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Take a ride through the Berkshires and its history. Learning a bit about Vermont dual-sport ride planning. Taking the weather with you wherever you ride. Monthly columns, events and more.
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Motorcycles, Travel & AdventureVolume 22 No. 5
MAY 2016Motorcycle TourM
agazine
Historyin the
Berkshires
SPRING BREAK UPDATE
TAKE THE WEATHER WITH YOU
VERMONT DUAL SPORT PLANNING
Motorcycles, Travel & Adventure
Publishers Brian Rathjen • Shira Kamil
Columnists Mark Byers, Bill Heald,Dr. Seymour O’Life
Contributors Dan Bisbee, Don Gomo,Tony Lisanti, Bob LoCicero,Peter Miller, Terry Peters
Editorial Office BACKROADS, POB 317Branchville NJ 07826
phone 973.948.4176
fax 973.948.0823
email [email protected]
online www.backroadsusa.com
Advertising 973-948-4176
BACKROADS (ISSN 1087-2088) is published monthly by BACK-ROADS™, Inc. 2016. All rights reserved. BACKROADS™ may notbe reproduced in any manner without specific written consent fromthe publisher. BACKROADS™ welcomes and encourages submis-sions (text and photos) and suggestions. Include phone number withsubmissions. BACKROADS™ will only return material with enclosedsufficient postage. The written articles and opinions printed in BACK-ROADS™ are not necessarily those of the publisher and should notbe considered an endorsement. The Rip & Rides® published are rid-den on the sole responsibilty of the rider. BACKROADS™ is not re-sponsible for the conditions of the public roadways traversed. Pleaserespect the environment, read your owner’s manual and wear properprotective gear and helmet. Ride within your limits, not over them.
MONTHLY COLUMNSFREE WHEELIN’ ..................................................4
WHATCHATHINKIN’ ...........................................6
POSTCARDS FROM THE HEDGE.......................8
ON THE MARK ..................................................10
BACKLASH ........................................................11
INDUSTRY INFOBITES.....................................14
GREAT ALL AMERICAN DINER RUN ..............16
BIG CITY GETAWAY .........................................18
MYSTERIOUS AMERICA..................................20
WE’RE OUTTA HERE........................................22
SHIRA’S ICE CREAM RUN ...............................24
WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE............................52
UPCOMING EVENTS CALENDAR ...................54
FEATURESHISTORY IN THE BERKSHIRES .......................29
TAKE THE WEATHER WITH YOU.....................34
BENNINGTON TRIUMPH BASH......................39
VERMONT DUAL SPORT PLANNING ............41
NEVER ENDING PUPPET SAGA .....................43
PRODUCT NEWSMUSTANG SPYDER SADDLE .........................27
TOURATECH DRY BAGS .................................27
DIGITAL TORQUE ADAPTER ...........................28
KEY SMART + FIRESTEEL SCOUT .................45
29
34
22
W H A T ’ S I N S I D E
What’s in Your Wallet?
At the American International MotorcycleExpo this past October, in Orlando, Florida, Ihappened to pass by the Vintage Japanese Mo-torcycle Club. They had a good number of beautiful old Japanese machineson display and, after the third time I moseyed by picking up more and morelittle details of the individual machines, I said to Shira that, “I need to jointhis club.”
“You don’t have a vintage Japanese bike,” she replied.“No matter,” was my reply, “These guys are doing a
great thing here and a little support never hurts.”So I walked up to the table to talk with the VJMC
members and whipped out an American Express card andbecame a member.
A few days later it came to my attention that I had letanother membership lapse – this one to the ConcoursOwners Group, for which we are Industry Members(whatever that really is).
I had first joined this club a few decades back - whenwe had one of the venerable Kawasakis - and quicklyfound out that this club, although they said they wereabout the bike, was really about the people. We went forday rides, rode to rallies and made friends at every turn.
We always had way too much fun with the COG -Lodites, so it might be time to re-up.
That got me to thinking about how many clubs, organ-izations and groups are out there in the motorcycle worldand I wondered why many riders feel driven to join them.
I once listened to a TED Talk on Tribalism, and how all humans have abasic need to feel that we are part of something - whether it be our jobs, vo-cations or hobbies or just who we are - Christian, Jew, black, white or what-ever. However we identify ourselves – positive or negative - we, as a species,tend to flock together and relate to each other. There was safety in numbersin the beginning and that is still true today.
Different organizations and passions draw membership for different rea-sons. A big national organization like the NRA has some four million gun-owning members. Our own American Motorcyclist Association has some235,000. Unlike smaller clubs like VJMC or COG, these national entitiessometimes seem to live on a Mount Olympus, still they help guide publicopinion and, in general, help with the well being of all - firearms for the NRAand motorcyclists and motorcycle rights for the AMA.
If you are motorcyclist, and want to have someone watching your back ona national and state level, then you might consider supporting the AMA bybecoming a member.
Some other national clubs have also gotten close to that Mount Olympuszip code as well. The BMW MOA allows thousand of Beemer enthusiasts tobond at local and national events and as far as Owners Groups go Harley’sHOG is enormous. Other brands have their clubs too like Kawasaki’s ROKand the Honda Riders Club of America.
Most of these clubs offer members discounts on a variety of services andpublish magazines for their membership to keep informed of what is newand on the horizon for the club.
These big national clubs are far past the days of grass roots of the smallerorganization and they need to be, as they have come so far and gotten so big
that they need boards and committees to get half thestuff they need to do done.
For the good of the many I ignore the ‘disconnect’that these memberships can sometimes bring andchoose to participate locally, rather than nationally.
Let the hierarchy of these clubs sort all that out – Iwant to move along, help out and ride with my friendson a more personal level.
Down here on Earth, with mere mortals, clubs likeCOG, VJMC or any of the hundreds of the local HOGchapters offer a chance to really meet up with other like-minded riders and partake in events, rides and twowheel fun. More local clubs like Sport Touring, YankeeBeemers or Ramapo MC and the like offer real oppor-tunities to put some serious and fun miles on your bikeall the time.
Are you that Lone Wolf sort of rider or would youlike some new like-minded friends?
What do you ride? Where do you ride? How do youride? I bet there is a club just for you – maybe a mem-
bership card and everything – you might consider joining and supporting theone that fits for you.
So…what’s in your wallet?
This is just a very small listing - hit Google and you’ll find more
american Motorcyclist association: www.ama-cycle.org
BMW Motorcycle owners of america: www.BMWMoa.org
harley owners Group: www.hoG.com
Gold Wing owners Group: www.g1800.org
iron Butt association: www.ironbutt.com
Motorcycle sports touring association: www.sporttouring.us
Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club: www.vjmc.org
antique Motorcycle Club of america: www.antiquemotorcycle.org
Women on Wheels: www.womenonwheels.org
F R E E W H E E L I N ’BRIAN RATHJeN
Page 4 MAY 2016 • BACKROADS
Weather or not
It’s 7am. I sit in front of the computer with acup of coffee, staring out the office window. Iam putting the May 2016 issue together, but what I see is not inspiring. Seemsafter the decent warm spell we had most of the winter, the weather has caughtup to us and there are very large, white flakes falling from the sky. The cal-endar doesn’t seem to care that yesterday was opening day for baseball (itwas a valiant effort, Metsies) or that my Dognolia tree and whatever thosebeautiful green stalks may be are ready for the warmth of spring. FickleMother Nature, stop playing games with me.
As you peruse the pages you hold in your hands, you’llnotice that there is a similar theme throughout. As motor-cyclists, weather plays a very intricate role in our decisions.This season, at least in the Backroads Central area, we riderswere given a gift on many a winter day. With temperatureswell above the norm, the iron horses in the barn were beg-ging us to play hooky, to take advantage of the glorious sun-shine and fairly clear roads, to stretch the cables and warmthe tires for a bit. And we did not disappoint them, althoughwe may have been fooled by the weather once or twice, asyou’ll read in History in the Berkshires.
Bill Heald speaks of a weather trait which truly brings me chills, no punintended. Depending on where you ride on this great planet, it can be calledby different names: those riding on the beautiful islands of Corsica and Sar-dinia may have to deal with a cold Mistral. If you are doing some seriousoff-roading, the hot, dry Sirocco may take a swipe at you on the dunes ofMorocco, or perhaps a Samoon, the Arabic word for poison, so strong as toreshape the dunes. Should you find yourself exploring the mountains ofGreece, the Etesians will stir your summer riding. Here on the North Amer-ican shores, a Tehuantepecer can whip you sideways in Mexico, while muchfurther north a Williwaw will ruin your day in Alaska. If you are making your
way over the Rocky Mountains, a Chinook may or may not be your friend,depending on your ascent or decent at the time. There have been quite a fewnights recently that had me sit bolt upright, waiting for it to lift the house ordrop a tree. My trusty sidekick Spenser T. Cat, diligently guarding my feet,waits for this gale to become a Cat’s Paw. I call the wind Mariah (sorry, hadto be done).
One of the worst wind situations I can remember while riding took placein the Southern Hemisphere. Brian and I were two-up on a BMW R1200 GS,heading from Santiago, Chile to Ushuaia, Argentina on Ruta 40. Why a na-tional road is not paved is beyond me, but this part of Ruta 40 was sort ofhard packed large gravel with a very high berm down the center. This iswhere the term Roaring Forties originated: a prevailing westerly wind in thelatitudes between 40 and 50 degrees S, that are strong and steady. Unlike thewinds in the Northern Hemisphere, large land areas do not impede those in
the Roaring Forties. For the better part ofthe day, we were being hit by this cross-wind, keeping the bike at an almost 45 de-gree angle. Our friend, Michael Wernick,was along on this trip and I remember usgetting to the rest stop and Michael gettingoff the bike, kissing the ground and layingflat for a good long time.
We, as I’m sure most riders do, pay agood amount of attention to the weatherwhile planning our daily or longer rides.While long-term forecasts can help some-
what, they can also put a kink in a ride. Whenever we are planning our Springand Fall rallies, invariably someone will mention the impending weather.“Did you see the rain storm that’s coming? You know they’re calling forsnow? I think the earthquake in Japan may bring a tsunami to Wellsboro.”Well, thanks Mr./Ms. Weather Channel Wannabe, but please keep your cocka-mamie predictions to yourselves. While no one really like to start out a ridein less than perfect weather, sometimes it just has to be done. Being caughtin rain, snow, wind, gravel storm, whatever while on a ride is accepted, es-pecially a Backroads ride. But, as our weather guru at WeatherBell.com al-ways says, “Enjoy the weather, it’s the only one you’ve got.”
W H A T C H A T H I N K I N ’SHIRA KAMIL
Page 6 MAY 2016 • BACKROADS
the Color of the Wind
Every since I was a child (which takes us wellback into the last century. To this I say, OMG), Ihave always been intrigued, fascinated, delighted and even terrified by thewind. This is no passing interest, either, because it seems that it became crit-ical in just about every aspect of my life. My initial interest started withstorms in Texas when I was a wee lad, for dark clouds would roll in, the treeswould start to sway, and I would get buffetedaround by this incredible unseen force. Laterwhen I was in high school I started flying glid-ers, and when you are piloting an aircraft (es-pecially one with no means of propulsion) youlearn about the ocean of air you swim in veryquickly. A few years later I migrated awayfrom aviation and into scuba diving, which ul-timately meant spending time on boats. Thewind was once again of major interest, whichonly increased when a buddy purchased aHobie Cat we sailed around a nearby lakewhile in college.
So when I finally got around to riding motorcycles (especially heavilyloaded ones on long trips), I once again found myself respecting the wind inyet another way with a different mode of transportation. Like the other con-veyances, motos can be very affected by the wind’s many moods. When itcomes to larger bikes with luggage either as part of the bodywork or strappedon later, carefully sculpted bodywork (especially the front fairing) has a hugerole to play on how the mount handles the invisible hand of the wind. Every-thing that has to slice through the air at speed has to deal with not only theocean of air it passes through, but the currents, eddies, waves and occasionaltsunamis that we encounter on the road. Cars, aircraft, boats, and other mov-
ing things have to deal with the problem of engineering a cabin which housesor carries its occupants comfortably while smoothly passing through the at-mosphere, and these two concerns are often at odds with each other. For ex-ample, one of the reasons fairings were invented (OK, probably the mainreason fairings were invented) is to keep the wind off the rider at speed. Butas the designers started to fabricate these protective shells and riding withthem, they discovered the shape could have a substantial effect on the han-dling, fuel economy, top speed and other performance characteristics of themotorcycle. Not only that, the fairing could do good or bad things to stability,especially on a smaller, lighter motorcycle.
The first motorcycle to ever be tested and designed using a wind tunnelwas, well, I have no idea, actually. Someone, somewhere probably knows,
and no doubt a source on the Internet willswear the first person to roll a bike into a windtunnel was a young Donald Trump. But overtime (on the big touring rigs especially) theBig Fan in the Small Room was an incredibletool, and used extensively to work out the air-flow not only over the rider but the co-rider aswell. All kinds of magic was ultimately incor-porated into the massive fairings on GoldWings, LTs, Tour Glides, etc. and extensivetesting resulted in some very stable motorcy-cles that are quite well-behaved in gusty crosswinds and the dreaded truck wash. “Caution:
Wake Turbulence” isn’t just for airplanes you know. Several years ago I wason a Gold Wing on a two-lane highway in a nasty rain storm, and every timea truck would pass on the opposing side, a sheet of wind and water wouldblast the bike, and since I was riding it at the time, me and my battered rainsuit as well. But I was truly impressed at how well the bike dealt with thisvile, soaking affront, especially since many times before I had endured sim-ilar conditions on an unfaired bike that nearly blew me into the weeds. Thankyou, engineers and designers. True, there are many, many things that go intoa motorcycle’s handling including wheelbase, tire size, mass centralization,center of gravity and steering geometry to name but a few. But the higher
Continued on Page 11
P O S T C A R D SF R O M T H E H E D G E
BILL HeALD
Page 8 MAY 2016 • BACKROADS
firsts
My first, first time was on the back. There was an old canoe seat on theluggage rack onto which I held for dear life as my brother circled the yard.It was 1974 and the first time I rode on a motorcycle. The bike was a brand-new Honda Trail 90 in orange with the two-range automatic tranny. If thebike was in low range, it had trouble catching someone at a walk in first gear.
