First Ride of Summer (June 21, 2011)

Took this photo at Iron Thunder, had made a previous day visit, and went for a second visit. Took this at the bar, some nice people working there, and as I noted like the theme of the place. It is located near the Harley-Davidson dealership (Speedway HD) and there is another one in Hickory, NC at Crossroads HD. That is a cool dealership, kind of made up like a hunting lodge. Though not a Harley fan as such (own a Vulcan by Kawasaki) they do have some beautiful motorcycles. Speaking of that, the big Virginia State HOG (Harley Owners Group) Rally is in Richmond this upcoming weekend. I hope to catch some of the sights of that.Will be here this weekend.
Took this photo of myself, got the helmet a few weeks ago. Has a sort of helicopter pilot style to it (and I am a big fan of aviation). Very comfortable though, and like the flip down half visor. Makes talking easy, plus it gives good protection from the sun and also things that can come up from the road. Photo by the lake is my bike, enjoy riding that and had a very good day for it. Ran up many of the roads of the previous day, covered about the same mileage (60 or so) but a nicer day sun wise, not so much heat wise. Got very hot at the end of the ride as the temperature for the day hit a high of 99 degrees. Welcome to the first day of Summer!














At home, odometer is at 22,000 miles. On next visit home will be doing some routine maintenance on the bike. Going to change the oil, antifreeze, lube cables, clean the air filer (its a K+N, love those things, and have them on all my bikes the last few years), and change the rear gear oil. I will also be changing out the front brake pads as they are showing some wear after 22,000 miles. Good maintenance is very important not just for the motorcycle but for the rider, a good running bike is a safer bike. I do most of my own work; I don't for instance put tires on it, but a lot of work can be done with a good set of tools, and a good shop manual. There is also a lot of good information to be found online.A number of good motorcycle shops (both dealerships and private ones) also can do work on your motorcycle.