Olympia Gel Gloves Dead

My summer weight gloves...Olympia gels, were getting nappy on the inside, so I decided to wash them. When I looked at them fully dry last night both gloves had developed tears between wrist and palm. They are trashed. I did not see them come out like this. I wonder if drying stressed the leather. I am officially disappointed in the durability, but they were still the most comfortable gloves I have ever ridden in.

To slay the dragon

I am mentally packing my bags while here at work today, thinking about
how early I have to get up tomorrow, and the arrangements for kids and
dog I have to make. I have and 8.5 hour ride planned tomorrow through
Kentucky and TN. You can view the basic route here:
http://tinyurl.com/l3j6gm

I hope to make it in by 5pm. That'll give me about an hour before I
have to leave for Friday night dinner/meetup at the Countryside
Restaurant in Vonore.

IRC tires get 9174 miles

The stock tires on Lois were IRC brand. I enede up with no threads or anything showing, but the center tread was almost completely gone.

Honda Reflex Sport

They had a Reflex. Too bad it was silver...

Passenger seat on V-strom

This does look a lot more comfortable than on all the cruisers I've seen. They had a Goldwing too. That thing is truly a 2-wheeled RV. Friggin huge!

V-strom

They had several V-stroms. These would be nice for 2up touring if you liked the typical forward slant body position.

SYM scooters

They also carry SYM, but I didn't see the full line represented well.

Schwinn 125cc Scoot

They had several of these for under $2K I think.

The service counter associate

I didn't get this guy's name, but he was courteous even suffering from allergies. He talked to me about the Mayans.

Yellow Can-am Spyder

S&S had this in working on it. I think I saw them test driving it last night on the Tuesday Louisville Scooter Group ride...

The cage that almost killed me

Evil!!!!

Lucky

This would be the silly b*tch that almost killed me at 35(me) + 40ish(her)=75mph in a head-on about half an hour ago on Eastern Parkway. No damage to either vehicle, but the rear right side of her car TOUCHED MY FOOT! If she would have seen me and slowed it would have eaten Lois (my Majesty) and I would have been testing my mesh jacket out on the street in front of Dairy Kastle. She was performing the bikeslayer maneuver-turning left and trying to beat the light.

Lonely

Jan had to park the Redflex across the street. Flanagan's STILL has no designated motorscooter parking on Tuesdays like they should have...

Hanging out on the street corner

This is my Majesty and Vince's Mellow Yellow Reflex

Tuesday LSG ride

Jan and Steve were there, as well as Ken, plus Vince showed up on his brand new 2009 Suzuki Burgman 650 Executive! Its A powerhouse of scooters! Also Vicky's scoot is still and Highland Motorsports waiting on parts (for like months now!) so she rode over on Vince's Honda Reflex.

[Tail of] The Dragon & Safety

Aparently, according to Ben Steinberg, who I have never met, but is the general mgr of the Deals Gap Motorcycle Resort, the ride this weekend--US-129 in TN and NC, is only to be referred to as "The Dragon" or "Deal's Gap".  Not "Tail of The Dragon".  I don't know if I would go on the word of someone who is in the tourist business, but it is reported in "Handlebars" magazine that he is an experienced racer.  Ok, well, that doesn't really mean anything to me either. 

 

Aside from correcting the name, he offers two peices of advice for people riding "The Dragon".

 

1. Ride your own ride.

2. Stay in your own lane.

 

I plan to do both especially this weekend.  As a matter of fact, I almost always obey mister Steinberg's first rule.  If I choose to push past my comfort zone, I do it on my own terms and as a method of increasing my abilities in a reasonable progression.  Likewise, I almost always obey the 2nd rule, unless I have a clear view of everything coming--which is not often around a really good curve (i.e. Jefferson Memorial Forest, Floyd's Knobs, etc.)

 

Wish me luck.  I hope I don't need it, but it's always nice to have on your side!

Rear Tire Change...