My second first time, piloting the ma-chine, came after the newness of mybrother’s bike wore off. It had the auto-matic clutch and in low range, I couldscarcely go fast enough to get hurt.Helmet? Oh, hell no: it was in the backyard and it was the 70’s. If you HADa helmet, it was one of thosesparkly, metalflake plastic-shelledhalf helmets with the snap-onvisor. I spent a lot of time circulat-ing the back yard, which led to…
My third first time, crashing, wasinto the concrete back stoop of our house
when I got too exuberant with my speed, shifting gears, and fixated on a tar-get. Fortunately, speed meant ten miles per hour and the bike bounced offthe stoop and deposited me in a neat pile in the yard, out of harm’s way. Itcould have been much worse, like when my cousin broke both arms in a dirtbike crash. When I look back at my life, in some ways it’s been charmed.
My fourth first time was when I learned you could hold the front wheel ofa dirt bike between your legs and tweak the wheel/fork/handlebars back intoalignment after you ran your brother’s bike into the back stoop. Unfortu-nately, it was AFTER he discovered the issue when he noticed that the barshad to be held at quite an angle to go straight. That led to the fifth first time– the first time I was temporarily banned from riding his bike.
My sixth first time, was illicitly riding on the street without a helmet or alicense. I know, I know, it was stupid but at 13 you’re young and bulletproof.It would have worked out just fine if my brother hadn’t been coming homefrom work at just the wrong time to see me doing it…and temporarily bannedme from riding…AGAIN. It demonstrated that I had found and knew howto use the lever that activated the high range of the transmission.
My seventh first time was at 15 when I got to ride on the road legally, be-cause in West Virginia, someone with a learner’s permit could ride a motor-cycle in the company of someone who had a license (no matter how crazy orinexperienced the mentor was). Not that my brother was either of thosethings…except he was crazy enough to let me ride and had zero experienceteaching people to ride. It was still just a 90cc trail bike, so I doubt I castfear in anyone other than my long-suffering mother.
The eighth first time, now THAT was a doozy thanks to an equally crazyneighbor with a blue and white 1973Honda CL350 Scrambler! That was thefirst time I ever: a) rode a bike with aclutch, b) rode a street bike, and c) rode astreet bike on the road while properly li-censed. A trifecta! That little 350 becamethe de facto bike for my brother and mewhen my neighbor, a dentist, had a kidand therefore, a wife with reservations.
You see, it was OK for the crazy neighborboy to kill himself on your bike, but not you.
I gave that Scrambler a workout learning how to use a clutch. We did ourshare of maintenance in return, however. I’ll never forget the time the neigh-bor came in our basement and there was his bike, stripped to the engine andframe, on top of our ping-pong table. “Trust us, “ we said, “we know whatwe’re doing.” He just picked his jaw up off the floor and left. We made apoint of riding it through his front yard the next day to demonstrate it waswhole again. Plus, we waxed it.
If you let it, life’s a series of firsts until it becomes a series of lasts. Whenit comes to motorcycling, or anything else that blows your kilt skyward, it’simportant to have many, many firsts. May your firsts be as sweet as a firstkiss, or a ’73 CL350 Scrambler. May your lasts be few…and late.
O N T H E M A R KMARK BYeRS
Page 10 MAY 2016 • BACKROADS
Journey of a Lifetime?
Hi Brian & Shira,Just got my “Welcome To Spring” April Issue and upon only getting to
page 4, I am already feeling compelled to respond. You are 100% right Brianin that when a tour operator espouses that this tour will be the “Experienceof a Lifetime” they are not only making a promise that they may not be ableto insure, they are also making a statement that doesn’t make sense. To saythat a motorcycle tour creates memories for many that will last a lifetimewould be a promotional enough, but to state the undetermined outcome of atour before it happens is just plain foolishness. Personally when I see suchpromotions I think that they are over-reaching and possibly struggling as agoing concern. In Marketing 101, I learned doing such was not a good thing.
I agree with you 100%. I far prefer “A Lifetime of Journey’s” and not justa singular “Journey of a Lifetime”
Now back to reading the April issue while I look forward to a couple of
BackRoads Journey’s in May and September. See you soon and as Shira men-tions in her editorial, watch out for the gravel on the edges that have a terriblehabit of creating a different kind of “Memory for a Lifetime”
See you soonGraham
Good morning Brian and Shira,I just wanted to say that I am honored to have my photo appear as your
cover shot on the April 2016 issue. It looks great! And I also appreciatebeing published in your magazine once again.
You are actually helping a spring trip my buddy and I have planned in twoweeks, because we will pass within about 1/2 mile of Bill’s Old Bike Barnthat you mention this month. So it will have to be a stopping point!
Have a great riding season.Bob Laford
PostCards froM the hedGe Continued from Page 8
the speed the more aerodynamics come into play, and behavior in crosswindsoften starts with how the force of the wind pushes on the bike before otheraspects of the chassis respond to it. Hence, the shape that touches the windis very critical in responding to these nasty conditions.
While not as good as airplanes or boats when dealing with crosswinds (asthey can yaw their respective bodies to deal with the wind’s moods), it’s thatbeautiful two-wheeled geometry that allows the bike to lean into the wind tohelp stay on course. It’s yet another reason to bleat the mantra, “Two WheelsGood, Four (or Three) Wheels bad.” George Orwell’s fiction becomes morefact with each passing day, even when he was talking about something quitedifferent and gets misquoted in a motorcycle column. As with so many as-pects of our two-wheeled friends, the unique nature of a motorcycle’s balancemeans they have limitations and capabilities that make them unusually inter-esting (while also being part of their singular charm). But here’s a conun-
drum: once you have the motorcycle parked in front of you, how can you, asthe rider, improve the beast’s response to the wayward wind? And how doyou practice riding in errant gusting? In the case of the former, you know thedrill. Balance the bike, centralize your packing, pack heavier items lower andmake sure everything is tied down and all aspects of the machine are in tune.As for the latter, you must do the obvious thing, which also is the most deli-cious advice there is: ride as much as possible. The crosswinds are out there(you may even know a stretch of road where they like to hang out), and youwill encounter them. Keep a firm but comfortable grip on the bars, and reactsmoothly as opposed to over-controlling as you get blown around a bit. Thissimple act of survival will teach you volumes on how your mount respondsin all kinds of windy conditions, and that is basically that. So ride on, Brothersand Sisters. But above all, respect the Summer Wind, as Sinatra did. Thatgoes for the rest of the seasons, too.
BACKROADS • MAY 2016 Page 11
BACKLASH Letters to the Editor
The New York Motorcycle Show
Brian, You are so right, most of my friends and I rarely go to the New York Show
anymore due to the timing. It’s just too busy a time. In mid-Winter it was aday to think and plan ahead.
Greg Bagen
Dear Editors,I was reading your article about the turn out for the motorcycle show. I’ve
been noticing lesser turnout to shows for a while. Year after year, less turnedout for the Carlisle show, it’s now gone. I really enjoyed that. Even smallershows such as Oley seem to have less of a turn out as years go on. I don’tknow why that is either.
Jim
Washington’s Morristown
I believe Fort Nonsense in Morristown was part of a warning system Wash-ington used for enemy on the move. A series of 4-sided logs, stuffed withdry tinder & placed at relatively high elevations that formed a west/southeastarch to below Colt Neck, NJ.
Often a road named Beacon Hill today is a lead to one of these hills suchas the one between Long Valley and High Bridge. Once lit off with dry tinderit could be seen miles away and relayed via other spotters everywhere, warn-ing of enemy on the move.
Not sure where the northern endpoint was, if there was one. I understandFort Nonsense was one of these spots.
Leon Hoffacker
Hey Brian and Shira, I’m really enjoying the latest issue of Backroads. Tar snakes was a great
topic from Shira’s Whatchathinkin’ piece. But, your Javits Bike show recapwas kinda’ sad – the show, not your words. Changing times and a bit bitter-sweet thinking how it used to be. Mark Byers’ “scrambles event” was enter-taining as usual.
Keep it up.Les Guile
Vegas Dreams
Brian,Enjoyed your March Free Wheeelin’ article on the Vegas auctions.Now that you lived through part of the telecast of the 3-day auction, per-
haps you should put it on you to-do calendar for Jan 2017. I have been at-tending for the past 9-10 years. One year when there was a collection of 87vintage MV Augustas, they asked me to be the announcer.
I have sold 20+ of my collection at auction... not to sell as much as I ranout of room because I never met an old Italian motorcycle that I didn’t like.At this point it is a few days of social interaction with 5,000-6,000 fellowcollectors.
Burt Richmond
We bet. But, the idea was for folks “stuck” in the mid-
dle of winter to live a bit vicariously. Thus the article.
Your magazine makes me reach for the sky on mybike when I get it. What do I have to do to get in yourmagazine.
Mickey Chunko
Probably something like that…and, now you’re in.
Shira, Thank you for the wonderful report on your experi-
ences involving your crash, and especially for mention-ing the Aerostich TF impact armor hip pad options. Iknow some of your audience will contact us as a re-sult. We will not disappoint them.
Page 12 MAY 2016 • BACKROADS
Separately, your blue Roadcrafter is looking very nice in the photos. Seri-ously. You are a great model, and (haa hah…) it must be just about broken innow.
Again, thanks for mentioning us in your great hip pad story. Glad you are ok.Andy Goldfine - Aerostich
Your Magazine Stinks!
Dear Editors,Like many Backroads subscribers, I sit and wait patiently for that large
white envelope to arrive in my mailbox once a month, so I can read about allthe new motorcycle products, and to live vicariously through all your travelsand adventures. Once the envelope arrives, I prop up my pillows on my bed,open up that envelope, and sit back and enjoy my reading. Its my opportunityto zone out from the daily trials and tribulations, much like my bike riding.It is my therapy.
Let’s digress for a moment and talk about motorcycle-related odors, bothgood and bad (and I’m relatively sure all who read this will concur):
The smell of passing a field of fresh lilacs - good.The smell of BMW gear oil blasting out of my final drive and burning on
my muffler (3 times, no less) - bad.The smell of fresh rain steaming off warm asphalt…good.The smell of road kill, lingering in your helmet for a mile after you pass it
-bad.The smell of riding through forest pines….good.The smell of the dumps off the Belt Parkway in Brooklyn (if they’re still
there) - bad.The smell of a fresh, hot breakfast at the Gray Ghost Inn - good.The smell of the Long Island Sound along the North Shore at low tide -
bad.Can you guess where this is going????Now back to the issue at hand (or at nose)What’s up with the Backroads Magazine “ink stink”?Five minutes after opening up that highly anticipated white envelope, my
wife yells from another room “I guess Backroads is here…again!”She can smell the ink, and quite honestly, I can too. I can live with it, but
it makes her ill.I either need to take my magazine outside the house to read it, or leave it
outside for a while for the odor to dissipate, then I can bring it back inside toread.
There are really cool scratch-off perfume ads in magazines that smellgreat.
I’ve never seen a scratch-off ad for smelly gym socks.What is your printer using when they print your magazine?Is there an additive being used just to signal my wife that my favorite mag-
azine has arrived, and that I will be tied up reading for a while?Short of wearing a respirator when next month’s issue arrives, do you have
any suggestions?I truly enjoy the content of the magazine, always have and always will,
but the odor has to go.I’m not trying to overthink the ink stink chink, but as I blink and wink as
my wife asks me to re-think opening the envelope, perhaps changing to pinkink, or washing it in the sink first, might unkink the stink. Methinks I need adrink.
Larry Barasch
My Dear Mr. Barasch
Unlike other publications that send out subscriptions when they get round
to it – for 22 years we have a dedicated team of Magazine Elves that take
your First Class issue directly off the press and into an envelope as the stinky
ink is drying.
They do not sit around for days, but rather are whisked away by flying
unicorns to the final destination.
We think they smell grand and wonder if the magical unicorns just cleanse
the air and let you experience the true local aromas?
In two decades you are the first and only one to comment out of millions
of mailings.
Hmm? Where is this common denominator?
BACKROADS • MAY 2016 Page 13
DIRTDAZE RIDES RUGGED VERMONT TERRAIN
TO HIDDEN MOTORCYCLE MUSEUM
Who says dirt trails, vintage motorcycles, and sausage don’t go together?MotoVermont is partnering with DirtDaze to lead the Green Mountain
Guided Ride on a full day excursion along ancient dirt roads and throughsome of the most beautiful and remote trails found in Vermont.
Riders will be ledthrough technical sec-tions in eastern NewYork and western Ver-mont. The lunch stopfeatures an Italian feastat a unique motorcyclemuseum tucked into themountains of Vermont,giving DirtDAZE ridersaccess to the largest col-lection of Hodaka Mo-torcycles in the World.
Hodaka’s were a late 60’s, early 70’s American Japanese collaboration, cred-ited by some with starting the trail bike craze in the U.S.
“This is one of the coolest adventure bike rides I’ve heard of, and I thinkit will sell out early,” said Christian Dutcher, Director of DirtDaze. “It’s agreat ride on some beautiful, unknown dirt roads including challenging ter-rain. And, the lunch stop is inside a virtually unknown Hodaka museum welloff the beaten path. It’s great.”
DirtDaze registration is open now at www.dirtdaze.com. Some events havelimited availability, and interested riders are encouraged to sign up early.
THOMPSON SPEEDWAY MOTORSPORTS PARK
TO HOST VINTAGE BIKES ON MAY 15The inaugural Thompson Vintage Motorcycle Classic is quickly approach-
ing! The event, to be held on Sun., May 15, 2016, will feature a field of his-toric and antique motorcycles in a Classic Motorcycle Show, a massive SwapMeet Marketplace and Manufacturer’s Midway Vendor area, and a VintageMotorcycle Track-Day on Thompson’s 1.7 mile road course. This excitingnew event will offer a Motorcycle Festival atmosphere and is a great way tokick off the riding season across the Northeast.
