Bike Night (April 23, 2014)

 Second ride of the week, and second since I got the motorcycle back from the shop. Went back to Quaker Steak and Lube in Short Pump (a suburb of Richmond, VA) for Bike Night. It was the first time I had been to it here, was always a hell of a thing at the Quaker Steak and Lube in Concord, NC. My bike is in this row of bikes here (second from the far end). Due to being early, there was not a huge crowd there, and was not when I left either, but it was starting to build. I like that restaurant, they have good food, good prices, and they like to do a lot of special events.   

 Saw this Ducati with a Honda 750 Nighthawk in the background. I think its an S4R (least that is what I remember on the side). Ducati makes some remarkable motorcycles...what I find amazing is that there is no Ducati, Triumph or BMW dealers in the general area...to get these bikes takes quite a drive. We had a bigger assortment of dealers in the Charlotte area, but thankfully those three are some amazing motorcycles. Course, I am off the opinion that anyone who rides and whatever they ride is a brother or a sister to me. Course again, you do that when you don't ride Harley-Davidson; which are fine bikes but not really for me (not yet anyhow).

As far as wild things, this is about as wild as it gets...the Boss Hoss. I have seen a few of these, and yes, that is a Chevy engine under the fuel tank. To each their own...but they are some kind of special machine.
As for me, did not get a whole lot of miles on this ride...but had a good time. It was some great weather and sure was fun to be out after work. I took the long way home, and all in all the ride and the visit to Bike Night was around three hours (with about 2/3's of that spent riding. I do plan to go back, and looking forward to it. It was a good time on two wheels!  

Back again!

Oh yeah....got the call before Easter (but was closed Saturday, besides I was out of town in Louisville, Kentucky) that the bike was done. Went to Velocity Motorcycles who did the work, had a lot done, but wanted it to be safe. New tires and some other work, cause if you take care of your motorcycle it will take care of you.
Like this old 900 Kawasaki-those were some great bikes. Velocity does some great work with some old classic motorcycles, and at nine years old, mine is getting there. Very pleased with the work I had done today! 

 Here is my Vulcan, at a celebration lunch at Buz and Ned's. Great place to eat BBQ, in fact in Richmond it is my favorite. Good place and after the repairs I had a good ride. New tires so did not take it very far or very long, but had a great ride. 

Went for a ride in Richmond, for this day, fun city to ride around in. After the weekend trip though got a small taste of the nearby Blue Ridge Mountains, and looking forward to many more this summer. Its good to have the motorcycle back again. 

Downtime (April 12, 2014)

Oh well, sure to happen. My nine year old bike and I went for a ride last week (was on April 4) and a guy in a car said, "Hey, your turnsignals are falling off". I thought it was a joke...it wasent. Had to string them up (got that at a nearby Lowe's) and get it back cutting the ride short.Today, took the motorcycle on a short ride to Richmond, VA (about five miles from the apartment) to get this repaired. What happened was vibration over time broke the two bolts holding the turnsignals on. Going to have that checked out, also (while they are at it) the brake light and license bracket (just in case).

I am also going to have them check the brakes, change the anti-freeze and the hoses (on the hoses, just in case as they are also nine years old), front and rear tires, and get it inspected. Got big plans for the upcoming year riding wise, and want to be safe. Vulcan has not been an expensive bike to upkeep...sure this will be a good sized bill, but worth it...beats a medical bill for sure!
Velocity Motorcycles is on Marshall Street not far from Buz and Ned's BBQ and The Diamond (AA baseball park) in downtown Richmond. One of my favorite places to go, has a lot of unique motorcycles. I have been a fan of their restoration projects, they specialize in older bikes, and have a lot of cool motorcycles to see (such as this Ducati seen at Left). I had some work done at Ultimate Cycle (which has now moved to Powhatan) previously wrote about...took three times to fix an oil leak. While finally they were successful, ready to try this shop, and sure hope I have better luck with this repair (and I do think that I will). Not sure when I will get it back...hopefully soon. 

The Vulcan is seen here at Velocity at far right...will be resting here for a while. Looking forward to some great 2014 rides, looking at having a big year on the motorcycle, it was getting off to a really good start.
I will of course be checking out some motorcycle events in the area, and also going to enjoy some other things (Richmond has a lot to offer) while I am "grounded".
Be sure to check back here, and also my" Richmond and Me" blog while we wait to get our Knees in the Breeze. Ride safe, and will be back in the wind real soon!

