Big Nick's Run

Saturday found us headed back to the Cape - this time for the 5th Annual Big Nick's Memorial Run, in memory of the Cape Cod service members who have given their lives for our freedoms.

A few of us had done this run last year and were very impressed with both the community support, as well as the LEO support, so it just made sense that we'd do it again this year.

The one issue we'd run into with last year's run was sitting in traffic on the way down.  So, we opted to hit the road a couple hours earlier and then get breakfast once we were safely on the Cape.

The day dawned a bit chilly and overcast, but temps were to rise into the upper 70's, with some breaks of sunshine (but no rain), so all in all; not a bad day at all.

Let's get to the pics!

The obligatory "lined up out back by the dumpsters" pic.  Let's eat!

What a motley crew.  Don't get your fingers near their mouths!

Arrived and registered.  Just like last year; tons and tons of bikes!

Here's a panorama shot that Greg took...

As we were strolling up to the front for the pre-run ceremony (including a welcoming by Nick's father), I spotted this bare-bones bobber and had to snap a pic...

The opening ceremony went well, and we welcomed other members of Nick's Marine platoon who had survived the attack and had made it home.  It was  very somber and emotional watching them walk to to be greeted, and everyone applauding and thanking them.

From there - back to the bikes and let's ride!  I tried snapping some pics along the way, but they didn't come out well.  Maybe I need to figure out my Go Pro again so that I can capture some still shots that way.

Anyway, suffice to say that once again the community was out in droves.  All along the entire route, there were pockets of folks lining the streets, clapping, waving flags, holding up support signs - truly amazing!  It was all very moving.  Even the tough MC guys who were riding with their faces covered weren't able to resist the emotions, and by the time the run was near its end, they too were waving back at folks.  How could they not, when there's little kids bouncing up and down, waving and smiling at you?

The run lasted about an hour and a half at the Dennis-Yarmouth High School.  No fear of kickstands punching thorugh the parking lot this time around, the sun had only broken through the cloud cover a few rare times.

The parking lot soon filled and folks streamed off to get their feed on.  We joined the throng and were soon stuffing our faces with the usual run fare of burgers and dogs.

While the rest of the guys were finishing up and miling about, I strode around the parking lot to get a rough count on the number of bikes, as well as to see if there were any that I liked.

This bobber caught my eye, or course - a minimalistic Flathead - fantastic!!

I should have thought to check the tag for the exact year on this one, but my best guess is it's a 1918.

 Very impressive!

I tried snapping some pics of the parking lot to give a good presentation of all the bikes, but they all fell short of delivering a decent representation.  And then I spotted a guy standing on top of the school's trash compactor, taking pics.  And excellent spot!

I give you; the parking lot!

 There were 20 rows of bikes, with roughly 40 bikes per row.  There were some gaps in there, but there were also bikes lined up off to the side which I hadn't counted, not to mention the bikes that didn't stick around for the cookout.  Best mathematical guess was 800 bikes for the day - not a shabby turnout at all.

Here's a later model HD, with the flat-black paint option.  I actually kicked around the idea of getting this color on my new bike, before finally settling on the Daytona Blue that I have.

I really like the look of the saddlebag extenders, with the longer flared rear fender.  I'm not sure I'll do it on my bike, but I do think it adds an element of badass to a bike's look.

An awesome Triumph bobber - love the straight, wrapped pipes!

Hey, it's the bike I saw before, back at the registration site.  Well, I might as well snap a pic of its other side while I'm here.

This is the monster-sized flag the Yarmouth FD had flying over the parking lot.  I'd tried getting a good pic of it in full bloom when I was taking a pic of the parking lot, but there was too much wind.

So I did the next best thing and stood under it, looked up, and took a pic.  It may look like just a pic of an American Flag, but this flag was mammoth in size!

After a bit of time, we all gathered at the bikes and decided to head on back.  There was a Margaritaville party going on at the Legion that afternoon/evening, so let's get to it.