Gates open at 9 a.m. on the 15th and general gate admission is just $10.Register your pre-1985 motorcycle for FREE in the Classic Motorcycle
Show.Swap Meet Vendors can enter at 7 a.m. on Sunday to set up; a 15-foot-by-
30 spot is $30 (includes admission forone person), and early set up is availableon Saturday, starting at 1pm, for an ad-ditional $10 per person.
Sunday, at noon, Motorcycle Showparticipants are welcome to take a pa-rade lap around Thompson’s 1.7-mileroad course.
Vintage Track Day will start immedi-ately after parade lap. Cost is $200which includes a barbecue lunch.
Thompson Speedway MotorsportsPark is located at exit 50 (formerly exit99) off I-395, at 205 E Thompson Road,Thompson, CT 06277. The park is just50 minutes from downtown Boston, 2.5hours from New York City and 40 min-utes from Hartford and Providence.
For more info, call 860-923-2280 or visit www.thompsonspeedway.com.
WOMAN SETS NEW GUINNESS WORLD RECORD SET
Giant Loop has announced that sponsored rider Danell Lynn has set a newGuinness World Record for “Longest journey by motorcycle in a single coun-try.” Traveling for a year on her Triumph Bonneville equipped with GiantLoop gear, Lynn covered 48,600 miles while riding throughout the contigu-ous 48 states of the Unite States of America. Lynn is the first solo womanmotorcyclist to hold the record.
Although her travels actually covered all 50 states, as well as three Cana-dian provinces, totaling morethan 53,000 miles from Sep-tember 2014 through Septem-ber 2015, Guinness onlycounted the miles loggedwithin the continental 48states. Duplicate miles alsodid not apply to the record;each of the 48,600 miles cov-ered different routes.
For her world record set-ting ride, Lynn used GiantLoop’s Siskiyou Panniers,Fandango Pro Tank Bag, Tillamook Dry Bag, Rogue Dry Bag, PossiblesPouch and Pronghorn Straps on her 2006 Triumph Bonneville.
Page 14 MAY 2016 • BACKROADS
INDUSTRY INFOBITES News from the Inside
FASTLANE MOTORCYCLE RENTALS OPENS IN NORTH JERSEY
Fastlane Motorcycle Rentals — offering a luxury rental experience in thetristate area — is pleased to announce it has opened in Montvale, NJ.
“Fastlane is a stress-free, local place where people can rent a motorcyclefor a day, a week, however long they want,” said owner and founder Jan Eg-gers. “We don’t have a typical customer, just people who love to ride.”
“Maybe you’re returning to motorcycles after a hiatus of a few years.Maybe you’re curious about a certain bike and want to give it a try withoutcommitting. Maybe you’re traveling here on business and want to ride upthe Hudson River,” Eggers continued. “No problem. We can get you on abike and on the open road. And we’ll bring the bike to you.”
Fastlane currently rents two motorcycles, a 2016 Indian Chief Vintage anda BMW R1200 GS Adventure, each offering a unique experience.
“The Indian Chief is a fully modern bike made in a retro style, with a 111-cubic-inch engine. It’s very happy to tool around and look cool,” Eggers said.“That’s the bike’s whole reason to exist. It’s fun; it’s very relaxing.
“The BMW does everything,” Eggers said. “You can go cross-country oryou can go get milk at the corner store. By most people’s estimation, it’s one
of the best motorcycles on the market right now.”Eggers, who has been on motorcycles since he was five, started the busi-
ness after his own bike fell into disrepair, and he wanted to rent one for aweekend. The closest place he could find was two hours from his BergenCounty home.
“Many motorcycle dealers don’t rent and rarely give out test rides,” Eggerssaid. “I want to fill that void in North Jersey and eventually the Northeast.
For information and to reserve a motorcycle, visit www.fastlanemotorcy-clerentals.com or call 201-879-4471. Rent a bike from Fastlane MotorcycleRentals, because life doesn’t wait. Photo credit: Kelly DeCola
2016 MARKS A GREAT MILESTONE FOR
SPECTRO OILS OF AMERICA, AS THEY CELEBRATE 50 YEARS
In 1966, Spectro was founded in Connecticut by Robert H. Wehman, wherecompany has remained family owned and op-
erated for 50 years. Spectro was one of thepioneers in the 2-stroke motorcycle oil in-dustry, which gained traction during the
60’s. The company has grown substantiallyover the years, and is one of the most respectednames in the power-sport industry world-
wide. All products are batch blended in-
house, with precise attention to detail atSpectro Performance Oils headquarters in
Brookfield CT. The Spectro philosophy is sim-ple, use the best ingredients to produce unmatched
product performance. Spanning 6 decades, the Spectro product line has reached far beyond the
2-stroke market, to include full-synthetic, semi-synthetic, and petroleum lu-bricants for a wide range of applications. Spectro offers lubricants for nearlyevery niche of the power-sport market, as well as high performance automo-tive applications.
BACKROADS • MAY 2016 Page 15
indian lake restaurant and taVern
2 W Main st, indian lake, nY • 518-648-5115
Shira Kamil
We were on our Spring Break last year and I decided to piece together alunch and ice cream run. When riding in the Adirondacks, if you want to stayon pavement, your options are somewhat limited. Luckily, we’ve been trav-eling this area for many years and have discovered some of the best roadsaround.
Leaving the Golden Arrow, our homebase for this weekend, we headed out onsome of the bigger, but very scenic,roads such as 30 and 28/28N. Our firststop would be lunch at the Indian LakeRestaurant and Tavern.
I had done a little research and, notfinding many options in this area, espe-cially at this time of year, I settled onthis. Turns out I would be happy I did.
Although our GPS route said ‘Youhave arrived,’ there was nothing restau-rant-looking in the vicinity. Pulling intothe gas station, they pointed us to saidbuilding.
The outside may be categorized asyour typical snowmobile stopping point,with Adirondack-style wood and shingle,and nary a sign to be seen. When we
pulled into the lot, we all looked at each other and thought ‘Let’s take a look,we can always keep going.’ That thought flew away once we stepped inside,were greeted so kindly and took a look at the menu. Our group of 10 had noproblem getting a seat on a Saturday for lunch.
The Indian Lake is separated into bar and restaurant, with a pool table toentertain while waiting for your food. The dining area is open and bright,
with plenty of tables for a riding group.Whatever your wants, they will be filled here. From a simple burger or
sandwich to a most creative and inventive pasta or salad, all that was tastedwas raved about. The A-dack fried chicken looked as crispy as could be andthe sandwiches that were served were good-sized and appealing.
I have to say that the crispy Asian Brussels sprouts had to be one of thebest dishes I have ever eaten. The duck wings were super crispy and the blue-berry bbq sauce served with them was outstanding. We had a few ‘restricted’eaters with us and they had no problemfinding something and having the kitchenmake it to their requirements, all with a bigsmile. If you’re looking for more of a meal,they’ll bring out a 16oz. ribeye steak, St.Louis ribs, many forms of chicken andsome comforting liver and onions.
When we were there in May, they werein the process of putting up a new sign tobetter find this great little dining stop. Aftermeals were finished, we continued ourroute east and north, to the town of Ticon-deroga and the Wind Chill Factory. Fromthere we hit those little gems in the Adiron-dacks – Ensign Pond and Tracy Roads. Be-fore too long we were parking our bikesback at the Golden Arrow in Lake Placid.
For those heading to Lake George andAmericade or DirtDaze this year, I highly recommend a lunch ride to the In-dian Lake Restaurant. You won’t be disappointed. Here are two nice littlespins of the wheels to get you there. Should you be in the Lake Placid area,here’s a 200-mile loop including the Indian Lake Restaurant and ice creamstop… www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/l10s4i.
If you’re heading out from Americade for a lunch ride, here’s a 200-mileloop for you: www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/bpqdvt.
Page 16 MAY 2016 • BACKROADS
GREAT ALL AMERICAN DINER RUN tasty places to take your bike
Pizza at the farM
Brian Rathjen
There are thousands of pizza parlors in theseUnited States and we have known people who go tobattle to defend their neighborhood slice. It is a pridething.
Good pizza is a beautiful thing anywhere you canfind it. But, this month we have a special treat forthose of you in the northwestern part of New Jersey,where Backroads calls home.
My friend Flip calls them the gypsy pizza makers– Lucca Pizza – with their mobile wood-fired pizzaoven on wheels. They can roam from town to town –wherever they are needed.
This past summer, on nights that begged to dine al fresco, Lucca has beensetting up the oven at L.L. Pittenger Farm in Green Township, New Jersey(right outside Andover) on Wednesday evenings.
We have some friends that have been going when they can during the pastsummer and with a free Wednesday coming our way, we mounted up on twoYamaha test machines, the FJ-09 and FZ-07, and rolled along the tiny farmsand forests of the Jersey Skylands to Pittenger’s Farms.
This sunny, but cool, day the large field opposite the farm was lined withlarge tables, adorned with sunflowers.
A two-piece band – guitar and percussionist - called Water Street was setup in one corner. This is a group of young local musi-cians who have added their own flair and power to oldtunes as well as their own music.
They were quite excellent.
The farm itself is well known for its meats and theyhad a large selection of frozen chops, steaks and porkfor sale.
This was a family and friend affair and many tableshad young ones running around, having fun, causinglight mayhem, and basically being children. For themthe farm had a tractor-powered hayride.
Not much better on a summer’s evening than childrenlaughing, families chatting and friends catching up witheach other.
But, the star of the evening was Lucca Pizza and theirgreat pie combinations! Margherita, New York-style,sausage - both hot & sweet, chicken & bacon with aioliand their “pie of the week” chicken with chorizo andchipotle aioli white pizza.
Between our ample group of friends we ordered justabout everything they had, but were especially fond ofthe sweet sausage and the chicken-chorizo-aioli combo.
But, in truth, they were all very good.If I had one bit of worry (okay, I had
two), the first would be that you must bepatient.
Lucca’s rolling oven is not a monster. Itis a quality, not quantity, sort of hot beastand they can only create a few pies at atime. With a full crowd there was a bit ofbacklog and wait, made easier by the su-perb setting on the farm’s property, the fineweather and talkative companions.
My other complaint was a personal onehaving to do with gluten free anything. Iunderstand that some folks have real prob-
lems (celiac disease) with gluten, but most don’t. Make my pizza extra glutenand crispy, please.
If you live in this region or want to make a great day trip with a very specialending pick a nice Wednesday in the better weather and search out the gypsypizza at L.L. Pittenger Farm in Green Township, New Jersey. Beginning June3, you will find them at 53 Creek Road – just south of Trinca Airport in An-dover, not far from Route 206. They serve from 5-8pm, so get there earlyand place your order as they do tend to run out.
On the web: facebook.com/luccawoodfiredoven or luccapizza.com
BACKROADS • MAY 2016 Page 17
olYMPiC JuMPinG CoMPlex
5486 CasCade rd., lake PlaCid, nY 12946 • WWW.WhitefaCe.CoM
The towers rise from the mountains like two monstrousweapons from an H.G. Well’s novel about an attack from theRed Planet.
I remember the first time I spied them in the distanceamongst the peaks of the Adirondacks. I had to remind myselfthat I was on the road to Lake Placid, home of the 1932 and1980 Winter Olympics.
Like the sport itself – which is impressive and quick, whenthe last Olympics were approaching the two towers were con-structed quickly. The towers were built using a jacking systemthat lifted and poured concrete into the forms continuously,night and day, for 15 days for the larger jump, and 9 days forthe smaller one. At this time they were 70 and 90 meters tall.
In 1994, the landing hills were re-graded to bring the jumpsinto compliance with current rules, and increasing their heightto 90 and 120 meters.
We stopped by the Olympic Jumping Complex on a lateSeptember day when the leaves we just beginning to turn.
After seeing the towers approaching I thought it would be a neat idea to goto the top, if only for the view.
We paid our entrance fee ($11 per person) and rodeover to the large lot at the bottom of the larger moun-tain. The first thing that caught our eye was that therewere some young athletes (we mean young – earlyteens) practicing their free-style jumping routines. Howdoes a future Olympic competitor learn to do these in-credible moves in mid-air? Freestyle aerialists practicetheir flips and twists over a 750,000-gallon heated poolof water. It allows the athletes to safely fine-tune theirjumps all summer long, and it makes for great enter-tainment. Athletes launch themselves up to 40 feet inthe air before flipping three times and twisting up tofive times. We watched, in awe as they fit all thosespins and flips into a few seconds of free-air hang timeand watched as they then stuck the landing only toswim to the side of the pool, get out and do it again.
Amazing.We walked over towards the tower and waited for
our chairlift to come around and take us up the peakand to the short walk to the towers.
The glass elevator to the top of the largest tower of-fered an amazing view of the mountains and the obser-vation deck an even better one. You could see foreverthis crystal clear day.
I heard a “shoooshing” sound and spotted a small fig-ure rise into the sky for a few seconds before beingpulled back down towards the grassy valley below.
It was then that we realized that the other tower wasalso being used for practice by jumpers – in the latesummer?
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Page 18 MAY 2016 • BACKROADS
Hanover Powersports Presents
BIG CITY GETAWAY daytrip ideas to get out of the daily grind
You betcha. The ramp is cre-ated out of plastic runners andthe “snow” is made up of roughsliced strips of heavy-duty plas-tics. All of this is constantly wa-tered down and perfectlyreplicated natural snow.
These athletes too were justkids – who else is going to stepout onto a platform nearly 27stories high, calmly fold them-selves into an aerodynamic tuck,slide straight down the steep‘inrun’ and then launch them-selves for the length of a foot-ball field through theAdirondack sky?
I dare say not many of uswould be willing or able to dothis. But, to watch these kids doit was magnificent!
We took the elevator backdown (I wanted to ski, but was told I couldn’t) and we walked over to theother jump tower and found a spot at the landing area of the jump andwatched a half dozen athletes go through their practice.
There is an elevator in this tower too, but the coach just pointed up thehundred or so stairs and the young sportsmen and women trudge up the sideof the tower, got set and sped down the tracks to meet the Adirondack skyonce again – only to speak with their coach, get some pointers and make theclimb again.
