This year I'm going to try publishing highlights of Americade 2007, day-by-day in this blog. This is the 25th year for Americade. It's scheduled for June 4-9 this year. The blog will also include my preparation in getting ready to take the ride to Lake George, NY, my observations while there, the ride home, and getting back to normal.
We watched the weather reports and finally reconciled ourselves to having to get on the trikes and ride in the rain from tropical storm Barry. I don't mind riding and having it start to rain. Usually, you can ride through storms like that. This was different.
We started out at 9:15 a.m. to ride four miles up the road to meet Valerie. We pulled in and looked for Valerie. No Valerie. She ended up arriving a bit late because of slow traffic in the rain. It was still raining as we pulled out with three riders. We rode up Route 9 to the Garden State Parkway and over the Driscoll Bridge and onto 440 leading quickly to Route 287. Last year Jane and I got separated on the Driscoll Bridge. (Check last year's blog.) This year we had already made a test run to the Jersey Shore to check out the CBs. The squelch had not been set correctly. That caused the communication problem last year that resulted in us getting lost.
We picked up Marion at a rest stop near Morristown. It was still raining as the four of us headed back out on Route 287. We rode on to our only stop at the second rest area on the NY Thruway. It was still raining.
We completed our trip which, for us, was 250 miles and it had rained the entire time sometimes so heavy that I had to stand up regularly on the pegs and look over the windshield to see what was ahead of me.
We arrived at registration about 4 p.m. and there was no line at all -- an advantage of arriving late.
We had dinner with NJ members of the GWRRA. It was still raining.
We are hopeful of a bit less rain tomorrow as we expect to have an early breakfast and hit the vendor area about 9 a.m. We are told that we may actually see the sun tomorrow although a thunderstorm with high winds is forecast for the afternoon.
Showing posts with label Americade. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Americade. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Americade 2008 - Day 2
This year I'm publishing highlights of my activities at the 2008 Americade Motorcycle Rally, day by day in a blog. Americade is scheduled for June 2-7, this year. The blog will also include my preparation in getting ready to take the ride to Lake George, NY, my observations while there, the ride home, and getting back to normal.
The trip will now also include intermediate stop-offs at at our son's house in Boonton, NJ (three grandsons) and daughter's house in Middle Grove, NY (grandson and granddaughter). Our daughter made a move to the Saratoga Springs area last year after Americade. Since her house is now 25 miles south of Americade (and on the way), we now have a fringe benefit of making the trip.
Thursday started with a phone call to the dentist. He could work her in early at 10 a.m. to fix the chipped tooth.
There wasn't much time left to pack and load the trikes. Some had been done Wednesday night with each trike taking command of one side of the garage. The car had to brave the elements outside for the night. The rest of the loading was done Thursday morning.
We did start the trip promptly at 2 p.m. heading up route 9 then to I287 north to route 80 west and then up to Boonton where our son lives. We arrived out front and one of the grandsons suddenly appeared. All he wanted was a quick ride on one of the trikes. That meant a half block ride back and forth across their driveway.
Here are the two trikes as we arrived and our grandson, waiting for a quick, very slow ride.
Just before starting the ride:
The rest of the evening had no motorcycle content. It did involve my son, his two sons, and Jane and I playing a very long game of Monopoly. I hadn't played in thirty years. I was winning big until my real estate oriented son gained the upper hand by acquiring most of the real estate and charging me over $900 for landing on one of his hotels.
More to follow. Read the blog each day for further reports.
An evolving blog index to these Americade 2008 blog entries is also available.
The trip will now also include intermediate stop-offs at at our son's house in Boonton, NJ (three grandsons) and daughter's house in Middle Grove, NY (grandson and granddaughter). Our daughter made a move to the Saratoga Springs area last year after Americade. Since her house is now 25 miles south of Americade (and on the way), we now have a fringe benefit of making the trip.
Thursday started with a phone call to the dentist. He could work her in early at 10 a.m. to fix the chipped tooth.
There wasn't much time left to pack and load the trikes. Some had been done Wednesday night with each trike taking command of one side of the garage. The car had to brave the elements outside for the night. The rest of the loading was done Thursday morning.
We did start the trip promptly at 2 p.m. heading up route 9 then to I287 north to route 80 west and then up to Boonton where our son lives. We arrived out front and one of the grandsons suddenly appeared. All he wanted was a quick ride on one of the trikes. That meant a half block ride back and forth across their driveway.
Here are the two trikes as we arrived and our grandson, waiting for a quick, very slow ride.
Just before starting the ride:
The rest of the evening had no motorcycle content. It did involve my son, his two sons, and Jane and I playing a very long game of Monopoly. I hadn't played in thirty years. I was winning big until my real estate oriented son gained the upper hand by acquiring most of the real estate and charging me over $900 for landing on one of his hotels.
More to follow. Read the blog each day for further reports.
An evolving blog index to these Americade 2008 blog entries is also available.
Americade 2007 - Day 5
This year I'm going to try publishing highlights of Americade 2007, day-by-day in this blog. This is the 25th year for Americade. It's scheduled for June 4-9 this year. The blog will also include my preparation in getting ready to take the ride to Lake George, NY, my observations while there, the ride home, and getting back to normal.
Blog for Thursday:
Today was my day to walk up and down Canada Street and take a few pictures. You have to remember that there are really two rallies at Lake George: Americade and un-Americade. The first is the official rally that you have to register for and pay money to get in free at Tour-Expo, attend seminars, hear world famous riders speak like Fred Rau, go on organized tours, take demo rides on new bikes, enter your bike in various shows, attend the fireworks display, etc. The un-Americade rally has come to be known as Lake George Bike Week and there are plenty of T-shirts that say just that. The two rallies come together on Canada Street with bikes both parking on the side of the street and cruising back and forth.
I like it on Canada Street. I get to see bikes up close and I get to watch them go by and hear them run. I get to smell the exhaust too. I also take pictures and videos.
This evening, we took one trike up to Roaring Brook Ranch (RBR). Jane rode pillion for a change. We left her bike back at the motel to hold a parking space. We wanted to hear Fred Rau speak. His subject was to be a compilation of his Americade talks over the years.
On the way to RBR, I setup my camcorder on my new handlebar mount and let the camera record the trip up and back.
We got to RBR a little early but the place was packed with activities. It was like a 7-ring circus with nearly simultaneous seminars, light shows, demo rides, balloon glows, fashion show, 3-course dinner, and stunt show. I had to make two loops of the place to find a place to park my trike.
Before the light show was over, we decided to leave and got applauded as we rode the trike over the same section of road that the official light show entries did.
When we got back to the motel, a party next door had filled the back of our parking space with guest bikes. I had to yell for someone to move his bike so I could slip my trike into the space behind Jane's trike. We then walked up town for ice cream at Bob's.
Packing came next in preparation for leaving tomorrow.
Americade 2008 - Pictures
This year I'm publishing highlights of my activities at the 2008 Americade Motorcycle Rally, day by day in a blog. Americade is scheduled for June 2-7, this year. The blog will also include my preparation in getting ready to take the ride to Lake George, NY, my observations while there, the ride home, and getting back to normal.
The trip will now also include intermediate stop-offs at at our son's house in Boonton, NJ (three grandsons) and daughter's house in Middle Grove, NY (grandson and granddaughter). Our daughter made a move to the Saratoga Springs area last year after Americade. Since her house is now 25 miles south of Americade (and on the way), we now have a fringe benefit of making the trip.
I have finally processed 96 pictures taken throughout the Americade journey. Take a look.
I also promised you road tests for the three demo rides I took. That should be happening within the next week.
Read the blog each day for further reports.
An evolving blog index to these Americade 2008 blog entries is also available.
Americade 2008 - Day 6
This year I'm publishing highlights of my activities at the 2008 Americade Motorcycle Rally, day by day in a blog. Americade is scheduled for June 2-7, this year. The blog will also include my preparation in getting ready to take the ride to Lake George, NY, my observations while there, the ride home, and getting back to normal.
The trip will now also include intermediate stop-offs at at our son's house in Boonton, NJ (three grandsons) and daughter's house in Middle Grove, NY (grandson and granddaughter). Our daughter made a move to the Saratoga Springs area last year after Americade. Since her house is now 25 miles south of Americade (and on the way), we now have a fringe benefit of making the trip.
I'm finding it difficult to stay up-to-date with this "daily" blog. It takes a lot of time out of a day to do a blog entry especially when pictures and videos are involved. I'll do the best I can but first priority will be going to doing the actual activities of Americade.
Monday arrived and we finished packing the trikes. I was a little concerned that I might have a recurrence of the vibration I had a few days ago. But it was time to finish the ride to Lake George.
It only took about 45 minutes to scoot up the Northway and get off at exit 22 that led down to our motel at the north end of Lake George. I registered and headed down the sloping hill to our room where unpacking started. We still hadn't gone to the Holiday Inn to complete our pre-registration so that was next.
Some people like to get in line at 8 a.m. and spend the next 3-4 hours working up to those tables where your pre-registration package has been squirreled away. Not me. The Americade message board contributors seem to enjoy this. Not me. I hate lines. When we usually arrive on Monday, at about 3 p.m. the line has disappeared. We did see a small line today but that was only because our name was early in the alphabet. Our friend Marion who has a last name beginning with R was told to walk right in. We waited a bit and took in some violin music provided by someone willing to give up his whole day to help entertain those people who really spent a long time in line. Our standing was over in 5 minutes, thankfully.
