And away we go on another trip!

Hello Gordo's Rides fans!

Just a little while before we head off on another trip. This time to Virginia and North Carolina.

For those not in the know, a little group that we hang with called "The Sabrehood" gathers each year in July, usually in Virginia. It's called BRR, Blue Ridge Ride. This year is the first time it's happening in North Carolina, in Maggie Valley. So we're headed there.

I'll be sure to post pictures on my Facebook account, but I'll try to post some here as well.

Should be a good ride, with a two-day stop in Hillsville, Virginia to visit Matt's mom. She's a great hostess, terrific cook and wonderfully entertaining lady.

Then it's off to Maggie Valley. Haven't been to BRR in a couple years (missed last year due to the Vancouver Adventure) so this will be fun to see everyone again.

There are a number of folks who, for various reasons, aren't going to make it. But I've never been able to go on a bike trip without finding some fun. And since we're going with Matt and Lorraine, Jannette and I are sure to have a blast with lots of ribbing and joking along the way.

This one will be about 1,300 miles, and cover roughly 5 days (One day to Virginia, half a day from Virginia to Maggie Valley, and a long, full day home).

So, it's 'kickstands up' shortly. Shiny side up, greasy side down. Check!

Traveled 400 miles to go 12.

So after all the work on Lady Liberty, it was time to share her with the world.

Let me back up.

I bought this 1975 Honda 550Four in 1980, used, and put abut 2 years on it before I left for the Army. Probably only put on about 4,000 miles total while I owned it. I think when I bought it it had 2,500 miles on it.

Since I was leaving and couldn't ride it, I sold it to my buddy's dad. He was going to ride it back and forth to work. I think he paid me $300. I probably only paid $500 for it so that wasn't bad. Shortly after "Dad" got it, he hurt his back at work and could barely ride. So he gave it to his son (my buddy) John.

John rode it for a few years, added a fairing and changed the sissy bar into a luggage rack and some other minor things. I don't think either of them replaced tires the entire time they owned it, but they were still in good shape. There were lots of little things that needed attention, but the bike was serviceable so they got ignored. Nothing worse than when I owned it.

Finally, the head gasket started leaking and John decided it was time to pull it in the garage and work on it. He got as far as buying parts and pulling it in the garage. John has great ambition and super skill. He just doesn't have time. Rarely does he have time.

So it sat in the garage for a couple years before John's wife told him to move it somewhere - anywhere. So he parked it behind the garage and threw a tarp over it.

And there it sat for years. and years. and a couple more years.

Enter me. I visit and ask "whatever happened to that old bike?" and John's wife Sue shoots back, "You want it back? You can have it!"

Short version is that yes, I got it back. Then I decided just fixing it up to ride again wouldn't be near as much fun as customizing it. So I did.

I decided to chop it and turn it into a Honda version of the Easy Rider bike (from the movie).

Many dollars and a few years later, she was re-christened as "Lady Liberty". But for fun, I added apehangers. You know, just to make it different.

So then I wanted to share this with John again. After all, his dad has passed but we both enjoyed riding this bike back 'in the day'. I figured he'd wanna ride it again.

Fast forward to last weekend.

I knew riding with apehangers from Fort Wayne to Detroit would be a challenge by itself. Plus, the weather looked questionable, so I decided to trailer it up. So off I go and trailer the bike the 200 miles up there. I pull it out of the trailer and fire it up. Ride the 5 miles or so from where I parked the trailer to John's house. Pull up and wait for the reaction.

It wasn't overly giddy or crazy, but you could tell John wouldn't have guessed this was the same bike. I tossed him the red, white and blue helmet (yeah, I went old school) and reminded him of the leaky carb overflows that continue to be problematic. Off he goes, around the block in his neighborhood.

Then I ride back to the trailer, load it up and (the next morning) trailer it back home, another 200 miles.

So I traveled about 400 miles to ride it about 10 myself and John probably put on two miles in the neighborhood.

Worth it?

You bet your ass. It was worth every bit. Sharing the joy of this bike with John was unlike anything else. I knew he could appreciate the struggles I had (I have always been very mechanically challenged, but I've obviously gotten better). I knew he could relate to the joy that this bike brought both of us over the years.

And I knew he'd dig sticking out like a sore thumb on a Honda-Davidson Easy Rider knock off, wearing a red, white and blue helmet in suburban Detroit on a busy Saturday afternoon.

And I did too.

Thanks John, for giving me the chance to learn a lot about old bikes and bike building. And thanks for sharing the joy that is the old Blue Bomber and now Lady Liberty.