Watching them do this arduous climb and jump over and over again wasvery tiring for us; so we found some comfortable Adirondack chairs at thevery bottom of the mountain next to the bronze statue of Lake Placid skijump champion Art Devlin – the man who first brought the Olympics to thissleepy mountain town - and spent a good bit of time watching “our” athletespractice so we could cheer “our” champions in South Korea in 2018.
The entire afternoon was unexpected, educational, not to mention bothhumbling and inspiring at the same time.
We wish all the athletes we watch train that day all the best and incrediblesuccess at competitions in the future.
Like we said, I do not think any one of us is doing this sort of thi…..Wait. We can?!
During the summer monthsthe Olympic Jumping Complexoffers Extreme Tubing. No, theywon’t let you jump, but you canslide down the landing hills,which are plenty impressive bythemselves.
What about you? Ready to dosomething major and very fast(they clock in at about 50 mph)?
I know we are. Next time we ride up to Lake Placid why not join us?
BACKROADS • MAY 2016 Page 19
the fate of fliGht 6231
Tony Lisanti
Every once in a while, a familiar ride takes a strange turn. Such is the casewith a well traveled part of Harriman State Park. I have been riding in andaround this park for close to 30 years. A “loop” throughthe park never grows old or boring. My choice to livein Rockland County was influenced by having close ac-cess to the State Park. It’s twisty and scenic roads arepretty much my backyard. Many are familiar with Wil-low Grove Road just off Exit 14 of the Palisades Park-way. Willow Grove Road turns into Kanawauke Roadbut most know it simply as Route 106. The road run-ning from east to west meanders past Lake Welch downto Seven Lakes Drive and continues west to Route 17and 17A just west of the NYS Thruway.
The strange turn is one of minor historical signifi-cance except to the families of those involved. On De-cember 1, 1974 Harriman State Park was the scene of amajor airplane crash. Our local newspaper carried astory recently about a historical marker that was erectedin honor of the flight crew that perished. The crash siteis close to a hiking trail off Route 106. Those that fre-quently hike the area including officials from RocklandCounty thought the NY/NJ Park Commission shouldinstall a permanent marker at the crash site. Recentlythe marker was installed and a small crowd gathered forthe dedication to the victims. Those in attendance included spouses and chil-dren of the deceased as well as first responders who were on scene the nightof the crash and the many days following.
The night of December 1, 1974 was acold and icy night. The Northeast wasexperiencing sleet and snow making anytype of travel difficult. Northwest Air-lines Flight 6231, a Boeing 727, had re-
cently landed at New York’s JFK airport. After a shortlay over, the crew was reassigned as a charter flight withinstructions to fly to Buffalo to pick up the BaltimoreColts NFL team. The crew consisted of Capt. John Lago-rio, 35, of Edina, Minnesota, First Officer Walter Zadra,32 and Second Officer James Cox, 33, both of Seattle,Washington. The crew was experienced and had loggedthousands of hours of flight time. At least two of the crewhad been aviators in the military.
According to the NTSB and FAA reports, Flight 6231departed JFK at 7:14 PM. The weather was bad requiringan instruments only take off. All seemed routine aftertake-off and the plane reached cruising altitude withoutincident. Everything appeared normal but at approxi-mately 7:24 an over speed warning alarm went off. Thecrew also began to experience a stick shudder which theyalso thought was another over speed warning. They in-stinctively took action thinking the plane was nearing thespeed of sound and backed off the throttles and increasedthe angle of attack in order to climb. The climb wouldscrub off some speed. Unfortunately, the speed indicatorwarning was wrong. Rather than reaching maximum air
speed, the plane was actually near its stall speed. By slowing the plane andbringing the nose up, they made the situation worse by causing the plane toaerodynamically stall and begin a rapid descent towards the ground. The ac-
Page 20 MAY 2016 • BACKROADS
Morton’s BMW Motorcycles PresentsDr. Seymour O’Life’s MYSTERIOUS AMERICA
cident investigation found that the plane’s speedsensing instruments relying on external pitottubes provided a false reading. The false airspeed was due to a failure to turn on a heating el-ement for the speed indicators. As a result thepitot tubes clogged with ice causing the falsewarning. The incorrect speed and resultant ac-tions by the crew doomed the plane. The NTSBreport details corrective actions taken by thecrew but it was all to no avail. After several at-tempts to climb and turn, the plane began toplunge for 83 seconds from an altitude of over24,000 feet. At 7:26 PM it struck the ground at a45 degree angle while in a slight right hand turn.All three crew members perished. The NTSB re-port classified the crash as “unsurvivable”.
According to accounts by local first responders, fire fighters and policefrom Stony Point Theils and surrounding towns were notified that the FAAlost contact with an aircraft. Without much more than the notification no oneknew where to look for it. The fire, police and paramedics were forced tosearch a wide area of the northern part of Rockland County with little infor-mation. There were no cell phones, GPS or other technology to guide them.
The poor weather conditions made any search within the park dangerousuntil the next morning. According to the reports from the scene, the planedid not explode on impact despite having a full load of fuel. Rather the jetfuel soaked into the ground and icy rain prevented wide spread fire. The smellof the fuel ultimately led first responders to the crash site.
The location of the accident site is slightly south east of Lake Welch. Iftraveling west on Route 106 in Harriman, you cross over a causeway withLake Welch Beach to the north and the lower portion of Lake Welch to theleft. Just past the causeway is St John’s Road which leads to the St John’sChurch In the Woods. Off of this road there is a hiking trail named the LongPath. The hike to the crash site from this point is about 1.5 miles southeastalong the Long Path.
The crash site is in a serene area, relatively flatwith a rocky hill to the south east. In a small clearingat the base of this hill a marker stands in commem-oration of the lost crew.
The day I visited which was two weeks after themarker was dedicated in November, a small memo-rial remained. There were flowers and candles thathad been placed there by family members the dayof the dedication November 7, 2015. Several smallpieces of aluminum and fiberglass debris are alsoplaced at the base of the marker. The marker reads:
On Dec 1, 1974, a Northwest Orient Airlines Boe-
ing 727 flying between John F. Kennedy Interna-
tional Airport and Buffalo, N.Y. , encountered
atmospheric icing and crashed at this site. Flight
6231 was operating a ferry flight, having been char-
tered to pick up the Baltimore Colts football team. Three crew members, the
only people aboard the aircraft, were killed in the crash. The accident and
subsequent federal investigation prompted changes in cockpit design and ad-
vancement in commercial pilot training still practiced by airlines today.
In Loving Memory: Capt. John B. Lagario, 1st Officer Walter (Jim) A.
Zadra, 2nd Officer James (Jim) F. Cox • Dedicated 2015
Close inspection of the underbrush will reveal more small pieces of debrisfrom the ill fated airplane. The site is considered a memorial and would-becuriosity seekers are asked not remove any items found.
There is no way to legally ride to the site (believe me I tried!). Nor arethere any markers on the main roads in Harriman indicating how to find it.Most of the State Park employees including the Park Police are aware thatthe site exists, but few know exactly where it is. The marker stands as a lonelyand solemn memory to that fate of the three crewman lost that night.
Visiting the site has forever altered my perception of this area of the park.Riding through this particular area I will always be reminded of the threesouls lost.
Somehow this memory makes my routine ride a bit more meaningful.
BACKROADS • MAY 2016 Page 21
trekonderoGa • RIDE WHERE NO ONE HAS RIDDEN BEFORE
Each month we do our best to bring you someplace interesting, comfort-
able and different. This month we are going to bring you somewhere really,
really different. So prepare your 21-century motorcycle for Warp Drive and,
for goodness sakes, do not wear a red shirt.
This time we are really outta here!
date – MaY 1775
The fledgling Continental Army is in desperate need of weapons and am-munition to throw against the British Empire for the siege at Boston.
Ethan Allen and two hundred of his Green Mountain Boys advance to at-tack Ticonderoga in hopes of taking the fort and the British cannon.
As they prepare for an early dawn attack reinforcements arrive with Bene-dict Arnold in command. He has with him a new colonel’s commission andhis orders are the same as Allen’s.
The two leaders are both headstrong and risk takers.After a heated dispute between the two men to determine who was in
charge of the attacking party,Arnold and Allen finallyagreed to share the command.In the early-morning hours ofMay 10, they entered the fort“side by side” with a force ofjust eighty one and take thesleeping garrison by completesurprise.
Along with Fort Ticon-deroga, Allen and Arnoldquickly captured the fort atCrown Point in May 1775. Atthe southern end of the lake,
the Loyalist settlement of Skenesborough (present-day Whitehall), NewYork, falls as well. The Americans seize Philip Skene’s schooner Katherine,the first vessel to be captured in the war and the first designated warship ofthe rebellious colonies. In his journal, Lieutenant Eleazar Oswald noted theevent: “We set sail from Skenesborough in a schooner belonging to MajorPhilip Skene, which we christened Liberty.”
Arnold immediately assumes command of Liberty when the schooner ar-rives at Ticonderoga and immediately embarks for St. Johns, Canada, at thenorthern end of the lake. There he surprises and captures the King’s sloopBetsy. Arnold confidently reported, “At present, we are Masters of the Lake.”
He renames the sloop - Enterprise.Thus, just over a year before the signing of the Declaration of Independ-
ence, American forces on Lake Champlain were in complete control of awater highway that led directly into the heart of Quebec.
And, so begins the voyages of a ship called Enterprise….
date - summer of 2265
The USS Enterprise is chris-tened. The Constitution-classstarship is given the designa-tion NCC-1701. In the courseof her career, the Enterprisebecame the most celebratedship in Starfleet. In her fortyyears of service and discovery,through upgrades and at leasttwo refits, she took part in nu-merous first contacts, militaryengagements and even time-travel.
Her most famous commander – Captain James Tiberius Kirk - is knownto be headstrong and a risk taker.
Page 22 MAY 2016 • BACKROADS
Bergen County Harley-Davidson PresentsWE’RE OUTTA HERE a weekend destination keeping you on the backroads
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OPEN HOUSE MAY 7 + 8featuring the Parts Unlimited Truck
date – august 12-14, 2016– ticonderoga, new York
Some 241 years after Arnold took the Betsy and renamed her Enterprise,and almost a quarter of a millennium before Kirk would first say, “Helms-man, ahead Warp Factor 2,” and just a few weeks before the 50th Anniversaryof the debut of Star Trek, the Starship Enterprise will be seen again, fittinglyalong the shore of the lake where the first such U.S. Navy ship was named.
For the last number of years Star Trek has been alive and well and filmingin the upstate Adirondack town of Ticonderoga, New York.
Now titled Star Trek New Voyages, thousands of “Trekkers” have beenwatching the further adventures of Kirk, Spock, McCoy and the rest of thecrew via the internet at www.startreknewvoyages.com; a technology that,back in 1966, would have be seen as futuristic as the Starship Enterprise.
Created in 2003 by James Caw-ley, along with producer Jack Mar-shall, the show strives to completethe “five-year mission” of the Star-ship Enterprise, “to boldly gowhere no man has gone before.” It’scelebration of Gene Roddenberry’s
legacy has won critical acclaim and numerous accolades, as well as attractingthe attention and participation of Star Trek alumni such as George Takei andWalter Koenig, who have returned to reprise their roles on New Voyages.
This September 8th will celebrate 50 years since the very first episode ofStar Trek sailed across television screens, but August 12-14 this small upstatetown will sling shot around the sun and jump into the 23rd century with itssecond annual Trekonderoga.
Last year’s events had a good number of familiar faces from the originalseries including Barbara Luna, Sally Kellerman and author DavidGerrold who hosted a screening of “The Trouble with Tribbles” episode thathe wrote. Who did put the tribbles in the quadrotriticale?
“What makes Trekonderoga stand out from your typical Star trek Con-vention is our incredible lineup of active stars and writers that will behere to host screenings, participate in sessions, and of course, sign au-tographs. We’re holding registration to just 300 people so that it can bea really intimate experience for the fans,” said Cawley. “The photo-opsalone will be fantastic. Getting your photo with original stars on theoriginal “bridge” of the Starship Enterprise is pretty cool for a Star Trekfan.”
You’ll most likely be looking for a docking bay for your warp drive(okay impulse power for some of us) ride to Ticonderoga. The town hasa number of hotels and there are a few really nice lakeside resorts alongLake George in Hague as well.
There will most likely be a limited number of tickets sold for Trekon-deroga so log onto their website and reserve yours today at www.trekon-deroga.com.
Enjoy the 23rd century - Live long and prosper.Consider yourself a Trekker? See page 44…
Star Trek and all related marks, logos, and characters are owned by CBS Home Entertainment. “Star Trek:New Voyages/Phase II,” this production, the promotion thereof, and/or exhibition of material created byCawley Entertainment Company/Retro Film Studios LLC are not endorsed or sponsored by or affiliated withCBS Home Entertainment/Paramount Pictures or the Star Trek Franchise.The use of anything related to Star Trek in this production is in no way meant to be an infringement on CBSHome Entertainment/Paramount Home Media Distribution property rights to Star Trek.No profit whatsoever is coming from the use of these trademarks by this production or any of its affiliatedpartners.”
