Cognitions: Random thoughts from the Northeast Area Director - By Steven Smith #3184 Issue 3, 2007
Date Change for Northeast Area Fall Rally in Lake George Fall rally hosts Terry Faherty and Scott Sorger just returned from Lake George where they were enjoying Americade. While there they were working out rally arrangements and unfortunately hit a snag - the originally posted dates coincide with the “Warrensburg Garage Sale,” a huge area event that already has most lodging in the Lake George area booked up. They quickly came up with “Plan B” and chose new dates and a new rally HQ location on the lake in Lake George Village. The details will be firmed up by the time you read this, but here is what they are shooting for… The new dates will be October 11-14. The rally fee will most likely be $40, with a $5 discount for members, and will include a buffet banquet dinner. Complete details and rally registration form will be in the next newsletter (August), but the information will be posted to the Northeast Area web pages ASAP. You can get to current fall rally info by using this link: www.concours.org/ne/fallrally The 2007 COG National Rally Update The event of the year is only a little more than a month away. Be sure to check the rally web site up to date news and information. Hopefully you have your lodging arrangements made and have already mailed in your rally registration and merchandise order forms. If not, please do it ASAP so that our rally registrar is not overwhelmed with a flood of mail at the last minute when he needs to get ready to depart for WV. At last count there were close to 300 registrations already received. The rally organizers are expecting 500+ attendees based on Canaan Resort lodging and camping reservations. The rally ERC coordinator, Tim McEldowney reported that there are only a few registered participants for the ERCs. He wanted me to pass along this information to you… “I went to the COG 2006 National Rally and had hoped to get into the ERCs offered there. There was enough interest and registered participants to have 1 session. There were not enough registered participants for a 2nd session. The Rally Coordinators did offer a 2nd session but not enough people had signed up for the 2nd session. However, during the Rally Registration I believe there were at least 12 people who signed up on a waiting list for a spot incase someone dropped may have been 20! Those people were enough to probably have a second class. Moral of the story, if you want to take the course don’t wait to register at the Rally. Make a commitment now. If you are going to take the class, don’t wait to register. Don't wait to see if you can get into a class when you get to the Rally, register now! We have to have a commitment coordinated with the West Virginia instructors before the Rally.” More information and the ERC registration form can be found on the rally web page or contact Tim by email: ERC-concours@bnsi.net or by phone 434-977-8606. The last I heard there were some openings for the Stayin’ Safe rider training sessions being offered at the rally. Again, complete details are posted on the rally we page, or contact Guy Young by email: gbyoung2@mindspring .com or by phone at 804-241-2678 Sample ride route sheets that will be provided at the rally were recently posted on the rally web site and can be found on the rally web site by clicking on the “Riding West VA” menu button and then follow the link to the “Sample Ride Route Information.” For the GPS enable members, we hope to post GPS files of the sample routes over the next few weeks.
2007 Member Directory This has been the cause of much angst for the COG directors. In short, the mailing service messed up the processing of the mailing list, mixing up names and mailing addresses. A post card was mailed out to members shortly after the mix-up was discovered explaining the problem. A good number of directories were delivered by the post office despite the addressing mix-up; many were returned to sender, which arrived back several weeks later. The COG membership director is diligently working with the mailing service to resend the returned directories as they arrive. As a reminder, the member directories are printed and mailed once per year, typically in early spring, to all current members. Unfortunately, if you joined too late to be on the 2007 mailing list, you will get a directory next spring. There may be some overrun copies available, but that will not be known until the mailing debacle is remedied. In the mean time if you need another member’s info you can contact me or another Northeast Officer and we will look it up and provide it to you. Spring Fling Rally 2007 Report While I have not attended as many consecutive COG rallies as member Chris Lawrence, I have not missed a Spring Fling since 2000. I could not spend the entire weekend romping around the wonderful Vermont roads, but I did manage to sneak away with my wife for an overnight trip and was there for the most excellent buffet dinner. Many thanks to Kevin Martin for planning, organizing, and flawlessly pulling off this event. Attendance was close to 100 people despite the ominous weather reports of thunderstorms. From the conversations I had with people it sounded like most got a little wet at some point, but the weekend was anything but a washout. A complete report from Kevin and a few more photos are on page 7. You can view all the submitted rally photos on the Northeast Area web pages: www.concours.org/ne
Spring Fling 2007 Group Photo (Continued on page 8)
Northeast Area Staff Area Director Steven Smith, #3184 203-720-7575 nead@concours.org Newsletter Editor Louis Caplan #2894 703-978-9844 Nighthawk700@yahoo.com Web Staff Steve Smith Kendra Weaver, #4807A
Assistant Area Directors Massachusetts (VT, NH, ME) Kevin Martin, #145 Dracut, MA 978-459-6275 cog145@verizon.net Connecticut (RI) Jonathan Coler, #5379 Rocky Hill, CT 860-257-4009 joncoler@yahoo.com Metro NY/NJ Jim Clark, #2113 Valley Stream, NY 516-872-3694
DelMarVa & Philly burbs (PA/NJ) Bob Chappell, #1283 Claymont, DE 302-791-0582 cog1283@comcast.net Maryland/Southern PA Russell Fleming, #599 Hampstead, MD 410-374-9687 Fleming@qis.net Virginia/West Virginia Patrick Sprague, #1887 Luray, VA 540-743-4874 (home) 540- 743-5132 (work) 540-743-3229 (fax) PSprague@shentel.net Greater Toronto, Canada Dave Clancy, #5452 Hamilton, Ontario 905-389-7681 davecla2@sympatico.ca Eastern Ontario, Canada Ranald MacDonald, #2349 Greely, Ontario 613-821-1206 macdonrg@rogers.com
NY Hudson Valley Mike Flynn, #4493 Bedford Hills, NY 914-239-3721 Keltwolf@optonline.net Western NY J.R. Healy, #6591 Hamburg, NY 716-648-6729 Dafonman52@yahoo.com
Know of an region, city or state that needs an AAD? It could be you. Please inquire for details.
