Author Topic: RIDERS......**-POST LOGS HERE-**....Rider Logs Only - PLEASE DON'T POST COMMENTS  (Read 64380 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er

  • This MuthaF'er is getting to be a
  • Moderator
  • Really Old Timer ...
  • *****
  • Posts: 14,790
  • Bought her new 4/75
Paul and I hit the road and made a stop for gas. I'm hoping my petcock and fuel starvation issues are behind me. We have 90+ miles before we meet Terry, Lynn and Godzilla then another 10 to 20 before a fuel stop. Leaving Colorado Springs we take CO94 eastward. This is a nice straight 2 laner with very little traffic that bisects the Great Plains. Rolling rangeland. Just the kind of road that you enjoy riding. Nobody but Paul, myself and cattle. As we're nearing our meeting point another potential Oh #$%* moment ensues as I feel the now inevitable fuel issue stumble. Damnit! Up ahead is the intersection of CO94 and US40/287 where our rendevouz is to take place and there is a solitary bike with 2 riders. 



We relocate Big G to my ride and move on. Have I mentioned the fuel issue. Bit me in tha ass again. Paul is not familiar to the true situation. I've been keeping him behind me just in case. I start coasting to the side and he rides ahead to alert Terry. Paul is concerned that we go find gas or drain some from a tank. Not necessary. The routine is to coast as far as possible, pull over and put it on the kick stand, slosh the tank around a little and let the inline fuel filter take on gas. It never fully fills but this routine seems to work. Fire it up and take off again. Repeat as necessary. This is a pain as the tank still has a couple gallons left but it's a step that must be done. Ahead is Kit Carson, CO, our eastward turning point and 1 unattended gas pump. Hope for the best.  Only one side works but that's all we need. Ahead is our turn off for US40 that will lead us into Oakley, KS and our meeting with Eydugstr/Doug and Pinhead/Doug II. We move from range land to crop land. The wheat begins to appear. It defines the color green. Starting off it's ankle high. As we move eastward and lower in elevation it grows. Before you know it's knee high. That's normal for the seasonal elevation variation. Looking out across the prairie I'm seeing an ocean of dirt with the earth's curvature very much evident on the horizon. We cruise through Cheyenne Wells and on to Arapahoe before leaving Colorado. Gas is a necessity out in the middle of BFE! Pulling over at the last pumps in Colorado Big G says something smartass to a local officer of the law and out come the cuffs.



It's a tough sell but we manage to get G off the hook and press onward. It's beginning to get later in the day and Paul does not have a headlight so we can't dally. Just a few miles down the road Big G spots his next state.

 



Ahead I spot a rest area with a great photo op. Slowing down to a crawl I manuever over sand and gravel laid down for the snows. I find that Kansas waits for the wind to remove this while Colorado uses street sweepers. Well I either didn't slow down enough or I slowed down too much as my front wheel decides to go in a direction I didn't expect but tried to avoid and slides out from under me like I'm riding on BB's. I seem to remember something in my mind about motherf@#$%^ then the bike has my left leg pinned with gas running out the cap. Paul comes to the rescue. Just a little blood from my elbow, a hole in the shirt and a few abrasions in other side locations. All are concerned and I'm grateful for that. Wash off the elbow under a hydrant and a couple Band Aids and I'm ready to roll but I have to get a picture of that damn buffalo statue that caused this.



30 minutes later and we pull into Oakley. Not riding with a map I lead us aimlessly through a few streets in Oakley which is larger than anticipated. Make a left and up ahead is our palace for the night. The Annie Oakley Motel. $40, clean and comfortable. We put 4 in there and Paul takes the floor.



In the parking lot awaits 2 bikes - a Kawasaki Concours which I knew had to be Eydugstr and a CB650 which I wasn't sure about since it was up in the air about who was riding. Turns out to be Pinhead on his modified engined 650. Now we're looking like a motorcylce gang.



We get to know one another and decide we need to get something for supper. Well, it's Sunday night, it's Mother's Day, we're in Oakley and we may be hosed. It's getting later on top of that. We wander down the street on foot and Terry and Lynn scout on their bike. Damn town is shut down tighter than a drum. There is always the usual stuff on the interstate but Eydugstr goes on a scouting mission and comes back with news of a Pizza Hut. Pizza and beer it is! On the left is Pinhead/Doug, Lynn, Terry, Eydugstr/Doug, and Paul



Big G is at it again and puts the make on the Pizza Slut waitress.



He got so excited he dropped his load on the table.



At that point it was time to retire for the evening as we had a good days ride to Topeka in the morning.

In the morning comes a transfer of Godzilla to Pinhead and the raising of the banner for his trans Kansas journey.





Eydugstr is the lead rider now. We travel north on US83 to I-70 for gas. At this point Paul has to take I-70 back to Denver. We gas up, say our goodbyes and all head out. Ahead of us is US24, our route into Topeka. Small town after small town. Americana at it's finest. At our next gas stop Terry and Lynn peel off and head for an overnight rendevouz back at the Annie Oakley and Doug, Doug II and I continue eastward on the wind swept plains of Kansas. This is my first venture into Kansas heartland other than on I-70. This is MUCH more enjoyable as opposed to running 90 on the slab in the cage! It's starting to show a few hills and some more curvy road. The wheat is even taller. It seems every Kansas town has it's claim to fame such as Cawker City the world's largest ball of sisal twine. Godzilla was simply blown away!





It's here that we get a phone call alerting us that JamesB of Topeka will be riding towards us to meet up. We pull over at Glasco and within a few minutes this sweet orange 2003 Honda Shadow pulls in and we meet Jim. Time to make our final approach to Topeka. we're 4 riders again. We pull into north Topeka around 5pm and give Richard a call as he was just heading out the door for home. He and Jim get there bearings. Richard heads home and we head south to find Ogden Publications and a place to stay. Turns out that Doug and Doug head back home to the KC area for the evening to return Tuesday morning but not before some fine kansas barbeque.



The waitress was sooo impressed with Godzilla that she even comped me 3 PBR's on tap! We split our own separate ways for the evening and I'm staying at the Super 8 next door. The plan is to meet at Motorcycle Classics in the morning at 11am. Eydugstr and Pinhead will return from KC, JamesB has to work but will be there, I'm just a few miles away, Don R and Bud will be riding in from Sedalia, MO.

« Last Edit: May 15, 2011, 02:01:23 pm by Jerry Rxman Griffin »
As of today 3/13/2012 my original owner 75 CB750F has made it through 3 wives, er EX-wives. Free at last.  ;-)

Offline Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er

  • This MuthaF'er is getting to be a
  • Moderator
  • Really Old Timer ...
  • *****
  • Posts: 14,790
  • Bought her new 4/75
Motorcycle Classics Meeting and My Ride Home
« Reply #51 on: May 15, 2011, 03:12:15 pm »
It's now Tuesday morning 5/10/2011 and I prepare to check out of Super 8. JamesB gives me a call and says to wait there for him and we'll ride in together. I have a quick breakfast and get the bike loaded and check out. I'm ready! Then I hear the unmistakeable sound of a SOHC4. Here rides Jim. Another nice 550 Cafe! The Shadow can't come to the meeting  ;)



Off we go to Ogden Publications. It's just a few minutes. My excitement is building and old guys aren't easily excited  ;D In to the parking lot and we are met by Pinhead who's arrived from KC. He's not missing this! We go inside and introduce ourselves and Richard Backus, editor-in-chief, is summoned. Out he comes with a big grin on his face. We've spoken but never met. Instant friends. Eydugstr has called and didn't get his CB750 ride together in time and wants to keep working rather than ride in on his Kaw. Richard invites us back into his corner of Ogden Publications and we meet his assistant Landon. Richard gets to be comfortable and signals that Godzilla is #1.



As we're shooting the #$%* and getting to know one another word comes that we have more visitors. Heading to the front desk there stands Don R and his brother Bud. They've just pulled in from their morning ride from Sedalia, MO. Don is on a 76 CB750F with under 10,000 miles and Bud is riding a 74 CB750K. Landon is summoned and we go out front for the official Godzilla hand off and banner hoisting.

Don R officially receives Godzilla for Team Central from myself representing Team Central Rockies at Motorcycle Classics magazine.



The Motorcycle Classics meeting riders - Pinhead (l), Rxman, Don R, Bud, and JamesB



Richard is actually the editor for 3 magazines and stays on a tight schedule so we need to press on and go do lunch. He's riding his Beemer today.



