So ends 2013 (December 31, 2013)

 So ends 2013, not the best year of my life (in fact in some respects the worst hands down) but it also had some high spots. Lost a wife, but gained a really good girlfriend who rides, got though thanks to family and friends, and of course have this very good dog. I am looking very forward to 2014, doubt it could be worse (and sure hope it wont). Went on some good rides, plan to do more of that in 2014. Hope you all have a very good 2014 as well.
As for Dec 31, weather was good, sunny and temperature was in the 50's. I dressed for it, and was quite comfortable as I rode into Richmond.

Made a stop at Buz and Ned's, one of my favorite places to eat in the Richmond area, and some of the best BBQ I have ever had. They have two locations in the city, one in Short Pump and one on the Boulevard (which is where I went to today). Good BBQ and a (as in one, Im riding) Cold beer. It was a good idea, and some good food. Traffic was not too bad getting into Richmond, which was real good.
I like riding in Richmond, lots of old buildings and some interesting stuff to see. Do have to keep your eyes on the road, as traffic can do some interesting stuff, plus the road itself can be filled with potholes.
Still, its a lot of fun riding around here, fun on a cool sort of day. While I dress warm, speed can really up the wind chill factor, so not a day to get out on the highway, but around town and up to day 50mph it was not bad at all.  

 This is the building to the Washington Redskins training camp, Next year they will have a new coach. My two favorite teams are the Chicago Bears and the Carolina Panthers, but I went to the training camp last year and will go again in 2014. 
Football is my favorite sport and the training camp is fun. They did have a huge crowd last year, I think they will be here at least for a total of 8 years (something like that) but will see them there in the summer.
Sure is cool having that in the RVA....Carolina camp was in South Carolina, never got to go there.

This is the Confederate White House, lots of Civil War things in Richmond, and this one is one of the interesting things to be seen Jefferson Davis lived here, and when he left as Richmond fell, Abraham Lincoln took it over during his visit to the recaptured American city. This is part of a museum there, one of many in the Richmond area. There are also a number of nearby battlefields. Sure I will revisit some in 2014, also planning to get out to the mountains in 2014, plus...well sure there will be some fun and interesting rides. Have ridden in Richmond less than a year and for me its all new motorcycle wise. Did all my motorcycling on the Vulcan prior to this in the Charlotte, NC area. At any case, hope all of you have a great 2014, and enjoy many great rides, or adventures of your own if you don't ride. Thanks as always for visiting my page, look forward to hearing from some of you, and wish you all the best in the upcoming year. May 2014 be your best year ever!     

Early Christmas Gift #2 (December 20, 2013)

 Another great day, got in a good ride, though cloudy the temperatures were even warmer than the day before-and it was a very good ride. Went to where the new Ultimate Cycle location is going to be-its up the Midlothian Turnpike some 20 miles from the old location. Kind of a drive though a pretty area, its out in the country and they have a lot of land for things. Will make it more difficult to get the bike serviced there; as it is a bit of a drive and seems you always have to leave the bike. Miss RideNow in Concord, NC for instance where they would do tires or inspections while you wait.  

This is the bike and that is Midlothian Turnpike. Got a good ride out there, for the two days got a total of 95 miles. As with the previous days ride did some sightseeing, and some Christmas shopping, but sure felt good to ride. A nice gift as the temps for the days were record setting. Continued to Dec 23 (with 70s-80s) but also came the rain, and of course the traffic got even worse as it is Christmas season. Still it was great to ride.
I will still get some in this winter, but doubt few will be anywhere as warm. Spring is some 87 days away, will be looking forward to that motorcycle wise, though winter is a lot of fun.

Early Christmas Gift #1 (December 19, 2013)

Just a beautiful thing...December 19, a bright sunny day, first day of my vacation and it was 65 degrees in Richmond, six days before Christmas (normal high around 50). On a bright sunny day, got the bike out of where I store it and took it on a ride around Richmond. Stopped here at left at Hull Street Outlet (which is actually on Jefferson Davis Highway) to get a photo of my bike by this rocket....cause I love both things! Could not get over this, was grinning from ear to ear for the three and a half hours I was out. Did a little Christmas shopping on the bike (another cool thing) getting a gift for my Harley-Davidson riding girlfriend and a little lunch, plus rode out to a Civil War battle site (Navy this time, though I had been there before, but not for quite a while). Wanted to rotate the tires and light the fires and I certainly did that on the motorcycle and on me.  

This is Colonial Harley Davidson in Colonial Heights, VA which is just outside of Petersburg. Not a huge Harley person (that is my Kawasaki Vulcan on the far right) but from what I have seen this is the biggest and best equipped HD dealer in the area. Have been to a few things there (the state HOG rally was there a few years ago, that was a lot of fun with all the bikes) and like dropping in there.
They have some remarkable motorcycles - though have had really good luck with the Japanese bikes. I like the water cooled engines on the big Japanese cruisers, though they do have the V-Rod and a new sort of water cooled engine.

 This is a Super Glide, sort of the classic sort of thing from HD. Has the air-cooled engine, belt drive and hydraulic lifters (as does my Vulcan) which means no valve adjustments.
Pretty bike, and is one of the bikes that actually fits me. Funny to me that the Japanese bikes tend to be big (for taller riders such as me) while the Harley-Davidsons tend to be smaller (I look like a loon on a Sportster). Sure a lot of history there, and I think motorcycling is better thanks to Harley being there. They are though getting some US competition from Victory Motorcycles and now Indian.   

