Motorcycles in Richmond and Louisville (December 28, 2016)

I have not been out in awhile on the motorcycle due to weather and travel here (been a lot of rain of late) but have been on the road (the travel part a bit.
Photos directly below were taken at Richmond Harley Davidson on December 9.

The next photos were taken at CC Powersports in Clarksville, Indiana. They are also an Indian dealer.

  Finally some more Harley-Davidson's at Bluegrass Harley-Davidson in Louisville, Kentucky.

Triumph Bobber Event

I did not ride to this, but went to the Triumph Bobber Event at Scoot Richmond on December 13th at Scoot Richmond in Richmond, VA. This is the place where I purchased my 2016 Triumph Speedmaster a few months ago (Labor Day weekend to be exact). The new bike, and a few of the new 2017 models can be seen in these photos below. It was a great time!

Saturday Ride in Early December (December 3, 2016)

Nice ride on this Saturday. A bit of a cool day, might have been 50 out, though could have been a little under it. Still got out and went down Osborne Parkway to Deep Bottom Park. Got this photo at left there of the James River. During the Civil War this was a major crossing site for the Union Army. There is a sign there with a lot of information on the three battles at this site and even a photo from the time of the bridge. I like it because its a nice ride in the country to get there.  

Rode Osborne Parkway to "5" (one of my favorite roads) and then back to Osborne Parkway from 5 and into Richmond for a little bit. I also rode downtown for a little while and then into Oregon Hill before rolling back to the house. As you can see by the photo at left I was dressed for the ride. Was a good time. Cuttently on this first ride of December I have a total of 1449 miles on the Triumph. Today's  ride was by my odometer 40.5 miles. Put a huge smile on my face for sure.
Before the ride checked and added air to the tires, the cold really changes the pressure. I also rechecked and readjusted the chain. I have it dialed in now.  

Sunday Ride in the RVA (November 27, 2016)

 Went for a ride on Sunday....just a short ride around Richmond. Stopped at the motorcycle shop where I purchased the bike which was closed just to take this photo (no cars in the lot) on my way to Church Hill. Rode around there a while and that is where I took the photo of Rocketts Landing seen below. Was a cool sunny day and enjoyed being out for a few hours on the bike. It was a bit chilly with temperatures in the low 50's. While out on this ride went over 1400 miles on the odometer.  Before the ride, and for the first time in 11 years (during which time I owned a shaft drive Vulcan classic often seen on these pages) I adjusted the chain on the motorcycle. Was no problem at all.

Saturday _A Tale of Two Rides (November 19, 2016)

A nice Saturday...once again the weather was warm (mid-70s actually) and sunny. Got out on the motorcycle and via a very different sort of route ended up once again at Sunday Park. Nice area on the lake and a good ride down some fine country roads. I enjoyed riding there and has been a favorite for a lot of years now. Good restaurant there called "The Boathouse" which I have eaten at a couple of times...as well as the other location at Rocketts Landing. The ride was real good and had fun getting there. After the stop there, rode out to Hull Street and made a stop at Buffalo Wild Wings. Visited there with some friend I ran into from work, and then headed back toward home.
By now it was Three PM and the breeze was really kicking up. Then the clouds started rolling in. At a few points actually thought I was going to take off...literally. Always thought that riding was much like flying, but this was a little too much like that. None the less beat the rain (which it never really did) and made it home without a problem. It was a fun ride. Good thing as work is coming up early during a week which will be much cooler. As I write this on Sunday the high is 30 degrees cooler than it was yesterday. Covered some 70 miles on a very fine Saturday,

Pre-freeze Ride One (I hope) on a Friday (November 18, 2016)

Was not a big ride....but with Sunday temperatures expected to reach a high of 40, wanted to get out for a while. So I did. Got this photo of the bike in the neighborhood with a bit of fall color. Was pretty out in the area and the temperature was close to 70 which was great. Made a stop along the way at Home Depot. I was looking for something I could not find, and they had it. Will go back for "them" in the car tomorrow (sometimes both are handy though I prefer the bike). Speaking of the bike still very happy with it, it is a lot of fun to ride. Sure I had the Vulcan for 11 years and yeah that was pretty amazing too. This Speedmaster is just fun on a much different level. Later on after that, rode up to Buffalo Wild Wings and got some...well wings. Was real good and had a good time there. Rode back and got off Midlothian Turnpike. Late afternoon traffic starts to get pretty busy in the early afternoon to around 6PM. So the total ride was around (give or take) 30 miles. Had a great time and HOPING to do that again tomorrow. Will depend if the forecast is right. They are saying that the cold front will come though around 3PM, but that could (and often is) off by a few hours either way. At any case, will see how it goes.

