September 2015

SEPTEMBER

2015

Motorcycles, Travel & Adventure Volume 21 No. 9

Riding

Out Of

Summer

SIX DEADLY DRIVERS MOTORBIKES FOR THE MASSES ROAD FROM THE WHITE HOUSE

W H A T ’ S

I N S I D E

MO NT HLY C O L U M NS

26 Motorcycles, Travel & Adventure

FREE WHEELIN’ ..................................................4 WHATCHATHINKIN’ ...........................................6 POSTCARDS FROM THE HEDGE.......................7

Publishers

Brian Rathjen • Shira Kamil

ON THE MARK ....................................................8

Contributors

Mark Byers, Pamela Collins, Victor Cruz, Bill Heald, Dr. Seymour O’Life

BACKLASH ........................................................10 GREAT ALL AMERICAN DINER RUN ..............12

Editorial Office BACKROADS, POB 317 Branchville NJ 07826

BIG CITY GETAWAY .........................................14 WE’RE OUTTA HERE ........................................17 MYSTERIOUS AMERICA..................................20

14

SHIRA’S ICE CREAM RUN ...............................24 WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE ............................37 INDUSTRY INFOBITES.....................................39 UPCOMING EVENTS CALENDAR ...................42

FE AT U RE S THE ROAD FROM THE WHITE HOUSE ...........26 MOTORBIKES FOR THE MASSES...................33

PR O DU C T R E V IE W S GIVI V56 MAXIA TOPCASE..............................35 VICTORY ELECTRIC EMPULSE TT ..................35 OLYMPIA AIRGLIDE MESH TECH....................36 GRIP GLOVES BY RACER GLOVES USA .........44

33

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973.948.4176

fax

973.948.0823

email

editor@backroadsusa.com

online

www.backroadsusa.com

Advertising

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BACKROADS (ISSN 1087-2088) is published monthly by BACKROADS™, Inc. 2015. 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.

Page 4

SEPTEMBER 2015 • BACKROADS

FREE WHEELIN’ BRIAN RATHJEN

Miles Big & sMall looking at your riding day Backwards….

Okay, feel free to make notes. There might be a quiz after this one.

On a recent tour with some friends, coming from Alberta, Canada’s Rockies to the Cascade Mountains of British Columbia we came up with the fact that to get where we wanted to be that next evening, we’d have a long day ahead – some 300 miles or more.

I could feel the cringing coming from one or two of the pillion riders at the idea of such miles coming their way.

Now I am aware, for some, 300 miles is not a big deal and I feel the smiles burning into me from the Iron Butt crowd, for whom such miles are done on their way to breakfast.

But, all miles are not equal, are they?

I told the passengers at dinner that night not to fret, as the next day’s ride was small miles… compared to big miles.

“Miles are miles,” said one woman.

Not really. Let me explain a bit more in depth.

Our ride the next day west into British Columbia would be along the Yel-

lowhead Highway, a good size, well maintained route that is one of the very few roads that would put us in the direction we needed to go.

I knew that, as such, the miles would go fairly quickly, and the ride easy on the body and the eyes; unlike some less attractive bigger roads in other parts of North America, this area of Canada is about as jaw-droppingly beautiful as can be.

With little or no traffic, and a quick pace, these 300 miles would be done, and the ride that day would get us into the city of Kamloops with plenty of daylight to spare.

On the other hand if we were faced with 300 miles in, let’s say, the Dolomites, we’d be lucky if you got finished by dark or worse, and then we’d still be heading to the hot tub for a soak.

The miles that can be tight, twisty and technical, as can be found in a place like Italy’s Dolomites, take a good deal of concentration and, after a few hours, commitment as well.

What can start off as an invigorating morning blast can, and will, morph into a tough haul after a couple of hundred miles or so of constant right /left/ right /left uphill/downhill/offcamber/hairpin/bicycle that will wear down the toughest rider.

Can you imagine finishing a Saddlesore 1000 on roads like the Transalpina of Romania…?

I can’t and why would you?

Okay, IBA – take a breath here. A thousand miles anywhere is a lot of miles. I’m aware.

The point I was making is that the environment in which your ride can and will determine how far, how quickly and how easily you will go.

Other things can come into play making an easy day into a tough one.

Inclement weather or heavy or stopped traffic can eat both time and miles from anyone’s day.

It’s all relative, as some things can add to a ride’s pleasure, while other things can take away from it.

My basic thought is that, for the most part, the ‘big’ miles will usually be found along the small and more technical roads and the ‘small’ miles will be found along on the big and wide open thoroughfares.

You might think this is backwards but ‘small’ miles do not wear on you as the ‘big’ ones can.

A few years back we were heading home from the Iron Horse Resort in North Carolina. We had planned to get to I-81 and blast north but our ride that day to the interstate took all day. We could have taken a connector road and been there in a few hours, but with plenty of time and in no rush we took the twistier and more intense backroads. We did not get far from Point A to Point B on a map, but had a very full riding day.

Big miles.

The next day we rode all the way home – small miles.

You following me?

I know, I’m confused too – why should things change.

Page 6

SEPTEMBER 2015 • BACKROADS

WHATCHATHINKIN’ SHIRA KAMIL

the Best laid Plans…

Be aware of your surroundings, anticipate problems, and strive to have more talent, traction, and time than is needed.

Ken Condon – Why We Crash Perhaps this column would fit better in ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ but as it is based on my opinion rather than hard facts and figures, we’ll leave it where it is. Thank you, Mr. Condon, for supplying me with fodder for an otherwise difficult task in my monthly chores.

In a recent overseas adventure, one that had been anticipated and planned for some time, I did not pay heed to some of the tenet that Ken put forth in this statement. But let me digress a bit.

Several years ago, while watching the British version of Top Gear, the guys were storming the byways of Romania. Taking advantage of having full run of Bucharest (not Budapest – don’t make that mistake) they raced along the tunnels under the Parliament building and generally wreaked havoc wherever they went (a typical show, all in all). While traveling the countryside, in their high-powered sports car du jour, they mentioned ‘the best road in the world, even better than Paso di Stelvio.’ Now, I have no great love for this particular pavement, as I feel it is much too tourist-crowded and bus-laden, but I do appreciate what it brings to the table with its hairpins, twisties and technical aspects one needs to maneuver it properly, and safely.

The roadway they referred to was the Transfăgărășan, the second-highest paved road in Romania after the Transalpina. It runs a mere 90km through the tallest sections of the Southern Carpathians, connecting the regions of Transylvania and Wallachia. After reading the description of the delicioussounding pavement, how could I not be salivating to put two wheels upon it.

Plans were made, tickets were bought, bikes were reserved and off we went for a wonderful Adriatic MotoTours adventures to Romania, Bulgaria and the ever-exotic Turkey.

I would be riding a bike that is very familiar to me – the BMW F700GS.

This is a great utility player, doing what is necessary to provide a great day’s ride in a variety of environments. Accepting my steed at the InterContinental Hotel (the hotel of choice of foreign press during the Romanian Revolution of 1989), I was anticipatory of a most excellent trip ahead of us.

And so it was. Through farmlands and mountain passes, I had a romping good time. The bike felt wonderful, the scenery was enticing and the weather was cooperating. Well, sort of.

Over one mountain roadway, of no particular intensity or difficulty, we encountered a bit of moisture. Up until this point, we had been moving along at a good clip, passing slower vehicles safely and prudently. I was situated somewhere middle to back of our 8 or 9 bike pack. Brian and I were ‘tethered’ by our Sena Bluetooth to comment of various scenery and such. While rounding an easy left-hand curve, I decided that, due to the approaching wet conditions, it was time to slow it down a notch. I think Brian was probably thinking the same thing at the same time, as he later told me he was just going to tell me that. Coming around the bend, there was a small truck ahead of me and, as I had done several times earlier in the day, I started to pass it.

The difference between the several times before and this time were: drizzle-to-rain and wet center line. Let’s take a look back at what Ken said at the beginning of this piece: ‘…strive to have more talent, traction, and time than is needed.’ What should have been done was slow the bike down, stay behind said truck until the road straightened out and then evaluate the conditions to see if passing was prudent. What did happen was the front tire, when hitting the wet center line, immediately tucked to the left. When it hit the non-slippery pavement, it caught and the bike tried to right itself, flipping it to the right. The aftermath was my sliding off to the left of the roadway with the bike heading in the opposite direction. All this mayhem was transmitted over said Sena Bluetooth into Brian’s helmet. Painful for me, terrifying for him.

Upon his return to the point of impact, he spied the bike on the right side of the road under the guardrail, next to the dropoff. He also heard me. in his helmet, telling him that, ‘I think I’m okay.’ Looking back and forth, he said, ‘Okay, but WHERE are you?’ I was on the left side of the road, getting up and out of the way of any oncoming traffic (Romanians are loathe to slowing down for obstructions in the road, even human ones). Yes, I was okay – bruised a bit with a pulled groin muscle in my right leg – and would live to ride another day.

(Continued on Page 11)

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BACKROADS • SEPTEMBER 2015

POSTCARDS FROM THE HEDGE BILL HEALD

what would Mr. honda do?

The other day I was riding along, pondering (you know, the way you do) and a very strange thought popped into my head. True, my head is often the repository for strange thoughts, but this strange thought I believe had a certain perverse logic to it. It came to me that, in terms of personality, Apple founder Steve Jobs had a trait in common with Honda Motor creator Soichiro Honda. They could both be downright hostile to people who made mistakes while in their employ, driven I believe by the fact that they were really passionate about getting their ideas from their heads into actual machines. And, they had tempers. Big tempers. Wrath of Kahn tempers, if any of the stories I’ve read and heard were true. Is this a necessary trait of people destined to start companies that make a huge impact on the world? Who knows?

But while both of these amazing gents could be difficult at times, they certainly made their marks while they were on this planet.

This comparison (and the whole popping into my head thing) was hatched because of a motorcycle that has been announced this summer, and it is certainly a stunner. I’ll tell you about the bike (the Honda RC213V-S) but before I do, the connection between Mr. Jobs and Mr. Honda started when I asked myself if Mr. Honda would have signed off on this exotic new 2016 machine. This led to the Jobs connection, for many in the techie pundit world asked the question about whether Steve would have approved the production of the Apple Watch that was released this spring. The motorcycle and the watch are very different kettles of sushi, and it’s always silly in many ways

Page 7 to speculate on what a person who is no longer with us may have said about something.

But such thoughts do sometimes enter discussion, and I do find speculating fun as long as you don’t take it too seriously. So, let me tell you about this rather unusual Honda, and why I was absolutely thrilled with the bike (until one little specification kind of killed it for me). What Honda has done has, literally, taken their MotoGP racing bike and constructed a street legal version that you can use to motor down to the donut shop and/or spice up your commute a bit. I have a deep affection for 90-degree Honda V-Fours, and the fact that this racetrack refugee has this configuration just like the RC30 and RC45 before it, instantly got me interested. The big difference here is those bikes were World Superbike contenders, which is of course a very high class of racing. But the level of competition, money, performance and prestige of MotoGP is at the level where you can say it’s the Formula One of motorcycle racing. A few years back the idea of making a street-legal GP bike would have been nuts, because the race bikes were insanely feral 500 two-stokes that mere mortals couldn’t even negotiate out of a parking lot without getting launched into the stratosphere.

Throttle response was quite brutal, when you hit the power band. But when the governing body decided to change from twostrokes to four-strokes the bikes became more tame (yet ultimately faster) and now with all the electronic traction controls and engine tuning on the fly, it’s not near as insane a proposition to stick a license plate on Marc Marquez’s bike and go to the shops. It’s still nuts of course, but a tad more feasible.

Of course, there are a few changes in the transition to the boulevard. In (Continued on Page 11)

Page 8

SEPTEMBER 2015 • BACKROADS

tears in the world wasn’t going to change the fact that our colleague and fellow rider was gone.

John was a test pilot – a good one - who could take the notoriously-difficult MARK BYERS E-2 Hawkeye and bend it to his will. He could hit the correct cable on the back of a moving, pitching ship at night with a 50,000 lb airplane and, should the Moving Finger the hook skip the wire, safely wrestle it back into the void for another try.