And alas - here is what was waiting for us on our return trip.  Greg even suggested taking a different route to cut around this nonsense, but did I listen?  Nah.  (Next time, I'll listen!)

Lastly - this is my favorite picture of the day, but unfortunately, I didn't take it.  I didn't even see this.  In my haste to get out to the parking lot and check out the bikes, I'd missed this assembly of Battle Crosses; one for each of the members of the Cape who have given their lives in battle.

Fortunately, Greg got the pic and sent it to me so I could include it with the writeup.  I will have to make sure I keep an eye out for this next year.

And there you have it; the 5th annual Big Nick's Ride for the Fallen.  You can bet we'll be there for the 6th annual.

Ride Hard, Take Chances

Breaking The Wind

I may have mentioned previously that the new bike has a smaller and lower fairing than the Electra Glide did.  Additionally, the windshield on the new bike is shorter than even the aftermarket one I had on the EG.  Combined, this means my head gets buffeted unmercifully at even moderate speeds, let along high speeds.  This was causing me neck and back pain from fighting the wind, not to mention the wind noise left my ears ringing for hours afterward - even after wearing ear plugs!

Something had to be done to break up the wind stream.

Enter Jan and Steve.  I'd noticed that they had aftermarket windshields on their Street Glides which seemed to make a big difference, so a quick email over to Jan and I had the info I needed; it's called The Flare, and it's made by Klock Werks.  It's got an interesting design - the sides dip a bit, about halfway up, and the front/middle "flares" straight upward.  What this does is funnel some of the wind off to the sides while the front/middle claims to really damper the wind coming over the top.

Ok, let's give it a try.  I went on-line and found the right model for the bike.  Going on Jan's advice, I went with the 6.5 inch, dark smoke version.  Delivery said it would be in a week - which brought me to last night.

Arriving home - no package.  Wait - it's been raining all day long, maybe the deliver guy was smart this time around and put it into the porch?

Ta da!  A box from Klock Werks!  Thank you delivery guy (or gal!)!

Opening the box, I found an extremely well wrapped windshield.  A+ job on the packaging, I'll give them that.  But in looking at it, it seemed pretty short, and I wondered if I'd gotten the right size...should I have gone with the next larger one?

Here's the stock windshield, laid on top of the Klock Werks one.  There's about 3 inches of additional height there, so that will help some at least...

Installation took about 30 seconds - it's a windshield!  Only three bolts!  Although something interesting I did find; the middle bolt is about 2.5 inches long.  (If you click on the pic above, you can see the bolts on the right side of the picture.)  The longer bolt is needed as it threads down the center post of the new fairing vent - the same vent that has proven to be worthless with alleviating wind buffeting.

Anyway - installed!  I tried to snap a couple of pics from an angle that would give you a good idea of what this thing looks like...

As you can see from the second pic, it was still raining pretty well so testing this thing would have to wait until this morning.

So how did it perform?

Pulling out of my driveway at 5:30 in the morning, I keep the throttle rather low so as to not annoy the neighbors.  As I proceed into the wooded section and was able to open things up a bit more, I noticed there seemed like a fair amount of wind passing by on either side of my head - obviously from the little dips in the side of the windshield, but it wasn't a bad thing, just noticeable.

The true test came when I finally reached the long stretch of open road in Medfield.  The speed limit is 55, which - on an early morning, devoid of other traffic, basically means; "Go as fast as you're willing to pay for, if you get radar'd."  Which this morning meant 90mph.  Certainly a decent test, even if only for about a mile and a half (before the speed limit drops back down again).

I have to say that I noticed a marked improvement with the wind shear.  The noise was considerably less, and my head didn't feel like it was being shoved all around.  I'm impressed!

I'll be able to do the full-on test this Saturday morning when I'm back on 495 and hammering toward the Cape again (big charity run going on).  But suffice to say, I think I'm going to continue to be impressed.

Ride Hard, Break Wind!

Vineyard Bound

This past weekend, I'd had tentative plans to head up to Rex's house in NH again, but then some of the Riders opted to take a field trip to the Vineyard.  I haven't been out there in 25 years, and never on a bike, so I jumped at the chance.