BACKROADS • MAY 2016 Page 23
sundae ride
in ConneCtiCut
This month’s ice cream runwas inspired by an email frommy friends Alma and David.They were thoughtful enough tosend along the Mystic Country ofeastern Connecticut ice creamstops. They are all homemade,some from their own dairy cowson premise, locally sourced in-gredients and of the highest but-terfat and quality. Some are onthe farm, some are a city; someare seasonal and some you canenjoy all year round. If you havea free Sunday, or any day really– when is there not a good timefor ice cream – point yourself inthe Connecticut direction andenjoy a day of ice cream. I’ll startthe 100-mile route in Old Lyme
at the A.C. Petersen Drive-in and end it in West Hartford at the original A.C.Petersen. If you download the map from their website, you’ll see there areplenty of other stops, so feel free to improvise, expand and over sweeten youralready sweet ride.
a.C. Petersen driVe-in
113 SHORE RD, OLD LYME, CT860-598-9680 • ACPETERSENFARMS.COM
OPEN MAY – SEPTEMBER. CHECK FOR HOURS
Since we have two stops at this century oldice cream establishment, first a little history ontheir original shop in West Hartford. Opened in1939, touted as ‘a truly modern, beautiful AIRCONDITIONED ice cream parlor’, it recentlyhad a facelift to maintain its charms but alsoboast of its history and make some much-neededupgrades. The winner of MSN’s Best Milkshakein Connecticut, A.C. Petersen will whip you upa milkshake with any of their 40 flavors as well
as dish up one heck of a sun-dae, cup or cone of any ofthose flavors, complete withhomemade whipped cream andplenty of toppings. They alsooffer some food of substancesuch as burgers, dogs, sand-wiches, seafood and chowder.The Old Lyme drive-in is lo-cated on Black Hall River,overlooking the ConnecticutRiver and Long Island Sound,
with a view of the Old Saybrook Lighthouse. Order up your food or creamytreat, take a seat at one of their outdoor tables and enjoy your first stop onthis 100-mile ride.
saleM ValleY farMs iCe CreaM
20 DARLING RD, SALEM, CT • 860-859-2980 • SALEMVALLEYFARMSICECREAM.COM
OPEN APRIL 15 – LABOR DAY NOON – 9PM. CHECK FOR SEASONAL HOURS
While not as old as A.C. Petersen, Salem Valley Farms hasbeen dishing up their homemade ice cream since 1988. They,too, use premium ingredients, no artificial flavors or colors, andadd their candies, nuts and mix-ins after the ice cream comesfrom the machine. This give you big chunks of whatever goodyyou’ve chosen, not crushed up tiny bits. Their flavor menu is ex-tensive, with such tasty treats as Grasshopper (mint cookies andcream with fudge swirl), Purple Sable (black raspberry withchocolate chips) and Cappuccino Fudge Crunch (coffee icecream with cinnamon flavor, fudge swirl and chocolate lacecandy). They do offer low fat, with just 5% butterfat compared
Page 24 MAY 2016 • BACKROADS
to 16%, and frozen yogurt with 1% fat. For those lactose-intolerant, theyhave both sorbet and their new soy-based ice cream. While not on the water,Salem Valley Farms is in a scenic setting, also offering outdoor seating.
ButtonWood farM iCe CreaM
471 SHETUCKET TPKE, GRISWOLD, CT860-376-4081 • BUTTONWOODFARMICECREAM.COM
MARCH – OCTOBER NOON – 8PM
While Buttonwood Farm has been milking and growing since 1975, theirice cream has been making folks smile since 1998. Their original dairy wasbuilt from lumber milled at the farm, as is the ice cream stand. Their home-made flavors are creative and creamy, including Chocolate Brownie Batter,
Forbidden Silk Chocolate (rich chocolate ice cream made with cocoa powderfrom Holland – very dark and rich), Jungle George (real bananas, walnutsand chocolate chips) and Butter Brickle (sweet buttery flavored with butterbrickle candies). Their bucolic farm setting, complete with cows – both liveand mechanical – entice you to sit a spell and enjoy the taste and smells ofthe farm. Sometime during the summer, their acre of sunflowers will be infull bloom and you can participate in their fundraiser to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation by bringing home a bouquet for a $10 donation. Later inthe season, the corn maze will baffle your sense of direction and entertainthe little ones, should you have them along for the ride.
uConn dairY Bar
3636 HORSEBARN HILL RD, STORRS, CT860-486-2634 • DINING.UCONN.EDU/UCONN-DAIRY-BAR
OPEN EVERY DAY 11AM-7PM. CHECK HOURS FOR SCHOOL CLOSINGS
It’s time for a little education in ice creamwith a visit to the University of ConnecticutDairy Bar. UConn’s Creamery, opened in 1953as part of the Department of Animal Science,is located in the George White Building. Allice cream sold is produced in the Creamerywith fresh milk from UConn’s Kellogg DairyCenter. The Creamery is used for dairy foodsresearch and teaching activities. More impor-tantly for us, they serve up 24 regular flavorssuch as coconut, oreo and salted caramel
BACKROADS • MAY 2016 Page 25
crunch, two seasonal flavors which have in-cluded peach and cinnamon caramel swirl, andthe occasional limited edition flavors like the2016 Senior Scoop Coffee Heath Barn Hill. Theyhave won awards year after year, most recentlythe ‘Best of New England’ from Yankee Maga-zine. You can have your ice cream in a cone, cup,float, sundae or milkshake, as well as orderingup a specialty ice cream cake should the occasionarise. Each month the creative young folks man-ning the creamery will concoct a sundae of themonth – March saw the Lucky Leprechaun withmint chip ice cream, hot fudge, mini marshmal-lows, whipped cream, shamrock sprinkles on a bed of Oreo crumbs (I can see the pot of goldat the end of the rainbow already). Should you find yourself there around lunch, you can alsovisit Chuck and Augie’s or One Plate-Two Plates, just a few of the culinary selections onthis large campus. Check the UConn website for more details.
a.C. Petersen
240 PARK RD, WEST HARTFORD, CT • 860-233-8483 • OPEN YEAR ROUND 7AM-11PM
Should your ice cream dreams remain unfulfilled, point your wheels west to the final stopon this month’s Sundae Ride. A.C. Petersen in West Hartford is a full service restaurant, serv-ing breakfast (all day) lunch and dinner in addition to their wonderful ice cream. If you’vestuffed yourself with dessert before the meal – always my choice – you can now take a seatat counter or table and satisfy your appetite. Perhaps some Chicken and Waffles, pancakes,
omelettes or a breakfast burrito? Maybe some soup anda sandwich, a BELT Burger (burger with fried egg, let-tuce and tomato) or a salad (you did just eat a bucketfulof ice cream). Whatever you are peckish for, A.C. Pe-tersen’s menu will fill your need. And, if you really area glutton, you can finish off the day’s ride with somemore dessert – a slice of pie a la mode or warm TollHouse Cookie pie.
If you decided to do the whole ride, you’ll now bepretty close to I-84 should you need to get to whereveryou started in short time. If you are still in a meanderingmood, pick a direction and enjoy the rest of the day. Be-fore you start, take a look at a map, as there are severalinteresting destinations near most of these stops such asthe florence Griswold Museum (home of american
impressionism – 96 lyme st, old lyme Ct • 860-
434-5542 • www.florencegriswoldmuseum.org) andthe Museum of Puppetry (at Ballard institute, 1
royce Circle, suite 101B, storrs, Ct • 860-486-8580
• www.bimp.uconn.edu)
Download the ull map and listing for the
Mystic Country Sundae Ride here:
industry.mysticcountry.com/wp-
content/uploads/2015/06/iceCreamWeb2015.pdf
And here’s the GPS route: www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/g7tyxd
You can find the printed route sheet on page 50
Enjoy your Sundae Ride and we’ll see you on the nextIce Cream Run.
Page 26 MAY 2016 • BACKROADS
SPYDER F3 MEETS LEGENDARY MUSTANG COMFORT • NEW SEATS FOR CAN-AM
Mustang’s newest addition to its impressive line of comfortable motorcycle seats lets Can-Am Spyder F3 riders feel the Mustang difference. The new one-piece touring seat for theF3 offers improvements over the stock seat and enhances the Spyder’s powerful modernlook. “Our seats for the Spyder RT have proven popular with riders, so the F3 was the next log-ical step,” says Mustang Seats Sales Manager Jesse Sargent. “Can-Am calls the F3 the‘next era’ of Spyders and we’ve developed this seat with the same thinking. Every angle,contour and radius of the seat has been fine-tuned for maximum comfort,” Sargent ex-plains. “Mustang’s seat is optimized for riders and passengers who like riding all day” says Sar-gent. “It positions your body for the best riding posture and supports you for the long haul. Today’s riders don’t want to compromise either comfort or style —this seat has both of these covered.”The cover’s detailed double-stitching boldly enhances the Spyder F3’s striking design. Mustang’s marine-grade fiberglass baseplate and proprietary foam arecarefully contoured to support both rider and passenger in the optimal cruising angle for all-day riding. The optional driver backrest is fully adjustable, easilyremovable and perfectly matches the look of the seat. The seat for the Spyder F3 retails for $719. More information can be found at www.mustangseats.com.
TOURATECH TEAMS UP WITH ORTLIEB TO LAUNCH WATERPROOF PRODUCT LINE
Riding in the rain, crossing a river, or even blasting through a mud puddle can leave your gear soggy. For 25 years,Touratech has worked to provide riders with better storage solutions for motorcycle travel. Their latest devel-
opment is a complete range of dry-storage products purpose-built for motorcycletouring. The result of a joint venture between water-proof gearpioneer Ortlieb and Touratech, the product range coversevery need for waterproof storage on a motorcycle. Thenew line will be sold worldwide under the TouratechWaterproof brand.
Utilizing Ortlieb’s experience in manufacturing waterproofequipment and decades of in-house motorcycle adventure ex-
pertise, Touratech created an entire line of soft-luggage, dry bags,stuff sacks, backpacks and accessories. The range even includes water storage
bags and other campsite essentials like collapsible bowls. Next Page
BACKROADS • MAY 2016 Page 27
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“While our roots are in adventure, the Touratech Waterproof range is exciting because we now have solutions for a wide range of motorcyclists.” Noted Tourat-ech-USA’s CEO Paul Guillien. “From sport bikes to cruisers, we now have storage solutions that will make any rider happy by keeping their gear dry.” Each product is designed for motorcycle travel and has features and durability built to withstand the rigors of long-distance touring and the every-day commuteto the office. The company has even created some test videos to demonstrate product and entertain the masses. As the videos proclaim, “It’s good to be dry…with Touratech Waterproof.”For more information and to see the rest of the Touratech line log onto www.touratech-usa.com.
PITTSBURGH PRO ½” DRIVE DIGITAL TORqUE ADAPTER
I once knew a guy who thought if tight was good on some of the bolts on his motorcycle,then way TIGHTER would be just better.I seem to remember his bike lifting off the ground, balanced on the side stand, while he wastightening some obscure bolt on his Honda 550. I am sure this is just an overactive memory,but there was a reason they called this guy the Bolt Nazi.I clearly remember my formative motorcycling years… full of snapped exhaust studs, frozenbolts and stripped nuts that were probably wrench inspired by my Aryan friend.These days we should all know that every fastener has a desired torque, or degree of tight-ening, that should be used.Though you might think you have a calibrated hand, you do not.I have a few torque wrenches about, but I came across my new must have it GDG (Gizomo,Doodad, Gadget) while in that bordello of the toolhardy – Harbor Freight.Here tucked away amongst the real torque wrenches sat the Pittsburgh Pro ½” Drive DigitalTorque Adapter.“Hey, what’s this?” I thought, thinking I must buy it for $29.99, if only to test it for you guys.Yeah, that’s the ticket. I did it for you.Sometimes I wonder about things that look too good to be true but this time… You know? It works!
The Pittsburgh Pro ½” Drive Digital Torque Adaptersimply snaps onto your ½ inch drive. It comes withadapters for the adapter if you have a 3/8 drive.Powered by a lithium battery that will last for years, ituses three color LEDs and progressive audio notifica-tion (beeping) when reaching the specified torque.I compared it with my older torque wrench at 30 NM,using the brake caliper bolts and some other fastenerson my R1200 GS, which was our test dummy for theday. It was just about spot on.While tightening the Torx bolts the Drive Digital TorqueAdapter uses a TRACK mode that displays torque valueas pressure and tightening is applied which preventsover-torquing.When you get close a yellow light flashes and when youreach your specified torque a red flash and beep occurs.PEAK mode displays highest torque value after load isreleased.Pittsburgh Pro promises accuracy within +/- 2% andthat seems about right. Each unit is individually testedand documented before shipping.The manufacturer claims the torque range: 29.5 to 147.6ft. lbs. or from 40 to 200 Newton Meters, but we foundit could go less than that if asked for when tighteningneeds a more deft touch.The adapter will auto shutoff in 80 seconds, so you neednot worry about killing the battery while packed awayin the nice plastic case in which it comes.For you busy mechanics with lots of toys and boltsneeding constant attention the Pittsburgh Pro ½” DriveDigital Torque Adapter has a full 50 memory settings.For the money spent and the accuracy found with thissmall adapter it is a must have whether you are a seriousshade tree mechanic or just a weekend tinkerer.You can find the Pittsburgh Pro ½” Drive Digital TorqueAdapter at your local Harbor Freight or on their websitewww.harborfreight.com. ~ Brian Rathjen
799 Violet Ave/Route 9GHyde Park, NY
845-229-1177www.ZacksVTwin.com
ZACK’S V-TWIN CYCLES
67 North Broadway • Route 107 • Hicksville, NY
www.LIKawasaki.com • 516-935-6969Long IslandKawasaki
Page 28 MAY 2016 • BACKROADS
BACKROADS • MAY 2016 Page 29
History in the Berkshires
The granite stone sat alone, all but forgotten along the soggy road here in the middle of theBerkshires, all but forgotten but for the American flag and the small picture frame with wordsworth reading again and again.When a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces adesign to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw offsuch Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.
The words are from the Declaration of Independence and the stone marks the spot where the first real insurrection against ourown fledgling nation met its end.
Called Shays’ Rebellion it was not the reason we were on the road and in the mountains of western Massachusetts early in March– but, things always seem to have a reason and come together nicely.
Truth is we wanted to take advantage of the warmer el Nino-driven weather that the northeast had been experiencing this winterand with the first few days of the week touching the 60s we made quick plans to scoot north to the Berkshires and overnight at alittle historic inn called Race Brook Lodge.
We had been out all week, on little day trips, and had quickly gotten use to the late spring-like temps regardless that baseball hadjust begun in Florida, and though I knew there might be a bit of rain, I was not concerned as a quick check of the weather for theweek showed lows in the 50s and sunny – in New Jersey.The plans of mice and men….
words and images: Brian Rathjen
We left Backroads Central that morning with a bit of clouds filtering theearly light. It was cool, but was warming.
Our route brought us north and east along familiar farm roads and thenthrough Harriman State Park. We could not go through the park as, even withthe non-existent snowfall this year, the park people in New York felt the parkneeded to be closed till April 1st – no kidding!
