You have a project to do and you’ll need several tools to get the job completed. You reach into your tool box and everything you need is right there. How satisfying is that? The same can be said for riding a motorcycle and being presented with a challenging scenario. Do you have the tools (skills) in your tool box to get the job done?
Regardless of the number of years you have been riding, rider safety courses should be considered as part of your annual checklist. Every year, if you have a riding season, when the season begins you check your bike out to make sure it is safe and in good riding condition. Then you check your gear. Is your helmet going to still do the trick if it needs to? How are your boots holding up? The same consideration should be given to your skills.
When was the last time your motorcycle riding skills were challenged in a controlled environment? I dare say that this should be done at least once every year. Ask someone who cares about you whether they think you should be as prepared as you possibly can while in control of your motorcycle. Of course the answer is YES. There are many opportunities for you to do this. We had the pleasure of singing up for and taking the new dual sport rider training course offered by Stayin Safe. The class description read well as it offers “real world “, real time travel skills. What that means is, you ride on both pavement and dirt/gravel/mud roads while an instructor communicates with you using a one-way radio. For many of us the roads less traveled i.e. dirt, gravel and mud are somewhat intimidating but the reality is that you will end up on a dirt or gravel road sometime and you need to be prepared.
I have been both backpacking and motorcycling for more than 30 years. But it wasn’t until recently that I, like many others, decided to combine the two with motorcycle camping. Also, I have worked for an outdoor outfitter for 11 years so I have had the ability to test many combinations of gear and brands.
While motorcycle camping is somewhat akin to car camping – in that you don’t actually have to physically carry all of your gear – it is also similar to backpacking in that the size and weight of your gear matters on several fronts.
Before we could leave the cafe at lunch on our Sinday ride, several phalanx of HD riders fired up and hit the road. Phalanx? Look it up.
I guess in part the upper room at the Cafe acts as a reverb chamber. All we could do was sit there and laugh as one Harley after another fired, revved up, and road off. It was impossible to converse for a period of time. So, I wasn’t going to share this, but after today’s luncheon interruption I changed my mind, go ahead and check it out:
I had shown this video to my son earlier, and got to see him laugh more than I’d seen in quite awhile. So, why is Harley bashing so satisfying? I think this is a fair question, the answers to which may shed light in that dark place of our souls, you know, the place that is responsible for the weird fact that riding is fun at all for grownups. I mean, just because a HD is underpowered, overpriced, doesn’t handle, are often fiddled to make an unholy racket, and have lousy brakes, its still a legitimate form of cycling fun, isn’t it?
The Iron Horse Motorcycle Lodge in Stecoah, NC is perfectly situated amongst some of the best riding there is. The lodge is only a short distance from the Tail of the Dragon and the Cherohala Skyway, not to mention Fontana Lake, the southern terminus of the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park as well as hundreds and hundreds of miles of paved and unpaved motorcycle nirvana.
Tucked away on 39 secluded acres the Iron horse offers camping, rooms and cabins with weekend dining.
The dining hall offers dinner on Friday and Saturday evenings. Last weekend Friday evening’s choices were the pulled pork plate, beef brisket plate or BBQ chicken plate each of which included your choice of collard greens; baked beans; baked potato casserole or broccoli cheese casserole all for $8.95. On Saturday they took it up a notch with the choice of either prime rib ($15.99) or Salmon ($12.95) both of which included salad bar, baked regular or sweet potato and a dinner roll. Make sure that you reserve dinner ahead of your stay. They take walk ups but on a first come first serve basis. Continue reading »
By J.D. Dooley
Where: US 321 Blowing Rock, NC
Address: 8146 Valley Blvd, Blowing Rock, NC 28605
Price: Lunch from $7.95 Dinner from $9.95
Just off the Blue Ridge Parkway, Sledgehammer Charlie’s, locally owned and operated by Chase Luddeke and his father Chuck, is one of the newest offerings in Blowing Rock, NC. If you enjoy fresh smoked brisket or pulled pork barbeque, delicious custom burgers or huge burritos you have to give Sledgehammer Charlie’s a try.
Where: Pipestem Resort State Park, WV
Location: Near Athens WV
Price: $87 (Standard Room) – $182 per night (Executive Suite)
The entrance to Pipestem Resort State Park.
Pipestem Resort State Park near Athens, WV is known as the “Crown Jewel of West Virginia State Parks.” I remember visiting this park as a child and thinking then that it would be a great place revisit. It never occurred to me that it would be 30 some years later and on a motorcycle, not a Ford Fairlane.
