Randy,
I did make it to Asheville NC. An absolutely beautiful run from my home in Tenafly, NJ. No finer roads have I been on. We did, however, experience a tragedy in the loss of one of our riders on the Blue Ridge Pkwy. @ mi 322.5 No ready explanations of how or why. Too many questions remain.Whilst he was not as seasoned a rider as others in the group, he was aware of his limits and was a careful motorcyclist.He was on a borrowed VFR 750, as opposed to his PC800. We have ruled out the change of machines as a likely factor. He had been on that bike on and off for 2 days. We are still coping with this unfortunate reality.
Aside from that Mrs. Lincoln, how was the theater?
Honda proved to be outstanding in their attention to our needs. The head of the Hoot was truly thoughtful and empathic with us. He made public the news of the motrocycilng community's loss of one of their own on the Gala Farewell at the Civic Cent. on Sat. We could not attend; we left on Fri.
I did find great humanity in the Hoot staff in particular a Ms. Marilee Paulson and another who's name I'm at a loss for. They helped me find my center.
The Hoot was cool, much like I expected as far as the vendors' scene. Some good bargains to be had or haggled for. Everywhere to be seen was yet another way to trick out your rig. Most of this was catering to the Gold Wing crowd. Many 'Wings in the area. We were birds of a feather. We took over the place, Bikes everywhere. It was beautiful. A tad bit "wonder bread" ;) if you catch my meaning.
I didn't get to test ride the machines I'd like to have. I spent more time in my hotel room, indulging in beer and cigars.
Asheville PD took a liking to nickel and diming us on parking meters. A $5 autograph for all bikes in a slot with a hungry meter. Not a cool way to do business, rather thoughtless actually. If they wanted revenue, why not sell parking permits for $5-$8 ? who would balk at that?
APD to their credit was very professional in their handling of our case. As were thr NC Rangers. Both responded quickly and efficiently to the crisis; mobilizing a search team in short order.
My NightHawk came through the odyssey with flying colours. I, unlike the others in my group, did not trade off machines regularly. I was fairly comfortable on my CB750V for our aggressive schedule. We did the run from NYC to Waynesboro VA in a day. The remainder of the distance in the next day. THIS IS NOT THE WAY TO DO IT. Boy was I peeved. I recommend at least three days on the Blue Ridge Pkwy. camping or lodging along the way. Oh, sure the bucolic splendor can be a bit awe inspiring but to some it may actually wear thin.One Smokey crest to the next. But motor cycling on what may be the most amazing piece of tarmac can bore even the most jaded of souls.
The BRP is a challenging,but not treacherous road. Some of the turns we found to be of decreasing radius.Especially the right handers, they seemed to test one's mettle. I would have loved to have had a set Pirellis I've found the 33 / 55 combo to be 'da bomb for my type of riding. I have had such good wear on my stock Dunlop 505 ( not that I've ever heard of them. or see them for sale any where ) that I couldn't justify their replacement.Just yet. I think also Progressive Susspesion Co. could be involved in a more responsive and lower front end. Mind you when I did trade off machines it was either a VFR or a Ducati Monster 900. Of which the VFR rules!
I wouldn't balk at another +500mi trek on the CB though. It fared well. It handled the return run very well. I-81 >I-78 North into NJ at aggressive rates. I also learned that what I'd thought were lies about NJ drivers is in fact sadly true. All too many of them suck. I think the infrastructure is in part at fault. Increasing the roadway by %120 and reducing the speed by %20 causes frustration. Micromanagement at it worst.
I shall do this again. The ride that is, not a rambling e-mail!
A fund has been established in the memory of Neil Throman, 33, of NYC, in Asheville N.C. (I'm for want of the particulars). Neil is survived by his wife,Julie of eleven months and his son Josh "Jack" 9 mo. 'Ya can't paint a more painful picture. I've seen Julie since, and she is fortunate to have strong friends and family nearby to help her weather this storm.
He shall not be forgotten.
If anyone was at the Civic Center on Sat. night, and heard what was said, I'd/ we'd like to know how it went.Please contact me
Hi Randy,
Made it to the Hoot Thursday, Friday, and Saturday as planned. Beautiful weather, 10,000 plus attendees, red carpet rolled out everywhere we went. The people of Asheville clearly wanted us there, and that was nice.
The Ride For Kids, staged Saturday morning collected over $72,000.00 to benefit the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. Several kids who have survived brain tumors rode on the ride and spoke during lunch.. Randy, please tell everyone via your site to get behind the Ride for Kids event nearest them. Being involved affected me greatly.
I spotted around 15 Nighthawks, all '91 and up. Curiously, Mike Corbin's saddle was on at least 1/4 of them. Also, during the closing ceremonies, the Gold Wing was won by a young couple from New York (I think) who ride a Nighthawk! They gave us a free plug right there in front of everybody.
As a closing shot not related to the Hoot, curiosity finally got the best of me and I ordered the mysterious "Grab Bar" bolt-on I've always seen listed. If you've never seen one, it's chrome plated tubular steel, bolts under the seat, and resides just behind the back end of the seat. Of course, it would not be used in conjunction with the backrest/luggage rack, and in fact requires the same filing modification as the backrest. It was a lot of work, but I like it okay. My wife and all of my friends that ride raved about it. They say something like "it pulls all the other chrome on the bike together and unifies the look of the motorcycle". Whatever. I have ordered all my Hondaline bolt-ons from Western Honda in Scottsdale, Az.: 1-800-279-RIDE. Their pricing is phenomenal and their attitude is great. I usually work with a guy named Rob. I've had such a good experience with them that you might want to mention them on your site.
Thanks for the note. I'll drop by the site soon.
Good riding,
David Long, KB4W DLong@mobile.bam.com
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