He was a loving husband and a fine engineering officer, making hard com“The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ, Moves on: nor all thy promises to keep the airplanes flying in ever-tightening fiscal times. One Piety nor Wit Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line, Nor all thy Tears thing he couldn’t control was the van that turned across his path, however. wash out a Word of it.”

Omar Khayyám, The Rubaiyat As word spread, the inevitable happened: words like “…and YOU be careful out there” were said. Worse were the unsaid – the faces I can read oh so It started okay. The day, that is – it started okay. The black Triumph grumwell by now, the fearful or even tut-tutting looks as if I was defective for bled me through light traffic to an early meeting with young people. One of choosing the bike as transportation. But I had errands to run and “miles to them rode up on a second-generation SV650 and I waved him into a space go before I sleep,” so on I went. I wish I could say I compartmentalized the by the Trumpet. Daniel’s a good kid – a new employee – and I’m determined news well, but I didn’t. At the end of the day, I got all the way to the bike to get him started well, both as an engineer and a motorcyclist. He needs without realizing my helmet was still hanging on the hook in my office. coaching in both.

Most of us have to face this dilemma, whether The meeting was good, if there is O ONE PROMISED US A RISK-FREE LIFE arisen from my colleague John or fellow author such a thing. Young people talked Jeff: when reminded of our own mortality by about their blossoming careers and AND WERE IT OFFERED, WOULD WE their loss, do we stop or do we carry on? There asked questions, serious and irreveris no doubt that there is an increase in risk for TAKE IT? MOST OF US LIVE FOR IT. ent. It was the kind of gathering that this two-wheeled life we choose, yet most of us old dogs like me say keeps them carry on. We tell ourselves we’re lucky or skilled or both. We train and dress young. They were eager and attentive, soaking up information like young to increase our odds of success. We ride with a healthy, but cynical and parasponges. It turned out that meeting was the highlight of my day. noid belief that everyone is out to get us, but ultimately, there are no guaranThen the text came. The telltale “ping” from the mobile told me fresh intees. No one promised us a risk-free life and were it offered, would we take formation had come and I, like Pavlov’s salivating dog, responded accordit? Most of us live FOR it. ingly to the irresistible lure. I wish I hadn’t…but it wouldn’t have mattered: I talked to a guy today who decided the risk/reward ratio was too high and the world turns whether or not we’re informed. “John’s dead,” it said, “van is selling his bike. I respect his choice, but I do not share it. I know too pulled out in front of him.” Seconds later, another signal rang and a similar many people who shunned the risks of life only to be claimed by disease or message came in. Bad news travels fast in the flight test family. to pass into the infirmity of old age with unrequited dreams and regrets for In the space of a minute, life went from joyous and full of the promise of a life half-lived. I think John would have agreed. Neither of us would want new careers being molded over a long period of time to a single stellar career fellow riders to throw down their gloves at the thought of our mortality. The and life ended in an instant. And unlike the former, there wasn’t a damn moving finger has to keep moving. thing anyone could do about the latter. Like Omar said, all the piety and Rest in peace, John. You’ve got a ready deck. Call the ball.

ON THE MARK

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Page 10

SEPTEMBER 2015 • BACKROADS

BACKLASH

Letters to the Editor

20 Years and Counting

Staggered…

Brian and Shira, Congratulations on your twentieth anniversary.

As they say, “time flies when you’re havin’ fun”.

Both your columns this month were especially appropriate at expressing your gratitude to your readers, your writers and your family. I really liked how you both described just how far you’ve come since your humble beginnings. In my opinion, you both certainly did more than your usual excellent job of describing how passionate you guys are about what you do and how much you enjoy doing it.

Hope you have at least twenty more years of continued success. Ride safe.... Your friend and riding buddy (even if only in spirit)....

Jerry Gambella

Hi Brian!

A fine summer day to you sir. I enjoyed your repeat sermon on group riding. I’ve been banging that drum for a long time too. Just today I got an email from Bike Bandit with advice on group riding! They’re promoting that lethal one second stagger. Really?! You know I posted a comment telling them that’s not a space cushion, that’s a train wreck. Of course I did.

We’ve got a lot of roadway out there. Why don’t we use it to make everyone safer and happier, eh? What’s with the parade mentality anyhow? I must be an oddball because I don’t understand it at all. My idea of a fun group ride is 2 bikes. And only if I know the other person’s riding pretty well.

Enjoy the day brother! Hugs all around, Jeff

The Program…

New Sweden 450 Rally

Hey Brian , It’s Alonzo. I just wanted to say as a guy sober 27 years your 12 steps of Bikerholics Annonymous was hilarious. I’ve been sharing it with my riding buddies. We’re thinking of starting a meeting, you know, after the next bike ride. Ride safe my friend.

Alonzo Bodden

Dear Shira and Brian, Wow, Thanks! We couldn’t of wished for a nicer write-up of our New Sweden 450! Plus, we really appreciate the plug at the end for our rally. THANKS for continuing the best local riding magazine there is!

Phil Levin, D.C.

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Located just 1.8 miles from Route 16 - the Back of the Dragon.

260 curve, 32-mile, 3 mountain roller coaster of a ride.

Incredible vistas, panoramic views and enough roads to ride for days!

Rated as one of the Top Motorcycling Destinations in the Nation ‘The accommodations, the ambiance, the staff and, best of all, the roads are phenomenal.

The General Francis Marion cannot be beat’ Backroads Magazine - May 2014 Whether you’re traveling alone, with a small group or a whole riding club, the General Francis Marion has a variety of rooms perfect for any event. Luxury is an extension of our Southern hospitality. Contact us concerning reservations today.

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Words from Sci-Fi Backroads, Feldercarb?

Peter Miller What? It’s a word. Without Google, does anyone know where it is from?

A Backroads commemorative pin for the first correct email to us.

We’re Outta Here!

Shira and Brian, A long overdue thank you for choosing to stay with us and include us as a Backroads ‘We’re Outta Here!’ destination. Before getting the mail on the day our copy arrived, a couple stopped by because they had already received theirs and expressed interest in staying with us sometime soon! We so appreciate your kind words and great photos of our place...enjoyed the reference to the pond...’Mitch really dives into to keep things perfect.’

Nice! I will always remember your very timely arrival and Brian’s comment ‘the photo journalist in me really wants to snap a photo...’

Hope you are having a wonderful summer, think you mentioned some exciting travel plans?!

We thank you again, and welcome you and Brian and Backroads readers looking for ‘a weekend destination keeping you on the backroads’~ Patti, Mitch, Gracie et al • Frog Hollow Farm Hi Brian Thanks so much for the great article in Backroads!

We are getting some really good feedback from it and visitors. We look forward to having your group here in September, if you make it over. See you then!

Nancy • J.Q. Dickinson Salt-Works Brian and Shira, You may remember Patti and I. She is the tall redhead who rides a 1200GS and I have a handlebar mustache and ride a Super Tenere. We just got back from Europe (using Air Canada’s new program to fly our bikes over and back), and we saw your four night Virginia, West Virginia and Pennsylvania tour in September. We did sign up with each of the hotels although two of the three were out of reserved rooms.

BACKROADS • SEPTEMBER 2015 My question is, will you be riding Thursday or are people just meeting Thursday evening at the first hotel and riding Friday-Sunday?

John F Heveron John, glad you are joining us.

Which hotels had no more rooms? I know rooms have been coming available as we get closer and people’s plans change.

We’ll be meeting in Winchester, VA that first evening with a number of suggested routes for the rest of the weekend. (We have found many do their own thing regardless). As of now we have no big ride planned to Virginia.

If we do have anything like that it will be to encourage smaller groups to head down – who wants to ride with more than 5 other bikes anyway?

If you have not been on a Backroads Rally before you will find that it is a very loose event (terribly unorganized) and easy going (please don’t ask us any specific details, as we don’t know).

But, we’re sure you will have a great time!

Postcards FroM the hedge Cont’d from Page 7) addition to bolting on the things you must have to ride on the street (lights, sidestand, catalytic convertor and muffler, street instrumentation, etc.) there are alterations they had to do so the bike can be operated and maintained by folks at a dealership. The pneumatic valves on the racer (the Formula One comparison again) are replaced with conventional spring-type valves, and the gearbox is replaced as well, going from Honda’s “seamless” competition transmission to a more familiar unit. The brakes are also armed with more streetable Brembos steel discs, as opposed to the carbon units on the other guy. But truth be told, the incredible power, technology and hand-built craftsmanship of the HRC machine is largely intact on this marvel, including most of the incredibly sophisticated electronic engine and throttle controls, handwelded frame and feathery carbon-fiber bodywork.

Incredible stuff, right? I thought, you know, this is a pretty awesome machine due to its direct relation to the state-of-the-art race bike, yet it still has roots in Honda tradition (especially the 90-degree V-Four). It even has the 360-degree crankshaft, which was the same as the original V-Fours and has a very unique droning cadence. I think I should seriously look into purchasing

Page 11 one, says I. Sort of the ultimate bike, to enjoy on special days and to keep as a showcase piece. I might even keep it clean.

And then I stumbled upon the MSRP. I thought it might be around $20,000, because, clearly, I am an idiot. The price? $184,000 U.S. Yes, you could buy a bungalow for that. I mean, that’s a bit of a cruel trick. I thought maybe the price included your own full-time crew chief and staff, but no.

It was here where I thought about Mr. Honda. There were two things about this bike that seemed odd in terms of the way I perceived him. First, he really made his reputation by making high quality and performance affordable for the masses. Second, when it came to racing, that was a professional affair.

Race bikes weren’t just developed, tested and largely maintained in secret, GP bikes were often destroyed at the end of seasons so competing teams could not steal their innovations. So the question then surfaced as to whether Mr. Honda would have agreed with the decision to build and sell this $184,000 street-legal version of their GP bike. I should point out that Honda did sell a few oval-piston NR bikes years ago that were also quite expensive and exotic, but not until after Mr. Honda passed. You could argue the question either way, and obviously we’ll never know for sure. Like with Steve Jobs and the Apple Watch, what this ultimately shows is how influential these amazing men really were, and how their passing truly changes how we view the decisions of the companies they left behind. Regardless, that is one sweet V-Four. whatchathinkin’ Con’t from Page 6 However, that ‘other day’ would not be the one that included the Transfăgărășan. That day I would be hobbling around Sibiu with a cane, while Brian and the rest of the group frolicked in the mountains. This was consequence for not paying heed to the beginning words. While I feel that my talent is adequate or better, my judgment of traction and time were woefully lacking. For the next number of days, I would be pillion, which was not such a bad spot, but I would be plagued by the fact that I had come all this way, to ride a specific path, only to be foiled by my own ineptness.

So please, go back and read that beginning sentence again so you won’t find disappointment in your best laid plans.

Page 12

SEPTEMBER 2015 • BACKROADS

Rollin’ Fast Cycle Sports Presents

GREAT A L L AMERICAN DINE R RUN

tasty places to take your bike

sky caFé • sky Manor airPort 48 SKY MANOR ROAD, PITTSTOWN, NJ 08867 908-996-4200 • WWW.SKYMANORAIRPORT.COM We have had a run lately of great restaurants found at various local airports around the region and this month we’d like to bring you one of the best – the Sky Café at Sky Manor Airport.

The restaurant has been here for a long time but recently underwent a massive refurbishing. The Sky Café is now under the direction of Ms. Rosella Caloiero of the Frenchtown Café and officially re-opened on April 6, 2015.

We have never been here before and the Café was really very nice. But, we have seen the many renovation pictures and can tell that a lot of heart and soul went into making the Sky Café what it is today.

And, what it is, is faaantastic!

Sky Manor is a busy airport handling both small private planes and helicopters.

Taking a seat, whether inside in their snazzy and new dining room or on the deck or picnic table, you can pretty much guarantee that you will see numerous take-offs and landing during your meal.

And they have some meals that will gain altitude quickly!