Night Ride to Christmas Lights (November 13, 2016)

Damn nice ride. They lit up Short Pump Mall out on West Broad Street this past Friday, and after a quick stop for dinner at Mom's Siam in Carytown, I rode out there. Always a good ride if a little thick traffic wise, but well worth the ride. Big mall out there (which like Stony Point Fashion Park has been redone...saw the tree lighting there last night) but got to say this is a beautiful tree. The mall is what you would call "tastefully decorated" but really nice. I enjoyed the tree and the reindeer there.
Rode back on West Broad Street and got to do my second ride at night on the Triumph. Very nice and enjoyed it a great deal. Mid-November it may be, but was very comfortable on the motorcycle and enjoyed it from beginning to end. Think it ended up being something like 38 miles. One night last year in December with night temperatures of 70 degrees went to see Christmas lights in Richmond and that was cool. This was also a very fun event.

Veterans Day Ride (November 11, 2017)

Veterans Day I made it a habit to visit the Virginia War Memorial which is not far from my house. A wonderful place and I have certainly met some amazing people there. This is a very nice place to remember those who served and especially those who gave all. I served in the US Navy from 1975-1979 and was very proud to have done that. It was a lot of fun and I met some remarkable people who I am proud to say are still many of my best friends.
After a visit there and a walk to see some of the amazing displays (and some photos from previous visits can be found in many of these pages) I got out and rode for a bit. Was running through town, it was a nice day to ride. Temperature was around 65 and is said to be the warmest day of the weekend (though Sunday should be close to that if a little cooler).
At any case, rode some around Richmond and then headed to Mechanicsville for a short bit. There are some really nice roads there and I enjoy riding in that area.
 One of the places I rode to was Cold Harbor Road. Lots of great roads there and also some notable battlefields. I did stop at Gaines Mill which is seen directly below.

After the ride went to the Triumph shop. Looked at some of the 2017 Triumph and Moto Guzzi motorcycles that have come in, but had to take a moment to see my old motorcycle. The Kawasaki Vulcan is looking pretty good...they got her all shined up. That bike was my ride for 11 wonderful years and I have to say no complaints. That said though, sure having a good time with the Triumph. Change is often good, and sure enjoying the rides I have been taking on the new bike. Seems like a good purchase. Taking me back to the things I loved about riding with this bike. Fun to try something with the Triumph name on it.

Riding around Richmond International Raceway. (November 6, 2016)

Much warmer than yesterday but another beautiful day in Richmond. On this Sunday rode out to Richmond International Raceway (aka RIR) for a little five lap session on the track. It was thanks to a $20 donation to charity that we got to do that. There was a good number of people there and had to wait a short while. Good though, as it was fun to look around and watch the cars and motorcycles running. Finally got to be our turn.  

Ride around the track was great. Adam had the Hayabusa at right, he flew around the track. Said he hit 110 and I believe it. I settled for 100 a couple of times. Surprised and pleased we got to go that fast, though the pace car did slow us down (all of us, we were sort of in the middle) after a couple of fast laps. Have done this sort of thing on the Vulcan when I lived in Charlotte, have to say as far as motorcycles on a racetrack, Richmond was a lot more fun. Course its also a lot smaller at Richmond, and a lot more intense. At any case had a great time, would certainly do it again and will I am sure down the road. After that we rode out to my house (Adam had never seen it) and I rode out to Chester, VA to his place and that was a nice ride out in the Country. First ride with Adam and it was pretty cool. This was a very fun day in the RVA.

Ashland Train Days (November 5, 2016)

Saturday got out on the motorcycle. Wanted to do a couple of things...first was to see some of the fall color in the Richmond area. Though a bit cool around 11am (I would guess getting close to 60 degrees) it was a good day to ride. Was not quite totally dressed for it but close enough. I got to ride around Monument Avenue and took this photo at the Jefferson Davis Memorial. Nice color and more then I got to see while I was in the mountains a couple of weeks ago.
After that rode to Ashland, Virginia where they were having their Train Days event. It was a nice thing and enjoyed wandering around there for a while. The mural seen in the photo below is new, and liked that. Lots of people, a lot of booths and many things to see and do. Enjoyed the time there. Later on, rode back to Richmond and around there for a bit before heading home. Ride only covered some 40 miles, but going to do better on Sunday...when I have something really unique and neat planned.