My original tire, the Dunlop, has to be changed out before my trip this weekend down to TN for the Tail of the Dragon rally-it is getting pretty squared-off.  I have right at 9,200 miles on this stock tire as indicated by the odometer.  My thought is to try all tires made for this bike, then stick with the one that wears the best but still gives decent performance.  The tire makers that have the 150/70-13 are:

 

• Avon (my friend Jeremy runs Avon Viper Strkye tires on his SR50)
• Bridgstone Hoop (this is the tire I'm having put on tomorrow)
• Dunlop (the stock tire for my 2008 Majesty)
• Metzeler (I know nothing about this tire)
• Michelin (I have heard these are ok)
• Pirelli (my friend Ken goes through a 10" Pirelli in less than 3,000 miles on his Vespa!)
• Shinko (I know nothing about this tire other than it appears to be an inexpensive option)

I hope the performance is not too bad on the Bridgestone.  I will need good handling for The Dragon, or so I am told.

Had to Share this...

This is from the IBR updates....

"[One of the IBR competitors] has had major problems with his side car
rig. Based on [his] call today, the sidecar actually became separated
from the bike. He is back on the road, but unlikely to have enough
points to finish. "

"[Another competitor] hit a small deer in Minnesota, but there was
relatively little damage to either [the rider] or the bike. Some belly
pan plastic is broken on the R1150RT. Both [rider] and the RT are
covered in deer excrement. The scorers are drawing straws tonight to
see who gets to score him tomorrow morning. The honor goes to the
short straw, of course. (However, deer excrement will probably smell
better than some of the riders.)"

"[IBR rider] switched from a rock hard Metzeler ME 880 rear tire to a
stickier Avon Storm to run the last leg. After running the new tire
down to the wear bars in 2 days, he was fortunate to line up a
replacement tire yesterday without losing much time. But now he has
had to spend about four hours dealing with repairs to his shift lever,
which fell off of his K1200GT. [One of the other riders in the IBR]
took four hours out of his riding time to help get [him] back on the
road. (No, he won't get an extra four hours to finish.)"

"[One rider] is stopping frequently to add oil to his third bike in
this rally, a BMW GS. The bike has a serious oil leak that is soaking
[his] left leg."

The mere word perseverance does not begin to describe these guys...

Cheers,

Kelly
IBA #37788
Red 2008 Yamaha Majesty (Lois)
www.kentuckianascooter.com
"Too often. . .I would hear men boast of the miles covered that day,
rarely of what they had seen." - Louis L'Amour

Ron Crouch

Ron Crouch, a guy I met earlier this year at the WKRP rally then again at the Izzy's ride in Florence is also going to the Burgman/Tail of the Dragon rally!!

 

His wife is coming with him, and they are *cringes* trailering their scooters down.  She might have a Vespa or something tho....that trip (he's from Cinci area) is pretty hard-core for even a 250cc Vespa.  Ron's a great guy!!  It'll be nice to see him again!

9K, oil light, mandatory gloves

I broke (bad word) 9,000 miles on my odometer tonight. I would have broken it last night but for Ken's short route. ;o) Anywho, I also observed the bloody oil light came on. i'm doing the Tail of the Dragon next weekend and may try to skaye by on the synthetic blend I used for 800-900 miles then change it asap when I get back. i found S & s powersports in clarksville had a great deal on tire price for a Michelin Hoop tire. Plus mounting for only $34. i gave them the cc number for the tire and they can put it on the morning after it comes in. i also went to Cyclegear and got a mandatory pair of gloves since mine are completely worn out. I needed middle weight gloves which I found the same ones Joan has (Motoboss) for like $29, then looked on another rack and found them for $19.99. When the chick rung them up, they were &14.99!!! Now I am set for the Dragon!