We headed back to the trikes and started for the exit to Canada Street. Now, Americade only allows you to turn right when you leave the Holiday Inn. It's just too confusing and dangerous to turn left with so much two-way motorcycle traffic. In the past we turned right, then quickly pulled off to get gas and then were able to pull out and turn left on Canada Street with no restriction -- still just as dangerous. Since we didn't need any gas, I had told Jane -- who was leading -- to pull off at the new diner (the old one burned down last year before Americade) and then we could just pull back onto Canada Street and go left. However, this time I saw a few extra words on the bottom of the Right Turn Only sign. It said to immediately turn on the next street for an easy way back to town. As Jane pulled out of the diner and was trying to turn left, she wasn't having any luck. I thought maybe it was time to try that nifty turn that would lead back to town. I told Jane over the CB to turn right instead and turn at the next street. But, she had some trouble understanding me.
Jane turned right and by the time I made it through the right hand turn, she was way ahead of me and past the "next right hand turn." I was now at that turn and made a right as I got back on the CB. "You missed the turn," I said.
"What turn?" said Jane. "I didn't see anything. I'm already at the next light and I'll just have to turn and go out to the Northway and bypass Lake George to exit 22."
"I guess I'll just stay on this route and see where it comes out," I said. "I'll see you back at the motel."
My route brought me around and back to Canada Street where the traffic was light. I turned left and headed through town working my way light-by-light through the heavy traffic. I arrived at the motel to see Jane waiting outside our room. She had beaten me back to the motel, as shown here with Jane between the two trikes.
By the way, I had no recurrence of the trike vibration on the 35 mile trip from Saratoga Springs to Lake George.
We had dinner across the street with members from the Spokes-Women Motorcycle Club, shown meeting before we walked across the street to the restaurant.
Afterward, we walked Canada Street and I took a few pictures and videos.
I came upon a group surrounding a bike. It was a Can-Am Spyder. I would be riding one tomorrow.
Canada Street Videos:
These videos load slowly. Let them complete in slow motion and then replay them to see full motion.
Video 1
Video 2
Video 3
More to follow. Read the blog each day for further reports.
An evolving blog index to these Americade 2008 blog entries is also available.
The trip will now also include intermediate stop-offs at at our son's house in Boonton, NJ (three grandsons) and daughter's house in Middle Grove, NY (grandson and granddaughter). Our daughter made a move to the Saratoga Springs area last year after Americade. Since her house is now 25 miles south of Americade (and on the way), we now have a fringe benefit of making the trip.
I'm finding it difficult to stay up-to-date with this "daily" blog. It takes a lot of time out of a day to do a blog entry especially when pictures and videos are involved. I'll do the best I can but first priority will be going to doing the actual activities of Americade.
Monday arrived and we finished packing the trikes. I was a little concerned that I might have a recurrence of the vibration I had a few days ago. But it was time to finish the ride to Lake George.
It only took about 45 minutes to scoot up the Northway and get off at exit 22 that led down to our motel at the north end of Lake George. I registered and headed down the sloping hill to our room where unpacking started. We still hadn't gone to the Holiday Inn to complete our pre-registration so that was next.
Some people like to get in line at 8 a.m. and spend the next 3-4 hours working up to those tables where your pre-registration package has been squirreled away. Not me. The Americade message board contributors seem to enjoy this. Not me. I hate lines. When we usually arrive on Monday, at about 3 p.m. the line has disappeared. We did see a small line today but that was only because our name was early in the alphabet. Our friend Marion who has a last name beginning with R was told to walk right in. We waited a bit and took in some violin music provided by someone willing to give up his whole day to help entertain those people who really spent a long time in line. Our standing was over in 5 minutes, thankfully.
We headed back to the trikes and started for the exit to Canada Street. Now, Americade only allows you to turn right when you leave the Holiday Inn. It's just too confusing and dangerous to turn left with so much two-way motorcycle traffic. In the past we turned right, then quickly pulled off to get gas and then were able to pull out and turn left on Canada Street with no restriction -- still just as dangerous. Since we didn't need any gas, I had told Jane -- who was leading -- to pull off at the new diner (the old one burned down last year before Americade) and then we could just pull back onto Canada Street and go left. However, this time I saw a few extra words on the bottom of the Right Turn Only sign. It said to immediately turn on the next street for an easy way back to town. As Jane pulled out of the diner and was trying to turn left, she wasn't having any luck. I thought maybe it was time to try that nifty turn that would lead back to town. I told Jane over the CB to turn right instead and turn at the next street. But, she had some trouble understanding me.
Jane turned right and by the time I made it through the right hand turn, she was way ahead of me and past the "next right hand turn." I was now at that turn and made a right as I got back on the CB. "You missed the turn," I said.
"What turn?" said Jane. "I didn't see anything. I'm already at the next light and I'll just have to turn and go out to the Northway and bypass Lake George to exit 22."
"I guess I'll just stay on this route and see where it comes out," I said. "I'll see you back at the motel."
My route brought me around and back to Canada Street where the traffic was light. I turned left and headed through town working my way light-by-light through the heavy traffic. I arrived at the motel to see Jane waiting outside our room. She had beaten me back to the motel, as shown here with Jane between the two trikes.
By the way, I had no recurrence of the trike vibration on the 35 mile trip from Saratoga Springs to Lake George.
We had dinner across the street with members from the Spokes-Women Motorcycle Club, shown meeting before we walked across the street to the restaurant.
Afterward, we walked Canada Street and I took a few pictures and videos.
I came upon a group surrounding a bike. It was a Can-Am Spyder. I would be riding one tomorrow.
Canada Street Videos:
These videos load slowly. Let them complete in slow motion and then replay them to see full motion.
Video 1
Video 2
Video 3
More to follow. Read the blog each day for further reports.
An evolving blog index to these Americade 2008 blog entries is also available.
Americade 2008 - Day 9
This year I'm publishing highlights of my activities at the 2008 Americade Motorcycle Rally, day by day in a blog. Americade is scheduled for June 2-7, this year. The blog will also include my preparation in getting ready to take the ride to Lake George, NY, my observations while there, the ride home, and getting back to normal.
The trip will now also include intermediate stop-offs at at our son's house in Boonton, NJ (three grandsons) and daughter's house in Middle Grove, NY (grandson and granddaughter). Our daughter made a move to the Saratoga Springs area last year after Americade. Since her house is now 25 miles south of Americade (and on the way), we now have a fringe benefit of making the trip.
On Thursday we parked our trikes across the street from the motel and had breakfast where the famous Wegars used to be located. They still have the old player piano there but it's not turned on. The overhead train is totally gone. The food was good anyway, except they ran out of donuts.
We headed out to Tour-Expo. I hadn't been there yet. When we got inside, Jane went one way and I went another. Cell phones would get us back together later.
I walked past the Corbin booth and saw a Spyder all decked out in a touring seat, touring bags, and full fairing. I had heard that a Spyder touring model would soon be introduced and I thought maybe this was it. A few words with one of the reps standing there informed me otherwise. Corbin had accessories to make the Spyder into a tourer. Only about $5000 would do the trick. Corbin was ahead of the curve again.
I stopped in at Cycle Gadgets and picked up a long extension for my camera mount.
Then I turned the corner and strolled over to the Motor Trike area. I wanted to talk to the Motor Trike dealer from New Jersey. I finally found him and explained a problem I was having with my rear trunk. It kept loosening up, was hard to open, and always let rain in. Every time I stopped, the door was ajar and I had to reopen it and then slam it shut, usually skinning my knuckles in the process. Then another rep from Canada came over and offered advice. My explanation of the layout of my trunk hardware was lacking and I really needed to show them the actual trunk.
I walked out to the parking lot and returned to the side gate outside Motor Trike where the two reps examined the situation. The guy from Canada said the latch needed to be repositioned and lubricated. He went looking for tools and a thick washer and returned with some WD-40 as well. In five minutes, he had the trunk working perfectly with an easy open and no leaks. As far as I was concerned, my trip to Americade was worth it just to get this free fix. Thanks Motor Trike.
Also, I told them about the vibration I had been getting. The NJ guy slid under the trike and checked everything out. "No problem," he said as he emerged covered with dirt on the back of his T-shirt and grease on his hands from the trike undercarriage.
I also asked about why the left side rear fender was so close to the tire while the right side was not. Then the rep pointed out that there was an abrasion all the way around the tire where the fender had been rubbing against it. Whoa, we have a problem here. He said he could fix it in his shop in New Jersey by making a simple undercarriage adjustment. I needed to make an appointment when I got back from Americade. Better still, his shop was close by my house.
More problems were being solved by my trip to Americade.
At 3 p.m. we rode down to the Log Jam Restaurant to meet members of our GWRRA chapter who had ridden up for the day. Here are a few pictures.
That evening we walked Canada Street again and I took the following pictures and videos. First off is a bike carrying just about everything needed to go to Americade.
Dogs were everywhere. Some got the royal treatment like this one in his own trailer.
It's a car, no it's a bike, maybe it's a trike. Regardless, it's fun for the Americade scene.
Jane looking at a Spyder decorated with a spider web.
Just enjoying the view on Canada Street. She looked pretty serene.
