Author Topic: RIDERS......**-POST LOGS HERE-**....Rider Logs Only - PLEASE DON'T POST COMMENTS  (Read 64206 times)

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Offline madmtnmotors

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Riders, please post your logs here. Be as detailed or brief as you like, but please share any eventful moments of your ride, interesting people you may have met, what you liked the most, etc. Don't need lots of pictures here, maybe one of the handoff or maybe a group shot of the riders you were with for however far you were able to ride. You don't necessarily have to be the one that carried the baton, but you do have to have already ridden in order to post here.

Please reserve this thread for RIDER LOGS ONLY. Comments to the riders logs here would stretch this thread out to be quite large long before the relay nears completion. By keeping this thread limited to RIDER LOGS ONLY should help improve readability for many of our forum members. I have renamed the "Godzilla Sightings in Daytona!" to "Godzilla Sightings in Daytona AND BEYOND". Please continue to use that thread for posting comments, creative pictures of Godzilla, expanding upon the unfolding story of Godzilla's adventures, (almost) anything goes in that thread. Please reserve this thread for factual reports and rider's insights only. Our forum moderator will be deleting comments from this thread to help promote it's linear progression as our Relay moves forward.


I will get the ball rolling by posting the 1st log covering the 1st leg...
« Last Edit: March 27, 2011, 07:32:16 pm by Jerry Rxman Griffin »
TAMTF...


Wilbur



Projects:
"Evolution": http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=100352.0
"P.O. Debacle": http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,126692.msg1441661.html#msg1441661
F2/F3 O-rings: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=113672.msg1300721#msg1300721
Cam Tower Studs: https://www.mcmaster.com/#93210a017/=t19sgp
Clean up that nasty harness: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=137351.msg1549191#msg1549191
                                           http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,148188.msg1688494.html#msg1688494
                                           http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,139544.msg1579364.html#msg1579364
                                           http://oldmanhonda.com/MC/wiring750K1.html
Charging system diagnosis: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=1012.msg8345#msg8345
Get the manuals: http://manuals.sohc4.net/cb750k/
The Dragon: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=45183.msg1571675#msg1571675
Headlight Switch: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=113986.msg1283236#msg1283236
Branden's leak free top end thread: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=107040.0
Engine Lifting Made Easy: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,58210.msg1684742.html#msg1684742
                                      http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,100352.msg1675840.html#msg1675840
Static and Dynamic Timing: http://www.hondachopper.com/garage/carb_info/timing/timing1.html
Airbox Gasket Replacement: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,114485.msg1290000.html#msg1290000
"Café" : http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,84697.msg953814.html#msg953814
PD Carb Choke Linkage: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,100352.msg1669248.html#msg1669248
                                    http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,110931.msg1248354.html#msg1248354
                                    http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,48858.msg515204.html#msg515204
Follow up on your damn posts: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,144305.msg1791605.html#msg1791605
Taiwanese Cam Chain Tensioners:  http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,155043.msg1774841.html#msg1774841
Gumtwo Seat Cover: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,164440.msg1897366.html#msg1897366
Primary Drive: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,166063.msg1919278.html#msg1919278
Tank Latch: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,165975.msg1919495.html#msg1919495
Shorten your forks: http://vintage-and-classic-honda-s.456789.n3.nabble.com/How-to-shorten-forks-td4042465.html DO NOT CUT THE SPRINGS!
Clutch How To: http://vintage-and-classic-honda-s.456789.n3.nabble.com/How-to-change-and-adjust-a-clutch-SOHC-td4040391.html
Late model K7/K8/F2/F3 front sprocket cover removal: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,178428.msg2072279.html#msg2072279
630 to 530 conversion: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,180710.msg2094423.html#msg2094423

Sent from my Tandy TRS-80!

Offline madmtnmotors

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  • Posts: 6,031
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Re: Riders, post logs here. RIDER LOGS ONLY
« Reply #1 on: March 14, 2011, 06:04:44 pm »
Team Southeast Coastal SOHC4 World Tour Relay Rally

1st Leg: Daytona, FL to Savannah, GA



As observed by Leadoff rider: “madmtnmotors”
 
Friday was a blast! Got to the speedway about 10:00 A.M. and cruised the infield taking pictures (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=85349.msg960708#msg960708), crusin the garage area, hangin out in the pits, watchin some racing, soakin up the sun, and jamming to live rock-n-roll courtesy of the local band Megaphone. If you’ve never been to the infield of a superspeedway you need to try it at least once. Holding up Godzilla and taking pictures would often elicit giggles from “innocent bystanders” and proved to be a good conversation starter. Got to talk with quite a few people about the nature of the relay I was participating in. Finally left the speedway about 4:00 P.M. after getting myself pretty worked up for kicking off the relay on Saturday! Picture perfect weather, near 70 most of the afternoon. Managed to get a little sunburn started.

The temperature in Flagler Beach Saturday morning was right at 39 degrees and my ride (78 CB750K) complained about being roused from its cold slumber. The start button would only elicit a weak groan from the starter as if the battery were dead! A few kicks on the kickstarter brought it to life… disaster averted. After a 17 mile sprint from Flagler to Daytona I met up with fellow forum member “lrutt” for breakfast at Denny’s Saturday morning, March 12th where we talked about bikes and life. I was fashionably late (about 15 mins) so I’m glad he was the patient type. I was up late Friday night posting picts and writing forum posts about Godzilla’s adventures at the Speedway infield that day, and I was so worked up about the BIG day, that I had trouble getting to sleep! “lrutt”s long-haul ride failed to start that morning so he was riding his short-haul, sidecar equipped, utility ride. This one was “Squirrelly” in the handling department and he would not be accompanying me on the ride. Damn the luck!

We got to the speedway about 8:30 and browsed the vendor displays for a couple of hours. Our contact at the Honda display had not arrived at the speedway yet so we didn’t get to smooze with the Honda Reps. Oh well, I really didn’t take on this ride for the publicity, I just like to ride and was hoping to get to RIDE with other forum members, maybe next year. We did meet a couple of other riders sporting SOHCs that had some extensive experimentation done. Both were sporting GSXR front ends as well as many other custom mods. Hopefully we will be picking up a couple of new members!

Parted ways with “lrutt” about 10:30 from the speedway
(http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=85349.msg960905#msg960905) and headed north, back to Flagler Beach. Quick stop at the motel in Flagler for a couple of quick forum posts (with picts) and to hook up with chase car driver (who just happens to also be my wife). Headed up A1A (coastal highway) all the way to Yulee, FL. that included a stop at the St Augustine lighthouse for photo op (now lost). After crossing the St Johns River via ferry (first time I’ve ridden a motorcycle while on a boat), we were greeted with the most picturesque scenery yet when we reached Fort George Island. From the coastal view looking out over the mouth of the St Johns River where it meets the ocean, to the oak/cypress hammocks with their canopies hanging far out over the roadway, made me glad I had chosen to ride this particular route. We then picked up Highway 17 in Yulee and carried that north to Brunswick, GA. so we could get the photo op of the border crossing on a secondary road instead of the interstate (which was also lost).