Warm Sunday Ride in the RVA (October 30, 2016)

Amazingly temperature was close to 80 (in fact later got up to 83) on this beautiful Sunday. Got the bike out and ran to mail a bill, stopped at Stony Point Fashion Park to see the new changes going on there (will have photos of those soon as will be going to see Christmas tree lighting very soon now) and got out in the country. I rode out River Road past the beautiful houses, up six for a while and then back via 503 to Richmond. Nice to be out in the country for a good ride.
After that, rode out to Hull Street and up that way for a bit and then over to the Midlothian Turnpike. Stopped at Capital Ale House for a short visit and then rode back after a visit with some friends to the house. Entire ride was 67 miles on what was a beautiful day. I was not alone in that did a lot of waving at the other bikers who were also out and about on their motorcycles. It was just an outstanding day to ride.  

1000 and beyond (October 28, 2016)

Pretty good Friday. Weather was great....66 and sunny outside. Went for a short ride on the new bike....and this one after the ride to the mountains a few days before would put it over 1000 miles. So far so good.
Took this photo with the cell phone camera timer...did not plan to be out much (did a lot of work around the house before the ride) and it was cool early on. Was going to get into the 60's but was going to take awhile, and it did.

Dressed for the weather with the good coat, and gloves. It was not too bad either. Once again I hit it on the clothes to wear on a cool, day.
Rode up Midlothian Turnpike and like that ride. Not nearly as far as I did a few days before. This time just rode into Midlothian itself. I was watching the road and also watching the odometer. Had a rough idea what would get me to 1000 miles and seems I nailed it dead on when I finally hit the magic number.
Got to 1000 at..... Buffalo Wild Wings. Stopped there for a quick lunch and then went to the Bon Air area of Richmond.  It was a very good ride if a little on the short side. That photo is seen below. I do plan to get a better one in this Sunday coming up.

Back to the Parkway (October 23, 2016)

Beautiful fall day, very cool but was dressed for it. Headed up Midlothian Turnpike to the Lexington, Virginia area to get on the Blue Ridge Parkway. This is much like a previous trip and once again made a stop in Lexington. Interesting down with a lot of history (was founded in 1778) and the view at right was there. Made a short walking tour of the area after parking at the very nice Visitor Center. If you are ever in the area, well worth a stop.

Had a great ride on the Parkway. Love these stone walls, and a nice view of the area from here (Here being Raven's Roost Lookout). Driving the Parkway often feels like flying..when you go down the road and look out you see views like this (though most often with no walls). Not a great deal of fall color, which might get better but I don't think so. Mostly green with some yellow and orange and a real light touch of red in the leaves.

While there came across two other Triumph riders. Mine is at far left, a 2015 Bonneville is in the middle and at far right (green and while) is a 2002 Bonneville (with carbs). Rode with them (by invite )via a "better way" to Richmond, and they were right. Was a great deal of fun and sure as hell beat the highway. Slower but a whole lot more scenic and fun to ride than I-64. Think I am done with using the highway to get to the mountains. It was just a wonderful day, but that is not unusual for that road. I think its the best road in America. If you would like to see more photos from this ride, check out my "Richmond and Me" page,
     

Nothing like a wet one. (October 21, 2016)

Well, It was a warm Friday and I was off and after a few days of work, a ride sounded like a beautiful day. Not often in late October in Richmond temperatures were in the low 80s.
Coupled with sunny skies it seemed like a great time to ride and it was for quite a while.
Took this photo of this old church (it is on the National Historic Register) in Oregon Hill. Oregon Hill is an old neighborhood in Richmond, and is where Hollywood Cemetery is located.
Anyhow went out for a few miles just basically running around Richmond. I even got out a bit in quite a few of the other neighborhoods.
Stopped in Carytown for lunch at Zzaam which is a Korean restaurant. The founder was the man who started Sweet Frog. I love to eat there as the food is very, very good. It is also nicely priced (meaning it is affordable) and the parking is also excellent. I was looking forward to eating there again as it is has gotten to be one of my favorite places.
Anyhow I rode on....

Went down to Shiplock Park in Shockoe Bottom. Noticed the skies were really clouding up, we had a good chance of early evening storms. Turned out to be "early afternoon storms" as the rains came with a fury. I got home soaked to the bone. In fact had planned on Saturday washing the bike, but the rains did a great job so dried it off in the storage building, polished the pipes, and cleaned the mirrors. Actually worked out pretty good as the bike was clean and I did not need a shower later either!

Day Ride...and first Triumph Night ride/Rocket Launch (October 17, 2016)

Took a ride to Malvern Hill....old Civil War battlefield. First time on the Triumph to be there.  

Another stop was to Tredegar which was the Armory for the Confederacy in the Civil War, and is now a museum in Richmond., VA.  

