Author Topic: 2016 Eastern Spring Fling (Rated MA for dirtiness) (Read 72706 times)

shil · « **Reply #300 on:** May 15, 2016, 11:16:14 AM »

The tire is holding but progress is slow. Lingering over lunch. No one's in a rush to get back on the bikes.

Cablebandit · « **Reply #301 on:** May 15, 2016, 11:45:48 AM »

Also, don't forget to check the salad dressing level before you leave.

Frank's Wee prefers Lite Country French.

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

Vulcanbill · « **Reply #302 on:** May 15, 2016, 12:42:10 PM »

Home safe and sound after a gruelling 2 hours in the truck. Got uncomfortable a couple times when the heat was too high and had to crack a window. We soldiered through it though.

Wind sucked. I was thinking about you guys. Had a blast. More to follow later.

maddjack · « **Reply #303 on:** May 15, 2016, 01:49:33 PM »

Quote from: Cablebandit on May 15, 2016, 11:45:48 AM

Also, don't forget to check the salad dressing level before you leave.

Frank's Wee prefers Lite Country French.

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

Damm Franconese bikes always using dressing.At least he uses Kens, vs regular dressing.

maddjack · « **Reply #304 on:** May 15, 2016, 01:52:04 PM »

Quote from: Cablebandit on May 15, 2016, 05:59:21 AM

It's only 50%
visitors can't see pics , please register or login

Nice crinkle paint on that.

R Doug · « **Reply #305 on:** May 15, 2016, 02:36:03 PM »

Quote from: Vulcanbill on May 15, 2016, 12:42:10 PM

Home safe and sound after a gruelling 2 hours in the truck. Got uncomfortable a couple times when the heat was too high and had to crack a window. We soldiered through it though.

Wind sucked. I was thinking about you guys. Had a blast. More to follow later.

There is really only one appropriate reply to this.

R Doug · « **Reply #306 on:** May 15, 2016, 02:37:53 PM »

What a crew

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

As in pit crew

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

I'm home now, it's time to catch up on all the motorcycle racing on my DVR.

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

R Doug · « **Reply #307 on:** May 15, 2016, 02:43:23 PM »

Weather wise, Friday was GREAT!

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

Saturday started out pretty good.

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

Around noon, we saw this over our shoulders.

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

It got a little wet, cold, and windy.

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

Eric and I caught a brief window of good weather before all Hell broke lose on us. The ride from Mt. Storm (appropriately named) back to Canaan Valley was one of the worst weather experiences I've ridden. But, we survived and the story is good!

(Eric and I before the storm)

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

shil · « **Reply #308 on:** May 15, 2016, 04:51:29 PM »

Erie, PA. Cold and getting colder.

garry · « **Reply #309 on:** May 15, 2016, 05:01:07 PM »

Chris and I got home just after 5pm. Aside from the cold start, we hit some rain on WV20 between Webster Springs and Buckhannon, but nothing too bad. Great seeing everyone again.

Cablebandit · « **Reply #310 on:** May 15, 2016, 06:44:35 PM »

Made it home early this afternoon.

I split off from Frank and Scott in Cumberland and the weather went downhill from there. Very high crosswinds and dropping temps from that point North. I hit more rain/snow about 15 miles from home.

As always it was a great weekend. Now I'm off to price tires.

chornbe · « **Reply #311 on:** May 15, 2016, 07:33:55 PM »

Despite the weather, it was a great time, good turnout, and the occasional moments-to-hours of decent enough weather let us get in some much needed mototherapy.

I think I counted a total of 26(?) bikes in the lots, but not all of them were with us. There was this one older guy on a Harley this morning rolling out solo with his chaps, open face helmet, and decorative leather jacket. That man was going to be freezing cold, no two ways about it.

Anyway... here's what the bikes looked like this morning.

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

These stupid, ugly, weird tires - made by IRC (?) - were on the Magna when I got it. They have flames in the tread, so you they're The Real Deal (r) (c) (tm). I had basically zero faith in them. Turns out, on dry roads, they stick like glue, and I was able to push pretty well in all the wonderful twisties on Friday. In the rain yesterday, though... whoa. These things have GOT to go. They're like oiled glass when it's wet out.