Menus. It is something we have never really thought of, unless the type is so small that we need to

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RED APPLE REST LEFT RTE. 17 SOUTH BEAR RIGHT RTE. 17A LEFT AT CASCADE RD. LEFT AT BRADY RD. RIGHT AT BLACK ROCK RD. LEFT AT WARWICK RD. LEFT AT RTE. 94 INTO NJ RIGHT AT BEAVER RUN RD. (AFTER RTE.23) RIGHT AT ICE PLANT RD. STRAIGHT AT MUD CUT / VALLEY VIEW RD. RIGHT AT RTE. 94 RIGHT AT SID TAYLOR RD. RIGHT AT RTE. 206 LEFT AT CR 626 HALSEY RD. THROUGH DOUBLE BRIDGES LEFT AT CR 626 LEFT AT CR 521 LEFT AT SPRING VALLEY RD. RIGHT AT RTE. 94 BEAR LEFT AT SILVER LAKE RD. LEFT AT CR 521 STRAIGHT AT CR 519 STAY ON CR 519 STRAIGHT AT SENATOR STOUT RD. STRAIGHT AT SKY MANOR RD. AIRPORT ON LEFT

BACKROADS • SEPTEMBER 2015

Page 13 go out and grab our ‘cheaters,’ and then we whine that we are getting old.

Well the Sky Café has the neatest, friendliest, almost down right happy menu we’ve seen in years. And, in those menus (there are two of them; breakfast & lunch) you will find all the standards you would expect from classic Americana. Of course there are the basic eggs, with bacon, sausage or Jersey pork roll but, it’s their Sky Delights that do just that.

The Aviator Skillet with bacon, onions, potato, cheddar scrambled eggs served in a sizzling skillet. They have an amazing veggy skillet along those line as well – with less bacon and more veggy. Avocado Benedict – poached eggs with avocado, spinach and hollandaise sauce. They’ll be more poaching of eggs with salmon and a caper lemon sauce as well.

The Sky Café has ten different omelets all with very catchy aviation names.. The Piper,

Maverick, Bi-Plane and Spitfire share the page with the Cessna and others. Or, you can create your own.

Five different pancakes can be found, three different French toasts and four crepes and this is just the happy looking breakfast menu.

Lunch finds a number of healthy and delicious salads with the grilled curry chicken looking oh so good as did the maple glazed salmon salad.

They have a good offering of sandwiches and they seem to have the market cornered on avocado, with both a BLT and turkey avocado making their way on the menu. The Sky steak is a crowd pleaser and big for the carnivores with its great steak with caramelized onions, mushrooms and provolone on a semolina roll. Vegans have three dishes to choose from too, including a great hummus served with fresh veggies and pita slices.

What great airport restaurant would not serve up a great burger and they surely do this well too. Avocado? You betcha! And all the rest – bacon, sautéed portobello and a filling patti melt that sports sautéed onions, Swiss cheese and a horseradish mayo on grilled rye.

As you can tell there is a reason folks fly in from around the region to chow down here at the new Sky Café – and for you we will keep it easy and on the ground as we give you a great and filling Rip & Ride from the old Red Apple Rest in Southfields, NY to the café in Pittstown, New Jersey. Please enjoy your flight.

Page 14

SEPTEMBER 2015 • BACKROADS

Hanover Powersports Presents

BIG CITY GETAWAY

daytrip ideas to get out of the daily grind

BannerMan castle & arsenal • POLLEPEL ISLAND, HUDSON RIVER If you have ridden along the Hudson River, near Storm King or along the eastern shore south of Beacon, then you have probably glimpse this month’s stop on Big City Getaway.

Yes, those are the remnants of a castle on that small island in the Hudson.

And, if you don’t know, here is a bit of its story.

August 20, 1920 was a warm day along the highlands of the Hudson River. All was quiet and peaceful on the river.

Pollepel Island, a 6¾-acre spit of land, sat in the middle of all this calm. Other than men working near the storage warehouses, the only noise were insects chirping and the light breeze on the Hudson.

Helen Bannerman, wife of the late Francis Bannerman, had just gotten up from her hammock to get a drink of water.

Without warning the world erupted, as hundreds of pounds of ammunition black powder, stored in the powder house, exploded.

The quiet river was rocked as windows shattered from the force up and down the shore of the Hudson as the thunderous roar tore through the valley.

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the railroad tracks on the river’s shore. A large piece of debris landed on the hammock where Helen Bannerman had been resting moments earlier. Remarkably, nobody was seriously injured.

No solid explanation for the explosion was ever found and things would never be quite the same on Pollepel Island again.

The story of Pollepel Island goes back much further than the Bannermans.

When the Dutch first arrived, along what was then called the North River (actually an estuary all the way north to Troy), they found that the natives along the river obviously knew of the island, but tended to stay away as they believed bad spirits lingered there.

During the Revolutionary War the Continental Army submerged ‘chevaux de fries,’ upright logs tipped with iron points, to discourage British ships heading up river. These are still submerged today. Washington even wanted to make Pollepel into a prison for captured British troops.

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The island itself was owned by a number of families but eventually was bought by Francis Bannerman.

Francis “Frank” Bannerman VI was only three when his family emigrated from Dundee, Scotland to Brooklyn, New York in 1854. The family business: Bannerman’s Military Surplus It was the world’s largest seller of surplus military equipment. Militias and nations would outfit entire armies through Bannerman’s Catalogues. Tales are often recounted how Bannerman’s filled an order for 100,000 saddles, rifles, knapsacks, gun slings, uniforms, and 20 million cartridges during the Russian-Japanese War.

Page 15 Bannerman later moved his store to 501 Broadway in Manhattan in 1905, but city regulations over the danger of storing ammunition precluded him from keeping inventory at his storefronts in town.

When Bannerman’s was able to purchase 90% of the surplus from the Spanish-American War, the business needed a location to store the merchandise, including the over-100 tons of volatile black powder.

He realized that the city was not a safe place to hold such an arsenal.

His son had been canoeing in the Hudson River some months back and had seen Pollepel Island. When he mentioned it to his father, Bannerman knew he had found the perfect place to store his dangerous surplus and he purchased the Hudson River Island.

Originally just storage facilities were built, but with Pollepel Island being so beautiful, situated on the river with its expansive views and cooling summer breezes, Bannerman began to think bigger.

I grew up with men from Scotland and I pretty much know how this intractable streak goes.

Although not the least trained in architecture Francis Bannerman was heavily influenced by castles from his Scottish background and slowly, with ideas coming to him here and there, he had local builders take his ideas to fruition – for better or worse – sometimes just from sketches on a cocktail napkin.

The Castle was born.

Seeing the perfect opportunity for promotion Bannerman created his walls with giant signage, letting all who travelled along this part of the Hudson, by boat, rail or road know about Bannerman’s surplus stores.

Business and the castle boomed (no pun) and a small home was built on the highest point of the island for Bannerman’s family to enjoy summers away from the city.

When World War One was happening some official eyes began to look at Bannerman’s Arsenal.

According to reports, during the course of a Naval Intelligence Bureau investigation, Charles Kovac, an Austrian-born superintendent, was arrested on the island on April 19, 1918 on suspicion of being an enemy agent. Apparently he had set aside four machine guns, which he testified were for salut-

Page 16

SEPTEMBER 2015 • BACKROADS

ing passing ships. Subject to deportation, he was instead paroled with restrictions. Bannerman objected strongly to the investigations into his business, and protested to Frankiln D. Roosevelt, then acting secretary of the Navy.

Bannerman was eventually exonerated, but it is believed that the stress of being under investigation for disloyalty hastened his demise.

He died on November 26, 1918, soon after undergoing gallbladder surgery.

At that point all major construction on Pollepel Island died too. His family continued the business, but new regulations and the increasing sophistication and risk with newer weaponry began to slow the surplus business.

As the industry evolved, so did the company’s direction.

When the only ferryboat to serve the island, the Pollepel, sunk in the Hudson River during a squall in 1950, the island became an afterthought. In 1957 the final superintendent retired, leaving the island vacant.

The next year Frank’s grandchildren began taking a final inventory and closing the business. First the unsold ordinance was disposed, then the Smithsonian was allowed to select items for the museum collection. What was left went to auction.

In the late 60’s the curious, whom like so many had seen this castle count-

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less times while traveling along the river, began to tour the island again.

This tour had not been open for a year before another calamity struck the island. On August 8th, 1969, a fire of unknown origin took hold and. As the island was uninhabited at the time, and it was believed the explosive inventory had been removed a decade prior - thus there was no threat of explosion and it would be very difficult for local firefighters –the authorities allowed the fire and castle to burn. Then the fire really began to burn and explosions were heard. Officials speculated that the explosions and accompanying fifty foot high flames could only have been the result of old shells still lost in the debris. Still nothing was done.

Such a shame, and not very forward thinking.

Thankfully now there are some people who have sought to save what is left of Bannerman’s Castle from further destruction and to bring some shine back to this small Hudson River island.

The Bannerman Castle Trust has been raising money to preserve what is left of the castle and conducts tours during the weekends of the warmer months.

Neil Caplan and the trust seem to be single-handedly saving this important piece of New York, Hudson and American history from being swallowed up by nature and time.

In addition to tours they also feature dinners, Broadway shows and the occasional Scottish Pipe Band performing on the island.

This is an excellent destination for riders or riding groups looking for something a bit different and exciting on their weekend ride.

The tour costs $35 per person and takes about 2 ½ hours. When we toured we simply parked our machines at the pier in Beacon and hopped on the boat for the leisurely river sail to Pollepel.

We live in a region that is rich in history – it is really just up to you to get on your motorcycle and ride into it. Log onto www.prideofthehudson.com or www.bannermancastle.org for more information,upcoming events and to buy tour tickets.

BACKROADS • SEPTEMBER 2015

Page 17

Bergen County Harley-Davidson Presents

WE’RE OUTTA HER E

a weekend destination keeping you on the backroads

Burn Brae Mansion 573 HIGH RD, GLEN SPEY, NY 12737 845-856-3335 • WWW.BURNBRAEMANSION.COM Most people today don’t let odd coincidence or superstition rule the thoughts of their day. And, it is fair to say not all of us believe in the supernatural or ghosts.

But, what if we were to tell you a ghost story? What if we told you of a place we knew of that was surely haunted? Would you be interested? Would you stay the night?

Why isn’t Dr. Seymour O’Life doing this one?

Oh, not so brave now are we?

I first though it was a strange coincidence that the very day I started The Supernaturals by David L. Golemon – an ultra-creepy novel about a true haunted upstate New York mansion that was built by a sewing machine magnate in the 1892 – we would get an invite to overnight at the Burn Brae Mansion, just north of Route 97 and the Delaware River in the tiny hamlet of Glen Spey, New York.

Invites to mansions are rare enough. Invites to a haunted mansion are even rarer.

The deeper I read into The Supernaturals, the more wary I became of this overnight.

But, first a little history on Burn Brae.

The Burn Brae was the last of a number of great mansions to be built in this area. It was part of the estate of George Ross MackKenzie, third president of the Singer Sewing Machine Company….

wait a second…. sewing machine president? Golemon’s book was almost the same.

You can see why we’d be getting a bit wide-eyed.

Things did not go well in the book, but we were sure it was just a coincidence. Nothing to worry about. Nope.

We are very familiar with the Glen Spey area, so we created a circuitous route to the Burn Brae and enjoyed a nice ride up through Orange and Sullivan counties. The day was as perfect as an early spring day could be – it was pretty much perfect as we rolled through the old trees that line the Burn Brae’s drive.

The mansion is a stunner with its yellow plank and stone façade. The grounds are pleasant and inviting. Here you will find streams, open fields

Page 18 and walking trails, one of which leads to the old Glen Spey Cemetery, final resting place of the original owners.

Just looking at this peaceful setting you would find it hard to believe that television’s Ghost Hunters had once been there bringing with them motion sensors, digital cameras, digital voice recorders, and infrared thermometers. Their research uncovered evidence that was off the charts compared to an average investigation. Almost all of the sensory investigators reported an overwhelming sense of spirit activity accompanied by cold patches, pressure and emotional swings.

