Approaching the end of August, one may fairly hope the worst of the summer heat is behind us. Fall isn’t too far ahead and it’s time to start thinking about those great rides to some of the many harvest festivals in the area.
This coming weekend has the Queen Wilhelmina Rod Run & Bike Show close to Mena Arkansas. Any excuse is good enough to ride this beautiful part of Arkansas. Arkansas folks are friendly and know how to put on a good party, so expect a good reception with good food and great entertainment.
And you’ve got to ride the Talimena scenic drive from Talihina Oklahoma to Mena Arkansas, or the other way if you prefer. The scenic route follows skyline drive north out of Mena and includes the Queen Wilhemina State Park lodge. It’s a little more than 60 miles one way, and will take just more than an hour and a half.
Mena is right at 100 miles from Texarkana, and it will take two hours of riding to get there. My experiences in that part of Arkansas have always been well worth the trip.

— Guy Wheatley

Several new laws go into effect September 1 that affect motorcycles. Here are some of the Highlights:

Several blog sites mention that riders caught without an “M” endorsement on their drivers license will have their bikes impounded until they get the endorsement. I’ve been unable to find the specific bill that references this. It’s possible that it’s not a new bill, merely an increased emphasis on enforcing licensing. Either way, those riding without the endorsement may have their bikes impounded.

— Guy Wheatley

When I started biking a few years ago, I was apparently part of a huge surge of new bikers just coming on the scene. The biking landscape at the time had been sculpted by those who had been riding before us.
I can only imagine what it was like then. While bikers weren’t unheard of, there were not as many bikers in those days. The biking community was more exclusive simply because there weren’t as many people riding. That climate seems to have brought motorcyclists together in their shared enthusiasm. Bikers waved at each other, and the old-timers reminisce about a time when no biker would just drive on past a stranded fellow rider.
I came to motorcycling on the crest of a great wave of new riders. That flood of people with new ideas and expectations must have had an effect on the image held of, and by bikers. Many of the forums I go to have threads about waving. Some are fanatics about it and take it personally when another biker doesn’t wave back. Others are less emotional, but still note a change in this time honored tradition.
Ten years ago you could ride all day and, unless your were at some biking activity or event, you might not see another bike. Today if you’re on a scenic ride on a weekend, you’re going to see a hundred or more bikes. If you try to wave at every bike you meet, you’ll spend as much time with you hand in the air as on the bars.
One long time rider I know told me about taking a weekend ride over a scenic road. On one stretch, as they were rounding a mountain curve, his group of 20 to 30 bikes met another group of 20 to 30 bikes. He described up to 60 bikes roaring past each other on a narrow pass at closing speeds approaching 100 mph, and nobody with both hands on the bars.
“Some of them folks weren’t too steady steering with both hands,” he told me. “I don’t mind that they don’t wave if they just won’t run into me.”
It’s inevitable that the culture will be changed by the weight of people it has attracted. Maybe we can keep the best of it though.

— Guy Wheatley

Poking around on the Internet, I’ve run across some strange and unusual motorcycles. Some of these are one time only bikes, built as a hobby or for a specific show. Sometimes a project bike will inspire others to follow suite and build a bike along a similar line or theme.

Motorcycle with a radial engine, similar to those
used in aviation.

One such bike had a radial engine. I kept thinking that there must be a plane flying around somewhere with a V-twin for a power plant. In this one the engine sat vertically at 90˚to the bike, about the same way it would sit in a plane. It looks like you could just ad a propeller and a pair of wings if you wanted to fly.
But it didn’t take long for other hobbyists to put their own spin on the radial engine concept. I soon found other bikes using radial engines, but with different mounting schemes.

Motorcycle with a radial engine mounted with
the crank shaft transversely.

Another builder must have thought, as I did, that the radial engine looked a little wide. I can just imagine dragging a head in a hard lean. Or worse yet, misjudging a gap. On this bike, they rotated the engine 90˚on the vertical axis. It makes the bike much narrower.
One would suspect that those big radials produce a lot of torque. You’ve got to wonder if that first bike will try to make a left turn if you get on the throttle too hard. And maybe the second one can pop a wheelie with just engine torque.

Radial engine encased in circular cage.

Another bike was built with the same engineering philosophy, but this engine is encased in a circular cage giving the whole thing a very clock-work look.
I’d like to watch somebody ride one of those. I don’t think I’d care to try it myself.

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— Guy Wheatley

I was watching the Isle of Mann TT practice runs and happened to catch an interview with a guy developing an airbag system for motorcyclists.

At first thought, the idea of an airbag on a motorcycle seem ludicrous. OK, so technically the airbag isn’t on the motorcycle, it’s on the rider. It’s still a concept sure to raise some eyebrows. But watching the demonstration at the TT practice, it started to seem a little more practical. Unlike the video above, the demonstrator at the the TT had the bag deploy under a stretchable outer jacket. As a result, it stayed around the rider much better.
Arms and legs were still flailing around and prone to be broken, but usually those will heal. The bag appeared to give significant additional protection to the upper torso, neck, and even the head. It looks like, when deployed correctly, a rider is much less likely to suffer fatal trauma to those areas. This system is not going to make a crash fun, but it make some of them survivable.
They were collecting data for the electronic controller at the TT practice to refine the deployment algorithms. You want to be sure it goes off in a wreck, but not before then. The developer said he hoped to go to market in about 2 years.
If it’s not hopelessly expensive, I just might get one.