And thanks to Matt and Roger and countless others for helping me learn how to do all this.

And thanks to Jannette for letting me go WAY over budget on a dream.

A short one with my sweetie

This weekend was a good one for riding.

First, I had the 'maiden voyage' of my chopper, "Lady Liberty", which was....memorable.

Secondly, my wife and I just finished a little 92 mile romp through northeast Indiana and northwest Ohio. It was an impromptu ride, we really hadn't planned a route or an amount of time. We just kinda got on and went, which most bikers will tell you is the best way to go.

But first, let's go to the maiden voyage from yesterday. Just remember, there's a reason that cars have fuel level indicators. Bikers are usually smart enough to know how much fuel they have. Usually.

Let me start by saying that as I finished up all the little tweaks and final adjustments, I would run the bike to check carbs and just make sure everything was okay. It was okay, I had a full tank.

Then I went around the neighborhood to check brakes and get some carbon out. And the pipes needed to breathe a little. Just a few times. 15 miles total, maybe. Maybe.

Then Jannette and I got on the 1975 Wonder Bike, newly christened "Lady Liberty". ANd we decided to head off to just south of Bluffton, Indiana to visit my pal Dorsey. A year or two ago, Dorsey picked up two old Honda 750's at a steal of a price and had been working on them just as I was on my 550Four. He is a fan of that classic bike as am I.

So we got within about 4 miles of the north side of Bluffton, and Liberty started sputtering and losing power. (Keep in mind that with a sissy bar and bench style seat don't give us a lot of room. And I'm just a bit bigger than I was before). I figured she had just finally given up after 36 years. I kinda thought, "well the seals just couldn't take it and more work is on the way to get this baby back to street worthy condition".

After a few tense minutes on the side of the road, we decided to turn and head for home, and see how close we could get before she just wouldn't go anymore.

On the south side of Ossian, we stopped at a gas station, just to fuel up and take a minute to think about how we would get Liberty home if she just gave up and puttered out. After pumping nearly 3.5 gallons of fuel, I quickly realized that the whole problem was just that she was getting low on fuel and with the new configuration of the fuel tank (it's tipped up in the front more than it used to be before it was chopped). So, after getting her full of fuel, we re-mounted and headed the rest of the way home.

So, we only got 42 miles or so on the maiden voyage, but while it wasn't the most comfortable ride, it was so fulfilling to finally have Lady Liberty back on the road. Albeit in new clothes and with some new equipment to make her feel young again (think of a 'boob job' but for a motorcycle).

Then on to today's ride. Nothing eventful, but 92 miles through New Haven, up through Grabill, Hicksville, Ohio, Edgerton, Ohio, Waterloo, Indiana and back home to Fort Wayne. Lots of Amish buggies (which always makes us smile and wave) and the weather wasn't too hot or cold. Just perfect. There's not much better of a feeling than having someone very special to enjoy the sights and sounds and miles with.

Tonight, I'll close my eyes and remember today's events (and yesterday's) and thank God again for all everything He's blessed me with.

2011's first 'big one' is done!

Each ride is certainly a mystery. Most experienced riders will agree with me on that point. This one was no different.

A reminder for you: Fort Wayne, Indiana to St. Paris, Ohio to Indian Valley, Virginia. And back, obviously. 946 miles or so.

I started out Thursday night for the quick 110 mile jaunt from the Fort to St. Paris, Ohio. I had a couple hours to get adjusted to riding Cheeto II (at some point she'll just be 'Cheeto' again, but probably after I sell the original Cheeto).

She rode like a dream, and I got the chance to adjust to having music blasting at me from the stereo instead of from ear buds and an Ipod. Love my Ipod, but there was something nice about being able to still clearly hear things around me, including the new 'bike noises' when accelerating or decelerating. Again, still getting used to the VTX.

Friday morning, Matt and I got underway a bit after 7am. I was a bit mesmerized by the Royal Wedding, so while I was rip-roaring and ready to go, I was glued to Kate & William's big day. Temps were a bit chilly, but not bad. Overcast skies stayed with us all the way to Oak Hill, West Virginia, where Matt & I picked up Scotty for the rest of the trip.

By about 2pm, we were hitting the tunnels near the Virginia border. Lo and behold, this big orange ball appeared in the sky just as we emerged from the tunnel and nearly blinded me. Finally the temps got up into the low 70's (okay, maybe high 60's) and the rest of the mountainous trip was beautiful. We arrived around 4pm and surveyed our job for the next day. While I was far more comfortable than I've ever been after riding 400 miles, I was still ready to stand on ground that wasn't rushing by.