Once we reached the Highway 17/ I-95 intersection we were in trouble. I’m still 70 miles away and it’s closing in on 5:30 P.M.! Holy crap! I’ve been riding for 6 hours and I’m still not there! Placed a quick call to forum member “bender01” who was already at the drop-off point to keep the receiving team informed of my progress. Chase car driver was bored of following (and I needed to make up some time) so we parted ways at this point, with her heading south back to the motel in Flagler and me continuing on north on I-95 for the final 70 miles to my rendezvous in Savannah with the riders of the second leg. After a terribly short meeting with the great bunch of guys riding the second leg (who fortunately were also very patient) for the handoff and photo ops, we parted ways, with leg 2 riders headed north to Bluffton and me headed south back to Flagler. Stopped for fuel at the Highway 17/ I-95 intersection where I had parted ways with chase car driver, and it was here that I realized that the jacket pocket where my camera should be… was empty. I wanted to start breaking things. Sat and drank a cup of coffee, to help fend off the encroaching cool night air, and mulled the odds of recovering a smashed camera somewhere along the last 70 miles of interstate, in the dark. All I really need is the flash card! Fortunately, the camera was an inexpensive one, but the pictures were worth much more. I finally decided to chalk this one up to experience and continue on to Flagler.

Arrived back in Flagler at 11:00 P.M. Having spent 12 hours in the saddle covering 450 miles I was only able to finish half a beer before falling into a very deep sleep. There are many who consider allowing half a beer go to waste a form of alcohol abuse, but I was done! Had a leisurely ride on Sunday for the last 100-mile home stretch, stopping at the Lone Cabbage Fish Camp, just west of Cocoa Beach, for the best fried fish sandwich I’ve been able to find. The Lone Cabbage also often serves as my base camp during alligator hunting season!

Overall a great ride, but I am glad that someone else has to worry about “IT” now. Looking forward following the relay’s progress and especially looking forward to next year. Since my responsibility is over for this year’s ride, now I can start planning for next year!

Wilbur
TAMTF...


Wilbur



Projects:
"Evolution": http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=100352.0
"P.O. Debacle": http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,126692.msg1441661.html#msg1441661
F2/F3 O-rings: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=113672.msg1300721#msg1300721
Cam Tower Studs: https://www.mcmaster.com/#93210a017/=t19sgp
Clean up that nasty harness: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=137351.msg1549191#msg1549191
                                           http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,148188.msg1688494.html#msg1688494
                                           http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,139544.msg1579364.html#msg1579364
                                           http://oldmanhonda.com/MC/wiring750K1.html
Charging system diagnosis: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=1012.msg8345#msg8345
Get the manuals: http://manuals.sohc4.net/cb750k/
The Dragon: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=45183.msg1571675#msg1571675
Headlight Switch: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=113986.msg1283236#msg1283236
Branden's leak free top end thread: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=107040.0
Engine Lifting Made Easy: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,58210.msg1684742.html#msg1684742
                                      http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,100352.msg1675840.html#msg1675840
Static and Dynamic Timing: http://www.hondachopper.com/garage/carb_info/timing/timing1.html
Airbox Gasket Replacement: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,114485.msg1290000.html#msg1290000
"Café" : http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,84697.msg953814.html#msg953814
PD Carb Choke Linkage: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,100352.msg1669248.html#msg1669248
                                    http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,110931.msg1248354.html#msg1248354
                                    http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,48858.msg515204.html#msg515204
Follow up on your damn posts: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,144305.msg1791605.html#msg1791605
Taiwanese Cam Chain Tensioners:  http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,155043.msg1774841.html#msg1774841
Gumtwo Seat Cover: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,164440.msg1897366.html#msg1897366
Primary Drive: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,166063.msg1919278.html#msg1919278
Tank Latch: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,165975.msg1919495.html#msg1919495
Shorten your forks: http://vintage-and-classic-honda-s.456789.n3.nabble.com/How-to-shorten-forks-td4042465.html DO NOT CUT THE SPRINGS!
Clutch How To: http://vintage-and-classic-honda-s.456789.n3.nabble.com/How-to-change-and-adjust-a-clutch-SOHC-td4040391.html
Late model K7/K8/F2/F3 front sprocket cover removal: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,178428.msg2072279.html#msg2072279
630 to 530 conversion: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,180710.msg2094423.html#msg2094423

Sent from my Tandy TRS-80!

Offline Rocker

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Re: RIDERS......**-POST LOGS HERE-**......Rider Logs Only
« Reply #2 on: March 17, 2011, 11:47:41 am »
Team Southeast Coastal SOHC4 World Tour Relay Rally

2nd Leg: Savannah, GA to Columbia, SC

3/12/11 - 3/13/11


Saturday morning 3/12 was cold and clear. Thermometer said 29 degrees when I woke up and 36 when I rolled out of the drive way. I probably had 20 lbs of cold weather gear on. I had an hour journey at highway speeds just to get to bluezboy's (Vern's) house. I pulled into his neighborhood and carefully counted down the street numbers to his house. I missed his driveway. When I looked back I saw him waving. We said our greetings and immediately started talking about bikes and his frustration with not taking his bike due to an electrical problem. I thought it was great he was still going as a support vehicle.

Our conversation made it from the driveway, to his kitchen table reviewing maps of the trip, to a tour of his and wife's wonder art filled home, and then ended (I on a sofa and he in a chair) talking about his painting and how he recently repainted all the trim in his house. All through our conversation he kept getting texts from Trav-i (Travis) saying they were running late, he was having bike issues and so forth. As we were talking we herd the distinctive SOHC/4 sound come rumbling down the street so we hopped up and directed Bluto (Bill) and Trav-i into the driveway. We posed for a pic before heading out

(left - right Rocker, bluezboy, Trav-i, Bluto)

We pulled out with Trav-i & bluezboy in the car and Bluto & myself on our bikes. We snaked our way through Stone Mountain, GA and finally cleared the traffic. With clear skies and open roads we took Ga. Hwy 212 to Monticello. It was a beautiful town with well preserved Antebellum homes on shady oak tree lined streets. Was a site. We continued on to Milledgeville, GA. This was a little bigger town due to Georgia College & State University. The town was alive with people and events.

We turn on Ga. Hwy. 24 and headed to Sandersville, GA. This is where we were meeting Cbowers. About midway between the towns Bluto and I noticed something pouring out from under bluezboy's car. We pulled off in a church parking lot. Trav-i quickly diagnosed the issue as a blown water pump. Issue #2 for him today and we'd only been on the road for a few hours. Without hesitation he suggested we go on ahead to meet Cbowers. I personally was stunned at his selflessness and the fact that Trav-i had pretty much started tearing in to the car as we were rolling out.

Bluto and I roll into Sandersville and met CBowers in a CVS parking lot.


We talked bikes, hit the head, and grabbed a quick snack. In the interest of time we all agreed to skip lunch and press on. We made a quick call back to bluezboy and Trav-i. They were doing fine and waiting on a tow truck. We rode on through Wrightsville, Swainsboro, Statesboro (go GSU!), and Pooler. At a fuel stop Bluto got an update from bluezboy that they did get towed to an Autozone and Travi-i was under the car working away. He was unsure if they would head home or come our way.

