Nov 20

I was scouting some roads last weekend with some friends for an event scheduled for next summer. We were evaluating roads for smoothness and for the fun factor. We had several routes to get from waypoint to waypoint and were looking for the most fun ride.
As I looked at the countryside, I began to think about the way it has changed. I recently read “Across America on a Motor Bicycle” by George Wyman. It chronicles his journey from San Francisco to New York City in 1903.
Wyman made the 3,800 mile trip on a 1903 California Motor Bicycle. It weighed 90 pounds and its little 300cc engine produced 1.5 horse power. Fortunately, it could also be peddled. He crossed the Sierra Nevada using railroad beds, as there were no roads for that portion of the trek. The roads that were available were mostly impassable because of rains durring his travels. He used rails beds for more than half of his journey. While he rode the machine under power for much of the way, he also peddled it and walked it for may miles.
I thought of George Wyman as I rolled over modern asphalt roads on my 1500cc cruiser. Somehow the occasional bump or pothole didn’t seem so disastrous.
Wyman_California

— Guy B. Wheatley

Nov 13

My first bike was a little, 250cc Honda Nighthawk I bought new from the dealership. Soon after I got it home, I discovered it was hard to get into neutral while the engine was running. It would just jump over neutral going from first to second, or second to first. As it was a new bike I took it back to the dealer to get that fixed. I found the guy who sold me the bike and told him about the problem. He said, “It’s supposed to do that.” This sounded suspiciously like the old IT line of, “It’s a feature, not a bug.”
“It’s supposed to be hard to get into neutral?” I asked the guy, making no attempt to hide my incredulity. “What’s the point of that?”
“Well,” the guy explains, “You don’t want to be in the middle of an intersection, staring at an oncoming 18-wheeler, and hit neutral trying to go to second.”
I wasn’t totally convinced, but I left without having them tear into my transmission. That was several years ago.
I was making a long left turn a few days ago at a large, multilane intersection. I indulged in one of the bad habits I’ve allowed to develop and upshifted with the bike in a peg scraping lean. Or a least that’s what I meant to do. What I actually did was pop into neutral. It’s amazing that such a small thing could change the situation so completely in less than a second. With no power going to the ground, and the bike leaned over, I had no control.
There are only two ways to stand a bike back up. Tighten the turn, or increase power. With the transmission in neutral, I couldn’t get power from the engine into the bike. I was already scraping the peg, so I couldn’t lean over any more to tighten the turn. Fortunately, the bike had enough centripetal energy to stay on its wheels until I could find a gear and get power to the back tire again.
The sales guy was right. It’s not a bug. It is a feature—one I don’t want to do without.

Nov 11
Swap meet.
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I went to my first swap meet Sunday. A friend had a spot and offered to let me take a jacket I’d bought before losing 75 pounds. I didn’t sell the jacket, and my friend didn’t make much, if any, money. But it was good experience anyway.
I didn’t see many people swapping parts, but I did see a lot of folks swapping advice, stories and good times. I also got to see some unusual bikes. It was better seeing them this way. They weren’t lined up in a bike show, but just sitting at a vendor site or in the parking lot.
Even though it didn’t appear to be a huge financial success, I heard a lot of people talking about making it a regular event. I hope they do. It was fun, and I think that as time goes by and people get used to the idea, it will start bringing in money.
blog-111109

— Guy B. Wheatley

Nov 4
Dirty Riding
icon1 Guy | icon2 Small Talk | icon4 11 4th, 2009| icon3No Comments »

In general, you can find almost any design of motorcycle your imagination can come up with. I’ve done blogs about bikes with big radial engines, electric engines and even one with a jet engine (technically a gas turbine engine). But these were all unique, hand-made machines with limited production. None of them had a sport built around them.
I happened to catch the FIM Speedway races a couple of days ago. I can promise you that if you’re just flipping through channels and come across something like this, you’re going to stop and watch for at least a few minutes.
FIM stands for Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme, or International Motorcycling Federation. It is the body that regulates the motorcycles and track used in the race.
Here are some interesting specs:
They can’t have engines larger that 500cc.
They burn methanol.
They must weigh at least 170 pounds.
They can have only one gear.
They can’t have brakes of any kind.
They run on a dirt track anywhere from 850 feet to 1,500 feet long and at least 33 feet wide.
— More specs at Wikipedia
OK, now get your mind around a 170-pound, methanol-burning, 500cc motorcycle that can’t gear down, ripping around a 33 feet wide dirt track. With no brakes. And other motorcycles.
Sounds like a recipe for excitement to me.
These bike spend much of the race at a 90˚ angle from the direction of travel. They have a dirt shield over the rear tire to reduce the spray of dirt and gravel. To my eye, these are strange looking bikes with a strange riding style.


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— Guy Wheatley

Oct 29
Rider Perception
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Somebody posted this link on one of the forums I belong to.
Click here to take test.
It’s from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation and is about rider perception. It’s a test to see how well you, as a rider, perceive the conditions shown to you in a scene. It was educational for me. I thought I’d do better. I took the test on slow and scored 17 of 20 on the signs, and 14 of 20 on the collision traps.
The site gives you the reasoning behind the acceptable answer once you finish with each question. It made several good points I hadn ‘t thought of. While this isn’t riding, it’s probably still a good exercise. I’d rather make mistakes on a computer than on a bike.

