mrpl39

It's been a while, but I'd rather ride than blog.

September 4 - The folowing is from a friend's posting about a little problem I had on a ride, Labor Day weekend.  Amazingly the camera and GPS that were scratched while dragging on the ground were both in working condition afterwards.  Thanks Dan for the laugh out loud!

"Well.....it was a great ride today, and with the usual laughs and good times we have a new phrase to coin.  It's called a "hoodie". Named after Paul.  (mrlhood is another screen name I use)

Now you had to be behind Paul to really enjoy a "hoodie."  Cruising along... he looses the bag attached to his luggage rack.  It's hanging on for dear life by 2 bungee cords.  The cords are stretched out and the bag is dragging on the ground.  I start honking the horn and try to get him to pull over and after dragging this bag for at least 1/2 mile when he finally pulls over.

The side pocket of the bag is gone.... the inside of the pocket is torn wide open exposing the contents inside the bag.  His camera and GPS just barely in the bag wrapped in torn plastic.  Another 1/4 mile on he road and a 1/16 of an inch and they would have been toast.

So, there you have it.... the "hoodie"... dragging your bag by bungee cords till your crap all but falls out.  Thanks Paul for the laughs."  Capt. Danbo.

August 21 - Just a list of rides from this summer: Bikes for Beds Charity Ride; Foxtrot Charity Ride; Chumley's Charity Ride; Poker Run for Cancer Research; Lake George O-Night; MA to NH Coastal Ride (too many times to count); Deerfield Leathers/Alton Bay NH; NH Thunder Run (Rolling Thunder NH Chapter #1); Boothbay Harbor (Red's Eats); Long Island NY (Riding LI)... and it ain't over yet.  Looking forward to some more time in the saddle soon.  Also, over the summer I learned how to change out my tires for a set of ME-880's, do my own basic tune-up, oil change, swap out front and rear brake pads and change final drive fluid and lubricate the spline on the rear wheel.  Couldn't have done any of it without some help and advice from a good friend, one of many I've made over the summer.  I'll try and have some pics and vids to post at the end of the summer months.  Ride safe and live free!

July 15 - Been on the road a lot as of late so computer time has taken a back door to being outdoors.  Been to Santa Fe to visit with family.  Went to Madrid, NM, for kicks.  Nice town with nice folks, but nothing like the Wild Hogs movie.  Maggie's Diner is a T-Shirt shop.  Got a new vest and had some patches sewn on, no new mods. to the ride, but did check out a Honda VTX 1300 Fury "Chopper" from the folks at Naults Honda while my VTX was having the 8K valve adjustment.  Made some new friends up the NH way and been riding with them a bit this summer.  Speaking of which I'll be riding with the guys and gals in a poker run tomorrow sponsored by the New Hampshire Chapter #1, Rolling Thunder to help out vets. all across NH.  Another great bunch of dedicated American volunteers.  Well, i hope to have some video up soon from some of the recent rides and some good memories to look back upon. 

In Memorium - On another more solem note, condolences to the family of Don Boyer, AKA COPPERGUY on the CC pages.  Don lost his life recently on his way home from work, a ride he took nearly every day of the week.  Ride safe on the road to heaven now that you are free from the bonds of these earthly highways.  You will always live free in our hearts and minds.

 Rest in peace big fellow!  I'll always remember your sense of humor and willingness to help others.

