Some days it works out...

Last night we had our usual meetup at Flanagan's Ale House.  It was Ken, Vince, Vicki and myself.  We didn't ride due to impending weather, but I was thrilled that all four of us showed up on scooters!  While we were there, a red vintage scooter buzzed by.  I waved, but didn't know the fellow.  We had good food, drink, and ESPECIALLY conversation!

 

It rained all night and thought I would have to take the cage to work today, but I caught a meteorlogical break!!  It was stopped when I got outside, so I rode to work.  A little chilly, and I should have brought my jacket, but I needed to hit the road.  I got a little wet due to blowdrying Lois, but other than that, it was a good ride in!  If I have any luck left, maybe I will be able to ride home dry as well!

Rear Tire & Olympia GEL Gloves

I priced a rear tire at Derby Cycles in Shelbyville, KY.  This is the only place I've had any maintainence done on Lois (first service).  They gave me a price of $120-125 for a rear tire mounted, and I think he said that was a Michelin tire.  I probably need to do this soon as I am nearing 8000 miles.  Still, I have tread left on the rear, it's not showing any threads or signs of dangerous wear, so I might try to get 8500 out of it.  I will just have to watch how I ride of course, and in what conditions.  Much longer on this tire and I would not want to do a lot of riding at high speeds in the rain.  I check the wear weekly to keep an eye on it.

 

I finally wore a hole in my Olympia GEL gloves.  I might try patching them because it is only the left index finger that is showing lots of wear, and they really are comfortable and cool for summer.  I do have a pair of full leather work gloves that I've been using, but they are that brownish-yellowish-orangish leather, and it doesn't go with my jacket at all.  I use them when it's really hot outside and I'm going without my jacket (which is usually only when I'm in-town, and not out putting a lot of miles on).  At higher speeds I like to have as much gear as I can stand.  Full-face helmet 100% of the time is pretty much without saying though...

Sunday the 19th of July - Riding with KC!

Ken had an awesome route picked out from Crestwood Kentucky down to Taylorsville Lake!  Lots of nice road there, and miracalulosly the weather (grey clouds hanging) held all day!  What kind luck is THAT???  We made a pit stop at a gas station/food mart out on (I think!) KY-155.  That was where we saw a huge line of bikes going by with police escort.  The lady in the foodmart told us Sam Swope was having a big charity ride today.  I saw they had some du-rags that looked like really good quality and a brown Corona Beer one caught my eye, so I picked it up.  It has a nice sweat band and is nicer than the ones I bought at Wal-mart (though they are fine).  We continued on to Taylorsville and the lake.  Ken showed me around--I had never been out there before.  He was also nice enough to swing by the campgrounds at Taylorsville Lake State Park.  They have some really nice primative lots toward the back, but the electric ones all are flat grassy lots with no trees.  I wouldn't even want a tent there.  My intention is to go some weekend and hammock-camp!

 

Here are the pictures I took:  http://picasaweb.google.com/the1weasel/TaylorsvilleLakeWithKen?feat=directlink  I will be taking the kids out camping here very soon...perhaps in as little as 2 weeks.  There was playground, water, I need to check and see if there is a pool or beach.

 

The ride back in was equally nice.  That could be said for the day before also.  I think good riding company is a lot of it...  I am very fortunate to have a really great set of friends at the core of the Louisville Scooter Group.  I can't think of any time I've been riding with these people and had a bad time.

 

 

Saturday July 18th - Jailhouse Pizza

On Saturday, despite impending precipitation doom, Steve led me, Jan, and Jim on a great ride through Southern Indiana along the Ohio, artfully avoiding true gravel roads (though we did have a good bit of gravel anyway!) back across the bridge to Kentucky and to lunch at Jailhouse Pizza in Brandenburg, Kentucky.  Only our riding group (Louisville Scooter Group) travels 50 miles on all back roads taking 2+ hours just to get some lunch!  I love these folks!!!

 

Pictures I took are located at: http://picasaweb.google.com/the1weasel/JailhousePizza?feat=directlink if'n your interested in checking them out.  Jailhouse Pizza is so named because it used to be a functioning jailhouse back long ago.  Rumor (possibly substantiated) is that more than just a few criminals were hung there too.  The wings I had were ok, but the calzone Steve had looked a lot better.  I can imagine their pizza is pretty awesome.  The place sits where you can get a decent look at the river, and prices are reasonable.

Tuesday Night Ride

We had a plethora of Italian and Japanese scoots last night.  Pack leader was Steve on his black Suzuki Burgman.  Following was a couple Honda Reflex (Red-Jan and Yellow-Vince), one Honda Silver2wing*(Dale), a 150cc (White-Ken) and a 250cc Vespa(Red-Jim).  I followed in Lois (Red Majesty).  We also had a champaigne Diamo(Vicki) and a silver Majesty(Jonathan) show up at Flanagan's launch point for some meet & greet/conversation.  That's nine scooters and seven of us rode over to Indiana!  Steve took us on a great route making perfect use of the hills of Southern Indiana.  Coming down out of the ridge, I got something in my eye, and it was stinging like a mother.  When we stopped at Mom & Pop's Ice cream (1817 Graybrook Ln, New Albany, IN‎) Jan let me douse the fire in my eye with some of her water...  I don't know if I got something in it from the air (I like to ride with my visor open under 50mph) or if I got something on my glove then wiped my eye.