I surprised him by reminding him that he rode with Big G and therefore was obligated to sign the banner. I believe he said something to the effect that this was the highest honor ever bestowed upon him and if he didn't say that he should've   ;D Thanks again for lunch. At this juncture it was time for all to head their separate way. Richard back to work. Don R, Bud, and Pinhead back towards KC and me back to Colorado. We get to ride together south in search of US56. Those guys heading east and me heading west on a lonely 550 mile single ride. Well before we head anywhere Eydugstr calls and wonders if we're still at the magazine office. He has his CB750K ready to ride! Unfortunately we're heading out on the road so he works a deal with Don R to meet along the way and off we go. We gas and split. It was great hangin with you guys! I try to find my way around a detour and head off into the sunset of rural southern Kansas. My plan is to take US56 then KS96 on into Colorado. I enjoy some beautiful scenic rolling hills as I cruise through rural Kansas on my solitary bike. I had a couple ideas where I might stay but not knowing when I'd get there and the pending issue of nasty weather ahead I call it a day at 6pm after a couple hundred miles. I'm in Great Bend, KS. I'm hungry and thirsty so i head across the street to Montana Mike's Steakhouse. I'm not a big steak fan but that 16oz T bone for $12.99 couldn't be resisted and I washed it down with some Fat Tires on tap. I head back to the motel. Check the oil and add 1/4 quart then notice the chain could use tightening. I couldn't loosen up the axle nut with the tools I had so I decided it'd have to do, just like the rest of the trip  :D I'm now checking the weather forecast that was supposed to be for eastern Kansas but there's something about severe thunderstorms and tornados coming up from Texas into western KS. Oh #$%*, here I go again. I'll just get up early enough and skirt the front. No problem. Hit the rack. No one to hear me snore. What a waste   ;D

It's now 7am and I peer out the window. Looks pretty decent (for now). I check the TV weather report and feel like I'll be able to stay ahead of it. THEN I receive a call from the soon-to-be-X with some dribble about Colorado weather. Something like 330 with rain and snow at home. Like I pay attention to her at this point. Gotta get on the road, I don't have time to talk! Off I go, 700 or so, not bad, with overcast conditions ahead. These conditions deteriorate and it cools off with a blustery southern wind.  I stop for gas and press on. Drizzle then sprinkles past Ness City. Lightening too! Not so sure but you gotta press on or you won't get anywhere. I really want to be home this afternoon. Nearing Colorado in western Kansas it's drying up and the sky is clearing. YES! NOOOOOOO!!

That's just the area between the cold front in Colorado and the tornadic front in Kansas so that doesn't last long. The blustery south wind shifts to a STRONG COLD northern wind that I'd feared from my earlier report. I'm layered up with almost everything I have except another t shirt. The temperature is dropping considerably. hell it was 100 degrees the day before! WTF! Am I back on Vail Pass - this really bites  >:(  I pull into Eads, CO and head for that single gas pump in Kit Carson. Glad it's working as I have at least 90 miles to the next pump. It's cold and the wind is kicking my ass at an estimated steady 40-50mph. My right side is VERY cold. Ahead is my straight shot home on CO94 and 70 more miles to the next pump. I head west on 94 and do another 20 miles before the skies get meaner. Mist, drizzle, sprinkle, sleet, gropple, hail and driven by high winds. You got to be #$%*ting me! Damned if it isn't happening again. Wasn't it 1000 2 days ago?! The wind is so strong from the north/my right that the windshield offers little protection from the various forms of precipitation. I'm getting pelted with pea size stuff. My windshield and visor are fogging. Good thing there's no traffic. I lift my visor to wipe the inside and get hammered with the solid stuff. It's getting inside somehow when the visor is down and it's bouncing around in front of my eyes. I'm counting the miles! My left hand is tucked under my leg and on the head fins to stay warm UNTIL the hail starts pelting my cajones. Ouch! My thin leather summer gloves are soaken wet and cold. I'm slowing down due to the conditions. I ride forward knowing that's my only option. Just hope I don't have a fuel starvation issue in this #$%*! FINALLY a sign appears "food phone 2 miles" Hallelujah brother! Not sure if my fingers will bend. Barely. There it is. I dismount. You should have seen the looks on the few faces inside when this crazy SOB strolls in helmet on visor fogged and hail covered.





Multiple coffees mostly to warm my hands and a hot bowl of bean soup. I'm shedding layers to warm up. Half an hour later it hasn't quit. I gotta go, can't wait. Dress up again and off I go. Unfortunately is hasn't quit, maybe worse. Gas 17 LOOOONG miles. can the bike do it? It should considering I'm riding a blazing 35mph. I pass multiple cars pulled off the road. Go figure - what's their problem? Counting miles, there it is, another place to warm up AND less importantly, get some gas. I made it. More stares of utter disbelief. I warm up and head into town. Seemed like forever but I was maybe 20 miles out. The skies dried but it remained cold and I made it. I couldn't unbuckle my helmet do to inoperable fingers. Took a few tries.

Damn glad to be home! GO GODZILLA GO - NO MORE COLD WEATHER FOR YOU MY FRIEND - IT WAS GREAT - WHAT AN ADVENTURE!! WHO'S CRAZY ASSED IDEA WAS THIS ANYWAY?!
« Last Edit: May 16, 2011, 08:58:00 am by Jerry Rxman Griffin »
As of today 3/13/2012 my original owner 75 CB750F has made it through 3 wives, er EX-wives. Free at last.  ;-)

Offline Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er

  • This MuthaF'er is getting to be a
  • Moderator
  • Really Old Timer ...
  • *****
  • Posts: 14,790
  • Bought her new 4/75
The Beginning



The End of The Beginning

As of today 3/13/2012 my original owner 75 CB750F has made it through 3 wives, er EX-wives. Free at last.  ;-)

Offline Damfino

  • Sneaky, Evil, Magnificent Bastard of a
  • Really Old Timer ...
  • *******
  • Posts: 5,215
  • Look at the grouse! NYUK,NYUK,NYUK!

The Indy to Cincy run can be found here...

http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=89332.0
« Last Edit: May 18, 2011, 11:15:12 am by Schmthaus »
Your Message Here!
You can still call me 'Schmitty'

1976 CB 750
2014 CB 1100DLX
2015 Harley Davidson Freewheeler



You know, a long time ago being crazy meant something. Nowadays everybody's crazy.
Charles Manson

You've got to watch your back in the SSDB, this is where the clever guys get bored with bike talk and make poo jokes.
I like my women a little big. Natural. Now, they shave this and wax that. It's not right. I love natural women. Big women. This trend in women has to go. Bulomia, anorexia. That's just wrong. You know what will cure that? My special sticky buns. One lick of my sticky buns and your appetite will come right back. ~ RIP Mr. Borgnine  01/24/1917 - 07/08/2012  :'(

Offline Don R

  • My Sandcast is a
  • Really Old Timer ...
  • *******
  • Posts: 19,079
  • Saver of unloved motorcycles.
Don and Bud Rosenberry Galesburg Illinois-  Don R

We left home Monday am of 5-9-11 the with my 750 F1 and Bud’s 750 K4 loaded on a trailer behind Buds trusty suburban. We have a friend in Warsaw Mo so we got rooms in Sedalia which is close and a decent enough ride to Topeka and back. I’m 58 and Bud’s 71 and our bikes haven’t been on a long trip for years so he decided to bring the chase car.

Tuesday morning the 10th  we got up at 7, ate and started toward Topeka to meet Team Central Rockies. The trip was normal, we got on the interstate to make some time but were 15 minutes late arriving at Motorcycle classics offices. It was easy to find and we saw hondas in the parking lot.  Soon everyone came out of the office, introductions were made and photos were taken. We did the handoff and spent some time looking at each others bikes. Then  it was time for lunch and we rode to a nearby family style spot for food and conversation. Lunch was provided by motorcycle classics and after a while we all realized it was time to depart for our respective destinations.




  We got an idea of direction, and rode off together, eydougster had gotten his 750 running and we picked out a road to meet him on.  JamesB was the first to split off and he turned at Heartland Park raceway, we continued, next was Jerry Rxman Griffin, that left Bud, pinhead and me. We rode along through the Kansas countryside and Doug found us. We stopped to talk and decided on a direction. Next, near KC  Pinhead split off for home. The three of us continued for a couple hours on highway 2 until I was on reserve and we headed to the big road for gas. Doug rode almost back to Sedalia and was there when Godzilla was arrested by the Kansas police for breathing an open flame within 50 feet of a gas station. We gassed up, I took custody of GZ  and we said our good byes. Doug headed back to KC and Bud and I rode straight to Sedalia for the motel and some sleep.