Tuesday LSG Ride

We had a good crowd of old friends tonight. Me, Ken, Vince, Joan, and Ralph showed up. It was nice to just be shootin' the bull, razzing each other and funnin' around. Flanagan's Ale House was not too busy and it was cool and comfortable. Ralph had some new accessories to show us...things he had had for a while plus the new tall windscreen he bought at PJ's parts today! Our cubic centimeters ranged from 150 up to 500 in both Italian and Japanese! had a good time, and Ken led us out to his neck of the weeds to DQ. I had one of the Girlscout Cookie Blizzards and now need a bucket...

Where am I?

I'll be posting from the road soon... Next big trip will be Tail of the Dragon on 9/11. Only 9+ more days!

Discussion anyone?

For anyone who cares to discuss, rather than just read my blog posts...you can now do so at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kyanascoot/.

 

Ever think "He should visit this place..." or "What kind of oil does he use?" or "Where can I get more information on touring scooters?"  Now you have a place to ask questions, join in discussion, voice opinions, etc.  I will monitor this, and I will reply to anybody who wants to know.

 

Thanks to all of you who read my blog!

 

Kelly

www.kentuckianascooter.com

 

Crimson & Cream Honda

I saw this guy on a nice Honda Shadow VLX on Saturday. I think I really like the crimson & cream. If I were ever to get a motorcycle, it would be this style...a cruiser. My 2nd choice would be a touring bike like a Goldwing, but the only touring bikes I've seen look like total gargantuans.

8,888 Miles

I am almost up to 9K on the Majesty. It has be a really great 8,000 miles and I've loved every minute of it! I am ready for a new rear tire at any time now. As a matter of fact, I am going to take a ride with my friend Vince, and we're meeting some other riders to do the Tail of the Dragon/Deal's Gap. I need to get that tire put on before then, as that will be a 1K weekend.

IBR 2009 - Leg One Bonus Locations

How many locations marked here:  http://tcfjr.goption.com/ibr2009-leg1.html  could your ride to and document by picture starting in Spartanburg, SC and ending in St. Charles, IL?  I don't know about myself.  I see it as pretty amazing, but, man...I both feel sorry and am in complete awe of these folks.

Bike with a boat trailer???

This looks like it could haul a canoe or sidecar-like pod. I've never seen anything quite like it!! If anybody knows what it is, let me know. Is it homemade, or manufactured by some company? What is its purpose exactly?

LSG Tuesday Surprise!

Toward the end of the eating, my good friend Jeremy shows up on his newly aquired Vintage Honda 400 Motorcycle!! I was very happy to see him because he is my favorite person in the world to ride with and we've not had the opportunity to ride (or even hang out much) since Gasoline Rally. This friggin bike is wicked cool! Score one for the Japanese! In the scooter realm, vintage=Italian (for the most part). It is a very nice RED! He didn't stick with us too long...his bike is air cooled and doesn't like the slow speeds. We started out through the park, and it was so busy with people and cars that we were only doing like 10 or 15 mph. Still, it was nice to ride, and we'll have to have an excursion day just the two of us. Wonder how the Honda will handle creeks?

LSG Tuesday Ride

We had a good group of riders last night. Jim, Ralph, Steve & Jan, Vickie, Ken, and Vince! Vickie's scoot is still in the shop, so she rode with Vince! My route could have been a heck of a lot better, but there were no creeks, no gravel, and one road had an accident with traffic backed up until forever which we had to avoid. Vince who was following me first said "Did they ever get on you in school for coloring outside the lines?" I told him that I always stayed inside the lines...unless the teacher was looking. he said "Well, I seen you drift over the line a couple times." And then I told him "Ah, but you are not the teacher!" Of course ther teacher in this case would be: oncoming traffic. If forced to go slowly around curves, sometimes I drift a bit to "maximize twisty". I guess not everybody does that.

Flanagan's tonight at 6ish!

If you're on 2 wheels, possibly three, you should come to Flanagan's Ale House tonight between 530 and 6pm! The Louisville Scooter Group meets to chat & eat, then we have a short ride. Come join us! All scooters/motorcycles are welcome!