West Unity American Legion Poker Run

I decided to participate in a Poker Run in west Unity, with proceeds going to "Operation Support our Troops". Decided to ride up to Napolean Ohio on Friday night after work, and got a room at the Best Western just off Route 6. Beautiful hotel with pool and hot tub, sharing a parking lot with a TA (truck stop).

Saturday morning, I got to the American Legion about 1/2 hour early. There were 50 or more bikes at the Poker Run. Mostly Harleys, but a few Goldwings and at least one Nomad (mine!). Everyone was standing around, looking at the bikes. After asking where to register, I went inside, stood in line, paid my bucks for the charity, and then went back outside.

My favorite bike, was a well worn, Krylon painted Harley. Owner has a GREAT sense of humor that comes through in his bike and in this pic below.

On the Poker Run itself, we all were pretty much free to run the course at our own pace, and stop whereever we wanted. I stopped for a sandwich at a Subway in Napolean near the hotel I was staying. There was a Harley Stealership there. Decided to stop in just to see what they had. What a great find! About 25% of their shop was a street mock up, housing antiques from Harley Davidson. Cool!! Here is a picture.

Finally got back to the Legion at about 3pm. Asked Alma to sew a few patches for me on my jacket. We have tried to meet for all summer, and it was great finally meeting Alma and hubby Wendell. Everyone congregated in the Legion hall for pop and food after the run, and had the poker drawings and various raffles. What a great time it was! They raised almost $2,000 for "Operation Support our Troops". What a wonderful way to mix a great day for a bike ride with support for a great Charity.

Sunday, I decided to head out to Hudson Leathers, pick up some pin holders, and socialize with other riders who decided to go there as well. On the way home, after a 100 miles or so, I stopped at a rural truckstop for a drink of water and a stretch.

But all good things must come to an end. 475 miles in two days. Home safe and sound. Kids loved their gifts from the Harley store. Another great weekend. I truly am blessed. Here is a map of all the places I ran around.

On the run up...

On my way to the Poker Run, I ran across the "Green Mountain Energy Windfarm" just south of Bowling Green, Ohio. How cool is this! From the website:

"Nov. 2003 — The AMP-Ohio/Green Mountain Energy Wind Farm — Bowling Green, Ohio. The first utility-scale wind farm in the state of Ohio, this wind farm originally consisted of two 1.8 MW wind turbines, the largest east of the Rockies. The capacity was doubled in 2004 when two more turbines were added. "

???Who knew???

http://www.greenmountainenergy.com/

Been awhile...

For the last few weeks, I have been under the weather and unable to do riding. But things are back in synch and I am ready to go! And just in time for a poker run. This weekend, participating in a small run in NW Ohio. Should be a hoot. Hopefully will get up to Hudson Leathers as well.

Interlochen Rally

Late Wednesday afternoon, I ran up to Toledo to meet up some of the VROCers on our way to Interlochen, Michigan for a long weekend of bike riding and camping. By the time I got up there, the odometer showed another 450+ miles had been clicked off. It was a great weekend, with lots of good friends, good food, and good times. The campgrounds was motorcycle focused. Temperatures dripped into the mid-30's on one of the nights! On the way back, it stormed all the way from Interlochen to Marysville, with some storms strong enough to drop visibility almost zero! Heavy rain, temps in the 50's & 60's, high winds, and a motorcycle....brrrrrr....still trying to warm up and dry out! The trip was approximately 1015 miles long, half in miserable conditions.

Here is home for a few days, my transport, and a relaxing morning in a camp chair.

And yes, Buddy came along. I stopped at a local winery, and they invited him in to share in some of their wares. Even had him behind the wine tasting bar, and he jumped right into a glass, ready to do his tasting one bottle at a time!


After having lunch in Traverse City, a couple came running up with their photographer. They had just gotten married, thought I had a really good looking motorcycle, and wanted to take their picture with it!
Some of the approximately 60 attendees sitting around the fire as night approaches.

Finished the jack blocks

Thanks to Slim who provided pics of how he did his jackstand, I got the guts to do mine. It was amazingly simple. I have the harbor freight jack wish has bolts to hole the top rail. Here is the stock jack

Fabricated a couple small brackets.




They simply fit on the on the bolts. Place the wood braces across the stock braces and screw through the bracket into the bottom of the wood.

Here is a pic where I cut slots for the tabs on the frame. And also cut a slot to go around the kickstand wiring. Here is the pic of the bike on the jack.

Dry Run packing for next rally

It is raining and lightening here, so could not take the bike for a ride today. So decided to get ready for the Interlochen Rally. This time, it is just on my bike, rain or shine. And when I get there, I am camping – again, rain or shine!

The ride is about 400 miles, and 7 hours without stops. My plan is to split into two days, getting to Toledo Wed night, and Interlochen on Thursday. Then on the return, break it into two days, Getting to Jackson or Toledo on Sunday night, and then home on Monday. Following this plan, no more than 300 miles per day which should be reasonable

So it is less than 2 weeks away, and I think I have everything I need for a comfortable stay (within the context of tent camping, that is!). I did a preliminary packing, but the tent was so small, the airmattress would not even fit! So I have to use the larger tent.

So now, figuring out how to pack it all on the bike. Best way to do this is a dry run. Here is all the stuff. Not that much, but it looks like a lot to put on the back of a motorcycle.