May 14 - The mistress that is springtime in New England is still around, but not as cruel a mistress as she has been in the past month.  Logged around 600 miles since my last posting.  I guess that's why I haven't updated this page recently.  Met some new friends over the past month and have enjoyed sharing some great moments both on and off the road with them.  Been as far north as Kittery, ME, and got soaked on the way home.  Took two days to get the water out of my boots, LOL!  Rode with around 125 other bikers on a charity ride to raise money for a scholarship fund in rememberance of fallen firefighters.  Rode almost 225 miles that day for a very worthy cause.  We enjoyed a great, yes great BBQ after the ride and memorial service at the fire station.  This ride had the most bikes in it that I have ever ridden with so far!  Thanks to the Newington firefighters for putting on such a well planned and worthwhile event.  Thanks to all of you out there who risk your lives to help others.  Been riding to work on the few nicer days (about 5 or 6) and I've been reaquainting myself with some of my favorite local roads on the weekends too.  Today I went on a charity poker run through southern NH to help families that are less fortunate and can't affford bedding for their kids.  My hand was not a winning one, but made some new friends on an otherwise cloudy and dreary day.  There is going to be a long ride this coming weekend to the north country of New Hampshire that I've been looking forward to for about a month now.  Hope everyone else is enjoying a bit of a break from the winter blues as well.  Till next time... Ride safe and live free!

April 18 - Spring is a cruel mistress in these parts.  I can only feel better about the cold weather around here reading the blogs of our Canadian friends north of here.  So... Today is Patriot's Day here in MA and the festivities include the running of the Boston Marathon, Revolutionary War re-enactors playing with cannon and musket on the Lexington Green and at the Old North Bridge in Concord, a historical look back at Paul Rever's ride, etc.  For me the day always signals the start of the riding season and a trip to Wiscasset, ME, for lobster from a great roadside stand...REDS EATS.  Too bad the weather was so @#$@ cold or I would have taken the bike up.  Two hours in the cold was just more than I wanted to deal with though.  We took the cage on wheels instead and thought about how warm it was in past years.  Todays temp. in ME, was only in the low 40's with a stiif breeze from the southwest.  The best lobster rolls in the country made up for the lack of wheels... 1 1/2 pounds of Maine lobsta on a piece of buttered and grilled toast.  No celery, no mayo, nothing but pure crustacean nation.  We'll be back for more I promise as soon as the weather gets warmer.  Anyone up for a lobster run, just let me know!  If you want to learn more about the history of Reds and Red's menu items, left-click your mouse over each photo in this section.  Ride safe, live free!

April 9 - After the guys at Nault's Honda installed new fork springs in the front end I had to go out for another ride after coming home from Manchester today.  So, I went up to Newburyport, MA along route 133 heading east through N. Andover, Boxford, Georgetown, then up route 1A through Rowley and into Newburyport.  It was a little cold, but the good food made up for it.  The Black Cow has three locations, but because of the ride...  Newburyport  is a favorite.  The wait staff and barmen (and women) are the best around.  In the summer the outside deck on the waterfront is the great!  Always a good crowd.  Meanwhile, back to the bike...

Hat's off to Eric and the crew.  I have to admit Eric has been after me to do this upgrade since last year.  He said I wouldn't believe the difference.  Now I knew the front forks were a bit on the mushy side to start with, but I have to admit... It's like having a whole new front end... WOW! What a difference in the smoothness, cornering and control.  Not to mention the bite taken out of the bumps and holes in the road.  Good times ahead!  Thanks again guys.

 April 2 - Just got back from Nault's Honda in NH.  Got a nice bag to hold papers and books on the way to work when riding.  Can't wait for the day when I can ride to work every day.  Made an appointment for next Saturday to have the guys in the service department install a progressive spring kit for the front forks.  It'll raise the front up around 1 inch, but will make a huge difference in handling and to soften the blow when running over those %@%!@$# potholes from last winter.  The guys will also run some wiring for me to my GPS power point from the headlight so it is fused and is disconnected from the battery when not in use.  Spent the afternoon looking over some great rides, Goldwings, VTX1800's all looking good.  I can't beleive I'm actually thinking of trading up already.  Ride safe, live free... get a second job to pay for a new bike!  

March 29 -  Recently I received a question from copperguy at CCC about displaying the flag on your ride.  I found the information in a booklet published by the Bureau of Veterans Affairs a few years ago.  I though some of you might also be interested so here it is.  If anyone has better information please let me know.  I would hate to misinform anyone.  God bless the USA!