Pennsylvania - Pittsburgh (Western PA) Joe Cyprych, #4665 McDonald, PA 724-796-1401 Cyprych@hky.com
CT Report - by Jonathan Coler, #5379 Greetings - Despite the rain, the May 15 ride to Curtis’ BBQ in Putney, Vermont prevailed uh, that is after a hearty breakfast, of course!!! Gerry & Cherry Barnett, Moe Lavoie, Jerry Gillespie and I met at Bickford’s in Enfield. After Breakfast, Jerry and I headed out for the ride whereas Gerry & Cherry took their SUV home and Moe rode home on the ass he came on. (Yes, Moe was on a MadAss… check out the photos). Uh, don’t take this wrong folks, but that’s one hot little ass Moe’s got there. Check out the link before you think ill of me! :-) Jerry & I picked up 91 and soon were on routes 57 & 8 in MA and 9 and 5 in VT. Vermont was colder than the southern areas we rode through so before leaving VT we suited up the ol’ ‘lectrics. The weather was rainy for most of the ride and the twisties seemed slicker than we would have liked. Yet, regardless of the rain, the sunshine’s luster graced us quite nicely. After all, we were riding our motorcycles. We made it to Curtis’ BBQ and the parking lot was somewhat empty except for a few cars and our bikes. (Where were all the bikes hec’, rain IS only water). Before we even had the BBQ pit in our sights we were catching wafts of scrumptious delights cooking on the pit. It was well worth the ride. Curtis has a potbelly pig (named CJ) as a house pet. Yup the little porker actually is house trained. The only disappointment is that CJ doesn’t go outside in the rain so we didn’t get to say hello to him. Last time we went to Curtis’ I asked Curtis if the pig was a pet or awaiting a spot on the pit. I know better now and minded my manners. Jerry led the ride home guided by his GPS. The GPS led us along some really awesome roads and the rain had let up a bit and some of the roads were fairly dry so we were able to enjoy them. We stopped at a little diner south of Deerfield, MA for a cup of coffee before hopping on the slab to blast home. The ride was lots of fun. On June 5 we enjoyed another of our monthly dinner ride gatherings. The weather in the northeast is fantastic for motorcycling. I wish it would be like this all year long in CT. Tonight, gathering at Bill's Seafood in Westbrook, CT were Sherman and Michele Baumann, Fiona Tripp, Carl Dye, Dave Muir and the Coler family.
Northeast Area News Newsletter Staff: Louis Caplan, Steven Smith
best fit available space. If you would like to have your material returned, please include a SASE.
Bill's seafood is always a delight. The food is great, but the atmosphere can't be beat. We sat outside on the back deck overlooking the marsh and the boatyards.The company could not have been better. After a hearty dinner, Dave Muir lead an awesome ride.
The Northeast Area News is a publication for Northeast Area members of the Concours Owners Group. Submissions are welcomed and members are encouraged to share their COG experiences. The preferred method is via e-mail, so the editor doesn’t have to do a lot of typing, but any type of legible submission will be gladly accepted. Digital images are welcome, but please do not embed them in the document. Submissions may be edited to
Please send submissions to:
Photos from this event can be found at: photos.yahoo.com/joncoler
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Steven Smith 39 Alison Ave Naugatuck, CT 06770-3566
Best wishes and safe riding.
