Problems with the light bar

All was well installing the cobra lightbar...until I tried to reconnect the turn signals. Maybe I am doing something wrong, or the original wiring harness was trimmed pretty close. The right turn signal connectors are tight, but was able to connect. The Left (as sitting on the bike) are not even making it into the headlight bucket!

The first picture below show how I ran the wires under the cover and up - the exact same path they originally were on the stock lightbar.

The second picture shows where the three connectors just barely peek into the back of the headlight bucket. The yellow wire is a fishing wire and is wrapped around the three turn signal wires.

Click on the pics to see larger images. Am I doing something wrong? Or do I have to bite the bullet and extend these wires?

Last ride of the 2008

I took my last "ride" of the year this morning. Threw on my jacket and helmet, climbed on top of Kermit, and off I went...to the gas station down the road. OK, so not really a long ride...maybe 8 miles. But I was able to fill the gas tank so that I could finish winterizing the bike.

But this is the time of year when you start planning your trips for the next year. VROC has a rally in Kentucky where over a hundred Vulcan riders will converge on a single location. My plans are to hit 6 states in a week, and log between 1,000 - 1,500 miles in various type of riding - flat straight highways and mountain roads.

A large figure eight, seeing all over the Midwest!

A Special Thank you

I received a very special Christmas present over the weekend. My sister found a local artist who did a wonderful pencil sketch of Kermit and me. The picture was taken when I was at Grand Lakes St. Marys, a special place to me that I have ridden to many times. The piece of art is a wonderful surprise and means more to me than she will ever know. Thanks Sis!!!

Oh crap

Decided i would take a quick run on the bike today. it is in the mid 40's, so a perfect day to get out. I hopped on Kermit, turned the key, hit the start button and the bike lurched forward! Normal for bikes as I had left it in first gear, and the clutch plates tend to stick after sitting for awhile in cold weather.

I tried it again, and the engine turned over, but barely. Not enough to start. Hmmm.....tried it again, and same thing. OK- so it was not my imagination. Looked at the voltmeter - 11.5 amps. crap. The battery was near dead. Another factor of cold weather and not riding for a while.

So instead of taking a quick ride, Kermit is on resuscitation - charging the battery with the battery tender. The battery is 3 years old, so only middle-aged. I am hoping it is not going south on me.

Not ready to give up yet

We have experienced snow, ice, and days of temperatures that did not exceed freezing. But I have not put Kermit away for the winter. Still hoping for another nice-enough day, I am keeping the Nomad ready for a trip at a minutes notice. The temperatures themselves are not reason for concern; I have the gear to stay warm well below freezing. But the ice and slush can be dangerous and keeps me off the road.

I was paging through this blog, looking for some pictures of last year's motorcycle shows. Paging through, I found a couple of interesting facts. In late October, I was riding along Lake Erie when it was nearly freezing when I took off in the morning. And November 24th and 25th were in the 40's, and gave me a short respite for a ride. So hopefully the forecast for this Thanksgiving to be in the 40's with no rain holds true for this year!

Oh yeah...I also noticed that on December 31, I was able to take the daughter out for a short ride too! Ahhhh, Ohio.....you never can tell what weather you will be facing.

If you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans...

The plans for today - get on the bike, go to Service which included a celebration of Pastor Jack's 20th year as a Pastor, the ride up to Frickers to watch the Brown's play. About 10 mins before leaving, the phone rang. My daughter was in the emergency room, taken there by the boarding school she is attending. With that call, all plans changed.

I did get on the bike, but to the hospital instead. She is having some trouble with her movements, most likely due to a medication reaction. But until they know for sure, they are keeping her for observation. She is a little scared because she has lost some control of her head movement, and occasionally some problems with her eyes. But I do think it is just a short term issue until they figure out what exactly is going on.

I did get to ride the bike for about 200 miles. Much of it is highway, so easy and relaxing riding. A few minor twists, but nothing to challenge the riding skills. It was a nice day for it; cool but not cold. And the sun shown warm until it set this evening. I started out from the hospital too late, and spent the last 45 mins riding in the dark. I hate that. But I made it home safe and sound.