From the Bureau of Veterans Affairs:

 Displaying the United States Flag - When carried in procession with other flags, the U.S. flag should be either on the marching right (the flag’s right) or to the front and center of the flag line.When other flags are flown from adjacent staffs, the U.S. flag should be must be on the right of other flags and no other flag should stand higher than it.Flags of other nations should be flown from separate staffs. International custom dictates that flags of different nations be displayed at the same height in peacetime and be approximately the same size.  When displayed on a float in a parade, the flag should be hung from a staff or suspended so it falls free. It should not be draped over a vehicle.  

Displaying the POW/MIA Flag - When displayed from a single flag pole, the POW/MIA flag should fly directly below, and be no larger than, the United States flag. If on separate poles, the U.S. flag should always be placed to the right of other flags. On the six national observances for which Congress has ordered display of the POW/ MIA flag, it is generally flown immediately below or adjacent to the United States flag as second in order of precedence. 

March 28 - Thanks for all the compliments guys and dolls.  It's been a lot of fun getting ready for the season and everyone at CCC has been real nice in helping to pass the hours till the warm weather arrives.  I look at this photo  everyday on my computer's desktop and ask myself, "Will it ever get warm again?"  I might have to take the "nice" ride out for an "ice" ride if it doesn't warm up soon.

March 25 - Knew it was just a one or two timer a couple of weeks ago, but man did it get my blood boilin to go a ridin!  ARGH!  The cold weather we have had is not going away for at least another ten days and that's to get us back int the 50's.  Back to that feeling of "need for speed" again.  Went to the igloo (garage) and finished off the chrome GPS RAM Mount.  Looks much better now, and with the modification I can switch out a GPS mount, camera mount, and Toll Pass mount anytime.  The short arms are much less noticable and the crome makes them blend into the rest of the handlebar array.  Didn't have my camera, but I'll take some pictures next time.  Looking forward to taking a video of the next ride... hope that's soon.  Thanks to Don (dyinglin) for purchasing my Honda bags.  Hope they serve you welll my friend.  Always remember the little lady with some posies... Ride safe, live free!

March 19 - I was happy to get a quick ride in last week, but we had an awesome couple of days at the end of the work week this week too that were even better.  Got another seventy miles on the odometer and surprize... all those extras that I added over the winter are still in place.  Pumped up the tires and polished her up a bit more.  Looking forward to the warmer weather after the Vernal Equinox this weekend.  Survived the loss of an hour of sleep last weekend, now I just have to survive waiting for the cold coming down from Canada to move back north of the border.  Apologies to our Canadian brothers and sisters.  Till then, rise safe, live free.  Oh, and a belated Happy St. Patrick's Day to all.  Someone told me St. Patrick was Italian, but I'm not buying it.

March 13 - Can't stop smiling!  A short ride turned into... I want more!  Found most of the roads dry, kept an eye out for potholes, needed the heavy leather and gauntlet gloves, but jeans were warm enough on the lowers.  Logged around twenty miles and it was an awesome start to the season.  I know it doesn't sound like much, but it's been a long cold winter here in New England and the riding season only starts when the ice and sand are mostly gone.  Haven't heard the sound of any other pipes on the road as of yet, but I'm sure they will be out there soon enough.

On another note, I found a hotel room on the last day of Americade in June and I hope the weather is good that weekend.  I know it's the last day, but I'm hoping to see the Ultimate Seats vendor booth and if nothing else enjoy a good long day in the saddle.  Going to Ticonderoga to explore some history on the next day and then back home.

North Reading Police Department and the Suffolk County Sherifs Department usually sponsor a ride in May that draws in around 200 bikers that circles around Cape Ann and supports the NRPD motorcycle unit.  Looking forward to that ride as it was great last year.

March 12 - 50 degrees and sunny today, most of the snow melted or melting down to the soil.  Lots of rain washed away most of the sand and road debris, still lots of potholes out there.  Where's my helmet?  If nothing else I'm going out for a ride around town.  Get me outa here! 