There are a number of way to get to Pipestem Resort from Boone, NC. The fastest, about three hours door to door, would be to make your way to I 77 north to Princeton, WV, then 14 miles north to the park for a total of 150 miles. But that’s not how we roll.
Instead, a more inspiring ride is to take Hwy 194 through Todd to West Jefferson, then US 221 to Independence, VA (60 miles). Where you can pickup US 21 north to Wytheville, VA which includes crossing the Jefferson National Forest (30/90 miles). In Wytheville take US 52 north back into the Jefferson National Forest. After 10 very scenic miles you will come to the Big Walker Mountain Lookout (10/97 miles). …
Brakes are a motorcycle component that receive little attention, when the pads are worn out, change them.
There is one major difference between car brakes and cycle brakes; cost. A rebuilt caliper for a typical American car costs between $20 and $30. One can spend between $25 and $50 for a new rotor. The cheapest cycle caliper is $100 and can top $500 on high end sport bikes. There are two types of rotors, solid and floating. Solid rotors are not too bad but floating rotors start at about $300 and go on up. Preventative maintenance can go a long way toward keeping cost down. …Continue reading »
As we put together a list of events, stories, tips, rides and much more.
Please tell us what you would like to see here.
E-mail your favorite ride, motorcycle tip, upcoming event, request or story to: info@blueridgemotoblog.com
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Tim’s motorcycle life began with a 2 hp Puch MoPed purchased from the Sears catalog. Since that time He’s owned and ridden a variety of Japanese and European bikes, and currently ride a Moto Guzzi V-11 Sport and a Moto Guzzi Norge.
As a teenager he started working on cars and motorcycles. This has continued as an avocation to this day. Tim does mechanical, and paint and body work and is available to help members with questions they may have.
Several years ago Tim came upon a rider whose bike had been sitting in the rain and he wanted some WD-40 to put on his brake rotors so that they would not rust. He explained that it is not a good idea to grease the brakes, point is, don’t be concerned that a question seems too basic. If I can’t find an answer I’ll find someone that can.
Welcome to the new Blue Ridge Moto Blog Repair and Maintenance forum. From time to time I’ll post something that is of general interest. Jump in and post your comments or start a new thread about any repair or maintenance issue.
We’ll start with the routine oil change. Sounds boring and routine but someone might pick up a piece of useful info. Particulate matter in the oil tends to settle to the bottom of the pan as the oil cools so the oil should be drained when the engine is hot. A short ride of 10 minutes or so is better than letting your bike idle in the garage. Many bikes have a magnet in the center of the drain plug. This serves 2 purposes, it collects any metal in the oil to keep it from re-circulating and enables you to see if the engine is making metal. A small bit of matter on the magnet is not unusual. Wipe it off with your finger then smear it around to see if you see any metal. Too much metal indicates internal wear. Many bikes use a crush washer on the drain plug while some newer bikes use a steel washer with a rubber integral molded seal. It is a good idea to replace the aluminum crush washer. If one is not available reverse the old seal so that a new surface faces the oil pan. Washer deformation occurs on the side joining the pan. If the rubber seal looks okay it is good to go. If there is any fraying of the rubber part replace it.
Most bikes made in the last 25 years use a spin-on type filter so we’ll keep this post to those types. After removing the filter make sure the gasket is on the filter. There have been cases of the gasket sticking to the engine so that when the new filter is installed there are now 2 gaskets; guarranteed leak. If there was any concern about metal on the drain plug the old filter can be cut apart with a hack saw. Spread the filter material out and inspect for metal particles.
Before installing the new filter put a coat of oil on the gasket so that it will not stick to the engine. Once the gasket contacts the surface tighten the filter 3/4 to 1 turn. I’ve run in to one engine, the liquid cooled Suzuki V-twin, that the manual says to tighten 2 turns after contact. I did not follow the instructions. Many years ago I had a filter on a car rupture as soon as the engine was started and dump all the oil out. Not a pretty sight. No engine will develop oil pressure until the new filter is full. If your filter is mounted vertically fill the filter will oil before installing. If this is not possible pull the spark plug wires and spin the engine 5 seconds or so, the filter will now be full and the engine will have full pressure when started.
As we put together a list of events, stories, tips, rides and much more.
Please tell us what you would like to see here.
E-mail your favorite ride, motorcycle tip, upcoming event, request or storyto:
info@blueridgemotoblog.com
Note: To participate in the Forum you will need to click the "register" button.