The number of days for riding this year are quickly dropping. Cold weather gear is not stored in the saddlebags as I may be surprised on some ride, and need it. And the game, you ask? The Brownies lost, I am told. Maybe I did not miss that much after all...

Another day of errands

My former laptop died - bless its soul. Heat postration did both the computer and the hard-drive in. So I have purchased a little (underscore LITTLE) laptop that can easily go with me on rides and camping or just general trips. But it did not come with a CD or DVD recorder, so I had to go buy one.

Off to Dublin, OH and Best Buy to buy a DVD recorder. And with temperatures in the 70's, I could not resist riding the bike. It was only about 50 miles today, but felt great!!!

Interestingly enough, as I came out of Best Buy, I heard the bike alarm going off, and a car speeding away. Dont know for sure what happened, but I do know that I am happy that I put that alarm on the bike!!!

Tomorrow, I am planning to go to Outbound Service (also called Contemporary Service), and then off to watch the Cleveland Browns play in Findlay. My plans are to ride the bike to both service and the game! It is Pastor Jack's 20th anniversary at St. Johns...,.and he is a biker enthusiast.

More tomorrow after I return from the ride!!!

Another season coming to a close

Another riding season is coming to a close. And again have not taken that week to ride around the country, camping in the state parks and private campgrounds. The riding season has not ended yet, and highs are still in the 70's, but the calendar is telling me that time is slipping through my fingers.

I will be riding to watch the Cleveland Browns today. Only around 130 miles round-trip. But better than nothing.

Update:
Took off at about 10am. The temps were perfect as I turned out of my community and took a run North. As I clicked through the gears, the stress fell away...those associated with family...those associated with work....those associated with self doubt. Soon, I was a modern cowboy riding an iron horse, charging into the day. The roads called to me, a siren's song to chase the horizon and leave all the pain behind.

All to quickly, I found myself close to Fricker's, and the friends that would be expecting me there. Reluctantly, I pulled off the highway, and into the parking lot. I was first there, and the waitress had our table ready and got the first of a few beers shared during the Brown's first win of the season.

The ride home found me in the same mood. The road called for a longer excursion; days? weeks? months? years? who knows. When I am on the bike, there is only "NOW". And the "Now"s follow each other ad infinitum...separated by a few meals, a few drinks of water, and a night's sleep. I felt myself drifting to an image of riding until I could ride no more. Then find an area where I could sleep for a few hours and continue the trip again.

But as I drew close to my home neighborhood, I made the right turn into the familiar streets and into the driveway and garage. The truth came back to me...I have responsibilities, a family, a job, friends. And those responsibilities mean I can not answer the siren's call of the open road. And in reality, that is OK. My family, friends, job mean so much more than the myth of the open road. Truly, I really have the best life.

And yet, there is Kermit in the garage, highway just a few hundred yards away, and I still hear that siren's call in the distance.

Kilo's Last Wish

A month or so, I reported about a member of VROC's passing, and his last wish. Here is an exerpt from the memorium that Kudzu put together on the vroc site (http://www.vroc.org/inmemoriam.php?item=3430). It is a demonstration of the bond that exists between the men and women of this group, many of which have never actually met.

Kilo's Last Wish

Kilo's last wish was to have his ashes spread as wide as his VROC brothers and sisters could spread them. The response to this request was overwhelming. Over 65 destinations were ultimately volunteered. Many were made into, or will be made into, VROC group rides. All are touching and special. Here is a list of all who volunteered their time to spread Kilo's ashes. Where possible, the actual location of the final resting place will be posted.