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

We rolled in the driveway about 4pm after fighting some I-95 traffic in MD into Delaware. I gave the bikes a bath because omg, they were terrible. Mark this day; I'm not exactly known for going nuts washing bikes, so this is a fairly momentous occasion.

(Liz's bike was already rubbed down and put in the garage, so no pics of that thing clean)
visitors can't see pics , please register or login

jimmy · « **Reply #312 on:** May 15, 2016, 10:13:09 PM »

Home safe and sound.

Skee · « **Reply #313 on:** May 16, 2016, 07:12:36 AM »

Quote from: jimmy on May 15, 2016, 10:13:09 PM

Home safe and sound.

Couldn't stand the cold weather down south, aye

jimmy · « **Reply #314 on:** May 16, 2016, 08:15:42 AM »

2016 Eastern Spring Fling (Rated MA for Dirtiness)

"Only the Bold can Brave the Cold"

Orson · « **Reply #315 on:** May 16, 2016, 08:23:41 AM »

The white stuff falling from the sky spooked me and I booked my room for another night and ordered pizza.

It wuz 80 degrees when I left Asheville so, I just brought a fleece pullover which, I thought I wouldn't even need.

Wuz nice meeting everyone and apologies to those I didn't get a chance to talk to.

MrsCablebandit · « **Reply #316 on:** May 16, 2016, 08:34:39 AM »

I heard a lot of stories last night over dinner, but the one that sticks with me is CB saying, "I walked with Frank and Beans to breakfast this morning and I really had a hard time keeping up!" (Me: "Because their stride is so long?") CB "Yeah! Now I know how you must feel trying to keep up with me!"

Sounds like a good time was had by all. I'm sorry to have missed it, but I got to spend the weekend with my parents, brother, and 3 YO niece visiting, so I did OK myself!

shil · « **Reply #317 on:** May 16, 2016, 10:17:48 AM »

Thanks to Doug for putting this together!
Thanks to Bill and Kim for getting me back to Canaan. Third time lucky I guess: the last patch is holding air just fine.
I was home last night at 10:30. Just a couple of degrees above freezing. That last hour sucked.

jimmy · « **Reply #318 on:** May 16, 2016, 10:27:26 AM »

2016 Eastern Spring Fling (Rated MA for Dirtiness)

"Cause it's never too cold and snowy to ride to meet Orson"

R Doug · « **Reply #319 on:** May 16, 2016, 10:51:44 AM »

Quote from: jimmy on May 16, 2016, 10:27:26 AM

2016 Eastern Spring Fling (Rated MA for Dirtiness)

"Cause it's never to cold and snowy to ride to meet Orson"

The man, the myth, the legend.

R Doug · « **Reply #320 on:** May 16, 2016, 10:56:36 AM »

It was great seeing everyone again and meeting a few new folks.

Thanks to everyone who shared the fire road tour w/ me. It was a hoot, we had a great group. Shil, I'm glad to hear the tire repairs held up. Thanks for letting me test the new tire pump.

Beth, you were missed (and not just for the cookies). I hope you continue to heal up.

chornbe · « **Reply #321 on:** May 16, 2016, 11:18:26 AM »

Hear hear, and agree on all points.

Liz and I had breffas with Orson Sunday morning; fun, charming and interesting dude. If you haven't had the pleasure, make it happen.

R Doug · « **Reply #322 on:** May 16, 2016, 11:52:43 AM »

Quote from: chornbe on May 16, 2016, 11:18:26 AM

Hear hear, and agree on all points.

Liz and I had breffas with Orson Sunday morning; fun, charming and interesting dude. If you haven't had the pleasure, make it happen.

Even if he doesn't appear to use weather websites or apps to check forecasts.

Quote from: Orson on May 16, 2016, 08:23:41 AM

It wuz 80 degrees when I left Asheville so, I just brought a fleece pullover which, I thought I wouldn't even need.

BTW, if anyone has the chance to sit down with Bill and Kim, do it. They're hilarious!

One of the more memorable comments from the two, went something like this...

As we were de-gearing in the Front Porch Restaurant and assessing how well our rain gear protected us, Kim noticed she had suffered from the traditional Roadcrafter crotch failure. As this became evident to her, she shrugged it off by saying, "oh well, I'll be getting to that age soon where I'll end up looking like this every time I sneeze."

I lost it.

chornbe · « **Reply #323 on:** May 16, 2016, 12:41:37 PM »

Yeah, they're a lot of fun.