The cops were giving out parking tickets this year. If you didn't have a PP sticker for $7 or didn't keep feeding the meters, you got one of these.
A block from our motel I saw a 911 memorial bike. It was pretty spectacular.
I also took a short video of Canada Street traffic. (This video loads slowly. Let it complete in slow motion and then replay it to see full motion.)
Finally, I also took a short video of me walking alongside the Canada Street traffic.
More to follow. Read the blog each day for further reports.
An evolving blog index to these Americade 2008 blog entries is also available.
The trip will now also include intermediate stop-offs at at our son's house in Boonton, NJ (three grandsons) and daughter's house in Middle Grove, NY (grandson and granddaughter). Our daughter made a move to the Saratoga Springs area last year after Americade. Since her house is now 25 miles south of Americade (and on the way), we now have a fringe benefit of making the trip.
On Thursday we parked our trikes across the street from the motel and had breakfast where the famous Wegars used to be located. They still have the old player piano there but it's not turned on. The overhead train is totally gone. The food was good anyway, except they ran out of donuts.
We headed out to Tour-Expo. I hadn't been there yet. When we got inside, Jane went one way and I went another. Cell phones would get us back together later.
I walked past the Corbin booth and saw a Spyder all decked out in a touring seat, touring bags, and full fairing. I had heard that a Spyder touring model would soon be introduced and I thought maybe this was it. A few words with one of the reps standing there informed me otherwise. Corbin had accessories to make the Spyder into a tourer. Only about $5000 would do the trick. Corbin was ahead of the curve again.
I stopped in at Cycle Gadgets and picked up a long extension for my camera mount.
Then I turned the corner and strolled over to the Motor Trike area. I wanted to talk to the Motor Trike dealer from New Jersey. I finally found him and explained a problem I was having with my rear trunk. It kept loosening up, was hard to open, and always let rain in. Every time I stopped, the door was ajar and I had to reopen it and then slam it shut, usually skinning my knuckles in the process. Then another rep from Canada came over and offered advice. My explanation of the layout of my trunk hardware was lacking and I really needed to show them the actual trunk.
I walked out to the parking lot and returned to the side gate outside Motor Trike where the two reps examined the situation. The guy from Canada said the latch needed to be repositioned and lubricated. He went looking for tools and a thick washer and returned with some WD-40 as well. In five minutes, he had the trunk working perfectly with an easy open and no leaks. As far as I was concerned, my trip to Americade was worth it just to get this free fix. Thanks Motor Trike.
Also, I told them about the vibration I had been getting. The NJ guy slid under the trike and checked everything out. "No problem," he said as he emerged covered with dirt on the back of his T-shirt and grease on his hands from the trike undercarriage.
I also asked about why the left side rear fender was so close to the tire while the right side was not. Then the rep pointed out that there was an abrasion all the way around the tire where the fender had been rubbing against it. Whoa, we have a problem here. He said he could fix it in his shop in New Jersey by making a simple undercarriage adjustment. I needed to make an appointment when I got back from Americade. Better still, his shop was close by my house.
More problems were being solved by my trip to Americade.
At 3 p.m. we rode down to the Log Jam Restaurant to meet members of our GWRRA chapter who had ridden up for the day. Here are a few pictures.
That evening we walked Canada Street again and I took the following pictures and videos. First off is a bike carrying just about everything needed to go to Americade.
Dogs were everywhere. Some got the royal treatment like this one in his own trailer.
It's a car, no it's a bike, maybe it's a trike. Regardless, it's fun for the Americade scene.
Jane looking at a Spyder decorated with a spider web.
Just enjoying the view on Canada Street. She looked pretty serene.
The cops were giving out parking tickets this year. If you didn't have a PP sticker for $7 or didn't keep feeding the meters, you got one of these.
A block from our motel I saw a 911 memorial bike. It was pretty spectacular.
I also took a short video of Canada Street traffic. (This video loads slowly. Let it complete in slow motion and then replay it to see full motion.)
Finally, I also took a short video of me walking alongside the Canada Street traffic.
More to follow. Read the blog each day for further reports.
An evolving blog index to these Americade 2008 blog entries is also available.
Americade 2007 - Day 1
This year I'm going to try publishing highlights of Americade 2007, day-by-day in this blog. This is the 25th year for Americade. It's scheduled for June 4-9 this year. The blog will also include my preparation in getting ready to take the ride to Lake George, NY, my observations while there, the ride home, and getting back to normal.
This will be the 14th consecutive Americade rally that Jane and I have attended. I think we're in a rut.
I had bad arthritis last year at this time. For some reason, it seems to be greatly relieved this year.
Jane had knee replacement surgery on Election Day 2006. It took awhile for her to get back to a point where she could ride but she set riding goals and achieved them all. This trip of 270 miles will be the longest distance she has traveled on her trike since her surgery.
Today, we are getting packed for the trip to Lake George. We will be leaving at 9:30 a.m. Monday morning. Unfortunately, tropical storm, Barry, is bearing down on us and promises heavy rain this afternoon and tomorrow morning. That could make the ride semi-miserable.
Jane is the sunshine lady in our Gold Wing chapter. She announces birthdays and anniversaries and also has a remarkable record of making the sun shine when the chapter takes a ride somewhere. Right now, she's driving home on the Jersey Turnpike after attending a birthday party for our granddaughter in PA. The storm is right behind her pushing her north. She needs to somehow steer it to the right, out into the Atlantic Ocean to clear the way for our trip. Go Jane Go!
This afternoon we will be packing up and loading the bikes.
We will be meeting another female rider about four miles north tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. and then picking up another female rider near Morristown, NJ about an hour or so later. We'll have three trikes and one Gold Wing two-wheeler (could be a Valkyrie) in the group.
Next year, our daughter and her family will be moving from PA to Saratoga Springs, NY. That's only 20-some miles from Lake George and right on the way for us. We probably will be tacking a few days on the beginning and end of our Americade tour from now on to visit with them.
Tomorrow, we take the trip to Lake George. Rain, rain, stay away.
This will be the 14th consecutive Americade rally that Jane and I have attended. I think we're in a rut.
I had bad arthritis last year at this time. For some reason, it seems to be greatly relieved this year.
Jane had knee replacement surgery on Election Day 2006. It took awhile for her to get back to a point where she could ride but she set riding goals and achieved them all. This trip of 270 miles will be the longest distance she has traveled on her trike since her surgery.
Today, we are getting packed for the trip to Lake George. We will be leaving at 9:30 a.m. Monday morning. Unfortunately, tropical storm, Barry, is bearing down on us and promises heavy rain this afternoon and tomorrow morning. That could make the ride semi-miserable.
Jane is the sunshine lady in our Gold Wing chapter. She announces birthdays and anniversaries and also has a remarkable record of making the sun shine when the chapter takes a ride somewhere. Right now, she's driving home on the Jersey Turnpike after attending a birthday party for our granddaughter in PA. The storm is right behind her pushing her north. She needs to somehow steer it to the right, out into the Atlantic Ocean to clear the way for our trip. Go Jane Go!
This afternoon we will be packing up and loading the bikes.
We will be meeting another female rider about four miles north tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. and then picking up another female rider near Morristown, NJ about an hour or so later. We'll have three trikes and one Gold Wing two-wheeler (could be a Valkyrie) in the group.
Next year, our daughter and her family will be moving from PA to Saratoga Springs, NY. That's only 20-some miles from Lake George and right on the way for us. We probably will be tacking a few days on the beginning and end of our Americade tour from now on to visit with them.
Tomorrow, we take the trip to Lake George. Rain, rain, stay away.
2008 Vectrix All-Electric Maxi-Scooter Road Test
This is a review of the 2008 Vectrix All-Electric Maxi-Scooter. It's based on a demo ride I recently took at Americade 2008. The Vectrix is made by Vectrix Corp. a company started in Europe in 1996 and now expanded into the USA.
If you remember the futuristic vehicles on the Jetson's TV show, you'll feel right at home on the Vectrix. This is a Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV). It uses no gas and no oil.
It looks like a regular size motor scooter. It's designed with safety in mind. To start the machine, you raise the kickstand, turn on the ignition, squeeze the left hand brake and the right hand brake and then you notice that the instrument panel comes alive as it performs an initial system check. Finally, you see a big GO appear on the panel and a number indicator that counts down the miles before the battery needs to be recharged. So far, you have heard no sound at all.
The scooter will go up to 62 mph and has a range somewhere between 50-60 miles depending on how hard you ride it and how steep the terrain is. It has a 30 inch seat height. It takes 3-5 hours to recharge the batteries.
I went out with a group for the demo ride. I was riding behind the leader. Now, I have been riding a trike for over eight years and haven't ridden much on two-wheels so I wasn't too sure about taking this demo in the first place.
In order to get out to the highway, we had to go up the corkscrew drive at Roaring Brook Ranch (RBR), follow it around through the other demo areas and then head down the exit drive to the highway.
The corkscrew drive is one on which you do not stop. You have to keep going or risk a pileup behind you as other riders also try to stop. Fortunately, there are Americade volunteers with Walkie Talkies stationed on the curves to keep you going.
Anyway, I whipped the Vectrix out of its display area hearing only a slight electric motor sound, went up the hill, around a quick uphill left followed by a quick uphill right followed by a sweeping left that led around the property. The scooter responded beautifully with no hesitation. I just couldn't hear much running -- just the faint whining electric motor sound.
