Ohio Motorcycle Ride #2 (June 1, 2018)

 Great time on June 1. Lori, Debbie's cousin had me get on the spare Suzuki Marauder for a ride around Ohio. Was a short time to do it as Debbie and I had a lot of things to do but it was a good time and a fine day to explore.
We rolled down a number of backroads in the area and passed a large number of motorcycles along the way.
While Richmond is already feeling summertime type weather, the Dayton area is still largely in Spring. We rode out to this site and stopped for a short while before heading back. On the way and beyond saw some really neat farms and just beautiful conditions. While there is no helmet law in Ohio I wore one, thinking that is the one part of your body in a crash that does not really heal.
Lots of really fun roads and as always got some points to see in a future visit. Other than perhaps by flying, no better way to see an area...really see it...than by motorcycle.         

This was actually the start of the ride. The motorcycles date to 1991 and were very fun to get down the road on. Unlike my Triumph Speedmaster they are water cooled (the current production model is water cooled of the Speedmaster). They are 800 cc V-twin engines, and  have really good performance.
It was a great time and was my second ride in Ohio on these motorcycles, the last was a little while back on a previous visit.
Oho is a great place to ride and saw many fine bikes and people along the way during the visit and the ride. 

Friday Ride into Spring (May 25, 2018)

 Turned out to be a good day to get out on the motorcycle, following a week of some of the heaviest rain I have seen in the Richmond, VA area. Estimated rain was between 8-10 inches officially. Lots of roads were flooded but by May 25 the waters had receded.
Here is a photo of my two vehicles. I find it interesting that the British owned and designed Triumph Speedmaster was built in Thailand, while the Japanese Honda Civic was built in England (the motor in Thailand). Got that last info from the cars window sticker. 

Ride was outstanding. I headed out of the city and rolled down VA 6. A very scenic road it rolls into the city of Goochland. That city was named for Sir William Gooch who founded it in 1728. Small but interesting city. What is at left is the Old Jail. There was an older one apparently but i was burned down during the Civil War.
Ride I took covered 63 miles and on the way to Goochland I saw two deers run into the road but they quickly ran back. Ahead of me at the time was a truck. It was a hot humid day but a nice ride with zero problems. I enjoyed it a great deal. 

Pre-Storm Ride (May 14, 2018)

Weather forecast for the week was calling for big storms pretty much all week. Considering that being a real chance got the motorcycle out on a Monday morning for a ride. Also a factor has been early 90 degree heat for this time of year.
Ride was nice, another short one of 23 miles this time. I rode down Riverside Drive (where I took this photo using the camera auto feature) and then into Richmond. I rode to Tredegar Iron Works to see the work they are doing there on the old Civil War cite, and then to Bryan Park. That park which has been in some disrepair is getting some badly needed update and restoration.
It was a very nice ride though near the end of it the heat was already starting to build up. By the end of the ride it was a good time to get home.
As expected by early afternoon big storms with high winds rolled in. As I write this the next day, more are on the way. 

Thursday Morning Ride (May 10, 2018)

 Had a dentist appointment and no better way to go then to get out on the motorcycle. Did a few checks before the ride...chain tension, oil level and found all good. Got to the dentist for the appointment (check up ) and then rode out for a while. Went the long way home and that included a ride though Richmond and a trip to one of my favorite places which is Riverside Drive.
Looked like the river is still up, which is really a surprise. We have not had much rain in the past couple of weeks, but they have up north of us.

I supposed the water level comes from that rain. At any case got a few more miles in and enjoyed it a great deal. By the end of the ride had a two day total of 60 miles. Not a great deal of riding but it was a great deal of fun.
Oh and the check up was fine. After I got home just as a side note we had a huge thunderstorm later that afternoon.
There were a number of neighborhood trees down but thankfully none at my house. It was a very good day to get out. 

RVA Bike Night (May 9, 2018)

First bike night I have gone to in Richmond, before this was not able to as I worked 12 hour days (getting off at 7) and the mornings came really soon. With the change to retired I was able to go. Pretty interesting as it was held in the parking lot of mission BBQ. A lot of really interesting motorcycles were there including mine which is behind the Yamaha V-Max which is in front of my Speedmaster.   

It was a good time. Different as the only concessions were in the restaurant and not any vendors so different than ones I had been to in Kentucky and North Carolina. Still it was a lot of fun, and according to the site there were over 500 bikes. Lots of interesting motorcycles to see and certainly covered a lot of periods from the very old to the brand new.. Even a Honda Turbo 650 (original) was there directly below.

It was a good time. After my visit there, went back to the house via the long way. Nice ride at dusk (stayed at the bike night a bit over an hour). Rode down Riverside Drive looking for deer but did not see any on this ride. The headlight was just cutting the early night dark when I got home. As far as distance it was not a great deal but would add to that the next morning when I got the motorcycle out again for a morning ride. 

Cloudy Ride (May 7, 2018)

 Got out on this overcast Monday. While the rain chances were very low, just was not a real good looking day to be out on two wheels. Temperature was right around 70 degrees. Nice though to put my knees in the breeze though again a very short ride just covering 15 miles. Before the ride checked my clutch adjustment and it was not real bad. Tightened it up a very little bit and took off to The Diamond. Went to see about going to a baseball game on Wednesday but could not get the seats I needed so will try again at a later date. 

Ran around Richmond for a bit, took a cruise though Church Hill and then stopped to get a photo of the train station. That train station in Richmond is old and is really something to see.
After that got into Shockoe Bottom which is a very interesting part of Richmond.
Before heading home, stopped at Legend Brewing for a (as in one) ice cold Z-Dam beer. Had that and then headed for home which is very close to that Brewery. It was a nice ride if short and enjoyed being on out on this Monday.

Two Days, Two Rides (April 29-30,2017)

 Sunday was a very nice day, and got out for a very short ride around the Richmond area. Started as I often do on Riverside Drive which is just turning into a wonderful area for Spring. I love this road, with its twisty curves and great views of the James River. It is truly with the speed limit being low a wonderful place to "stop and smell the flowers'
For a Sunday, traffic was real light which is not always the case. For instance from 3-6 Monday to Friday it is really thick. Sunday was really a great day to ride.   

Made a stop at Libby Hill Park which is in the Church Hill area of Richmond. Nice views from up there, and once again great views of the James River.
The weather is getting to feel more and more like Spring and after a few days of heavy rain the air was also feeling really clean.
As for the ride itself the motorcycle performed perfectly and I greatly enjoyed the ride on Sunday. Did not cover a lot of distance on this one but did get a lot of "smiles per mile" and that is always a good thing. 

Being that the Triumph Speedmaster is a British bike, took it too a British house. This is Virginia House, formerly was the Warwick Priory which was built in England in the 16th Century. It was purchased at auction in 1925 and shipped to Richmond, VA where it was reassembled on its present site. A much longer ride than Sunday I covered a few areas on this day. The ride was a combination of a few places and things I had to do, and fun as well though it was hard to separate the two. In all covered a total of 65 miles both days and enjoyed a wonderful pair of rides.