nead@concours.org Many of the opinions stated in this publication may make no sense to those sound of mind and may just be conveniently ignored. If you use any of the information in this rag to incur damage to yourself, your motor or any innocent or not so innocent bystanders it is you own fault...you were warned! Copyright 2007 © Concours Owners Group
N O R T H E A S T A R E A NE W S
Northern New England Report - by Kevin Martin, #145 I hope everybody is enjoying their ’07 riding season so far. We had what I’d consider an old fashion New England spring with plenty of wet weather and mild temperatures in late April and most of May, which offered some great riding weather with temps in the 60”s and 70’s. We didn’t waste any of that good weather by kicking off our Northern New England event schedule with a Tech Session hosted by Pat Mulloy and Greg Habel at Pat’s home in Monson, MA on April 21. Pat & Sherrie and Greg & Tracy put on a great event complete with plenty of eats. I’ve always said that if you want keep Coggers happy, all you have to do is feed them. We had perfect weather with clear skies and temperatures warming up into the middle 70’s. Pat has a great set up for a tech session with an oversized 2-car garage and all of the toys including lift tables, M/C jacks, tire removal and balancing equipment, etc. At last count we had about 20 people attend the event, some who serviced their bikes, and others who just dropped by to say hi and take advantage of the great weather and go for a ride. This was Greg and Pat’s first attempt at hosting a Tech Session, and it was a smashing success. Great job guys (and gals), much appreciated. After the Tech Session I hosted my annual “Ride the Coast” through Hampton Beach, Rye and Portsmouth NH. This year we even did a loop around New Castle, and had lunch at Petey’s Restaurant on Rt. 1A. Riding the coast in early May is great as the tourists haven’t come out yet and traffic is generally very light, which makes the coast ride much more enjoyable. A few weeks after riding the coast, I offered to host a COG ride up to Conway NH to attend the Whitehorse Press bi-annual “Club Day” and BBQ. About a week before the event, Tom O’Neill offered to host breakfast at his new Condo in Manchester, NH instead of meeting at one of the regular locations. Unfortunately it was raining that Saturday morning, and pretty much all day, and I was the only Cogger who showed up at Tom’s for breakfast, although a couple of Tom’s friends drove up in their 4-wheeler and joined us. After breakfast, Tom and I headed out in the rain and rode up to Conway. Once we got around the NH Lakes Region, it stopped raining and the rest of the day up north was dry. Whitehorse had pretty good turn out but not as good as I’m sure they had expected, most likely due to the weather. We ran into a few other Coggers while visiting Whitehorse; Bill and Cynthia Peloquin; Rob Newell and his wife and Mike Benham from Dover NH. While I was there, I bought a few things for myself and also picked up some goodies to be used at the Spring Fling. Considering the weather, I had a great time, and especially enjoyed riding RT 151. Mike joined me on the ride home, and RT. 151 was dry all the way into Rochester where Mike split off. South of Rochester, I hit rain again, and it lasted all the way home. I managed to stay completely dry with my Aerostich Darien suit, so the only downfall was cleaning the bike on Sunday to get the mud off. Hey that’s part of Sport Touring. ISSUE 3, 2007
Since then most of my time has been spent working out the details for the Spring Fling rally, which I’ll be hosting in the Mount Snow area of VT. By the time you all read this article, the Fling will be long over, and everyone will be talking about the COG National that will be held in West Virginia. I’m 3 days away from leaving for the Fling, so gotta go cause there’s lots more to do. Have a great summer - hope to see you all at the one of the next COG events!
Valve Adjust Demo - by Greg Habel, #7010 Hopedale, MA 3/11/07 - While planning for helping host an upcoming COG tech session I realized that I was due for a valve adjustment very soon. With 2 valve adjustments in 2 years under my belt (Concours and Ninja 250) I felt confident I could guide others through this seemingly difficult task; especially to those with limited wrenching experience. With that in mind I worked through my AAD Kevin Martin to make this event happen. After I set a date we began getting the word out. This was an unplanned event so I needed to get the info out quickly we used email, the COG web forum, and the email listserv. The timing was good since Kevin’s winter social was the day before my demo I had the opportunity to spread the news at the social as well. I began the morning with empting the garage and warming it up with my propane heater. My caring wife Tracey (COG 7010a and Ninja 250 rider) made coffee and scones for all to share. We began shortly after 9:30 am; ok maybe 10:30 am after some story swapping and intros. With the temps still in the 30’s that day the propane heater was very effective in keeping us warm. I always take the precaution of having 2 CO detectors in the garage to warn me if I am encountering unhealthy Carbon Monoxide levels. I use 1 half of the garage with blankets on the floor to protect the plastics for the various fairing and other parts; arranged in the same position as they came off the bike. The other half of the garage is devoted to the actual work. I use a modified version of the fairing screw template found on the forum. My modifications to the screw template include making it reusable by having it laminated (I used Staples for $1 per sheet). With 34+ screws of varied lengths, the template makes it very easy to keep track of them all. By punching the right size holes in the template the screws will stay nicely in place. In addition I use a modified version of Dave Marrow’s valve adjustment procedure. My mods include a chart for writing down the valve measurements and additional lessons I have learned along the way. What started out as a demo ended up being a learning experience for all. We had a good mix of veteran valve adjusters and newbees. As I demonstrated my tried n true methods I also received veteran advice on how to further simplify things. The newbees had plenty of time to ask questions and get a couple of different answers! The pros and cons of the 3 different methods of getting the lobes to line up (turn the crank, spin the wheel, bump the starter) were discussed as well as go/no go valve clearances. Newbee valve adjuster Fred used the opportunity to get a feel for the feeler gauges up against the lobes. Attending were COGers Pat Mulloy, Fred Kregge, Peter Stevenson, Lyle Cooper, and Bill Hamilton. Jeff Mailhot, a family friend of ours and Honda rider was in attendance as well. All in all we had a great time swapping stories, and working on my bike. Bill, my wife says thanks a lot (sarcasm meant) for enticing me to buy a Garmin Zumo 550 GPS. I couldn’t resist after seeing yours up close! Thanks to all for another fantastic COG experience. Greg Habel (habels65@verizon.net) Page 3
Western NY Report - by J.R. Healy, #6591
MD/PA Report - by Russell Fleming, #599
The spring got off to a good start in Western New York with a lunch meet and greet on April 14 at the Buffalo Tap Room in Tonawanda, NY. Among the attendees was Jim Stokes from Canada, a COG member from Canada who is also a member of the Welland Motor Cycle Club. Also present was Mike Krzemien with his wife Brenda, who in 2004 along with his lifelong friend Ed Adbo rode two 1964 Honda CB77 Superhawks across the United States, Coast to Coast. (Read about it at mysite.verizon.net/hondacub )
What’s happening in Maryland and Pennsylvania?