When the leader pulled up to the stop sign at the highway, I realized that I also needed to stop. Stopping the Vectrix is done in one of two ways. You can use the left and right handlebar brakes or you can forget about the brakes and use regenerative braking. We were told to use the regenerative braking. To make it work, you twist the throttle away from you and magically, the scooter slows down. It is engine braking that serves the purpose of also charging the batteries. This regenerative effect extends your range by up to 12%. After awhile, you forget about the regular brakes and simply twist the throttle toward you to speed up, and away from you to slow down. Neat!
When I realized I needed to stop that first time, I stopped way back and put my feet down. Then I realized I needed to be closer so I had to move closer to the stop sign. There was a cop there directing traffic. The leader pulled out on the cop's signal and I followed up the hill. The Vectrix shot ahead like a rocket as I caught up with the leader.
We proceeded to take a series of tight uphill and downhill twisties. I was leaning the bike quite a lot on the corners. Trikes don't lean so I had to remember what vehicle I was riding.
I didn't have to concern myself with shifting. There was none. Basically I just kept leaning the bike as necessary while I used the right throttle grip to either go faster or slower.
There was one thing that annoyed me as we returned to RBR to end the demo. I kept hearing a slight beep-beep-beep sound from somewhere. I must be doing something wrong. When we finally stopped at the Vectrix booth, the leader came over to me and I asked him what that noise was. He reminded me of one of his instructions at our riders' meeting before the demo. "If you forget to turn off the turn signals, it will keep reminding you by a beep-beep-beep sound," he said.
"Oh yeah, now I remember."
The Vectrix is built in a plant in Wroclaw, Poland. The headquarters for the USA is in Middletown, RI. The engineering and test facilities are in New Bedford, MA. A dealer network is now expanding across the USA.
I was told the price was about $11,000 but I saw a range from $8,800 to almost $12,000 from various other sources online.
There also appears to be a 3-wheel version much like the Piaggio MP3 scooter. In fact, there seems to have been some sort of deal whereby Vectrix purchased the rights to the Vespa MP3 design. I didn't see the 3-wheel version mentioned on the website but did see it in this Jay Leno's Garage video where Jay checked out the Vectrix.
The company is heavily promoting the scooter especially to cities that are trying to reduce pollution.
The Vectrix maxi-scooter seems to be filling a need to find a way to replace conventional fossil fueled vehicles. It's attracting buyers who are able to fit its capabilities into their lifestyles.
To attract more customers, the Vectrix probably needs to have a higher top speed to fit freeway conditions and a longer commuting range without recharging. However, the Vectrix is proving popular with those who have seen it and as the price comes down and the speed and range go up, this could be a big winner.
The following is a short video I took of another Vectrix demo group at RBR returning from a demo run. The group is followed by a conventional Harley that's making the sounds you hear near the end of the clip. They are the sounds of gas and oil being depleted while that rider's billfold is getting thinner with each fill up.
See Americade 2008 - Day 7 for all the rest of my activities on the day I rode the Vectrix.
My complete activities for Americade 2008 may be found on Americade Motorcycle Rally Day-by-Day Blog for 2008.
If you remember the futuristic vehicles on the Jetson's TV show, you'll feel right at home on the Vectrix. This is a Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV). It uses no gas and no oil.
It looks like a regular size motor scooter. It's designed with safety in mind. To start the machine, you raise the kickstand, turn on the ignition, squeeze the left hand brake and the right hand brake and then you notice that the instrument panel comes alive as it performs an initial system check. Finally, you see a big GO appear on the panel and a number indicator that counts down the miles before the battery needs to be recharged. So far, you have heard no sound at all.
The scooter will go up to 62 mph and has a range somewhere between 50-60 miles depending on how hard you ride it and how steep the terrain is. It has a 30 inch seat height. It takes 3-5 hours to recharge the batteries.
I went out with a group for the demo ride. I was riding behind the leader. Now, I have been riding a trike for over eight years and haven't ridden much on two-wheels so I wasn't too sure about taking this demo in the first place.
In order to get out to the highway, we had to go up the corkscrew drive at Roaring Brook Ranch (RBR), follow it around through the other demo areas and then head down the exit drive to the highway.
The corkscrew drive is one on which you do not stop. You have to keep going or risk a pileup behind you as other riders also try to stop. Fortunately, there are Americade volunteers with Walkie Talkies stationed on the curves to keep you going.
Anyway, I whipped the Vectrix out of its display area hearing only a slight electric motor sound, went up the hill, around a quick uphill left followed by a quick uphill right followed by a sweeping left that led around the property. The scooter responded beautifully with no hesitation. I just couldn't hear much running -- just the faint whining electric motor sound.
When the leader pulled up to the stop sign at the highway, I realized that I also needed to stop. Stopping the Vectrix is done in one of two ways. You can use the left and right handlebar brakes or you can forget about the brakes and use regenerative braking. We were told to use the regenerative braking. To make it work, you twist the throttle away from you and magically, the scooter slows down. It is engine braking that serves the purpose of also charging the batteries. This regenerative effect extends your range by up to 12%. After awhile, you forget about the regular brakes and simply twist the throttle toward you to speed up, and away from you to slow down. Neat!
When I realized I needed to stop that first time, I stopped way back and put my feet down. Then I realized I needed to be closer so I had to move closer to the stop sign. There was a cop there directing traffic. The leader pulled out on the cop's signal and I followed up the hill. The Vectrix shot ahead like a rocket as I caught up with the leader.
We proceeded to take a series of tight uphill and downhill twisties. I was leaning the bike quite a lot on the corners. Trikes don't lean so I had to remember what vehicle I was riding.
I didn't have to concern myself with shifting. There was none. Basically I just kept leaning the bike as necessary while I used the right throttle grip to either go faster or slower.
There was one thing that annoyed me as we returned to RBR to end the demo. I kept hearing a slight beep-beep-beep sound from somewhere. I must be doing something wrong. When we finally stopped at the Vectrix booth, the leader came over to me and I asked him what that noise was. He reminded me of one of his instructions at our riders' meeting before the demo. "If you forget to turn off the turn signals, it will keep reminding you by a beep-beep-beep sound," he said.
"Oh yeah, now I remember."
The Vectrix is built in a plant in Wroclaw, Poland. The headquarters for the USA is in Middletown, RI. The engineering and test facilities are in New Bedford, MA. A dealer network is now expanding across the USA.
I was told the price was about $11,000 but I saw a range from $8,800 to almost $12,000 from various other sources online.
There also appears to be a 3-wheel version much like the Piaggio MP3 scooter. In fact, there seems to have been some sort of deal whereby Vectrix purchased the rights to the Vespa MP3 design. I didn't see the 3-wheel version mentioned on the website but did see it in this Jay Leno's Garage video where Jay checked out the Vectrix.
The company is heavily promoting the scooter especially to cities that are trying to reduce pollution.
The Vectrix maxi-scooter seems to be filling a need to find a way to replace conventional fossil fueled vehicles. It's attracting buyers who are able to fit its capabilities into their lifestyles.
To attract more customers, the Vectrix probably needs to have a higher top speed to fit freeway conditions and a longer commuting range without recharging. However, the Vectrix is proving popular with those who have seen it and as the price comes down and the speed and range go up, this could be a big winner.
The following is a short video I took of another Vectrix demo group at RBR returning from a demo run. The group is followed by a conventional Harley that's making the sounds you hear near the end of the clip. They are the sounds of gas and oil being depleted while that rider's billfold is getting thinner with each fill up.
See Americade 2008 - Day 7 for all the rest of my activities on the day I rode the Vectrix.
My complete activities for Americade 2008 may be found on Americade Motorcycle Rally Day-by-Day Blog for 2008.
Americade 2008 - Day 7
This year I'm publishing highlights of my activities at the 2008 Americade Motorcycle Rally, day by day in a blog. Americade is scheduled for June 2-7, this year. The blog will also include my preparation in getting ready to take the ride to Lake George, NY, my observations while there, the ride home, and getting back to normal.
The trip will now also include intermediate stop-offs at at our son's house in Boonton, NJ (three grandsons) and daughter's house in Middle Grove, NY (grandson and granddaughter). Our daughter made a move to the Saratoga Springs area last year after Americade. Since her house is now 25 miles south of Americade (and on the way), we now have a fringe benefit of making the trip.
I'm finding it difficult to stay up-to-date with this "daily" blog. It takes a lot of time out of a day to do a blog entry especially when pictures and videos are involved. I'll do the best I can but first priority will be going to doing the actual activities of Americade.
On Monday I got to thinking that I should do some demo rides. I didn't want to go out on straight motorcycle demos since I'm basically riding three wheels these days. I decided to sign-up for the Vectrix electric scooter, the Cam-Am Spyder, and the new Stallion trike made by Thoroughbred Motorsports, INC, a Motor Trike company.
On Tuesday, we got up early and rode up to the Lone Bull Restaurant, a favorite of many Americaders. We've eaten there almost every year we've attended Americade. It's part of our ritual. After breakfast we always ride down to Tour-Expo at 9 a.m. This year the ritual changed a little.
I decided to go to Americade headquarters at Roaring Brook Ranch (RBR) to register for my three demo rides while Jane rode to Tour-Expo. I would meet her there later.