We pulled into the Mighty 8th Air Force Museum to meet bender01 and blackhog02. We talked for a bit as we waited for madmtnmoters to arrive from Daytona. When he arrived we had our largest group to that point. Four 750s and two 550s. It was a site to see.


manmtnmotors went over the hand off of Godzilla, logs, and banner. We talked for a bit longer. By this time the sun had gone down and daylight was fading quickly. We could not convince him to ride on with us so madmtnmotors headed back south and the five of us (opting to get to dinner quickly) hopped on I-95N to Bluffton, SC.

(....to be continued)
~Rocker (aka Adam) | rocker@sohc4.net | SOHC/4 member #4151 | Facebook

Current Bikes:                   
1975 CB750 K5 pic                 
1974 CB360T " lil' twin " Rebuild thread
1976 CB550 K2 Cafe Racer build thread
1975 CB550 K1 parts bike Parted out and cut up.         
2003 VTX 1800C

Bikes I've had:
1974 CB550 K0
1976 CB750 K6

Offline Cbowers

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Re: RIDERS......**-POST LOGS HERE-**......Rider Logs Only
« Reply #3 on: March 17, 2011, 05:50:59 pm »
I guess that means its my turn,

        3/12/11 So we hit the interstate to head north to Bluffton SC for the night. I was a little hesitant of riding on the interstate, but what the hey everyone else is doing it. As we powered out of Savannah GA and away for the lights of the city I noticed that I could not see very well (not something you want to notice at 70mph when it is pitch black dark). Then I remembered that I have not rode my bike at night since I put it back together, my headlight was pointed at the sky! Luckily it was a short time on the interstate. We made it into Bluffton safe and sound and checked in to the hotel for the night.

Godzilla checking in.



     Afterwards we wandered over to the restaurant that was in the parking lot of the hotel, how convenient. The Okatie Ale House it is called was packed, but quickly cleared out because the gates were about to shut at sun city (Bluffton, Hilton Head is a retirement Mecca, sun city = huge retirement community). We gained alot of attention from the wait staff as to the mission of our Godzilla. After a good nights sleep minus one hour for day light savings time we headed out for Columbia.



    3/13/11All of us had enough gas to make it for a while so we decided to skip gassing up and head out on the road. This almost was a bad decision. after stopping at the fourth gas station we finally found one that was open and selling gas! Bluto's bike had not been on reserve in 30 years so now ,in middle of nowhere SC, was not the time to try it. After gassing up and passing Godzilla to the next rider we heard a very familiar sound in rural SC, a shotgun blast. So one noted that it was a good thing we all had on our helmets. We figured this would be as good a time as any to leave. We head up through Denmark SC and sent off rider Blackhog02, he headed back to Charleston. We trekked on to Columbia. By the time we arrived we were starving. I listed off the local spots and everyone decided on a spot that has been featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. The place is Pawleys front porch, they have one of the best hamburgers I've ever had.



After a great lunch we hit a few spot for photos. The first place we stopped was the SC Capital Building. We parked illegally on the sidewalk and were promptly run off. We did get a few pics though.



Afterwards I headed to the edge of town to send off my fellow riders back to their respective homes.

     3/17/11 Godzilla heads north from Columbia SC after a three day lay over to meet up with the guys in Charlotte NC. Meet at Carolina Panthers Stadium



From left to right Nikkisixx, Cbowers, Drones76, and Markcb750

After a quick meet and great, and a short discussion on BBQ we decided head to Mac's Speed Shop. Its a BBQ joint, not a speed shop!? This place is neat because it at lunch time it is all suits, then after five all bikers. We all agreed they are the same guys though.



If nothing else Godzilla has ate at a couple of great places. We hung out for a couple of hours sharing crazy stories, some of them more crazy than others! You know who I'm talking about. We decided we better get on our way before it got cold and traffic got to bad.

Overall I had an awsome couple of days meeting these guys and riding with other SOHC4 Hondas. Not something I get to do everyday. I look forward to reading about other travels hope you have as much fun as I did!

Chad


Offline drones76

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Re: RIDERS......**-POST LOGS HERE-**......Rider Logs Only
« Reply #4 on: March 18, 2011, 07:38:19 pm »
As others have said, it is great to meet some guys from other areas that are participating in the Relay.  Also nice to put names to faces.  I have two personal distinctions regarding this tour.  I have the first NON SOHC-4 bike to participate.  A 1976 CB360.  I have also traveled the shortest distance so far.  About 2 miles from the meeting point to the place we ate.  I hope to change that next weekend when this leg hits the Blue Ridge.



Nikkisix, Cbowers, Drones76, Markcb750
1974 Norton Commando Roadster
1980 Goldwing Interstate
1975 Kawasaki KZ400D
Looking for a SOHC-4

Offline Nikkisixx

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  • Posts: 839
Re: RIDERS......**-POST LOGS HERE-**......Rider Logs Only
« Reply #5 on: March 22, 2011, 08:24:45 am »
The morning of March 19th was a cool but pleasant 50 degrees in Charlotte North Carolina.  My mostly stock  ’78 CB750 K sat patiently in the drive, panniers loaded with a toy  Godzilla, a SOHC banner, and the usual “boy scout kit of preparedness”.  I perused Craigslist and sipped my coffee, waiting for Wes to meet me.  At 7:30, my cell phone rang and it was Wes with bad news.  “Bike had a dead battery this morning; I’ve got it on a charger.  Might be late.”   I thought about Bluezboy on the first leg of the relay.  This did not bode well. 

At 8:00 AM sharp the quiet calm of suburban Charlotte was fractured by the quartet of Wes’ barely restricted pipes.  His ’73 CB750 is modified in the Café style, and is intended to frighten children, intimidate the elderly, and anger law enforcement.  The problem had been the parking light.  Left on overnight, it had killed the battery.
 
MarkCB750 was just walking back to his bike from a quick C-store trip when Wes and I rolled up.  Mark and I met Wes a few weeks ago while on a ride.  Wes had spotted our CB’s and caught up with us at a light.  Between the greens we had exchanged info, and I put him on the NC event invite list.  Although he is not a SOHC forum member (yet) he signed up for the trip to Rockingham.  He and Mark said hello, then we hit the road.



Highway 74 is a divided four lane that cuts across North Carolina from the coast at Wilmington to the mountains at Ducktown.  Left to its own devices the highway would become an interstate.  It is not particularly scenic between Charlotte and Rockingham, but this ride is more about the destination than the Journey.  We’ve got some drag racing to watch, and it starts in an hour and a half.  Ton up boys!

We arrived at Rockingham around 10:30, and cruised the pits looking for an Englishman in white leathers.  Another racer looked up from his Hayabusa and waved us down.   “You must be looking for the guys with the old Hondamatic.  They are over there” he pointed.  As we pulled away he said “Man, I used to have one of those bikes.  I loved it!”  I just don’t get tired of hearing that.

Bill, a member of the Sam Green racing team, saw us and showed us where they were pitted.  We had just pulled off our helmets when SamCB750A rolled back to the trailer. We had missed the qualifying run!  The plan had been to take Godzilla down the track on that run, and now we had missed it.  Word soon came that there would be another qualifier for Sam’s group, and the monster was properly lashed to bike in preparation.



We spent the time talking about bikes and drag racing, and taking pictures.  Wardenerd and Dhall showed up, so counting the drag bike we had 6 SOHC Hondas.  The day continued to get warmer as we sat in the stands and watched the races.  It was an all two wheeled event, with plenty of 8 and 9 second bikes.  What a great event!