Travis Webster - Blanchard, OK Barb & Jack Foree - Holbrook, AZ Desert View Lookout, Grand Canyon Steve Thurgood - Olympia, WA Paradise near Mt. Rainier Lake Quinault Pacific Ocean, Kalaloch, WA Cape Flattery, WA Hurrican Ridge Sue Edwards - Seymour, MO Craig Cairns - Middleton, Nova Scotia, Canada Lookoff - Over the Annapolis Valley Dianna Hughey - Conway, AZ Ozarks - VROC World Reuntion 2008 George Carr - Verona, PA Alan Sciascia - Tauranga, New Zealand Waihau Bay, NZ (north) Dave Mitchell - New Zealand Bluff Harbour at Twhai Point - NZ (south) Paul Elliot - New Zealand West Cape Lighthouse - Pungarehu, NZ (west) Howard Asplin - New Zealand Manawatu, Tararuas, Waihi Falls - NZ (east) Jim Robinson - Sudbury, Ontario, Canada Joe Agro - Millington, NJ Jack & Gale McGuigan - Kingston, TN Santeelah Overlook – Cherohala Tail of the Dragon – Deals Gap Anthony Drager - Phoenix, AZ Steve Cifra - Nashua, NH Annual NEVROC Ride, Bethel, ME New Hampshire location TBD Cletus Berkley - Trinidad, West Indies Scott Sprankle - Elgin, OK Wolf Road Ranch - soon Kevin A. Rose - Issaquah, WA Deception Pass on Whidbey Island Vern VanDiver - Federal Way, WA Discovery Bay near Port Townsend, WA Beach at Fort Warden, WA Point Wilson Lighthouse, WA Mark & Yuka Williams - Hukusan City, Japan Tedori Gorge Marshall Anderson - Suffolk, VA Avalon Pier – Outer Banks, NC Jockey’s Ridge – Outer Banks, NC Bridge over the Alligator River on Rte 64 Sandbanks Road, Gates County, NC Jamestown Ferry & Jamestown, VA Western Branch Lake Dam, Suffolk, VA The Great Dismal Swamp Wildlife Refuge, Suffolk, VA Family 165 acre horse farm, Whispering Pines, Suffolk, VA Vaughn Devereaux - Screven, GA Christian Ritz - Stoughton, MA Chris McVean - Calgary, AB, Canada Zabrina Grillo-Pineiro - Miami, FL Wayne Osborne - LaGrange, GA Chatahoochee River's West Point Lake Top of Pine Mountain James Vierkant - Sumner, IA Lisa Livington - Federal Way, WA Bruce Rojo - Weat Sacramento, CA North End of Golden Gate Bridge Sheldon Conrad - Colleyville, TX Kelly Cobb - Brandon, FL Sunshine Skyway Bridge - Gulf of Mexico (November) Mitchell Pittman - Rogers, AZ Jerry Kuechmann - Rutherfordton, NC Mt. Mitchell, NC Caesar's Head State Park, SC Chris Luszey - Hudson, NH Steve Gladfeleter - El Dorado, KS