Everyone at the meet and greet had a great time, and Tom Welch volunteered to set up a ride to the Lake Ontario Shoreline. We set the date for the Spring Lake Ride for May 19 and had a terrific. Fourteen bikes from the US and Canada turned out for a beautiful day to ride. We stopped at Niagara Falls Goat Island then followed the Niagara River to the Lake Ontario shoreline. Lunch was had at the Lighthouse Restaurant in Olcott Beach, after which we continued to Lakeside State Park and home. Stay tuned - more to come this summer!
In April we had the Hanover to Gettysburg ride laid out by Greg Puerbaugh We had 14 people on 13 bikes show up. Everybody had a good time with Greg finding some roads that Russell was never on. May was a small turn out for the Slate Run ride. There were 4 Concours, 6 BMW and 1 Harley Davidson. The sandwiches at Slate Run were fantastic as always. Chris and Kendra weaver from Binghamton New York and Dave Fridirici met the group at Slate Run for a sandwich. Jason Kaplitz and Alan Mognet met the group for the evening in Wellsboro. All enjoyed the evening camaraderie and we look forward to other COG get-togethers. Up coming events are: NORTH/SOUTH 10 June 15,16,17 If you are really into riding the Sport Touring Ride on July 1 starting in Carlisle Pa. Is the one for you. There will be 6 different rides to choose from with lengths of 135 miles to 200 miles. We will see a lot of you at the COG NATIONAL because I will be at the on sight registration. BE KIND WE ARE ONLY VOLUNTEERS. In September the West Va. Panhandle ride with the original host having personal commitments to take care of will not be able to attend so Tony Borum was kind enough to step-up and lay out a ride for us. For more information on any of the rides please check the Northeast schedule. Russell W Fleming AAD MD / South Central PA
NY Hudson Valley Report- by Mike Flynn ,#4493 Here we are in another riding season. I hopefully have my bike sorted out. Triumph’s and electrical problems…go figure. I was lucky enough to take part in the CT COG ERC a few short weeks ago. Even though my bike died, I was still able to pass it (thanks to Steve and John for the loaner). I can’t recommend that class enough. The slow speed skills really transit to the high speed stuff. If you are feeling shaky, take an ERC. It will do wonders for you. My next ride is in July. A Tuesday Mental Health day. We hit the roads while everyone else is slaving away at work. I’ll take us on a tour of some of the finest back roads in the area, hopefully avoiding any traffic. When my bike is back together, I will post a camping trip It will probably include my family, so that means I will have a large cooler, and some more tasty treats. If you have any interest in these type events, let me know. I’d rather put on rides you guys are interested in, that not. As always, give me a shout for rides or events you are into.
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N O R T H E A S T A R E A NE W S
Northeast Ride Schedule - view the most current event info at: www.concours.org/ne/schedules.htm Repeating Events (ON) S. Central Ontario Get-Together Monthly Dinner Gathering: Meet at 6 pm on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at the Mohawk Inn, located on the northwest corner of Hwy. 401 at Guelph Line, Exit 312, next to the Mohawk Raceway & Slots Entertainment Facility. 9230 Guelph Line, Campbellville, Ontario. 905.854.2277 www.mohawkinn.com Join us for dinner and socializing. All Welcome. Dave Clancy, 905-389-7681 or clanfam@hwcn.org (PA) Meet Greet and Ride Sundays Meet Sundays at 10:00 am at Kings Restaurant located in Imperial, PA, located right off the Imperial exit of routes 22 & 30. We will decide a ride or destination with whoever attends, or I will have a route ready if we need it. Rides will begin the 1st week in April until the 1st week in Nov. If you have a ride idea, or need any additional info or directions contact Joe Cyprych 724.796.1401 or cyprych@hky.com Hope to see you there.