Pro ET was called up for the second qualifying lap, and Godzilla rolled up to the line on the back of the Hondamatic.  It is a great looking bike, and it really came together nicely in only a year.   Sam laid down a solid run with a good light.  Dialing a time is never easy on a new bike but those guys really know their stuff.  The racing team of Jon, Bill, Sam, and Jim all seemed to be having a great time.

After a bit more socializing, Mark, Wes, and I were loading up to head back to Charlotte.  With no time crunch, we decided on a more scenic route.  I unzipped the liner and opened the vents on my jacket.  We checked the map, chose a line, and headed for home.  We rode back to Charlotte over various winding county roads, trying to scrub the chicken strips off our tires.  We took turns leading out, and mostly followed our noses.  When I pulled in the driveway again, I’d put on just over 200 miles.  What a great day: meeting new enthusiasts, riding with friends, enjoying the early spring weather.  I hope every rider on the relay has days like this. 





It is a proven fact that modifying a SOHC Honda in any way will bring on the apocalypse.

Offline dhall57

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  • The 70's! SOHC4 Honda's & Marcia Brady of course.
Re: RIDERS......**-POST LOGS HERE-**......Rider Logs Only
« Reply #6 on: March 23, 2011, 07:08:51 pm »
I love SOHC/4 iron ;) ;)
1970 CB750KO
1971 CB500KO-project bike
1973 CB350G- project bike
1974 CB750K4-project bike
1974 CB750K4
1976 CB750K6
1977 GL1000
1997 Harley Wideglide

Offline Nikkisixx

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Re: RIDERS......**-POST LOGS HERE-**......Rider Logs Only
« Reply #7 on: March 26, 2011, 07:58:07 am »
Last weekend we made the trip to Rockingham and back in beautiful conditions.  Blue skies and warm sunshine encouraged us to keep riding and push on to the mountains and points north.  Unfortunately our responsibilities with work and family meant that leg of the journey would have to wait until the weekend of March 26th.
 
That evening after Rockingham I checked my email.  Blueridgerunner (my handoff) had sent an update on the forecast: “Wouldn't you know? 60% chance of rain on the 27th, temps in upper 40s on Parkway. Sunny on Saturday!”   The Blue Ridge Parkway traces the tops of ridges through a region that gets 100+ inches of rain a year, and is generally considered a rainforest.  Add to that the dense fog (for which the Smokey Mountains just to the west are named), and it just makes sense to ride that road in the dry if you can.  

To accommodate Mother Nature and the scheduling conflicts of other riders, we moved the ride to Sunday only.  This meant a shorter but drier and warmer ride.  Unfortunately, as the week progressed the forecast got worse and other riders dropped out.  Finally, on the morning of the 25th of March it was down to making a mad dash to Virginia and back via interstate. I contacted Blueridgerunner and he agreed to meet me that afternoon in Fancy Gap at a diner just off the parkway. Fortunately, I would not have to make the trip alone.  Markcb750 was happy to avoid the weekend rain and still make the trip.  Great fella that Mark! The plans were set and we hit the road.

Mark and I were riding CB750s, capable machines that were comfortable at interstate speeds.  Last year we had made a 1000 mile round trip to Barber Vintage Days and back, and swore our Hondas ran better after 9 hours of riding.  The bikes hummed along, easily eating up the 130 miles of tarmac to Virginia in under two hourss.



Blueridgerunner was waiting for us at the designated spot, and we exchanged greeting and admired each other’s motorcycles.  We stepped into the warmth of the diner and over coffee and lunch, we talked motorcycles.  Between the three of us, we had 100+ years of saddle time and there was plenty to talk about.
  




I hadn’t seen a SOHC 650 in years, and Blueridgerunner’s super clean motorcycle was the third in a week.  Wardenerd (who I met in Rockingham) and Blueridgerunner would have had a lot to talk about, both with similar backgrounds and matching bikes.  It was a shame Wardenerd couldn’t make it.
 
And that got me thinking: it wasn’t just the amazing scenery or fantastic riding conditions that make this relay great.  While it helps to make it more enjoyable to ride curvy roads in the warm sunshine, the relay is about meeting new people. Ted Simon, in the introduction to the new edition of Jupiter's Travels, said:

The internet – and I'm on it, too – is a wonderful way for some of us to communicate certain kinds of information, but even at best it can never substitute for physical interaction, and at worst it is an escape from reality that can come perilously close to paranoia.”

Ted may be a little overstated with the paranoia bit, but post a question about what kind of motor oil to use on the SOHC forum and watch out!

Even the few riders that will make a leg alone will have met with at least two other riders.  If the ride was less than scenic, cold, or wet I'm sure the time spent on each end with a fellow rider will make the trip worthwhile. As for the scenic route, a makeup trip is in the works for later this spring.  We hope to see you all there!


EDIT: The crotchety old man didn't like my choice of words!
« Last Edit: March 26, 2011, 12:40:21 pm by Nikkisixx »
It is a proven fact that modifying a SOHC Honda in any way will bring on the apocalypse.

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« Reply #8 on: March 26, 2011, 08:03:49 am »
Fun Ride, Sorry many more could not make it.  

But nowhere near as sorry as actually being "Good OLE Mark.  :o :o :D



Quote
EDIT: The crotchety old man didn't like my choice of words!

Thanks my delicate ego is healed..

But I remain old(er).

« Last Edit: March 26, 2011, 02:33:57 pm by Markcb750 »

Offline Blueridgerunner

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Re: RIDERS......**-POST LOGS HERE-**......Rider Logs Only
« Reply #9 on: March 27, 2011, 12:07:57 pm »
Met nikisixx and markcb750 for the hand off at Fancy Gap Va. Enjoyed a lunch then rode up the Parkway to Mabry Mill to get pictures at the "Most photographed place on the Parkway". Saturday 3/26 met cvillechopper in Roanoke but didn't visit too long as we were racing the bad weather. Took me the rest of the night to thaw out   ;D


« Last Edit: March 28, 2011, 04:03:39 am by Blueridgerunner »
Said James "In my opinion,  there's nothing in this world, beats a '52 Vincent and a red headed girl"

Laissez les bons temps rouler

Offline Cvillechopper

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Well, after meeting Blueridgerunner on Saturday, Godzilla and I stopped by a friend’s place for lunch and the lizard made a friend then we started racing the weather home.  After the first hour and a half on the parkway I dropped down to get gas and try to thaw out a little.  Decided to hit the highway for the rest of the ride home cause it sounded like I was getting an intermittent miss.  I made it home but she wasn't idling well.  Spent Sunday regaining feeling in my fingers and getting some quality time with the wife and son.  Godzilla enjoyed the snow in the morning with his coffee and caught up on some quality reading. 







He got along with the dog too.



Through this week we've gone out to the shed each evening to try and figure out why the bike wasn't running right.  Each evening Godzilla and I would have some beers and discuss options for what to try next.  On Wednesday after working on the bike after work for a while we came in for dinner.  After putting little man to bed that little lizard said I should go ahead and try the clear-tube float check so out I went.  It was dark by the time I finished correcting one very lean carb and I fired her up to the same miss-fire then I saw it.  A bad plug boot was arching to the head every other cycle.  I had another and popped it on.  She was instantly much better so we took her to work today.  I even got to take a break for a while at work while Godzilla took my place on a conference call and reviewed a few spreadsheets for me. 