— Guy Wheatley

It seems like every group has this guy. He’s the one every body looks at when there’s a group question. Or if someone has an idea, he’s the one they’ll ask or pitch it to. In the little group I ride with, the guy filling this slot doesn’t particularly want the position. We’ll just call him “The Old Man,” for the benefit of this blog. He’s always trying to get someone else to take the lead both literally in the riding order, and figuratively in the pecking order. He’s not had much luck.
Part of the reason we all look to him is simply his gregarious personality. His wife is an excellent rider and they often have the rest of the group over to their house. He’s never met a stranger and is always willing to extend a helping hand. Visits to their house often turn into to mini wrench sessions in his well appointed shop.
That leads to another part of why he’s the one out front. He’s very good at working on bikes and is a genius with body work and a paint gun. If anybody is having trouble with their bike or wants to modify it, this is the go-to guy. And it’s great having him along on the road. If anybody breaks down, we all stop and wait for his magic to make it better.
My wife and I ride alone quite often. After learning quite a bit about bike repair and maintenance from The Old Man, I don’t worry much about breakdowns. I can take care of anything that could be reasonably fixed in the road. Otherwise, there’s AAA and a cell phone.
But on group rides, let any bike make a funny noise or act a bit strange and all heads will turn to The Old Man. I guess it just gets to be a habit after a while. So, here’s to the leader of the pack. Better you than me buddy.

— Guy Wheatley

We took a little ride Sunday afternoon. As we left the house, headed for First Old River lake, the sky was overcast and threatening rain. My son would be heading back to Dallas in a few hours and we wanted to get in one more ride before he left. Temperatures had dropped out of the triple digits into the low 90s. My wife was going to two-up with me on the Magna and my son would be on the Shadow. We decided to chance the rain. We packed some rain gear in the saddle bags and headed out.
It had rained earlier and the roads were still damp, but washed free of the oil that floats out of the road at the start of a rain. Though damp, the road still gave our tires a good bite. We reached out destination enduring only occasional light sprinkles. My wife is learning to ride and we had been coming out to this isolated spot for her to get some saddle time. She decided to make a few runs while we were there. As we got ready to head back, I suggested she take the Shadow as far back toward town as she felt comfortable.
We had barely covered one of the 18 miles back to town when the rain set in. It wasn’t a hard pounding rain, but it was steady and certainly more than sprinkles. I kept expecting her to pull over and let Brandon take the Shadow, but she kept going. As we pulled up to a stop together, I asked her if she wanted the rain gear. She said no. The temperature was mild and the rain felt good.
We eased back rarely going faster than 45, and taking corners at 25. We were on the edge of town before she finally pulled over. She still doesn’t want to ride in town, but she put a good 15 miles on the bike that day in the rain. While you would normally think of riding a motorcycle in the rain as an unpleasant experience, we had fun. The ride was relaxing and enjoyable. Even better, a new rider got a great confidence boost discovering that she could handle a bike in the rain.
I need more days like that in my life. What a great rainy day.

— Guy Wheatley

I was heading home a few days ago and stopped at an intersection. There was a car coming from my left with his left blinker on. I’ve seen too many drivers plow straight through an intersection with their blinkers on, signaling a turn that never came. If you’re in a car and pull out in front of someone like that, then you get out survey the damage and exchange insurance information. If you’re on a motorcycle and pull out in front of somebody who doesn’t turn, then the other guys calls the morgue after he rolls over you. You can have lights and arrows and everything else on the front of your car. I’ll believe you’re turning when I see your front wheels cut over.
I watched the guy and sure enough, he rolls right through the intersection. I made a right turn and fell in behind him. I followed him a couple of blocks as we drove in front of a hospital. The entrance to the hospital parking lot was on our left. A pedestrian further up the street saw us coming and must have assumed that the man in the car was going to pull into the parking lot. His blinker was on after all. I could see the pedestrian’s eyes get big as the motorists passed the parking lot entrance and continued toward him.
The pedestrian stopped and back-stepped off the road back onto the curb. The guy in the cars comes to a halt, blinker still going, and begins waving at the pedestrian to cross. Warily he does, and the guy in the car starts rolling again still signaling a left turn.
I follow him for another block, wondering how far he’ll go before realizing his turn-signal is on. In exasperation, I take a deep breath and lower my head. My gaze falls across the instrument cluster on my triple tree and I discover that MY FLIPPIN BLINKER IS ON! I’ve been signaling a right turn since I fell in behind this guy.
OK, he drove a few blocks with his blinker on. Give him a break. It could happen to anybody.

— Guy Wheatley