Calendar of Events
held at a great campground, in an excellent area for riding. Details on camping and all other information will be coming soon. Contact Joe Cyprych cyprych@hky.com 724.796.1401 or Jason Kaplitz gsjay62@verizon.net 814.535.8669
(VA) The Urinal Ride 07/14-07/17/07 - You read that right. We will ride some beautiful back roads over Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, get a stone’s throw from Ohio and in our travels, check out some of the areas oldest, most ornate, and classic repositories (CT) Toppings on the Pizza Ride for used coffee. Our ride will take us through 06/23/07 - Meet 9:00 AM at the Big Y in Tolland, Natural Bridge and Luray, VA, Shepherdstown, CT at 33 Field Stone Commons (along Merrow WV, Sommerset, PA, and Sistersville, WV. There Road – RT 195). Ride starts at 9:30 AM. After a may even be a ferryboat ride! Details are being day of riding around CT, RI & MA, the bikes will worked out for lodging on Saturday evening. rest in the parking lot of Willington Pizza while we Sunday will be spent riding over some great WV graze to hearts’ content. Located on RT 32, roads back towards our homes. We’ll meet on Willington, CT, Willington Pizza House is said to Saturday at 8:AM for breakfast at The Pink serve the BEST pizza in Tolland County for over Cadillac restaurant just north of the route 11/I-81 25 years. For directions to Willington Pizza and a Fancy Hill interchange for breakfast and start our sneak peak at their menu, visit their website at ride around 9 AM. An interesting link: www.willingtonpizza.com. All bikes and riders www.urinal.net If ya gotta go, do it in style. Bring welcome. For more information contact Jonathan your thermos and camelback. Ladies are certainly Coler @ 860.221.5194 or joncoler@yahoo.com. invited, though they may not get to enjoy all the ride “attractions.” Pat Sprague (NH) NH Lakes Region Ride psprague@shentel.net or pesprague@earthlink.net 07/01/07 - This is a new ride expanding on my or 540.743.4874 yearly Lake Sunapee ride. This year we’ll ride three of New Hampshire’s most popular lakes, (CT) Ride, Hike, Water Falls & The Moose starting with Sunapee, then heading north out to 07/21/07 - This one has become a CT-COG New Found Lake, then out to Winnipesaukee favorite! Meet & Greet at Marcus Dairy in where we’ll stop for lunch. This is another fairly Danbury, CT at 8:30 AM. Ride starts at 9:15 AM. long ride, so meet me at Skips Restaurant, Rt-110, This ride will combine some awesome, scenic Chelmsford MA for breakfast, ride leaves at twisties skirting back and forth along the CT/NY 7:30am. Contact Kevin Martin 978.459.6275 or border and then routing us into the Berkshire cog145@verizon.net Taconics. (CAUTION: the road from the Berkshires into the Taconics is at times narrow and (PA) Sport Touring at its Finest Ride quite bumpy with steep descents and sharp turns). 07/01/07 – This will be a multi-club event (COG, We will dismount on the NY State side of the BMW, V-Strom, Triumph) Meet for Breakfast at 9 Taconics and hike approximately 1.2 miles (20 am at the Iron Skillet at the PETRO truck stop minutes) along a moderate dirt trail into the woods in Carlisle, PA, 1201 Harrisburg Pike (GPS to arrive at beautiful Bash Bish Falls (Bash Bish is Coordinates N 40-13.903 W 077-08.551) There a state park named for the beautiful waterfall it will be 6 rides to choose from 150 to 200 miles protects. The falls split a huge boulder and then long. All rides end at the Middlesex Diner in plunges 80 feet into a clear, green-mountain pool). Carlisle, PA. COG contact: Russell Fleming We will enjoy the falls and a PACKED LUNCH fleming@qis.net 410.374.9687 (prepare your lunch in advance) for about 45 minutes to an hour then hike back to the bikes. (CT) Tuesday Night Meet & Greet We’ll head out of the State Park into the NY 07/03/07 - Come and join us for good food and conversation at Chick’s Drive In, West Haven, CT. Taconics and follow more twisties and winding roads looping back into CT and ending the trip in We’ll meet at 6:00 PM. A beachfront dive, uh, forgive the pun, and landmark establishment. Clam Sharon, CT at The Wondering Moose Cafe on Route 128. Those inclined to dine will enjoy the strips, hot dogs, fries, burgers – all the basics. Good view of Long Island Sound. A bit pricey for fine, yet simple cusine offered at the Moose. If you like twisties, the beauty of nature, and moderate this style of restaurant – but fun and worth it. hiking, this is one event that has it all. All bikes Chick’s is located at 183 Beach Street, West Haven, CT – phone # 860.934.4510. All bikes and and riders welcome. For more information contact Jonathan Coler @ 860.221.5194 or riders welcome. For more information contact joncoler@yahoo.com. Jonathan Coler @ 860.221.5194 or
