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e zin aga
M our le T cyc tor Mo
Motorcycles, Travel & Adventure
BMW MOA Rally Beemers Bigfoot Blue Skies
SEPTEMBER
2013 Volume 19 No. 9
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W H A T ’ S
I N S I D E FEATURES
M ON T HLY COLUM N S FREE WHEELIN’.................................................................................4
SHIRA’S ICE CREAM RUN............................................................25
WHATCHATHINKIN’..........................................................................6
INDIAN MOTORCYCLES RE-EMERGE IN STURGIS................27
POSTCARDS FROM THE HEDGE .................................................7
REVERSAL OF FORTUNE .............................................................30
ON THE MARK ..................................................................................8
BMW MOA 41ST INTERNATIONAL RALLY .............................34
THROTTLE BLIP.................................................................................9
CARTAGENA - THE FORTRESS CITY ........................................50
BACKLASH .......................................................................................10 INDUSTRY INFOBITES ...................................................................11 GREAT ALL AMERICAN DINER RUN.........................................14
MOTORCYCLE REVIEWS 3,500 MILES WITH THE NEW R 1200 GS .............................40
PRODUCT REVIEWS
BIG CITY GETAWAY........................................................................16
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHTS................................................................42
MYSTERIOUS AMERICA...............................................................18
BAJA DESIGNS ONX LED LIGHT BAR ......................................53
WE’RE OUTTA HERE......................................................................21 THOUGHTS FROM THE ROAD ...................................................23 WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE .......................................................39 UPCOMING EVENTS CALENDAR ..............................................45 MOTORCYCLE MARKETPLACE...................................................46 Brian Rathjen • Shira Kamil ~ Publishers Contributors: Jeff Bahr, Mark Byers, Bill Heald, Tony Lisanti, Terry Peters, Dr. Seymour O’Life Motorcycles, Travel & Adventure
BACKROADS • POB 317, Branchville NJ 07826
Phone 973.948.4176 • Fax 973.948.0823 • email editor@backroadsusa.com • web www.backroadsusa.com • For Advertising Sales Information: 973-948-4176 BACKROADS (ISSN 1087-2088) is published monthly by BACKROADS™, Inc. 2013. All rights reserved. BACKROADS™ may not be reproduced in any manner without specific written consent from the publisher. BACKROADS™ welcomes and encourages submissions (text and photos) and suggestions. Include phone number with submissions. BACKROADS™ will only return material with enclosed sufficient postage. The written articles and opinions printed in BACKROADS™ are not necessarily those of the publisher and should not be considered an endorsement. The Rip & Rides® published are ridden on the sole responsibilty of the rider. BACKROADS™ is not responsible for the conditions of the public roadways traversed. Please respect the environment, read your owner’s manual and wear proper protective gear and helmet. Ride within your limits, not over them.
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FREE WHEELIN’ BRIAN RATHJEN
The LisT Each time Shira and I go on tour I inevitably leave something important behind. Extra camera battery, USB cord, toothbrush – anything could be forgotten and I usually discover this at the least opportune time. Many times this happens because I wait till the day I am leaving before packing for the trip. In the mad rush to get going things will always fall through the cracks, often with really bad results – such as the time I got to a Backroads Fall Fiesta and immediately had to go in search of a toothbrush - the most basic of necessities. Every now and again I make up a list of “must have” items to be brought long for the ride. But this can get out of hand as well; as sometimes it seems my list has a list. So with less than a week to go before we headed to Greece, I got up one morning determined to have everything I needed for this trip to Eastern Europe. And, this time – instead of using pad and pencil I would keep the list on my computer. Yeah, I know, but sometimes pad and pencil are very convenient. In the past I was always going to type it all into the computer – but it never came about – and paper lists always disappear with time. Realizing that I indeed needed two lists, one for touring on my own machine here in North America and a second for when I got on a jet to ride somebody’s motorcycle elsewhere on the planet, I sat down with steaming
coffee cup in hand and started working on the latest lists. Then, being the lazy one I am, I figured I’d just make one big one and have Shira format it into a check-off sort of thing and print a few dozen to keep handy for each trip or tour we did. I would start with the basics in no particular order, with some personal things that I always seem to need that you might have no use for what so ever. The things I knew I would be using all the time and hoped – if I kept this open on my desktop – I would add other essentials in the next few days. The List • Riding Gear: Helmet w/ New Shield, Riding Jacket & Pants, Waterproof Riding Boots, Gloves, Rain gloves, Ear Plugs, Neck Warmer, Wind Stop Jacket, Electric Gear Liner, Gloves & Thermostat, CamelBak – Hydration System Essential Tools of the Trade: Wallet – Credit Cards, Fun Tickets (cash), License, etc…Airline Tickets/Itinerary, Passport, Toiletry Bag (check contents), Apple Laptop /w Charger, Backpack for Laptop , pens, paper, highlighters, etc…Small Digital Camera, Extra camera Batteries w/ Charger, Nikon D100 Camera, Extra Battery and Charger for Nikon, USB Cable, DSL Cable, Altec inMotion Speakers, Cell Phone /w Charger, Garmin GPS V, Maps/Holder, Guitar Picks, Communication System, Cork Screw, Back-Up Cork Screw, Good Book, Six Current Issues of Backroads, Leatherman, Pocket Knife, Plexus and Micro Towel, Handful of Sacagawea Coins for Street Kids, Reading Glasses, Small Flashlight, Tank Bag to carry all this crap Clothing: Socks & Underwear, 3 Pants, 6 T-Shirts, 2 Tailored Shirts, Sweater, Bathing Suit, Baseball Cap (Star Gate SG-1 or NY Mets preferred), Watch, Walking Shoes, Belt
The bulk of this list came easily, but things did get added over the weekend I kept this up on my computer - such as the back-up cork screw when I remembered busting one, one evening, in Morocco and having little chance of running out to the store in a Muslim nation to pick up a replacement. Remember the Boy Scouts motto. Remember also that, although the list seems lengthy, it really isn’t and (Continued on Page 20)
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W H ATC H AT H I N K I N ’ SHIRA KAMIL Where ya gonna go When the volcano bloWs Motorcycle Touring. It’s an interesting life, full of excitement, travel and socializing. Sometimes you ride with strangers; many times with folks you’ve come to know over the years. For me, it’s usually with Brian, gathering fodder for these pages. We’ve developed a very good system of taking images on the road. Brian is quite proficient at pulling out the camera while riding and snapping some action shots. My attempts at this most often end up with blurry, distant garbage. Every once in a while I’ll get lucky. On our most recent sojourn out west to participate in the BMW MOA Rally in Salem, Oregon, we managed to put some good mileage on two brand new bikes and see a great deal of the northwest. Invariably, when you pull into a parking lot on new motorcycles, there will be at least one person who will come over to admire, ogle or just plain gawk. This is hardly ever a problem, as being a spokesperson for said bike is part of the job of motojournalism. On this trip, we were hitting some beautiful national parks and amazing scenic highlights that we wanted to capture as best we could. We would find the perfect setting, away from any tourists, traffic and parked cars and set up our shots. This is a difficult thing to do in the middle of July at places like Crater Lake or Mount Saint Helens, but we did our best. So, here we were, our bikes pointed at each other, with a clear blue sky above Mount Saint Helens and a relatively empty parking lot. Brian had moved our gear to a nearby wall to get it out of the shot and was getting out
his camera when HE came sauntering over (let’s call him Tim). Tim was full of questions and excitement, as he used to ride ‘in the day’ and had an old something or other back home ‘that he really should try to get started again’. Tim was certainly nice enough, and just wanted to strike up a conversation about motorcycles, which would otherwise be a great thing to do. However, we were trying our best to get these shots done before the inevitable tour bus pulled into the parking lot. He kept bending down to look over the bikes and ask questions. He would lean against the bike while we answered and attempted to lure him away from the motorcycles. At one point I gave up and went to the bathroom, hoping that losing one set of ears might send him on his way. I exited the bathroom to see him still bending Brian’s ear, frustration starting to show in his eyes. Upon my return, he turned his attention and conversation to me and I kept him talking while walking over to the viewing sight for the volcano. Luckily, he followed me and Brian was finally able to get his shots done. So, how do you tactfully and politely discourage the further conversations of someone who is determined to keep you talking all day? Depending on my mood, which is usually light and cheery, I’ll talk for a little then start shooting my pictures. Mostly folks will get the hint that you’re done talking. If they don’t, I go for blunt directness and ask them to please move out of the way as I’m trying to get my picture. If this just gets them into the ‘photo bomb’ position in the background I will physically move them to a spot completely out of sight line. As I’ve always heard, it’s easier to beg forgiveness than ask permission, and if laying hands on someone offends them, they should learn how to get out of my space. This scenario doesn’t just apply to photography. Some times you’ll just be in a beautiful, serene spot and want to enjoy the moment when a Tim wanders along and ruins the moment. I guess I have that look about me, but I seem to attract those folks who feel I’d make a great listener to their problems of the (Continued on Page 20)
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P O S TC A R D S FROM THE HEDGE BILL HEALD There can be onLy one (buTTon) One of the things that fascinates me about the twowheeled conveyances we cherish is how different OEMs tackle a common control interface. There are certain things that are mandated by governments to insure some standardization, such as placement of key operational controls like the brake, throttle, etc. But as you no doubt know, there are some controls that are different depending on the whims of the manufacturer such as the turn signal switch. If you want to start a lively debate, bring up the old Harley/BMW two-switch design and compare it to the single switch approach everybody else has always used. Each side will have proponents that will swear one design is natural, intuitive and brilliant, while others will claim it’s idiotic. That said, you will certainly hear some interesting arguments on both sides, and to be honest you tend to get used to what you ride anyway. The reason I bring this up is I recently encountered a type of control I’ve not experienced before, and as I’m always interested in how designers approach things I thought I’d share the experience. That, and these things are always important to talk about because we live in a time where the microprocessor is changing how just about everything works, and this even includes the things we use to operate our bikes. In this case, I encountered a cruise control that was rather novel in its simplicity. The bike was Moto Guzzi’s quite entertaining California 1400 Touring, and this able road-muncher comes standard with a very compact cruise unit that consists of one button. That’s pretty amazing when you think about typical cruise control units that have all kinds of switches and such and all need to be mastered before you take to the highway and use it. I should point out that some other OEM may be using one-button cruise
Page 7 too, but they haven’t in the past and this is my first encounter with one. Speaking of which, I know many who don’t like cruise control at all on motorcycles and I respect this position. But I like having it for no other reason than just resting your wrist on long days in the saddle, when you hit an appropriate stretch of road. Anyway, one button. To quote Michael Palin, “wonderful what you can do nowadays.” This lone button is used to turn the unit on, then set your speed, cancel, etc. Couldn’t be simpler, and yet I had trouble getting it to work easily at first. I think part of it was how I expect to operate such a unit, based on my experience with a small boatload of the devices. But it’s all a matter of just understanding how it works, and as it turns out with one button the critical operation you must master is how long to push the thing to get it to do what you want. A long push turns on the unit and an icon blinks in the speedo cluster, then when you reach desired speed a quick push locks in your speed and the icon glows steadily. You have to be in at least third gear, and you don’t touch the brakes or the clutch. If you want to speed up, just twist the throttle and when you release it returns the preset speed. For “coast” functions you touch the brakes and it disengages, and then you reset your speed again. Simple, yes? One button, no worries. All this simplicity is made possible because electronics have become so compact and smart, and in many ways this is a big advancement over the original cruise units especially if we go all the way back to throttle locks. If you remember these simple “cruise control” units, they basically just held the throttle at a fixed point through mechanical friction. Very simple, to be sure, but very limited in how they could help you and potentially problematic (although if it gets stuck there’s always your friend the clutch lever). Then as manufacturers started building electronic cruise control units, they were (depending on the make) larger and even larger modules, with controls based on the design found on their automotive counterparts. They tended to work well, although there was no interface with traction control because there was no traction control. This is a very critical feature in my view, because when trac(Continued on Page 24)
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ON THE MARK MARK BYERS The Long ride I didn’t really jones to do it. I’ve always looked with disdain upon long superslab drones – rides designed to cover distance rather than to celebrate the miracle of motorcycle maneuvering. But fate intervened, as she is known to do: I had a wedding to attend in Wisconsin. Consulting the oracle of Google revealed that Madison is just over a thousand miles from my abode by Eisenhower’s autobahns and a memory floated to the top of my cerebral cesspool about an “Ironbutt Saddlesore 1,000,” so I figured “What the hell.” I’m no stranger to long days in the saddle. In my other life as a bicycle race referee, I’ll spend 12-14 hours on the moto in a day, traveling to races and chasing lycra-clad competitors around. When I was a bicycle racer, on multiple days I covered more than 100 miles on a bicycle, but despite my hours on a moto, I didn’t have that may miles in one day. The longest ride I’d done was a one-day trip to Vermont from Southern Maryland, a distance of about 650 miles. The absence of a thousand-mile moto ride hung there like a smudge on my bucket list. The planning was ridiculously easy: I made sure I had a 24-hour gas station nearby to get a receipt with a date and time for the start, printed some forms from the Ironbutt Association’s web site, read their tips, and looked at internet maps. I planned an all-slab assault on the Midwest, carefully avoiding the spiderweb of roads around Chicago in favor of a less congested route through Bloomington, Illinois. A five-in-the-morning departure insured I’d miss the traffic in all the enroute urban areas (DC, Columbus, Dayton, Indianapolis, and Bloomington), plus it gave me daylight for almost the entirety of the trip. Although I couldn’t count it for the ride time, travelling East to West gained an hour’s clock time. And so it went. On the assigned day, I pushed the starter button at 0500 hours sharp, departed the gas station at 0515, and the next time I stopped was in Morgantown, WV five hours later. Two more stops, one in Springfield, OH and one in Urbana, IL, insured my intake and output of fluids allowed continued progress. My log and dated/timed receipts were kept as evidence
of my journey and I pulled into Madison, WI sixteen-and-a-half hours and 1,048 miles later. I even had time to have celebratory beers with the wedding party on the shore of Lake Mendota. Was it “fun?” Not really. It was neither agony nor ecstasy. It was…an “accomplishment.” The cruise control made the trip bearable for my throttle hand and judicious stand-up stretches kept my bum happy. I deliberately did it without any audio – no radio or MP3 player or books on tape because, frankly, with everything going on in the country, I just wanted a long period of moving meditation. It was just the sound of the bike coupled with the wind to accompany my thoughts. It reminded me of when I used to run in college to clear my head. Paradoxically, by the time I got there, I actually felt psychologically energized in the absence of the cacophony of media voices by which I’m normally bombarded via radio and the internerd. That may be the real value of long, straight moto rides. Would I do it again? Perhaps, if similar conditions arose wherein I had to be somewhere distant and needed an efficient, economical means of travel. It sure as hell beat any contact with an airline or groping by the TSA. Am I gunning to do the whole, 11-day Ironbutt Rally? Hell no! I allowed a recovery day between the ride and the wedding and I’m glad I did. Continuous long-distance riding is an athletic undertaking that requires a special kind of conditioning and fitness that I do not presently possess. I did, however, satisfy myself that a 1,000-mile day is within the grasp of a mere mortal with a modicum of riding acumen and with a minimum of planning. I do not consider myself a particularly tough motorcycle rider. When I got back from the trip, it was with great sadness that I read of the passing of one Ardys Kellerman. Ardys, an 81-year-old great-grandmother from Lexington, TX, rode multiple Ironbutt rallies and once clocked 100,000 miles in one year. She earned a BMW million-mile award too. Ardys liked to sleep on the ground in horse stalls while she was doing end-to-end 1,000-mile days. Now THERE was a tough motorcycle rider. RIP, Ardys: light a fire for us in the campground at the end of the universe.