Slides · « **Reply #324 on:** May 16, 2016, 01:06:04 PM »

Even dealing with the 46 degrees on freeway heading home was well worth the 3 days of great riding. And now I know how much fun blasting through the woods can be!

It was great seeing / meeting everyone and thanks to R Doug for the coordinating efforts and the fire roads escort. Looking forward to trying the trickier bits some day.

I love the old Seca II but 4 days straight on that and I was ready to put it away for a while. Heck, this time around I could do it all again tomorrow.

R Doug · « **Reply #325 on:** May 16, 2016, 02:36:59 PM »

Quote from: Slides on May 16, 2016, 01:06:04 PM

Even dealing with the 46 degrees on freeway heading home was well worth the 3 days of great riding. And now I know how much fun blasting through the woods can be!

For your first time in the woods, you were doing great. I can't believe how much washboard there was going up the switchbacks to Dolly Sods. I believe your ESA shut you down to no power. And, despite having all electronic nanny stuff off on my bike, the rear wheel would barley get any traction.

Then, the storm we rode through from Mt. Storm (yes, that's the name of the place) to Thomas was (and I'm not exaggerating) Apocalyptic. I was ready to get off the bike after that 30 mile bit.

Vulcanbill · « **Reply #326 on:** May 16, 2016, 02:42:35 PM »

Quote from: R Doug on May 16, 2016, 02:36:59 PM

Quote from: Slides on May 16, 2016, 01:06:04 PM
Even dealing with the 46 degrees on freeway heading home was well worth the 3 days of great riding. And now I know how much fun blasting through the woods can be!

For your first time in the woods, you were doing great. I can't believe how much washboard there was going up the switchbacks to Dolly Sods. I believe your ESA shut you down to no power. And, despite having all electronic nanny stuff off on my bike, the rear wheel would barley get any traction.

Then, the storm we rode through from Mt. Storm (yes, that's the name of the place) to Thomas was (and I'm not exaggerating) Apocalyptic. I was ready to get off the bike after that 30 mile bit.

We were really close to joining you. We chose well. Couldn't abandon Shil anyway.

Weather wasn't that bad...

Slides · « **Reply #327 on:** May 16, 2016, 03:13:37 PM »

Quote from: R Doug on May 16, 2016, 02:36:59 PM

Quote from: Slides on May 16, 2016, 01:06:04 PM
Even dealing with the 46 degrees on freeway heading home was well worth the 3 days of great riding. And now I know how much fun blasting through the woods can be!

For your first time in the woods, you were doing great. I can't believe how much washboard there was going up the switchbacks to Dolly Sods. I believe your ESA shut you down to no power. And, despite having all electronic nanny stuff off on my bike, the rear wheel would barley get any traction.

Then, the storm we rode through from Mt. Storm (yes, that's the name of the place) to Thomas was (and I'm not exaggerating) Apocalyptic. I was ready to get off the bike after that 30 mile bit.

Between having just helped (witnessed) fixing a flat and the washboard trail and over active traction control I had to slow down to take a look at my tire. It felt so wonky I thought mine was going flat. The TC2 setting helped a lot with that though. I'm still not used to a bike with settings.

Vulcanbill · « **Reply #328 on:** May 16, 2016, 03:15:39 PM »

Oh, and here's a relevant life lesson for all y'all... If you're still carrying around the same tire repair kit that you've had for a bunch of years, go get new plugs. Those unsealed strings have a shelf life. I don't know what that life is but if they're too old, they act like they'll work and they look like they'll work but that's not actually the case. 2 of the older ones failed miserably but the newer one seems to have held nicely.

Vulcanbill · « **Reply #329 on:** May 16, 2016, 03:42:08 PM »

So, Friday, Kim and I arrived early and hopped on the bikes to do some scouting. We rode Canaan Loop Road and FR18 as seen earlier in this thread. There were some challenges but nothing too taxing for the bikes and only mildly taxing for the riders. Since there has been so much rain in the area, the puddles were indeed full and the loamy center of the road was often slicker n snot when you eventually realized it was actually mud. The water crossings were OK with only one giving any real pause. I expected much higher water but the flow was much like just about any picture you see. A little deeper than axle deep on the 21" front so do the math. We didn't get a ton of pictures since you're kept pretty busy on those roads and our daylight was expiring rapidly. A very good time was had. There was much mud and water and the bikes and gear showed it. Turns out, they'd all get washed the next day.