And here is it packed on the bike. IT FITS! And with a little space still available.

From the left and right sides:

If only I knew...

Sometimes, the easiest things appear to be the hardest. I wanted to change the rear unit oil on the bike. Based on the owners manual, there are two plugs, one to drain, one to fill/inspect. But the hub is buried somewhere in the back of the bike, behind the hard saddlebags, beneath the passenger seat, totally hidden from sight. How would I be able to get to it? Jack up the bike high enough to get under it? Take the seat mounting apart? Pull the saddlebags off the bike? take the muffler off? So since I had the dealer do it once at the end of the 600 mile break-in period, I figured it was "good enough" and hoped that nothing needed attention.

Well, on the Vulcan Riders and Owners Club, an internet based group of riders who either ride or used to ride Vulcan Motorcycles (like my Nomad), this came up. Within a minute, one of the guys tells me - 2 bolts, the bag comes off, and there ya go!

Sure enough, 5 mins later, the bag was sitting on the workbench and I was draining the rear unit oil. Couldn't have been easier!

Sometimes, just a few words of experience can make a WORLD of difference! So now I am ready for the next rally in 2 weeks - at Interlochen, Michigan! Did a dry run packing for the rally. Everything is on the bike, have a few straps to tie up when I do it for real. And best of all, plenty of room for more if necessary.

Findlay's Bike Bash '07

Findlay had a great Biker Bash 07 tonight, a block party right downtown where they cordoned off a city block, gave all bikes a place to park, listen to good live music, and share in food and drinks (mostly non-alcoholic!!!) of the local businesses. My favorite is Coffee Amici – a place that I stop at every time I go through Findlay Benefits went to United Way.

Here was the bikes that had arrived by 6pm. The crowd basically doubled throughout the night.

The band….from Coffee Amici

A harley girl bike!

All kinds of people on a great warm evening– a Family event!

One of the best activities was checking out all the bikes. A lot of Harleys, and quite a few Goldwings. But I did notice three Vulcans beside mine. Anyone recognize whose bikes these are?

Full Weekend Ride, Fri - Sun

Took a Weekend Long ride - Lima area; lakes, general sights, great food. But to start off with, I ran into a place called "Lugnut's". The guy who hosted our GLVROC site's name is Lugnut! So I had to snap this for him..

One of the first places we went to was Grand Lake St Marys. Met some nice people in town, saw some great sights as we rode around the lake. Then we stopped at a swimming beach. Brought the swim trunks, but the winds were really stiff, and it was a bit cool to go jumping into the water. But we stopped, had a break, and took some pics...



Not to be outdone, Buddy excited about being near the water. He took a walk along the rocky shore, and decided to climb a tree. But, typical of buddy, he could not figure out how to get down! So I snapped a pic, and then helped him down. I do have to admit, I was tempted to leave him there and run...run...run... But I could not do that to him.




Then we went for a ride to Lake Loramie State Park. A beautiful, small lake with lots of little turn ins to enjoy the views, the fishing. We rode around the lake for awhile and found a beautiful little park where we sat, relaxed again, and enjoyed the views. Took a couple pics, but here is one of the best.



We all stayed at a hotel called America's Best Value just north of Lima. When I first pulled in, I was greeted by what looked like an abandoned parking lot, in an industrial area, with only a few cars and a few semi's. The building looked a little austere and was far from a manicured hotel like Hyatt or Hilton. But when I went inside, it was completely different. The lobby was top notch, and meticulously clean. The owner was very friendly and wanted to make our stay the best. He even put me in a room where I could watch over my bike, and park it in a sheltered area if it started to rain! The bar was uniquely laid out, but had people who were just as friendly if not a bit quaint. The room was HUGE with a REAL Kingsize bed (ever see that in a Hilton despite what you reserve???). The room decor was a little rough and needed some cosmetic repair. But nothing that was significant or overwhelming. It was perfect for a bunch of riders who needed a comfy place to crash after a day's ride.

Now the voltmeter...

Just received the voltmeter today (far right gauge). Mounted it in a racing chrome cup. Aesthetically, it glows a nice muted green, matching Kermit's primary color. Now I can monitor the battery, ensuring a sufficient charge. Took about 2 hours to do... Now all set for that weekend ride!!!

Have to get a better picture to show how it fits into the overall bike design...

Mounted Chuckster's Risers

Just mounted Chuckster's 2" risers. Look great, clears the speedo, and get a better view of tach. Cant wait to try them out tomorrow, see if it makes the ride even more comfortable!

Click the pics to see larger image. Email Chuckster if you are interested. Prices start at $46 shipped in US. chuckster1_31@comcast.net

2nd day ride

Got a call from Henry asking if I wanted to go for a ride. Well, I was gone much of yesterday on the bike, so I said sure, if we can limit it to about an hour. That way no one at home would be upset about me being gone AGAIN..

Well he and his sister's daughter's fiance joined us. With me having the only time limit, I took the lead. At 3:30, we started by making a short run to Marion. Took a couple pictures, and i decided we should head up to Bucyrus. Headed across route 30, back down 23 into Delaware and then back to Marysville.

Finally, hit home at about 7:30. not to bad for a "one hour ride"! We took a couple long breaks, shot the sh!t, and let the fiance rest and recoup (he is new to riding).