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BACKROADS • SEPTEMBER 2013
Page 9 ment? Near as I can tell, I’m some strange hybrid type that fancies riding with and without people, often during the same day. Here’s my best explanation as to why. When I ride with the pack, I enjoy all that this experience has to offer. Things like shared moments in decreasing-radius turns (oh s—t!); a rider pointing out a scenic gemstone along the way; gas stops where we one-up each other with improbable BS stories - you get the picture. But when I ride alone I ride with no such distractions – as entertaining as they can be. Call me nuts but I’ve never experienced Zen while hugging the ass of a sport bike in front of me, or worrying about the fate of a slowpoke rider behind me. And I never will. So for the time being I must live in this rather bizarre half-world of lies. Don’t get me wrong, I would never bail on a fellow rider if it was just the two of us out for the day. But when I’m riding with a group, and we’ve reached our destination, is it really so bad that I wish to stray and go it alone? I’m sure there’s a tactful way to extricate myself without hurting anyone’s feelings, but I’m equally sure that I haven’t found it yet. Ideas? I’m all ears.
THROT TLE BLIPS JEFF BAHR going iT aLone I was riding with some friends when I encountered a problem that has dogged me for as long as I’ve been riding. After reaching our destination we grabbed a quick bite and then left the restaurant to mount up. It was there in the parking lot that the beast reared its ugly head. “Which route do you guys want to ride back, the one we came out on or this squiggly new delight that I just threw together?” asked one of the riders. Another fired back as if on auto pilot. “I don’t really care which way we go. It’s a great day; the skies are sunny, what’s not to love?” Then the third man chimed in. “Personally I prefer the new route, but whatever you guys decide is fine with me.” Now all eyes were on me. With a measured breath I started to speak in the same uneasy tone that I have used countless times before. “You know, guys, I really have to get home so I think I’ll say goodbye here and hop on the super slab.” Silence. Had this been the first or second ride that we had shared, no one would have thought anything of my answer. But our little gang has been riding with each other for years. They knew full well I was lying through my teeth. I had no intention whatsoever of taking a boring interstate back home. And I was in no rush. If I had any pluck at all I simply would have answered their question with honesty as screen goddess Greta Garbo famously did. “I want to be alone.” But I didn’t. Instead, I timidly bid my friends adieu and rolled out of the parking lot. What a coward. It’s been said that men are social animals; creatures that require companionship as surely as they require air. I won’t argue this point on the whole. But if we break men into that curious subcategory called “motorcyclists” the dynamic can change drastically. Almost by definition motorcyclists stand apart from the pack. With cars available, why would anyone wish to expose themselves to the potential risk and undeniable hardships (ever ride through a hailstorm?) that are part and parcel to the motorcycling experience. The short answer? Beats the hell out of me - it is what it is. The lack of logic reaches deeper into our sport. Many motorcyclists are renegades who could care less if they ever ride with someone. Hollywood loves this type and plays heavily on their steely independence. It’s no mistake that the TV show was named “Then Came Bronson” and not “Then Came Bronson and Johnson.” America so loves its independent types. But what about motorcycle gangs and clubs? Doesn’t this prove that riders like to stick together? Again, there’s no clear answer. Within these organizations there are those who never ride alone or rarely ride alone and those that almost always do. In fact, the latter sometimes joins up just to do some bench-racing after they’ve gone for their solo ride. It’s crazy I tell you! So where does this leave me and my little predica-
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BACKLASH
Letters to the Editor
Hi Gang I know you are partial to the BMW motorcycles over their at Backroads Manor and I currently ride a Yamaha Star Stryker which I love but I am considering another bike somewhere along the lines of adventure bike, sport touring. (Honda NC700, V-Strom 650, BMW F800GS). The Honda was a pleasant surprise although maybe a little low on the power end. The V-Strom is very popular and time tested. I have not had the pleasure of riding BMW ever. I was wondering if you might be able to give me a little insight from an owener’s POV. I have sat on several BMWs but all seem too tall (I am 5’6” inseam 30”). Thank you for a great mag every month. If you are ever in the area of Vails Gate you must visit Brothers BBQ on Route 32, 1/3 mile south of the 5 corners of Vails Gate. Roger Parliman
that should not be a difficulty. Hope this may help with your decision and we’ll see you on the trails. Brian/Shira, Thanks for a great publication. I just took delivery of a 2009 BMW G650GS to try my hand at dual sporting. I have 25 years of road riding experience but have never been off road. Now that I have the bike I’m looking for some fun dirt trails and scenic points to explore with the GS and start getting comfortable riding some trails. Any recommendations? Mild stuff. Jeep trails, fire roads that sort of thing is of most interest to me until I can get an off road riding course under my belt. Any info you can share would be appreciated. Thanks, Tom Adamo - Parsippany, NJ
Tom, Congrats on the purchase. As you may know, Jersey has limited ‘legal’ offroad riding. That said, there are still plenty of unpaved traveling to be explored. First that comes to mind is the Walpack area in Sussex/Warren County. Head north on Route 206 and bang a left into Stokes State Forest. You can meander along paved/unpaved section for quite some time with little interference from other traffic. Find Buttermilk Falls or head to Crater Lake. Just explore and have fun. Another suggestion is getting in touch with Bergen County BMW. They have a group call the GS Riders of Bergen County who take ‘adventure’ rides and can give you some direction. If this sounds like what you are looking for, you can WWW.CYCLEMOTIONINC.COM contact Rich via email at Rich@bergenhdbmw.com
Roger, All the mentioned rides are great options for an adventure/sport tourer. The Suzuki V-Strom is, as you said a tried and true machine which will give you dependable service and enjoyment at a great value. The BMW is a great workhorse and can carry you around the world. This, of course, is at the premium cost and may have the most expense in upkeep. As Shira has a similar inseam, we can say the V-Strom and Honda are a bit high in the seat, but 1269 DOLSONTOWN RD MIDDLETOWN NY 10940
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Dear Shira and Brian, What a lovely surprise we found in our mailbox this morning!! Thank you so much for including the inn in your magazine. The article is so complimentary to us! And the pictures are great. We’re so glad you enjoyed our place and love the way you describe the inn and everything about the area for your readers. Giving them exact directions is something we have never seen done before, but it certainly makes it easy! We hope you are having a good summer. If you ever get down this way again, we’d love to see you! Ed and Ellen Markel, The Inn at Narrow Passage, Woodstock, VA
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It is interesting to note that two of your editorials involved my pet peeve. Groups of more than six riders are a hazard to the enjoyment of riding. The obvious problems of navigating the roads are only a part of it. Fuel stops become a very long and arduous affair. Selection of a rest stop or a restaurant is a project and often leads to issues with the wait staff and proprietor of a dining establishment. Overnight accommodations and reservations are limited. The egos of the Road Captain and Road Marshals can also create disharmony. The Zen of motorcycling dictates that it is an activity designed for individuality. In summary, “If I wanted to be in a parade, I would have joined the circus”. As always, warmest regards, Byrd Just finished my August issue. Great job! I hate to admit this, but I even found myself reading some of the ads. I can assure you this I do not do with publications I receive like CYCLE***** and MOTOR*******, or RI***, or ROAD RU****. Some of those mags take me 5 minutes to thumb through and toss. The only reasons I subscribe is they are cheap (well, two are) and to see who in my world of moto-journalist acquaintances is flogging what to where. Unsigned
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INDUSTRY INFOBITES
News from the Inside
2013 RECIPIENT OF THE BACKROADS LAME AWARD
PASSING OF A CHAMPION…
It took nearly half the year but we found a suc…er, we mean a worthy member of the motorcycling community for our LAME (Lifetime Achievement in Motorcycling Excellence) award. This year’s honoree is the venerable Dr. Gregory Frazier. Dr. Frazier has ridden his motorcycle around the world five times and is the author of many entertaining and informative books on motorcycling. He has contributed much knowledge and plain old neat stuff to those who like to consider themselves riders, travelers and/or adventurers. We were able to personally hand Dr. G his beautiful piece of fancy glass at a dinner commemorating the culmination of the Clancy Centenary Ride, a recreation of the first ride around the world done by Carl Stearn Clancy in 1912-13, in Newburgh, NY. His acceptance words were, “I was/am truly humbled by your anointing me with your “Lifetime Achievement” award. It now resides at Ft. Frazier, prominently in the black and white kitchen.” You’re welcome, Dr. G. Ride on.
Bill Warner, 44, of Wimauma, Fla., was clocked at 285 mph before he lost control but it was unclear how fast the motorcycle was traveling when it veered off the paved runway and crashed, said Tim Kelly, race director of the Loring Timing Association, which hosted “The Maine Event” at Loring Air Force Base. Warner was conscious and talking after the crash, but he died about an hour and 15 minutes later at a hospital in Caribou. “No one will touch Bill’s achievements or be the type of racer he was. He was a personal friend and the land-racing community is less for his loss,” Kelly said. Riding his modified turbocharged Suzuki Hayabusa, Warner previously hit 311 mph on the same course in 2011, using 1.5 miles of pavement. That’s considered to be the world land speed record for a conventional motorcycle. This time he was trying to hit 300 mph using just a mile of pavement, and he’d made several passes before the one in which he crashed, Kelly said. On Sunday, about 400 spectators watched as Warner began veering right after passing the 1-mile mark, traveling upright for another 2,000 feet before exiting the runway and crashing, Kelly said. The remainder of Sunday’s event was canceled. The Limestone Police Department and Maine State Police were investigating the crash.
SENA TECHNOLOGIES JOINS MOTORCYCLE INDUSTRY COUNCIL BIG 4 MOTORCYCLE EXPORTS DOWN 26% Following several months of declines, motorcycle exports from Japan’s Big Four motorcycle brands fell again in June 2013, according to the latest data from the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA). The Big Four — Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha — exported 25,831 units in June, compared with 35,306 units recorded for the same month of the previous year. This is a decrease of 9,475 units, or 26.8 percent, and a decrease on the same month of the previous year for nine consecutive months.
Sena Technologies Inc. has officially become a member of the Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC). Through the use of education on government relations, industry statistics, technical support and relationships with other MIC members, Sena will be able to support the industry through active participation in industry issues and conversations as well as support motorcyclists through events, outreach and product experiences. “Becoming a member of the Motorcycle Industry Council will allow Sena to build stronger relationships with motorcyclists and other members as well as be up to date on all news and information affecting the motorcycle indus-
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SEPTEMBER 2013 • BACKROADS
Page 12 try,” said Sam Kim, vice president of marketing, Sena Technologies Inc. “Sena has experienced exceptional success with their line of Bluetooth headset and intercom devices and is looking forward to continuing to grow and be a part in the continued success of the industry.”
HARLEY-DAVIDSON 2013 Q2 FINANCIAL REPORT Harley-Davidson released its second-quarter report, reporting that motorcycle sales were up across all markets. Harley reports that 90,193 new Harley motorcycles were sold in Q2, compared to 85,714 from the same quarter of 2012, an increase of 5.2 percent. In the U.S., dealers sold 58,241 new Harley-Davidson motorcycles in the quarter, up 4.4-percent compared to the year-ago period. In international markets, dealers sold 31,952 new Harley-Davidson motorcycles during the second quarter, compared to 29,953 motorcycles in the year-ago period, with unit sales up 12.3-percent in the Asia Pacific region, 1 percent in the EMEA region, 39.2 percent in the Latin America region, and 3.6 percent in Canada. Keith Wandell (Harley-Davidson CEO, Chairman and President) says: “Harley-Davidson again drove strong financial performance in the second quarter, reflecting the many improvements in operations we have made throughout the Company over the past few years as well as our brand strength globally. “Our employees, dealers and suppliers continue to do an outstanding job, working as one team and moving in one direction, to deliver a great experience for our customers.” “All summer long we are celebrating our 110th anniversary with HarleyDavidson enthusiasts from around the world, including one of our biggestever international consumer events last month in Rome and the upcoming celebration in Milwaukee on Labor Day weekend. And less than a month from now, we will launch an exciting lineup of new 2014 motorcycles.”
EDELWEISS FALL FESTIVAL INFO Fall is coming, and while many motorcycle riders worldwide will be winter-proofing their bikes, Edelweiss is getting together again for an unforgettable ride. Come join Edelweiss for the annual “Edelweiss Feschtl” at
Sequoia National Park in southern Sierra Nevada east of Visalia, Calif for two nights. If you’ve already toured with Edelweiss Bike Travel, you’ll likely enjoy a reunion with some of your tour buddies. And, even if you’ve yet to travel with the world’s #1 motorcycle touring company, this event provides a great opportunity to visit with our Edelweiss team, learn about its touring programsm and services and get answers to any questions you may have. For our Edelweiss Feschtl there is a limited number of tickets available. Reservation can be send through the Edelweiss website at edelweissbike.com
MOTORCYCLE SHOW ROLLS INTO NEW YORK WAY EARLY From New York to California, the 12-city nationwide tour of the Progressive® International Motorcycle Shows® offers an all access pass to view at the new 2014 models and hundreds of the hottest street bikes, dirt bikes, cruisers, UTVs and ATVs for both new and experienced riders. From the latest gear and aftermarket accessories to informative seminars and interactive entertainment, this event is the place to experience the latest in the world of motorcycling. This motorcycle extravaganza will also feature live music; the Ultimate Builder Custom Bike Show featuring hundreds of the hottest custom motorcycles dripping in eye-popping chrome, wild paint jobs and dazzling rims; the return of The Podium that will host motorcycle racers, celebrities, DIY seminars; and much, much more. New York City @ Jacob K. Javits Convention Center : Friday, Dec 13Sunday, Dec 15, 2013 Washington, D.C. @ Washington Convention Center: Friday, Jan. 10-Sunday, Jan. 12, 2014 New model lineups and representatives from several manufacturers including BMW, BRP| Can-Am, Ducati, Harley-Davidson, Honda, Indian, Kawasaki, KTM, Star, Suzuki, Triumph, Victory, Yamaha, Zero and more will be on site to answer questions and provide information on the latest motorcycles, products and education. Visit www.motorcycleshows.com for more event information and other show dates.