For those that were wondering about the difficulty of the 2 harder parts that the group didn't get to, here are a couple pics. I can't post hi res stuff so these will have to do. As always, it was a tad hairier than the pics imply. The little rock section in front of the bike close up is far harder and more frightening that this pic eludes. I did it twice but I was calling on some old skills and there was some air involved on the 2nd run. Kim did it once and there was a bit of a harrowing moment when her momentum stopped and her rear tire right on the edge of the top rock spun a bit. Just as fate was deciding if she was going to fall back off the ledge and be dragged into the rocks or hook up and succeed, her knobbies grabbed the edge with a very odd sound and she scooted off to safety. Whew.

I would really like to see some of the big boy bikes test their bash plates on this section of trail.

Skee · « **Reply #330 on:** May 16, 2016, 03:51:02 PM »

First off, I want to thank RDoug – or should it be SDoug henceforth – for organizing this meet. He put a lot of forethought into planning Saturday’s route. It was very well done, kinda like a sous vide tenderloin. My compliments to the ride master.

Speaking of food, we stumbled upon this place for lunch in Cumberland. The weekend started off pretty good.

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

We stopped for a break at an old gas station. I’m not sure if Scott had just heard the weather forecast , or this is when he found out that he’d have to wait until next week to get premium gas. The prices on the gas pumps told a story about West Virginia. Premium gas was half the price of regular, most likely because they stopped selling premium long before they closed. Then again, perhaps it was just another bad hair day, the kind we all love to have.

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

We checked in and took a short ride to Blackwater Falls.

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

This is what I want to remember of Saturday. The rest is awash in an alcohol-induced fog.

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

Things didn’t look so good out front Sunday morning.

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

They didn’t look much better out back. We lucked-out and missed the worst of the weather. It warmed up shortly after we got north of Mt Snow, and except for a few occasional flurries, stayed dry until I was 45 minutes from home, which turned it into an hour.

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

If I had wanted this, I would have come to the Winter Meet!

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

All-in-all, it was a great time. I enjoyed seeing everyone. Maybe we will do it again.

Vulcanbill · « **Reply #331 on:** May 16, 2016, 04:19:52 PM »

snerk...

http://www.sport-touring.net/forums/index.php/topic,23839.0.html

cyjo · « **Reply #332 on:** May 16, 2016, 04:39:38 PM »

Looks like everyone had fun. We stuck to the asphalt... somewhat. Had a good time, nice excuse to go to WV. Here are some pics:
visitors can't see pics , please register or login

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

R Doug · « **Reply #333 on:** May 16, 2016, 06:31:35 PM »

Quote from: Vulcanbill on May 16, 2016, 04:19:52 PM

snerk...

http://www.sport-touring.net/forums/index.php/topic,23839.0.html

Wow, I've been riding bloated dual sport bikes for 8 years now and if seems as if my riding skills haven't improved a bit.

chornbe · « **Reply #334 on:** May 16, 2016, 06:51:09 PM »

Quote from: cyjo on May 16, 2016, 04:39:38 PM

Looks like everyone had fun. We stuck to the asphalt... somewhat.

Glad to have met you. You had one of my favorite bikes at the meet. I love me some Bandit.

Skee · « **Reply #335 on:** May 16, 2016, 07:08:22 PM »

Quote from: MrsCablebandit on May 16, 2016, 08:34:39 AM

I heard a lot of stories last night over dinner, ...

Here's one more. We're riding towards Mt Storm in some high crosswinds with CableBandit riding sweep, and my little Wee is getting blown around a bit, when Scott radios up "You better behave, CableBandit is watching and he's never going to pass you on that exam."

cyjo · « **Reply #336 on:** May 16, 2016, 07:16:14 PM »

Yeah that bandit is a good one. Had a few issues prior to leaving and now it looks like a new chain is in order but she runs good for a 14+ year old bike. Just time for a refresh. Nice to meet you as well!

Vulcanbill · « **Reply #337 on:** July 22, 2016, 01:46:54 PM »

Yeah, so it took Kim a bit to put the blog post together but here it is.

http://vulcanbill.blogspot.com/2016/05/canaan-valley-state-parksto-meetmay-13.html