Saturday was a non-riding day, of course. Which meant the weather was absolutely gorgeous. Sunshine, temps in the high 70's or low 80's and calm winds. Did I mention that we didn't ride? Yeah. That was just silly of us. On the other hand, we helped Matt's mom out and she was quite appreciative of all we did.

Now on to Sunday. What a crap shoot.

We knew the weather would be iffy. We'd been watching a storm system move across the Midwest right toward us. Now, this isn't nice but with Scotty heading back north to Pittsburgh, we all kinda figured this system would move there with him, and while I didn't wish it on him, I just hoped we'd all skirt through the rain without much ado.

Things started out fine. Overcast skies, but they clouds were still relatively high and not too dark. Remember the tunnels? Yeah, apparently they are portals to and from hell. Or at least to and from good weather to bad.

So we entered the tunnels full of hope that we'd remain somewhat dry. Even a brief light shower or two.

Not a chance.

We got light rain. Then heavier rain. Then misty rain. Then steady rain. And more rain. Enter Oak Hill, West Virginia, where Scotty peeled off for Pittsburgh.

Scotty later reported that he had rain the whole way home.

Now, I'm quite certain the previous owner of Cheeto II rarely rode in the rain. I can say that with some certainty because my 'marine grade' radio decided that after a particular deluge it lit up like a Christmas tree before I shut it down. On top of that, my beautiful Baron tachometer fogged up light a priest's glasses at a strip club. I do believe it's ruined. But that's the end of the damage. The rest is just grime and filth. But Matt's boy Shane is earning a $10 spot to clean that up for me.

Out of the 400 miles home on Sunday, we estimate we had 250 miles of rain. Just when we thought we were done with the rain (about 100 miles from St. Paris) we had the chance to dry out for about 50 miles before it's started heavy and steady again. So it was the last 50 miles that soaked us again.

But the end of the ride was still delightful. Matt and I opened up the Apple Pie (much more about this in a later post) and we 'partook'. Heck, I was done driving, and so was he. Plus I had Monday off.

Of course, it took until Tuesday night for my boots to dry out enough to re-condition and polish.

But all in all, this was a great first trip of the season, and one I know will prepare me a little better for future wet weather rides.

Enough with the cold weather already

It's April 2011. It's past the middle of April, for cripes sakes. APRIL!

Mother Nature is playing some wicked game with us and it's just not right. There was snow in my area just a few days ago. I'm sorry, but this is ridiculous.

So, how's a guy supposed to get ready and in the mood for a full season of riding? Huh? Sure, I have insulated bib overalls, cold weather gloves, heavy coat and so on, but really? Should I have to resort to all that just to get a little riding in?

Enough whining. Let's get on to more exciting things, like the first 'healthy size' ride of the season.

Fort Wayne, Indiana to St. Paris, Ohio to Christiansburg, Virginia, and of course, back home. 946 miles round trip. Leave Friday, return Sunday.

This will be the first trip I take on the new Cheeto. Yeah, that will be exciting!

Stay tuned, my Ride Rangers, and I'll clue you in once the 2011 Ride Season gets underway. That is, IF the snow doesn't fly again, and if the temperature gets above 42. For a whole day. For cripes sakes!

Some cool memories and good ideas

Just a bit of 'stream of consciousness' on past ride memories, which might give you some ideas on places to visit yourself...in no particular order:

Mackinaw City, Michigan and upper peninsula of Michigan -
Just riding across Big Mac (the bridge) is an experience in itself. Not for the faint of heart (and certainly a challenge for those with a fear of heights), because the four lanes of the bridge are 2 paved and 2 grated (that's like riding on ice).

The small city (town?) of Mackinaw City is really a nice little place and very welcoming to bikers. If you get bored there, it's your fault. Be sure to head up to Sault Saint Marie and see the locks there. Travel the northern coast and see spectacular views of Lake Superior. Like waterfalls? Lighthouses? Sweeping tree-lined roads? Yep, it's all there. Just keep your eyes on the gas gauge, because stations are few and far between.

Johnstown, Pennsylvania -
Home of Thunder in the Valley. To be honest, I haven't ridden a lot of miles in this neck of the woods (mainly getting there and getting home). And about half the time it was during horrendous downpours, thunder and lightning. At night.