Our Plan B brought us by the old Clove Furnace, in Arden. Found rightoff of Route 17, on the other side of the Thruway, it was built back in 1854by Robert Parrott as part of what was collectively known as the GreenwoodIron Works, part of many such furnaces used to smelt the iron ore for whichthis region was famous. It also played a key role for the Union Army duringthe Civil War as iron from this furnace was used to produce the Parrott Rifle– a monstrous cannon that was made in various sizes with the largest barrelalone weighing over 1,800 pounds, firing up to 300-pound shells.
The furnace shut down permanently shortly after Robert Parrott’s death in
1877 and is now on the National Registry of Historic Places.Although there was a visitor center, we found ourselves all alone on the
grounds this day and exploration was in order.Across the stream that runs down towards the New York State Thruway,
there was a ruin of an old house. We were not sure of the history, but believeit to be part of the furnace complex, and we couldn’t think of a nicer settingfor a home.
Right about then it began to patter a bit of light rain. To the north, wherewe were going, was darkening clouds and general yuckiness. I checked theweather radar on my phone and let out an audible Scooby-Doo “ruh roh.” Alarge band of green and red was heading east from PA.
I said to Shira, “Don’t worry what could go wrong.” Did I really just saythat? We made the decision to keep on, as it was still a fairly nice day forearly March.
Yep…. early March.
Page 30 MAY 2016 • BACKROADS
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We ran up and over Bear Mountain passing the drive to the summit atPerkins, before circling down along the fine and twisty roads and crossingthe Hudson River at Bear Mountain.
Bearing right we continued alongthe serpentine road that snakes southand that was about when thingschanged. The light rain began to getharder and the temperatures that weredown right pleasurable turned cheekand ran.
In just a few miles we had riddenfrom spring-like bliss to late winter’scrap.
Undaunted our heroes rode on.I had plotted a very twisty and tech-
nical jaunt into the Berkshires andwhat would have been fun in warm sunand dry roads became a bit of a con-centrated chore.
“This would be fun in nice weather,”Shira chimed in on the radio.
Okay, I got her message.But, at this point it would be longer
to turn around and go home than tocarry on into the Berkshires. Besides, just 20 minutesdown the road was one of the best barbeques in the re-gion and not too long after we were puddling the floorat Big W’s and ordering way too much food from War-ren.
Refueled, caffeinated and satisfied we added electrics,zipped up like astronauts about to do a space walk and
headed back out into the cold, wet and seasonally appropriate weather.Even in the mist the Berkshires are a stunning part of New England and,
with the Gerbing’s electrons heating my gear I could have kept on going but,by late that afternoon, we rolled into the slightly muddy drive that leads tothe Race Brook Lodge.
BACKROADS • MAY 2016 Page 31
We had come up here to do a feature on the Race Brook for We’re Outta
Here! and we will in a later issue, but right now let us just say it was aboutas perfect as old historic farm houses can be. We stayed in the old icehouseand the restaurant next door had superb food and a well-stocked bar. Therewas even music that night, down in their funky club.
Take funky for whatever you want it to mean.
More interesting than the funky club was the very astute history found hereat the Stagecoach Hill Inn – the restaurant next door – as it was in this verybuilding the Shays’ Rebellion began.
This storied revolt of local western Massachusetts farmers against creditorsand the Bostonian elite changed our history and set up George Washingtonto become President, in addition to helping form our Constitution.
Who doesn’t love to dine wherehistory such as this had its begin-nings?
That night I found the patch ofstorms that had traveled throughwas like a herald for mayhem tocome and that night’s storms vio-lently pounded the Berkshires. Iknow bikes these days can takesome water, but I wondered aboutthis night.
I got up at dawn to see if thehorses had vanished in the night.
All was good as was breakfast, made better by thesight of blue skies peeking through the quickly depart-ing front heading to Boston.
There were two last things we needed to see while upin the Berkshires.
One for O’Life’s Mysterious America and one to fin-ish what we had begun to find out about at dinner thenight before.
First we searched out one of the only monuments fora UFO Abduction in the region –maybe the nation. Surethere might be a Historic Sign for Betty and Barney Hillin New Hampshire, but this monster concrete memorial,located on the far side of the covered bridge inSheffield, is way beyond that. Even if it has been abusedas of late.
Page 32 MAY 2016 • BACKROADS
You might have noticed in this article that, when on the road, we try to coveras many articles and sections of this magazine as possible. A happy trip is whenwe find a Great All American Diner Run, a Big City Getaway, We’re outta HereAND an ice cream run for Shira.
Effective time management!UFO Monuments, abductions, probing - what else could O’Life want?With the wackiness out of the way we searched out Shays’ Monument and
found it rather easily.It is stately, if unobtrusive – still somebody cared enough to put part of the
Declaration of Independence at it base, just a few weeks before at the anniver-sary of Shay’s final stand.
While there another couple rodeby, slowing down to make sure wewere all right and then headingoff. Like-minded riders stealingdays in the middle of the winter -just like us.
We took in the marker and thenheaded back south, now following a different, but equally circuitous route southand west.
We made a bit of a side trip to visit Wing’s Castle, always impressed at howPeter and Toni Wing have created this beautiful home overlooking the DutchessCounty.
What a difference a day makes and even though it was not summer, we wouldtake the middle 50s any day.
We found lunch in Cold Spring at the Depot, watching trains rocket passedus at 110 miles per hour (always makes me smile) before heading down Route9D and back over the Bear Mountain Bridge and west across the Sterling regionand back to New Jersey.
So what did we learn on this trip? A lot! We learned of rebellions andfoundries, of alien abductions and wonderfully historic lodges. We saw a castleand lunched just feet away from speeding trains.
We learned that March will always be March and what starts off as a lambwill usually turn into a raging lion – with rabies!
We hope your weather is your weather- as my weather-guru Joe Bastardisays…it’s the only one you’ve got.
BACKROADS • MAY 2016 Page 33
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Take the Weather with YouTerry Peters T
he next curve feels eventighter than the last but I keep my
focus on the road surface ahead. There isplenty of loose gravel thrown off the shoulders
by the cars that failed to navigate the turns and rightnow it is hard to see it through my visor. The wind keeps
building strength as the elevation increases and that is not agood sign because we are a long way from the top. Our raingear
is keeping us dry but after two more sets of switchbacks it is snowflurries that are sticking to my face shield. I kept asking myself if this is
possible in July?Welcome to the Beartooth Pass.
Page 34 MAY 2016 • BACKROADS
Two days earlier we had been in Page, Arizona after having already beenon the road for eight days. I had left Vancouver, B.C. on my BMW R1200GSand the same day my brother had left Barrie, Ontario on his BMW K1200,three days later we were in Colorado. We spent a few days riding throughColorado and Utah then a visit tothe north rim of the Grand Canyon.
On a gorgeous sunny morning we rode out of Page on Highway 98. Themorning sunlight accented the striking rock formations and I stopped at aspot where I saw a dirt trail thatwent up a small rise thinking itwould make a good location fora photo of my bike. On my wayback down, the red dirt I was rid-ing on turned into sand but the
same colour, my front tire biteinto it and I felt myself losingmy balance. I thought it was nobig deal because I was going soslow so I didn’t worry about putting the bike down but as it went down onmy right side my foot got pinned between the bike and the ground. I felt abig pain but still managed to clamber out from underneath it. John came overand helped me get the bike up and with an aching foot I rode it back up tothe edge of the highway. We pulled into a rest stop down the road and I tookmy boot off and put some ice on my ankle. It was already really swollen but
I didn’t think I’d broken anything and even if I had, I was in Arizona and along way from home, time to suck it up and keep going. Little did I knowthat little crash would give me ankle problems for months.
We rode through Kaibito and south to Highway 160 where we turned westand then north on 163, the road that would take us through Monument Valley.Even after multiple trips to this iconic area of the American west I still loveriding through.
After lunch in Mexican Hat atthe San Juan Inn and Trading Post Café we rode east and turned onto 261 tothe massive Moki Dugway Mesa and the gravel road that runs from the bot-tom to the top of this magnificent rock. The road is a series of switchbacksthat wind up the cliff face. The views are incredible and we stopped numeroustimes for pictures. This was why I had bought the BMW, to have the abilityto easily transition from pavement to gravel and just keep on going.
BACKROADS • MAY 2016 Page 35
At the top the pavement returned and we carried on along the highway tothe entrance to Natural Bridges National Monument. We stopped in the view-points as we went through the park and John went for a look. I hate to missanything but limping around was not going to be a good idea.
Highway 95 was fun and we got to the junction with 191 and turned north,heading to Moab. We pulled into the Buck Horn Lodge with the setting sunilluminating the red rocks. We got the gear off the bikes and I was finallyable to lie down and get my boot off. My foot was really swollen and a largepart of it was dark purple. I iced it for an hour then showered and rode toZax for a burger and beer.
In the morning my anklewas a multi-colored mess. Iwrapped it up with the newtensor bandage and carriedon. No one ever intends forproblems to come up but shithappens and you just have todeal with it. I was still enjoy-ing being on the road withmy brother and that is whatmattered most.
It was already hot whenwe left Moab, but we expe-rienced a range of tempera-tures on the way to Price.
High winds and colder temperatures, the threat of rain as we went over Sol-dier Summit, then more wind blew the clouds away as we reached Provo.
Riding through town we found ourselves on the July 4th parade route. Theearly spectators watched as these two Canadians on motorcycles rode past.We went through Park City, site of the 2002 Winter Olympics, then got ontoI-80 to Evanston and the turnoff for Highway 89 north through Cokeville.We made pretty good time and just outside Afton I pulled over and suggestedwe trade bikes for a bit. I wanted John to try out the GS, so off we went. Nor-mally trading bikes only lasts for a short distance, just for the change of pace.This time I think John was really enjoying the GS because we rode like that
for over an hour. Meanwhile I’m leaning forward onthe K1200 thinking I liked the riding position on mybike much more. John’s bike definitely felt faster butI gladly gave that up for the comfort of my ride.
We got gas at Alpine Junction and checked into the3 Rivers Motel. My foot was really throbbing and Ispent an hour icing it and keeping it elevated. Ithought it probably looked worse than it was, at leastthat was my premise and I was going to stick with ituntil I got home and had it x-rayed. The day endedwith fireworks that we watched from the motel park-ing lot, drinking beer and talking to the two guys stay-ing at the same motel.
July 5th started with breakfast in the Yankee Doo-dle Café. I love stopping in the small diners, enjoyingthe personality of local spots. This one was filled withall kinds of knick-knacks, posters, photographs ofAmerican flags, soldiers and other patriotic themes.
Page 36 MAY 2016 • BACKROADS
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The scenic Highway 89 to Jackson was great but as we neared the town we were faced with a lot moretraffic than we’d been used to. We stopped at the park in the center of town then left to carry on toGrand Tetons and Yellowstone National Park. $20 got us passes for both parks and we slowly cruisedthrough. Once in the park it is best just to relax and accept the flow of the traffic. We stopped for pho-tographs at the sulfur springs, when we saw a herd of buffalo and such. The ride out was cooler and theclouds held the threat of rain.
By Cooke City it was raining and we decided to get something to eat. The Beartooth Pass was in frontof us. I knew this was a great ride, having been over it a couple of times before so I really wanted Johnto experience it. After lunch we were back outside putting on our raingear.
It was raining pretty hard at this point but we had decided to ride the pass because it was just too early
to stop for the day. The ride was fine and the rain easedup when we started our ascent. This is such a great bitof riding I was disappointed for John that he was goingto see it in bad weather, but sometimes you just have toride through it and plan to come back another time. Westopped for a couple of pictures but the clouds werepressing down pretty low so the views weren’t great.
Climbing towards the summit the temperature con-tinued to drop and then when we were near the Top ofthe World store, the rain turned to snow. I couldn’t be-lieve I was wiping snow off my visor. I kept thinking,this is July, how can it be snowing! At this point all youcan do is laugh and carry on. We certainly stopped totake a few photos and some video. Even in summerthere is still snow on the ground near the summit buttoday it was falling from the sky and we were both verycautious in the corners. The wind was blowing the snowsideways across the road and the ride became an ex-treme test of concentration. We were finally on the de-scent and we rode back into the rain as we got lower.
On the other side of the pass is the town of Red Lodgeand we ended going right through to the other side ofthe town before we found a vacancy and checked intothe Alpine motel. This was our last night together forthis trip.
BACKROADS • MAY 2016 Page 37
In the morning the sun was back out and it wasn’t too far before our routes were goingto take us different directions and just outside of Boyd we pulled over to say our goodbyes.Always a sad moment because we both know it will be a long time before we would bedoing this together again. At the same time I feel so lucky to have this connection withmy brother. It began in 1970 when I got my first motorcycle and we rode across Canadaand now 40 years later we can still enjoy getting out on the road together.
John was heading to Billings and connecting with the interstate system which he wouldlargely take all the way back to Ontario, then up to his home in Barrie. I waved goodbyeand turned onto a gravel road that would take me north and connect to a section of I-90over to Big Timber.
The skies turned ominous and I pulled on my raingear in preparation and also for theadded warmth. My route was north but the choices of which highways to take were nowbeing determined by where the weather looked better. I took Highway 191 north then atMoore got onto Highway 200 to Great Falls. The riding was good and the weather gradu-ally improved. Once past Grand Falls I was on to a great road that I’ve ridden a numberof times before. Highway 89 runs alongside the Rocky Mountains and the section fromDupuyer up to the entrance to Glacier Park is spectacular.
It had warmed up and I looked forward to the next section of the road but the weather still had another card to play, and as I entered a wonderful section ofcurves the rain blasted out of the sky catching me without my raingear on. I opted to ride through it and for that decision I was given a slap to the helmet whenthe heavy rain turned to hail for a period. Finally I was past it and the sun came back. My goal now was to get over the border and back into Canada.
I was ahead of the bad weather and near a small town called Browning. I slowed down when I saw some people on horseback by the highway. It turned outthat they were going to drive a huge herd of horses through the town up ahead and into the fairgrounds where a big Pow Wow was happening. I pulled over towatch them and it was an incredible sight to see a hundred or so horses galloping beside the highway. As I followed the procession into the town there werepeople lining the road all the way to the fairground. Once again I had managed to become a part of a parade and it was an amazing end to the day. It was one ofthose incredible lucky moments. If I had come along that highway 15 minutes later I would have missed it. Sometimes the timing just works.