 

We ate ice cream...they had No-Sugar-Added Moose Tracks!  We sat and talked for a few minutes but they do not have a public bathroom there, so we didn't stay too long.  We attracted the attention of a group of kids who were attracted to the shiny cool-looking scoots.  They first called them "motorcycles" but were easily corrected, especially once they got a look at Ken and Jim's Vespas.  Good kids are inquisitive, but not touchy.  These were pretty good kids, but I joked with Ken that I thought they were headed to his scoot with a quarter looking for the slot to put it into so they could ride!

 

There were a couple times on the ride last night that I liked having a good-weather-neighborhood-or-trailering-only-harley-poser riding behind us as a group.  I tried to take a little extra time at stops so they could do some reading. LOL!  Well, it's nice to dream anyway!  When I'm around those big heavy-metal bikes, I also like to pull up to a complete stop without putting my feet down and then ride on.  I know how silly this is, but I can't help it.  That's at least two things we can do they can't....get 50-100mpg and balance better.  A lot of that is due to having a significantly lighter bike.  I heard a guy talking the other day that he didn't even get 100 miles out of a tank!!   I note that a lot of those guys don't have bugs or dirt, have a lot of shiny chrome...I am really profiling here---I know.  But I feel like us scooter folks don't always get the respect we deserve.  Our Louisville scooter folks, in my opinion, are the antipathy of that stereotype.  Not one of them that I ride with are afraid to ride in any sane condition.  Some of them have ridden hundreds of miles with me--one or two have ridden thousands, or in what turned into less-than-sane weather conditions.  This is something I do not take lightly in the least, and I appreciate every last one of them.
 
It not a hi-power macho-machine we are on, but a smart fun vehicle.  Its ok.  The geeks are starting their takeover...we'll be swept along some day!  

 

After the 'official ride' (Steve said 'once we're across the bridge, you're on your own'--which is a common deal)  Jim and I went to this bar he discovered called Harley's House of Brews at 122 W. Main Street.  (I had originally thought it was House of Blues and wasn't really getting it...)  They had Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale on tap and I tried some.  It was pretty awesome!   We talked for a while.  Jim is one of those folks who can spin a good yarn, and I love to listen.  He's also one of the coolest guys I know.  I like hanging out with him and this night was no exception.  Still having some conversation at stops, we finally split up on down Bardstown road which was unusually busy in the Highlands for a Tuesday night.

 

Good night last night.  Good friends, good riding.

*the silver-Silverwing!

Saturday

Saturday I rode to Corbin, Kentucky.  It was about 3 hours and an exercise mainly to keep my interstate and distance skills from deterorating.  I got about 45mpg on that tank.  I was also there to spend time with a friend who lives in the area, and scout out possible camping spots for later this month or next month.  Daniel Boon National Forest is all around that area.  I also saw the original Colonel Sanders restaurant.  Now days it's just a funny-looking KFC.  They did have a bunch of antique cars outside so perhaps a car club was eating there...  On the interstate I managed to drink water and eat jerky, peanuts, and on the way home even a peanut butter sandwich.  This kept me moving instead of stopped, which is good.  Down to Corbin I only had to stop once for fuel.  On the way back I caught about 5 miles of heavy rain.  I pulled off and got on my jacket liner, then about 5 miles later I pulled off again to remove it.  I was pretty dry when I got home.  I think I will need a new pair of glove soon.  The Olympia gel gloves I have are wearing out on the left index finger.  I think I will look for all leather next time.  These didn't last a full year.

Trip to the Vet

I had to run to the vet today at lunch to pick up some drugs for my
defective dog. It calls for possibility of rain this afternoon, so I
figured Lois and I would get soaked. I got there dry enough. Among
the liquor stores and strip clubs of that area, I noted no fewer than
five vendors of scooters! One was a Kymco shop, but the rest were
Chinese. The Chinese scooters are (in my opinion) fine for the
general public. The problem with them is the necessary rigorous care
and maintenance involved, and the fact that almost no place will work
on them, including most of the retailers. My problems I ran in to
were related to the amount of use I put on the bike more than build
quality. If I had had time, I would have stopped in to get some
prices just for reference. I'm sure they were almost all 50cc
scooters. I almost never see any maxi's among them. Gas is mid $2
range and I'm starting to see a few more two-wheelers on the road.
I picked up the drugs and got back to work unscathed by weather.

Last night was the meetup for Louisville Scooter Group. We had five
scooterists at Flanagan's shooting the bull. One was a new guy on a
03 Honda Reflex. Seeing a Reflex up close always makes me nostalgiac
for my old Black Betty.