The ride home was great and I just finished running through one more carb synch (changed now that all 4 are firing consistently) and she's pulling like she never has.  We can't wait for Sunday to get here.   I’ll be posting more pics when I get back from this weekend’s trip.
It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.  Aristotle

Offline Cvillechopper

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So, this weekend was LONG but terribly fun at times.  The link below is to the complete write-up with more of the personal aspect of why and how but it's too long for here.  I'll try to condense the trip into a paragraph or 2 within the next few days.  For now, if you're really looking for something to take up some time, check the link.  Pics will be coming in the next couple days.

http://whyillnevergetelected.blogspot.com/2011/04/2011-relay-across-america-and-beyond-on.html

*Disclaimer - The blog post is a bit rambling.  Read at your own risk*

James
« Last Edit: April 06, 2011, 10:51:10 am by Cvillechopper »
It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.  Aristotle

Offline Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er

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Fantastic James. Hope everyone reads that. Your experience is EXACTLY why I decided to get this little ride going. You discovered what it is really all about. Don't worry about going too long here. That is EXACTLY what this thread is for! Hope every participant can have the same fantastic experience as you. Welcome home and I hope you've thawed out. Bring it on boys  ;D

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

Offline MoMo

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James, read your blog. As Jerry said, fantastic-and you are a very good writer.  Hope to have the same fun you had but with a bit warmer weather...Larry

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Silverback is still putting all of his WV-->KY story together, so in the meantime, here's my take on our trip to Kentucky and back. Our route:

http://maps.google.com/maps?source=s_d&f=d&saddr=Nashville,+TN+37216&daddr=36.2998,-86.69662+to:36.56492,-85.95682+to:36.81389,-85.46295+to:Lake+Cumberland+State+Park+Road,+Jamestown,+KY&hl=en&geocode=FT2RKAIdbKjU-ilJWiLQHWhkiDGQ-got8zo6TA%3BFRjkKQIdVB3V-ikxLqjFg0NkiDEPxJfiUSaXbQ%3BFbjvLQIdLGfg-injA_wOOWBmiDEz9ee9_rKPQQ%3BFUK8MQIdWvDn-inb4gHrD7dniDEA-pQS7RH7fQ%3BFTboMgIddoXt-imLqhPghfJniDHo7YtRY8Y8Gg&mra=dvme&mrsp=3&sz=11&via=1,2,3&sll=36.860944,-85.269012&sspn=0.426867,1.055374&ie=UTF8&ll=36.761991,-85.296822&spn=0.117444,0.223846&z=12

I hustled all I could but just couldn’t get my ’76 750F ready in time – had to take my ’76 KZ400D.  That thing just keeps on kicking @ss!! Aside from an oil leak that hasn’t gotten any worse in the 2 years I’ve owned it and a high-idle issue, my KZ runs like a champ. The weather couldn’t have been any better though – mid 80’s, mostly sunny. Spanner1 (Ray) met me at my house around 9:30am on his trusty K1 and we headed over to the Five Points neighborhood in East Nashville to meet up with my buddy Doug, who rode his 450 twin with us up to KY. We actually got out of town around 10am after hitting EVERY LIGHT on Gallatin Road (US 31E).

But once we got out of Tennessee the roads got much more interesting – lots of great twisties through fields and over hills. Ray and I both almost ran out of gas – I made it 118 miles on one tank, a new record! – but coasted into Burkesville on fumes. Gassed up, then over the Wolf Creek Dam - which was super impressive but still under construction - and on up to Lake Cumberland State Park. Met up with Silverback et al who were on the side of the road after Chicago Ben had run out of gas on his 750 chopper/bobber F-thing (which is totally rad BTW). We did the whole photo op thing and then headed down to the marina for lunch. The road that goes through the park down to the marina is fantastic too – Ray compared it to the Tail of the Dragon in East TN. Had a great time chatting it up with Silverback, Irish Johny, Chicago Ben, Bill, Joe (and Joe's friend whose name I can't recall - someone chip in here?) over burgers.

Some pics:


L-R: Irish Johny, Chicago Ben, Bill, Silverback (Chris), Spanner1 (Ray), Joe, Joe's buddy, Me (Tugboat), Doug











Hung out for about 1.5 hrs then said goodbye and headed back home.  The route up was so nice that we decided to just take the same route back down.





The only drawback was the headwind we faced: Ray was probably fine on his 750 and Doug’s 450T weighs more than my KZ.. but I was getting blown around all over the place! I was practically laying down on my tank trying to make myself as small as possible which helped. But once we hit 31E again and headed due South it wasn’t that big a deal. Forgot to stop at the TN border to take a pic of Godzilla crossing the border but did remember to get a pic of him entering Nashvegas:



Then on to the 3 Crow Bar back at Five Points (where we started) for some much-needed and well-deserved post-ride beers!







All in all an amazing trip and I can’t wait to head down to Birmingham & Jackson next weekend (can you say: lap around the track @ Barber?!?)!! All that's standing between me & taking my 750 down are rear brakes (still squishy), timing and a sticking float valve. Should be able to get all of that squared away before Friday. At the very least I’d like to take Godzilla out for a night on the town on my 750 so I can sign the book… we’ll see!
« Last Edit: April 12, 2011, 10:01:41 am by Tugboat »
If it's worth doing, it's worth doing twice.

Offline Tugboat

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Here's a link to the photo album:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=306335&id=575244180&l=bd2ee72c5a

EDIT: got my above post fxd thx
« Last Edit: April 12, 2011, 10:02:33 am by Tugboat »
If it's worth doing, it's worth doing twice.

Offline kpier883

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Well done Tug!  Look forward to meeting you at Barber's!
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Offline Silverback

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Despite the cold weather that has been overshadowing the area for the last couple of weeks, I woke up to a moderately warm sunny morning. The temperatures were in the 50s and climbing. At about 10:30 Chicago Ben(Cb570) and Bill(Concourse) showed up at the house. I was still eating breakfast, but they were early! Ben was riding his 78 CB750F that has been customized to his liking. Bill was on his Kawasaki Concourse. After breakfast I pulled the bike out of the garage, fired it up and started moving down the driveway where Ben and Bill were waiting. As I looked up at the end of the driveway, I see Bill standing next to hit motorcycle which is lying on the ground. He had that look of “Yeah, now I’m officially part of THAT club”. He had put his foot down where there was depression! Anyway, no harm no foul. We met up with Joe(Big Blue) on his SV650 (His CB550 was in a state of rebuild) on the East side of town and headed down Winchester road towards Winchester. 

The wind was a bit chilly, but not bad at all! I have taken these roads many times on way out to the Daniel Boone National Forest area, where there are lots of great roads to ride. We decided to take 15 out of Winchester. This is a fun road that has some very nice sweepers, and even a few sections with some switchbacks. Of course the scenery is great, it’s Kentucky after all! 15 takes it’s time winding around the Mountain Parkway until its end. The Honda is just performing flawlessly and everybody is humming along. The day is warming still and I couldn’t imagine a better ride. The new shocks and fork rebuild I had recently done gave me a good deal of confidence in the corners. I just couldn’t go slow at times, and found myself a little ahead of the rest of the pack. So, I was continually slowing and waiting for the other guys to catch up. Ben was just cruising along on his rat cafe! That’s his style!