What is happening here?

Rich in history, Burn Brae Mansion was recently restored for its 100-year anniversary.

Following the renovations, the original servants’ quarters, now named the Singer Suite and Elkin Room, and the adjoining guest rooms, now named the MacKenzie Suite, were opened to the public. Shortly after reopening, overnight guests began reporting mysterious sights and sounds during their visit. Further research revealed a history of such reports, and subsequently spurred curiosity about the previous occupants of Burn Brae.

SEPTEMBER 2015 • BACKROADS If this sort of thing catches your fancy then reading through the Ghost Hunters written journals will really get your head spinning (sorry).

We walked up and knocked on the door.

The door was open and we walked in and were immediately greeted by owners Mike and Pat Fraysse.

The Burn Brae is a stunning open floor plan with large, almost regal, rooms and a large grand stairway.

But, for a time is wasn’t like this at all. In fact, when Mike and Patti bought the place in the mid-90s it was divided into a number of apartments. It took years for the Fraysses to return it to its former grandeur.

Opening as part Olympic cycling training facility and part B & B it was not long before guests start mention “things that went bump in the night.” Strange glowing lights, singing and music where there should not be any. Cats meowing in the attic as well as a small child crying and areas of extreme cold felt in various parts of the house. A young woman with long blonde hair had been seen sitting on the small staircase in the upper floors, as well as a burly worker dressed in garb from the 1800s down by the stable and barn.

When the professional paranormal crews got here things really got interesting.

Now here we were. Shira being friendly but keeping a watchful eye on the slightly creepy dolls along one wall and me hoping something para-phenominal would happen.

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BACKROADS • SEPTEMBER 2015 We got the tour of the house and grounds from Mike, who’s Olympic Bicycle Trophy Room is beyond impressive – as was the attic – which is packed with pure Americana.

We talked a bit about the house and region’s history and they put out a great meal for us that evening. After dinner coffee, wine and conversation lasted until late in the evening as Mike has a wealth of tales to tell.

Around 10’ish we retired upstairs to our room.

I had turned on the lights in our room and the nearby bathroom earlier, when it was getting dark. They were both out.

I thought perhaps Pat had turned them off. While it was on the colder side that evening it was nothing a sweater wouldn’t handle.

Getting ready for bed the room began to get cold. Very cold.

I found an electric space heater and turned it way up. Atop the heater I found a lone ladybug and wondered what it was doing here this time of year. Shira fell right out and I began to read of Burn Brae’s ghostly history.

About twenty minutes into it another beetle landed on the pillow next to me, making enough noise that I heard it. I watched it walk past my eyeball.

Page 19 Hmmm, these little bugs usually gather in the fall, not spring.

I looked up on the wall and there were a few others holding to the plaster walls. A few pages later I glanced up to see dozens more.

Uh oh. Shira slept soundly on, oblivious to our imminent demise by tiny ladybugs. How long and how many of them would it take to finish us off?

To be honest, right then, if I were to hear a chilling “get out”… I would be, “Okay, you betcha, see ya, don’t let the door hit me on the ass on the way out!”

All was quiet.

By this time I was sleepy and turned the light off and soon began to doze.

Sometime during the night I was awakened by the sound of classical music, like someone had a radio on somewhere in the attic or far part of the house.

Whispers – did I hear whispers? Or, was my imagination and desire to have something happen taking over. A dull roar, like a strong wind, built up around the house and then just…stopped.

Ms. Kamil rubbed her cute nose and rolled over murmuring as if in a dream. I did not turn the light back on to see if the beetles were still there.

They would be gone come the day’s light and I tried to slow my heart down to get back to sleep.

In the morning Mike served a delicious breakfast of his farm fresh eggs, sausage, fruit and coffee cake. Like it was a normal Wednesday – which to everyone else it seemed it was.

Shira seemed a bit anxious to go, but I was more curious than before and felt that given another night’s stay perhaps something even odder might come about. Who knows.

What about you? Are you up for a night along this quiet country road in a place that has more that its share of guests?

Burn Brae is considered one of the seriously haunted inns in the United States. It’s just a few hours north of New York City, right above Route 97 along the Delaware River.

The Fraysses encourage riders, riding couples and small motorcycle groups to come experience this classic mansion. Both dinner and breakfast are part of the package and, even if you are not spooked, we know you will enjoy this superb bit of New York grand mansion history. ~ Brian Rathjen

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SEPTEMBER 2015 • BACKROADS

Morton’s BMW Motorcycles Presents Dr. Seymour O’Life’s MYSTERI OU S AMERIC A Mantua dig 65,000,000 YEARS AND A FEW DAYS… Doctor Ken Lacovara is a patient guy.

It has been over an hour now and every few minutes someone – child or adult – comes over and asks if what they have just found is a fossil.

Yes, no, maybe it is a piece of shark or turtle. He seems never to tire of kids asking him what they have discovered.

Most of the time it was Rathjen jogging over with something in his hand.

“Hey Doc Lacovara, what ya think?”

A rock.

Shira sauntered over with what did look like a rock in her hand.

He smiles and said, “It is an oyster - a 65 million year old oyster.”

Damn. Shira was all smiles and Rathjen rolled his eyes, mumbled under his breath, and picked another spot, away from the others, to dig.

We have gone to some far away and interesting places in and around this

Mysterious America but none really as cool as this place.

You might think that this paleontological site, which has yielded a constant stream of fossils including a 7-foot-long Thoracosaurus crocodile and other predators the size of a small bus, was to be found in the Badlands, Wyoming or Patagonia, but the truth is that it is

right behind Lowes Home Improvement, next to the Chick-fil-A in Mantua, New Jersey.

Seriously.

Did you know that the first dinosaur ever found – well, at least when it wasn’t claimed to be a dragon - was found in New Jersey.

It was the summer of 1858 that Victorian gentleman and fossil hobbyist William Parker Foulke was vacationing in Haddonfield, New Jersey, when he heard that twenty years previous, workers had found gigantic bones in a

BACKROADS • SEPTEMBER 2015

Page 21

local marl pit. Foulke spent his time directing a crew of hired diggers shin deep in gray slime. Eventually he found the bones of an animal larger than an elephant with structural features of both a lizard and a bird.

It is fairly massive and more than impressive.

Scientists have been digging here for nearly a century, uncovering prehistoric sharks, crocodiles and some bigger, badder creatures.

It was called the Hadrosaurus. The first nearly complete dinosaur skeleton; an event that would rock the scientific world and forever change our view of natural history.

When we visited there years back there was just a Historic Sign on the road near the original marl pit. Now there is a full size Hadrosaurs and information center in downtown Haddonfield.

Meanwhile just a few miles from this, behind the Chik-fil-A and Lowes, new and incredible fossils are being unearthed each day.

This site in a southwestern corner of the state is the only remaining mine for greensand - a silt used for fertilizer and water softener.

It’s also the only access to the late Cretaceous period on the entire eastern seaboard.

I was invited down on a warm Friday in May, bringing along both Rathjen and Kamil who would not miss it for the world.

Riding down the gravel road to the actual dig I didn’t really know what to expect; and when they walked us down to where Doctor Lacovaro was talking to some children I was blown away by the size of the dig itself.

A few years back the team uncovered an ancient 800-pound sea turtle.

“If we were to excavate here five days a week we could process an acre in 10 years and this property is 65 acres, so we have about 650 years of work left to do,” said Lacovara. “Geologically, that’s no time at all.”

That is the real interesting thing here.

Looking at the pit, your eyes running down the side, you can see marl, dirt and the occasional fossilized plant and then, about 65 million years back, the marl contains all sorts of creatures.

Above it – nothing.

“We know all these animals died at the same time because their bones are still put

Page 22 together,” said Dr. Lacovara.

He would know, as this man recently discovered the Dreadnoughtus – the largest dinosaur ever found in Patagonia, Argentina.

Lacovara thinks those may be the fossils of thousands of animals that all died around the time a meteor struck and killed off 70 percent of life on earth.

Inversand, the mine’s owner, has been operating the site since 1926, digging greensand that was used in munitions and fertilizer. For years, the company has had a close relationship with paleontologists, alerting them when they came across large fossils, one of the biggest finds being in the 1960s, when workers came across the skull of a Mosasaurus, a giant sea lizard, that now resides at the New Jersey State Museum in Trenton.

SEPTEMBER 2015 • BACKROADS Lacovara described the latter as marine Komodo dragons as long as a school bus with a 12-foot jaw and a second set of teeth at the top of its throat to keep prey from swimming back out.

“It’s a sea monster, basically,” he said. If you have seen the newest film in the series - Jurassic World – then you will know this bad boy.

Ownership might soon change as Mantua official Michelle Bruner told us that there is a deal in the works to have the town purchase the land and she hopes, with a little help from the state and private funding, that this place

will soon become one of the leading paleo-sites in the nation with a Visitor’s Center and Museum of its own.

Currently Drexel University and Doctor Lacovara have things well in hand.

Although the dig is closed to the public they do have many school days when children and high schoolers come down to spend a day sifting through the marl.

There is currently a 75-school waiting list.

If they find something and it’s small and fairly common (for paleontologists) they can keep it.

Shira kept her oyster and Rathjen swears he found a piece of ancient turtle shell that he proudly keeps on his desk.

Last year they held a Community Fossil Dig Day and drew well over 1,000 visitors. This year’s Community Fossil Dig Day is Sat., Sept. 26 from 10am to 4pm.

Reservations are required, so please get in touch before showing up. Email Michelle Bruner mbruner@mantuatownship.com to be put on their invitation list for such events.

As you can see, there is a huge interest about the Mantua Dig and I can only hope that a few years from now I can ride down to it and spend some time in the new Visitor’s Center and say I remembered when.

Mantua is what Mysterious America is all about and if you ever get the chance it would be very cool to ride back some 65 million years ago.

Keep an eye on mantuatownship.com for upcoming events and dates.

O’Life out!

Page 24

SEPTEMBER 2015 • BACKROADS

ice creaM Bakery 78 MAIN ST, BLOOMINGDALE, NJ 07403 • 973-283-8887 • CASH ONLY This Ice Cream Run will be a bit different. While there will be great ice cream at the end, this is more about the ride and the bonus at Ice Cream Plus.

I’ll be starting this at the Chatterbox Drive-In. Come on out any day, but on Thursdays they have a great Bike Night, some really tasty food and terrific surroundings. After you’ve had your fill of kicking tires and chowing down, mount up and point your wheels southeast. New Jersey is chockfull of lakes large and small. This little 60-mile ride will bring you past some of them.

Just remember that these are lake communities, which are usually a bit on the overcrowded side, so mind your speed and enjoy the scenery.

The first pretty lake you’ll pass is off Edison Rd. This snaky piece of pavement will have you thinking of your chocolate/vanilla twist you’ll have soon. Another interesting feature of this road is that Thomas Edison had a factory here; The first Edison, New Jersey: a veritable city of workers and innovative rock crushing machinery that used magnetic force to separate iron from pulverized stone. None of that is left, but what you can see is a monument to this forward-thinking individual (he was no Tesla…)

Continuing along, you come upon Canistear Reservoir. While man-made, it’s still a pretty pond of water on a pretty little road. Just before you reach Waywayanda Park, you’ll see Highland Lake on your left. It’s one of the larger lakes in the area, but not as busy as Upper Greenwood Lake, which you pass next. On your right you’ll spy Pinecliff Lake before heading into some more twisty bits of asphalt. Before coming to your final destination and the reward of cool, creamy ice cream, you’ll pass some more little water gems. Popping out on Main St/Hamburg Turnpike, keep an eye out for a small gathering of stores on your left and a very well-done military memorial park on your right. Before you head inside, take a moment to honor our fallen men and women.

The Ice Cream Bakery is non-descript, a former Carvel with, yes, a twist. Outside you’ll find lost pet flyers, local event listings and other mildly interesting papers taped to the window. The one piece of paper you should pay attention to is the one stating ‘Enjoy some piano music with your ice cream.’ Entering, you’ll find the prerequisite ice cream coolers housing some very tasty flavors of Welsh Ice Cream, waffle cones with and without sprinkles, plenty of tables and chairs and…a piano.