I crossed back into Canada without incident and rodeall the way up Highway 6 to Pincher Creek where I gota motel for the night.
In the morning I rode through the Crowsnest pass andentered British Columbia feeling the first sense of beinghome. I still had a province to ride across but it was myprovince. Highway 3 is a gorgeous route and a big re-minder of what a beautiful place this is. There was notraffic and I settled into a comfortable cruising speed.The BMW had performed flawlessly the entire trip andI was really impressed by all aspects of the bike.
By late afternoon I was in Osooyoos and it was hot.This was where I’d crossed into the States 12 days ear-lier but it felt longer ago than that. I kept on going, stop-ping when I needed a break. I had a fast ride throughManning Park and after getting gas in Hope I hookedup with some fast cars on the Trans-Canada. NormallyI’m pretty cautious on this stretch of road, on the look-out for police cars and radar, but with these guys leadingthe way I had probably my fastest ride ever from Hopeto Vancouver. At 9:00 PM I rode into my North Vancou-ver driveway and was warmly greeted by my wife andour dogs. Glad to be home, sad the road trip was over.
SAN JUAN INN • US 163 SCENIC, MEXICAN HAT, UT800-447-2022 • WWW.SANJUANINN.NET
BIG HORN LODGE • 550 S MAIN ST, MOAB, UT435-259-6171 • WWW.MOABBIGHORN.COM
ZAX RESTAURANT • 96 S MAIN ST, MOAB, UT435-259-6555 • WWW.ZAXMOAB.COM
3 RIVERS MOTEL • 60 US 89, ALPINE, WY307-654-7551 • WWW.3RIVERSMOTEL.COM
YANKEE DOODLE’S CAFÉ • 20 US 89, ALPINE, WY307-654-7507 • WWW.YANKEEDOODLESCAFE.COM
Page 38 MAY 2016 • BACKROADS
Bennington Triumph Bash 2015 – Saying Goodbye is Harder Than it Seems
Dan Bisbee
Saying goodbye is harder than it seems. Just ask Robin. It was 2008 whenshe left our small Vermont riding group to start a new life in Alabama. Towish Robin and her new husband, Paul, a fond farewell, a party was neces-sary. Since Robin lived in Bennington and rode a Bonneville, the BenningtonBonnie Bash was born. At the end of the goodbye party, we all agreed thatwe should do it again next year. So, the farewell party has turned into an an-nual event. Most years Robin and Paul make the trip from Alabama back toVermont for the Bash. Some years they ride, this year they drove.
Word has spread about Robin’s Farewell party; the grassroots rally hasmorphed into the Bennington Triumph Bash. It has something for everyone.You don’t even need to ride a Triumph. A good-sized group camps at theGreenwood campground, and another group usually sells out the ParadiseInn. Despite being 10 miles apart, both the campground and the Paradisemanage to serve as Rally Central. There’s a barbecue ride Friday afternoonand a dinner Saturday night. Saturday is semi-organized with several guidedrides available. You can participate in any, all, or none of the events.
Thursday is the unofficial kick-off day. I got off to one of my typical latestarts, arriving at the Paradise Inn around 6:30. Introductions in the parkinglot were informal: “Where’re you from?” “What’cha ridin’?” “Want a drink?”and so began a weekend of new friendships. A couple of my newfoundfriends were discussing dinner plans, and I tagged along to the MadisonBrewery for a fine dinner and even finer Vermont microbrews.
Friday morning I headed outon a solo ride into New York.Rolling through the countrysideon Route 22, I enjoyed the fineroads, light traffic and perfectweather. Late morning inGranville I soaked in some localhistory at the Slate Valley Mu-seum, spending an hour or solearning about slate quarrying in
the region. A century and a halfago, it was back breaking workand a great video and many dis-plays took me through the his-tory and the advances intechnology that allow the quar-ries to remain competitive today.That afternoon I began seeingslate roofs everywhere.
Later I dined on a fine lunchof iced tea and an ice-creamsandwich before arriving back inBennington for the official kick-off. Here, a large, somewhat dis-organized contingent headed 45miles across Vermont on Route9 for a barbecue. After a post-card-perfect stop at the Summitof Hogback Mountain, we con-tinued on to the Top of the Hill
BACKROADS • MAY 2016 Page 39
Bennington Triumph Bash 2015 – Saying Goodbye is Harder Than it Seems
Member
www.grayghostinn.com
Hot breakfast, cooked to order.
BYOB bar, firepit, pool, hot tub,game room and WiFi.
Free Maps and Suggested Rides.
Group Special Packages.
On-site Group Dinners available.
5 restaurants/bars within walking distance
Book for Summer 2016 Now
290 Route 100, West Dover, VT800-745-3615
Motorcyclist-Friendly Destination LodgingLocated on Scenic
Route 100in Southern Vermont
Grill in Brattleboro for a great buffet. I don’t think anyone left hungry, andafterwards, folks headed back at their leisure. Later at the motel we finishedup the day with microbrews, stories, and stogies and a similar scene unfoldedat the campground.
Saturday morning, we all met at Hemmings Motor News directly acrossfrom the Paradise Inn. The rally web site had a dozen or so routes plottedout. There were several guided rides available. A big group headed out for
the Adirondacks, some opted for the Vermont gaps while a few Tigers andScramblers gathered for a “Dirty Ride.” I had eight bikes join me for theMid-Vermont ride.
Our group headed up Route 100, avoiding 10 miles of construction by tak-ing the back road past Stratton Mountain ski area. At our gas stop, a few rid-ers broke off and headed back. The rest of us continued on our way to theKing Arthur Flour café in Norwich for lunch and then to Windsor, where we
crossed to New Hampshire on the 460-foot long Cor-nish-Windsor covered bridge. Here, we hit a briefshower, but after that, we made it back nearly to Ben-nington before riding into a second, longer shower.
The 75 seats available for the Saturday night dinnersold out well in advance of the rally, and the folks at Mt.Anthony Country Club put on a great buffet for us.After dinner, door prizes were awarded, but the realwinner of the night was the Wounded Warrior Projectwho received $400.00 from the 50/50 drawing.
Back at the motel we watched a lightning show off tothe north before retreating to an umbrella table by thepool as the shower headed our way. Sunday morning Iawoke to the sound of a bike starting outside my roomand decided that it was a pretty good alarm clock. Ilooked out the window to see a tail light disappear intothe rain. Yes, the rain that had been predicted all week-end held off until the final day. As I headed out, a groupwas returning from breakfast. They waved and, ratherthan say goodbye they called out “See you next year.”
I’ve already marked my calendar for June 2-5, 2016
Bennington Triumph Bash:www.armchaircommando.org/bennington/
BenningtonTriumphBash/Home.html
Greenwood Campground: http://campvermont.com/greenwood/
Paradise Inn: http://www.vermontparadiseinn.com/
Madison Brewery: http://madisonbrewingco.com/
Top of the Hill Grill: www.topofthehillgrill.com/
Hemmings Motor News: www.hemmings.com/
Mt. Anthony Country Club: www.mtanthonycc.com/
Slate Valley Museum: www.slatevalleymuseum.org/
Wounded Warrior Project:www.woundedwarriorproject.org/
Page 40 MAY 2016 • BACKROADS
Dressed in your Klim riding suit, mounted onyour brand new BMW GS 1200, complete withcrash guards and high adventure tour-package,you sit idling at the end of your driveway. Left orright? Which way to adventure?
Planning a route for your new adventure bikecan be as challenging as riding it once you’ve got-ten there. Ideally, your riding buddies will haveplenty of knowledge to share with you and youcan just follow along. But, that only works solong: eventually you need to find your own way.
For dual-sport and adventure riders in Vermont,your primary tools are Google Maps, Garmin’s Basecamp software and tra-ditional maps. Using these tools – and some advice from the AdvRider forum– you can map rides that fit your skill and your bike.
GETTING THE BIG PICTUREStart your mapping by getting the big picture. Use a combination of Google
Maps and traditional paper maps to plot a general route. Google Maps isgreat for plotting a direct course from point to point on paved roads. Themileage and time estimate can give you an approximation of riding time toget from the city to the riding zone.
Until Google adds a “good motorcycle road” checkbox, the route plottedwill simply get you from origin to destination. You’ll get fast and paved, butnot necessarily interesting and uncrowded. Use the “Avoid highways” optionto skip Interstate highways and stay on secondary roads.
There are some tricks you can use to finesse Google Maps into plottingthe course you prefer, but you’ll need additional information before employ-ing these.
THE VERMONT ROAD CLASSIFICATION SYSTEMWhen evaluating a route, Vermont has a road classification system that can
help. Class 1 roads are highways and state roads that receive the highestamount of traffic and maintenance. They are also boring, straight roads thatyou’ll want to avoid, except when trying to make time.
Class 2 roads are well-traveled roads that lead toClass 1 roads. These are usually paved and can befun on your cruiser or touring bike, but are not ourfocus here.
GPS and online mapping tools, like GoogleMaps, default to using Class 1 and 2 roads whenpossible. For dual-sport riders your goal is to findroads in the next two classifications.
Class 3 roads are town roads and can be paved,but are frequently gravel or dirt. They are usuallypassable by standard passenger cars and can begreat fun, scenic and well suited to larger dual-sport
motorcycles. When you can, use Class 3 roads as your primary “travelers”for getting from Class 2 roads to Class 4 roads.
Class 4 roads are public right-of-ways that are not maintained by anyone.Their condition can vary from easily passable to a goat path and are the holygrail of adventure riding in Vermont. The tricky bit is finding Class 4 roadsthat are both challenging and passable.
Google Maps makes no distinction between Class 3 and Class 4 roads. Ihave found numerous cases where abandon Class 4 roads are shown onGoogle Maps, so always use additional sources to verify roads found onGoogle.
I use the Jimapco county maps series or the DeLorme Vermont Atlas &Gazetteer to verify roads found on Google Maps. Unlike Google Maps,which make no distinction between a well-used, town-maintained Class 3road and an ancient cart path, these maps differentiate between paved andgravel. If the road exists on Google maps, but not on the Jimapco map, itmay be too rough for a larger dual-sport.
The Gazetteer and Jimapco’s county maps include most of the passableClass 4 roads – but not all. If you find a road in Google Maps, but not onthese maps, it may be obsolete. Before committing to ride there, you need toinvestigate further. Next Page
BACKROADS • MAY 2016 Page 41
Planning Your Dual Sport Rides in Vermont
VTRANS MAPSVTrans – the Vermont Department of Transportation – has online maps
that include every public roadway in the state. These maps are the definitivesource for determining whether a road is public.
The maps are divided by town, which makes them difficult to use for gen-eral route planning. Use the Jimapco road atlas or county maps to determinethe town a road is located in and then use the VTrans maps to evaluate thecondition.
The VTrans maps classify roads as hard surface or paved, gravel, soil orgraded and drained earth, and unimproved or primitive. They also indicatewhether a road is Class 3 or Class 4. Knowing the road surface and whetherit is maintained is vital in determining whether it is passable.
The VTrans maps also show legal right-of-ways that are “impassable oruntraveled”, legal trails and discontinued. These last 3 road classificationsare dicey at best and in most cases should be avoided.
Impassable or untraveled roads are Class 4 roads that have decayed suffi-ciently to be downgraded to “impassable”. These roads can be fun or a holyhell of a slog: local knowledge is needed to determine whether they are pass-able. Recent weather can greatly affect your ability to ride these roads, whichare not maintained and can be significant mud pits.
Roads designated as legal trails may or may not allow motorized vehicletraffic. Local ordinances cover these roads and you should check with thelocal selectboard to determine whether these roads are legal for motorcycles.Unless you know a legal trail allows motorcycles, assume it doesn’t. In manycases, riding illegally on a designated trail could be cause for a fine.
Discontinued roads have been given up by the town and are no longer pub-lic rights-of-way. Do not go there.
Note: these maps will help determine if a road is passable. You are respon-sible for determining if the road is passable by you, on your bike, in the road’scurrent condition. No map will tell you this: maps will only assist you inmaking this determination.
GARMIN BASECAMPA GPS is an essential tool for any off-road rider. Motorcycle specific mod-
els are easy to read while underway, glove-friendly and have Bluetooth earpieces to hear turn-by-turn directions, but many do not have topographical
information and may not show Class 4 roads.A GPS does not need to be a motorcycle specific model to be useful. Many
dual-sport riders prefer hand-held units like Garmin’s Oregon 450 and Mon-tana 650 for their versatility and lower cost.
Garmin’s City Navigator North America map series includes many Class4 roads and is included with their motorcycle specific models. City Navigatoris similar to Jimapco’s county maps in detail and can provide another datapoint when evaluating a road.
Garmin’s Topo US 24K Northeast series of maps are essential for evalu-ating terrain. These detailed topographical maps can be used to determine ifa road is steep or runs through a marsh. Topographical features can also beused in navigating, since road signs will be rare once you’re off the beatenpath.
Use Garmin’s Basecamp to create a route that combines paved roads andClass 4 roads. The route can be loaded into your GPS and used for navigatingwhile riding. I always supplement my GPS directions with hand-written di-rections and I carry paper maps for getting the big picture.
Next StepsAfter plotting your route, it’s helpful to check with local sources to learn
about recent conditions. The AdvRider forum can be a good place to get thisinformation. Just beware that a rider’s bike, riding experience and point-of-view can greatly color their assessment of “good condition”. Use this infor-mation as another data point in your decision, but let your instincts guideyou.
For the most part, riding in Vermont is not life-threatening. If things gowrong, choosing an overly ambitious route will, in most cases, result in nomore than a huge inconvenience. However, it is entirely possible to crashyour bike in a place that isn’t accessible via a pickup truck, so don’t be afraidto turn your bike around if things get dicey.
Bob LoCicero is a photographer and writer based in Vermont. He is the
editor of Motorcycle-Vermont. Motorcycle-Vermont is an online publication
that promotes motorcycling in Vermont and the Northeast. You can find it @
www.Motorcycle-Vermont.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Motor-
cycleVermont, Instagram @motorcyclevt and Twitter @MotorcycleVT.
