chesapeake, VA • 757-523-7055

Norcross, GA • 770-477-6945

866-951-5550