Wednesday morning we got up ate at Dennys in Sedalia under threatening skies and despite the weather report headed to Warsaw Mo to visit a friend and see his Hondas. We just missed the local American legion bike club’s breakfast ride.  Bud was driving the Suburban and we centered his bike on the trailer. Now back heading North, I made a stop at Dicks Honda back in Sedalia talked Hondas with the owner who has his dads original sandcast 750. He gave me 15% off a rain suit while the front passed. We headed toward Mo. route 50 to Jefferson City and crossed the river to ride the Godzilla’s spine on route 94. (which was a blast on the bike) not so sure Bud enjoyed it in the sub. My clutch was slipping with any spirited shifting and the petcock fell apart on Buds 750 so we decided to forego any more fun.  No one from Missouri had contacted us about meeting up so we headed for Illinois and repairs to get us on to Chicago. We followed the storms all the way home.





Thursday AM we took apart my clutch, pulled a petcock from a spare tank and went to work.  My bike had no reserve so we removed the petcocks from both bikes. Mine had a rubber flap of gasket material that may have blocked the reserve,  I cleaned my clutch with solvent in case any synthetic oil was still on it and shimmed the springs with some spark plug indexing washers.

 ( Charlie has a Valkyre that has almost 200,000 miles on it)


(My 70 K0 was a clone of this bike until I started putting it back to stock)

Friday under still threatening skies we rode 30 mi. to west Jersey Il to our favorite bike shop, Charlies cycle supply. There we picked up petcock and brake parts and took a picture with the banner and owner. We checked out Charlies 69 750, and  were off toward home to finish up. I got a sunburn and my arms were on fire the whole ride. My teams drag race in Joliet was cancelled due to the forecast so I didn’t need to get the drag car ready for Saturday. That meant we would ride the round trip Saturday instead of loading the bikes in the race trailer at Joliet. Both petcocks are repaired but Bud is riding his 76 goldwing on Saturday for the comfortable seat. My clutch is working great now, hope it stays that way.
 








Saturday AM
  We delayed our 8:00  departure time to see what the weather would bring. We should have left earlier because it just rained harder. We left anyway and headed toward Dixon on I74 and I88. We arrived in Dixon to find the rain subsiding  a 750 in the lot and George waiting for us with a coffee and donut in hand. The wind was viscous on 88 so we decided to try our luck on the two lane roads. We rode through the park on Rt2 and I overshot our turn causing us a 20 mile increase in out trip. The rain returned and the frequent presence of Illinois finest gave the impression they were expecting us and thought we needed observation. We found our way in spite of my miscue and were happy to find a couple more bikes in the parking lot. Inside we met Skonnie boy and Banker Danny patiently waiting for us. Bud and I grabbed a bite to eat and we headed for 3 floyds in Indiana. While lost in the wilderness my trusty F1 got me past the 1,000 mile mark on our journey.






 
  The trip to 3 Floyds was an eventful one, we stopped a few times and along the way for gas and direction. We found Steve F. who got his bike and joined us for a while.  Banker Danny picked up a rain suit and just in time because shortly the rain would return. Along the way Bud went for a drive on the grass up the middle of the 4 lane and we were almost run off the road by a limo whose occupant’s schedule was apparently more important than our safety. At a stop light Bud’s foot slipped in the oily center of the road and the trusty 76 wing laid down for a rest. Along the way my clutch started slipping again and BankerDanny’s bike was shooting fire out of the tailpipes. We were down to 45mph  on the last few miles of the expressway. That’s the first time I wished I had four way flashers on my bike. All in all we were just glad to ride together and more importantly everyone arrived in one piece. We missed Gammaflat due to his surprise birthday party but Blue72beetle waited hours for us.  We waited outside in the rain because 3 floyds was at Max Occupancy. As Skonnieboy said, our meteorological injustice continued.







  Once we were inside and seated, they took our helmets away to dry off. The manager even mopped around us while we dried out, ate and drank a fine brew. Conversation ensued, two ales and a meal later we posed for pictures, handed off again, wrote a little in the log book, said our goodbyes and departed for more wet riding. Blue 72 beetle was the apparent heir to the leash of Godzilla and since there was no way Bud and I were up for any more riding we followed him to the motel. The desk clerk let us park under the front canopy and found Me and Bud  a room. I told him that was good because my bike was broken down and I was sleeping in the lobby until he found me one. Later Gammaflat came by the motel, blue 72 beetle and I went to the restaurant out front for another beer and a visit.

Sunday AM

The morning brought rain and cold. A little light bulb lit over my head and I went out to adjust the screw on the throwout bearing on my clutch. Sure enough it was out of whack, I gave it some slack, and tested it with a ride around the parking lot with no glasses on. Success!  Then along came the local  police, I assumed they were there to arrest the lawbreaking biker but they just wanted a free breakfast.
 We then ate breakfast together, packed and headed off in our respective directions. I hit the first toll booth and was forced to put on my heavy gloves which felt extremely warm for a few minutes. After we had cleared the city traffic we stopped for coffee and gas. While there the food looked good so we had an early lunch. I later heard there were snow flurries in the area. The rain was following us, mostly the road was dry but we were in a light rain. Along the way I noticed a ting ting noise and knew it had to be time for the chain to get an adjustment. I pulled up a ramp, popped out the tool kit and had the chain adjusted just as the rain caught up.
  We were  north of Kewanee and had seen enough of I80 so we hit the familiar 2 lane into Kewanee for gas and a 50 mile race to home. The closer we got, the faster the bikes seemed to go.  We had thoughts of Blue 72 Beetle out there in the cold and hoped he had a good trip.

Home,









« Last Edit: May 18, 2011, 09:12:45 pm by Don R »
No matter how many times you paint over a shadow, it's still there.
If you love it, set it free, if it stays it's probably one of my 750's.
 CEO at the no kill motorcycle shop.

Offline blue72beetle

  • Full Member
  • *
  • Posts: 27
On Saturday May 14th I left Fort Wayne to ride to Munster Indiana for the handoff from the Chicago folks. The weather was very nice, until about halfway there. It started raining and got very cold. I also found out that my riding jacket wasn’t waterproof, as I had thought it was. I knew I was going to get wet, which I didn’t mind, but I wasn’t prepared for the cold. I had to stop at a Wal Mart to buy a sweatshirt to put on, and dried my gloves out with the hand dryer in the restroom.

When I got to Munster I stopped at the hotel and put my clothes in the guest dryer. The plan was for everyone to meet at a local brewery, Three Floyds. It was just down the road from the hotel, so after my clothes were dry I headed down there. John, aka GammaFlat, was there on his KLR waiting for me. He had been in contact with Don R and the rest of the crew and they were very close. We waited in line to get in quite awhile (the building was at capacity), and finally made it in. While waiting inside we sampled various Three Floyds beer and chatted about old bikes. It was apparent that the rest of the group was running behind, and John had to leave for a birthday party. I found a spot at the bar, had some food, and soon heard the roar of four Honda’s outside. It was Don R, his brother Bud, Skonnie Boy and Bankerdanny. I went out to meet them where we had to wait in line (again).

GammaFlat and blue72beetle:


We got a table, enjoyed some brew, and chatted about the cold, wet ride and vintage motorcycles. Our waitress was thoughtful enough to take our helmets and store them back in the brewery so they wouldn’t be in our way. She also kindly took a picture of us. Bankerdanny was having bike problems (one of the reasons the group was late), and Skonnie Boy had to get back to Chicago. Don and his brother decided to stay in the same hotel I was at, as he was having clutch problems. Turned out that I was going to be the only one taking Godzilla to Indy, so we got back to the hotel and Bankerdanny handed off Godzilla to me before we all said our goodbyes.

Crazy wet motorcyclists:


Just a few minutes later John (GammaFlat) called and said he wanted to meet the rest of the guys at the restaurant across the street. It ended up just being Don and myself meeting him for some drinks. Again we chatted about old motorcycles and everything else under the sun. Of course John had to meet Godzilla, as he wouldn’t be making the ride to Indy on Sunday either.

GammaFlat meets Godzilla:



The next day, Sunday May 15th, Don, his brother and I met for breakfast at the hotel. We packed up, they headed back home, and I headed out for Indy. My plan was to take 41 to 52, through West Lafayette, then on to Indy to pass Godzilla off to CBJoe. I could’ve taken I65 straight down to Indy, but with the crappy weather, I didn’t want to ride the interstate. When I left, I passed a bank and the sign said 42 degrees. The ride down 41 was very uneventful. I passed a wind turbine farm, and almost stopped to get a photo of one with Godzilla, but he was frozen and grumpy, giant reptiles don’t like riding in the rain. When I got to West Lafayette I stopped to give my sister a surprise visit for a bit, also so I could warm up. Sometime after leaving, my speedometer cable broke, luckily I could roughly judge my speed based on the tach. As soon as I got to Indy I stopped for gas and gave CBJoe a call to let him know I’d be there soon. It would’ve been a nice ride, had the weather not been cold and wet.