I entered RBR and found Vectrix Scooters at the foot of the infamous corkscrew road on which a motorcycle dares not stop. I registered for a ride and was told to return in 40 minutes for the next ride. I didn't think I would get in so fast. While I waited, I decided to continue up the road to the next parking lot where Cam-Am Spyder was located.
Cam-Am had an elaborate sign-up process. I first signed-in and got a plastic tag on a cord to put around my neck. A special code was on the tag. I was told to get in another line that led up to four laptop workstations. When I reached the laptop, I sat down and followed a series of instructions. I had to pass the tag through a card reader. I then had to pass my drivers license through the card reader which read off my name and address. Then I answered various other questions about my experience with motorcycles. Finally, I signed a release and then got an armband that had my demo time on it. My appointment was to be in mid-afternoon on Tuesday.
I rode back down to the Vectrix demo and got briefed on its operation. The Vectrix is a zero-emission vehicle - no gas, no oil. It was quiet. Here's a 2008 Vectrix Road Test report that I did after I returned from Americade 2008. This report also contains a short video I took of a Vectrix demo group.
On the way out of RBR I stopped at the Thoroughbred Motorsports area where demos were being organized for the Stallion trike. I signed up for a demo on Wednesday morning at 9:40 a.m. Rain was expected overnight and into Wednesday morning but I took the chance that conditions would improve. I asked if I could add my wife to the demo as a passenger. I was told that she could sign-in at the demo tomorrow.
The Can-Am Spyder demo was held at 2:30 p.m. and seemed to be the most popular place at RBR. I first had to attend a 10-minute video on the technical features of the Spyder. Then there was a riders' meeting where the demo leader went over everything about the operation of the Spyder. They even gave you a short cone-weave test to make sure you could turn the vehicle and stop it. Hit a cone and you were out. Here's a 2008 Spyder Road Test report that I did after I returned from Americade 2008. This report also contains a short video I took of a Spyder demo group.
More to follow. Read the blog each day for further reports.
An evolving blog index to these Americade 2008 blog entries is also available.
The trip will now also include intermediate stop-offs at at our son's house in Boonton, NJ (three grandsons) and daughter's house in Middle Grove, NY (grandson and granddaughter). Our daughter made a move to the Saratoga Springs area last year after Americade. Since her house is now 25 miles south of Americade (and on the way), we now have a fringe benefit of making the trip.
I'm finding it difficult to stay up-to-date with this "daily" blog. It takes a lot of time out of a day to do a blog entry especially when pictures and videos are involved. I'll do the best I can but first priority will be going to doing the actual activities of Americade.
On Monday I got to thinking that I should do some demo rides. I didn't want to go out on straight motorcycle demos since I'm basically riding three wheels these days. I decided to sign-up for the Vectrix electric scooter, the Cam-Am Spyder, and the new Stallion trike made by Thoroughbred Motorsports, INC, a Motor Trike company.
On Tuesday, we got up early and rode up to the Lone Bull Restaurant, a favorite of many Americaders. We've eaten there almost every year we've attended Americade. It's part of our ritual. After breakfast we always ride down to Tour-Expo at 9 a.m. This year the ritual changed a little.
I decided to go to Americade headquarters at Roaring Brook Ranch (RBR) to register for my three demo rides while Jane rode to Tour-Expo. I would meet her there later.
I entered RBR and found Vectrix Scooters at the foot of the infamous corkscrew road on which a motorcycle dares not stop. I registered for a ride and was told to return in 40 minutes for the next ride. I didn't think I would get in so fast. While I waited, I decided to continue up the road to the next parking lot where Cam-Am Spyder was located.
Cam-Am had an elaborate sign-up process. I first signed-in and got a plastic tag on a cord to put around my neck. A special code was on the tag. I was told to get in another line that led up to four laptop workstations. When I reached the laptop, I sat down and followed a series of instructions. I had to pass the tag through a card reader. I then had to pass my drivers license through the card reader which read off my name and address. Then I answered various other questions about my experience with motorcycles. Finally, I signed a release and then got an armband that had my demo time on it. My appointment was to be in mid-afternoon on Tuesday.
I rode back down to the Vectrix demo and got briefed on its operation. The Vectrix is a zero-emission vehicle - no gas, no oil. It was quiet. Here's a 2008 Vectrix Road Test report that I did after I returned from Americade 2008. This report also contains a short video I took of a Vectrix demo group.
On the way out of RBR I stopped at the Thoroughbred Motorsports area where demos were being organized for the Stallion trike. I signed up for a demo on Wednesday morning at 9:40 a.m. Rain was expected overnight and into Wednesday morning but I took the chance that conditions would improve. I asked if I could add my wife to the demo as a passenger. I was told that she could sign-in at the demo tomorrow.
The Can-Am Spyder demo was held at 2:30 p.m. and seemed to be the most popular place at RBR. I first had to attend a 10-minute video on the technical features of the Spyder. Then there was a riders' meeting where the demo leader went over everything about the operation of the Spyder. They even gave you a short cone-weave test to make sure you could turn the vehicle and stop it. Hit a cone and you were out. Here's a 2008 Spyder Road Test report that I did after I returned from Americade 2008. This report also contains a short video I took of a Spyder demo group.
More to follow. Read the blog each day for further reports.
An evolving blog index to these Americade 2008 blog entries is also available.
Americade 2007 - Day 3
This year I'm going to try publishing highlights of Americade 2007, day-by-day in this blog. This is the 25th year for Americade. It's scheduled for June 4-9 this year. The blog will also include my preparation in getting ready to take the ride to Lake George, NY, my observations while there, the ride home, and getting back to normal.
I missed getting my blog entry in for yesterday so here it is.
Tuesday is always the day we go to the Tour Expo vendor area. It opens at 9 a.m. and if you're registered, you just walk in by showing your armband. Others pay $10 a day.
We approached the parking area and noticed that everyone was lining up and parking on the side street instead of entering the big grassy field. We continued on ignoring the crowd. We soon realized that the grass was wet and many of the bikes, especially with co-riders, didn't want to take a chance on spilling their $20,000 bikes ($25,000 with full chrome). We were all on trikes so it didn't matter what the surface was. We were waved in and parked very near the end of the grassy area near Tour Expo.
We walked the quarter mile down to Tour Expo and flashed our armbands to get in. Jane headed for the helmet vendors while I went to Cycle Gadgets to look for a camcorder mount to put on my trike.
Jane needed a new helmet and finally decided on a fancy Nolan N102. It had a flip up front, sunshade, and fog eliminator feature. It also contained a headset and microphone to hook up to the trike's radio and CB.
I had already found the components I needed at Cycle Gadgets and decided to walked back to my trike and see if they would work with the existing mount I got two years ago for my Garmin 2610 GPS. Half way there, I got a cellphone call from Jane wanting me to come back and look at the Nolan before she bought it. So I walked back and essentially agreed that it looked like a good helmet. The only possible problem was the hookup cord. Would it mate to the trike's existing connection? I said I'd walk back to the trike and bring the cord back -- just to be sure. So I took another half mile jaunt to fetch the cord. It matched.
Jane wanted to go over to the other side of town to the second part of the Tour Expo called The Forum. I said I wanted to try out my new camcorder mount so We went in separate directions. I walked back to the trike and put my camcorder in the new handlebar mount, started up the trike, and turned on the camcorder. I left it on for the whole trip back to my motel -- maybe 8 minutes of video. That worked great, with no shakiness.
We got a bit of rain today -- big surprise. We also got a big drop of pollen from the trees that covered everything including us and our bikes. We even got a rainbow out of it that appeared low over Lake George. See picture, above. While downtown all of a sudden we got a 50 mph wind that came out of nowhere and lasted about 20 seconds. Then it got real cold. Did I mention that the weather is totally unpredictable at Americade?
I missed getting my blog entry in for yesterday so here it is.
Tuesday is always the day we go to the Tour Expo vendor area. It opens at 9 a.m. and if you're registered, you just walk in by showing your armband. Others pay $10 a day.
We approached the parking area and noticed that everyone was lining up and parking on the side street instead of entering the big grassy field. We continued on ignoring the crowd. We soon realized that the grass was wet and many of the bikes, especially with co-riders, didn't want to take a chance on spilling their $20,000 bikes ($25,000 with full chrome). We were all on trikes so it didn't matter what the surface was. We were waved in and parked very near the end of the grassy area near Tour Expo.
We walked the quarter mile down to Tour Expo and flashed our armbands to get in. Jane headed for the helmet vendors while I went to Cycle Gadgets to look for a camcorder mount to put on my trike.
Jane needed a new helmet and finally decided on a fancy Nolan N102. It had a flip up front, sunshade, and fog eliminator feature. It also contained a headset and microphone to hook up to the trike's radio and CB.
I had already found the components I needed at Cycle Gadgets and decided to walked back to my trike and see if they would work with the existing mount I got two years ago for my Garmin 2610 GPS. Half way there, I got a cellphone call from Jane wanting me to come back and look at the Nolan before she bought it. So I walked back and essentially agreed that it looked like a good helmet. The only possible problem was the hookup cord. Would it mate to the trike's existing connection? I said I'd walk back to the trike and bring the cord back -- just to be sure. So I took another half mile jaunt to fetch the cord. It matched.