We'd originally planned on meeting up at our Road Captain's house but then he remembered that his dog goes beserk at the sound of loud pipes, so it would be better for his dog (and his neighbors) if we met at the Post, instead.  Not a problem!

The day was bright and warm, early, and the forecast was calling for a spectacular day ahead of us.  Awesome!

At the last minute, we got word that one of the guys who was going to join us was having battery problems and wasn't going to to be able to make it.  The poor guy had just bought the bike, too.  Hopefully the dead battery wasn't an indication of worse problems lying beneath the surface  (I can attest to how much of a problem those things can be!)

Rolling out from the Post, we were soon hammering down 495 and onto 28, our sights set firmly on the Cape ahead of us.  We made good time, but at the cost of our gas guages, so we found a spot to fill up at just before hitting the ferry (gas prices on the Vineyard are out of control!)

Hey look - at the gas station is a vehicle only slightly faster than our own (Ferrari).  Here, Ed makes the car look good...

From there it was a quick hop over to the ferry.  We lined our bikes up where we thought we'd been told to, and then headed off to the ticket counter to buy our travel passes.  After I'd gotten a ticket for myself and a ticket for my bike, I gathered with the rest of the crew...and noticed that they all had a lot more tickets than I did.  What gives?  Oh - turns out you need a ticket for each direction, so back I went to the ticket window and grabbed another ticket for my bike and another ticket for myself.  That would have sucked!

Returning to our bikes, we found that we had lined up in the wrong spot (as had several other biks who'd followed our lead - oops!)  But we were lined up in the right place in no time...

In line and waiting to board...

And while we were waiting, Artie noticed something...one of the cargo movers was apparenlty manufactured by a company that apparenty has the same as my road name.  So of course I had to go stand next to it and smile for the camera...

All aboard and headed off!  Cheers!

Our first stop was almost as soon as we left the ferry parking area.  Seriously - we rode about 100 feet and then Ed pulled down a side road and parked.  (shrug) ok, I'm game - why are we stopping?  Ahh, the Black Dog is right here; all the overpriced t-shirts and trinkets you want.  A few folks headed in to check things out while Greg and I waited on the corner and watched traffic from five different directions all converge in one small intersection.  Fun stuff!

Then my phone beeped...I had a text...from Ed?  But, he's right here, inside the Black Dog...huh...looks like he sent me a picture...

Oh hilarity!  These guys are obviously having way too much fun with my road name!

Before too long we'd saddled up and making a beeline out of town.  Soon we were cruising some great roadways with some occasional glances of ocean views off to the sides.  Speed wasn't a factor here as the roads are well traveled and nobody seems in a hurry.

Our second stop - Gay Head Cliffs...

The scenery (and the weather) were spectacular!

The Legend of Moshup, a giant from Aquinnah Wampanoag folklore...

The history of Gay Head Cliffs.  I tried to snap the pic in such a way that the sun wasn't reflecting off of the sign, but as I now find; I did a poor job...

Hey, did I mention the scenery?

There was one of those telescope things where you can pop in a quarter and zoom in on the sights off in the distance.  Well, this thing was either broken or someone had recently popped in a lot of quarters, because even though no one had been near it in all the time we'd been there, the lens was still open and working.  I zoomed in on the boat and wowee...the girl that was on the back deck?  Yowza...suffice to say I'm jealous of whoever the guy is that was on the boat with her!

We hit Oak Bluffs for some eats and drinks and take in some more of the scenery around us.  But with that over, we took a vote and figured we were all set for the day.  We'd bee all around the island on the bikes (it's a small island!), and unless we wanted to check out all the touristy stuff (we didn't), then there really wasn't anything else to check out.  So, we headed off to the ferry to return home.

All packed in and headed back to the mainland...