One of our Backroads peeps, Tom Kutlow, gave me the heads-up on the Ice Cream Bakery. Seems owners

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BACKROADS • SEPTEMBER 2015 Tony and Sabina Pineda bought the place from their relatives back in 2004, shortly after coming to the United States from Manila (Tony is Philippino and Sabina is Taiwanese; they met while Tony was working in Taipei). Sabina quickly learned the business and Tony found a used piano for the back of the shop.

Tony was a child prodigy pianist who learned to play at age 6, performing all his life, but always as a sidebar to his career. During his 15 years working for the U.S. Navy in Manila, he performed in officer’s clubs and five-star hotels, and for the likes of President Eisenhower and the president of Taiwan.

He even performed on the Ed Sullivan Show.

Before ordering my double scoop of Bit O’Honey and Sea Salt Caramel, I asked Sabina if Tony was available for a serenade. She popped her head in

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Page 25 the back and out he came, smiling away. His first tune was Gershwin, one that I knew from growing up listening to show tunes. I think my smile was bigger than his before the end of the tune. He asked if we had any requests and I said whatever he played would be beautiful, and it was. Cole Porter and classical came spilling out. “You buy an ice cream and I give you a performance,” Tony said with a smile. He says that they are proud to be the only ice cream parlor with a piano.

We sat through half a dozen impeccably performed pieces while slowly eating our Welsh’s ice cream. Too soon, the ice cream was done and Tony was, too. I told him I would have a hard time eating ice cream anywhere else without his serenade. He told us to come back any time. I think we will. download gPs route here: www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/4jfhxw

Page 26

I

SEPTEMBER 2015 • BACKROADS

don’t think that a year has gone by that we have not featured a ride along the shores of the Chesapeake Bay, just a long day’s ride south of our home base in northern New Jersey.

We like the Bay – it’s peacefulness, the small towns, little ins and outs that you will find if you are savvy enough to get off the main routes up and down the Delmar peninsula and along the backroads of this region.

Shira and I had an anniversary approaching, and usually we find ourselves on the road with a hundred or so others on a Backroads Spring Break Rally, but being this was a bit special – 25 years of marital & riding bliss – we moved things around, deciding to take a few days for a more private ride.

We had considered simply hopping on a jet and flying to St. Somewhere, but the truth is we’d both rather be riding and a short few days down to The Bay sounded like more fun – especially coming off this hard last winter.

We stitched together some miles along different roads and regions we knew and borrowed the main jaunt south through Pennsylvania from this year’s New Sweden 450 Rally.

Along the way we made time for one of Shira’s Ice Cream Runs at Long Acres Modern Dairy in Barto. It seems that there is scientific fact that you can have ice cream for breakfast on your anniversary.

I was unaware of it, but if we print it here in Backroads it must be true.

From this part of the day we motored south along the New Sweden route which, much like its start a few weeks earlier in central PA, was full of twists, turns and – if you looked for it – a bit of history.

Riding by Hopewell Furnace, near Elverston, we made time to tour this Iron Plantation. Hopewell is immaculately maintained, a true national treasure and a great way to look back at what went into making this country a leader in the industrial revolution. The giant water wheel, some 22 feet high and five across, still works today and the furnaces are still operational.

To be honest our visit to Hopewell was serendipitous and ate up a few hours that we hadn’t counted on – but that was the beauty of a trip like this.

All we knew was that we had dinner reservations at 7:30 at the Robert Morris Inn in Oxford and as long as we got to that table we were in good shape.

The Road From the White House

BACKROADS • SEPTEMBER 2015

Page 27

Continuing on we made our way south, past Brandywine Creek and Chadd’s Ford where Washington took a defeat at the hands of the British and General Howe.

We avoided any skirmish and chose instead to fight our way through Newark, Delaware, a phalanx of college kids and hipsters, their heavy beards and manbuns making them look fearsome and fatuous.

Soon we broke though the trendiness and headed down in Maryland on Route 213 along any number of tiny side roads that stayed off the wretched US 50 south.

For those who have not ridden down this way, this part of Maryland, like much of the state, is major farmland.

Soybean, wheat, hay, barley and tobacco can be found along any of the roads, especially down along the Bay. Here farm and sea offer a true magic combination.

You will eat well on the Chesapeake.

Just south of St. Michaels, the town that fooled the British, you will find the very tiny burg of Oxford.

Lying on the mouth of the Tred Avon River, the town was founded back in 1694, making it one of Maryland’s oldest towns.

Oxford served as an important port of entry for British trade vessels in Colonial times. It flourished in this capacity until the Revolutionary War brought an end to British trade. The town declined for many years until the oystering businesses began to flourish in the late 1800’s.

Today yachting is the big thing here, but we left ours at home.

Although you can reach Oxford by land from the south, the best way is to ferry it over from the north – which is the direction from which we arrived.

The Oxford – Bellevue Ferry is believed to be the oldest privately operated ferry in continuous service in the United States. The original ferry service was established in 1683 and a service has run here ever since.

We have crossed on this ferry many times; but this would be the first time we would stop and overnight in another “oldest” local icon – The Robert Morris Inn. Built back in 1710 this was once the home of Robert Morris who gained fame as “Financier of the Revolution.” General and later President George Washington was a close friend and visited Robert Morris often. In more recent times author James Michener outlined his famous novel, Chesapeake, here. Now one of the Eastern Shore’s most unique historic inn & restaurant under well known Chef Mark Salter whose creations would make this anniversary meal all that more special.

Once parked and showered we strolled the town and, saving ourselves for the dinner, we just acknowledged the Scottish Highland Creamery and their homemade ice cream and concentrated on the beautiful bay, scenery and sunset. Dinner was as delectable as expected.

An old fashioned sleep in the nation’s oldest inn was easy that night; although while we had our eyes closed a cold front and rain rolled in from the west and we awoke to low dreary 50’s and steady drizzle. Perfectly pleasant riding conditions.

Let’s take a ferry ride.

We headed north and crossed the Chesapeake Bay on the ‘other’ big bridge and made a stop at Annapolis Naval Academy.

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SEPTEMBER 2015 • BACKROADS playing and folks were pouring into the front gate. It was graduation week and the Navy’s Parade of Colors was happening this morning.

The Color Parade is the oldest parade at the U.S. Naval Academy, a tradition which began in 1867. Midshipmen anticipate this parade as their last full dress parade while at the academy. The highlight of the Color Parade is the formal presentation of the color company pennant to the company that has excelled in academics, athletics and professional accomplishments.

At the gate we were asked if we had tickets. No, not really – but we’re Americans. That worked and they let us in for one of the most impressive sights either Shira or I have seen. One cannot avoid getting welled up with pride for our young midshipmen and women while watching this parade.

We made it a point to drop by our original destination, the Navy Academy Museum, which was everything we thought it would be and then some. The history was deep and intriguing and the model ships, especially from the French prisoners held in Great Britain, truly stole the show with a macabre backstory.

To pass the time, French prisoners held in British dungeons during the Napoleonic Wars would build intricate ship models from human and animal bones. Now these creepy, yet stunning works of art sell for tens of thousands of dollars at auctions. The collection at the museum was a little bit of Mysterious America and worthy of O’Life himself.

It was the beginning of the Memorial Weekend and so we took the short walk to visit and pay respects to the Crypt of John Paul Jones, our nation’s first Naval hero.

It was over 100 years ago that the body of John Paul Jones was discovered in a Parisian cemetery. President Theodore Roosevelt sent four cruisers to bring it back to the U.S., and these ships were escorted up the Chesapeake Bay by seven battleships.

On January 26, 1913 the remains of John Paul Jones were laid to rest in the crypt of the U.S. Naval Academy Chapel in Annapolis, MD. Today, a Marine honor guard stands duty whenever the crypt is open to the public. It is outstanding and humbling to see this, as is the entire academy.

Being we were on our BMWs we swung by Bob’s BMW and spent some time with Mr. Henig and crew before riding over, almost next door it seems, to the NSA. Yes, that NSA. The National Security Agency and their National Cryptologic Museum.

Located adjacent to NSA Headquarters, Ft. George G. Meade, Maryland, the Museum houses a collection of thousands of artifacts that collectively serve to sustain the history of the cryptologic profession.

Spy stuff, who doesn’t love it? Well, at least when it isn’t us that is being spied upon. But here at the museum

BACKROADS • SEPTEMBER 2015

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we got to see the real deal from ancient times to the Cold War to today’s present danger of cyber-spying. The National Cryptologic Museum made for an excellent few hours and got us ready for our next overnight - Washington D.C. The steady drizzle had finally petered out and we rode down in the sprawl of our nation’s capital running through Georgetown and crossing over to Rosslyn, just a few blocks from where Father Karras took a tumble down the demon stairs.

Although we found Washington to be fairly easy to get around on bike, it was better to safely stow the machines for a few days and we did in the Hyatt’s underground garage – across the street from where “Deep Throat” handed off tips and information to Bob Woodward which would lead to Watergate and the end of a Presidency.

Being it was Memorial Day Weekend we thought it fitting to visit our National Cemetery at Arlington. The D.C. Metro would serve to do this easily as it would everywhere we wanted to go this day.

The grounds were humbling to walk about, with 220,000 small American flags planted just the day before by members of the “Old Guard” the Army’s Third Infantry Regiment. It’s a duty that the “Old Guard” has upheld for more than 60 years. All the graves, the history and stories were overwhelming.

At the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier we watched the guard walk the twenty-one steps, turn and walk twenty-one back.

The changing of the guard was solemn and respectful.

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known Soldier I could see one of our new Osprey - the V-22 – lifting off from down near the Potomac River; a nice site at such a solemn moment.

In a town that is known for so many incredible museums we had chosen two that we really wanted to see. Sure there are the famed memorials and monuments – Lincoln’s, Washington’s, Jefferson’s, the Capital Building, the various Smithsonian and that nice home over at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue – but, we thought these two more fitting of us – The International Spy Museum and the Newseum.

We metroed over, making a quick stop by Ford’s Theatre, where we all know President Lincoln was assassinated and found lunch at an outside café before heading to the Spy Museum.

The Spy Museum was a far bit lighter than the NSA Museum the previous day but kept our spy theme going. At this time they were celebrating Bond-James Bond, with a look at his foils from all the films. Exquisitely Evil: 50 Years of Bond Villains! In addition to everything that the International Spy Museum features they had over 100 artifacts

SEPTEMBER 2015 • BACKROADS

from various Bond villains.

They even had Jaw’s teeth.

James once said “They say you’re judged by the strength of your enemies.” Most of these baddies were very, very bad. I had to be dragged from the Aston Martin to our next stop – the Newseum.

This museum celebrates our First Amendment – Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. And here at the Newseum you will find the most amazing collection of artifact expressing just this.

They have five full floors of press and media history and, that day had opened a new exhibit “Reporting Vietnam.” There were hundreds of actual newspaper covers showing the great moments in our history from the Hindenburg to the Apollo Moon landing to Nixon (the press still loves to talk Nixon), The Bomb and 9/11.

The Pulitzer Prize Winning Photographs that both fascinated and chilled us particularly mesmerized both Shira and me. Some of the images inspired

BACKROADS • SEPTEMBER 2015

Page 31 and others were simply hard to view. This ability to charge emotions in the viewer is the reason they have won this prestigious award.

We stayed until closing and then jumped back on the Metro and headed to Washington’s Navy Yard for dinner on the water and then an evening with the Washington Nationals baseball team as we continued our quest to visit each Major League Ball Park before we head to our own ninth inning.

Although as diehard Mets fans we wanted both teams to lose - the Nats beat the Phillies which, at the time of this printing, was not a good thing. I did get to see Bryce Harper hit a long ball, just inches fair of the left field foul pole. Who can’t like that? Always a good thing - unless Harper is playing the Mets!