Victory Test Ride, Concord, NC (April 5, 2014)

First a quick note....on a ride on my Vulcan April 4 guy in a truck told me "your turnsignals are falling off". I kind of blew him off, but did pull over and guess what...they were. Both bolts that hold it on, had broken off (mounted on the rear fender). For that and some other work, bike will be going in the shop next weekend.
Spent the weekend on a visit with my son (I am from there) in Concord, NC. Knew they were having the Victory test ride, and thought...what the hell, its a good way to get to ride again in Concord on a motorcycle, and check out a Victory Motorcycle. 

Wanted to check out the new Gunner, but they did not have one, but did have most of the others, including The Judge. All have the same air /oil cooled 106 CI V-twin engine, and  Judge is much like the Gunner (and the 8-Ball of that matter. Good light bike-this one had a small windshield, basic instruments in a single cluster gauge. Like the handlebars, and the bike had a 6 speed transmission. Seemed to be smoother than previous bikes in that line I had ridden. The windshield did cause some buffeting when we really got going down the road, not sure I would like it, but the size was good.  

 Here is the bike, once again the Victory Motorcycles "Judge". Good looking bike and pretty basic. Belt drive, and has foot pegs instead of boards (as my Vulcan does). Nice lean bike, pretty narrow, but fit me well. I liked the mag wheels (the Vulcan has spokes) but still not real sure about an air cooled engine. Like water cooled engines, though have read (via Motorcyclist Magazine) that they are going to come out with a water cooled Victory engine. Know Harley now has two..the V-Rod type and now the 750/500 (two versions of what is the same engine) on that new bike.  

It was a fun bike to ride. Group was pretty good to ride with though they all rode in a side by side (I would have preferred a staggered formation. Was really cool getting to ride again around Concord....used to think that is the best way to see it, and this ride did nothing to change that opinion I have. It was a whole lot of fun, and a really great time.
I like the motorcycle overall. They are kind of pricey, though less than Harley Davidson in general, but more than Japanese bikes (in general..there are exceptions to both ). I like the quality of it, think it would be fun to own one, but not quite yet. First order of business is to get mine fixed, problems with the Vulcan have been few, and I sure have a great time with that motorcycle. Not having a payment is also a really big plus in my book as well!    

Glory of Spring (April 1 and 2, 2014)

 An absolutely beautiful day was April 1 (no April Fool joke here) with very warm temps, and blue skies. Went for a ride ended up on Laburnum Ave...a very interesting Richmond road. Made a stop at the Virginia Aviation Museum at the Richmond International Airport, where I saw my old friend the SR-71 Blackbird. Nice museum, visited it this winter, which is not the first time I have been there. This trip though was a quick one to get a photo and to ride on down the road. Was a great time though, and a lot more to see as the ride went on. 

Stopped at Richmond International Raceway where I snapped this photo. Great track and again not my first visit (have even been to a race there, though it was an Indy car race, but also love that series) and have made a number of visits there.
The Petty Experience also makes stops at this track, I have done that (though in Charlotte, not in Richmond) but if you ever get the chance it is worth checking out. Think that is as real as it can get for most people...you will for sure get to feel what it is like to go around the track in a Nascar type vehicle at speed.
Neat ride to get to the track- came off of Highway 5 and past the mails, a Nabisco factory, and the above seen museum (and the airport) to get to the track.
It is a fun ride, but there is more to come, as I got out even further on my way back to the apartment. I also saw the statue of A.P. Hill, a famous Confederate general on Laburnum Ave...and the general is buried under it by the way!   

April 2, was even better. Temperatures were in the 80's of all things. I took this photo at a red light on Broad Street looking at Church Hill (which you can see why it is named that) which in my opinion is one of the most interesting neighborhoods in Richmond. I liked a stop there at Patrick Henry Tavern, and fun to ride around that area,. though traffic was pretty heavy on my second day of riding. It was a great ride and just a remarkable day for it. I have a few more photos posted on my photo page on what was a truly great day on the bike..which went well with the other great day on it.    