After unloading back onto the Cape, we repeated our morning travels by hammering up the highways.  At one point, Artie droppped back into the middle lane and Ed and I figured he just wanted a slower pace.  No problem.  But then Greg backed off and dropped into the middle lane as well.  (shrug)  Ed and I looked at each other and said ok, I guess Greg is going to sit with Artie, and they're letting us go on at our own pace.  So I blasted ahead but almost immediately, Ed dropped back and into the middle lane, too.  What the hell is going on here?

And that was when I realized there was a car in the speed lane that was catching up to me - quickly.  Huh...that car's profile looks an awful lot like...crap...a State Trooper.  So, I cut the throttle and eased over into the middle lane as well.  I didn't look over at the Trooper when he passed me, but he didn't slow down, either.  Which surprised the hell out of me because I'd been going just under 100 before I realized he was there.  I wonder why he didn't...wait, what time is it...ahh; 2:35.  End of shift.  He was headed back to the barracks and didn't want to deal with the added paperwork of pulling over a meathead on a motorcycle.  Whew!

Thankfully there were no other surprises on the ride home.  We all met up at Ed's house and had a few cocktails on his back deck and talked about this, that and the other thing.  It was a great way to cap a great day.

The Vineyard had been fun - but pricey!  Hell, the ferry alone was $64, round trip!  But it was a great out-of-the-norm thing to do, and we all agreed that maybe in a few years we'd check it out again.  Until then, there'll be plenty more adventures undertaken.

Ride Hard, Take Chances

Sunday Stroll

Stroll is probably not the right word, but I was looking for alliteration.  I tried finding a word that began with "S" that meant travel or journey or adventure, but came up empty.  So, you get "Stroll".

I started out the day by yanking the baffles on the new mufflers.  My intent had been to drill a few extra holes in them, as well as enlarge the existing ones, in the hopes of deepening the sound they produce.

First, I loosened the retaining bolts for the baffles...

Gotta lose the end cap before the baffles come out - so out come the end cap bolts...

Voila' - an exposed baffle!

These things are seated fairly tightly so I rigged up a couple of vice grips and then tapped on the outer one with a hammer to slowly work the baffle out...

It's slowly making its way out, exposing the fiberglass packing...

The packing was pretty thick, and also seemed to be wrapped in...well...the best way to descibe it was "a bag".  Meaning that I can't just take some of it out if I wanted to.  It's either; take it all (and face having to remap the power commander) or leave it alone.  I opted to leave it alone...for now.

The baffle.  It left me...baffled. (Har har har!!)  Rather than a pipe with a few holes in it, I was met with what basically looked like a thick mesh screen.  Huh.  Well what the hell do I do with this thing??

I opted to stuff it back in, bolt everything back up, and seek the advice of folks more-smartier than myself.  Once I get some feedback, I'll go ahead and proceed with the modifications.

So there I was; my project on hold, and a beautiful day all around me.  Might as well go riding!

I had no destination in mind...hell, it even took me a few minutes at the end of my driveway to even pick a direction to go in.  I finally settled on "Southward", and off I went.

I took 495 down to 24 toward Fall River and picked up 140 through Lakeville and the surrounding towns.  I got myself lost a couple times and then refound my way again, eventually making a big loop.  Well, I didn't want to head back home yet, so I broke for further south along some decent looking roadways and byways.

Before too long, I was on completely unfamiliar roads, heading further and further south.  No problem; if I run out of land and reach the ocean, I'll just turn around.

While I never actually reached the end of land, I did graze the edge of it quite a bit as I meandered through Fall River (some parts are scenic, others are quite dumpy) and down toward Little Compton.  I snapped a few pics along the way which I'll get to in a moment.

Eventually, I was getting hungry and I had a couple pounds of steak tips in the fridge that had been marinating for two days.  Yum!  Time to blast home and get those things cooked up!

I took highways home to speed up the return trip and before long, I was rolling her back into the garage, exchanging two wheels for two wheels (the grille).  A few short minutes later and the tantalyzing aroma of steak tips sizzling over open flames was wafting across my neighborhood.

Now to the pics...

I had to turn around to snap a pic of this shed.  I don't know where the folks got all of those license plates, but I thought this was pretty cool...