Al Mottram - Whippnay, NJ Delaware Water Gap, PA Roebling Bridge on the Delaware River The Hawks Nest, Deer Park, NY Asbury Park, NJ Willie Kohlenberger - Murphysboro, IL Top of the Gateway Arch, St Louis, MO Vince Hancock - Pilot Mountain, NC Tommy Willcockson - Beaver Dam, VA James Wiers - Williamsburg, VA Jamestown Island, VA Colonial Williamsburg Yorktown Victory Monument Greg & Lisa Giesbrecht - Westminister, CO At 14,270 ft at the top of Mount Evans Kevin Phillips - Afton, VA Afton Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway Top of Humpback Rocks - Fall 2008 Michael Blow - Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Ottawa River, Canada Don Moore - Eustis, FL Jim Shulthiess - Rockingham, NC South of the Border, SC Laurinburg, NC Steve Donat - Elyria, OH Tony Newman - Hixson, TN Bald River Falls, TN Tennessee River, Chattanooga Riverfront Robert Kilgore - San Angelo, TX Along the 3's - Routes 335, 336 and 337 - Texas Patrick Mullaney - Sparrows Point, MD Chesapeake Bay Atlantic Ocean at Ocean City, MD Fyodor & Julie Golos - Madison, AL Gordon Parker - Hayes, VA Yorktown Memorial on the York River Brandon Caldwell - Greenville, SC Curtis Smith - Ringgold, GA Trevor Eich - Colorado Springs, CO Pikes Peak, CO James DeMent - Simi Valley, CA Von Floyd - Houston, TX Sherm Acord - Coos Bay, OR Cape Arago, OR Near Sahalie Falls in the Cascade Mountains Tim Rose - Marysville, OH Sidney Harbor, Sidney, Australia Royal Botanical Gardens, Melbourne, Australia The Dam at the Deleware Reservoir, Delaware, OH Robert Roberts - Norfolk, VA Virginia Beach, VA Bob Oglesby - Watkinsville, GA Lee Jaderlund - Tacoma, WA Whiskey Creek, WA Beacon Rock on the Columbia River Fish Lake at the head waters of the Salmon La Sac River Peak with a beautiful view of Mt. Rainier near Enumclaw, WA Aldo Mattos - Miami, FL Shores of Guaruja in Brazil Joe Malachi - Silt, CO Brian Flammer - Royersford, PA Deer Park, NY - Roebling Bridge Portland, PA Overlook Lee Denman - Skokan, NY Rondout Creek at Buttermilk Falls Ken Sabodish - Tarentum, PA Ohio River at "The Point" in Pittsburgh, PA Joe Blanc - Colorado Hanging Lake, CO Warren Jorgensen - Tarryton, NY

And also from Susie: According to my last count 65 people volunteered to help scatter Kilo's ashes. His ashes will also be scattered in family home towns of Kansas City, MO, Mound City, KS and Garner, NC. And my son, Chris plans to scatter Kilo among the White Mountains of NH.

Good Times, Bad Game

It was a great ride up to Findlay to watch the game. Even went through downtown to see what I missed last Friday, a bike bash that benefits United Way. Good time at the game. Bad result, however. And I am not sure I like riding in the pitch dark in the country roads. You never know what might jump out from the woods.
There are usually a lot of good friends there. Some bring family too! And with such a large and varied group each week we always have some non-Brownie fans to jeer (or take jeering from).

FOOTBALL SEASON STARTS SUNDAY

For the last three years, I have been going to the Frickers in Findlay to enjoy the game with beer, wings, and friends. Tomorrow starts the 2008-2009 Season for the Brownies. How well will they do this year? It does not really matter. I have been a Browns fan for as long as I remember, through good times (I think there were a few) and the heartbreaks (more than a few!).

I will be riding my bike up tomorrow as long as the weather holds. Will be riding back in the dark, but should be fine. Will have to replace the beer with Diet Pepsi though!

Labor Day Ride

Every Labor Day and every Memorial Day, Hudson Leather's throws a customer appreciation day and has a party and gathering for hundreds and hundreds of bikers. VROCers set up a time to meet one of the days. This year, it was noon Sunday. I took off Sunday morning on a comfortably cool morning, riding up to meet the group. Hudson Leathers is in the middle of nowhere in rural Ohio.

Need fuel? Better take advantage of what you can find! Here is a gas station that is litterally out in the middle of nowhere. There are towns not too far away, but unless you know where, you could be out of luck.

Getting there, we say dozens and dozens, if not hundreds of bikes parked on both sides of the Hudson's little store. The lots were gravel as well as the entrances. You better be comfortable with your bike!!! This is part of the larger lot, maybe 1/3 of it.

Hudson has one large tent in addition to the their store. The brought in in a couple of heavy leather sewing machines to sew on patches, or alter leather gear. Here is a picture of the front


There was free hot dogs, $.50 pops and $1 waters which were great munchies for all the attendees. In addition, there were six to seven other vendors there, ranging from food to accessories to choppers to Jesus Loves You. Here a few pictures of the custom bikes.