15 eventually leads us to 9009 and the end of the Mountain Parkway. 9009 joined with 114 and we head towards Salyersville. This is a larger road, but still has some great scenery. Along the way we go through some smaller cities. Sometimes, it’s not just about the riding, but seeing places that you have never seen before. I always enjoy small towns having grown up in a large city. It’s starting to be a bit more “mountain-like” now as head our way up 460/23 to 80 and then to 119. The winding roads through the mountains were both disorienting and awe inspiring. Just before we get to these areas, my bike begins to hiccup. It’s nothing major, maybe a miss or something!? As we head up the mountains through some more beautiful scenery on 119, the bike starts it cough and backfire. As long as I keep the revs up, it runs better. So, that’s what I do until we reach our meeting point in Williamson, WV. It’s a coal town that looks like every other town on the surface, but as we turned off the main road, you could see some of its history. We pulled over so I could check my messages. No service! I can see two phone towers, but nothing. So, not knowing where we should exactly be to meet up with the CvilleChopper (James) crew, we headed back towards the main road. Fortunately, as soon as we pull up to the main light we see James’ Honda across from us at the light. We U-turn and park right under a cool image representing the coal mining influence in the town.




Because of the glitchy running, I checked my plugs. They were black as night! It was running rich! We suspected that it was the elevation. I just changed the plugs and we sat around looking at each others bikes, talking, taking pictures and screaming Godzilla’s name in strange Asian accents. We’ll, some of us did! It was great to meet everybody, but we were already running late and we still needed to eat. While we were eating, we see this truck practically lock up its brakes and turn back into the parking lot we were parked in. They got out of the truck and started mulling over the Hondas. We were sitting outside enjoying our lunch. They came up to the table telling us about all the old Hondas the have had and/or have, and reminiscing. They were very enthusiastic, too say the least. That’s one thing I get while riding older bikes around. People often see them and reminisce. They are instantly your friend and honestly, I wish that I could have enjoyed these bikes when they were originally released. I’m sure that they had a much different effect on people then, much like our new bikes have on us now. They were high performance machines, intended to take the rider to his or her limits. Regardless, I get to enjoy them now and with a different kind of respect, considering I understand what role the Honda SOHC played in motorcycle history.

After lunch, we headed back up the road towards 292. Along the way, we see that 292 is closed and continue up 119. Unfortunately, I missed the cut-over to 292 and we went deeper into WV. I knew something was up and before too long we figured out where we were and headed in the right direction. We cut over from 119 to 40 by way of 65. 65 was a fun road with sweeper after sweeper. Not such a bad mistake getting lost! From 65 we headed down 52 and then 40. We were trying to make some time because of our delayed schedule, but it would have been a waist. 40 was spectacularly fun, with tons of twists and turns, up and down through the hills of Eastern Kentucky. Again, my bike began to act up, but if I kept the revs up it ran like a champ. So, I took advantage of my misfortune and took a bit quicker pace, waiting every now and then to make sure everybody was A-OK.

As it was getting dark, we arrived at 114 again. We decided to just hit 9009 and head home down the parkway, which will take us all the way to Winchester. There are rarely lights on these roads and my Honda lights just don’t quite light up things as much as I would like. As we hit the Mountain Parkway the Honda is just churning along. It seems as though all of my tuning issues were elevation related. About 20 miles outside of Winchester, the bike starts hiccupping again. I am thinking to myself, “It’s just rich, everything will be fine. I’ll just pull over in a bit and change the plugs again.” Inevitably, it get’s pretty bad and I start thinking about pulling over soon. About this time, Bill on his Concourse and with my tools comes hauling by, honking his horn. He’s ready to get home! I flash the lights wildly trying to get him to slow down, but he keeps trucking. Ben, realizing what is happening takes off after Bill on his café, but to no avail. He’s gone! While Ben was chasing, I had to exit due to the poor running. Joe and I sat there while the bike cooled and Ben circled back around.

After letting the bike cool down a bit, I pulled the plugs. They are not rich anymore! Actually they look pretty good; a nice sandy whitish color. We pondered what might b the problem and thought that defective coils might be the issue. I did just re-build them and it seemed like a logical prognosis. So, after a few more minutes I tried to fire the bike. It fires right up, idles good, good throttle response I say “Let’s go for it”. As I get on the parkway again the bike is running just fine. 3 or 4 miles down the road is the last exit for 10-15 miles. As I pass it I realize that I am now committed. The bike is running fine! Not! About a ½ mile down the road it starts sputtering and I hear a nasty rattle in the motor. At just about that moment I look in the rear view mirror to see Ben coming up next to me. He though that we were running through some fog. Nope, my bike was now smoking horribly and then it just dies! After pulling over we see that the rear tire is covered in oil. The vent had puked a good bit of oil all over the right rear of the bike. “I think it’s done!”

Sitting on the side of the road, we decide that Ben should head on. He’s coming back with his truck. Joe hangs out with me for a while, which I am grateful for! I call my girlfriend and she is on the way. Joe, having dealt with this for a while is ready to head on home, so he heads off knowing that I have help on the way. So, there I sit in the darkness on the side of the road with the parking light on so nobody runs the bike over. A pack of coyote come up behind me howling and yipping and then slowly fade away as they move on. This reminded me of spending time as a youth in the scrub brush in east Texas. Very fond memories and it gave me something to think about while I was waiting. A bit later Bill calls, realizing that he had ran off with my tools. He’s coming back, too! One out of countless cars actually stops to see if I’m OK and offers to let me use their phone. As they stated “We just wanted to make sure you had help on the way! We’re bikers, too!” I thanked them for their consideration and told them that I had it under control and was just waiting for my recovery crew. It’s a shame that somebody has to be a biker to think of helping somebody stranded on the side of the road. This also reinforces my feeling of belonging to a small, but giving family of motorcycle riders. What is it about a motorcycle that brings people together? I could go on forever, but it’s really simple; we’re all part of the adventure! Shortly after, my girl shows up and Bill soon after. I was really glad to see my girl, but Bill had BOURBON! I wasn’t alone anymore. 15 minutes later Ben shows up with his truck and we load the bike up with no hassles. A million Harley jokes were running through my head. “Why is a Harley so much like a dog?” “Because they ride in the back of trucks so well!”, “Because they always mark their territory”…..and so on. Doesn’t matter! I had a great trip with some good people! I do not blame the bike and I know it will be re-born shortly; much like Godzilla rising from the sea time and time again, ready to battle. Already, I have visions of what the new incarnation my beloved Honda will take. I can’t think of a better time to tear it down and build it up even better! We will ride again!


I asked Big G for his opinion. Godzilla's prognosis is not good!


See, I told you! Your pistons are FUBARed!


He likes the upgraded top-end that's going to go back in!


Hey, yours are bigger than mine!


Caught Big G checking ut my cafe build.


850 is good!


Big G decided to hang out at Ben's shop for a while and check out his crazy projects.


What is that? A drag bobber!?


Big G really liked this one!


What's this, an almost stock 750 at Ben's shop? Blasphemy!


Godzilla just couldn't leave Kentucky without terrorizing a Kentucky farm house.


Getting ready to head out to Lake Cumberland. Waiting on Irish Johny to show!