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SEPTEMBER 2013 • BACKROADS
G REAT ALL AMERICAN DINER RUN
tasty places to take your bike
The souThern KiTchen 9576 souTh congress sT. rouTe 11, neW MarKeT, va 22844 540-740-3514 • n78.6714064 W38.647896 A great thing about life on the backroads is we get to eat out… a lot. Although this might not be the best in some manner, as the wallet gets thinner and the waistline expands, it is something that needs doing for this magazine and we take this job seriously and do our best to bring you guys and gals the “special places” when we run into them. This month we will head to the south and the great commonwealth of Virginia. This stop on the Great All American Diner Run was originally brought to us by our friend Dale Conyer. Dale has written a number of great motorcycle travel books (which you can find at whitehorsepress.com) and years back he made mention to us about New Market’s Southern Kitchen. New Market has a colorful and storied past, most especially during the Civil War, but these days it is a peaceful little burg nestled atop the Shenandoah Valley and just a quick ride from our host hotel one Backroads Spring Break, the Mimslym in Luray, Virginia. Since we were down here in the south we expected to be getting some serious food and we were not disappointed at the Southern Kitchen. The Southern Kitchen has been a long time icon in New Market and it first opened its door back in 1955. Lloyd and Ruby Newland moved to New Market after working at a torpedo factory during
World War II and got into the construction business in New Market. Seeing the need for a good restaurant and meeting place he built the Southern Kitchen in just 30 days and filled the menu with Ruby’s own recipes. Today the restaurant is run by their son Randy and his wife Rebecca and, in truth, things have not changed much over the years. The atmosphere is right out of the 1950’s with wide booths, original soda fountains, wallmounted juke boxes and murals depicting local history and the nearby Luray caverns. Another reason for the continued success of the Southern Kitchen is that much of there staff have been around for decades creating their famed pies and delicious peanut soup named by USA Today as one of the Top 25 recipes in the world. That’s certainly noteworthy – delicious too. So, we were right on board for a cup of that. We had also heard of their incredible fried chicken and I, for one, was not leaving town with a few pieces of golden poultry. If you get there early, breakfast is sure to please with some delicious Virginia Ham (yep, the salty type), eggs, oatmeal, chicken fried steak, chip beef gravy over biscuits and, of course, grits – it is Virginia. We got there for lunch so we got to see some of the other offerings that make the Southern Kitchen famous. A bunch of different burgers were to be found on the menu and some other serious sandwiches are to be found – Reuben, sirloin steak and an offering called the Trailblazer which is their version of a cheese steak sandwich. It all looked good to us.
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BACKROADS • SEPTEMBER 2013
Page 15 American Diner Run. We’ll have some local fun with today’s ride and recreate the little jaunt we did this day from Luray north along the Skyline, then south through the George Washington forest and over the mountain road to New Market. A great ride for some great food.
Rip & Ride® • THE SOUTHERN KITCHEN 9576 SOUTH CONGRESS ST. ROUTE 11, NEW MARKET, VA 22844 540-740-3514 • N78.6714064 W38.647896
As we mentioned there was that wonderful fried chicken, which our friends Kate and Gena made small work of as well; and Shira also ordered some fried chicken livers, which I had never seen before, but hope to again. All the portions were large, maybe too large, but they do offer “small appetites” for all ages so not to worry that you will fall of your diet. It is hard to go wrong here in New Market, Virginia when you take a seat at the Southern Kitchen and why we were happy to make it a stop on the Great All
FROM LURAY… PICKUP RTE. 211 EAST NORTH ON SKYLINE DRIVE (NPS ROAD FEE) TAKE TO FRONT ROYAL LEFT AT RTE. 340 BEAR RIGHT AT RIVERMONT DRIVE RIGHT AT MOUNTAIN ROAD LEFT AT FORT VALLEY ROAD BEAR LEFT AT CAMP ROOSEVELT ROAD RIGHT AT RTE. 615 EGYPT BEND ROAD RIGHT AT RTE. 211 OVER MOUNTAIN (TIGHT AND TWISTY ROADWAY) LEFT AT RTE. 11 SOUTH THE SOUTHERN KITCHEN ON LEFT
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BIG CIT Y G ETAWAY saraToga auToMobiLe MuseuM 110 ave of The Pines, saraToga sPrings, ny 518-587-1935 • saraTogaauToMuseuM.org
daytrip ideas to get out of the daily grind The 2-wheeled BMWs are compliments of the Nettesheim Museum in Huntington, NY, ranging from the first R32, R62, an R12 and many more. For us lovers of these German machines we were all very pleased with the history, stories and quality of this exhibit. The history of the BMW was all there from the past till the present and even a few myths were dispelled. You mean the BMW Roundel is not a spinning aircraft propeller? Oh, well I will have to change that story. The only other argument was between ourselves as we all thought versions of our own machines, RTs and GSs, should have been represented. The BMW cars were impressive, with me trying to decide which one should come home with me - the 507 or the newer version Z8. Their gift shop had some great racing history as well and a lithograph painting of a Porsche 917 from the movie LeMans came home with me as did a DVD on the great Chris Economaki, who helped us start Backroads years back. If you are riding anywhere near New York’s Adirondacks and Saratoga Springs please stop into the Saratoga Automobile Museum; it is an impressive place and they have some serious BMWs to show you.
Saratoga Springs is known for a number of things. Every summer the ponies come up to play and in years past they have seen a Backroads Rally and years before the area was known for its healing springs. Thus the name Saratoga Springs. On the Avenue of the Pines you will find the old Bottling Plant. After the bottling stopped the town used the big building as a garage but, in 2002, a wonderful thing began and the Saratoga Automobile Museum opened its doors. We have visited the museum a few times before and were always amazed at the wonderful vehicles and particularly enjoyed the second floor that houses a permanent exhibit of the New York State Stock Car Association Hall of Fame and overlooks the first floor. At this year’s Americade we rode south to Saratoga Spring, one soggy afternoon, on a special two-wheel mission, as the famed Saratoga Automobile Museum had a limited exhibit that caught our eye. From May 6, 2013 to November 3, 2013, the Saratoga Automobile Museum will focus on “BMW, the Ultimate Driving Machine.” This will be a sevenmonth major exhibition of significant BMW cars and motorcycles from the 1930s to the present. The Bavarian Motor Works began as a motorcycle producer then segued into automobiles, and remains one of the few marques you’ll find competing successfully on both two and four wheels. (Know the other two? It’s Honda, of course, and VW Group, who recently acquired Ducati.) Historic BMWs on display will range from the sporty pre-War 328 roadster – one of the most successful competitors of its day - to the supremely elegant postwar 507, the winged CSL of the 1970s, noted BMW racecars and much more. BMW Classic is anticipated to provide cars from the BMW Museum in Munich and the BMWNA Collection.
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To give you some impetus to plan a trip, here’s a little Rip & Ride from Port Jervis, NY that will bring you there in style. Since it is a 275-mile ride, you might like to spend the night and explore the lovely town of Saratoga Springs.
Rip & Ride® • SARATOGA AUTOMOBILE MUSEUM 110 AVE OF THE PINES, SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY • 518-587-1935 • WWW.SARATOGAAUTOMUSEUM.ORG
START: PORT JERVIS, NY ROUTE 97 NORTH THROUGH HAWKS NEST CONTINUE TOWARDS NARROWSBURG BEAR LEFT AT BLINKER RTE. 52 CROSS NARROWSBURG BRIDGE HARD RIGHT IMMEDIATELY AFTER BRIDGE SR 1017 BEAR RIGHT AT SR 1004 RIGHT AT RTE. 371 CROSS BRIDGE INTO NY BEAR LEFT TO RTE. 97 NORTH INTO HANCOCK BEAR RIGHT ON CR 268 LEFT AT CR. 268 RIGHT AT ROUTE 10 RIGHT ON ROUTE 206 LEFT AT RTE. 30 CROSS BRIDGE OVER RESERVOIR
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www.HanoverPowersports.com Mon, Tue, Wed, Fri: 9am-6pm • Thur: 9am-8pm • Sat: 9am-5pm SUNDAY: CLOSED - GONE RIDING 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. Specifications subject to change without notice. Professional rider depicted on a closed course. ©2012 Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. All rights reserved. • yamaha-motor.com
www.Powersports.Honda.com Mon, Tue, Wed, Fri: 9am-6pm • Thur: 9am-8pm • Sat: 9am-5pm SUNDAY: CLOSED - GONE RIDING 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. CTX™ and Gold Wing® are registered trademarks of Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (07/13)
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Morton’s BMW Motorcycles Presents Dr. Seymour O’Life’s MYSTERIOUS AMERICA friday The 13Th LooKing for caMP cLearWaTer Dr. Seymour O’Life Does the name Jason Voorhees mean anything to you? Well, if you were a fan of the great slasher films of the 1980s then it probably does. Did any of us ever look at hockey goalies the same way again? The original Friday the 13th was written by Victor Miller and was produced and directed by Sean S. Cunningham. However, neither returned to write or direct any of the sequels. Did they have to? The film cost just $550,000 to produced but grossed some $37,465,200 worldwide. I call that a nice profit. The first film was created to cash in on the success of Halloween and has had a total of 12 movies (not 13?) that have brought in nearly $465 million dollars. Although none of the sequels were, the very first film was New Jersey born. In fact Camp Crystal is still found in the woods of northwest New Jersey – not far from Backroads Central. With that in mind publisher Rathjen and I went searching for the elusive camp. In 1979, when the film crew was looking for a suitable camp to film Friday the 13th they came upon a Boy Scout Camp, near Blairstown, New Jersey called Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco (short for North Bergen Boy Scouts) The 380 acres camp has been the summer home to thousands of scouts from Bergen, Passaic, Essex and Hudson counties. The camp was not being used at the time so the Boy Scouts let No-Be-BoSco be used by the filmmakers, receiving about a month’s worth of rental fees. Looking back on the profits made by the film they should have asked for more.
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The Camp has also been used for filming MTVs Fear. For the two of us, finding Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco was easy, as they aren’t hiding the camp. But, many Friday the 13th aficionados mistake other local camps for the real thing, such as Camp Nejeda located not too far away. We’ll show you the real thing. But, be foreward. Although you can ride up to Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco, pay attention to the sign DO NOT ENTER THE CAMP!!! The Boy Scouts have a love /hate relationship with their ties to the movie. Arguably the most popular of the slasher films, Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco has far too may “fans’ trying to get in for a peek and the camp is privately owned property and should be treated as such. We do know that at one time the camp officials had a Friday the 13th day where they gave a tour, with all donations going to Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco up-
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BACKROADS • SEPTEMBER 2013 keep. If that happens again you can be sure we’ll let you know. If you ride into the property you will be stopped and the police called. Don’t ask us how we know this. After finding the camp we took a ride to another prominent location from the film – the town of Blairstown itself. Home to the Blair Academy, and quintessential old north New Jersey town, the arched walkway running along Main Street is instantly recognizable as a part of the movie. Somehow it didn’t look so scary in the bright sunshine. What was impressive was the great food at the Blairstown Diner, another location from the film where the camp owner Steve Christy whiles away the evening as his happy band of counselors is being sliced and diced by the unseen killer. We found it the perfect place to grab lunch after a bit of poking around the woods of northern New Jersey in search of Jason Voorhees’ favorite camp. From there we had one more stop to make on our Friday the 13th quest and that was where the character Annie was dropped off on her way to Clearwater. If you remember it was in front of, what else, a cemetery. That final resting place is the Moravian Cemetery, located just outside Hope, New Jersey. From Blairstown this was a quick ride down County Road 521 into the quaint village of Hope and making a right where 521 and 519 meet the cemetery is just a few blocks down. As I said this one movie has spawned so many others, plus novels, comic books and made the name Jason somewhat dastardly.
Page 19 But, I think what we really have here is a grand little ride around some superb slasher-movie history, a bunch of great roads and just a little bit of Mysterious America
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Rip & Ride® • FRIDAY THE 13TH - LOOKING FOR CAMP CLEARWATER START: CIRCLE IN HARRIMAN STATE PARK, NY SEVEN LAKES DRIVE SOUTH IN HARRIMAN STATE PARK AT FIRST TRAFFIC CIRCLE IN PARK MAKE RIGHT AT ARDEN VALLEY ROAD LEFT AT RTE. 17 SOUTH
U-TURN AND LEFT ON SAND POND RD.
LEFT AT RTE. 94 SOUTH
RIGHT AT MILLBROOK/STILLWATER RD.
RIGHT AT OC1A INTO OC 1
RIGHT AT CR 521
LEFT AT US 6
RIGHT AT BRIDGE STREET
LEFT TOWARDS RTE. 23 SOUTH IN NEW JERSEY
LEFT ON MAIN TO ARCHED WALKWAY
BEAR RIGHT AT CLOVE ROAD CR 653
STRAIGHT ON MAIN AND LEFT AT RTE. 94
RIGHT AT DECKERTOWN RD. CROSS ROUTE 206 BEAR RIGHT ONTO OLD MINE ROAD
RIGHT AT MILL BROOK RD. (BY MILLBROOK VILLAGE)
LEFT AT SAND POND RD FEEL FREE TO TAKE PICTURE AND BRAGGING RITES
BEAR RIGHT AT GREENWOOD LAKE ON RTE. 17A
STRAIGHT AT CR/NPS 615
LEFT AT SHANNON RD. CAMP ON RIGHT – DO NOT TRESPASS!
BEAR RIGHT UPHILL RTE. 17A
STAY ON OLD MINE ROAD INTO WALPACK VALLEY
HARD LEFT AT BIRCH RIDGE RD.