I apparently found myself in Battleship Cove at one point.  No idea how that happened - I was cruising along some odd streets when I suddenly made a turn and there was the ocean, and a sign saying Battleship Cove.  And look - battleships!

Back onto the road and quite a bit further south, I saw this house going up.  I felt very badly for the folks that will wind up living here.  Can you imagine having to live with that view right outside your window?

A bit further along; another great view of the ocean - with a tiny little pond in front of it.

Here was where my journey ended.  I was cruising along, just about to hit the edge of the ocean when I spotted this sign.  What the?

I had to turn around and snap a pic of that, as well as of the next message to flash up.  WTF?

Needless to say I didn't feel like bothering with any locale which feels the need to post signage like this.  If you look to the right side of the second to last pic, you'll see a couple of bikes coming toward me.  They'd been going in the other direction (away from the sign) when they spotted me taking a pic of the sign.  I don't know if they'd missed seeing what it said, or if they also wanted a pic of it.  By the time they'd pulled up and dismounted, I'd already rolled off, headed back to my house, and the steak tips that lay in wait.

Overall, not a bad way to spend a sunny Sunday.  Hopefully everyone else was able to get out there and get some miles on.  Summer is flying by all too quickly!

Ride Hard, Take Chances

The Art of Ignorance...or; How Not To Install

I bought the 4-point docking system from the dealership, as well as the detachable rack to go along with it.  It'll offer me the additional packing space needed for the longer trips.

After opening the boxes and looking at the instructions, I figured I could whip this out in no time.  Let's dig in...

First step; remove the saddle bags.  Not a problem at all, just make sure to place them gently onto the grass and make sure they're not going to fall over.

Side angle of the bike w/out the saddle bags.  Looks kinda robotic in there...

A closeup of where the the mounting brackets will go.  The fender strut has a cool feature; a removable insert to allow for the installation of the docking system.  I like the simplicity!  The quick-detach setup on the Electra Glide was way, WAY more difficult.

I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that the insert piece was made of plastic.  Plastic??

Here is where my ignorance first reared its ugly head.  After consulting the directions several times, I was certain that I had the left and the right, correctly selected.

That doesn't seem right, though...

Look, I can't even fit the docking grommet on...the fender is in the way.

Rather than revisiting the directions, I unbolted the bracket, fitted the grommets and reinstalled the bracket.

Something still seems off...how can it be that close to the paint?

Hahaha, oh stupid me.  I had the brackets reversed.  After switching them...hey, that looks much better.

Grommets (and front spacer) are installed, lets check fitment of the luggage rack...

Uh-oh...this isn't lining up correctly.  The rack's front mounting point isn't aligning with the front grommet, it's lining up on the spacer....  Stupid Harley!!

So I switched the front grommet with the spacer and now the luggage rack lines up/attaches to both the front and the rear grommets.

But the look just didn't look right.  Having the spacer on the outside, meant the screw holding everything on that post, didn't seat flush and didn't look good.  Surely Harley had made a mistake and given me the wrong kit or something.

I noted the part numbers of both the mounting system and the luggage rack and then checked them on-line, yesterday.  Huh.  They seem to be the correct items.  So why the hell didn't things line up right?

Hey...wait a minute...  What if the front mounting point of the luggage rack was actually meant to sit on the washer?  But that would mean it was metal on metal!  Or would it?

When I got back home last night I looked again.  Nope; the front point was indeed sheathed in heavy-duty plastic.  Huh.

Swapping the front grommet and the spacer allowed everything to bolt together nicely and cleanly.

And how about that - thte luggage rack even lines up and clicks into place with the greatest of ease.

Ta-da!  Doesn't look too bad at all.

It was a bit of a humbling experience, but live and learn, right?  In my defense, the Electra Glide's tour back attached to grommets in both the front and the back, so I just assumed (don't assume!) that things would be the same on this bike.  But all is well in the world once again.

Now then - where should I head off to, now that I have the extra carrying capacity...