Spanner's cb750 and Ben's cb750.


The crew at Lake Cumberland! See Tugboats post for names.

« Last Edit: April 12, 2011, 10:55:26 pm by Silverback »
Chris
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Offline Tugboat

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After an eventful weeklong stint in Music City, Godzilla finally needed to move on. Next destination: the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in Birmingham, AL. I had been looking forward to this leg in particular, as our Birmingham “host” John Baldridge (JTB) had set up a lap around the racetrack at Barber in addition to a behind-the-scenes look at the museum.

We’d watched the weather all week. Every day I’d wake up and check weather.com hoping that the rain would move from Friday to Thursday… no such luck. So at the last minute we decided to leave really early on Friday to hopefully beat the rain to Birmingham. It was either that or ride down on Thursday night – and nobody wanted to do 4 hours in the dark.

So at 6am, on Friday, April 15th, Spanner1 (Ray), MidTNJasonF (Jason) and myself (Josh) met at a Shell station on Harding Road, right off of I-65 South. The sun hadn’t come up yet, but it wasn’t raining and I think we all felt that the decision to leave early on Friday had turned out to be the right one. Only one actual SOHC/4 on this leg: Ray’s 1970 750K1.. Jason was on his red 650 Bandit and I would be making the journey on my trusty ’76 KZ400. After gassing up and taking a quick pic to document the official start of this leg, we hopped on our bikes and headed south on the interstate.



Well, we made it to the next exit before it started raining. We made it a couple more exits before we pulled over under the Moores Lane overpass at Cool Springs to put on our rain gear. My pants and longjohns were already soaked by this point, but my top-end was mostly dry (for the time being). I’m not sure what I thought the next few hours would be like, but I clearly had no idea what to expect. Between the wind and the rain and the big-rigs blasting past me and blowing my little 400 all over the road…. It’s a miracle that I didn’t just pull over, find the nearest bar and drink until I didn’t care how wet or cold or nervous or truly frightened I was. We literally had maybe 20 miles of dry riding conditions.. the rest was just RAIN RAIN RAIN. We did manage to stop at the Alabama “welcome center” and snap a couple of pics.





Before I go any further, let me just mention that Jason had on Frog Togs and kept 95% dry the whole time. Ray’s suit wasn’t quite that nice, but not by much. Let’s say he was 85% dry when we got to Barber. My “rain suit”, however, should have been marketed as “slightly water resistant only if you’re standing still in drizzle”. It’s one of those that you can get at Wal-mart for $20 and it stuffs into a little sack and it is terrible. At 65+ mph in hurricane conditions, it is only slightly better than riding down the road naked. The rain managed to seep its way into my leather riding jacket; to soak into my leather riding gloves; to even get into my waterproof boots via my wet pants and socks. The only parts of me that were somewhat dry were my head and – amazingly – my crotch.

When we got about halfway, there was some vicious-looking lightning on the horizon, so Jason decided we should pull off and see if that part of the storm blew over. We all needed gas anyway, so we took refuge in a Mapco gas station in Athens, AL. No sooner had we gassed up when some serious rain hit us and we knew we’d made a good call. After about a half-hour, the storm subsided somewhat and we continued on our journey.

We stopped again just outside of Birmingham to stretch our legs before making the final push. While we’re standing there, an old guy on a Harley pulls up and parks next to us. We chatted for about ten minutes – and between the three of us we may be able to put together our conversation (though I’m pretty sure Ray didn’t understand a word the guy said!) We wished each other well and hit the road again.

Now up until this point we’d had some regular rain, some bad rain, and a hint of dry riding. But once we actually got to Birmingham, the sky just opened up on us. HUGE rain drops hitting our face shields POW!! and the wind driving it straight at us from the south. That, plus the extremely poor condition of that section of I-65 and I-20 made the half-hour ride from the Birmingham city limit to Barber the most grueling of the entire trip. Of course, at highway speeds the rain is always blowing at you from the front. But when you’re sitting in traffic, it can just come straight down and render your dry crotch just as wet as the rest of you.

EVENTUALLY we made it to the Leeds exit and up to the Barber Museum. We parked our bikes right in front and headed inside. Evidently at Barber they have an area to store your gear while you look around, so we went outside and grabbed all of our stuff and brought it inside to hopefully dry out while we checked out the absolutely insane collection of vintage motorbikes (pix on another thread). John (JTB) met up with us and joined in the gawking. If you haven’t been, do yourself a favor and stop reading this post and get on your bike and ride to Birmingham. You will not be disappointed!

We spent the better part of four hours checking out the collection. Could have easily spent another three. And come to find out they rotate about 70 bikes per year through the museum, so it’s not always the same. Finally we were starving so John piled us into his Buick and we went to our customary feeding spot when we’re in Birmingham: Ruby Tuesday (it’s the next exit up on the interstate).



When we arrived back at Barber we hooked up with Jeff Ray, the Executive Director of the museum. He graciously took us downstairs and showed us the Benly they’re working on restoring + some other rad stuff they’re doing. Also got to go into the warehouse section which has literally hundreds of awesome vintage bikes. AND he fired up a CBX/Ducati/Gixxer hybrid that one of their mechanics had recently built. Jason has video he’ll have to post.. all I can say is that it was the most awesome sound I’ve ever heard. Smile from ear to ear, fists in the air.. Wow.













Because of the rain Godzilla didn’t get to take a lap around the track; but a special thanks to Jeff for the behind-the-scenes look he gave us. Oh, and did I mention that our bikes got to spend the night in the museum?!? Yep, mine is the only KZ400 to ever set rubber inside.. and I left a small oil stain on their carpet to prove it!





John gave us a ride to our hotel downtown, where we quickly hung up our wet pants, changed socks and headed out to find some hard-fought and well-earned brews. Delicious Sam Adams Noble Pils for $3/pint? I’ll have eight please!

John came and picked us up at around 7ish the next morning and drove us out to Barber to get our bikes. This is what it looked like when we got there:



We talked with Jeff briefly before he had to go to a meeting. Then we strapped our gear onto our bikes and followed John to his house so he could pick up his ’77 F2. Rode over to IHOP where we met up with kpier883, yo2001 and his family. After breakfast we did the official handoff and whatnot. Great to meet those guys!


L-->R:  kpier883, JTB, MidTNJasonF, Spanner1, yo2001

And with yours truly:


It was pretty nice when we left Birmingham. But about 20 miles out of town the sun went behind the clouds and the temperature seemed to drop about 10 degrees. Needless to say it was a chilly ride home via 79-->231-->431-->I-65.. we had to stop about every 45 minutes or so to shake out the cold. I had one of the best hot showers ever once I finally got home around 4:30 in the afternoon.

So our bikes ran flawlessly, we braved the elements, saw some awesome vintage bikes, met some great folks and had one hell of a hangover! TEAM SOUTH 4EVER!!!!
If it's worth doing, it's worth doing twice.