I love central Ohio Riding

I took the day off today to get some personal errands completed. But that did leave me with a little time to go for a short ride. Temperatures in the mid 70's made it just about perfect. So I took off with very few plans in mind. I grabbed the camera with hopes of catching a few pictures that would be of interest. What I captured is typical central Ohio.

Central Ohio rides can be a wonderful experience. There are highways like Rt 70 and Rt 71 cross the state in 4 lane divided ribbons. But for those a little more willing to take some time and see what the state has to offer, you will be rewarded with everything from straight long flat roads like US Route 40 (http://www.route40.net) that crosses the continent, to small gravel roads, to thrills of cresting a hill and encountering a set of blind curves starting with a 90 degree left followed by a 270 degree right switchback. Central Ohio brings together the best twisty roads of West Virginia with the long droning roads of Iowa with corn fields on both sides of the road. All this in a 60 mile ride. And along the roadside, you will find remnants of our history, running back through the 1900’s, 1800’s and occasionally 1700's. Some of these artifacts are exciting and have remained vital, others are derelicts representing a lifestyle that has gone by the wayside.

Just a few miles from my home are covered bridges and this Steel Truss bridge built in 1914 and is heavily used still today. It is nestled in the middle of nowhere, spanning a creek that, unless it has just rained, could be driven through by most of today's cars.

Small towns dot the roadside, often not large enough for a traffic light. Many have a church, a bar, and a general store. Some have old buildings still in use for town meetings and business, while other buildings have gone into disrepair and abandonment.

And throughout the countryside, you will find places to celebrate The Lord. Some churches tend to be hundreds of years old, stone monuments to large congregations and history. Others a small buildings, not much more than a shell of a building whose utiletarian style serves a preacher and a small congregation who is devote believers. And others are more like chapels, beautiful buildings with stained glass windows and towers that overlook the local farmland and small communities which they serve. All are beautiful in their own way.

All of these pictures were taken on a 60 mile ride just west of Columbus. I started going south on Rte 38, down to Rte 40. Then west until I hit route 56 where I headed north to Route 4 which took me back home.

With all the beauty, there are risks. Over the weekend, a bee flew into my helmet and stung me on the chin. Dang that hurt, but I was on the road and couldn't do anything but suffer through the sting. It is Tuesday, and that sting is still red and sore!!!

Weekend Ride

Spent a wonder weekend away from everything! It was hot (over 90 degrees) and sunny, and of course I was riding in near-full gear. Got to the hotel, got to a room, and found a nice cozy place for Kermit to spend out of the sun and rain (if it happened). Walked across the parking lot to a grocery store, grabbed some snacks and a 12 pack. Guess I was dehydrated a little as all but 3 bottles were gone by the time I fell asleep!


Saturday, morning, got up and rode over for breakfast at Cracker Barrel. A great national chain that guarantees good food at a decent price. I was riding with the face shield up so I could plenty of ventilation in that mile or so ride. A bug found his way into my helmet, hit me in the face, and fell down onto my chin. I figured it was a fly, and could feel it stumbling around on my chin. At that point, I found out what it really was - a BEE!!!! The darn thing stung me on my chin! It was painful, but nothing I could do as I was on a multi-lane road with planty of traffic. Sure enough, it swelled up and hurt Saturday, and by Sunday simply was itching.

After breakfast, and at least some of the pain subsiding, I took off for Grand Lake St. Mary's. It was about a 70 mile ride, and the sun beating down on me the whole time. Got a little lost, but the GPS saved me, pointing me down the right path. Got to the lake, changed clothes into a pair of short jeans, and jumped into the cool, algae laden lake. I layed around in the lake for a couple hours, along with all the campers and locals. "Sunscreen? We don't need no stinking sunscreen!" Yup - you guessed it. Sunburned shoulders!

Got back to the hotel, about 7 or 8 hours after leaving. Tired, hot, sweaty, and hungry. Got some chineese, went back to the hotel, and then ate. Then, of course, I went to watch the Browns "play" football - play, cause the sure as heck were not taking it seriously!