We were very impressed with D.C – the ease of getting around, the city atmosphere without the New York craziness and crowds. This is the way a city should be.

The next day we got an early start and around 7ish I pulled up to a curb within Nikon shot of the White House.

I hopped off the bike for that digital moment and seconds later a Secret Service agent pulled up behind me and turned on the blue lights.

I gave him thumbs up for blocking traffic for me.

He was not blocking traffic for me.

I got the shot and quickly moved on.

Our ride would take us north out of the D.C. metro area and into Maryland on, what I called (as we head into the election)….

The Road From The White House!

Basically the TRFTWH was carefully scripted to avoid any big towns, highways and to go in search of twisties, forests, farms and lakes and Amish.

It did just that as we quickly entered Maryland and vectored north.

Soon we were frollicking at speed along the open farmlands with great lines of sight and very little in the way of other traffic.

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The sun was shining, but the late spring air had a brisk 60ish about it.

We hooked a right along a road that had stood out to me – Pretty Boy Dam Road.

Here was a winner, especially when we crossed the dam itself.

Holding back some 30,000,000,000 (yes, that is trillion) gallons of water of the Gunpowder River, it is what feeds the city of Baltimore and surrounding areas with fresh water.

It’s a great dam, offers marvelous scenery and does have that odd name - Pretty Boy. I wondered where that came from and why it reminded me of Keith Hernandez?

There are several stories concerning the origin of the name “Prettyboy” – none of which have to do with a suicidal Indian princess – the real story goes that some time ago a farmer had a beautiful white colt named “Pretty Boy”, which was the pride of the neighborhood.

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SEPTEMBER 2015 • BACKROADS

ter near the bank of the stream. Sadly, the colt fell into the stream and perished. From that time on, in memory of the colt, the tributary was named “Prettyboy”.

We kept heading in a northeasterly fashion until we crossed the Mason/Dixon Line and rode into Pennsylvania.

Not far after crossing over the Susquehanna River, and just a tad further down the road in the town of Holtwood, we smelled smoky goodness wafting up from a few very large barbeque pits manned by a troop of Amish men. It was a bit past lunch, and we were famished after the morning’s ride, so we pulled into the parking lot of Holtwood Supply and bought two chicken meals that came with chips, slaw and Whoopie Pies (you know what a whoopee pie is, right? Well according to Shira it is just the best thing the universe has ever created this weekend).

It really was an awesome roadside meal and it went just right with the flavor of the entire ride.

Our run through the Keystone State moved along quicker than I thought and we had one more thing to discover on this Road From The White House and that was Daniel Boone.

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We crossed near Bethlehem and from one high ridge could see all the way to the Delaware Water Gap and almost to home.

By later afternoon we crossed the Delaware River, stopping at the Alpine Butcher in Blairstown for steaks and brats for that night’s dinner, before winding our way quickly up County Road 521 and home…. some 260 or so miles from the White House.

We love the Chesapeake Bay, Annapolis was truly inspiring and Washington D.C. was simply a blast and a great city to park the bikes and visit for a few days.

We couldn’t ask for a nicer anniversary and the riding, museums and deep history made it even the better.

See ya on the road… wherever it comes from.

Robert Morris Inn • 314 N Morris St, Oxford, MD 410-226-5111 • RobertMorrisInn.com National Cryptologic Museum 8290 Colony Seven Rd, Annapolis Junction, MD www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/museum/ Newseum • 555 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Wash., DC www.newseum.org • 202-292-6100 Spy Museum • 800 F St NW, Washington, DC www.spymuseum.org • 202 393-7798

BACKROADS • SEPTEMBER 2015

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Motorbikes for the Masses New Museum Exhibit Focuses on Motorcycling’s Smaller Sibling Words and images: Pamela Collins We ride in an era of bigger is better, with many motorcycle manufacturers hopping the bandwagon of supersized offerings, stretching and increasing limits for everything from horsepower and torque, to weight, to electronic gizmos.

But more, more, more doesn’t always appeal, and riders longing for simpler times and machines can soothe their cravings with a visit to the “Motorbikes for the Masses” exhibit now going on at the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Here, the little guy, or rather machine, reigns supreme, as the exhibit skips the stones of memory lane with its enchanting parade of 30 scooters, mopeds and motorbikes. Quirky, jelly bean-colorful and playfully appealing, these twowheeled tykes of the motorcycle world served a serious transportation purpose.

“These machines represent the smallest, cheapest form of legal motorized transportation you can get,” says Rob Kain, the exhibit’s curator who also maintains Moped Central, a website dedicated to vintage scooters and mopeds.

Following World War II, which decimated European and Asian factories, the need rose for affordable transportation. Now forbidden to build planes, former aircraft factories turned to manufacturing these easy to build motorcycle miniatures, creating much needed jobs and providing mobile freedom for the public.

According to Kain, the height of popularity for “scootering” came in the late 1950’s, as the public, especially in urban areas, appreciated the scooter’s low cost, reliability, maneuverability, and parking prowess…qualities today’s scooter owners still prize.

Kain attributes the Internet with reigniting the spark of interest in vintage machines, because it made parts and pieces for the bikes easier to locate, and therefore maintain.

The exhibit displays an eclectic array of makes, models, styles, vintages and country of origin that conjure smiles while imagining the miles of history these time-travelers have ridden. Some wear shiny restorations while others sport the patina of years, each claims its individual, interesting tale but as an entirety, the exhibit visually relates the evolution of the little motorcycle.

Model years range from the display’s oldest scooter—a 1920 Briggs & Stratton, to a 2002 Cyklon-Berstal Solex S3800. Never heard of that one?

How about Rixe Export, Miele, Cazenave or

Page 34

Jawa…these unfamiliar names stand alongside the more familiar Vespa, Whizzer, Cushman, Sears Roebuck and Harley-Davidson (yes, they imported Italian Aermacci scooters under their brand name).

You’ll find a 1956 Miele, a German scooter company with origins dating to 1898 when it originally manufactured cream separators (later it made washing machines and still makes vacuum cleaners). The 1969 Lambretta, made by the Italian manufacturer Innocenti, born during the race to put the first person on the moon, looks like a scooter George Jetson might have ridden (it flopped in sales). A 1956 Allstate Cushman, made in Lincoln, Nebraska and sold by Sears Roebuck (which rebadged all its scooters with the name “Allstate”) resembles our more traditional ideal of scooter history, while the 1920 Briggs & Stratton, from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with its 2-horsepower 4-cycle direct- drive motor, decompression-usedas-braking, and top speed of 25 miles per hour, claims the title of the oldest known American-built scooter and first step-thru scooter.

SEPTEMBER 2015 • BACKROADS

Some of these scoots took their blessed time running the roads while others managed speeds whizzing up to seventy miles per hour, but Kain says speed and horsepower never were calling cards for these bikes. Jed Rapoport of Allentown, Pennsylvania, a vintage two-wheel collector and owner of the 1920 Briggs & Stratton, agrees. He says scooters and mopeds “have an approachability, they’re less intimidating, they’re less expensive and have a ‘cool’ factor.”

This line-up of senior-aged rolling stock might be vintage in age, but maintain relevance still to this day. Funky fairings, candy colors, and donut-sized wheels aside, they endear themselves to us not so much for how they look, or for what they’ve done, but for what they promise.

Fun. Says Kain, “When you’re riding one you feel like you’re breaking the law. Everybody loves them.”

The Motorbikes for the Masses exhibit runs until October 11, 2015. For more information, visit the AACA Museum website at www.aacaMuseum.org or call 717-566-7100.

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PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT NEW GIVI V56 MAXIA 4 MONOKEY® TOP CASE GIVI has introduced the new V56 MAXIA 4. The new King of the MAXIA Series features a new design and adds extra volume (for a total 56 liter capacity) to claim the top spot in the GIVI Touring range. The large capacity of the V56 MAXIA 4 is enough to hold two full-face helmets, even modular/flip-up. Many aspects of the case have been improved, including the latching system, the hinges and the overall weight balance.

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VICTORY MOTORCYCLES REVEALS ROAD-LEGAL ELECTRIC MOTORCYCLE – THE EMPULSE TT Building on the innovative design and engineering that produced the fastest U.S. electric motorcycle at the 2015 Isle of Man TT Zero race, Victory Motorcycles has introduced the 2016 Empluse TT, the first all-electric addition to the Victory lineup.

The Victory Empulse TT is a fully electric road-legal streetbike that is as capable of carving tight lines on twisting roads as it is powering the daily commute.

Building on Victory Motorcycles’ focus on performance, the Empulse TT features a sportsbike-style aluminum beam-frame, adjustable suspension and strong brakes. With advanced technology this unique new motorcycle delivers great performance, zero-emission output and has a torquey electric motor.

“We have always been known for great handling and power, so the Empulse TT is an ideal fit in the expanding Victory lineup,” said Motorcycle Product Director Gary Gray.

“The Empulse TT was developed primarily as an electric motorcycle delivering a sporty ride,” said Victory Electric Product Manager Joshua Katt. “With dual ride modes – ECO and SPORT – to choose from and the addition of a gearbox, the Empulse TT is a versatile motorcycle that can be used for impressively sporty riding or as a casual commuter.”

The key features that allow Empulse TT to deliver a sporty riding experience include: fully adjustable suspension featuring a single rear shock and inverted front forks; dual-disk front brakes; lightweight cast aluminum wheels; the greatest lean angle in the electric class; and a sportsbike-style riding position.

The Empulse TT shares some DNA with the original Brammo Empulse R motorcycle. Victory has been working with Brammo since 2011, but in January 2015 Victory’s parent company, Polaris Industries, acquired Brammo’s motorcycle assets. Since then, Victory engineers worked with the Brammo product team to achieve improvements in battery capacity, display function and handling.

The new Victory Empulse TT electric motorcycle is scheduled to be available for purchase in the United States in late 2015. Victory is in the process of determining global demand for the bike before announcing its sales plan for the EMEA region.

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SEPTEMBER 2015 • BACKROADS

PRODUCT REVIEW

OLYMPIA AIRGLIDE MESH TECH GEAR • KEEPING COOL ON THE HOT RIDES Even though this is the September issue, there is still plenty of hot and muggy air coming our way before fall.

This summer when things got really sticky, or we were in a region that seemed to be embracing the heat, I went for the Airglide 4 jacket from Olympia.

This three–layer protective system utilizes a few different layers to make it an all around useful jacket, especially in the warmer seasons or terrains.

Mine came in a vibrant high-viz neon yellow and black allowing for plenty of conspicuity. It is also available in black and pewter.

The rugged outshell is constructed of authentic Cordura fabric with ballistic nylon mesh panels for maximum airflow.

Unlike some of my other jackets the Airglide is very light in weight and the mesh really lets in much needed cooling air, especially when riding in temperatures that sometimes quickly rise to triple digits.

Still, the jacket offers plenty of abrasion resistance and has a more serious and higher quality feel to it than other light-weight mesh jackets I have seen on the market.

The Airglide 4 has two zippered chest and side entry pockets that offer secure storage for personal items, although I found the inside wallet pocket to be a bit hard to use.

For added safety, 3M Scotchlite piping is located at the side arms, chest, back, and collar. Add that with the high-viz color and I really stood out in a trafficky crowd.

The Airglide 4 has a waterproof and breathable liner jacket cut in rugged rip stop nylon, which added a great cocoon of warmth on some mountain passes as well as stylish around town wear when off the bikes in the evening.

If things got really chilly there is also a third layer with authentic Thermolite insulation. This zip in, zip out feature ensures riding comfort through a wide range of temperatures and weather conditions and on both sides of summer.

Most important was that the Airglide 4 jacket is a very comfortable garment and that all day comfort is a big plus in my book.

Its small weight and easy stowability allow me to take it along as a second jacket and, as I said, I was very impressed on how visible I was wearing it.

Along with it I wore a pair of Olympia’s Airglide 3 pants, that also offered a great deal of cooling air along with the protection of both Cordura material and hip and knee padding and armor.