We met at his place, and he let me park the bike in the garage. He had CB650 parts all over the place, and graciously replaced my speedo cable for me! Chris (IndyFour) showed up and we chatted for a bit. I would’ve loved to stay and talk bikes longer, but I had to get home. I put a little blurb in the logbook, signed the banner and handed off Godzilla.

CBJoe and blue72beetle, you can see Godzilla still frozen to my 650:


The ride home from Indy was definitely the worst. It poured the whole way, and was colder than ever before. Not a single piece of clothing I had on was dry. I would alternate holding my hands against the engine head, just so they wouldn’t get numb. I stopped at another Wal Mart to buy some dry gloves and attempt to warm up. By the time I got home, I was soaked and frozen to the bone. The bike ran great though, 450 miles (172 with Godzilla) of riding in the rain and cold. I had never ridden the bike for that long at once, the longest I had been on it before was a little over an hour. Had the weather been nice, I'm sure more people would’ve participated, and it would’ve been an awesome ride. Good thing I did this trip, or Godzilla wouldn’t have had a ride to Indy. Someone once said, “Ask not what Godzilla can do for you, ask what you can do for Godzilla”
« Last Edit: May 18, 2011, 05:35:06 pm by blue72beetle »

Offline Popwood

  • Expert
  • ****
  • Posts: 911
Cincinnati Hand Off to Toledo

As has often been the case on this now two month long relay ride, weather was mucking up last minute plans. The planned handoff from Indiana riders to me here in Cincinnati was delayed only by a day due to prior rain "upstream." But on Monday, May 16, the Indiana crew, including cbJoe, Schmthuas, and Indy Four, found their way to my place carrying "the goods."



It was a chilly ride down from Indianapolis and points north of that for Schmthaus, as I don't think it got above 50 degrees that day, but it was the first rainless day in what seemed like a week at least. So up the driveway the crew came, unloaded some gear, off with the helmets, gloves and then came the introductions. I couldn't help but notice our friend and Mascot, Mr. G, mounted right up front on Schmthaus's handlebars. The little fella had a great view all the way down Rt. 52.



We all went inside so they could relax and warm up a bit. And what was the perfect beverage-- a cold beer of course. We spend the better part of an hour around the kitchen island getting better acquainted. It was a good time and has often been said on these ride posts, getting to know the people behind the avatars from the forum is certainly one of the real highlights of this entire event.

It had come up that IndyFour was experiencing some charging problems on the ride down so we headed out to look into it. We checked and found the battery reading quite low. We got the bike kick started and using the multimeter determined it was getting a charge but was not holding a charge. "Let's check the electrolyte level," and yup, very low. So after some gulps of distilled water we put the battery charger on for awhile and up came the voltage readings. Before heading back to Indy, the crew came back in the house for the official signing of the banner and ride log. Then it was time for the official "banner shot" and we also did a pic of the bikes just lines up. How often do you get to see so many all at once?




CBJoe, IndyFour and Schmthaus were not taking the scenic route back home, just wanted put the miles on so I escorted them on my bike, a '75 750k that I've had just about two years, up the the nearest interstate exit and waved them safe ride and goodbye.

I had a couple days with Mr. G before I was scheduled to start my leg of the ride. While there had been suggestions the critter would have liked to a
gentlemans" club (I always found that an odd name-- oh, well), I decided I'd give him an experience he hadn't yet had. And after all, it just so happened to be "Bring Your Pet To Work Day" at the publishing company where I spend my weekdays. Why not? Didn't exactly work out like I thought. Seems just as soon as our friend spied Megan's cat he was all over that feline and was just about ready to rip the poor things head off when I managed to grab his tail and pull him off. Whew! So after some harsh words from the HR gal and some promises of no more trouble, we agreed he could stay so long as he was on a leash.

I don't think 'zilla is cut out for office work. Since I work on a magazine, I thought I'd give him a shot at copy editing our upcoming cover.



I wan't all that surprised, I guess, to find out he doesn't know a subject from a verb and his spelling leaves a lot to be desired. At first, he just wanted to hang-out on the forum.



But later he discovered our woodshop and I think he was contented to work on a project for the rest of the day.



Thursday morning came and it was my turn to start putting my share of miles on the ride. I was a bit anxious as being somewhat new to riding-- just three years, and never done a trip long enough to require being away from home overnight. It was the first time for prepping and packing the bike. It was forecast to have a good shot at a clear day with only a threat of rain later up near Toledo. And I had bought a rain suit so I figured I'd hedged against wet weather.

I was meeting up with forum member Modzsquad and his buddy Jim and we were at our designated location about 9:30 Thursday morning near Kinds Island amusement park. Weather was decent with even a glimmer of sun from time to time. We were taking back road up to Findlay, OH using Rts. 42 to Xenia and 68 on to Findlay. We were rolling fine. North of Lebanon we saw a bi-plane making barrel rolls and loop the loop maneuvers near a small airfield. I thought then that biking looked like a pretty safe activity compared . . . .

Somewhat less than 100 miles from the start we got our first taste of rain. We pulled under the shelter at a gas station, topped off the tanks and I put on my rain gear. Oh boy, here I go. I have no experience riding in rain conditions. After a few miles I get more settled about the conditions, the showers range from almost none to pretty heavy. We keep going. After about an hour of riding, my bike just loses power in a couple cylinders. Nothing to do be continue on until we can find another gas station shelter, which we did a few miles up the road. Modzsquad, assures me his bike behaves this way in wet weather and after a few minutes will dry out and be fine. Clearly, No. 2 and 3 cylinders were not firing. The pipes weren't hot. A cup of coffee later we fire up and all is good. We headed out continuing north and in rain. About another 40 miles on, still on again off again rain, the bikes is running on two cylinders again. Damn. Once again, find a shelter and in just a few minutes she fires up all good and we get the rest of the way to Findlay, meet up MasterChief 750 and have some lunch. It's about 2 pm.



After an hour or so lunch break, getting to know my ride companions better, waiting out another hard downpour, it was time to get back on the road. Modzsquad and his buddy Jim were turning back to Cincinnati, about 150 miles south. MasterChief750 and I were heading north to Toledo. MC750 had a scenic route in mind, but given the rain and possible bike issues for me, we decided to head up I-75. Soon it was raining again, sometimes heavy, and now I'm doing this on an interstate. OK! here we go.

After about 30 minutes of rain we get a stretch of dry road and my bikes just purring along. I'm feeling a bit relieved as I was thinking the cut out problem was water related. I'd never ridden her in wet conditions, let along downpours. Maybe my trouble was over. The forecast for the next day was clearing.

Then bam, in south Toledo, after another 20 minutes of dry road, 2 & 3 cut out again. Putter into a gas station parking lot. OK, it's dry, let's take some time and check things out more thoroughly. MasterChief was really helpful. He had a multimeter with him. We check points, condensers, connections, pulled plugs. We were getting on odd reading-- little voltage on 2/3 circuit. Condenser maybe. We switched out condensers. Same reading on 2/3.

It's after 5 pm now and it's decision time. I don't really know what the problem is. We've checked the obvious things. Yes, the bike starts up fine now, but we've seen this now three times. Wet, dry, no matter. Am I continuing on, going further away from home or turning back here. Tough decision. I sooo wanted to get to Cleveland for the meeting the next day. But I'd be just that much further from home base. If I have problems I'll be slowing down other riders going to Cleveland.

I decide to end it here. Disappointment, but I'm convinced the right decision. I heard a lecture by Ed Visteurs, a famous mountain climber who has summitted every major peak on every continent. I was remembering, "The goal is not to get to the summit, the goal is to get back home." Hmmm.
So MasterChief750 and I do a handoff that lacked any ceremony. I signed the banner, handed over G and the other ride materials. I was feeling really low but didn't have time to feel sorry. I had gotten hold of my son who was getting off work. I had told him I might be giving him a call, but didn't really think I would need to. "Get my pickup and head up I-75. I'm heading south and will call you at 7 pm." We are 200 miles apart.

I say goodbye to MC750, thank him for his help, wish him luck and ask that he gives my regards to the Cleveland folks. I fire up the bike and head down I-75. How far will I get this time. About 45 minutes later it's raining again. I get on the rain gear, speak with my son who is on is way. So far so good. I press on in the rain, the bike keeps going, no issues. I had wondered if running all day with the headlight could have anything to do with the problem. I never use the headlight, or only rarely as I don't ride nights much. So from Toledo 100 miles south, no light on, no problem. I'm only a few miles from meeting up with my son and the pick-up. I decide to test the light theory. Flip the switch and keep going. No problems. So the cut out problem continues a mystery. Or who knows. Maybe we did something back there in Toledo that fixed it. A connection that's almost OK most of the time in now OK all the time. I need to check it out further.