I only rode about 150 miles Saturday. And between Friday night and Sunday, it was another 150 miles. Not much, but my rear still hurt! I have not been riding much this year. It felt great to be on the bike again, even if it was hotter than hades.

Risky Weather pattern

The weather can be very dangerous in central ohio. You never know when the weatherman will make his mark on the news.

Kilo's Australian Adventure - Melbourne

For the final location in Australia, I received local recommendations. The Royal Botanical Garden in Melbourne won out. It was Friday afternoon after I finished all my work and meetings in the office, and took a taxi back to the hotel. It was a cool day in the low 50's and had light rain. I took Kilo's final bit of ashes with me for a walk past Flinders Street Station and along the Yarra River.
It was quite a walk, with the cool and damp weather. There were runners and bicyclists out for their daily exercise. And more than a few rugby games as well. After walking past some other gardens, I finally found the entrance for the Royal Botanical Garden. Once you walked past the gates, it felt like a quiet refuge from the hustle of the city. I walked around the ponds, had an espresso, and finally found a nice quiet and beautiful location. I spread Kilo's ashes with some final well wishes.

Kilo's Australian adventure - Sydney

This weekend, Kilo and I made the trip to Sydney Australia. We took a walk along the Circular Quay on Sunday morning. The day is beautiful, with the sun shining and a few billowy clouds as a backdrop. Far less somber than the Central Ohio location. So we stopped and watched a young street performer do her act. I knew Kilo would be smiling, and probably snickering, as she did her contortionist's positions.



We walked further down the pier where we had a great perspective of the Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House. Such a beautify building, what a wonderful view. A sight that is equated to Australia, and to Sydney.



I found a picturesque location across the bay for Kilo, a place where he could easily reach the water. I looked around to ensure there were no police to be seen (I was warned by the receptionist at the hotel "it was illegal to spread ashes, so just don't get caught"), and scattered Kilo's ashes into the Pacific Ocean where he will be able to watch the comings and goings in one of the most scenic areas in the world. The first picture below is where I spread his ashes, over the edge where the man is standing. The second is a picture showing the outcropping of the location, and the Opera House.



One last trip for Kilo and I to make. At the end of the week, I travel to Melbourne. We will find one final location there for Kilo.

Susie, I am sure Kilo is smiling at all the places that he has gone over the last week. You and the brothers and sisters of VROC are doing a wonderful thing, fulfilling a man's last wish.

Kilo

"In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." - Genesis 3:19

I received some of Kilo's ashes today. My intent was to set up a ride, but frankly the gravity and onus overwhelmed me, and I just had to free some of his ashes tonight. My apologies to Kickstand for being unable to wait. I rode up to Delaware, walked to the top of the damn, said a little prayer for his peace and for those he left behind, including his wife, Babe-In-The-Wind, and 28,000 VROC brethren, and untold numbers of people he touched in his life.

With a smile, and half-a-tear, I let the wind take his ashes back to where they came. His soul, spirit, essence, or what-ever-you-may-believe is free from the bindings of this world. I pray he is watching and smiling as brothers and sisters are letting his ashes fly all over the world.

A couple of pics of his new Home in Ohio:

A clean bike and fridge

The last time my bike got a wash - a REAL wash - was before the Spring Rally in Angola. There was a layer of dust, bug carcases, mud, and even some tar/rubber stuff stuck to my muffler. So today, I opted to take a few hours and strip the bike of all the leather, nascille, saddlebags, seats, etc and give it a good, deep wash from stem to stern.

Then after the wash, I pulled it back into the garage and gave it some wax for both the paint and the chrome. Not a perfect job, but it took over 3 hours of pleasurable, detailed, mind numbing, tedious effort that has resulted in a much better looking bike - and a better attitude.

What's with the fridge in the title of this entry? I also cleaned out all of the remaining Canadian beer ! ! ! Side effect of the near-90 degree temperatures. ;-)