Fall Colors 2015

[stevegrab]

Neither sleet nor rain nor snow, cold temperatures or frost on our seat will stop us from departing Lewisburg for NE Ohio on Sunday morning

Really its only cold for a few hours, before the sun starts to do its work. Of course if its raining that's a different story. Plan to have some 12 year old CC in my flask to help warm us up in the evenings.

[RichGrab]

Yay, 12 year old CC. That'll warm the innards after a cold day in the saddle.

[wardie]

Hey Steve, quite frankly I'm tired of getting on the bike at 7am when it's 37 degrees and a slight misting to head back from Daytona. Since this is a shorter distance back to Ohio  I think I'll give Del Sol some time to do it's magic. But (there's always a but) I may stop by now that I know you have some CC available

[wardie]

Even though it rained throughout the weekend the roads in and around Lewisburg were awesome. Thanks to Syd for putting on a nice event looking forward to next years.

[qman8]

Even though it rained throughout the weekend the roads in and around Lewisburg were awesome. Thanks to Syd for putting on a nice event looking forward to next years.

Agreed!  Thanks Syd, and all the others that helped out!  We managed over 200 miles Saturday, partially dry.  It was an extremely bad timing for the weather to stall out right over our heads!  But hey, I'd rather ride in that than in 100+ degrees!  Quite a mixed crowd with the FJR club there. 

[Buckeye56]

I too want to add my thanks to Syd for putting on the event. We toured the National Radio Obsevratory Saturday so we only did about 140 miles. That is a cool spot to visit!

[stevegrab]

I too want to add my thanks to Syd for putting on the event. We toured the National Radio Obsevratory Saturday so we only did about 140 miles. That is a cool spot to visit!

My group did that the year we were at Snowshoe and it snowed. I had been by there many times and wondered what the place was like and how much closer we could get to the dishes. Of course after we got back we heard from others that the cold and damp weather was not as bad about 30 miles from the hotel. But it was a fun day anyway.

The ride home was just really long with a late start, required some slab but still had a great time on US60 and WV16 then some fun roads in Ohio closer to home.

At least it wasn't under 40 degrees. Now seeing the weather this weekend, the storms coming on shore in the east, I'm really glad the event moved up one week.

[touringman]

Thanks Guys! I am really thankful that we had such a good turnout, in spite of the forecast. The attitudes remained positive throughout the weekend, and many students of meteorology (Norm) managed to navigate around the bulk of the rain. I am continually impressed by the resilience and adaptive mindsets of our members. I believe we will try the same weekend next year. Next year we'll cover the spectrum, starting on 9/30, and ending up on 10/02. Hey, that's got to be good luck, right?? Syd

[banjobart]

Syd, Thanks for the advance notice, your 2016 FCR dates will not conflict with the Michigan MSTA monthly meetings.

[touringman]

Thank you Bart! I look forward to seeing you then. Syd

[Buckeye56]

My group did that the year we were at Snowshoe and it snowed. I had been by there many times and wondered what the place was like and how much closer we could get to the dishes. Of course after we got back we heard from others that the cold and damp weather was not as bad about 30 miles from the hotel. But it was a fun day anyway.

The ride home was just really long with a late start, required some slab but still had a great time on US60 and WV16 then some fun roads in Ohio closer to home.

At least it wasn't under 40 degrees. Now seeing the weather this weekend, the storms coming on shore in the east, I'm really glad the event moved up one week.
[/quote]

We heard you talking about doing that and that was were we got the idea. I looked around Saturday evening but did not see you. Thanks!

[wardie]

Buckeye 56 yes the weather north was much better. We visited the National Radio Telescope Observatory. I hadn't been there in years and my riding buddy had never been there. Still way cool after all these years. I would suggest to anyone visiting to take the tour .

Ended up taking US 250 to Route 2 in WVA finally crossing over into Steubenville and Route 7 for a nice scenic river ride to Route 11 where I wicked it up a little and arrived almost an hour late to my sons birthday. He's 39 so it wasn't a big deal but the grandkids were anxiously awaiting blowing out the candles and eating the cake. What kid doesn't like that? All in all a fun weekend, rode all day Saturday and it was on and off rain. I'm coming back down next year. If we get any decent weather those roads are awesome.

Wardie

PS I am running Pirelli Scorpion Trails and was surprised at how well they hooked up in the curves even when the temps were lower than I like for curve carvin'. They came on my CB 500 X and I'm pleased so far.

[touringman]

HelloWardie, I'm so glad you could join us, and that you enjoyed yourself. Please do come back next year, and give the weather another shot. I didn't know you were riding a CB 500X. That's a bike that has piqued my interest, but I didn't know anyone that owned one. What is your assessment of the bike in terms of power, touring ability, luggage if any, etc. Thanks in advance, Syd

[wardie]

Syd after owning a variety of bikes from a Hayabusa, CBR900RR, Ninja's, BMW's and some others I must tell you the CB 500 X is a pleasure to own and ride. First it's a lot lighter , it's dual OHC fuel injected and plenty of power. Avg. gas mileage was 67 mpg!! I can ride at 80 all day. Wide handlebars means I can counter steer very well. Bigger platform means I can carry a fair amount of stuff. Mounted Honda top rack and my trusty JC Whitney Givi look alike 32 liter top case. I have Bags Connection soft sided Blaze saddle bags that are specifically designed for my bike. They have a stainless support rod holding the bag away from the wheel and when not in use I simply push a button and the rod comes off only leaving a small snap into piece bolted to my foot peg.

Excellent bike for carvin WVA rodes. I had to laugh someone at your rally actually asked me if I could keep up with their big bikes because I had only a 500 It's not a liter bike with the ability to bend time and distance but in the curves at WVA where there aren't many long straightaways it will give as good account of itself as the rider is capable. Honestly after high siding in a race at Pittsburgh International Raceway this year (I'm 64) my wife said I was through racing so I sold my race bike and moved on, but  this little Honda puts a smile on my face because it will allow me to  lean it all the way over till I fall off. Ha,ha My buddy rode his as well. Mine is a 2014 and his is a 2013. Adventure  bike styling, Honda fit, finish and reliability. Should I ever need anything I'm only a day or two away from getting the part anywhere. Now if I needed a 150 mph bike I'd have to look elsewhere but other than that this is a great naked all arounder.

I'll let you ride Whitey next time I see you and you can decide what you think. IMO you don't need a BMW, Concours or FJR to do Coast to Coast touring. They are several middleweights that can get the job done like the new Yamaha's and Hondas.

[normkern]

Wardie,

We met at the Fall Colors event on Friday night. You wanted to join our riding group on Saturday and I turned you down. I sensed you were offended. It was not my intention to be stand-offish or to exclude you, per se.

I attend lots of rallies and have a regular group of friends who I lead rides for. Not all of them attend every rally, but most of them were there for this one. The more riders in the group, the harder it becomes to keep track of people, pass slower traffic, stay together going through towns, etc. And that's with regulars who know how everyone else in the group rides and know my picky little riding rules.

I already had five other people in my group for Saturday.  The larger the group, the more stressful it is for me.  Adding two additional riders, both new to the group, was more than I was able to do. You asked if you could "shadow" us. I am frequently asked that question, and my experience is that in practice, it's just more riders on the back end of the group. I hope you understand. In any case it turned out to be a moot point, since it rained Saturday and we didn't ride. (The only rally day of this season I left my bike parked all day.)

There are a few events I attend each season where my regular group doesn't attend. I'm happy to ride with new people and new members at those events.

Norm Kern