Just before dark my son and I are loading to bike in the back of the pick up. It was good to see him. I was tempted to keep going on the bike with him following but decided against it. It was a 12-hour day by then. We pulled into the driveway at my place close to 11 pm. What a good kid to drop everything and come to my rescue.

I've given a lot of thought to my day on the road. Sure, I'm disappointed. I'd really been looking forward to this ride and have been following the whole thing on the forum since way before it started. But I've concluded it was, in the end a very good day. I learned a lot. I did more miles than ever before (300), I road backroads and the interstate in some pretty heavy downpours. I gained experience with my bike that I'd never had before. I met some really fine guys.

My ride was not of the mega-variety; no Jerry, no Scondon, nothing like the numerous forum members who did 1,000 or 2,000 or more miles. But it was a mega-experience for me. All in, I have no regrets and only good thoughts.

Next year!

 





« Last Edit: May 22, 2011, 06:15:28 pm by Popwood »
Current Rides:
1975 cb550K
1975 cb750K
1967 Bridgestone 350GTR

Past Rides:
1988 400 Hawk
195? Schwinn Whizzer

Offline MasterChief750

  • Detonation
  • Expert
  • ****
  • Posts: 805
ok i havent had time to upload my pics but i will hopefully get that done today.

thrusday morning i get up get the bike prepped for some crappy weather. well the time comes and i jump on the bike and take off down i-75 for findlay. i get there and pull into the local waffle house (i love waffle house) and have a nice burger and wait for popwood and modsquad. some time passes and they show up. they convince me to leave the waffle house and head to a nearby bar. we do the usual photos and all that good stuff. we have a couple beers and i eat again(i love food). sign the banner and head out to take off. popwood warns me of his power trouble. we get just south of toledo and have to pull off the interatate his bike is at it again. we take a moment to get some petrol and figure things out. we looked at everything. luckily i had a multimeter with me along with the honda service manual on my phone. chased things down and verified all connections. we even took off his tank to see in there. tightened up all the connections for him but that was enough for him. he turned back and i said jokingly your going to get back without a single issue. well it was good to hear he did. i went home and pretty much went to bed i had to work in the morning. i went to work and rushed home got my stuff loaded back on the bike and took off for sandusky. met john d at shoreline park. i actually got lost on my wat to a meeting point i set! got there a few minutes late. handed gz off to john d and we tool off for cleveland. close to cleveland near avon lake i believe john d needed gas. so we stop and some local kids offer to buy our bikes. kinda random but whatever it was funny. we get into cleveland and get over to pocs and meetup with every one. we have the usual pic party and all that good stuff and time to go to the bar. dna and i hung back just a little bit too long and didnt see which bar they went into. ended up going to like every bar before we found them. we had a few beers and headed off to rrhof. got our pics done real quick and headed off to our hotels. i wish i would have stayed somewhere else because i questioned whether or not my bike would be there in the morning. went to a vintake bike night and saw some cool old bikes a nice 78 750 cafe was there. hardees food isnt the best but it sufficed for the night. we headed home/hotels and got some sleep. got up in the morning and enjoyed an ok continental breakfast, hey it was free so it worked. headed over to tripps hotel after i ate and checked out and met him for some coffee. pretty soon myhondas showed up and said john d was not feeling well and would not be joining us. we waited for dna but he never showed so about 11 we took off for sharon. goty lost a couple times but we found our way. and hit up quaker steak and lube. good wings. i offered a free beer to anyone who ate a triple atomic wing but no takers. 05c05 was there and had eaten when we got there. he stayed for a minute and then headed home after the festivities taking gz with him. after we ate we went our separat ways and i hit the 200 mi home. phew that was a long ride my butt is still sore. in total i did 570 miles and about 60 with gz in my posession. ill put some pictures in later
1978 CB750 K - Project Red Headed Step Child
1976 CB750 K - Drag Bike
Some things i know, others i dont.
I AM THE STIG
Sam is THE STIG
he said i can be STIG3 tho

Offline Rio_CB750

  • Enthusiast
  • **
  • Posts: 126
I started out to meet MasterChief on Friday May 20 from Cleveland Ohio with my 1972 CB750 stocker (Briar Brown!!) to meet up with him and Godzilla at Shoreline Park in Sandusky, Ohio.  The ride started out great, but I live just a couple of miles from Lake Erie and hit a fog bank on Rt. 6.  I had visions of having these great photos of the lake as I rode the Lake Erie Coastal Trail.  Here is what I got...the fog was so bad in some places that it called for slowing down, but it was a good ride.


This was one of the more scenic parts, with a marina, boats, etc. on the way. At this spot, I had to dig out an old sock that I had my tools wrapped in under the seat so I could wipe off my visor.  The ride was fine, Rt. 6 is a slow road, 35-55 most of the way. If it wasn't for the idiots not having their lights on, it would have been better, I was being a little jumpy I guess.


I made it to Shoreline Park through a self-created one-lane pot-hole invested road detour I managed to create. I spent time waiting for MasterChief basking in the glow of the sun (yes, there is sun in Ohio, I can also hardly believe it) and the sailboats, a great location, and what could have been a great view BUT, the fog made it impossible to see Cedar Point.


MasterChief showed up and we meeted and greeted.  He's a great guy and was telling me about his ride and the troubles some of the other riders had.  I was eager to see GZ and he took him out of his camera bag for a wonderful photo op!


Then the zip ties came out and we were off!


MasterChief mentioned about the kids who wanted to buy our bikes, I think they were probably impressed with the fact that we had guts enough to pull over at that particular Dairy Mart!  My bike likes it's tank full, so I was worried as I had put about 75 miles on at this point and I usually only get 30-35 MPG, but I was surprised that she only took about 1.8 gallons, a little shy of 40 MPG!  I have to admit, we hardly hit any stop lights.

We rode through some great scenery as the fog finally burned off and we landed at POC:

MasterChief


L to R: Myhondas, dna_level_c7, John D., Tripps, MasterChief










Me and my briar brown beauty!  Although nothing could compare to Myhonda's 750. I would call it a museum quality ride! Myhondas is the kind of person you hope to meet on rides like this and I'm blessed to have met him and had a beer with him.


After everybody regrouped...




GZ with a wonderful keychain Myhondas gave us as a commemoration for the ride, thank you again brother!


Myhondas, the man himself!


Couldn't leave without the waitress shot!


I wasn't feeling great, my wifey had tickets that night, so I missed RRHOF shoot and got sicker as the night went on.  I was coughing and woke up feeling like crap, I just couldn't ride. Today, I find out light bronchitis, a combination of travel, stress and lack of sleep, definitely not a lack of riding! Two of the best days in Ohio this year so far (yesterday and today) and my bike stayed in the garage and I stayed on the couch. Well, at least there is something to look forward to next year, I'm very sorry I missed the ride to Sharon brothers, we'll meet again!

John. D.

1972 CB750 - Briar Brown - stock
1972 CB750 - Rust - currently a basketcase

Offline myhondas

  • Not really such a
  • Expert
  • ****
  • Posts: 1,439
Woke up Friday Morning to light rain and fog after the weather guy had predicted a beautiful day on Thursday night's broadcast. Had to go into the shop to handle some affairs and go see a client. Work always gets in the way of fun. But since we didn't expect the Toledo group to arrive until noon or 1pm, it was a necessary evil that had to be done and gotten out of the way. Fired up Marmalade and headed over to The Pride of Cleveland Scooter Shop. I arrived early (12:30pm) and just hung around looking at all the cool scooters and Enfield bikes that they have on display and for sale.  I have a friend from VJMC who works there as a wrench and not only owns one green750K4, but just bought an orange one also. The owner Phil is a great guy, who is selling scooters left and right due to the current state of gas prices, but he also loves SOHC4 CB400f's. I believe there were at least 6 or 7 of them there. Phil was a very gracious host and planned to do a live pod cast from our vintage bike night.

After a while, dna_level_c7 (Jeremiah) showed up and we waited together as the weather progressively got nicer and warmer, but still had fog over the city. WTF is with that....sunny and yet heavy fog over Lake Erie and the City.

Tripps (Chris)rolled in a short time later from his long ride down I90 from upstate New York.  It wasn't much longer before MasterChief750 (Kevin) and John D (John) and the little Lizard came into sight and parked their bikes with ours.  Got the banner out for signatures and photos and the official hand-off. Well, sort of, since they planned to ride to Sharon PA with us to hand off to the Penn group.




After the ‘official photos’, we went around the corner to "The Around the Corner Bar & Grill". Nice place with great food and friendly staff.