Jane wanted to go over to the other side of town to the second part of the Tour Expo called The Forum. I said I wanted to try out my new camcorder mount so We went in separate directions. I walked back to the trike and put my camcorder in the new handlebar mount, started up the trike, and turned on the camcorder. I left it on for the whole trip back to my motel -- maybe 8 minutes of video. That worked great, with no shakiness.
We got a bit of rain today -- big surprise. We also got a big drop of pollen from the trees that covered everything including us and our bikes. We even got a rainbow out of it that appeared low over Lake George. See picture, above. While downtown all of a sudden we got a 50 mph wind that came out of nowhere and lasted about 20 seconds. Then it got real cold. Did I mention that the weather is totally unpredictable at Americade?
Tomorrow (actually today), we will be heading up to the Lone Bull Restaurant for breakfast and then back to Tour Expo. I am beginning to see a new helmet in my future.
Americade 2008 - Day 3
This year I'm publishing highlights of my activities at the 2008 Americade Motorcycle Rally, day by day in a blog. Americade is scheduled for June 2-7, this year. The blog will also include my preparation in getting ready to take the ride to Lake George, NY, my observations while there, the ride home, and getting back to normal.
The trip will now also include intermediate stop-offs at at our son's house in Boonton, NJ (three grandsons) and daughter's house in Middle Grove, NY (grandson and granddaughter). Our daughter made a move to the Saratoga Springs area last year after Americade. Since her house is now 25 miles south of Americade (and on the way), we now have a fringe benefit of making the trip.
Friday started with packing the trikes again in my son's garage in Boonton. Here are the trikes just before I pulled them out to begin on the next leg of our trip.
Today's ride would take us to the Saratoga Springs, NY area where our daughter and two of our grandchildren live.
The ride to Saratoga Springs was straightforward. Just ride north to I87 -- the Northway -- and keep going. However, shortly after Albany, I began noticing a vibration through the footpegs of my trike. That had never happened before. I thought I was on my old '94 Sportster again.
I thought maybe the U-Joints were going. Or maybe it was the trike undercarriage that was loose somewhere. Jane said her trike once felt the same way and we found that one bolt had completely worked itself loose and fallen out. I was getting worried.
As we approached my daughter's place, the vibration was still there. I thought maybe the road surface might be causing it but I just didn't know what to think.
I knew that Motor Trike would be at Americade and that the dealer who built my trike might also be there. Maybe he could look at it and see if there was any obvious problem that could be corrected. I decided to call the dealer who was located in PA. Sure enough, he would be here on Thursday and said he would take a look at it but couldn't promise anything. I expect to go visit Motor Trike soon after Tour-Expo opens on Tuesday to see if anyone else there could take a look at it before Thursday. I continue to be worried about this. First I have to ride the trike another 30 miles to get to Lake George. That will give me another chance to see if the problem is persisting. Wish me luck.
We finished the evening by attending a softball game in which our granddaughter was playing. She just decided one day that she wanted to play softball at age eight and she's pretty good in her first year. Of course I may be prejudiced.
We got there early and Jane, daughter Sue, and granddaughter Caroline got in some family practice. It made for a memorable picture of three generations.
It seems that almost every girl playing softball has long hair and they're all tied back. Caroline is in the middle.
I had no idea how these games are now run. The pitcher could only throw five pitches to one batter before a coach from the same team stepped in to throw two pitches. I guess this allows each batter a better chance of hitting the ball and gaining experience in hitting. These are only eight and nine year old girls.
The game runs a total of 90 minutes. The limit came and it was nearly 7:30 p.m. We headed for a late dinner at McDonald's before heading home.
Tomorrow, Saturday, would bring two more games, one softball and one baseball. Rain was expected.
More to follow. Read the blog each day for further reports.
An evolving blog index to these Americade 2008 blog entries is also available.
The trip will now also include intermediate stop-offs at at our son's house in Boonton, NJ (three grandsons) and daughter's house in Middle Grove, NY (grandson and granddaughter). Our daughter made a move to the Saratoga Springs area last year after Americade. Since her house is now 25 miles south of Americade (and on the way), we now have a fringe benefit of making the trip.
Friday started with packing the trikes again in my son's garage in Boonton. Here are the trikes just before I pulled them out to begin on the next leg of our trip.
Today's ride would take us to the Saratoga Springs, NY area where our daughter and two of our grandchildren live.
The ride to Saratoga Springs was straightforward. Just ride north to I87 -- the Northway -- and keep going. However, shortly after Albany, I began noticing a vibration through the footpegs of my trike. That had never happened before. I thought I was on my old '94 Sportster again.
I thought maybe the U-Joints were going. Or maybe it was the trike undercarriage that was loose somewhere. Jane said her trike once felt the same way and we found that one bolt had completely worked itself loose and fallen out. I was getting worried.
As we approached my daughter's place, the vibration was still there. I thought maybe the road surface might be causing it but I just didn't know what to think.
I knew that Motor Trike would be at Americade and that the dealer who built my trike might also be there. Maybe he could look at it and see if there was any obvious problem that could be corrected. I decided to call the dealer who was located in PA. Sure enough, he would be here on Thursday and said he would take a look at it but couldn't promise anything. I expect to go visit Motor Trike soon after Tour-Expo opens on Tuesday to see if anyone else there could take a look at it before Thursday. I continue to be worried about this. First I have to ride the trike another 30 miles to get to Lake George. That will give me another chance to see if the problem is persisting. Wish me luck.
We finished the evening by attending a softball game in which our granddaughter was playing. She just decided one day that she wanted to play softball at age eight and she's pretty good in her first year. Of course I may be prejudiced.
We got there early and Jane, daughter Sue, and granddaughter Caroline got in some family practice. It made for a memorable picture of three generations.
It seems that almost every girl playing softball has long hair and they're all tied back. Caroline is in the middle.
I had no idea how these games are now run. The pitcher could only throw five pitches to one batter before a coach from the same team stepped in to throw two pitches. I guess this allows each batter a better chance of hitting the ball and gaining experience in hitting. These are only eight and nine year old girls.
The game runs a total of 90 minutes. The limit came and it was nearly 7:30 p.m. We headed for a late dinner at McDonald's before heading home.
Tomorrow, Saturday, would bring two more games, one softball and one baseball. Rain was expected.
More to follow. Read the blog each day for further reports.
An evolving blog index to these Americade 2008 blog entries is also available.
Americade 2007 - Day 6
This year I'm going to try publishing highlights of Americade 2007, day-by-day in this blog. This is the 25th year for Americade. It's scheduled for June 4-9 this year. The blog will also include my preparation in getting ready to take the ride to Lake George, NY, my observations while there, the ride home, and getting back to normal.
Blog for Friday:
Yesterday, we had eaten breakfast at a new place on Canada Street. They had a bakery. In the bakery they sold huge cinnamon rolls. They were all gone by the time we got there for breakfast so Jane put her name on a list to get a couple of rolls later that day to bring back to the room. The picture shows the roll next to my new Nolan helmet. I couldn't eat the whole thing on Thursday so by Friday, I had to heave half of it out. It was time to begin the trip back to New Jersey.
We were on the road by 9 a.m. with our full jackets and liners in place. It was a sunny day expected to have a temperature jump from 55 to 94 degrees as we rode south. It had been so cold at Americade this year. Starting off rainy it continued to rain on and off and the evenings were cold. We had forgotten what warm was.
At the first stop, the liners came out and the jacket vents were opened. By the second stop, we put on the cool vests we brought. The windshield vents were then opened along with the helmet vents and the front zippers to the jackets. We were still roasting, especially as we entered New Jersey and headed down I287 toward Freehold.
We had been told that a cold front was moving in from the west and should bring heavy thunderstorms in the late afternoon. That forecast was changed to occur after the Yankee game. In actuality, we never saw any thunderstorms at all -- just a lot of hot temperatures.
We arrived home about 3:30 p.m.
We had started our trip by riding 250 miles in a steady rain. We finished our trip by riding 250 miles in a steady sweat. Love that Americade weather.
This was the end of our 14th Americade. Over the years we've changed what we do at Americade. You can't do everything. We used to go on two guided tours, attend a boat ride with dinner, do demos, attend Tour Expo, and hit many seminars. After we did that for a few years, we stopped doing the guided tours and boat ride and demos. We concentrated on Tour Expo, seminars and talks, getting together with friends for dinner, walking Canada Street, and taking our own self-tours. That's the rut we're in now and we enjoy it. We cut back from six days to four days. Next year we'll go back to five days.
Each person has their own way to do Americade. Be sure to read my 10 Ways to Enjoy Americade. Hopefully, you'll find your own special ways to enjoy Americade and keep coming back just as we will be doing next year.
Major Motorcycle Rallies for 2008 - It's Time to Plan
In the off season, many riders like to plan rides to various motorcycle rallies. I have just updated my motorcycle rally article and schedule for 2008 to assist you.Motorcycle rallies (biker rallies) are simply gatherings of riders and motorcycles at specified times and places usually with attendant vendors, food, games, and other activities.
Motorcycle rallies or biker rallies may last from a day to more than a week. Some major motorcycle or biker rallies are built around organized professional motorcycle races.
Motorcycle rally attendance varied widely from a low of a couple of dozen riders or less to huge organized rallies with hundreds of thousands of riders.
