Sunday 19 June 2016

2016 update -and Laconia

Hello patient readers.

I have been remiss in the whole posting thing...

So 1st off we need a musical interlude.

Gov't Mule with Greg Allman and some other friends.
Can never not feel like listening to them.


I got through winter .
I bought new Vance and Hines mufflers over the winter to "up" the rumble factor.
Installed them right away when I got the bike out.
Quite happy with the result.

I've done some OK rides...nothing spectacular...until Laconia.

Last weekend I went to New Hampshire for the start of bike week.
As soon as I hit N.H, I of course pulled over and removed my helmet and put on my cap, or New Hampshire helmet as I call it.
I had been saving this cap for riding. My daughter Grace got it for me, and I knew it would be perfect.
I texted her while I was there to let her know that it stayed on at 130 km /hr ( about 75 mph)
It also worked great when I rode in the rain.


I got into Lincoln about 1:30.
Checked into  motel...did a few groceries and then went riding.
The 590 km I did getting there was not enough.
I went down to Weir's Beach and Laconia to see what was up.
Although Bike Week didn't officially start until Saturday morning, there were tons of bikes and people. All of the vendors were up and running.
Bought some stuff for Biker Hottie, Grace and my grandson Luca.

I thought the outfit for the little guy was pretty cool...I picked out the shirt and shorts, and then had to choose the emblem.
The dude that did the emblem threw in one on the shorts for free.


He will be the coolest kid at the park. He will be a chick magnet wearing this swag.


The weather in the mountains wasn't the greatest. I got wet a few times.
It was pretty nice down at the coast though...I went there twice.

The ocean still awed me, and I got to eat crab cakes.



Crab cake and fries.
The motel I stayed in, the Mt. Liberty Cabins and Motel in Lincoln was great.
The rooms were super clean, the bed was comfy and the owners rocked.
Every morning when I went out to dry off the bike, they had already placed a towel on my seat, and the seats of the other bikes, for just this purpose.
Talk about a little thing that means a lot, or what!

And to top it off...right behind the rooms, is the river. At first I wondered what the sound I was hearing was. At first I thought it was raining, but it was sunny and clear outside.
I went out to check it out, and lo and behold....river.
Cool rock formations that you could get set up on and just relax  and chill out.



The bike ran great.  It is a lot more comfortable than the Super Glide. The beefier front end makes a difference in handling.
The bags hold a surprising amount, too.


I met a lot of real nice folks in my travels.
One poor couple from Trois Riviere that I met , had their Heritage in the back of the truck for trip, and had lost the seat somewhere...it blew off.
That has to suck.
A seat is like $600 bucks.

I got down to Portland Maine as well.
You don't need a helmet there either.
The traffic around Portland seemed bad, so I got on the freeway to head to Portsmouth, and ended up at a near stop for 45 minutes because of an accident.
I was glad to get the hell out of there...

The mountains were pretty awe inspiring, as usual.
I stopped a bunch of times to just look around at the scenery.


My trip back was pretty uneventful.
It felt weird riding with a helmet, and at a lower speed.
My 1st fill up in Canada hurt. It was $22
In NH the gas was less than 1/2 the price we pay here. My most expensive fill was $10.

I was kind of nervous about doing a 4 day trip by myself, but  2400 km later, it was all good.
Next year, if I can't find anyone to go with...I will go alone again.

That's it for now.
I will be blogging more frequently...

al

Friday 1 January 2016

Finally put the bike away....

So I had to bite the bullet and put the bike away on Boxing day after a last small ride...that is really sad :(

The good news is that I got to ride on Christmas eve, when it went up to 17 C. and on Christmas Day, when it went up to 8 degrees. :)
That is not sad at all.
That means there is less of a stretch until I am back on the road.
There were a few other bikes out as well, and the "biker waves" were a lot more heart-felt.
It was like sharing our giddy disbelief at our good luck.





Notice all of the green ?
That would be the absence of snow on December 24/25th.

Yay hydrocarbons, aerosol cans and eight cylinder vehicles!!!!!
Apparently my rant several years ago about all doing our part to get some global warming happening was not ignored.
It is nice to know that I can  make a difference.

Aside from the amazing weather we had late in the season, I did a lot of good/great rides since August.

Mid September, Brent and I took the ferry across to Howe Island, which is between Kingston and Gananoque.
Definitely worth doing.






We debated dropping our helmets on the island...but we weren't sure if there would be cops ....there were not...we know for next time.

We did the Calabogie run a few times. It is always fun.
Below is our bikes at the lake in Calabogie in October.



Now the planning for next year starts.
I am saving up for some Vance and Hines mufflers....I cannot truly love a motorcycle that is as quiet as mine is.
I want them on for my 1st. ride of 2016.

Gotta renew my passport in time for Laconia in June...which I will not be missing this year.
I regret missing 2015... I should have gone by myself.

There is the motorcycle show in February which I go to with my brother in law.

I have the saddle bags off the bike...I want to get them all cleaned up and oiled for spring.

I'll keep you posted on any developments.
Hopefully the global warming thing will mean a freakishly early spring, and a long hot, dry summer!


al