As usual, GZ can't hold his liquor, and one beer later he was out.



Lots of getting to know one another and find other common ground other than our bikes. What a great bunch of guys. On the down side though, we were missing Popwood due to bike problems. I really wanted for Steve to be at the RRHOF with us.  Then John D mentioned that he had family obligations that he had to do or suffer the wrath of the wifey.  A friend of dna’s , who is a DJ showed up with his bike (not a SOHC4) but still a nice ride.  After we finished eating , talking, and drinking, we headed off to the RRHOF. If we could have gotten there before 3:30pm (which was highly unlikely) I could have gotten everyone into the hall. As it was, we arrived around 5pm and by the time we got all our photos done it was 5:30pm and out bike nites starts at 6pm. Well, MC750’s room was back toward the west by POC and Tripps was near the bike night location.  I had to run into town to drop off some legal papers to the lawyer so I made sure MC750 knew how to get there and told Tripp how to get to his room.  I would then meet up with Tripp and show him the back way to the bike night gathering.. Dna and his buddy knew the location and said that they would be there also.





We had a decent turnout due to the first nice weather on a Friday since the first one in mid April. Phil & my VJMC friend John showed up, but their pod cast guy’s bike broke down, so that didn’t happen. Everyone was interested in our Relay Rally and a lot of nice and unusual bikes showed up. Toward dark, MC750 headed out to his room and I led Tripps back to his and dna & friend took off. We decided to use Tripps location as our meeting spot on Saturday morning for our ride to Sharon.








I took GZ to my shop early on Saturday Morning prior to leaving for Tripps room to show him my other Honda four cylinder 750 (the VF750CD Magna) and he was not pleased at the state of affairs. He actually threw up his hands in disgust at the current condition of the bike.  I promised him I would expedite its restoration to a more respectable condition ASAP.





I then readied him for the journey to Sharon




On my way to Tripps room, I got a page from John D, that he was not feeling well and didn’t think he could make it. What a bummer! When I arrived at Tripps room, MC750 was already there and we waited for dna & friend to show up. After a few voice mails messages left, we had to head out in order to make our meeting time in Sharon.

Folks, it was told to me that Godzilla came out of the sea and started to wreak havoc upon country of Japan. We think that this is maybe why much of the various groups of riders have met with so much moisture of various forms.  While we were at the RRHOF, the lizard decided that we was going to climb up on top of the building and jump into Lake Erie.





I told him that the Coast Guard would probably lock him up for a very long time and if he would just come down and behave for the vintage bike night and our ride on Saturday, that he could have all the water he wanted.  Well, I guess it worked.  If you could order up the most perfect day for a bike ride, you would have gotten what we had on Saturday. Beautiful sunshine with some fair weather clouds and the temperature in the mid 70’s with a very very light breeze.  IT WAS PERFECT !  Our only glitch was some rough roads in Warren, Ohio that had me paying more attention to the road surface than to where I was going.  I some how missed a turn and we were off merrily in the wrong direction.  After a little while, I didn’t see what I expected to and we stopped and checked our location with the good old cell phone google maps.  Figured  how to get back on course and headed that way.  Then, sure enough, I did it again and took a turn that I shouldn’t have and off we went again in the wrong direction.  Repeat with the cell phone and finally back on course.  Rolled into the QS&L in Sharon PA about a ½ hour late. But as MC750 and Tripps said, it was a nice day for a ride and they didn’t mind the extra time on the road.  What a great bunch of guys! 






Met up with Clutch Cargo and 05c50 and some other of the PA group that weren’t going on the next leg.  Did the ‘official photo’ and passed the banner, logbook, and GZ to 05c50 (Paul) and sat down for a drink and some food.  Clutch & 05c50 had a long ride ahead of them so they took off while we ate our meal.  After dinner, the three of us headed out separate routes to our homes.  All arrived safe and sound and that my friends is what counts.  As Jerry Rxman intended for this event to accomplish, we are getting to meet our fellow forum members, getting to ride our bikes, and having some safe fun.

So now, OHIO’s LEG is officially done and complete.  CUDO’s to all who participated.  Some did iron butt rides and others did less, but they did what they could and it all contributed to a successful leg.
I put on more miles on Marmalade in those two days than I ever have since it’s rebuild.  It felt good !

As I write this, I see that PA group has handed it over to the Maryland/Washington, DC group and it continues……

Here are all the pictures I have and I will see if my video camera worked for our rides.  If so, I will edit and post them too.

http://s564.photobucket.com/albums/ss89/myhondas/SOHC4/Relay%20Rally/?albumview=slideshow
« Last Edit: May 23, 2011, 07:19:38 am by myhondas »
1974 CB 750 K4 SHOWROOM
1974 CB 750 K4 IN PART-OUT PROCESS (my original bike)
1965 C100 CUB 50 (PIT BIKE)
1996 VF 750 CD daily rider
1983 VF 1100 V65 Magna in restoration process
SOHC# 5105 11228

Offline 05c50

  • 05c50
  • Expert
  • ****
  • Posts: 755
    • Classic Motorcycle Solution
OK. It was a beautiful day in Western Pa as we headed up to QS&L to meet the guys from Ohio and more importantly, GZ. As Ray (Myhondas) led the Ohio crew on a tour of eastern Ohio and western Pa (can anyone say LOST) Clutch Cargo and I enjoyed our lunch and patiently awaited the arrival of GZ. Just as we were done, GZ guided the troop in


Rays bike look great, all shiny and new looking. Someone later told me that they were late because Ray kept stopping and wiping the off the bike. ;)
 
We then lined up the bikes for the "official Photo Shoot"


L to R Masterchief750, Me(05c50), Myhondas, Tripps, Clutch Cargo

As we sat inside, GZ found something of interest


He wanted to wait around, but we reminded him that he had a schedule to keep, so jumped on Clutch Cargos bike and off we headed into the heart of the Mid Atlantic.


His next ride was to be with me on the Hondamatic. As I helped him up to his position on the gauges, he noticed that there was no tach and that the left control didn't have a clutch lever. After a few snied remarks about  "only girls ride a sissy bike without a clutch" he was removed from the front and was forced to ride in the back.... you know, pillion b!t(h. ;D



After 25 minutes of whining and crying, I let him back up front. After that, he sounded like the little pig, you know, weeeeee, weeeee, weeeee all the way home.
 
Wear a helmet,the life you save may be your own.Ask me how I know.               CB650C,CB550F,GL1000,CB750A

Offline 05c50

  • 05c50
  • Expert
  • ****
  • Posts: 755
    • Classic Motorcycle Solution
While spending the night at my place, GZ tried to put the move on Ginger, but she would have nothing to do with the world travelling playboy.

 
The next morning, we headed towards Maryland under threatening skies (we used up our one good day yesterday ;D). On the way, we stopped at the Flight 93 Memorial so GZ could pay his respects to the Heroes that died there while helping to defend this great country.


We met up with spwg at midday, made the handoff and took "The Picture"



After a quick bite to eat, GZ took his place on the gauges, and was off our nations capitol to staighten that bunch of crooks out........good luck GZ



My visit with GZ was a great couple of days and I got to meet some of the great sohc/4 brothern. What a great idea this relay was. I look forward to the next one.

.......................Paul
Wear a helmet,the life you save may be your own.Ask me how I know.               CB650C,CB550F,GL1000,CB750A

Offline MoMo

  • Really Old Timer ...
  • *******
  • Posts: 8,275
  • Ride like you're invisible
May 23

Met up with SPWG(Dave) in Galena, MD and rode through  some beautiful eastern shore areas of Maryland(Bohemia and Sassafras)and then headed to meet up with Glenn S(one of the Founding Fathers of the site :D) to have lunch at the Miss Oxford Diner in Oxford, PA.  During the conversation we found a couple odd common life instances-we all had photographic aspirations and each of us had been to the Bennington Diner in VT-that is pretty strange considering two people from PA and the other MD. GZ was handed off to me at the diner and Dave and I rode through Port Deposit so Dave could pick up 95 and head home.  Both Glenn and Dave took photos of the hand off but I didn't so hopefully one of them will post it. I headed into Delaware to add the First State to the First Lizard(or whatever he is) and then back home to rest up for a sightseeing tour of Chester and Lancaster Counties. Photos of his night escapades in Godzilla sightings in Daytona thread to come...Larry

Offline MoMo

  • Really Old Timer ...
  • *******
  • Posts: 8,275
  • Ride like you're invisible
May 24