But I will say this, the roads in Pennsylvania are really made for motorcycles. Can't think of a better place to get your skills tuned up. And whatever you do, make the trip to Shanksville to the Flight 93 Memorial. You will never forget it.

Natural Bridge, Virginia -
Talk about great roads for riding! Blue Ridge Parkway is one of the best places to wittle away a few days. Mountain Peaks, valleys, rivers, waterfalls, this area has it all. And they happen to have quite a few 'hole in the wall' beer stops with pretty good grub.

Glacier National Park, Montana -
I cannot stress enough how much every rider in America needs to visit this park. I'm sure there are better times of year than others, but no matter. See it. Experience it. Even zipping through it can be done in about 3 hours, slow down. Take your time. Stop and smell the mountain goat poop. Okay, not really the poop. But at least experience it, and the area around it like Kalispell ,, St. Mary's and Cut Bank. And I highly recommend taking US-2 on both sides of the park. And while you are in the area, head up to Eureka, Montana and (if you are in a four wheel vehicle) get your oil changed at The Pit Stop Oil & Lube. Tell Myles I said hello.

North Vancouver, British Columbia -
Once you get through the urban landscape of beautiful downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, take Canada 1 (or whatever it's called) to BC-99 north. You'll go through a number of gorgeous provincial parks and past Whistler (where the 2010 Winter Olympics had may events) and see some of the most stunning scenery you'll ever experience.

By the time you get to Lilloet, you'll have seen the very best of it. I'd recommend taking another route back south if you don't want to suffer through some desert terrain. And I do mean suffer. At least if it's July. Lilloet is frequently the hottest spot in Canada every year. (And NO, that's not like saying 'tallest midget') But even that's worth it.

Finally (for this installment):

Kitwanga, BC to Hyder, Alaska -
This certainly is one majestic road. If you want wildlife and gorgeous vistas, this is the path for you. Watch out for Elk, Moose, Bear and smaller animals, but really enjoy this ride. The end of the route is also the highlight of it. Hyder is a very small town, and the southernmost accessible-by-road town in Alaska. That's what gives it its charm. Sure, it's a bit of a tourist trap being that a lot of folks make this their "I went to Alaska!" point, avoiding the extra 1,000 miles to get to 'mainland Alaska'.

If you go, and I really hope you will, please stay at the Sealaska Inn and say hello to Gary for me. Get 'Hyderized' there and be sure to have breakfast at the Glacier Inn (literally a stumble away from each other) before you leave the area.

This is another 'watch that gas gauge' route. And I'm serious about that. Top off in Stewart, BC and in Kitwanga (depending on your direction) and make sure you get every little drop in.

Whattaya think?

When the cold wind brings snow and ice...

...It's time to start letting the mind wander to warmer times.

Since we're supposedly in for a doozy of a winter weather system, my mind is racing and thinking of places I can escape to.

Clearly, I can't just up and go, but I can start thinking of warmer climes to head for when the winter starts to break, just so I can get a quick relief from these chilly temperatures and frozen precipitation.

Memphis, for example. Now today it's 66 degrees (F) there. By Thursday it'll be just 33 for a high, but still, it's better than our planned 16 degree high for that day. Surely by late March, Memphis will be in the 70's (or better) and that would make for some good riding weather. Memphis in August versus Memphis in March. Easy answer.

Want another? New Orleans. Today's high 67 degrees. I could live with that. Again, it's far better than burning up in the Big Easy in August.

How about Florida? Yeah, there's a reason Daytona sets Bike Week on the first full week of March. Because all of us up north are suffering from cabin fever. We could really use an excuse to get a jump on the riding season. But rather than fight the crowds in Daytona or Daytona Beach, I think I'll meander on over to Pensacola where the high temps average about 70 in March.

And yes, I'm fully aware that the first day's ride from Fort Wayne will be a cold one. No matter where the destination is. But you gotta take the bad with the good.

So I'm looking for suggestions... where can I take my happy, frozen butt in March to get warmed up and not have to ride more than 2 days to get there? You tell me. I'm always open to suggestions!

A New Blog!

It's about time to start a new blog. So here it is.

Gordo's Rides.

I'm hoping to share some details of rides I've done, those I'm planning on doing, and get some ideas from you on where and when to have a fantastic time on a motorcycle.

Probably will get off to a slow start, but it should be fun.

Brand new this time around will be my 2005 Honda VTX 1800N, nicknamed Cheeto II. Just got her in December, 2010 from a guy in Missouri.

So please return and of course, feel free to give me feedback, you know I love that!

Giddyup!