Course a good bike makes for great experiences. Saw this bike at Patrick Henry Tavern (and it had a Antique Virginia license tag) which is a BMW R90. Love those old boxer twins and very unique engine (and did you know that BMW made a number of aircraft engines? 
At any case, a fun pair of days and more to come very soon, as we have more great weather to come. Spring has sprung, glad to see it, and its well overdue!   

$108 (March 22, 2014)

Well, had this fine day, 75 degrees and the bike would not start. Headed to a few places to find a battery for it, finally found one at AutoZone, but also checked out Honda House in Midlothian. There I saw the CT700N from Honda, which is a very interesting motorcycle (has the New Concept 700 engine, which I think is taken from a car motor) and the Honda Grom...which is a 125. Both are interesting takes on motorcycles, Honda is certainly doing some quite unique things in motorcycling. 

The Grom is pretty cool, don't know how practical it is, but have read its a lot of fun to ride. Be good I would think in an urban environment, though not much else past city streets. Still, Big Red has some interesting ideas.
Was fun to visit Honda House and they did try to hook me up with a battery. Did as noted finally find one, and got the bike up and running in a matter of minutes. Felt good to feel the breeze between my knees again, and to get out on the road on such as beautiful day.

Went past this old church in downtown Richmond. Always some cool things to see there (this is located right across from Monroe Park). I also took it down some highways, went around Short Pump (with a stop at Quaker Steak and Lube for some lunch). Of that last, looking forward to their bike night(s) soon....always liked the ones in Concord at that location....and was just fun riding around the area. Had a problem on the last ride, but seems to be nothing more than a loose plug wire....often a little bit of this and that will solve the problem.
Was just outstanding to be out....75 and mostly sunny (though told we have another, boo/hiss, chance of snow this week. Winter will just not let go, but did for the last few days, and the ride today sure made me happy.
Unlike last ride, did not get a whole lot of miles in, but it was a quality ride, and that is sure better than no ride at all. I will be glad when Spring is in full swing, and its not all that far away now.
 

Went by the apartment (store the bike in a storage unit) but stopped by and got a photo of the bike and my dog. Sometimes I wish (and sure she does) that I had a sidecar....sure understand why dogs stick their heads out the window of a moving car. There is no feeling on earth quite like it...flying at ground level. So much different than driving in a car....its a wonderful feeling.
If the snow does come, next weekend looks (as of now) as a repeat of today, and I can take that. Big chance of rain tomorrow but will see....though do plan to just relax and take it easy for the day and watch (as I have been tonight) some of the NCAA games.
At any case, a good ride and looking forward to more of the same in the future. Got some good rides planned, and some great adventures ahead of me!

A Short Ride to Charlottesville, VA (March 15, 2014)

So, had this remarkable day again after some more cold days (and apparently before a day or two of snow coming up...oh joy, ha ha)  with 70s and sunshine. Been wanting to go there, and finally got in a first ride to Charlottesville, NC. A very old city and the site of the home of Thomas Jefferson, and this restaurant where I had lunch. Its Michie Tavern and was open from 1784-the mid 1800's, was a house for a few years then it was moved 17 miles to this location (piece by piece) and reopened in 1927. Oh the food was very good too, and it was an interesting place to have lunch.

 Wandered on the Vulcan to Downtown Charlottesville, its a outdoor mall. Lots of good places to eat outside (and a good day for it) and I did see the statue of Lewis and Clark (George Rogers Clark grew up there from what I have read) and wandered past the stores and movie houses. I am told UVA is nearby but I did not see it this trip, and that was due to spending time at the tavern plus doing a little sightseeing of the scenery (cool being so close to the mountains, not far at this point from the Blue Ridge Parkway, one of my favorite roads). I will have to make a return trip, plus need to see Monticello next trip as well.

Did like a lot of the old buildings such as the old (and I mean old) Courthouse which was built (at least the first part of it) from 1763-1781, then the rest from 1803-1860. That though is amazing, and there are more buildings in the area (the Courthouse Square) that are also very old. I like places with a sense of history, and that for sure is this area.
It was a good ride, about 70-75 miles from Richmond, to get there rode straight up I-64. Stopped for gas on the way, and the bike started running a bit funny after that, not sure if it is a problem or not, seemed to get better with time, will take a look at that again on the next ride. Going to check it over well, and maybe get a little SeaFoam in there-might be overdue for that.