BLAIRSTOWN DINER ON RIGHT - LUNCH? CONTINUE ON RTE 94 RIGHT AT CR 521 TO HOPE RIGHT AT JUNCTION 519/521 HIGH ST. - CEMETERY ON RIGHT free WheeLin’
(Continued from Page 4)
most of the stuff gets packed in my tank bag or backpack. And, almost all of it, if we are traveling by jet sans backpack – gets carried in an Ogio 9500 bag, specifically designed for motorcyclists, with separate compartments for your helmet, riding suit and boots. The backpack is carry on, and usually ends up in a chase van or, in a pinch or if we’re winging a tour on our own, on my back. Whatever it takes to bring a small office with me. I am sure you have your own system to ensure you have everything you need while on the road but writing this killed two birds – it hopefully gave you some food for thought and, even more hopefully allowed me to avoid the “Ah frack” moment 5,000 miles from home! WhaTchaThinKin’
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(Continued from Page 6)
day. Case in point: I was running errands the other day and simply had to pick something up at the local pharmacy. I handed the young lady behind the counter my paperwork and she replied to me, ‘Looks like it’s going to be one of those days.’ Not wanted to encourage her to go into details, I simply said, ‘Yup, we all have them.’ I guess this worked exactly opposite, as she began to give me COMPLETE details on why it was one of those days. Inwardly rolling my eyes, I silently listened and hoped that she could multitask and tell me her tale of woe while filling my order. Lucky for me this apparently wasn’t the first time she’d shared her life history with a random stranger and did just that. The pills were still rattling in the vial as I made my hasty exit into the silence of the outdoors. When you feel that your serenity and Zen may be in jeopardy, don’t let the volcano blow – just take a deep breath and let it roll off your shoulders. They can’t keep talking forever (or can they…)
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Bergen County Harley-Davidson Presents
WE’RE OUT TA HERE LaKe fronT hoTeL 10 fair sTreeT, cooPersToWn, ny 13326 607- 547-9511 • WWW.cooPersToWnLaKefronThoTeL.coM words: Brian Rathjen • images: David Erfer When we look for a place to hold any of our Backroads rallies it usually comes down to location. We are always open to suggestions as well. Last year, contributor and all around great guy Tony Lisanti mentioned we should take a look at a small hotel he came across on the southern end of Otsego Lake, in the village of Cooperstown, New York. That being the case we moseyed on up that way in the Fall of 2012 and instantly understood why Tony was edging us to the Lake Front Hotel. Few places offer such a commanding view of such a stunning lake. They pretty much had all we could ask for. The rooms numbered 43; which was perfect for us, and they had their own restaurant and bar. A big boat for a lake cruise during the season and the most wonderful northerly view of the lake which, by the way, is the headwaters of the Susquehanna – the longest river east of the Mississippi. We booked the entire place for three nights in mid May. As you would think, we want to tell you about the Lake front Hotel, but let’s talk about Cooperstown a bit first. Famed for the creation of our national past time and the Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown was founded by Judge William Cooper and was purchased in 1785 from Colonel George Croghan. Cooper was the father of noted American author James Fenimore Cooper, author of The Leatherstocking Tales, a series of novels, which includes The
a weekend destination keeping you on the backroads Last of the Mohicans. Contrary to popular belief, the village was named after Judge Cooper, and not his son. During the late 1930’s, when the region was suffering economically a local hotel owner named Stephen Clark created the Baseball Hall of Fame, which was dedicated on June 12, 1939. The rest is baseball history. These days the Hall of Fame is the major draw in the village and the surrounding areas; but the Farmer’s Museum and the Fenimore Art Museum are well worth visiting as well. The town has a number of superb restaurants and the entire region is surrounded by some of the most beautiful mountains and valleys in the northeast. The perfect place to ride a motorcycle. When we booked the rooms at the Lake Front we were a bit taken back by their rules and tough cancellation policy, but when you realize that a place in such an interesting tourist destination might occasionally bring in some rough crowds you can understand their concerns. Fortunately we know our Backroads readers are always the cream of the crop and total gentlemen and women from the get go – so no worries here. To be truthful the staff and owners were as cordial as can be and any trepidation we had was quickly cast away by the smiles and courtesy Paula, Rosey, Tulsa and crew showed every one of us during the stay. Anything they could do for us they did. Bill, who we gather is the patriarch of the Lake Front, came by each day to make sure all was well and to simply chat like every excellent host should and so few do.
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The modern and recently refurbished rooms ranged from smallish to larger suites, and they have a second property called Visions that is around the corner and was once an 1800’s Brewery, that has been totally renovated into a luxurious modern-day Country Inn. The folks staying there said it was most excellent and the rooms really, really big and close enough to enjoy all the Lake Front has to offer. The rooms were clean and comfortable and the views from the upstairs deck were grand. We particularly like the way the owners had the ceilings of each of the rooms swirled with great designs. Waking up each day it looked
like a sunny day above my head. The restaurant and outdoor deck is the place you want to be each evening. While we were there the bar was kept hopping and the restaurant had an excellent menu with some awesome specials as well. Some of the seafood entrees included “Jail Island” ancho chili salmon, steamed whole Maine lobsters and sunset scallops. The breast of duck was awesome – as was the sauce it lived in. We heard the cumin & lime marinated chicken was yummy as well. They also served up a bunch of great pastas. In the morning their breakfast was the perfect way to start your day. The Lake Front Hotel in the village of Cooperstown was the right place for our Spring Break Rally and a most excellent lodging for you and yours for a two wheel escape or, as we have seen, an entire riding group. However you end up at the Lake Front you will not be disappointed.
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BACKROADS • SEPTEMBER 2013
THOUGHTS FROM THE ROAD
Page 23
Terry Peters
a cLassic MisTaKe The low steady thumping of the 650’s twin pistons was a joyful reminder of my teenage years. The source of this wonderful note was my older brother John’s 1968 BSA Thunderbolt and, for the first time, I was riding this classic piece of British metal. This was the bike he bought at 17 and then sold me his 1966 Suzuki 250 X6 Hustler. It was his baby and while I had ridden on the back before he had never handed over the keys. The big difference and reason for his generosity was that more than 30 years had passed. We were now middle-aged men and although my attempts to purchase his stored motorcycle had been unsuccessful what I had done with my inquiries was rekindle his interest in riding. There was another British beauty in his garage and that was the Thunderbolt’s replacement, a 1969 BSA 750 Rocket Three that he had bought in the mid-seventies still in its original crate. Needless to say he was a classic enthusiast through and through and now after many years of sitting idle the two BSAs were seeing the light of day. I was visiting Ontario from my home in Vancouver, B.C. and some very special brotherly bonding was taking place. The morning sun had warmed the soft seats and it glinted off the polished chrome as the two bikes idled in his driveway. Always very careful with his bikes, John did not let others ride them; in fact I couldn’t remember anyone ever taking one for a ride. Maybe that is overprotective but it only made this shared moment all the more special. I had returned to my motorcycle roots the previous year. When it was apparent he would not part with the Thunderbolt I went out and found myself a 1969 Triumph Bonneville and had a great summer with it. Then Triumph brought out the 2001 Bonneville and I sold my classic to upgrade to the new model. Perhaps it was my new British connection or just the often referred to mellowing that comes with age but now I was set for my first ride on the bike I had longed for as a teenager. Leading the way on the Rocket Three John steered us out of the Barrie city
limits and into the surrounding countryside. For the next couple of hours we enjoyed the fun of riding together, a connection we had cemented on a crosscountry journey as teenagers. After stopping for lunch we began the return ride. Having saved this particular road for later John turned onto a twisty although somewhat neglected side road. A long time favourite for him, this rural route passed through pine forests and alongside rocky outcroppings. The two of us pushed the old bikes through the corners and into the straightaways having a great time. Following at a reasonable distance I was tracking John’s line into a sharp left hand corner as I nudged the 650 down a gear. When I released the clutch a lot more than the normal increase in engine noise reached my ears. The engine continued to roar as the revs climbed. The throttle was stuck and I was
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SEPTEMBER 2013 • BACKROADS
Page 24 picking up speed not slowing down. I pulled in the clutch and applied the brakes but on a vintage bike they were more like the promise of stopping than the reality of it. Things were getting complicated fast. I could see there was sand on the road and with the brakes having almost no effect I was calculating my options quickly. I knew the sand on the corner was going to prevent me from having any chance of leaning through the nearly right-angled corner so I decided to take the bike into the ditch instead of dropping in on the pavement. In a matter of seconds I was past the corner and into the undergrowth beside the road. As the front tire dug into the sandy soil I was thrown off the bike landing several feet away just missing a tree. I was on my feet in a flash and over to the now prone motorcycle. With the strength of adrenalin in my veins I stood the bike up but with it came the discovery of the damage. A couple of minutes later John was back having noticed my absence behind him. To his credit his first words were asking about my well being although his eyes were not leaving the carnage. The two of us maneuvered the bike back onto the road. A quick inspection added up to a dented gas tank, broken headlight and taillight, all of which
was minor compared to the bent front forks. It was obvious that we were not going to be riding the bike anywhere. We pushed it to the first driveway, which fortunately was not too far away and were lucky enough to find someone home. A call to a local towing company got the bike picked up and moved to a safe location. The ride home felt much longer as I rode on the back of the 750. It was more than just the extra passenger load that seemed to slow us down. The weight of the accident bore down on both of us. John remained gracious that evening and the next day I was catching my return flight to Vancouver. Back home my first purchase was a new taillight lens that I found at a bike shop dealing in Vintage British bikes. I packaged it up, wrote a cheque for the repairs and put it in the mail. The ride had turned into a Classic mistake but fortunately the damage was limited to the bike and not my friendship with my brother. I moved on to a Kawasaki ZRX1200R and he later got himself a BMW K1200 and we have enjoyed some great riding moments together since then and have even swapped bikes without hesitation.
PosTcards froM The hedge
ingly compact design that (oh yes) is controlled with just one button. Like everything else that is becoming electronically invaded we have to trust these new overlords with everything from engine management to braking, and my overall feeling is so far, so good. Most computers seem to behave themselves much better than they did a few years ago (although there are always exceptions), but if there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s that it’s critical to run through the operation of all these new devices and operating systems well before you hit the road, so you don’t find yourself trying to figure it out on the fly. I did that with the cruise control initially (the fly part) and it was a very distracting and unsatisfactory enterprise until I told myself to stop and deal with it when parked. Consulting the literature explained all functions. One Button. How hard can it be? Sheesh.
(Continued from Page 7)
tion controls encounter slippery substrate very bad things can happen. Many years ago a very close friend of mine and his wife went for a spin in a car that ended badly for the car, as the cruise couldn’t deal with a freakish west Texas wind and bad things happened. They where unharmed, fortunately, but we all learned a valuable lesson that day. The Moto Guzzi in question does have cruise control, and it is tied into the cruise control so if the traction gets compromised and the Traction Control engages, the cruise disengages. I still would never use the cruise in the rain, though, but judging how good the electronics work on the bike you would probably be safe to do so. It’s interesting to me that this is about as sophisticated as the most modern motorcycle cruise unit can get, yet this is an amaz-
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BACKROADS • SEPTEMBER 2013
Cream e c I s ’ Run ra i h S
It’s coming on September – where the hell did the summer go? I know I’ve been busy getting on the bike and hitting my favorite ice cream haunts, but seriously; we wait six months for our time to ride and then it’s over in a flash. Alright, I know that the upcoming months are really the best time of the year, but it takes those hot, sultry summer days to really get you jonesing for that perfect scoop of ice cream. The first spoonful or lick that makes your eyes roll and your mouth water. This month I’m not taking you to a specific spot to get your fix. Rather, I’m sending you in search of the ultimate ice cream. This, of course, is almost an impossibility. It’s as subjective as choosing the best pizza or pasta restaurant. Opinions and taste, that’s what it comes down to. But ice cream does have its certain base requirements. Butterfat, creaminess, natural ingredients and flavors and freshness all make up what will become the best of the best. July was National Ice Cream Month (I’m sorry, I was remiss in not having more fanfare in the July issue – I won’t let it happen next year. I WILL have an ice cream run during July next month) and there were many lists out praising the BEST ice cream shops in the US. I happened to look at the one put together by Tripadvisor and found one that I’d already visited and many more in the vicinity that were easily accessible. Coincidently, there were a couple in the northwest that could be fit into our trip to the BMW rally. So with the list below, let’s see how many we can get to before the end of the year and compare notes. As much as I love to enjoy my ice cream, I really do like hearing back from you with your input and comments on my choices. Places we’ve been: owowcow creamery, ottsville, Pa – this little shop was found on a detour some years ago. If I remember correctly, Brian and I had gone for a ride along the Delaware to see what damage had been done by the last storm that came
Page 25 through. We were detoured up and around the rising waters heading into Pennsylvania and, at one intersection, there happened to be an ice cream shop right in front of us. Never one to pass up ice cream, we stopped to get our bearings and partake. This was, perhaps, one of the best ice cream stops I have ever had. I only wish they were closer. cowlick’s, fort bragg, ca – On our way south after the BMW Rally, we planned on hugging the coast for most of the trip. A quick peak at the map showed we just could not miss Fort Bragg. Cowlick’s shop is big and bright, with lots of tables and friendly staff. They will gladly give you tastings of any flavor and as many flavors as you’d like. It seems that the flavor-tasters are the reason for the long lines. On the day we visited, I guess all the patrons knew what flavor they wanted as there was no line and we were able to get our creamy goodness right quick. Brian went full on with an ice cream sundae made up of mushroom and yellow cake batter. Mushroom, you say? Yes – it really tastes like maple syrup and the yellow cake batter was delicious as well. I opted for a cup of Ginger and Strawberry Cheesecake. OMG is all I can say. salt and straw, Portland, or – We had stopped to visit my cousin who lives in Portland. We went to his house and were relaxing and catching up. After some time
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we thought it best to head out for dinner. I told him I first needed to stop for some ice cream. ‘Oh, Salt and Straw, I supposed,’ was what he said. Seems it’s the ONLY place to get your ice cream in Portland. He asked if we wanted to eat dinner first and I emphatically said no, I need ice cream first. Again, there was no line where there normally should be one down the block – lucky us. And, again, they will give you as many tastings as you like. Good thing, as they have some of the most unique flavors I have ever seen. Strawberry with Cilantro Lime Cheesecake, Goat Cheese Marionberry Habanero, Arbequina Olive Oil, Coffee and Bourbon and Pear with Blue Cheese to name just a very few. Another thing that they do, which ALL ice creameries should adopt, is giving half scoops. When you just need a taste of something (I’m not sure when that is) you can get two and not feel guilty. They produce only small batch ice cream, so you just never know what flavors will be available on the day you
SEPTEMBER 2013 • BACKROADS
visit. With all these to sample, my cousin swears by their vanilla. I did taste his, and it was about as good as it gets. I had to put a leash on my ordering, as dinner was in my future, so I opted for the half scoop each of Coffee and Bourbon made from Stumptown’s singleorigin Sumatra coffee, mixed with a little of Portland’s Holy Kakow chocolate and a lot of Burnside Bourbon from their local Eastside Distillery and Goat Cheese Marionberry Habanero. I wish I could melt this down and take a bath in it, it was that good. Here are the remainders on the list (in our area, anyway). I hope to have them all done before the snow falls. Look for them in next season’s Ice Cream Runs.