Two front zipper pockets and two rear snap pockets offer extra storage for personal items. Three tier adjustable knee armor positions, stretch waist panels plus our EZ hem bottom detail allow riders to achieve a customized fit.

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If the rain and cold creeps in, these pants are also equipped with a wind and waterproof liner.

There are also women’s versions and sizes of this excellent protection. The fit and cut of the women’s gear is some of the finest on the market, offering a true ‘women’s fit’ in a world of men’s gear.

The Airglide 4 Jacket lists for $289 and the Airglide 3 Pants for $229 and can be found at local dealers that carry the Olympia line or you can log onto their website at olympiamotosports.com. ~ Brian Rathjen

BACKROADS • SEPTEMBER 2015

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

6 TYPES OF DEADLY DRIVERS AND HOW TO AVOID THEM Victor Cruz “The wise man avoids evil by anticipating it.” (Quote by - Publilius Syrus) With the right mindset, you can make riding a motorcycle less a game of chance. Develop habits that avoid potential mishaps as you fly down the road by the seat of your bike. Just as you can help avoid a nail by riding in the left or right wheel track, make anticipation your guardian angel. Have a safe ride and forecast the future while you’re at it. You saying it’s possible to tell the future when you’re out riding? Yes, by anticipating what fools do next.

Anticipation is the reverse side of the same coin as temptation. You never met a temptation you didn’t like.

Anticipation is its harder-working cousin. For the most part, it fools you. Better to be prepared in advance than to be taken by surprise. Practice mindful riding. Mindfulness is distraction free. Staying in the present, living in the moment. Make a game out of anticipating what drivers do next. That kind of proactive mindfulness primes the brain for vigilant thinking.

Here are 6 types of deadly drivers and how to anticipate them.

1. anticiPate the Breakers On a crazy four-lane highway with drivers on edge jockeying for position, anticipation is your best friend.

Look far enough ahead. I’m sure everybody has seen the unexpected. I once saw a ladder and an upside down picnic table. When you spot it far enough ahead, you can call yourself lucky. Making a habit of this is smart riding. Anticipate the breakers. I once saw a line of cars way ahead apply their brakes. The Range Rover directly in front of me didn’t get the memo. I veered away just in time to watch him slam his brakes and skid sideways. Probably pooped his pants, that guy.

2. anticiPate the rusher You’re in the fast lane of a 3-lane highway minding your ride when a fool comes charging up fast on your right. He comes up so fast that he starts tail-gating the guy in front of him. Of course the rusher is in a rush and it’s only a matter of time before he pulls out in front of you, wanting to change into your fast lane. Don’t compete.

Ease up on the throttle, yield to the reckless rusher the space he wants.

3. anticiPate the Passer You’re cruising a 50 mph secondary with lots of big rigs. Someone is always in a hurry. Not just you. A passer is waiting to pass a 16-wheeler so what does he do?

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SEPTEMBER 2015 • BACKROADS He tailgates. These trucks can be so wide that it’s hard to see around them. As a rider, you should move to the right-wheel track whenever you see a large or tall vehicle coming your way. Not just to avoid the wind blast, but the impatient passer who may not see you if you’re riding in the left-wheel track.

4. the Miscalculators This is an old story but worth repeating. Motorcycles occupy a very narrow bandwidth. Compared to cars and trucks, we are like stick figures. Because of our skinny profile, to careless drivers we appear far away and slow-moving. Essentially, we’re invisible. Anticipate the miscalculator. A driver who’s all too eager to pull out in front of you from a side street or parking lot will look to his left and see this stick figure approaching. Little does he know that you’ve got 150 horses between your legs and you’re riding 15 mph over limit. If you are mindful, you’ll be in the leftwheel track where the miscalculator can spot you sooner.

5. the texter Possibly the most distracted driver on the road. Talking on phones while driving makes you four times as likely to crash, and texting while driving increases your chances of a crash by up to 23 times, says the National Safety Council. All ages do it. Millennials text each other while in the same vehicle. While most states (44) ban texting while driving, no state bans all cell phone use for all drivers. New Hampshire, Vermont and Connecticut are the only New England states that ban handheld phone use. RI is up next. New York and NJ have banned hand-held phones for years. Despite the laws, you still see Texting Toms oblivious to bikers. Anticipate the texting head. It bobs up and down.

6. old car drivers You know ‘em when you see ‘em. The car that somehow miraculously passes state inspection. Florida and 10 other states require no annual safety or emissions inspection. You see all sorts of shit boxes on the road driving lopsided from blownout suspensions. Mufflers missing or dragging. Stinky blue smoke — the sign of burnt-out valves. Probably brake pads from the 1980s. And what about vintage 60s muscle cars that have no hydraulic steering or brakes. Ever think of that? Anticipate (and steer clear away from) vintage cars and shit boxes. I like to make a habit of surveying drivers in relation to their cars. Late model Asian imports tend to carry the youngest drivers, just as late model American boats tend to carry Q-tips.

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BACKROADS • SEPTEMBER 2015

I ND U ST RY INFOBITES 3RD ANNUAL MOTORCYCLE FILM FESTIVAL • SEPT. 23-27 The Motorcycle Film Festival (www.motorcyclefilmfestival.com) is in the midst of the largest motorcycle-centered creative boom since the 1970s.

Today, motorcycle fabricators have in-house filmmakers and every motoevent from Biarritz to Melbourne is captured from every angle by thousands of lenses. From our desks at work, we re-live the adventures of fellow riders on YouTube and gasp at images of metal masterworks from craftsmen living continents away. Major studios and lone-wolf amateurs are once again turning en masse to the motorcycle as the stars and foils in their films.

Page 39

News from the Inside of films, filmmakers, and schedules can be found at http://www.motorcyclefilmfestival.com/ticketsschedule/.

Returning judges include Paul D’Orleans a.k.a. The Vintagent; JP of The Selvedge Yard; Stacie B. London of Triple Nickel 555 and East Side Moto Babes; Ultan Guilfoyle (Guggenheim Museum’s Art of the Motorcycle), Shinya Kimura (Chabott Engineering), and Roland Sands (Roland Sands Design). We’re just as thrilled to welcome our new judges for this year: Melissa Holbrook Pierson (author), Mark Hoyer (editor-in-chief, Cycle World), Marina Cianferoni (historian, author), Henry Cole (writer, director, actor), Bryan Carrol (filmmaker). Full bios are available at: http://www.motorcyclefilmfestival.com/judges.

The Motorcycle Film Festival was conceived in New York City by a group of motorcyclists and independent filmmakers. The goal is to provide a home for motorcycle films from around the world and to give moto and film enthusiasts a reason to gather, discuss and celebrate our favorite subject.

NO FREE AUTOBAHN RIDE

After a successful second year, the 3rd annual Motorcycle Film Festival will be held September 23–27, 2015 at Nihil Gallery (251 Douglas Street) in Brooklyn, New York. The festival will feature official screenings of short and feature-length documentaries and narratives alongside more experimental films. Other events include screenings of classic films, filmmaker talks, an art exhibition, bands, and more! On the final day, a distinguished panel of judges comprising filmmakers, writers, custom builders, and esteemed motorcycle enthusiasts will select winners from each film category. A full list

The European Commission is considering a legal challenge against Germany over proposed road tolls that some believe violate the European Union’s anti-discrimination laws by targeting foreign motorists.

Germany’s Parliament approved the tolls in March, but German President Joachim Gauck has not signed them into law. The tolls would force foreign drivers to pay as much as $143 a year to drive on German roads.

The American Motorcyclists Association remains concerned that U.S. military personnel stationed in Europe would be directly and unfairly affected by this toll. In a letter to U.S. ambassador to Germany, John B. Emerson, the AMA pointed out that the NATO Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) governs the treatment of military personnel.

In an April 22 response, liaison officer Glendon Pitts stated that the lower house of the German parliament passed an amended draft of the bill that exempts U.S. forces covered under SOFA from the toll obligations.

Page 40

SEPTEMBER 2015 • BACKROADS

DOUG DANGER BREAKS KNIEVEL’S RECORD WITH 22 CAR JUMP AT STURGIS At this year’s Sturgis Rally, motorcycle daredevil Doug Danger pulled off a jump that even the most famous of all daredevils, Evel Knievel, couldn’t quite accomplish. A record-breaking rally crowd cheered as Danger soared over 22 cars and touched the landing ramp with just inches to spar. Riding Knievel’s own 1972 XR-750, Danger roared down a dirt path between packed campers, under a steel bridge, up an engineered ramp and over 22 cars set along the main street through the center of the Chip Photos: Sturgis Buffalo Sturgis Buffalo Chip amphitheater.

The back tire of the 40-year-old Harley bit the edge of the landing ramp and stuck after a quick bounce.

Danger just barely missed the edge of the decking surrounding the Chip’s famed Top Shelf bar where onlookers watched the daring feat from just 20 feet away.

Evel Knievel, the undisputed king of stunt showmanship, attempted this jump on Sept. 1, 1972 in Monroe, WA. His crew warned that the bike would not attain the speed

needed to clear the distance, but because Knievel insisted on doing the jump, they built a safety ramp over the last three cars. Knievel bounce-landed on the safety ramp and left defeated. More than 40 years later, Doug Danger was able to successfully clear the same jump on Knievel’s own bike.

“This is the best day of my life,” exclaimed Danger just minutes after completing the jump. “That bike landed like a ton of bricks, and I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to keep it from bouncing down the ramp, but I did it! I broke Evel’s record and cleared those 22 cars.”

WAYNE RAINEY TO BE HONORED Wayne Rainey, three-time Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme 500cc Grand Prix World Champion and two-time American Motorcyclist Association Superbike Champion, will be honored as an AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Legend at the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Saturday, Oct. 17, in Orlando, Fla. The induction ceremony is taking place in conjunction with the American International Motorcycle Expo at the Orange County Convention Center.

Tickets to the induction ceremony are available now at www.motorcyclemuseum.org. Regular entry is $25 per person. VIP tickets that include an exclusive reception, reserved seating and AIMExpo admission are $90 per person.

Rainey, who himself was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999, will be honored along with the current class of inductees. The Class of 2015 includes road racing champion John Kocinski, former Harley-Davidson CEO Richard Teerlink, off-road racing champion Rodney Smith, entrepreneur and industry patron John Parham, dirt tracker Alex Jorgensen and longtime

BACKROADS • SEPTEMBER 2015 Yamaha Motor Corp. U.S.A. race team manager Keith McCarty.

AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Legends are previous inductees into the Hall of Fame whose lifetime accomplishments are showcased as part of the annual induction ceremony of new Hall of Famers.

AMA DELIVERS 30,000 SIGNATURES The AMA delivered 29,379 signatures to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, along with a stern message in opposition to the agency’s proposal to increase the amount of ethanol in the nation’s fuel.

“The Renewable Fuel Standard proposal announced on May 29 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency would increase the risk of inadvertent misfueling for motorcyclists and all-terrain-vehicle owners by forcing the widespread availability of higher-ethanol fuel blends, such as E15,” said Wayne Allard, AMA vice president for government relations.

Page 41 out creating higher blends like E15 and above.

“By forcing higher-ethanol fuel blends into the marketplace, the E10 most Americans currently rely on for their vehicles could become less available and gasoline with no ethanol may become virtually unavailable,” Allard said.

None of the estimated 22 million motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles currently in use in the United States are certified by the EPA to use fuels containing more than 10 percent ethanol. Inadvertent misfueling may cause engine or fuel system damage and void the manufacturer’s warranty.

MIC REPORTS MOTORCYCLE SALES UP THROUGH JUNE 2015 The Motorcycle Industry Council has released its sales figures through June 2015, and sales are up. Overall, total motorcycle sales have reached 56,508 units for the month and are now at 277,336 units year-to-date. This represents a 7% increase compared to sales in June 2014 and a 5.1% increase compared to YTD figures recorded at this point last year.

The sales figures are determined based on the performance of MIC member manufacturers (BMW, Can-Am, Ducati, Harley-Davidson, Honda, Kawasaki, KTM, the Piaggio Group, Victory, Suzuki, Triumph and Yamaha).