Oct 22
The Great Motorcycle Vacation of 2009
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I’m back from vacation finally. Back in January, when my wife locked in her vacation schedule for the year, we’d planned the great American motorcycle vacation. We took two weeks in a row and planned a long ride to the West Coast, or East. Maybe we’d just head south, or north. We were less concerned about where we were going than about the idea of getting there on the bike.
As the months rolled by, it became apparent that we weren’t going to be able to take a long trip. We came up with a Plan B. We’d stay based at our house for the first week and take some of the 400- to 600-mile runs we’d been wanting to make that are so hard over just a weekend. We could spend a night on the road for the longer rides. Week 2 would see us spoiling the grandkids, but we’d also load Maggie up in the truck and hit some of the Hill County rides, west of Fort Worth.
It rained all but one day the entire two weeks we were off.
So the “Great Motorcycle” vacation of 2009 turned into the “Great Work on the House” vacation. I keep telling myself that in a few years, walking on the new kitchen floor will be more pleasant than fond memories of a great ride.
I almost believe it.
Guy Wheatley
Ripping up the kitchen floor was a good outlet for the frustration of not being able to ride. I had to tear it out down to the joists. Those are 4 x 8 cedar timbers. I think the guy who put the last floor in got paid by the nail. I had the chance to work out a LOT of frustration about riding. Of course I just replaced it with frustration about the floor!


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— Guy Wheatley

Oct 1
Military Motorcycle Deaths
icon1 Guy | icon2 News | icon4 10 1st, 2009| icon31 Comment »
Almost twice as many military personnel died in motorcycle wrecks in the fiscal year ending Sept. 1, 2008, as in the previous year. The number was 124, up from 72. The sad story of a brave soldier surviving a tour in Iraq or Afghanistan, only to die in a motorcycle wreck a few weeks or days after coming back to the United States, has been repeated too many times. These are not ordinary citizens. In many cases they are young. They are America’s best legacy for the future. Their recent duties have desensitized many of them to the natural warnings that normally inhibit dangerous behavior.
“We don’t have the luxury of losing people to preventable mishaps, that’s why there’s an urgent need to do something,” said April K. Phillips, a Navy spokesman.
The military is now requiring riding classes, screening riders for risky behavior, and organizing racing events where military riders can more safely relieve the need for an adrenaline rush. They also require them to wear safety equipment such as helmets.
The armed services are acting responsibility by implementing these procedures to protect soldiers, sailors and marines. The benefits will also extend to the civilian population. Not only will they be less likely to cause injury or death to civilians on the highway, but they are setting an example. There are at least a few riders out there who think that taking a safety course, or wearing a helmet is a little sissy. These are the bravest people in the world. Many of them have faced death several times, and continued to do their job. If they can wear helmets and take safety classes, so can the rest of us. The military leaders know it’s not sissy. It’s smart.
Military Motorcycle Deaths.
The Associated Press
In this Sept. 10, 2009 photo, Marine Corps Sgt. Doranda Rodela, left, talks with safety instructor Richard Stampp, during a motorcycle safety class held at Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base in northern San Diego County. Alarmed by hundreds of motorcycle deaths by off-duty marines, soldiers and sailors over the last several years, the military is requiring riding classes, screening riders for risky behavior and organizing racing events for a safe adrenaline rush.


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— Guy Wheatley

Sep 24
True crotch rockets
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I ran across a YOUTUBE video about a jet-powered motorcycle. It’s the Y2K super bike.

This thing has the Rolls Royce-Allison gas turbine engine out of a Bell Ranger helicopter, producing more than 320 horsepower. It’s a production bike made by the south Louisiana company MTT. One proud Y2K owner is Jay Leno of Tonight show fame. Anybody with $182,000 can join Jay for a jet-powered romp. The Y2K is fully street legal, and makers claim that at 250 miles-per-hour this is the worlds fastest production bike. Well, maybe.
While you’d get to the grocery store pretty quick at 250 mph, you’d still be second in line if your neighbor was going to the same store on a Dodge Tomahawk.


The Tomahawk doesn’t have a jet engine. It uses good old-fashioned pistons. Ten of them in a Dodge V-10 viper engine producing 500 horsepower. The Tomahawk was first built as a concept bike. The claim to be a production bike is because they were reportedly available for sale though Nieman Marcus at the bargin price of $555,000.
It’s true the Y2K would get off the line a little faster with it’s 0-60 time of 2.2 seconds, beating the Tomahawk’s 2.6 second specs. But the Tomahawk would quickly make up the ground, passing the 250 mph Y2K at a relative speed of 50 mph as it hit its 300 mph top speed.
The Y2K is street legal, while the Tomahawk is not. But that really shouldn’t be much of a problem. If you’re ripping up the road on a Tomahawk and notice blue light flashing behind you, just go to second gear.
Tomahawk or Y2k? Either way, I doubt the ice cream will melt before you get home.