My updated article, Motorcycle Rallies (Biker Rallies) - Major Rallies for Motorcycles, gives basic information about motorcycle rallies. The second page of this article contains my list of the top motorcycle rallies.
The picture shows me raising my arm after I parked my bike on Main Street at the 1993 Sturgis Rally. That was the year of the great Midwest floods.
Americade Rally
The resort town of Lake George, NY sees plenty of tourists, conventions, and gatherings during the year. However, its biggest draw is in June when it hosts the biggest motorcycle touring rally in the world, Americade.
The rally is held the first full week of June and for 2007, it's June 4 - 9.
The rally started back in May, 1983 and was then known as Aspencade East. Started by motorcycle racer, Bill Dutcher and his wife Gini, the rally attracted 3000 motorcyclists in its first year. By 1986, the name was changed to Americade and drew in 10,000 registrants. Current attendance is estimated to be nearly 50,000. Counting the people who simply show up without registering just to "hang out" on Canada Street, the total attendance probably exceeds 100,000. Read more.
Americade 2007 - Day 4
This year I'm going to try publishing highlights of Americade 2007, day-by-day in this blog. This is the 25th year for Americade. It's scheduled for June 4-9 this year. The blog will also include my preparation in getting ready to take the ride to Lake George, NY, my observations while there, the ride home, and getting back to normal.
I missed publishing yesterday, so here's my blog entry for Wednesday.
I missed publishing yesterday, so here's my blog entry for Wednesday.
We are getting a lot of pollen here. It gets all over the bikes. Here's a picture of Jane with her duster, cleaning the trike.
After Jane bought her new Nolan helmet, she and I tried to communicate over the CB -- Didn't work. I could hear her but she couldn't hear me. We tried all sorts of switches of components but nothing worked. We even got lots of help from the "sidewalk mechanics" here at the motel. I couldn't keep up with all their suggestions, none of which did any good. I was frustrated. We decided to wait until today when Valerie would join us for breakfast at the Lone Bull Restaurant. We could see if she could communicate with Jane.
When Valerie arrived, she was immediately able to talk to Jane over the CB. I still couldn't. I decided it was time for me to get a new helmet. Maybe it wouldn't help the situation, but at least, I really needed a new one.
I headed out to Tour Expo and went straight for the same helmet vendor where Jane bought her helmet. The lady waiting on me was the owner and a rider herself. She answered all my questions. I tried on the same model Jane got except in a large. Her medium size was way too tight for me. The large was perfect. I really needed a red helmet with earphones and a microphone. My luck was good because she had one in the back. I tried it on and bought it on the spot.
We decided to take Jane's Mini-Tour. This is a special downhill twistie tour that Jane likes to take every time we come to Americade. It would give us a good chance to try out the new helmets and CBs. We asked Valerie to go along since she had also purchased another Nolan helmet (different model). As soon as we fired up the bikes to start out on the tour, every one of our CBs was working perfectly -- even mine!
We committed a cardinal sin by failing to start out with every bike having a full tank. Valerie's bike had less than a quarter tank but we fully expected to find a gas station shortly. Unfortunately, every place was either closed, out of business, or overflowing with long lines of bikes. One gas station referred us up the road, but there was nothing "up the road." Finally, the low gas indicator came on Valerie's Gold Wing 1800 and then we began to sweat.
Jane announced that she thought there was a gas station up ahead where I87 intersected the road. She was right. We limped into the station with hardly any fuel left in the tank.
That night we walked over to Mario's for supper. We've gone there almost every year and they know Jane when they see her. We had a great meal and then walked downtown. It was so cold. It was a sea of black since everyone had on their riding jackets to keep warm. It was so cold that we didn't even stop for ice cream!
Tomorrow, we will be heading over to Roaring Brook Ranch to hear Fred Rau speak. Then we'll be riding back through town and all that bike traffic. I expect to have my camcorder running both going and coming.
After Jane bought her new Nolan helmet, she and I tried to communicate over the CB -- Didn't work. I could hear her but she couldn't hear me. We tried all sorts of switches of components but nothing worked. We even got lots of help from the "sidewalk mechanics" here at the motel. I couldn't keep up with all their suggestions, none of which did any good. I was frustrated. We decided to wait until today when Valerie would join us for breakfast at the Lone Bull Restaurant. We could see if she could communicate with Jane.
When Valerie arrived, she was immediately able to talk to Jane over the CB. I still couldn't. I decided it was time for me to get a new helmet. Maybe it wouldn't help the situation, but at least, I really needed a new one.
I headed out to Tour Expo and went straight for the same helmet vendor where Jane bought her helmet. The lady waiting on me was the owner and a rider herself. She answered all my questions. I tried on the same model Jane got except in a large. Her medium size was way too tight for me. The large was perfect. I really needed a red helmet with earphones and a microphone. My luck was good because she had one in the back. I tried it on and bought it on the spot.
We decided to take Jane's Mini-Tour. This is a special downhill twistie tour that Jane likes to take every time we come to Americade. It would give us a good chance to try out the new helmets and CBs. We asked Valerie to go along since she had also purchased another Nolan helmet (different model). As soon as we fired up the bikes to start out on the tour, every one of our CBs was working perfectly -- even mine!
We committed a cardinal sin by failing to start out with every bike having a full tank. Valerie's bike had less than a quarter tank but we fully expected to find a gas station shortly. Unfortunately, every place was either closed, out of business, or overflowing with long lines of bikes. One gas station referred us up the road, but there was nothing "up the road." Finally, the low gas indicator came on Valerie's Gold Wing 1800 and then we began to sweat.
Jane announced that she thought there was a gas station up ahead where I87 intersected the road. She was right. We limped into the station with hardly any fuel left in the tank.
That night we walked over to Mario's for supper. We've gone there almost every year and they know Jane when they see her. We had a great meal and then walked downtown. It was so cold. It was a sea of black since everyone had on their riding jackets to keep warm. It was so cold that we didn't even stop for ice cream!
Tomorrow, we will be heading over to Roaring Brook Ranch to hear Fred Rau speak. Then we'll be riding back through town and all that bike traffic. I expect to have my camcorder running both going and coming.
Americade 2008 - Day 4
This year I'm publishing highlights of my activities at the 2008 Americade Motorcycle Rally, day by day in a blog. Americade is scheduled for June 2-7, this year. The blog will also include my preparation in getting ready to take the ride to Lake George, NY, my observations while there, the ride home, and getting back to normal.
The trip will now also include intermediate stop-offs at at our son's house in Boonton, NJ (three grandsons) and daughter's house in Middle Grove, NY (grandson and granddaughter). Our daughter made a move to the Saratoga Springs area last year after Americade. Since her house is now 25 miles south of Americade (and on the way), we now have a fringe benefit of making the trip.
Saturday began with a news report on the local TV station that a checkpoint had been established on I87 at the rest area near exit 18. This was a motorcycle checkpoint. Bikes were being pulled over for inspection of helmets, credentials, pipes, and safety equipment. If a cop had probable cause that you might be in violation, they pulled you over. Here's a link to the news story and a video.
The Americade Message Board was abuzz about this checkpoint. Check it out.
It may be that this was only a one-time thing to sound the alarm that motorcycle violators would not be tolerated this year. Some think the state of NY was just looking for more money. Others think that safety was the only concern since there have been too many motorcycle-related accidents at Americade in recent years. Some riders said they would bypass the checkpoint. Some found themselves with money to pay for riding with no motorcycle endorsement on their driver's license or for wearing a non-DOT approved helmet. It remains to be seen whether the checkpoint will be there when the main Americade traffic starts on Monday. I'll let you know.
The majority of my day was spent at a softball game where my granddaughter played and at a baseball game where my grandson played. We got through the softball game with only a few drops of rain. Such was not the case at the baseball game.
We rode into Saratoga Springs, parked on the street, and walked a couple of blocks to the game site. We carried our canvas chairs and umbrellas with us and parked ourselves high on a grassy area that rose above the right field fence. It was great for a few innings but then the rains came. Thunder was heard. I kept waiting for lightning which never came. When the rain got intense, they called the teams into the dugout and covered the field. We sat in the rain under big umbrellas and waited and waited. Finally the rain let up to a sprinkle and men ran onto the field with sand and dirt and brushed everything clean. It was just like in the major leagues. Then the teams rushed back on the field and resumed playing. Several hits were made and a couple of runs came in. Then the rain started again. It poured and everything was soaked including us. The field was covered and again we waited. We sat there like drowning rats for another 10 minutes of intense downpour. Then, mercifully, the game was called and we slinked over dripping water behind us and piled into the car.
We returned home to get into dry clothes. Jane, daughter, and granddaughter headed back to do shopping -- the rain had stopped. I headed for my laptop to do Day 2, Day 3, and Day 4 of my Americade 2008 Blog.
Not much left for today except dinner and relaxation. The trikes sit dry in the garage.
More to follow. Read the blog each day for further reports.
An evolving blog index to these Americade 2008 blog entries is also available.
The trip will now also include intermediate stop-offs at at our son's house in Boonton, NJ (three grandsons) and daughter's house in Middle Grove, NY (grandson and granddaughter). Our daughter made a move to the Saratoga Springs area last year after Americade. Since her house is now 25 miles south of Americade (and on the way), we now have a fringe benefit of making the trip.