NEW JERSEY LAW LIMITS BLACK BOX ACCESS

The EPA proposed setting the Renewable Fuel Standard for 2014 at the levels that were actually produced and used, which totaled 15.93 billion gallons. But for 2015, the standard rises to 16.3 billion gallons. And for 2016, the total increases again, to 17.4 billion gallons.

“By increasing the amounts of ethanol into America’s gasoline marketplace, the EPA will force the fuel marketplace to exceed the blend wall by hundreds of millions of gallons,” Allard said.

The blend wall is the point at which no more ethanol can be blended with-

Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey has signed into law A. 3579, which limits access to data recorded by vehicle “Back Boxes.”

The new law states that all the recorded information and data is the property of the owner or lessee of the vehicle or motorcycle.

This data, originally designed for repair facilities and maintenance, can only be accessed by authorities and law enforcement by court ordered warrant issued by a judge of the Superior Court.

September brings falling leaves and autumn rains, making for a slippery riding situation. Be aware.

Page 42

SEPTEMBER 2015 • BACKROADS

UP C OM I N G E VE NT S CAL END AR EVERY MONTH - WEATHER PERMITTING Every Monday • McCobb’s Bike Night, 2391 Hamburg Tpke, Wayne, NJ • 6-10pm Every Tuesday • The Ear - Spring St, NYC. Come meet some fellow riders and do some benchracing or whatever. 8pm-ish Last Wednesday • Tramontin Over the Hump Bike Night. 6-8pm. Live music, great food, in-house specials. Exit 12 Rte. 80, Hope NJ • 908-459-4101 • TramontinHD.com 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 • 9am for coffee and bagels. KSU 10am. Return for FREE food and music. Proper attire MUST be worn! No shorts or sneakers. • Bergen Harley-Davidson, 124 Essex St, Rochelle Park, NJ • 201-843-6930 • www.BergenHarley.com Every Saturday • Tramontin Harley-Davidson Biker BBQ with FREE Hot Dogs while they last. 12-3pm weather permitting. Exit 12 Route 80 Hope, NJ • www.TramontinHD.com • 908-459-4101

What’s Happening valry game between the Sussex County Miners vs. Rockland Boulders. Tickets $10pp from box office or call 973-940-0222 (mention Backroads). More to come.

11-14 • 33rd Annual Green Mountain Rally hosted by BMW Motorcycle Owners of Vermont. BMW Riders and their guests are invited to Camp Thorpe, Goshen, VT (off Brandon Gap Rd/Rte. 73) for home cooking, great Vermont tours - Gap and GS Rides), door prizes, awards and much more. $55 before Sept. 1/$70 after. Limited to 250. Limited cabin space available. For more info and registration visit vtbmwmov.org/rally or email rally@vtbmwmov.org.

13 • Rutt’s Hutt Ripper Run sponsored by FW Speer Yamaha • sign in: 9am • call for full details (973) 778-6256 17-21 • Backroads Fall Foliage 2015. 4-night road trip to Virginia/West Virginia. 1st night: George Washington Hotel, Winchester, VA • nights 2 + 3: Isaac Jackson Hotel, Elkins, WV • 4th night: Shippen Place Hotel, Shippensburg, PA. Full info: www.backroadsusa.com/rallies.html. As always, gathering is free, just pay your own way and have a great time. Questions? editor@backroadsusa.com • 973-948-4176

Every Sunday • Tramontin Harley-Davidson Rise + Shine Breakfast 9-11am. Special offerings by Chefs Catering. Exit 12 Route 80 Hope, NJ • www.TramontinHD.com • 908-459-4101

19 • Bob's BMW Motorcycles Oktoberfest & Open House 9A-4P. 10720 Guilford Rd, Jessup, MD • 301-497-8949 • www.bobsbmw.com

Thru Oct. 11, 2015 • AACA Museum’s ‘Motorbikes for the Masses’. 161 Museum Dr, Hershey, PA (1 mile from HerseyPark just off Rte. 39 West) • 717-566-7100 • www.AACAMuseum.org

23-27 • 3rd Annual Motorcycle Film Festival, Nihil Gallery, 251 Douglas Street, Brooklyn NY. Full schedule and chosen film list: www.motorcyclefilmfestival.com

AUGUST 29 • Maghogomock Hook + Ladder 2nd Annual Benefit Ride, Port Jervis, NY. Sign in: 25 Orange St, Port Jervis, NY 9-10am. $20 rider/$15 passenger. Rural ride, good food, music, lots of prizes and 2015 Harley Fatboy drawing • 201-481-4082

19 • Newburgh NY Swap Meet • 8am-3pm • 21 Liberty St, Newburgh, NY

24-27 • Rolling Thru America - Pennsylvania. Brought to you by the folks who produce Americade, an intimate tour through beautiful Pennsylvania. Visit www.RollingThruAmerica.com for full details and to register. Limited space.

29 • Bergen County Harley-Davidson 1st ever Scavenger Hunt Run to benefit Liberty Run Foundation. Sign in: 9-10:15am • 124 Essex St, Rochelle Park, NJ. $15 rider/$10 passenger. 201-843-6930 • BergenHarley.com

26 • Forever Friends Motorcycle Awareness Charity Bike Run & Event in loving memory of Mark Khoury & Jeremy Ramirez. Skylands Stadium, 94 Championship Dr (Rte. 565), Augusta, NJ. Sign in: 9-11am; Ride 11:30-1:30pm; Event doors open noon-5pm. $20/pp incl. food, vendors, tricky tray, 50/50, live music and ride. foreverfriends4923.@gmail.com for more info.

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

6 • Dawn Patrol MC Labor Day Weekend Fun Run (Raindate Sept. 13). Sign in: Bradley Gardens Firehouse, 24 Old York Rd, Bridgewater, NJ 9am-noon with coffee/Donuts. End site: Dawn Patrol MC Clubhouse, 106 Robert St, Bradley Gardens, (Bridgewater), NJ. $20/pp incl. homemade food and beverages, scenic route (lime dot & route sheet) music, door prizes, trophies and fun • 908-722-4357 • 732-3565838 • clubhouse 908-722-4664 • www.dawnpatrolmc.com

3 • Liberty Harley-Davidson Fall Open House. Food, beverages, live music and more. 12 W Milton Ave, Rahway, NJ • 732-381-2400 • www.LibertyHarley.com 4 • 8th Anual Veterans Memorial Car, Truck & Bike Show. Woodbourne Veterans Memorial park, 145 Sherman Ridge Rd, Wantage Township, NJ • 11am-4pm. Benefits Operation Comfort Warrior. For more information: 973-352-9203 • wantagerec.com/veterans_memorial/car_show/car_show.htm

6 • Backroads ‘Take Me Out to the Ballgame’ Ride. We’ll meet at 10am for a leisurely ride through the countryside to Skylands Stadium,Augusta, NJ for a friendly ri-

11 • Ramapo Motorcycle Club Fall Foliage Tour. Sign in/Endsite: Rhodes North Tavern, 40 Orange Tpke (Rte. 17) Sloatsburg, NY 9am-mid-afternoon. Benefits Valerie

BACKROADS • SEPTEMBER 2015

UP C OM I N G E VE NT S CAL END AR Fund for Childhood Cancer Research. A guided or self-guided tour featuring the best autumn pallet Mother Nature can provide along some of the Hudson Valley’s most interesting roads. For more info: ramapomc.org • RMC@ramapomc.org 17 • Morton’s BMW Motorcycles Oktoberfest Open House featuring British world traveler and auther Sam Manicom’s ‘Into Africa’ presentation and book signing along with demo rides, door prizes, great food, fantastic sales and much more.

5099A Jefferson Davis Hwy, Fredericksburg, VA • 540-891-9844 • www.mortonsbmw.com 18 • 27th Annual Harvey C. Irons Make-A-Wish Ride hosted by the Blue Knights NJIX. Sign in with coffee/donuts: Chatterbox Drive-In, Rte. 15/206, Augusta, NJ 9-

Page 43 11am; KSU 11am. $20/pp benefits Make-A-Wish Foundation of NJ. Endsite: Skylands Stadium, Rte. 565, Augusta, NJ with entertainment, vendors, lunch and more. email: mlittle_2@msn.com • bknjix.org • 973-729-4072 18 • 10th Annual Fall Motorcycle Classic Bike Show and Run to benefit Tomorrow’s Children Fund. For complete details please see page 25

NOVEMBER 28 • Cross Country Powersports Fall Open House, 911 Middlesex Ave, Metuchen, NJ • 732-635-0094 • www.crosscountrypowersports.com

Page 44

PRODUCT REVIEW

SEPTEMBER 2015 • BACKROADS

RACER GLOVES USA GRIP GLOVES Like pretty much every piece of riding apparel, gloves have undergone years of evolution and development, so much so that the breed offers levels of protection, comfort and durability that our foreriders could only dream of. Racer Gloves is the sole US distributor of an Austrian motorcycle apparel company that has been around since the 1990s. Their products are a great example of the state of play in premium glove creation, and above all they promote getting a glove that fits like a glove (Sorry. Had to be said). In fact, the company claims they make “The best-fitting motorcycles you can buy.” Is this true? I shall share my findings.

Racer’s hi-tech gloves are not just made for track duty; they have categories including Adventure, Race, Sport and Winter on the men’s side, and Race, Summer, Winter and Waterproof on the women’s side. I procured a pair of Grip Gloves from the Sport category, as during most of the year I prefer a stout racing-style glove for everyday wear. The Grip gloves are light in weight (my size large were 4.3 ounces per glove), but very complex in construction with a variety of specialized materials to maximize protection, comfort and dexterity. This starts with a goatskin chassis and palm base, and very trick materials are added in key areas, such as Pittards (a specialized leather manufacturer) leather patches, as well as hard knuckle protection covered in leather. SuperFabric (another specialized manufacturer that makes abrasion-resistant fabric) is found on fingertips and the palm for yet additional protection. Perforated leather is used on fingers and the gauntlet for ventilation, with further venting on the top of the hand. The gloves secure with hook and loop around the gauntlet and a further strap at the base of the wrist. I seriously doubt they’d work themselves off in a tumble.

My size large fit very snug and yet were very comfortable, with excellent dexterity and no annoying pressure points. The gloves have become even more comfy as they have broken-in, and ventilation in these summer months has been excellent. Strips of reflective material aid nighttime conspicuity, and in a very short time I’ve become quite pleased with the gloves’ performance. Oh, and they do fit really well, and as the company prides itself on this fact I’m sure they’d be happy to guide you through the fitting process that’s presented on their website to insure you get the proper gloves for you.

The Racer Grip Gloves come in Black or White & Black, in sizes S-4XL, and they are priced at $159.99 racerglovesusa.com. (408) 852-0700. ~ Bill Heald

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Page 45

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Page 47

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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.

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

The Riverton Hotel and Restaurant

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THURSDAY BIKE NIGHT IS BACK • join us at

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

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Dress properly for your ride with a helmet, eye protection, long-sleeved shirt, long pants, gloves and boots. Do not drink and ride. It is illegal and dangerous. Yamaha and the Motorcycle Safety Foundation encourage you to ride safely and respect the environment. For further information regarding the MSF course, please call 1-800-446-9227. ©2014 Yamaha Motor Corporation. U.S.A. All rights reserved. • YamahaMotorsports.com

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CB500X

210 Route 10 West • East Hanover, NJ • 973-428-1735

www.Powersports.Honda.com Mon, Tue, Wed, Fri: 9am-6pm • Thur: 9am-8pm Sat: 9am-5pm • SUNDAY: CLOSED honda.com ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET, EYE PROTECTION AND PROTECTIVE CLOTHING. NEVER RIDE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF DRUGS OR ALCOHOL, AND NEVER USE THE STREET AS A RACETRACK. OBEY THE LAW AND READ THE OWNER’S MANUAL THOROUGHLY. For rider training information or to locate a rider training course near you, call the Motorcycle Safety Foundation at 800-446-9227. NC700X, CB500X and CRF1000L Africa Twin are registered trademarsk of Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (08/15)