ice cream smuggler, dennis Ma holy cow, red hook, ny Leo’s ice cream, carlisle, Pa broom’s bloom dairy, bel air, Md
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Indian Motorcycle Throws a Party at Sturgis to Welcome the all-new 2014 Indian Chief Family Choice in American Motorcycles has Arrived Indian Motorcycle - America’s first motorcycle company, today announced the highly anticipated details for the all-new 2014 Indian Chief family of motorcycles. Before thousands of motorcycling fans at the site of the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame in downtown Sturgis at 9 p.m. Mountain Time on Saturday, August 3, Indian Motorcycle unveiled the three models that comprise the Indian Chief line up. The reveal ceremony and party signaled an inflection point in motorcycling history with the renewal of America’s oldest and most legendary brand. 2014 Indian Chief Classic (starting MSRP: $18,999) The new Indian Chief Classic is a pure, powerful cruiser forged from key heritage design elements yet wrapped in advanced design, engineering and technology. It features iconic styling like valanced fenders, rich genuine leather saddle, classic tank-mounted instrumentation, tear-drop fuel tank design, and sculpted and lighted front fender war bonnet. The 2014 Indian Chief Classic comes standard with a host of premium features including end-
less chrome, keyless ignition, ABS, cruise control, throttle-by-wire, true dual exhaust, high quality chrome laced spoke wheels, brake caliper covers, cast aluminum frame with integrated air intake, and much more. The Indian Chief Classic, like all 2014 Indian Chief models, is powered by the all-new, clean sheet design Thunder Stroke 111 engine. Offering 111 cubic inches of pavement pounding power and 119 ft-lbs of torque, this classleading power plant draws powerful design cues from heritage Indian Motorcycle engines merged with brilliant engineering and advanced technologies. The Thunder Stroke 111 is a 49-degree, air-cooled V-twin with 6-speed overdrive transmission, and features unmatched premium exterior finishes and touches. It offers owners the peace-of-mind that comes from over two million miles of on-road and test-lab verification and Polaris Industries’ 60 years of engineering prowess. 2014 Indian Chief Vintage (starting MSRP: $20,999) The new Indian Chief Vintage is a soft bagger that takes iconic Indian Motorcycle styling to a whole new level with handcrafted detail and a signature heritage aesthetic. The Indian Chief Vintage offers top-quality quick-release
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soft-sided leather bags, leather fringe, chrome fender tips, vintage chrome badging on the front fender and a quick-release windshield for easy installation or removal. It includes the same premium standard features as the Indian Chief Classic, and sports the same iconic design elements like valanced fenders, laced wheels, whitewall tires, tank-mounted instrument cluster and extensive chrome finishes throughout. It is also powered by the new Thunder Stroke 111 engine. 2014 Indian Chieftain (starting MSRP: $22,999) The first Indian Motorcycle of its kind, the 2014 Indian Chieftain maintains the legendary Indian Chief styling, while taking this progressive machine to new heights with advanced features and premium comfort. Unlike any Indian Motorcycle ever made, the Chieftain features a fairing with integrated driving lights, and its power windshield is an industry-first for a fork-mounted fairing. Standard features include hard saddlebags featuring remote locks and quick-release anchors, a high-output audio system featuring integrated Bluetooth® smartphone connectivity, and a tire pressure monitoring system. “When we acquired Indian Motorcycle two and a half years ago we set out to capture the heart, soul and legendary heritage of this iconic American brand and then infuse it with unparalleled design, engineering and state-of-the-art technology,” said Scott Wine, CEO of Indian Motorcycle parent company Polaris Industries Inc. “On Saturday night we revealed three stunning new Indian Chief models that represent the results of our journey and the future of this brand. It was a triumphant day for all of us, and I know motorcycling fans around the world proudly join us in celebrating Indian Motorcycle and the realization that choice in American motorcycles is here to stay.” To find out more on the 2014 Indian Chief Motorcycles as well as a dealer near you visit www.indianmotorcycle.com.
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SEPTEMBER 2013 • BACKROADS
A good thing about plans – all plans – is that they can be adjusted, scrambled or simply replanned. When you have a bit of time it is sometimes best to rethink the schedule to better fit the need and environment. Especially when the environment is a cold, stormy day in late May and you need to be in the Commonwealth of Virginia, on the border with North Carolina, for a few days worth of high performance motorcycle riding with one of the best teachers on the planet. The original plan was to mosey down backroads-style to a lovely B & B outside of Woodstock, Virginia and then continue on the next day to Danville and the Virginia International Raceway. The bands of reds, orange and yellows laying on from New York State to West Virginia made us consider hanging tight at home and making the long charge to VIR the following day. So that is what we did. But, now with a few days to kill and no particular plan in mind we thought we’d simply reverse the trip and explore the backroads of Virginia from the south to the north. We’d start this trek north through Virginia at the border with North Carolina, just outside Danville. Danville has a deep history, especially when it involves the Civil War. The truth is that the Civil War has long been memorialized and remembered here and as we rode north we could see individual states with historic ‘Civil War Trail’ signs from North Carolina to Pennsylvania. Danville became the last headquarters of the Confederate States of America within the space of a few days. Jefferson Davis stayed at the palatial home of William T. Sutherlin on April 3, 1865. It was in the Sutherlin home that Davis issued his final Presidential Proclamation.
Reversal of Fortune Or Virginia is for Riders words and images: Brian Rathjen
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Page 31 were famished and found a great local place called Grandma Bees that had some of the best grits we have had in a long time. Thick and hearty and not the least runny like you sometimes find north of the Mason / Dixon Line. Down the block we stopped by the visitors center and learned that Appomattox, Virginia is not where the famed courthouse that ended the Civil War is located, but a few miles away – and the war didn’t end at a courthouse. Appomattox Court House was a small village and the county seat of law, just a few miles away. We finished breakfast and then we went to head over to where the Civil War finally came to an end. Arriving at the famed site we removed our helmets to hear an eerie and deep drone. It seemed to be all around us. It sounded not too different from those ‘giant ants’ from the sci-fi flicks of the 50s. We have cicadas in New Jersey every year, but nothing like the 17 Year bugs that had invaded this part of Virginia. Earlier on the road we had spotted a number of hand-made signs demanding to stop local uranium mining. Hmmm? Maybe that had something to do with this? The little monsters were everywhere! Hanging off the trees by the hundreds and flying drunkenly down the road and we had to sometimes duck to get away from them while riding. The National Park at Appomattox Court House is one of those solemn places. Like the Alamo or Gettysburg to the north – you know something historic and momentous happened here. After years of fighting, things were not going well for the Confederate Army. Lack of food, disease and plain exhaustion were as dangerous as Yankee bullets and cannon balls. With his army surrounded, his men
It is also the home to the AAF Tank Museum, founded in 1981 by present museum curator and director, Mr. William Gasser. AAF Tank Museum has the most extensive collection of Tank and Cavalry artifacts found anywhere in the world. The Museum facility is 330,000 square feet on 89 acres and the only military museum with all artifacts under one roof. The Museum relocated in 1999 from Mattituck, New York to Danville, Virginia, with the facility donated to the Museum by a New Jersey Corporation, Sandvik, Inc. If you are an aficionado of big machines of war then the Tank Museum is a must stop. Expect to spend a few hours exploring the museum. Our route brought us north and west along farmlands and across small rivers and streams. By mid morning we had reached Appomattox. It being late mid-morning, and with nothing to eat since the previous day, we
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weak and exhausted, Robert E. Lee realized there was little choice but to consider the surrender of his Army to General Grant. After a series of notes between the two leaders, they agreed to meet on April 9, 1865, at the house of Wilmer McLean in the village of Appomattox Courthouse. The meeting lasted approximately two and one-half hours and at its conclusion the bloodiest conflict in the nation’s history neared its end. The strange part was that Wilmer McLean had moved his family to the village to get away from the battles; only to find himself and his family at its most important moment. This morning we toured
the grounds of the old village and it is hard not to be impressed by what had occurred here in April of 1865; just a few days later President Lincoln was killed adding yet another sorrowful chapter to this horrible conflict. We mounted back up and continued northwest towards the Blue Ridge mountains. Now in the foothills the roads began to rise and fall slowly. The flatter lands to the south were left behind and now the bikes were in their own element. A short time later the rise and fall picked up and one road was literally like riding a roller coaster for about 10 miles through a deep pine forest. Following along these tiny roads that sprinkle this part of Virginia we rode by both wonderful estates and ramshackle trailers – sometimes just a few miles part. Across one bridge we spied a good sized dam and waterfall and the ruins of an old abandoned factory, with water still running through where there was once waterwheels. Wild life seemed to be everywhere, whether it was rescuing a turtle, clipping an unseen and suddenly very angry black snake or seeing the local authorities trying to deal with a large black bear caught in a culvert, Virginia has plenty of wildlife. Heading up towards the Shenandoah on Route 33 the road turns into a twisting Mamba! We have ridden 33 many times and it never lets us down with its perfectly cambered turns and great road surface. This also leads to the famed Skyline Drive, which runs 105 miles along the peaks and is considered by many to be the beginning of the Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway.
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As it was time for both fuel and food we dropped down to a favorite of ours, and most of the locals, the Blue Ridge Country Store – you do know it helps to find where the locals go, dontcha? The Betts have a humble place where you can get fueled and fed and their fried chicken could just be some of the best in the region known for fried chicken. Shira took notice of their baked goods, in particularly fried cherry pie, which found a place in her bags for an evening snack.
With both bikes and us topped off we ran down into the valley then north towards Luray where we took another valley forest road and then headed back west over the Edinburg Gap and eventually up just south of Woodstock, Virginia where we finally arrived at that B & B I was talking about a thousand words ago – The Inn at Narrow Passage. Laying just above the Shenandoah River the inn’s original house was built back in 1740 and today they offer 12 great rooms and superb grounds. With the town of Woodstock just minutes away it was the perfect place to call it a day and hang up the helmets. The next morning, Ed, the innkeeper, served up a delicious breakfast of pancakes, hot (as in spicy) sausage, fruit with syrup and applesauce. The meal was perfect that
morning as was the company of the other guests, one a former Air Force pilot and rider himself. We wanted to meander a bit as we heading north and also scout out some locations for a future Spring Break or Fall Fiesta Rally, so we took Route 11 north into the neat little town of Strasburg and then followed the roads east. Shira had spotted a very twisty candidate on the old “Manually Acquired Positioning System” called Old Blue Mountain Road, just north of Ashby Gap on Route 50. We were not sure what was more impressive… the road itself, the homes along its way or that FEMA has a huge and very secure complex atop the peak called Mount Weather. According to FEMA the mission here is: “From its inception as “High Point” in the 1950s, Mount Weather has been the emergency-operations headquarters for the federal civilian agencies and officials of the Executive Branch. That mission, originally part of the federal Continuity of Government program, continues to this day. Its details are highly classified.” So nobody is talking about why this is “really” here. We will have O’Life look into this. From here it was more or lessa straight shot across the Potomac, out of Old Dominion, and into Maryland, where we would continue north towards home. But, Maryland will have to wait for another issue. This month it was all about the Commonwealth of Virginia. Whether you ride north to south or have a “reversal of fortune” and head south to north you will find a part of the United States that has a deep and lasting history, phenomenal scenery, wonderful little towns, great locals and some of the best riding in the east. Virginia truly is for riders!
A.A.F. Tank Museum 3401 U.S. Highway 29B, Danville, VA 24540 434-836-5323 • www.aaftankmuseum.com Inn at Narrow Passage B&B 30 Chapman Landing Rd, Edinburg, VA 540-459-8000 • www.innatnarrowpassage.com
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The BMW MOA 41st International Rally
Brian Rathjen
helpful, interesting and useful products to enhance your ride and your travels. The outside vendors mostly were already filling up with rallygoers. No-Mar Tire changers were packed with a line early the first day, swapping tires for those who burned theirs out on the ride in, and after-market saddle maker Rick Mayer was dealing with a large crowd at his tent. We still managed to play a few chords on that sweet Taylor guitar he brought along. Givi, Twisted Throttle and others was there to help in any way they could. Many had their plates already full with installations and repairs. The outside vendor area took about an hour of easy walking and talking to get through and the large food court had plenty of varied chow – all good by the way – to choose from.
When the BMW MOA announced the 41st International Rally was to be held in Oregon this past July we began to make plans right away. Our trip to the rally was most excellent We ran into Barley and Pete, who we with some 2,200 miles of superb backroads met in Sedalia eating ice cream. through California, Nevada, Oregon and around the Olympic National Park in Washington before looping back to the fairgrounds in Salem, Oregon. We arrived early on Thursday and, knowing our room would not be ready till at least 3, we rode straight to the fairgrounds and went to get our registration, door prize tickets, wristbands and whatnots. It was only minutes before we began to run into friends and acquaintances. After lunch we moved inside to the air-conditioned pavilion to see the rest With our door prize tickets deposited we parked the bikes, two new 2013 of the vendors and displays. Chock full of great purveyors of all things moBMWs - an F800GT for Shira and R1200GS for myself - and began the stroll torcycle from widgets to world tours, we took our time to examine many new through the outside vendors. items as well as say our hellos to folks we don’t see nearly enough. Like most real ‘riding’ rallies (compared to a trailering rally), the vendors This took the rest of the day as there was so much to see and purchase and at the BMW MOA event are top notch. You won’t find ‘biker crap’ here, just
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there was one or two items I really wanted to grab that I knew I could only get here. We wandered around Tent City to see how people set themselves up. The MOA does a good job of making things as comfortable as possible for the campers, with showers and bathroom facilities. You can even rent your whole set up if you don’t want to take up space on your bike on the long haul. Come 4’ish we were about done searching out farkles, toys and doodads and so we rode over into the center of town and found our hotel and home base for the few days. By this time the main roads around Salem were filling up with Beemers, although it would be hard to tell as, for the most part, they are fairly quiet machines. That evening we had been invited to dinner with the ON Magazine folks, as Vince was kind enough to include us, and we looked forward to seeing other moto-journalists and friends from the industry. How surprised were we when we received an award called the “Good Lord that’s a Great Magazine” (That is not the BMW ON). We’re humbled. Also on hand were Bigfoot, who made a quick showing and Mac McMath, the director of sales for BMW North America, whose comments seemed lost on many of us and, we think, got a few just a tad upset. I don’t think he really meant Garmish was more upscale than this rally, but rather larger. Or, maybe he meant to insult the group - who knows? If he is going to stay he needs to be more Americanized and less Eurocentric.