GZ was really rowdy last night, got into a fight with Manny the cat and was knocked out with one paw punch.  Woke up this morning, hopped on the 750K3 and headed on out for a tour and history lesson of the Amish in Lancaster County.  We  went to Gap and then onto Bird-In-Hand, Intercourse and Paradise. You can imagine how he reacted(post to come in Godzilla sightings in Daytona).  Came back for lunch and GZ said he was tired of riding 750s so I fired up one of the 400f's and headed up to Chadds Ford to meet phillycb550(Jon).  The hand off took place at the local Honda dealer and Jon headed off to Philly and eventually to NJ, so another state should be added tonight...Larry

Total miles 300,  150 with GZ
« Last Edit: May 24, 2011, 07:29:31 pm by photolar »

Offline MoMo

  • Really Old Timer ...
  • *******
  • Posts: 8,275
  • Ride like you're invisible
More photos of GZ in Lancaster County today.  When he saw all the buggys parked he wanted to know where the motorcycles were.  I told him the Amish live a simple life following the Bible and not using all the modern amenities available to us.  He said,  "BS, give me my Honda". So we carried on in search of Paradise.  But first we came to Bird-In-Hand, where he started getting really excited and started bouncing up and down on my handlebars.  Then we came to Intercourse and that was it, he took off and it took forever to find him, but there he was at the Paradise Hotel. At least he found Paradise ;)
« Last Edit: May 24, 2011, 07:56:12 pm by photolar »

Offline Philly550K1

  • Hot Shot
  • ***
  • Posts: 270
took a trouble-free handoff from larry and his cool 400.

hung out at the Philly Riders weekly meet-up.

chowed down with a reluctant wally.

tried on some vintage safety gear.

bedding down in nj - will meet more of the crew and hope to see some tasty waves tomorrow...

-jc and gz


Offline Tripps

  • Perpetual Beginner
  • Hot Shot
  • ***
  • Posts: 267
  • 1978 CB750K
Some belated pics from the Cleveland group, most are similar or the same as what's already been posted, same with my writeup (which I typed up twice already, ain't doin' it again, LOL). great group of people, myhondas was a great host, the trip was 581 miles for me, home to home, got 49.12 mpg over the trip, pretty good considering I held a steady 75 mph on the interstates. Here's the link to the pics

http://www.flickr.com/photos/42650584@N02/

Couple pics I will (try) to post, I stopped at my club on the way home, this is the ultimate compliment my Honda could get, a toast and salute from the guys in my club, all old school hard core Harley riders. They admitted they'd never try the trip on their bikes, due to reliability and comfort issues. Left to right:

Sasquatch, Dozer, Bubba, Rhino, and Suzy

http://www.flickr.com/photos/42650584@N02/5758664814/#

Picked these all up in the last 2 or 3 miles home, one of the disadvantages of living in the Alabama Swamps.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/42650584@N02/5758667622/#

Hopefully this works, otherwise I give up, LOL. edit:, well it didn't, apparently some Flicker rules, I inserted links instead, but they are the first 2 pics in the Flicker link, anyway.
« Last Edit: May 25, 2011, 09:18:50 am by Jerry Rxman Griffin »
The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge- Daniel J Boorstin

Offline Philly550K1

  • Hot Shot
  • ***
  • Posts: 270
had a sunny day of riding in southernmost NJ. GZ set foot in the Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.

toured new jersey motorsports park.

tried a Wawa hoagie and a Philly pretzel.

an electrical gremlin had Pat's 750 dead in the metaphorical water, until we traced it to the ignition switch and macGuyvered it with a piece of tape and a gas receipt.

took a romantic stroll on the Wildwood boardwalk.

this afternoon/evening is a cheesesteak, historical Olde City Philly and another bike meet in town.

-jon

Offline Philly550K1

  • Hot Shot
  • ***
  • Posts: 270
took a few more shots of scenic cumberland county, nj before heading back up to philly. the "other" new jersey, as we like to call it...  -jon


Offline Philly550K1

  • Hot Shot
  • ***
  • Posts: 270
back up into philly for some landmark shots and more riding/socializing, and the passing of the zilla to gschuld. -jon



Offline Nortstudio

  • Not nearly an
  • Master
  • *****
  • Posts: 1,721
  • Just getting started...
    • MotoPreserve
New York City/Brooklyn:

I got the hand-off from George, who brought it up from the Philly/South Jersey area.  He took what seemed to be a nice sweeping ride of the countryside, all the way up through western Jersey/Eastern PA.  By the time he arrived at my apartment in Brooklyn, it was close to 9pm.  The light had gone away, so photo-ops were not likely.  The girlfriend made some BBQ Kabobs, to feed this lonely traveler.  He had been riding all day - and it looks it...



We ran over to my new shop space, to show George some parts I have, and the light there finally provided us with the proper hand-off photo, complete with banner and our two bikes.  Finally managed to figure out the timer on my camera!



Unfortunately life got in my way, and I was not able to do much last week with GZ.  I hoped that I could make up for it, once I met up with Weekend_Junkie on the weekend.  I did manage to get a shot of GZ with the Statue of Liberty, from the Red Hook section of Brooklyn.  Also, in the same neck of the woods sits an old trolley car from Brooklyn days gone by (these things are even older than our bikes!).  Godzilla chilled out on the trolley car for a photo.





The real NYC fun begins when I meet up with Weekend_Junkie (dan).  That's next....
1976 CB550K...in progress
1975 CL360...eventually custom
2009 Husqvarna TE610

a blog about wrenching in Brooklyn, NY

“Success is dependent on effort.”
~Sophocles

Offline Nortstudio

  • Not nearly an
  • Master
  • *****
  • Posts: 1,721
  • Just getting started...
    • MotoPreserve
OK, so I wasn't able to get as much done as I had hoped, before yesterday, when I finally met up with another SOHC-4 rider, Weekend_Junkie (Dan).  We decided to meet at the lower tip of Manhattan, where we would start our whirlwind tour of the city, trying to capture Godzilla in some quintessential NYC spots.

While waiting for Dan, I happened to notice that I had parked right across from the Fraunces Tavern, arguably the oldest remaining building in NYC.  That seemed fitting, so once Dan pulled up on his 350-4, we shot some photos in front of the old bar.

The Beginning...




The British shot a cannonball through the roof of this building in 1775! 

Next up, we scooted over to a corner near the Brooklyn Bridge.  On the corner stands what is said to be the oldest bar in NYC.  Built sometime in the 1700's to quench the thirst of the sailors coming into the port.  This spot offers the perfect spot to photograph the great Brooklyn Bridge, thought by many to be unlikely to stand the test of time.  Started in 1870, I get a kick riding my old Honda over this old bridge.  GZ wanted to climb...



Realizing we had missed a good opportunity to get a photo of GZ with another classic icon, we doubled back to the Bull of Wall Street.  It's a sculpture that was dropped into the Wall Street area, after the market crash of 1987, in an act of "guerrilla art."  The place is always crowded with tourist taking pictures, so we decided to sneak Dan into the crowd with GZ, and snap a shot...



While we were there, a Brazilian man approached us, who in broken English, with the help of Dan translating, explained that he has a Motorcycle Club in Brazil that is comprised of all Hondas.  As best we could tell, he has a 1982 CB450.  Here's a shot with our new found friend...



Back on the bikes, we headed up toward Times Square.  On the West Side Highway, we passed the site of the World Trade Center.  Although several people had mentioned getting a shot there, unfortunately there is not much to see.  It currently looks like any other construction site, and the thought of taking a photo of a toy Godzilla, that to the average person represents a movie about destruction, seemed not the best idea.  We passed the site in quiet remembrance....except for the roar of the mufflers of course.

Times Square was packed with crowds, as usual.  Dan had the plan to park right in the middle of the mayhem, and we got a few shots in, without even a blink from the throngs...




Dan's bike looked sweet amongst the lights...

Dan works on 42nd street, over on the East side near Grand Central Terminal.  We decided to use the rooftop of his building for a good shot of GZ with the Empire State Building.  Before we headed up, I grabbed a shot of GZ with Grand Central, the largest train station in the world, in the background. 



and the Empire State Building:



By this time, we were getting pretty damned hungry.  Decided to head over to Queens for some food.  But before eats, we crossed the crazy bridge onto Roosevelt Island (very first name - Hog Island!!!!), in the middle of the East River, former home of the Lunatic Asylum in 1837.  Eventually they spruced it up, making it merely a prison and Small Pox hospital.  So, you know, it's the perfect place to end this ride...

The warning about the waters around Roosevelt Island...



Looking back toward Manhattan from Roosevelt Island.

We ended the day, at my apartment, so that Dan could sign the book and banner, feeling like we had done a decent job of showing GZ the town.  Of course, all this only tallied 20 or so miles. 