Saturday began with a news report on the local TV station that a checkpoint had been established on I87 at the rest area near exit 18. This was a motorcycle checkpoint. Bikes were being pulled over for inspection of helmets, credentials, pipes, and safety equipment. If a cop had probable cause that you might be in violation, they pulled you over. Here's a link to the news story and a video.
The Americade Message Board was abuzz about this checkpoint. Check it out.
It may be that this was only a one-time thing to sound the alarm that motorcycle violators would not be tolerated this year. Some think the state of NY was just looking for more money. Others think that safety was the only concern since there have been too many motorcycle-related accidents at Americade in recent years. Some riders said they would bypass the checkpoint. Some found themselves with money to pay for riding with no motorcycle endorsement on their driver's license or for wearing a non-DOT approved helmet. It remains to be seen whether the checkpoint will be there when the main Americade traffic starts on Monday. I'll let you know.
The majority of my day was spent at a softball game where my granddaughter played and at a baseball game where my grandson played. We got through the softball game with only a few drops of rain. Such was not the case at the baseball game.
We rode into Saratoga Springs, parked on the street, and walked a couple of blocks to the game site. We carried our canvas chairs and umbrellas with us and parked ourselves high on a grassy area that rose above the right field fence. It was great for a few innings but then the rains came. Thunder was heard. I kept waiting for lightning which never came. When the rain got intense, they called the teams into the dugout and covered the field. We sat in the rain under big umbrellas and waited and waited. Finally the rain let up to a sprinkle and men ran onto the field with sand and dirt and brushed everything clean. It was just like in the major leagues. Then the teams rushed back on the field and resumed playing. Several hits were made and a couple of runs came in. Then the rain started again. It poured and everything was soaked including us. The field was covered and again we waited. We sat there like drowning rats for another 10 minutes of intense downpour. Then, mercifully, the game was called and we slinked over dripping water behind us and piled into the car.
We returned home to get into dry clothes. Jane, daughter, and granddaughter headed back to do shopping -- the rain had stopped. I headed for my laptop to do Day 2, Day 3, and Day 4 of my Americade 2008 Blog.
Not much left for today except dinner and relaxation. The trikes sit dry in the garage.
More to follow. Read the blog each day for further reports.
An evolving blog index to these Americade 2008 blog entries is also available.
Americade 2008 - Day 1
This year I'm publishing highlights of my activities at the 2008 Americade Motorcycle Rally, day by day in a blog. Americade is scheduled for June 2-7, this year. The blog will also include my preparation in getting ready to take the ride to Lake George, NY, my observations while there, the ride home, and getting back to normal.
The trip will now also include intermediate stop-offs at at our son's house in Boonton, NJ (three grandsons) and daughter's house in Middle Grove, NY (grandson and granddaughter). Our daughter made a move to the Saratoga Springs area last year after Americade. Since her house is now 25 miles south of Americade (and on the way), we now have a fringe benefit of making the trip.
Wednesday was a hectic day trying to get ready to go on our 2008 Americade trip. This year we are going to visit our son and daughter on the way. We'll also be stopping in to see our daughter on our return trip. Packing has been a problem trying to decide what to take that will still fit on our two trikes.
Jane was out running around on Wednesday and called to say that she had chipped a front tooth and could I make an appointment for her at the dentist. Great timing. I gave her the number and she called back to say that the office was closed and she'd have to wait until Thursday to try to make an appointment. We wanted to be on the road Thursday by 2 p.m. so we now had another worry.
Earlier in the day, Jane was trying to print out my Motorcycle Packing List, when I heard her say, "Someone has stolen your packing list."
I hurried to her computer and saw both my How To, How to Pack a Motorcycle For a Trip, and my packing list on her screen but on someone else's website.
I jotted down the URL and then thought that I should send off an email to the offending webmaster. This happens to me quite a lot. I'm doing a Google search for something and up pops one of my articles on someone else's website. They just see something and grab it as their own often with no mention of where it came from. In this case, I did get a credit but it was to the old site and there was no link to me at all. Within three hours, I got a response promising to take it down. When one spends days and days working on an article or feature and then someone just sees it and takes it, that's just plain wrong.
The rest of the day was spent packing and loading the trikes. Final loading will be on Thursday morning with a 2 p.m. start.
More to follow. Read the blog each day for further reports.
An evolving blog index to these Americade 2008 blog entries is also available.
The trip will now also include intermediate stop-offs at at our son's house in Boonton, NJ (three grandsons) and daughter's house in Middle Grove, NY (grandson and granddaughter). Our daughter made a move to the Saratoga Springs area last year after Americade. Since her house is now 25 miles south of Americade (and on the way), we now have a fringe benefit of making the trip.
Wednesday was a hectic day trying to get ready to go on our 2008 Americade trip. This year we are going to visit our son and daughter on the way. We'll also be stopping in to see our daughter on our return trip. Packing has been a problem trying to decide what to take that will still fit on our two trikes.
Jane was out running around on Wednesday and called to say that she had chipped a front tooth and could I make an appointment for her at the dentist. Great timing. I gave her the number and she called back to say that the office was closed and she'd have to wait until Thursday to try to make an appointment. We wanted to be on the road Thursday by 2 p.m. so we now had another worry.
Earlier in the day, Jane was trying to print out my Motorcycle Packing List, when I heard her say, "Someone has stolen your packing list."
I hurried to her computer and saw both my How To, How to Pack a Motorcycle For a Trip, and my packing list on her screen but on someone else's website.
I jotted down the URL and then thought that I should send off an email to the offending webmaster. This happens to me quite a lot. I'm doing a Google search for something and up pops one of my articles on someone else's website. They just see something and grab it as their own often with no mention of where it came from. In this case, I did get a credit but it was to the old site and there was no link to me at all. Within three hours, I got a response promising to take it down. When one spends days and days working on an article or feature and then someone just sees it and takes it, that's just plain wrong.
The rest of the day was spent packing and loading the trikes. Final loading will be on Thursday morning with a 2 p.m. start.
More to follow. Read the blog each day for further reports.
An evolving blog index to these Americade 2008 blog entries is also available.
Americade 2008 - Day 5
This year I'm publishing highlights of my activities at the 2008 Americade Motorcycle Rally, day by day in a blog. Americade is scheduled for June 2-7, this year. The blog will also include my preparation in getting ready to take the ride to Lake George, NY, my observations while there, the ride home, and getting back to normal.
The trip will now also include intermediate stop-offs at at our son's house in Boonton, NJ (three grandsons) and daughter's house in Middle Grove, NY (grandson and granddaughter). Our daughter made a move to the Saratoga Springs area last year after Americade. Since her house is now 25 miles south of Americade (and on the way), we now have a fringe benefit of making the trip.
Sunday started with a breakfast of bacon and eggs served by my daughter. With both she and her husband working and trying to get the two kids up and out to school each day, she finds that the weekend is the only time for full breakfasts.
The rained out baseball game was restarted today at noon in Saratoga Springs. It took a couple of innings and a fine play from the outfield to second base by my grandson to help get another win for his team.
Late yesterday afternoon I was sitting right here at my laptop. I could see out the window that the sun was shining. In almost an instant the weather changed and it poured and poured for 10 minutes straight. Then it stopped and the sun came out. Such is the weather of this Adirondacks region that Americade is part of.
I saw a few Gold Wings today in Saratoga Springs. Several trikes -- one pulling a trailer -- were seen outside a restaurant. More and more bikes were seen on the Northway heading north to Lake George. I expect to be out there tomorrow shortly after noon doing the same thing. Of course, I'm hoping all goes well with the vibration I was having on Friday.
I'm looking forward to seeing those 50-100 thousand bikes tomorrow. After all, that's why I've been coming to Americade for the last 15 years.
More to follow. Read the blog each day for further reports.
An evolving blog index to these Americade 2008 blog entries is also available.
The trip will now also include intermediate stop-offs at at our son's house in Boonton, NJ (three grandsons) and daughter's house in Middle Grove, NY (grandson and granddaughter). Our daughter made a move to the Saratoga Springs area last year after Americade. Since her house is now 25 miles south of Americade (and on the way), we now have a fringe benefit of making the trip.
Sunday started with a breakfast of bacon and eggs served by my daughter. With both she and her husband working and trying to get the two kids up and out to school each day, she finds that the weekend is the only time for full breakfasts.
The rained out baseball game was restarted today at noon in Saratoga Springs. It took a couple of innings and a fine play from the outfield to second base by my grandson to help get another win for his team.
Late yesterday afternoon I was sitting right here at my laptop. I could see out the window that the sun was shining. In almost an instant the weather changed and it poured and poured for 10 minutes straight. Then it stopped and the sun came out. Such is the weather of this Adirondacks region that Americade is part of.
I saw a few Gold Wings today in Saratoga Springs. Several trikes -- one pulling a trailer -- were seen outside a restaurant. More and more bikes were seen on the Northway heading north to Lake George. I expect to be out there tomorrow shortly after noon doing the same thing. Of course, I'm hoping all goes well with the vibration I was having on Friday.
I'm looking forward to seeing those 50-100 thousand bikes tomorrow. After all, that's why I've been coming to Americade for the last 15 years.
More to follow. Read the blog each day for further reports.
An evolving blog index to these Americade 2008 blog entries is also available.
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