Hall of Famer Dave Hough, with special guest Fred Rau. When these two get together you know it will make for an interesting two-wheeled conversation and it was to a standing room only crowd. Dave even had a case of his trademark bananas brought it for the crowd. The rally was in full swing and with the best BMW Rally weather in years, sunny and mid-80’s with little humidity. But, we had been off the bikes for nearly a day and felt the need for a blast. Salem has a good number of destinations and interesting routes surround-
What if Bigfoot is naturally out of focus?
That night the Beer Tent was flowing and the band Canned Heat was on stage and a rocking time was happening.
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ing her, so Shira plotted a ride to the nearby town of Silverton and the Silver Falls. The park was green and lush and the falls impressive. What else we found impressive was the amount of flowers that you’ll find in this part of the nation. Even the most humble Oregon house will most likely have some colorful flowers in the garden. Some flower baskets in town were enormous and we passed a number of fields bursting with colors of blue, yellow and reds. We stopped in Silverton and strolled around taking in their impressive murals and taking particular notice of the Norman Rockwell murals depicting The Four Freedoms spoken of by President Roosevelt during WWII. Shira had spotted a local farm on the way out and we stopped on the way back to buy some fresh cherries, boysenberries and triple black berries. We would have lots of fruit for the next few days. Right along this time I spied a sign stating we were on the 45th parallel – halfway between the Equator and the North Pole. I love signs like that. We headed back to the State Fairgrounds to sit in on a seminar or two before heading back for showers and getting ready
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for a few dinners we needed to attend. We spent some time with our friends Matej and Martina from Adriatic Motorcycle Tours. They were hosted by some friends and tour members in their very lovely home in the hills above Salem, where a perfect barbeque was thrown and stories were exchanged with new and old friends. We then stopped by for a nightcap with Scott and crew from Iberia Moto Tours at a local dive bar, Magoos, where pool and shuffleboard were the hot item of the night. Trying to make time for all those folks we wanted to see, we caught breakfast with Fred and Cherie Rau, who were at the rally with John and Allison Raines, the good people who run Te Waipounamu and the tours of New Zealand. If you’ve ever thought of heading ‘down under’ these are the people you want to do it with. They have a tour coming up in February of 2014 – give ‘em a call and go visits some Kiwis. The MOA Rally is known for its great events and informative seminars and after breakfast we sat in on one about Garmin GPS, routing and the new Base Camp program. The presenter, Dan Townsley, was incredibly well informed and had a great and funny style and we learned a lot of things that even Dr. Knowitall could learn. After yet another spin around the vendors we had a quiet moment with friends of Ardys Kellerman, who held a remembrance gathering. Ardys was killed earlier this year, struck by a truck while exiting a fuel station. At 81 years young she was one of 2013 Trophy Whatever the distance, you’ll cover it in style and comfort; the generous, luxury seats and ergonomically designed riding position mean the miles melt away barely noticed.
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only two women that have logged more than one million miles on BMW motorcycles. She was a treat to be around and will be missed by many. Looking to brighten up the mood after the ceremony we searched out the River Front Park and Salem’s great carousel. We even took a ride and collected nearly a dozen rings, but not the elusive brass ring. By this time, with almost 2500 miles on the clock, we figured it was time to give the ponies a bath. The BMW MOA rally, which has a volunteer staff, always has a spot for oil changes and bike washing at their rallies. These are staffed by wonderful folks who will assist and offer up information. We rode
SEPTEMBER 2013 • BACKROADS
over to the bike wash area (usually occupied by dirty horses and livestock) and gave the miles of road grime a good blasting. It’s always a good idea to rinse off the bugs and grit and get into the nooks and crannies while on the road to make sure that nothing has gone awry. Luckily, all was good today and the Oregon farm bugs were now a thing of the past, although there was one particularly stubborn bee in Shira’s fairing that needed some coaxing. The MOA had their closing ceremonies early that evening with some great prizes awarded – Tours of Europe and Africa, motorcycle gear shopping sprees and the grand prize of a 2013 BMW F800GT – the same machine Shira was riding on this adventure.
We did not win any of these but we think we are pretty fortunate with our lives regardless. (speak for yourself, Brian, I wanted that bike – Shira) With ceremonies finished and the location for next year’s rally announced – St. Paul, Minnesota – we retreated to the beer tent for a libation and to drink in the last evening of one very successful MOA Rally. The location, the people, and most important after the last few years, the weather all combined to make this a super event. The next day we’d start heading south along the coast but we were all ready planning next year’s adventure. If you own a BMW, or even if you don’t and are just a well-traveled rider in need of great information and product, you should consider attending the rally in 2014. It’s always a great time and we hear St. Paul and the surrounding area is terrific riding. Going to Minnesota? Oh sure, you betcha!
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Welcome to the Jungle - The Art of Learning to Ride Skillfully A column dedicated to your riding survival
Tired Tires
This brings us to those who truly never even look at their tires (yes, I was guilty too). Let’s take a rider at our Spring Break rally. Today we will call him Brad. Unlike both of the above examples of paying less than stellar attention to the tires, this time round the front tire went south. Yes, I said the front tire. 99.9% of tire failure along this line happen in the rear. But, noooooooo Brad burned away his front tire, as he said he only had 9,000 miles on it. ?! Yep, I know. Truth is that front tire failure is a far worse scenario than the rear. Front tire failure will almost certainly cause a washout, crash and general mayhem. At our rally I heard there was a tire issue, but I didn’t pursue it. If I did I would have made a huge deal about this tire going south. As it was Brad, who hails from a bit south of us, made it home okay, but incredulous that his tire died with “just 9,000 miles” on it. Nine grand is to LA and back and back to LA. On a K1200, with all that horsepower, no tire will last more than 7K. So here is the deal. A little lesson to be learned; if you are even a little questionable on a set of tires with over, say six thousand miles on them – just change them. To go on tour or a long weekend with questionable tires is just foolish. When tires go, they go quick and silently. When was the last time you really looked at your tires? Maybe it is time that you do.
Things tend to creep up on us. Tire wear for instance. Many of us are guilty of tire abuse and over the years I know we have bit, or rode, off more than our tires could chew. I was in Alaska a few seasons back when I got a text and picture from Shira who had ridden down to the Honda Hoot in Tennessee. Two things shocked me at this moment. The first being I had a Verizon signal north of Fairbanks and the second was the picture of her rear tire that had been ridden down to the core, with the steel belt plainly visible. Uh oh. She left for the rally a week before and I had looked at her tires and thought she was more than good for this trip. Well, I was way wrong here. Luckily for her the good guys at Dunlop had tires at the rally and a few hours later she was wearing a fresh set of high-end rubber. In the riding world nothing feels better than new high-end rubber. But did we learn from this? Heck no. The next year, at the same rally in Tennessee – an ungodly hot place in late June – we were heading out and crossing the great state of North Carolina heading towards the ferry to Ocracoke Island and the Outer Banks. We stopped at the one restaurant chain that I enjoy – Cracker Barrel – for Grandpa’s Breakfast. We were now fueled and fed and ready to make the charge across the Tar Heel state to the sea. But, as I walked out the sun, at a most peculiar angle, threw its light across my rear tire, illuminating the narrow band of tire belt that 290 Route 100 had appeared as we had done a 1,000 or so miles in West Dover, VT some real heat. 800-745-3615 Whoops. I was in a pickle of my own creation. A check of BMW dealers showed me the closest one on our route north was in Chesapeake, Virginia. Many hundreds of miles further on. The front tire was still runable, but I would have to ride gingerly with the rear so compromised. For the next two days we easily snuck up to Outer Banks, well aware that I was riding on borrowed time. We got to Chesapeake City on a Monday and I left my GS at the front door of the BMW dealership and walked back Book Summer/Fall 2013 Now across the road and enjoyed the summer day at the pool. We can accommodate In the AM I did not have group dinners on site Group Oriented to tell them what was needed. By the time I got Hot Tub/Outdoor Pool www.grayghostinn.com there the bike was on the lift Firepit • BYOB Bar • Wi-Fi and new tires were being spooned on. Hot, cooked-to-order, breakfast Crisis averted.
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SEPTEMBER 2013 • BACKROADS
Page 40 For those of you who have been reading this magazine you should know we enjoy BMW’s GS series of machines. So, it was with great interest that we spent a few weeks with the newest “water-cooled” version logging in over 3,500 miles and a boat-load of diverse terrain. From the high deserts to the deep valleys to the Olympia Peninsula. Temperatures from 110+ to low 40s. National glossy magazines get to do Press Intros in far away South Africa or Moab, Utah. We humble regionals are more than happy to settle spending a few weeks ACTUALLY riding these machines. A day or two can give you an idea on a bike’s capabilities; but live with one for 3,5000 miles and you know where the machine is really at. The new BMW R 1200 GS is a serious improvement on an already great machine. Let’s be honest…BMW…Water-cooling? What part of the late 80s did you miss? Welcome to the next century. That being said this new power-plant for the GS is awesome. Up from a little less than 100 HP to 125 it works incredibly well. The new machine has a new modern-look and the familiar switch-gear has been totally redone. The new gear allows you to control the BMW (Garmin) GPS on the fly. It also has way more information than we really care about. The Multi-Controller on the left grip handles the BMW Navigator GPS (Garmin unit – don’t be fooled) and does… not much, but it was fun anyway. Why not log onto FaceBook? The throttle on this machine is controlled by a ‘fly-by-wire system’ that worked seamlessly. We had no issue with this and the water-cooled engine gave us 42.5 miles per gallon, which is excellent in the gas pricey northwest. With the water-cooling the intake and exhaust have been swapped around vertically, allowing for a bit more
RIDDEN AND REVIEWED
3,500 Miles with the new R 1200 Gs
room for larger riders. The radiators are tucked in well and even at extreme temperatures the bike stayed cool and happy. The new engine has a wet-slipper-clutch and as a BMW owner, that has had a lot of time with the older BMW clutch, we can only say “Praise the Lord!” Again… welcome to the 80s. With a switch of a button you have a few different drive modes - Rain, Road, Dyno and Enduro – all very impressive. Road worked fine for me. I am having a love / hate relationship with this new electro-gadgets…. What do you think? Some have said that the bike didn’t sound right. We beg to differ… this machine sounds awesome! BMW Boxers
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BACKROADS • SEPTEMBER 2013 have grown up! Ducati what? On a bad note we could try to be pithy here, but the saddle is God awful…Call Rick Mayer – NOW! The ESA – Electronically Suspension Adjustment worked brilliantly with all three main adjustments making a difference. We weren’t a fan of this till we used it … it
is an excellent option. Nice to go from tight sport to bouncy SUV with a click of the button. In the curviest roads we could find the new BMW R 1200 GS excelled in every way. It feels light, tight and very right! Far above our own 2012 machine. Yes, the best just got better. In every way. The machine came with the new Metzler Tourance Plus tires, a very road-worthy bit of rubber, but completely useless off-road. A fire road is about all you will ever do with this tire. Track days… for sure. Real riding? We’ll take something more knobby! But, with the right rubber, the GS is still a great light off-road machine and one that will take you to the far ends of the planet. And, that is what we are paying for, right? Our bike came with a list price of just under $19,000, about what we paid for our last GS, so BMW has done what we had hoped it would… improved the breed, kept it price-reasonable and made the new 2013 R 1200 GS one more machine we will probably spend a bunch of cash on. There is a reason we love these Bavarian-bikes and this in just another one! ~ Brian Rathjen
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PRODUCT SPOTLIGHTS WONDER WORKS TUB O’TOWELS Each extra-large Tub O’Towels scrubbing wipe includes nine powerful cleaning agents, durable fiber-weave technology and twice the cleaning surface of comparable wipes. They feature a thicker, towel-like construction that is 100 percent solution soaked to quickly and easily clean oil, grease, chemical stains and other tough soils. The unique citrus formula also includes lanolin, aloe vera and vitamin E, leaving hands clean and soft. This product is available in several convenient package sizes: 10-by-12inch towels in a 90-towel canister, 10-by-12 individually wrapped towels and a 40-towel resealable portable case. We found these wonder towels in our local ‘large box’ home repair store.
FAST WICKING SHORT SLEEVE TOP Cooler and drier than cotton underwear, and perfect for multi-day trips. Wash out in any sink (and they’ll be dry by morning) so you don’t have to pack as many. Designed for maximum next-to-the-skin comfort and microclimatic efficiency, this first-layer will keep you comfortable. Trapping warm air next to your skin and allowing moisture to be transported away is the key feature of this fabric. Skinetics is an advanced wicking fast-dry knit (dries three times faster than cotton). Constructed with durable, comfortable flat seams, and shaped to eliminate bunching and wrinkling. The ideal first layer. Black. Top: S–XL Contact Aerostich for more info at www.aerostich.com.