So little compared to so many who rode before us....
« Last Edit: June 05, 2011, 07:09:03 am by Nortstudio »
1976 CB550K...in progress
1975 CL360...eventually custom
2009 Husqvarna TE610

a blog about wrenching in Brooklyn, NY

“Success is dependent on effort.”
~Sophocles

Offline Bankerdanny

  • Eventually I will be old enough in reality to be
  • Really Old Timer ...
  • *******
  • Posts: 7,560
  • Endeavor to persevere
You did better than me Nort. When I had him all he saw was 40 miles of rainy south suburban highways.
"The problem with quotes on the Internet is that you never know if they're true" - Abraham Lincoln

Current: '76 CB750F. Previous:  '75 CB550F, 2007 Yamaha Vino 125 Scooter, '75 Harley FXE Superglide, '77 GL1000, '77 CB550k, '68 Suzuki K10 80, '68 Yamaha YR2, '69 BMW R69S, '71 Honda SL175, '02 Royal Enfield Bullet 500, '89 Yamaha FJ1200

Offline Nortstudio

  • Not nearly an
  • Master
  • *****
  • Posts: 1,721
  • Just getting started...
    • MotoPreserve
Back in the planning stages of the Mid-Atlantic leg of this Rally, I had set in motion a trip out to see Billy Joel's bike shop.  After realizing that there is no public phone number for the joint, I decided to go old school (how appropriate) and send a good old fashioned letter to the address I found online.  I figured it would be a cool photo-op, and he seems very enthusiastic about motorcycles in general.  But I had little hope of hearing back... 

Then his assistant emailed me, and told me that Billy thought it was a cool idea, and they would be willing to open the shop for some photos.  The plans changed, and i couldn't get a set schedule, and then this morning I heard from his assistant again - how about today at 11am?  Great!  97 degrees, air cooled engine, Long Island highways filled with traffic.  What could go wrong?

Well, I made it out there.  No troubles, and the 550K performed admirably.  I think I'm more exhausted than she is!

I pulled up outside the shop, and the in-house mechanic met me at the door.  There was a sign hung letting people know the shop was "closed," so this was going to be a personal viewing.

There was only one other person in there, sitting in the back near the shop area.  Billy Joel himself.  I had assumed that it would be just me and Alex, the mechanic, but there he was, inviting me in to have a look around.

There are over 50 bikes at the shop, all of them in mint condition.  This place could be described as a museum.  Some are stock, some are modified, but they are all pretty darn classy.  While he currently only has 2 or 3 SOHC-4s, the collection is staggering.  After speaking with Billy for a while about bikes and the trials and tribulations of riding in Brooklyn and Manhattan, he took off for a ride on one of his bikes, and I commenced getting the rundown from Alex.

I opted not to ask for a photo with Billy and the Godzilla (I honestly couldn't think of a subtle was to bring that up!), considering that he really was so focused on the bikes.  His passion for these motorcycles in incredible, and you can tell this is not some fad.  This guy likes to ride!

Turned out to be a cool experience, and I snapped a couple photos of the GZ on the SOHCs....







Before I left for home, I visited the actual Bay, trying to conjure up the lyric I'd heard so many times.....

"From a town known as Oyster Bay, Long Island, rode a man, with a...."



1976 CB550K...in progress
1975 CL360...eventually custom
2009 Husqvarna TE610

a blog about wrenching in Brooklyn, NY

“Success is dependent on effort.”
~Sophocles

Offline Nortstudio

  • Not nearly an
  • Master
  • *****
  • Posts: 1,721
  • Just getting started...
    • MotoPreserve
June 11th was the day set to be our last with GZ.  The plan has been to make our way up to the Rhinebeck Vintage Motorcycle Show, where the official hand-off to Andy750 would be.

The day started out with a few checks of the weather, by both myself and Bobby.  We both seemed to be mentally willing the predicted thunder storms to hold off until we could get this well traveled statue up to Team New England.  The forecasts did not seem good.  But then again, the other teams have braved the Continental Divide in snow, Tornadoes in the Mid-West and I imagine a whole ton of heat, while crossing the Southwest.  So quit your #$%*ing, and get on that bike!

Slated to meet Bobby (Mid-Atlantic Team Leader) on an exit ramp off the Taconic Parkway - a decent road (compared to any in Brooklyn!) that heads north out of the NYC area.  I was making good time, until I had a panic attack that I had forgotten GZ when I repacked my bag.  Pulled off the highway in Sleepy Hollow to find him nestled comfortably in my sack.  Yes, THAT Sleepy Hollow.  Can you imagine the irony if I had been killed by a f%#king headless horseman, while checking on the safety of an 8" Godzilla toy?  Good god!

Arrived at the meeting place safely, and a little early, and snapped this photo.



Bobby pulled up moments later, and I finally handed off the GZ to Bobby, happy to be rid of this awesome responsibility...



We headed north toward Team NE, and I really wish I could have gotten some video of the roads we took.  Bobby led the way through some of the most beautiful back roads and I was in heaven.  That will have to just live as a private memory for Bobby, the great Godzilla and myself....  Suffice to say, the rain held out for our mini-parade, and I enjoyed the twisted roads and small towns that are NOT Brooklyn.

Made it to the Rhinebeck Show, meeting up with Andy750 and Alan F.  They had been there waiting since early that morning, after having ridden down through the driving rain from Boston.  Troopers, both of them (more on troopers later....).

The Official Hand-off...



Two members who go WAY back...



We pulled all our bikes into a building there at the show, and some people stopped by to check out the goings on.  People seemed interested in the fact that we had taken part in this incredible journey, the common thread being a love of these old Honda SOHC-4 bikes, and the 8" toy sitting atop Andy's 750, which had dutifully connected all the dots.



Doug and his wife had brought his bike up to the show on a trailer, so had missed the northbound ride, but they were happy to meet Godzilla, and be a part of the hand-off. 




We decided it might be cool to get the reactions of some of the show attendees, holding the GZ after explaining our amazing journey....

Biker Billy is some guy who does...Biker Cooking?  Not sure how that works, but he was cool.



If you have ever seen any of Bobby's avatar pics, you will understand how this came about....



A pleasant State Trooper (what!!!???) who was willing willing to take a photo, after a brief explanation from Andy.  This guy was actually COOL.  How's that for the magic of Godzilla!...



This is the woman who made the whole Rhinebeck Show/Hand-Off happen...



About an hour before we were gearing up to leave, the skies finally opened up, and the promised rain storm did not disappoint.  We spent some time under a tree discussing our bikes, and the ways that I could finally make mine run the way I want  Man, I love the SOHC forum members!

A short pause in the storm, and both Bobby and I decided it was time.  Although we were going our separate ways, we shared a last moment together, saddling up with the rain suits Bobby had picked up for us at KMART.  I felt more confident about having some protective gear before heading on my 100 mile trip back south.  Problem is, the minute I threw my leg over the seat, I ripped the pants right down the crotch.  Great, now I look like a lunatic, instead of merely looking like the fish stick guy...



It was raining again, but only lightly, and I made my way for the highway instead of back the way we have come.  I figured if I was going to get home, I might as well do it as quickly as possible.  The first 30 miles of the trip was on some of the coolest road I have ridden.  Again, I wish I had some video!  The upper Taconic, it turns out, is a divided highway, with 2 lanes on each side.  I didn't pass or get passed by a car for about 30 miles, and the road winds it's way south like a twisty back road, but one you can do 70mph the whole time.  It was like riding through a tunnel made of trees.  The road was just dry enough to have a ball.  I had this all to myself, and the experience was one of the best I have had on my SOHC-4 so far.

Pulled off for gas and a warm up, and realized, as I stood in line, that the whole lunatic vibe was shining through.  I ended up ripping them off like a male stripper...you know, except without the perfect physique and cash...  This is how I left the rain pants, out in the parking lot, before heading out for the final dash home....



The rest of the trip was fairly uneventful, other than the freezing cold, and the uncontrollable shivers I started having about 30 miles north of Brooklyn.  Also, for anyone that ends up riding into our fare city, keep and eye out for the bumps in the roadways that act as tiny speed bumps, and end up launching you skyward for a second.  After a hard run in the cold rain, these start to really become annoying....

When I walked in the door to my apartment, I smelled homemade Chicken Parm, and I have to say, I have never been more exhausted, and happy, all at the same time.  220 miles, a bunch of pesky rain, some great new friends, and all topped off by a girlfriend who knows exactly how much the little things count!

This whole rally, for me, has been a great experience, and I have met some true riders, who may very well become true friends....

Scott
« Last Edit: June 12, 2011, 08:20:08 am by Nortstudio »
1976 CB550K...in progress
1975 CL360...eventually custom
2009 Husqvarna TE610

a blog about wrenching in Brooklyn, NY

“Success is dependent on effort.”
~Sophocles