— Guy Wheatley

Sep 21
Running around the rain
icon1 Guy | icon2 Rides | icon4 09 21st, 2009| icon31 Comment »
Friends were badgering me to get up early Sunday morning and take a ride. They wanted to make a run up to Queen Wilhelmina Lodge. The first problem is that I would have to be back in town by 5. That means we’d have to leave no later than 9 that morning. Additionally the lawn needs to be mowed, the house needs to be cleaned, I need to fix the screen door, and … I really just want to sleep in. But we decide to give to give it a shot. My wife and I leave their house about midnight, promising to be back no later than 8:30 the next morning. We get home that night and haphazardly do a few chores before hitting the sack.
Up the next morning and get ready to go, we only have coffee for breakfast because we didn’t get to the the grocery store on Saturday. We get to our friends house at 8:25, much to their surprise. They weren’t expecting us for at least another half hour. Our usual procedure would been to have called them about 8:35 saying we were running late. The fog is thick enough to swim in, and my stomach is growling, so we deicide to head for the north side of town and grab a quick breakfast. We had called another friend who said that if we were still in town at 9, he might join us. We wash greasy bacon and eggs stuffed in a crumbly biscuit down our gullets with weak, burned coffee while waiting to see if anybody else shows up.
The food gone, the other rider was a no show. About a quarter after 9 we head out. The fog is thinning quickly, but the sky is still overcast. I’m wearing a long sleeved shirt and the heavy damp air is cool. The other riders are wearing light coats. Nobody takes anything off for a while.

RR bridge over the highway.

The road diving under a railroad track.

We occasionally ride under a hole in the clouds and the sky turns blue. The sun almost looks strange. It’s been so long since I’ve seen it. But the holes are too small, and we’re quickly back under the clouds. The air is heavy and damp. Moisture collects on the windshield as we ride. My hands get damp on the bars. The sky is threatening, but it never actually rains.

Cadillac zipping around me.

When I let off the throttle for a second to snap a
photo, this antique cadillac zips around me.

We eventually get to the lodge at 2,681feet on the top of Rich Mountain. The sun has again made a quick appearance. Somewhere in the loose jumble of ideas we use as a plan was the intention of following the pigtrail back into Oklahoma. Looking back to the west from the mountaintop we see a vertical wall of water standing on the 30 miles of mountain twisties we’d be traveling. That idea is out. We’re not riding down a mountain in that.

menablog13

Checking the map for the fastest way down the
mountain.

As we watch, it’s getting closer. We decide to get off the mountain before it gets to us. Instead of following the 13 miles of Skyline drive back to Mena, we elect to take the more direct route down following 272 back to 270. Dropping just more than 1,000 ft in less than 2-1/2 miles, this is not a road you want to take on motorcycles in the rain, so we have to get moving fast. Fat droplets occasionally smacking the windshield urge haste, but the unguarded dropoff at the side of the road demands caution. Rain drops spatter the windshield threateningly as we negotiate the steep winding road, but the deluge never catches us. The road finally straightens out for its final run to the intersection with the main highway.

Rain on the mountain.

Our preferred route down the mountain is under
the deluge.

Back in the plains now on 270, we look back at the mountain top to see it crowned with the storm we’d just skirted. For 115 miles back to Texarkana, we continue to play dodge with the rain. At a gas stop in Mena, the clouds roll in just behind us covering the sun. We head out again, running out from under the clouds into sunlight. The rest of the trip sees us in and out of the sun as the clouds momentarily catch us, then fall behind as we open the throttles. At the last stop in Ashdown, another group of riders take note of the way the clouds seem to be chasing us. They question our virtue, suggesting divine displeasure as the reason for this meteorological display.
It’s 6 by the time I pull into my driveway. It’s been a little more than 230 miles since I pulled out this morning. There’s been just enough sun to pink my face, and I’m tired. But it’s been a good day and a good ride. Being chased by the rain has actually added to the fun. The grass is tall, the house is dirty and the screen door is still broken, but I’ve had a great day

— Guy Wheatley

Sep 16
Rain rain, go away
icon1 Guy | icon2 Rides | icon4 09 16th, 2009| icon3No Comments »

I weenied out of going to the Hot Springs Rally last weekend. I’d said I was going, even if it rained. But I was thinking of a few showers on the way up or back, not a deluge lasting the whole trip. Adding to the deteriorating weather was my wife’s declining health. She wound missing a day of work, so I was glad that I hadn’t dragged her out in the elements and exacerbated the situation.
Several of the tougher folks from our group did go.
One couple had a room for the night, so once they got to town they were able to find a dry place to sleep. Sharon and I were going to take a tent and find a spot somewhere. Again, that plan was laid before the monsoon set in.
The other couple made a day trip out of it. Well, more like a day and a half. They rode through the rain up there, rode in the rain there, and rode through the rain back to Texarkana. It was 3 in the morning when they sloshed into their driveway according to the ride report. Reading their adventures, I wish I’d been there with them. I’m sure they were miserable, cold and wet, but I can’t help but feel I missed out on something.
It probably sounds better sitting here in the dry than it would have wet, on the road.

— Guy Wheatley

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