(MD) North Meets South 10 06/15-06/17/07 – Held at Martha & Russell Fleming's home at 2610 Old Fort Schoolhouse Rd, Hampstead, MD. Camping in the back yard on Friday and Saturday night. Setup your tent on Friday and have a cookout in the evening. There is plenty of tent space. Saturday breakfast will start at 8:00AM in the driveway, serving bacon and eggs, juice and coffee. Leave at your free will on a 260 mile ride that will take you in the back roads of MD, VA & WV and end back here for a cookout that will start about 6:30PM. Sunday breakfast will be held in the driveway at 8:30AM with a guided ride there after. Lodging in Westminster, MD: Boston Inn, 533 Baltimore Blvd 800.634.0846; Days Inn, 25 South Cranberry Rd, 800.329.7466; Best Western, 451 WMC Drive, 800.528.1234. Lodging in Hanover, PA: Hampton Inn, 800.426.7866; Super 8, 40 Wetzel St, 800.800.8000; Clearview Motor Inn, 901 Carlisle St, 717.637.3701. Directions From Westminster to the Fleming's: Route 140 to Route 27 North 6 miles, Right on Old Fort Schoolhouse Rd. Fleming's is 1 mile on left at top of hill. Directions from Hanover to the Fleming's: Take PA 94 south into MD where it becomes MD 30. Continue to Manchester. Turn right at MD 27 (Sheetz store on left) 2.4 miles. Then a left onto Old Fort Schoolhouse Rd. Fleming's is 1 mile on left at top of hill. Please give me a call if you plan on coming joncoler@yahoo.com. so that I know how much food to fix. Contact Russell Fleming fleming@qis.net or 410.374.9687 (MA) Queeche Gorge Ride 07/14/07 - Back to Queeche again this year, but (NH) NH Lakes Region Ride this time we’ll be doing it CW heading out to 06/17/07 - THIS RIDE HAS BEEN Vermont first and returning via NH. This will be CANCELLED TILL FURTHER NOTICE ! another fairly long ride, so we’ll need to get an Contact Kevin Martin 978.459.6275 or early start. Meet at Cliff’s Diner on RT-119 in cog145@verizon.net Townsend MA. (Cliff’s is just beyond the corner (PA) Thunder In The Valley at the Jct of 119 & 13 in Townsend). Get there 06/22-06/24/07 - We’ll once again hold a joint early, ride leaves at 8 am. Host: Kevin Martin weekend with Jason and his BMW group. This 978.459.6275 or cog145@verizon.net event is very well organized and attended and is ISSUE 3, 2007
(MA) Rhinebeck NY, Overnight 07/28-07/29/07 - Meet at Curchill’s Diner on RT20 in Sturbridge MA, about 1-1/2 miles from the Jct of I-84 and SR20. Churchill’s is located on the west bound side next door to the Tux Store. Meet for breakfast. Make sure you’re gassed up and ready - ride leaves at 8:30 am for the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome museum and air show (www.oldrhinebeck.org). It’s about 125 miles to the Aerodrome from Sturbridge, so we should be (Continued on page 6) Page 5
there in time for lunch, then be able to attend the afternoon air show. Attendance fee is $15 / Adults ($10 / Seniors). After the show, we’ll stay overnight at one of the local establishments. There’s enough available lodging in the area that we shouldn’t need to make reservations, and costs can be reduced by sharing a room if desired. On Sunday, we’ll ride back home on some great noninterstate roads, or do your own ride home. Available lodging: (All are within 20 minutes of the Aerodrome) Rhinebeck Motel, 6938 Hwy 9, Rhinebeck NY, 845-876-5900, Rhinebeck Village Inn, 845.876.7000, Super 8 Motel, 487 Washington Ave. Kingston NY 845.338.3078, Ramada Inn, Washington Ave, Kingston NY 845.339.3900 Host: Kevin Martin 978.459.6275 or cog145@verizon.net
the entrance to the Blue Ridge Parkway on Thursday at 8 AM sharp. It’s about 420 miles to our first night stop at Blue Ridge Motorcycle Campground where we will spend the night and have breakfast Friday morning before riding some of the best motorcycle roads in the US before arriving at TWO in Suches, GA. No reservations are required for camping at BRMC or at TWO. Lodging may be reserved at BRMC by calling 828.235.8350 and at TWO by calling 706.747.5151. Some will return to our homes on Sunday and some will make it a two (or three!) day jaunt. Contact: Pat Sprague at 540.743.4874 or psprague@shentel.net. or pesprague@earthlink.net
(NH) White Mountains Day Ride 09/09/2007 - Join me for a Post - Labor Day ride up through the Lakes Region, across the (WV) COG in Canaan National Rally Kancamagus Highway and into the White 08/7 – 08/11/07 - Canaan Valley State Park Resort, Mountains National Forest. Meet at Dunkin Donuts WV. This should be the BEST COG National rally on RT 110, Chelmsford (Exit 34 / 495), ride leaves ever! See www.concours.org/2007 at 8 am. (From 495 South, turn RIGHT for 110 West, from 495 North, turn LEFT for 110 West to (CT) Ride & Roadside Chili House Dunkin Donuts). Host: Kevin Martin 08/25/07 - First we ride and then… FOOD! We’ll 978.459.6275 or cog145@verizon.net meet at 9:00 AM at Marcus Dairy in Danbury, CT. (WV) Eastern Panhandle Ride and Camp The ride starts at 9:30ish AM and will crisscross along the CT/NY state lines, until the ride ends at 09/14-09/16/07 – Join at the Harpers Ferry KOA, The Roadside Chili House in Bethel, CT. Billing 343 Campground Rd, Harpers Ferry, WV. itself as a Great American Roadside Diner, the www.harpersferrykoa.com 800.562.9497, Roadside Chili House serves many things other 304.535.6895. When making reservations, ask for than chili. Location: 44 Stony Hill Road, Bethel, a site along the “Trench”, an actual Civil War CT, Phone # 203.790.5064. Directions: I-84 to exit trench. Unfortunately, due to location, it’s not one 9, from the exit ramp turn south onto route 25, turn of the cheaper KOA’s, but it is really nice one. 2 right onto route 6 (MT. Pleasant Rd), drive approx tents/2 motorcycles per site, so it does even out in 1.7 miles to restaurant. For more information the end. Hotels/Motels/other places to stay: contact Jonathan Coler @ 860.221.5194 or www.harpersferryinfocenter.org. Approximately joncoler@yahoo.com. 200-225 mi ride after breakfast Saturday morning, ending up back at the campground. Lunch stop (MA) Pioneer Valley / Berkshire Ride TBA. Sunday, you’re all on your own after the 08/26/07 - This ride will include some of the best