Offline jtb

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Wow, Silverback and Tugboat are hard acts to follow.
Ray (Spanner1)  called me about 11:30 and announced that they (Tugboat and MidTNJasonF) had arrived at Barbers.  It was drizzling at that point, so I set out in my trusty old Buick and drove to Barbers.  The four of us met on the 2nd floor of the museum, and browsed a while.  About  2:30 we all discovered that we were hungry, so we set out in the trusty old Buick in the rain for Ruby Tuesday's and lunch.  When we returned to Barber's we were met by Jeff Ray, the Executive Director of the Museum, and (I am told) one rung below Mr. Barber.  He took us on a fine tour of the museum and its workings.  We saw several bikes in various states of restoration, a ton of bikes in the warehouse area, and a really cool CBX done up in Cafe style.  Jeff said that it was a project to "keep the head mechanic from losing interest".  Between 5 and 6 the skies opened up and wreaked havoc directly over the museum, so we know that a lap around the track was out of the question.  Jeff suggested that Ray, Josh and Jason leave their bikes over night, and they happily agreed.  I drove them to their hotel and dropped them off.  We met the next morning at 7:00 and returned to pick up their bikes, then took off for breakfast at IHOP with Kpier883, Yo2001 and his wife and daughter.

By 10:00 or so we were ready to leave, so we gathered in the parking lot (see Tugboat's pics) handed GZ from Spanner1 (Ray) to JTB, and said our goodbyes.  Spanner and Tugboat headed back to Nashville, Kpier883, MidTNJasonF, GZilla and I took off toward Bessemer, AL.  From Bessemer, we took AL 216, a nice scenic road, to Brookwood, AL then on to Tuscaloosa.  Traffic in Tuscaloosa was heavy, as it was A-Day.  I think I heard a "Roll Tide" from my trunk as we went through town, HE must be an Alabama footbal fan.  In Tuscaloosa we switched to US 82, and the long ride began.  From here on we dogged it.  We stayed on 82 through Columbus, MS to Starkville, MS; home of Mississippi State.  (No cheers of groans from the trunk this time)  In Starkville, GZilla left the confines of the trunk on the F2, to Ride with Kirk (Kpier883) on his 74 750K.  We turned left on Ms 25 at Starkville, and dogged it on to Jackson, where we met Cody and his wife.



While we were waiting for them to arrive, Godzilla took a romp on the capitol fairgrounds



Here are Cody and his wife again, holding the banner.



About 5:00 we all decided to go on our separate ways, Cody and his wife toward Vicksburg, Jason to Natchez, and Kirk and I back to Birmingham.  The others will tell their adventures from here, Kirk and I got lost trying to go around a long train, and went further South than we had intended, and finally found our way to I-20, and got on it again for home.  Most of the time, we ran around 6,000 on my tach, which is about 80.  On the trip home, I lost both Tach and speedo.  The tach cable came out of the valve cover (threas stripped, and screw vibrated out).  Put it back in place and held it with a zip tie.  Speedometer cable vibrated loose from the speedo.  Just let it hang, and we continued to haul ass.  After the last gas stop in Meridian,we didn't stop again excepta at rest areas.  Both of us were on fumes as we hit Birmingham and home around 11:00 that night.  After the handoff, our trip had no highlights.

We did do half an Iron Butt, and after that, I know this old fart has no intentions of doing an iron butt run.

I relly want to Thank Jeff Ray at Barrbers for attention paid to us and this hospitality.

John
1977 CB750F
1985 V65 Sabre
1986 VFR 750 (gone but missed greatly)

Offline jtb

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Here are the pics.

1977 CB750F
1985 V65 Sabre
1986 VFR 750 (gone but missed greatly)

Offline Radam

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Team AR/OK; Coke, Taxiscooter and Radam.

I left Fayetteville Saturday morning and stayed with a friend in Hot Springs so I'd be closer to Little Rock for the hand-off the next day. Sunday morning I got a little bit of a late start because my friend and I decided to split a bottle of Jameson Sat. night. I got to Little Rock just a little bit after Coke. Coke left from Van Buren Saturday morning. We met at the state capitol building. When I got there Coke says, "Well, you know the LA rider we're meeting...he's dead." My eyes bugged out of my head and my jaw dropped! Coke realized that his wording wasn't so great from my reaction and quickly let me know that he meant that the guy's (Cody) bike was dead. That was reassuring but next we had to figure out what to do. We ended up going to wal-hell, buying a battery, and taking it to Oak Grove LA to rescue Cody. After that, we headed to Van Buren to stay at Coke's place and meet up with Taxiscooter and his wife. 341 miles later we arrive at casa de Coke (1:30am). It was a fun ride because Coke and I are both very familiar with hw270 and we flew through it. That little 350 Coke has impressed me with how well it kept up with it's modified big brother the 836 F3.

The next morning we got up a little later than planned. We had some coffee and breakfast and then hit the road headed for Denison TX. We met a nice guy on an 1100 Shadow along the way in OK and he joined in on the ride. After taking a couple un-planned roads we ended up in Antlers OK. Yeah, that's really the name of the town. By this time it was about 3pm and I was not ready for another ride lasting until 1:30am. Especially since I had to work the next morning (I'm at work typing this, shhh). So, I signed the banner and said my farewells. I was pretty worn out, and wondering how a 57 year old man on a cb350 was still going, so I decided to get myself a pick me up. After downing a red bull, putting on my ipod, and giving my bike some liquid schwartz, it was time to go plaid! I love that OK speed limits are higher than AR (65mph), and that I didn't meet many cops because I headed home at speeds my wife will never hear about. The whole time thinking about my memory foam mattress which was waiting for me when I got home. I made it home in one piece, without even getting stopped by the man, and put a total of 1158 miles on my bike. It was a great time, and I'm stoked that I got to be a part of this! I hope everyone else makes the trip safe and has as much fun as I did!

I forgot my camera at home so I'll have to post pics later.
here's a pic I took with my phone when we got zilla
« Last Edit: April 19, 2011, 06:42:02 am by Radam »

Offline coke

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I can't say much more than Radam has already posted.  He covered it pretty well.  The last section from Antlers to Denison was pretty much smooth sailing except for a pretty rough section of road that caused my center stand to slap up against my exhaust causing us all to think there was something internally wrong with my bike.  Whew that was a relief to figure out.  Joe (CBGhia) met us at the TX welcome center for photo op and helping with loading the bikes onto TaxiScooters trailer. 
1974 Honda CB350F
1976 Honda CB750F
1977 Honda CB750 F2 SuperSport
2009 H/D VRSCAW VRod
2011 H/D Road Glide Ultra
2007 Kawi 650r Ninja
1999 HD 883 Sportster (bought back from youngest son)
1999 Kawi 1500 Nomad (given to oldest son)

Offline taxiscooter

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Coke and Radam pretty well covered it all. Im just sittin here scratchin' my head tryin' to figure out how Cokes 350/4 lead the whole way and  Radam and I had to boogie to keep up with him.  LOL

Offline Radam

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I finally uploaded my pics!

This is where Coke and I met. AR State Capitol building Little Rock.


Oak Grove LA (Radam, j4hfr34k, Coke)


Godzilla ready for the ride!


Re-entry to Gnarkansas.


Lots to see in South AR


Made it to OK.



Radam, taxiscooter, Coke


This is Antlers OK, where I said my goodbyes. Is Coke crying because I'm leaving, or just fixing his hair? ;)



We didn't really get to take the pics we wanted to because we had a lot of miles to cover in little time, but this relay isn't about pictures. This ride is all about that sohc4 beast between your legs!
« Last Edit: April 21, 2011, 05:59:40 am by Radam »