Day rides (two photos above) were short but was a very nice ride. Made my first night ride on the Triumph (same day just a few hours later)..which is seen here at the Virginia War Museum. Reason I went there was that it was said to be the best place to see a rocket launch. Orbital was launching a supply rocket to the International Space Station at 740 (scheduled) and I rode out to see it. Was surprised to see I was not alone. There were a number of people without cameras and some with impressive set ups to see the launch. The rocket was launching from Wallops Island, VA

Had read (and heard from some of the old hands) that it would come up between the two buildings. Though I have a pair of good cameras due to time I left without either of them, so this and the night bike photo above were taken with my cell phone. Right on time it showed up (the Island is around 100 miles away) but if you look and see the dot between the two buildings (sort of center left) that is it. Live it was better as we could see flames coming out of the engines and saw the staging of the second stage. I had never seen a rocket launch live and got to see...it was pretty damn cool. Always wanted to see one from Kennedy Space Center. Closest I ever came was once during a visit there the Space Shuttle Atlantis was on the launch pad. Unfortunately it was days away from flying. So this was pretty cool.  

Fall Ride to 600 miles (October 14, 2016)

Went out on a ride on a cool Friday. First real ride after the post "600 mile' maintenance, Actually according to Triumph it was due at 500...the shop said 600, so I ended up in the middle at just under 550 miles. When I brought it home from the shop had exactly 550 miles on it.  Was a good time with vacation this week to get it done. Debbie has been visiting so have not been out much, but got a short one in. So saw this scene at Stony Point Fashion Park...fall color at last!

 The new owners of the mall are redoing Stony Point...going to improve it to bring more people there. Hope so, for it is (among other things) the most dog friendly mall in the area.
Rode a bit more on my quest for 50 miles, and stopped at this church. Many of the churches in the area sell pumpkins...was not equipped to carry one but like a good fall scene and this made for a good photo....so I took it. Love this time of year a great deal, and it is probably my favorite time to ride.

Ride was real good. I think the temperature was around 60, had on my coat and gloves. Probably when I am dressed safest for motorcycle riding (except for probably winter when I am almost armored with all the layers I have on).
Came to the train tracks near my house and got this photo.  I was pretty impressed with this one though it was mostly luck in that I snapped it as the train was coming.
Bike now is officially broke in...the only warning from the manual from 500-1000 is to "limit full throttle operation" which is probably always good -not just for the motorcycle but to keep from having close relationships with the police.
Runs real good though. I enjoy riding the curvy roads a lot better and with more horsepower over the Vulcan as well as a lot less weight it s a lot more motorcycle feeling than my very good former bike was. That said very happy and grateful to Kawasaki for building me a very awesome machine that served me so very well for 11 wonderful years. Looking forward to the next ride on the bike in the very near future.

Triumph -First Service (October 7, 2016)

Friday October 7 got the first service done on the Triumph Speedmaster at Scoot Richmond. Total cost was $232.78. Got the oil change and they also went over the motorcycle. Mechanic told me they "did some work" on the throttle bodies. So far no issues with the motorcycle and I have no complaints.
 The service did take a while, though I had a two PM appointment it was much later due to problems with a previous motorcycle that was there before me. I went to Legend's for a bit, had a couple of frosty beverages while I waited and then hung out at the shop. Was no big deal, as I did not have much planned for the day.
Good to get this done and I am set for the next 7,000 miles.

Oil that went into it is Synthetic, and that is really good. Always wanted to use this on the Vulcan (but never did). This bike was my previous (if you have been following this page you would know that) and traded it in on the Triumph. Actually think I got a good trade on it price wise. This bike will be the one by which the Triumph is judged...only one problem with it in 11 years of ownership. That was a thermostat that went out in the cooling system. The Vulcan ALWAYS got me home. Was never left stranded.

Interesting motorcycle here. Moto Guzzi "Flying Fortress". I imagine though not sure it is named for the WW2 Boing B-17 bomber flown by the US Army Air Force. Great plane and this is certainly and interesting motorcycle. Big heavy thing by the look of it.
Moto Guzzi uses a interesting engine arrangement on their V-twin...coming out of each side. Made in Italy and not a lot of US dealers, though what can I say...I have a Triumph now.  

This bike caught my eye. It is a Yamaha RD350. I had one back in 1973-74 and got to say that was a fantastic motorcycle though I did not have it very long. Replaced it with a Kawasaki H2 and sold the Yamaha to a friend (who tore it up in no time. It was quick and fast...a twin two cycle engine powered it. Was for the day one of the quickest and fastest things out there. Shocked the crap out of many a Harley owner who made fun of the engine sound, came away a believer when the light changed. Also defeated many bigger bikes when raced on the AMA circuit back in the day. Many of the National Champions rode these bikes.
Oil change and service happened a little short of 600 miles, and when I got it home mileage on the clock was 550. Essentally broke in (only supposed to limit full throttle operation until I hit the 1000 mile mark). Will be interesting to see what the fall brings...hope to get some good rides in and will document those rides here. Hope you get to come along for the ride!