STYLE WITH A TOUCH OF ARMOR If there’s one company that has always been fighting the good fight when it comes to dealing with the apparel challenges of commuting by motorcycle to the workplace, it’s Aerostich. Andy Goldfine and his marvelous Chocolate Factory (sorry, RiderWearHouse) in Duluth have been producing brilliant riding gear for decades; making clothes that not only protect and keep you comfy in all kinds of weather but are designed to work with your street clothes as well. But as successful as his line of clothing has been, the Best never Rest and everybody’s needs are different. Aerostich has decided to increase their line with some excellent pants that are as appropriate for business casual assignments as they are well designed for riding. Called the Protekt Riding Khakis, they are composed of a triple layer of goodness including 100% cotton twill that is very soft yet these are no ordinary comfy twill pants. In the words of Aerostich: “A triple layer knee and seat area include a 200D Cordura middle layer combined with an additional inner cotton liner for enhanced abrasion resistance, with double and triple stitched areas for increased durability.” Key on the protection front are zippered knee pockets designed to accept Aerostich TF3 armor, which is a $30 option if you don’t already have the pads available from other Aerostich products in your clothing arsenal. You simply slide the armor over your knees
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BACKROADS • SEPTEMBER 2013 and zip up the pockets, and they offer protection on impact by stiffing up instantaneously but are otherwise soft and pliable. When you get to your desk at the Stock Exchange, simple remove the pads if you desire and stick them in a drawer and you have very normal (but quite sharp) khakis to conduct business in. One word of advice: I’d go for a longer inseam size than your usual pants as they can ride up a tad if your bike involves a more sporting crouch, and regardless of your boots you can most likely slide the cuffs over the outside of the boot (it takes a second but works-even over my thicker Alpinestars). These pants are soft and comfortable in a wide range of temperatures, and the rear pockets have buttons to keep wallets on board while the front pockets are quite generous (with a small key pocket as well), and the belt loops can handle even your larger alligator/leather beltage. Made in the USA and machine washable, sizes range from 32 waist to 42, and inseams up to 36. Check with them to nail down your size. Price: $127. (800)-222-1994, www.aerostich.com ~ Bill Heald
THE GOOD RIDER BY DAVID HOUGH Reviewed by Brian Rathjen Over the years I have had the wonderful opportunity to meet some of the most prolific writers in the motorcycle world. Every few years I find myself having coffee with David Hough… and bananas. That is another story. What I do have to tell is David, who has already written some of the best instructional motorcycle riding books on the planet, has come out with one more…The Good Rider. So, David asked me who was a good rider? Looking over my cup of coffee and banana at an AMA Hall of Famer I tried to be smart, witty and intelligent. For those of you who know me you know how that went. One could say Valentino Rossi. Or, Clement Salvadori or Greg Frasier come to mind. A Pete Miller or Helene Darvick would fit that bill. All of these riders are excellent pilots of two-wheeled machines. But David’s new book runs around so much more. It is a combination of skill, common sense and practicality. The original articles came from a monthly column of an internet newsletter called Sound Riders, and excellent posting that we all should read. The book is packed with useful thoughts, knowledge and information, all put in an easy to digest format. What it comes down to is not being as fast as Rossi, or as travelled as Salvadori or Frasier. We should all be as wonderful as Peter and Helene; but that goes without saying. What this book is about, compared to all the other ‘technical’ books on riding, is the question of what makes a good all-around Rider? One that you want to be on the road with. I have the pleasure of writing this review on a Powerbook on the porch that wraps around Backroads Central on a brilliant summer afternoon. There has been a parade of motorcycles rolling past our home and I wonder, while reading David’s book, who I could actually ride with? From spending some time with The Good Rider it seems that we all need to step up and be even better. Books like this are not novels and not meant to be read in one shot…but, rather, taken in small doses, so you can think about what this sage has said. Invest some time and money in this book, it is well worth it. You can find it at www.soundrider.com.
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UPCOMING EVENTS CALENDAR
What’s Happening
EVERY MONTH - WEATHER PERMITTING
August 28, 2013 or when cap met • http://tinyurl.com/TrioTour2013 • 914-328-7909
Every Sunday • Eastern Suffolk ABATE Breakfast Run. Crossroads Diner - Calverton NY. 10:30am. Eat and Ride After • 631-369-2221
14 • Harley-Davidson of Long Branch Bikes, Blues & BBQ Open House. 9a-4p. See ad on page 4 for full details • 671 Broadway, Long Branch, NJ • 732-229-8518 • www.HDLongBranch.com
Every Sunday • Biker Breakfast at Tramontin Harley-Davidson, Exit 12 I-80, Hope, NJ (GPS: 485 Hope-Blairstown Rd, Rte. 521) 9-11am • www.tramontinhd.com Every Tuesday • The Ear - Spring St, NYC. Come meet some fellow riders and do some benchracing or whatever. 8pm-ish Third Tuesday • 7:30pm ABATE of the Garden State, North Jersey chapter. Black River Barn, 1178 Rt. 10 West, Randolph, NJ. 7:30pm. New members and all mc brands welcome. Help fight for rights as a motorcyclist in NJ! Alex Martinez 973-390-1918 Every Wednesday • Chelseas Restaurant/Pub, 1051 Rte. 22 East, Lebanon, NJ 6-9pm, weather permitting all summer • www.chelseasrestaurantpub.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 • Stop by the dealership at 9am for coffee and bagels. Ride departs at 10am. Return to the dealership for FREE food and music. Proper attire MUST be worn! No shorts or sneakers. • Bergen Harley-Davidson/BMW Motorcycle, 124 Essex St, Rochelle Park, NJ • 201-843-6930 • www.bergenbmwmotorcycles.com
AUGUST 2013 24-25 • Championship Cup Series at Summit Point Racetrack. Bob’s BMW will have a hospitality tent. Hang out with Jeremy Cook, riding Bob’s sponsored S1000RR. Complimentary snacks and beverages. 24 • Bob’s BMW hosts Product Tutorial: Apparel Layering with Klim! 11:00am-Noon. Klim representative Jeff Nash will be at Bob’s to talk about the importance of layering for comfort and safety in the coming fall and winter riding seasons. Learn the secrets of mixing and matching today’s textiles with their differing weights and capabilities to maintain ideal body temperature. And what’s the real difference between water-resistant and WATERPROOF? Find out! Questions/RSVP to hanna.creekmore@bobsbmw.com. Visit bobsbmw.com for more details. Bob's BMW Motorcycles, 10720 Guilford Road, Jessup, MD • 301-497-8949 24 • Bikini Bike Wash & BBQ • Bike dirty? Are you hungry for a ride and food? Motorcycle Mall is the place to be to get your bike cleaned by our beautiful Bike Wash Team! Motorcycle Mall and its beautiful Bike Wash Team will be hosting a Bikini Bike Wash with music and BBQ foods • 12 - 4 p.m. There is no other place to be other than Motorcycle Mall on this date! $15 per rider/bike - includes 1 bike wash, food & drink, music, photos with the Bike Wash Team and a discount card for great savings at the dealership! Plus, proceeds go to the Ride for Kids! 655 Washington Avenue • Belleville, NJ • 973-751-4545 • www.Motorcyclemall.com 25 • 1st Annual Poker Run to benefit the Harmony Lodge Foundation • Sign in: Harmony Lodge #8, 519 Rte. 206, Andover, NJ 9am-Noon • Endsite: Franklin Fireman’s Pavilion, 137 Buckwheat Rd, Franklin, NJ. $20/pp incl. food and drink, top 3 poker hand prizes, 50/50, raffles, vendors, live music by Morning Door • Info visit www.harmony8nj.com 24-25 • O’Toole’s Harley-Davidson hosts the Harley-Davidson Demo Fleet. Come ride the new 2014 models and enter for a chance to win tickets to Kid Rock concert at Bethel Wood in Bethel, NY. Stop by for official entry rules. Entries only accepted in person between 9am-2pm day of event • 4 Sullivan St, Wurtsboro, NY • 845-888-2426 • www.OToolesHD.com 29-Sept. 1 • Killington Classic Motorcycle Rally, Killington, VT • Rides, demos, vendors, contests, parade, music, dinners, fireworks and SO MUCH MORE! Registration opens May 15 - DON’T BE SHUT OUT OF YOUR FIRST CHOICES. 518-798-7888 • www.killingtonclassic.com 30-Sept 2 • Finger Lakes BMW Rally @ Watkins Glen State Park, NY. Finger Lakes BMW Club hosts this great annual gathering of 800-1000 Beemerphiles. Great food, music, vendors and riding. Country Rode Motorwerks hosts charity tour of the racetrack on Saturday, Aug. 31 @ noon to benefit Alzheimer’s Research. $20/bike.
SEPTEMBER 2013 6-8 • 8th Annual Women’s Sportbike Rally, Deal’s Gap Motorcycle Resort, NC sponsored by Draggin’ Jeans • www.womenssportbikerally.com 6-7 • Motorcycle Mall Yamaha Demo Days. 655 Washington Ave, Belleville, NJ • 973751-4545 • www.MotorcycleMall.com 7 • Bob’s BMW hosts Product Tutorial: Helmet Safety with Schuberth! 11:00am-Noon. Why are some helmets safer than others? They’re BUILT that way! Schuberth representative Randy Northrop will talk about the innovative technology and detailed care that go into the CONSTRUCTION of all types of Schuberth helmets – from the drawing board to their final hand assembly at the German plant. Questions/RSVP to hanna.creekmore@bobsbmw.com. Visit bobsbmw.com for more details. Bob's BMW Motorcycles, 10720 Guilford Road, Jessup, MD • 301-497-8949 8 • 7th Annual Rice-O-Rama Vintage & Custom Japanese Motorcycle Show and Swap Meet • Singletary Rod and Gun Club, 300 Sutton Ave, Oxford, MA • 10am-5pm rain or shine. Bikes that you just don’t see anywhere else, from 2-strokes to turbos, singles to sixes, scramblers and scooters. Trophies in over 20 vintage and custom classes. Huge Swap Meet with tons of hard to find parts • 508-344-4202 • www.rice-o-rama.com 11-14 • Trio Tour 2013. A sport-touring ‘scavenger hunt’ rally consisting of three consecutive daily rides, averaging 350 miles/8.5 hours, which begin and end at base location. Day 1: Finger Lakes Day 2: Catskills Day 3: North Central PA. Sign in 9/11: Best Western Plus of Johnson City, NY, 569 Harry L Drive, Johnson City, NY • 607-729-9194. $33/pp to benefit National Multiple Sclerosis Society NYC Chapter incl. closing buffet dinner, rally flag and prizes to top 3 finishers. Rider Cap of 33 participants. Registration CLOSES
15 • Italian Motorcycle Owners Club 30th Annual Italian Motorcycle Meet. Hamilton Rod & Gun Club, 24 Hamilton Rd, Sturbridge, MA • 10am-3pm. Judging at Noon. This year’s featured bike: Ducati Bevel Bikes. Admission $5 per person. Refreshments and food available • More info: SLDMROSSI@aol.com • ww.imocusa.com • 248-470-5788 15 • Lost Wheels MC 38th Annual Poker Run. Sign in: Canopus Lake Beach, Fahnestock State Park, NY. 9-11:30am • $23-$25/pp includes 80-mile ride, hot buffet, live music, door prizes, 50/50, vendors and bike show. Pre-registration available online at lostwheelspokerrun.brownpapertickets.com 12-15 • Catskill Mountain Thuder Motorcycle Festival at the Blackthorne Resort, East Durham, NY featuring bike builders and artist, cash prizes, bike show, demo rides, rodeo games, vendor expo, pig roast, fireworks, tattoo show, bike painting, stunt jumpers, Wall of Death, antique bike museum and live music by Jackyl, Pat Travers Band and more. For more information call 518-634-2541 or email RoyHandel50@yahoo.com • www.CatskillMountainThunder.com 17 • Zack’s V-Twin Victory Demo Days • 10am-5pm. 799 Violet Ave/Rte. 9G, Hyde Park, NY • 845-229-1177 • www.ZacksVTwin.com 19-22 • BACKROADS 15th Annual Fall Fiesta. Host hotel: Genetti Hotel, Williamsport, PA. To book your room, please call 800-321-1388 and ask for the BACKROADS Group Booking. Rooms start at $115.95/night incl. breakfast and secure parking. 18-21 • New York Motomarathon • Hosted by the Celtic Motorcycle Club • Bronx-Lake George-Ongunquit, ME. For more information and specific hotel and date information, visit www.motomarathon.com or call Caty Metzger at 303-621-5356 19 • Bergen County Harley-Davidson/BMW Ride-In Movie Night @ 7pm, What could be better than an old fashioned Drive-In Movie... A Drive-In Movie for Motorcycles! Ride-In, park your bike, grab some movie treats and watch the show. There's no charge, so saddle up and stop in. Bergen Harley-Davidson/BMW Motorcycle, 124 Essex St, Rochelle Park, NJ • 201-843-6930 • www.bergenbmwmotorcycles.com 20-22 • Montgomeryville Cycle Center Sale-A-Thon. Great deals on what you’ll need to get and keep you on the road • 2901 Bethlehem Pike, Hatfield, PA • 215-712-7433 • www.MontgomeryvilleCC.com 21 • Bob’s BMW Oktoberfest and Fall Open House • 9a-4p • Seasons change but there’s always fun at Bob’s BMW Oktoberfest and Open House. Food, vendors, product reps, door prizes and great one-day only specials • 10720 Guilford Rd, Jessup, MD • 301-4978949 • www.bobsbmw.com 21-22 • National Vintage Flat Track hosted by the Tri-State MC at Oakland Valley Race park, 305 Oakland Valley Rd, Cuddebackville, NY. Gates open 8:30am, Practice @ 10, Races @ Noon. $35/amateur/novice; $40/experts/pros. AMA membership required to race. $10 gate fee for viewing • www.tristateclub.com • 845-566-4956 22 • Bergen County Harley-Davidson Freedom Run Part 2. We’ve got good news! We’ve rescheduled and we’re going in for a Sunrise Run. No Vendors. No band. just a really cool ride. We know it’s early... Really early but, it’s gonna be great! So help us raise money for the Feal Good Foundation and join us for this unique and heart-felt ride! Registration at Overpeck Park in Ridgefield Park, NJ 4am... Yes 4am. Kick Stands Up at 5:20am SHARP! $25/Rider, $15/Passenger. FREE Event pin to the first 500 participants. Breakfast included! More info? 201-843-6930 • www.bergenharleydavidson.com 22 • 4th Annual Ride for Avi to benefit A-T Children’s Project. Sign in: Knights of Columbus, Shunpike Rd, Summit, NJ 10-11am; KSU11:15am. $20/rider; $10/passenter. Continental breakfast, 60-mile escorted ride, BBQ, live music by Mudbelly Blues Band, raffles and ‘Best In’ competition. More info at www.ride4avi.com 26 • 2013 Ladies Night Event hosted by The Motorcycle Mall Staff and some special industry guests! If you're new to the sport, want to learn more or an experience female rider that wants meet some new friends - this is the place to be! We'll have dinner, drinks and a night of education for women riders. Don't miss it or the special discounts! We'll have open discussions about How to pick the right size motorcycle, General motorcycle maintenance, Motorcycle safety & protective wear, Any questions you have. 655 Washington Avenue • Belleville, NJ • 973-751-4545 • www.Motorcyclemall.com 27-28 • Woodstock Harley-Davidson Rock the House Open House. Live Entertainment by Lex Grey Band, 2014 Demo Fleet Rides and More • 949 Route 28, Woodstock, NY • www.WoodstockHarley.com
OCTOBER 2013 4-5 • Victory Metuchen Victory Demo Days. Free Demo rides all day • 911 Middlesex Ave, Metuchen, NJ • 732-491-2900 • www.VictoryMetuchen.com 5 • Morton’s BMW Oktoberfest Open House. Enjoy demo rides, great deals, vendors and product reps, food, music, limited edition commemorative t-shirt, even stuff for your kids. Morton’s BMW, 5099A Jefferson Davis Hwy, Fredericksburg, VA • 540-8919844 • www.mortonsbmw.com 6 • Liberty Harley-Davidson 15th Anniversary Bash. 10am-5pm. See ad on page 24 for full details • 12 W. Milton Ave, Rahway, NJ • 732-381-2400 • www.LibertyHarley.com
DECEMBER 2013 21 • Bob's BMW annual customer appreciated day! Get into the holiday spirit at Bob's while we say THANKS to our amazing customers for what we know is going to be another great year. Food, great company, door prizes and special holiday savings • 10720 Guilford Rd, Jessup, MD • 301-497-8949 • www.bobsbmw.com
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MOTORCYCLE MARKETPLACE Worth the ride from anywhere!