group hug and/or breakfast J Ride will include motorcycling roads in western Massachusetts, mostly 1.5-2 lane backwoods country roads. You including 112, 116, 202, 8A, and a number of want gravel, I can accommodate J Road conditions unmarked county roads. Meet at Jeanne’s Diner in will vary from “WTF” to “WOW.” Emergency Phillipston MA, on 202 North. Take RT-2 West to maintenance will be available with truck and trailer Exit 19, Jeanne’s is up on the right. The Diner if needed. Early model parts bike parts for a opens at 8am on Sunday. Have breakfast, ride reasonable price to get ya home. Local shops: leaves at 9 am. Host: Kevin Martin 978.459.6275 Martinsburg, WV, Winchester, VA and Ridersville cog145@verizon.net Cycle in Berkeley Springs, WV. Contact: Russell Fleming at fleming@qis.net or 410.374.9687. (CT) Tuesday Night Meet & Greet (NH) Whitehorse Gear Open House 09/04/07 - Come and join us for good food and conversation at Hooters, Wethersfield, CT. We’ll 09/15/07 - Whitehorse Gear will be hosting another meet at 6:00 PM at this fine family oriented Open House and BBQ and COG is invited. The restaurant. Not only are the wings terrific, but I hours are 10am–3pm with a free, high-end BBQ, understand that if you cut their menu into strips special guests, & shopping specials. Join in for and play it backwards through a tape recorder, the another fun-filled day of eating, schmoozing, and secret meaning of Hooters will be revealed. shopping! This is the perfect time to ride the Hooters is located at 1731 Berlin Turnpike, notches of the White Mountains and enjoy the Wethersfield, CT. For directions, call Hooters at early turning of the leaves in our beautiful Mount 860-563-8083. Weather permitting; an impromptu Washington Valley. www.whitehorsepress.com for ride will follow dinner. All bikes and riders more information. welcome. For more information contact Jonathan (PA) Wellsboro Camp And Ride Weekend Coler @ 860.221.5194 or joncoler@yahoo.com. 09/21-09/23/07 - Informal camping weekend. (VA) Ride to TWO Nothing planned, but there is great riding in all 09/06-09/09/07 - A perennial favorite. Great roads, directions. Close to PA Grand Canyon, Slate Run, great destination (TWO), great food, great COG wineries etc. No reservations needed - Just mention companions. There is no COG rally there this to the campground you’re with COG. We’ll be weekend, just ride down there, hang out, and ride camping at Stony Fork Campground some more. Meet at Afton Mountain, Route 250 at (www.stonyforkcamp.com), 658 Stony Fork Rd., Page 6
Wellsboro, PA 16901 570.724.3096. Contact Joe
Cyprych 724.796.1401 or cyprych@hky.com (CT) Sweet Ambitions 09/22/07 - Early to rise and late to bed makes a lot of time for awesome riding. This is hardly an Iron Butt, yet it is an endurance run. Meet & Greet at Marcus Dairy in Danbury, CT at 8:30 AM. Ride starts at 9:15 AM. The day will begin with a highway blast out to the Port Jervis, NY area where we’ll dip southward and visit High Point State Park – the tallest point in NJ. After we leave the summit of High Point State Park, the tri-state NJ, PA and NY area will be our playground. This ride will present a long day on the road. Bring your camera – perfect photo-ops all throughout the area. All bikes and riders welcome. For more information contact Jonathan Coler @ 860.221.5194 or joncoler@yahoo.com. (NY) Fall Foliage Rally 09/27-09/30/07 - Terry Faherty & Scott Sorger are working on plans to host this rally in Lake George, NY. Mark the date... More info will be posted as the details are worked out after Americade. 718.227.2099 or Tmcefah@aol.com (CT) Tuesday Night Meet & Greet 10/02/07 – Yup, after another long hiatus we’re back!!! Join us at 6:00 PM at the Cromwell Diner for good food and good conversation. The diner is located at 135 Berlin Road (route 372), Cromwell, CT. The diner’s phone # is 860.635.7112. Directions: from I-91 take exit 21, turn west off the exit and the diner is about 3/4’s mile down on the left hand side. All bikes (cars too) and riders welcome. For more information contact Jonathan Coler @ 860.221.5194 or joncoler@yahoo.com. (VT) MT Equinox Summit Ride 10/06/07 - My Fall Foliage ride this year will be to MT. Equinox in Vermont. If you didn’t get a chance to ride Mt. Equinox during the COG Spring Fling, here’s another opportunity. At 3,816‘, Mt. Equinox is actually about 300 feet higher than Mt. Greylock, so the view should be spectaular. Meet at Jeanne’s Diner in Phillipston MA, on 202 North. Take RT-2 West to Exit 19, Jeanne’s is up on the right. The Diner opens at 8am on Sunday. Have breakfast, ride leaves at 9 am for the ride to Vermont. After leaf peeping, I’ll take you on some little known Vermont county roads. Host: Kevin Martin 978.459.6275 or cog145@verizon.net
N O R T H E A S T A R E A NE W S
Spring Fling Rally 2007 - Andirons Lodge - West Dover, Vermont Rally Report By Kevin Martin, AAD COG #145
Rally Door Prizes
The 2007 Spring Fling Vermont Rally is just a fond memory now, and I hope that all who attended enjoyed themselves as much as I did. At last count, we had 98 people registered for the Rally banquet at the Andirons Dover Forge Restaurant.
Some door prizes given away at the rally banquet are aquired through donations from members, contributions from vendors and COG Industry Members, and purchased by COG and part of your paid rally fee. COG and the rally organizers would like to thank the vendors and members for providing door prizes.