Early March 2011 - I feel the need for speed!  Added chrome cowling to the speedo on the tank... looks good, probably not too functional though, but it's chrome. Got the properly sized bolts from the guys at EASYBRACKETS for the rear fender rail mount and the brackets go on nicely.  Next, I'll have to decide on whether or not to modify my stock Hondaline bags (that would mean drilling and adding a set of sliding mounting brackets to the back of the bags with some additional spacers to make them fit the EASYBRACKETS, $$$) or selling them for around $75.00 with the Hondaline brackets and then buying some new bags for around a couple more "C" notes.

Spring training baseball games back on TV from Florida, everyone in the stands with T-shirts and shorts on makes me want to wish the last few weeks of winter away from here in New England, but there's more snow in the forecast for Sunday into Monday.  The good news around here is the rising temperatures will be in the upper 30's and low 40's, so whatever else falls from the skies shouldn't stick atound for too long.  If only we could get the snow from the other storms that is still on the ground to melt away!

February 2011 - Went back to the igloo, a.k.a. the garage as one of our Canadian brothers calls it, to finish up some of the clean up and the last of the installs from my latest CCC order.   Upgraded the RAM mounting system to hold two devices and now with shorter arms both chrome.  Of course it would have been cheaper without the chrome, but chrome is good... right?  The RAM mount now can hold my GPS and FAST-LANE toll transponder.  I just hope the darn toll readers on the interstates pick it up better this year.

I can wait till April to mull this one over in my brain some more.  Pockets are getting a little empty at this point. 

Bike or food?   Hmmmmm?

Next order heading my way from CCC in the coming week... Oh joy!  Something else to increase my need for speed to be further out of control.  Oh the price of our toys.

"I don't want a pickle, just want to ride my motorcycle." (motor-sick-el)  Thanks Arlo!

Watched the Daytona 500 and some Spring Training shows from Fort Myers, FLA.  Spring come quickly... now!

Ride safe, live free.

February 18 - Can't get over what a warm day couple of days.  Roads are pretty bad and sand & ice abound everywhere.  Worked in the garage and took a few turns around the parking lot.  Stayed outside in the dim afternoon sun for awhile and cleaned and polished up parts of the body, added chrome trim around the tank and fender accents from Kuryakin.  Will be back in the garage for the rest of the week adding Easy Brackets to the bags and a few more pieces of trim.  If I get motivated the Run-Turn-Brake light kit is looming closer.  Ordered some other stuff, man this is getting habitual.  So, I gotta have just one bad habit right?

Looking forward to March and the warmer weather. Still contemplating the Ultimate - Corbin - Mustang saddle question... OMG! Not another half a grand!

Thank God for Spring Training Baseball... Riding season can't be far away.

That warm weather tease we had last Friday put the riding bug in me for sure.  I find myself in the garage working on the ride and blowing on my figertips to keep them warm.  Got the Kuryakin Run-Turn-Brake light kit installe dand working, see pics and video on my page.

Anyway... till next time...

First Entry - About Me - Just got back on the road last summer.  Last time was 1983 on Suzuki GS-750E rice rocket back on LI, NY.  Had a Honda 400 (4) before that as a first ride.   I have to say I am very pleased with my VTXR.  Had it set up as a bagger at the dealer last year and put almost 5K on it touring New England last summer.  Favorite rides include the "NH Thunder Run" from Nault's Honda in Manchester sponsored by Carrabas Italian Grill, Naults, and Rolling Thunder Chapter 1, NH. What a great bunch of dedicated Americans! And the best local ride of 2010 award goes to the North Reading, MA Police Depts. "Ride with Pride" to support the local police department motorcyle unit.   The ride tours Cape Ann, MA as is escorted by the Suffolk County Sherif's Dept. - Almost 1 and 1/2 hours of riding and your feet never touch the ground for a stop thanks to the motorcycle escort.  Almost 200 bikes in attendance last year for a worthy cause.  Burgers and Tee Shirts at Kitty's in North Reading afterwards.

Looking forward to getting into the saddle again...Working on some chrome this winter and will add some suspension to the front forks in the spring.  Ride safe, live free!