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Rider Education Of New Jersey
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SEPTEMBER 2013 • BACKROADS
Page 50 Brian Rathjen Knowing we would be jetting down to Colombia for a two-wheel tour with Mike and Motolombia, I let Shira know that we would be going to the Caribbean city of Cartagena. Founded by Pedro de Heredia and the Spanish in 1563 the city has been built, fortified, bombed, rebuilt and refortified many times. The Englishman Francis Drake comes to mind here. As for me, I had heard for years how intriguing and beautiful this town was, especially its walled section. UNESCO has declared Cartagena “Patrimonio Histórico Cultural de la Humanidad” (A Cultural and Historic Place for All Humanity). How could we not go? So a few days before flying into Medellin we were landing under the light of the full moon on the Colombian coast of the Caribbean. I have always thought that the best flying adventures begin when you walk down a rolled up set of stairs and walk across the tarmac under a tropical moon. Jetways are for sissies. A short cab ride later and we were in the comfortable Casa India Catalina, in the heart of the old city. Unpacked for the next few days and ready to go, we headed out looking for one of the many squares and outdoor restaurants we were sure we would find. A half hour later we were sitting at an outdoor bistro beneath the cathedral (one of many churches here in Cartagena) in a square lined with some of the many bronze statues you will find in this lovely town. One statue, less humorous than the others, showed a Spanish priest converting a native Indian – perhaps Carib – with a shackle on his ankle. We’d learn more of this the next day. We strolled around the old part of the city, trying to get our
bearings along the tight and narrow streets. Near midnight we found another restaurant, in Plaza Santo Domingo, still doing a brisk business so late of a Wednesday night and we found Cartagena seafood pizza was rather good, as was the people watching (okay, girl watching for me at least) this night. A short time later we were back at the Casa India and looking forward to exploring the walled city in the daylight. Daylight also meant heat and humidity. Flying down during the middle of winter had us little prepared for this; but we managed. We first passed the Plaza Bolivar and then quickly found the Palacio de la Inquisicion. It was here that the church continued the Spanish Inquisition with locals and natives that did not meet up with the church’s standards or beliefs. The stately palace was basically a torture chamber that did its evil work (in the name of God and his son, of course) for more than 150 years. Here they had on display some of the evilest and most nasty machines to crush the human soul and put on any heavenly light. Nearby we took in the Gold Museum and learned a great deal of the history of the region before and after the arrival of the Spanish. It struck me as funny how the quest for gold and searching for Christ have been so woven together during the last few thousand years; especially in Central and south America. Along the long stone and coral wall overlooking the Caribbean we spent some time at the Naval Museum and then, hiding from the heat and sun we took a siesta for a few hours. Later that day we cabbed it over to the large castle called San Felipe. The San Felipe Castle is the largest
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THE BEST ADDITION YOU’LL MAKE TO YOUR MOTORCYCLE THIS YEAR IS THE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS FROM PRIDMORE’S CLASS - BACKROADS
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Colonial Spanish forte in Colombia and an outstanding example of military engineering from the Colonial Period. It was originally built between 1639 and 1657 and later enlarged in 1762. It is a mammoth place and took a good part of the afternoon to explore. We walked back to the Old City from San Felipe, and while strolling through Century Park we saw dozens of stands selling and repairing educational and text books for younger student. The Colombians are trying hard to move forward after a fairly dark recent past and they know that their children’s education is key to this future. These thousands of books available right at the park show their fortitude on this issue. Walking around the old fortifications you could see why this was such a strategic location, with so much direct sailing to Cuba, Haiti and further on to Spain. It is no wonder why this city was rebuilt and held onto even to this day. On our way to another late bistro lunch we passed the Las Bovedas which was a prison built beside the walls between 1792
and 1796. Now it is a tourist shopping area for souvenirs. Times change and so did Colombia. When the sun faded away and the evening cooled we went on the prowl again settling in on a small table along a side street; away from the tourist and amongst the locals in the best style of Anthony Bourdain or Clem Salvadori. A bottle of wine and some scrumptious olives later we sauntered to the far side of the old city to a restaurant Shira had searched out called Krioyo. Eating al fresco under the wild trees and palms we had a succulent meal of shrimp, rice, banana and a fishy soup that couldn’t be beat. After that it was a nightcap atop the wall above the dark Caribbean, complete with a live local band, before searching our way back through the tiny Opposite: India Catalina statue streets to the Casa India. in the center of Cartagena The next day we walked most of the wall itself. The day before we visited This page: Botero’s La Gordita, museums and forts; so it was proper this day to visit the Museo De Las Forfull moon greets us at Casa tificaciones or a museum about forts. India Catalina, the restful Later we walked through the city centro and stopped in at the local superinterior of our lodgings, sailor mercado just to see what was to be had. I’ll tell you it’s plenty; and Shira and statue outside the Naval Museum I always think it fun to drop by local places and shop like the locals.
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We continued window-shopping and, in a small shop on a smaller street, I bought Shira a nice light sundress in case we had a semi-formal night on the tour and sandals to go with it before we headed back to the hotel for siesta. This day the hammock by the pool and a few chapters of Neil Peart’s “Ghost Rider” made for an enjoyable afternoon’s rest. That evening, with Shira looking lovely in her new dress, we took in a few local bars and found another delicious meal at a small restaurant called Salou, across from the ancient wall. Run by a young Canadian-trained chef named Juanma Restrepo, they offered a great combination of Cartagena cuisine with a slight Asian influence. Compared to some of the loud eateries you would find along the wall, Salou offered a quiet ambiance and wonderful service at very fair prices. Afterwards we strolled the town once again before calling it a fairly early night. The next day we’d be flying down to Medellin to meet with the Motolombia crew and to begin the real adventure. Cartagena is a bustling city that has volumes of history, its share of mystery and a promising future. For the most part we stayed in the old walled city and that was equally divided between beautiful narrow streets, echoing with
Top Left: Castillo San Felipe de Barajas Center: Gruesome images and devices from the Palace of the Inquistion Right: Luscious fruit vendor’s wares, an evening out on the town in style Opposite Page: Cartagena shines at night Caribe Indian statue at the Inquisition Proud of their sailing heritage, Cartagena shows off its old and new on the harbor.
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the clip clop of horse drawn carriages and with the ever-present wisps of guitars or drums in the air. Other parts are in need of a facelift and that seemed to be happening during the few short days we were there. Yes, there are many street hawkers selling all the same things, but they are not all that intrusive and do take “no, gracias” for an answer. Another thing that struck us was the total absence of flies and mosquitoes; something nearly unheard of in the tropics. For the most part all the people were cordial and friendly and if you are following in our wake and riding Colombia with Motolombia then consider a few nights in Cartagena, an excellent choice indeed; and being just a three-hour flight from Miami is almost a no-brainer. Plan your escape from the winter cold now. Point your browswer to www.Motolombia.com - whether one week or more, you’ll have a great time, especially is you start your trip with a Cartagena sojourn.
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The Sussex County Farmer’s Market
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PRODUCT REVIEW
BAJA DESIGNS ONX LED ADVENTURE BIKE LIGHT BAR KIT changeable optics that has been specifically designed for the OnX. This results in distance projection previously only available with HID lighting. The OnX light bar is available in widths ranging from 8” all the way to 58”. Each 8” section offers a concentrated beam of 4300 lumens. Baja Designs offers two wiring harnesses specific to the Yamaha. First is a plug and play wiring harness with PWM dimmer control allow-
Tony Lisanti If you’re looking for the guaranteed farthest projecting LED light on the market, look no further. After years of engineering and advances in LED technology Baja Designs believes this is the future of lighting for off road racing. Adopting military grade technology, the new OnX LED Light Bar is the only light bar on the market that has the distance of conventional HID lights but with the smooth spread of an LED. Countless hours of testing and preparation have ensured that the OnX will be perfect for racers and enthusiasts that need a vast amount of light at speed.
Baja Designs knows a few things about high quality off road lighting products and dual sport kits. They have been manufacturing high quality off road kits since the company began in 1992. They have been the lighting sponsors for the Honda Off Road Team, which has collected many wins in the famed Baja 1000. The OnX utilizes a Cree XM-L2 T6 Bin LED at with a light temperature 5000 degrees kelvin (white light). All the LED kits are complimented by user
ing adjustment of the brightness in 5% increments. The second is the Mode switch wiring harness that includes a two-position toggle switch and mode switch, which allows you to adjust the light between 100%, 50% and strobe. This is the harness installed on the S10. Mounting the light bar on the Yamaha Super Tenere was easy. Just remove two bolts below the headlight and reinstall the assembled light bar and bracket with the included hardware. Mounting space for the switches on the Yamaha is limited but I was able to find a suitable location on the cowling to the left of the instrument cluster. Once installed, the light bar can be easily adjusted with an allen key. The output on the light bar is tremendous! The yellowish light provided by the
WHERE CAN YOU GET ALL THIS AND SO MUCH MORE
IN ONE PLACE?
MOTORCYCLE MADNESS is New Jersey’s LARGEST Pre-Owned Bike Seller, has a ridiculously HUGE selection of Mens and Womens Gear and A WALL OF HELMETS. Professionally Trained Mechanics will take the BEST care of your ride. 8 State Hwy 94 • Lafayette, NJ • 973-579-6088 • 877-252-9828
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stock high/low beam is dramatically over taken by the bright white LED light spread. It easily throws several hundred feet and fills in all the distance in between. The OnX more than doubles the distance of the stock high beam. The best part of an LED is the lamp life of over 40,000 hours, far superior to an HID or any other conventional lamp. LED’s also draw less wattage and is less susceptible to premature failure due to vibration. The kit was also provided with a snap on cover to protect the lens when not in use. Features: Both Spot and Horizontal Spread Optics can be combined in one lamp Optics are user changeable Tri-Level Heat Management system Weight: 2.5 lbs. IP69K Certified (Submersible to 9ft) IK10 Compliant (Mechanical Impact Testing) Vibration Rating: 7.7Grms Operating Temperature: -40 Celsius to +80 Celsius Hardcoated User Changeable Polycarbonate Lens Lifetime Warranty Dimming: Accessible Medium (Dust) and Strobe Modes Total Lumens: 4300 Housing: Extruded Aluminum, Anodized, Laser Etched Power Consumption: 42 watts Emitter: CREE XM-L2 LED, 5000 Kelvin 8.0” Long, 2.25” High, 4.25” Inches Deep 49,930 hour LED life expectancy
The Yamaha 8” OnX Adventure Bike Kit for the Yamaha Super Tenere retails for $419.95. The available OnX Dimmer wiring harness (Part Number 64-0236) retails for $89.95 and the Mode switch wiring harness (Part Number 64-0237) for $59.95. Baja Designs offers a number of kits for the BMW GS line, Triumph Tiger, Suzuki V-Strom and for the KTM 950/990.
Your Toy Store at the Shore
Stumpy’s YAMAHA
YAMA-HOTLINE • 732-776-5514
1207 Rte 35 South • Neptune, NJ • www.Stumpys.com
50 YEARS AND GOING STRONG! STRONGER THAN A STORM
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Backroads is happy to announce the location of
our 15th Fall Fiesta ~
WILLIAMSPORT, PENNSYLVANIA
September 19-22, 2013 We will be staying at the historic Genetti Hotel in downtown Williamsport, home of Little League Baseball and gateway to the Allegheny mountains. There are miles and miles of great roads, paved and dirt, to explore during our visit and Williamsport offers a variety of activities for after the bikes are parked. Conveniently, the Genetti is across the street from the Bullfrog Brewery, as well as next door to the Community Arts Center.
To book your room (which you should do RIGHT NOW), please call 800-321-1388 and ask for the BACKROADS GROUP BOOKING. Rooms start at $11595/night (plus tax) which includes a great breakfast every day and secured off-street parking.
Backroads’ Baseball, Rivers & Riding Challenge To combine the location of our Spring Break - Cooperstown, NY at the headwaters of the Susquehanna River and our Fall Fiesta - Williamsport, PA on the Susquehanna River - both baseball superstars, we would like you to think about and create one image that combines rivers, baseball and riding - the summation of a wonderful year of Backroads’ rallies. What we want is a great picture. So go to it and we look forward to your submissions when we gather in Williamsport. Of course, if you didn’t make it to Cooperstown or can’t make it to Williamsport, you can send us your digital masterpiece – remember it has to be HIGH RESOLUTION – and we’ll throw it into the ring. If someone gets a picture of Andrew McCutchen reading Backroads on a bike in front of Three River Stadium, well…
FEEL THE FREEDOM!
Ride New Zealand February 2014 13 Nights • 2000 miles of Fantastic Riding Auckland to Christchurch (North & South Islands) Large selection of motorcycles to choose from Guided Tour with support van There’s Plenty of Time to get your ducks in a row and join us for a trip of a lifetime.
Choose from these bikes…
For more details and bookings please contact: Fred Rau • 951-672-0239 • Fred@FredRau.com Visit Te Waipounamu Website for information
www.motorcycle-hire.co.nz
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