First I’d like to thank the Andirons management; Enrico, West, and Karen, for allowing us to host this years event at their hotel. A special thanks to my friend Candi who worked the desk on her weekend off to make sure that my event was successful. And thanks to Chris, the manager of the Dover Forge restaurant, and his staff, for putting on an awesome buffet dinner. I had a number of people tell me after the banquet, that the dinner was outstanding, a testament to all of the hard work Chris and his team put into the banquet event. Finally, thanks to all of you who attended the Rally, and thanks for a great turn out in attendance and for supporting COG Northeast. I also want to thank our sponsors all of which Steve will detail in this Newsletter, and the folks who contributed to make this event successful. We had members who helped out with rally sign in’s and who contributed to door prizes, and members who spent countless hours laying out ride routes so that attendees could enjoy all that southern Vermont and the surrounding areas have to offer. I also want to thank my wife Amy and daughter Melissa for driving up all of the rally door prizes, and helping out over the weeks leading up to the rally. One final note on the door prizes, I gave away ( 4 ) Aerostich gift certificates on Saturday night, and only Bob Chappell returned the ship to information, back to me so far. For the winners of the Aerostich gif certificates, there was an instruction sheet included in the envelope to provide me with mailing information that I need to give to Aerostich so that they can mail the certificate to you. Please fill out the bottom of the instruction sheet and mail it to me at:
These COG Industry Members provided door prizes for this event. • Aerostitch/Rider Wearhouse • CycleBrakes • Boston Soap Works • Sunglass Guys • Whitehorse Gear These COG Industry Members provided door prizes for this event. • Greg Habel • Karl Schenkel From the Pillion Seat by Elinore McPhillips With one day’s notice and a gracious nod of trust from my dearest pilot, I plot my first route sheet for our final destination, The Andrions Lodge in West Dover, Vermont. The saddlebags are packed to overflowing with heavy sweatshirts and not enough t-shirts, rain gear, bathing suits and comfortable shoes as we turn onto the back roads of New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts and finally Vermont. We ride past the school bus driver who tries to merge into Connie without looking, past the perfectly manicured equestrian ranches, past the majestic steeples of North Adams, MA to finally meet up with dear friends we haven’t seen in months, along with new friends yet unmet. I reminisce now about a long weekend of riding until the road meets the sky, the quaint roadside stands hawking fresh maple syrup and ‘please serve yourself’, the rustic country stores with rocking chairs on the porch to rest our souls, as we head back at the end of the day to the comfort of COG fellowship, joining in as everyone gathers to look over the newest steed, the newest farkles, and to share a story of a new birth or a belly laugh with an old friend. The weekend went too fast yet again, as we don our raingear and head home. As we watch other bikes head north to Lake George, we replay in our minds the multitude of precious moments we’ve just experienced, memories that will never be forgotten.
Kevin Martin 486 Arlington Street Dracut, MA 01826 In closing, I have to say, I never expected to have nearly 100 people attend my rally, so this was a pleasant surprise for me, and I hope you all enjoyed yourself. Hopefully we’ll see each other at the COG National in West Virginia. ISSUE 3, 2007
Page 7
Our Newest Northeast Area Members (since the last newsletter) Gregory Kenley, #7817 Scottsville, VA
James Richmond, #7855 Tiverton, RI
John & Susan Weissman, #7884 Berwyn, PA
Douglas Allia, #7818 Springfield, VA
Rene Ramirez, #7864 Lexington Park, MD
Jamey Finchum, #7887 Nashua, NH
Joe Szelesi, #7821 Nottingham, MD
Michael Zuba, #7865 Hampton, NH
Russell & Cathy Neal, #7889 North Stonington, CT
Louise & Les Kelly, #7831 Lehighton, PA
Douglas Vittum, #7866 Middlesex, NY
Jay Toigo, #7894 Churchville, P
Michael Hughes, #7837 Annapolis, MD
Ted Granger, #7867 Midlothian, VA
Anthony Pergallini, #7895 Brooklin, ME
Scott Boise, #7843 Mt Holly Springs, PA
Corbin Abernathy, #7868 Philadelphia, PA
Jonathan Holton, #7896 Saratoga Springs, NY
Christopher Constantine, #7844 Norwich, CT
Harold Smith, #7869 Seaforth, ON Canada
Larry & Lisa Downing, #7847 Shelburne Falls, MA
Mike Arthur, #7876 Centreville, VA
(Cognitions - Continued from page 1)
What about next year? With all the great rides and big events in the works for this year, it is easy to forget about planning future rallies & ride. During the riding season is a time to get a jump on things for next year. You can try out that next great route for a group ride or begin to scope out possible venues for rallies. Any club member can host a COG ride, meet and greet, rally, or any other event you can think of. Give it a try - it probably not as daunting as it may appear to be. Besides, the Northeast Area staff is here to provide support and help get you off on the right foot. Got an idea? Please contact me. AADs are still needed in Virginia and West Virginia to take over when Pat Sprague steps down at the end of the year. Contact me if you are interested Publication deadlines
Both the Concourier and the next newsletter submission deadline are coming up. Do you have a great ride destination to share? Maybe you want to write about a fun COG experience you had. The Concourier is the place to submit your longer articles and general interest stories. The deadline for submissions for the next issue of the Concourier is July 30. Send your submissions to the Concourier editor (editor@concours.org) or me. This area newsletter is perfect for upcoming event announcements and short ride reports. The deadline for the next Northeast Area News is July 30. Please send newsletter submissions to me.
Until next time, ride safe. Page 8
Steve N O R T H E A S T A R E A NE W S