This is the Breakout, I like the paint on this one a lot. Again, the standard air cooled engine, but that paint is something to see. The other type of paint on the Breakout can be seen on the bike behind it. Nice motorcycle!
Liked being there, good place to stop with some very friendly people, and as I have noted there is usually a lot going on there. Harley shops tend to have a lot of things to do, and a lot of events are held there. It was the same at Speedway Harley Davidson in Concord, NC, which is a fine shop as well.  
This photo was taken at Commonwealth Powersports, which sells Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha (Star), Suzuki and Victory, and is within sight of Colonial Harley-Davidson. Like that shop too, and also very friendly people. A Tilted Kilt bar is right next door, nice place to visit, though I had lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings, just up the road. Love those Wings!  

Finally, made a stop on the way home (got to Colonial Heights via I-95, but back on Jefferson Davis Highway) to Fort Darling. This was a Confederate fort during the Civil War on the James River which repelled a Union fleet (including the Ironclad USS Monitor) which planned to shell Richmond. That battle stopped that threat.
All in all, a remarkable day on the bike, three and a half wonderful hours with the stops at the bike shops, lunch and the battlefield. Got in 55 miles, not a whole lot, but more than I expected in late December. Best thing is that the forecast is for more of the same...tomorrow. I plan to take advantage! 

Ride Now ,Concord, NC (December 14, 2013)

 Made a trip to Concord, NC to visit my son, and see some of the sights there (lived there for some 14 years until this year) and made a stop at RideNow, a motorcycle shop in Concord, NC. They sell Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Victory, and Yamaha/Star Motorcycles. Seen at left is one of the NC700 based Honda's. This one is different from the NC700X in that the gas tank is the gas tank (not underseat as on the 700X. Interesting motor in that the 700cc engine is tuned for fuel mileage, and it can cover some remarkable distance with around 60mpg.

Seen here is a bike that looks like the NC700X but is one of the three versions of the CB500 (they also have a sportbike and a naked version) as well as this adventure bike version. Honda is really doing some amazing things both in bringing out a lot of new motorcycles and bringing them out at some remarkable prices. The goal is to bring riders back to motorcycles, and they have come up with some good and inexpensive ideas.
One thing I like about RideNow is that they have a lot of motorcycles, even used Harley-Davidson if that is what you are interested in (though used).    

 This is the FB6, another version of the Gold Wing, did not see one yet, but Honda is also bringing back the Valkyrie for 2014, which is even more stripped then the FB6. Said to be a really fast motorcycle and a top seller in the world of touring bikes. 

 At left in pink is the Yamaha(Star) Bolt, which is said to be a bobber styled bike, but is also their take on the Harley-Davidson Sportster. Nice motorcycle and though I am not real big on the color, I think this will be popular with a lot of riders.
As I noted a lot of interesting motorcycles out there, with a lot of new ideas out there. Love riding and looking forward to getting out in a few days..though late December the weather here in Richmond is getting very warm. Might actually get to do some Christmas shopping on the motorcycle tomorrow and perhaps the next day. 

Finally the ZX6R by Kawasaki, which marks the return (after a short pause) of the 636 engine, which has been very popular in the sport bike world. Kawasaki makes some great cruisers, baggers, touring bikes...as the rest of the manufacturers tend to do....but they make some of the best sport bikes out there in my opinion.
Anyhow, a good visit to RideNow, and had a great time there. Looking forward to my next visit to this bike shop and others as well located here in Richmond, VA and the surrounding area.    

Dec 1 Ride (December 1, 2013)

December 1, and about 50 degrees but wanted to get out for a bit...kind of rotate the tires and light the fires. Good day to get a ride in..sunny anyhow. Nice to be out and to see some sights and feel some (very cool) breeze.  
Took this self portrait on Cary Street, like the pavement behind me (some of which can be fairly common in Richmond, its an old city) and here you can see me dressed for the conditions. Had all sorts of things including heavy socks, boots, and some thick gloves. That said, it was not bad at all, and a very nice ride on a Sunday.  

 One of the best things around early Sunday rides, is that the traffic tends to be really, really light. This is Cary Street heading to what is known as Carytown, and a nice place to get a ride in. Got a lot of really big and very old houses, and some cool sights. Usually there are a lot of Christmas lights (not so much as of yet) along this road. This goes into Carytown which is where I stopped to walk around a bit, and got a bit of lunch (at a local McDonald's). Got to get another McRib while there are still there, and oh yeah..a cup of coffee. That seemed like a lot better idea than a cold Coke would have been. Coffee is the winter rider's friend!
 

Saw these bikes the one on the left is a very old BMW, and the one on the right is..well, dont know what that one is either.
While I was out in the cold, did get to wave at quite a few riders, was not the only one out there by far.
I rode back to where I store the bike after a stop at Legends Brewing, nice ride on a Sunday. Again as of late did not cover a lot of miles, and kept the speed down (speed is a factor of wind chill) but enjoyed the ride a great deal.
Looking forward to the next one, supposed to get even warmer this week, will wait to see what the weather brings my way.