Page 42 MAY 2016 • BACKROADS
The Never Ending Saga of Notso and Pepe
For those of you who have been reading Backroads for some time youknow our two sidekicks (they like to be called correspondents) Mr. NotsoHappy and Pepe T. Monkey.
On a trip back in the fall of 2015, Notso disappeared after a night of revelrywith some local women in a small seaside town in the Dominican Republic.
Soon after, Pepe disappeared as well, but the facts pointed towards his at-tempt at an armed rescue on the island nation.
Reports of his disappearance and subsequent rescue operations were, muchlike these two, sketchy at best but we will give you the story as it happenedvia various news bulletins and unsubstantiated Facebook posts.
MissinG! dateline 11/23/15 - haitian Border - lago enriquillo d.r.
It is with great sadness thatBackroads must report that staffriders Notso Happy and Pepe T.Monkey have gone missing nearthe border with Haiti, in theCaribbean. Details are sketchy atthis time, but it seems that Happyvanished near the border withHaiti and, soon after, it was dis-covered Pepe had gone missing aswell. D.R. Police believe the mon-key has gone back to find, rescueand return his friend to BackroadsCentral. Friends for life they bothfollow the edict - No puppet leftbehind!
Nothing has been heard fromthem since and both Brian andShira have returned to New Jersey
with heavy hearts. We thank you for your thoughts at this time. If anyonehas any information or has seen these little guys please contact us. TheMWAG Foundation has posted a 10,000 reward.
11/31/15 - Port-au-Prince, haiti
News of the daring rescue ofNotso Happy by Pepe and hisDelta Force has begun to spreadthroughout Monkeydom and Jef-fland. Once again, painted into apolitical corner, President Obamahas taken no action and has goneto Hawaii to play golf.
12/5/15 - somewhere in the Caribbean
Images have been gathered by US NSA,BSHT and BOLONEY sources of a re-ported coup d’État on a small island nation.Highly trained simian mercenaries going bythe name MWAG have installed a small yel-low puppet and monkey as supreme leaders.Their first move was to disband the freepress and to install a form of “yellow jour-nalism” and to declare a month-long na-tional holiday.
12/31/15 - uss Growler (ssG-577)
The US Navy has reported that one of its subs has rescued two sidekicks,who claim they are correspondents, off a floating surfboard 700 miles intoopen sea. The two, who were a bit drunk and disheveled, claim they did notdo anything and were the victims here.
The Navy had not asked them anything at the time, and were a bit confusedwith the two’s comments. They have been brought to Key West as they wereable to prove their American citizenship, and then immediately disappeareddown a chaotic Duval Street. cont’d on Page 45
BACKROADS • MAY 2016 Page 43
Call the Law Office of Paul G. Gargiulofor a free consult and evaluation of your case.
(914) 421-0905www.whiteplainsaccidentlawyer.com
If you’ve been involvedin a motorcycle accident,get the knowledgeable,sympathetic and forcefullegal representationyou are entitled to.
No fee unless a recovery is made.Testimonials available.
The One to Call in New York State
199 Main St. • Ste. 901 •White Plains, NY 10601
Be represented by
someone who has
been riding for over
25 years.
NEW YORKMOTORCYCLEACCIDENTVICTIMSThe Law Office ofPaul G. Gargiulo
The Never Ending Saga of Notso and Pepe
Page 44 MAY 2016 • BACKROADS
Thurs, Sept. 22 • Saratoga Downtowner413 Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY
518-584-6160 • www.saratogadowntowner.comRooms: $99 - $139 plus tax incl. breakfast
Cutoff reservation date: July 5Ask for Backroads when making reservation
Fri/Sat, Sept. 23-25 • Eagle Mountain House179 Carter Notch Rd, Jackson, NH603-383-9111 • www.eaglemt.com
Room and breakfast only: $170/single • $188/doubleSaturday night: Room, breakfast, dinner
$215/single • $275/double
Cutoff reservation date: August 9Ask for Backroads when making reservationReserve Saturday night dinner when booking
Sun, Sept. 25 • West Dover, VTKitzhof Inn
802-464-8310 • www.kitzhof.com
Gray Ghost Inn800-745-3615 • www.grayghostinn.com
FALL FIESTA 2016SEPT. 22-26
And…They’re Off!
Another riding season has arrived and, with it, another Backroads Rally. This
Fall we’ll be headed north to enjoy the colors and the mountain riding, staying
in and out of towns. We’ll have a group dinner Saturday at the Eagle Mountain
House, so make your reservations early as rooms, and seating, are limited.
Thursday, June 9th
Lake George, NY$20 donation per person
Meet: 10am • KSU 10:30 sharp
Sun Castle Resort/Inn at Erlowest
3178 Lake Shore Dr - Route 9N
Upper Lot - 1.5 miles north of village
RSVP • Due to the limited group size we ask
that you let us know you’re attending
email: [email protected]
This will be an all-day event, returning
back toward Lake George mid-afternoon
So this is not a motorcycle product,per se, but one that we thought workedfairly well for us.
We usually have the key for the bike, right? But, what to do with the rest of yourkeys when you are riding or on tour? We usually just stuff the fob with its array ofkeys into a pocket of our suit or into the side of the tank bag. It worked but sometimeswe are well aware we had all these keys along for the ride.
We have often wished for a sleeker and easier handling solution. We might havefound one – the Key Smart.
Both slim and light, the Key Smart is made from aluminum and uses milled stainless steel hardware to keep itselftogether.
The Key Smart has slimmed down our keys issue into a neat and slender package that slides easily into a jacket pocket,taking up a fraction of the space the old fob and keys did. You can also attach your car key fob to it or even a USB memory
stick. The Key Smart is slick, stylish and very rider friendly. It is available in a number of colors and cost just $20.98 from www.getkeysmart.com
We think we all know how motorcycle engines work. Tiny controlled explosions. Fire.But, what if the controlled burn stopped and you found yourself way off the beaten track with the re-
alization that you might need to start a fire for a bit of warmth, safety or conspicuity. If you are not asmoker you might be in trouble. Do you keep a lighter or matches on your bike? In truth, I don’t, although
I should. Now I have better.The folks at Aerostich, living in Minnesota, know a bit about creating fire and sell the Firesteel Scout.I spotted this very cool tool in their full and definitive catalog. Their description says it all, as they tell you to channelyour inner caveman. Use small spark, make big fire, ugh…
Scrape a knife or the includedstriker down the length of theFireSteel rod to release a massiveshower of 5400°F sparks. No worries
about damp matches or a lighter run-ning out of fluid. If you can’t start a fire with this tool…well, then you
probably shouldn’t be playing with fire anyway. The timeless back-to-basics firestarting tool works even when the conditions are wet and cold to ignite a stove,paper, dry grass or any dry tinder. Twenty years from now it will still work per-fectly.
The Firesteel Scout sells for just $15 and can be attached to your tank bag oreven makes a cool zipper pull.
Log onto www.aerostich.com to order yours.
444 State Route 23, Pompton Plains, NJ
973-839-1117 • www.pomptonsportcenter.com
BACKROADS • MAY 2016 Page 45
SOME HANDY TOOLS
FOR WORLD TRAVELERS
4/3/16 - Backroads Central - Baseball’s opening day
Nearly three months after the disappearance of Notso and Pepe thetwo have returned to northwest New Jersey, in a Fed-Ex delivery, refus-ing to comment on where they were and what exactly took place.
Although they have been reinstated as sidekicks (okay, call them cor-respondents) they have retreated to an easy life of leisure and perusingthe arts. Who knows where they will go next…
FIRESTEEL SCOUT • FIRE GOOD!
KEY SMART
It’s good to our local shops stepped up to the plate – here are two of them, and excellent jobs from both.
HARLEY-DAVIDSON OF NASSAU COUNTY SHOWS OFF ITS CUSTOMCustomization and Harley-Davidson have been an association for decades. To find a stock Harley these
days (even without minor trinket alterations) is something of a rarity; Harley-Davidson knows this all toowell, just look at the size of their accessory catalog. The infamous Willie G used to attend rallies throughoutthe country to check out the bikes parked in the lots just to see what folks were doing to customize theirbikes. His wandering investigations lead to inspirations that spawn factory customs.
Throughout the years we have seen several trends of customizations from stretched out low sweepers tothe rebirth of choppers then a duration of the darkside models and more recently bobbers and café racers;so what’s next? Well it seems that the Motor Company is going back (somewhat) to the roots of the street,by having a challenge for dealers to submit their custom model of what they can do to its longest livingname badge – the Sportster. In 2015 H-D had the contest with the new Street Model, which had some greatentries. So why not do the same here and step it up a model and see what comes “out of the streets”.
The contest is fairly simple; use a Sportster XL883N, XL 1200V, XL1200X 0r XL1200T as the start ofinspiration, put together a concept, then design and build; finally submit your entry for a regional completion
Page 46 MAY 2016 • BACKROADS
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an
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247 W. Westfield Ave, Rosell Park, NJ
908-245-2445
• Parts & Accessories
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HARLEY-DAVIDSON CUSTOM KINGS COMPETITION - SWEET SIxTEEN
that is followed by the selected entries to be voted on by the public to seewho competes for the top spot. The key is to make your design unique andsomething that sparks interest.
I was invited to check out the revealing of the bike that Harley-Davidsonof Nassau County (Long Island, NY) worked diligently on for their entry.The folks at the dealership were touting it as the bike everyone will be talkingabout; when it comes to custom Harleys that could be a high expectation tomeet. I will say that they certainly lived up to the challenge once they ex-posed the bike to all. My first reaction was, this is cool – I want one. Now Iknow that a dual sport Harley certainly wouldn’t bring in masses of the loyalto line up and buy one, but folks that are into the world of dual sports woulddefinitely be giving it a serious look over. Just by checking out the pictures,you can easily see they went a whole new direction with their entry bike withtons of details and it even looks better in person. By the time you read this,voting will already be in play, but you should be able to check out the com-pletion as it plays out by heading to Custom Kings page on the Harley-David-son website. I’ll leave off with best of luck to all the entries, but I know whatbike I will be voting for – sure would like to this one go into fabrication.
~ Don Gomo
Woodstock Harley-Davidson Finishes in the Top 16Woodstock Harley-
Davidson announces itsTop 16 status in theHarley-Davidson MotorCompany’s National Cus-tom Kings Competition.All dealerships in theUnited States were invitedto participate in this Na-tional Competition. Pa-rameters were set and thebike to be transformedwas chosen. Woodstock
Harley-Davidson built a one-off bike they named The Iron 883 All Road. Harley-Davidson executives had the task of taking all entries into consid-
eration and choosing the Top 64 for the final rounds of voting, which wouldbe done by the general public. cont’d on Page 49
BACKROADS • MAY 2016 Page 47
route 20, Bouckville, nY • 315-893-1810 • www.yeoldelandmark.com
Ye olde landmark tavern
5 Spacious Roomsstarting at $100.00
Tavern andDining Room Menu
Serving Hours:Mon-Sat: 5-9pm
Sunday: 2:30-8pm
Seasonal April ~ December
Member of Featured in ‘We’re Outta Here’In the heart of great riding • Between Syracuse and Utica
Cooperstown • Finger Lakes • State Forests
Page 48 MAY 2016 • BACKROADS
Riverside Cafe & Lodge • 16624 Cty Hwy 17 • Roscoe, NY • 607-498-5305
www.riversidecafeandlodge.com • GPS: 41°58’09”N • 75°01’32.6”W
Riverside Cafe & Lodge, nestled on the Beaverskill River in Roscoe, NYCIA-trained chef • Motel rooms and cabins • Free wi-fiExcellent base location to explore the lower Catskills
The Boat House RestaurantPerfect in Any Season
Brunch, Lunch or Dinner on Swartswood Lake
1040 Cty Rd 521 • Swartswood NJ973-300-0016
Tues-Sun 11A-9PBrunch 10A-2P
Closed Monday
Call forSeasonal Hours
Excellent Ride Destination
Woodstock Harley-Davidson made the first cut starting at Top 64; was thenvoted through the top 32 and finished in the Top 16 of all entries. Quite anaccomplishment for a dealer of this size and the time constraints the teamwas under, as they were also building the 75th Anniversary Daytona BikeWeek Bike, for American Iron Magazine, which was raffled off.
Congratulations to the team for such an outstanding job and achievementin the world of Custom Motorcycles and the talents of Greg Platkin, DennisMc Loughlin, Glen Helsey and the team at Woodstock Harley-Davidson. Youcan view the bike and trophy, at the dealership, during hours of operation.This unique all road motorcycle is for sale! For complete details on all thecustomization that was done including accessories, please see any WoodstockSales Associate.
BACKROADS • MAY 2016 Page 49
Hudson Valley’s
Number One Riding
Barbeque Restaurant
Located on Picturesque Route 9W
minutes from Perkins Drive
and Harriman State Park
just south of historic West Point
1076 Route 9W North
Fort Montgomery, NY
845-446-0912
www.barnstormerbbq.com
Celebrate any Season withsome awesome barbeque!
If you go home hungryit’s your own fault
Tues. thru Sat. 11am-10pmSunday: Breakfast 9am-Noon
Lunch and Dinner served until 9pm
Travel along the scenicbackroads of the Delaware river.
Meet the Markopoulos family and tastechef George’s Greek American cooking.
Best bar menu, lunch or dinner.Fresh poppers, perogies, calamari, clams and
crispy wings with 8 different sauces.
John, Christina, chef George and Eoanna welcome you and your friends.
The Riverton Hotel and RestaurantAt Belvidere-Riverton Free Bridge, Riverton, PA
610-498-4241 • www.rivertonhotel.com
Member of
The Riverton
START: A.C. PETERSEN DRIVE-IN113 OLD SHORE RD/RTE. 156, OLD LYME, CT
LEFT OUT OF A.C. PETERSEN ONTO ROUTE 156RIGHT ON MILE CREEK RD
BEAR LEFT ON WHIPPORWILL RD
RIGHT ON ROUTE 1LEFT ON GRASSY HILL RD
CONTINUE ON GUNGY RD
RIGHT ON DARLING RD
SALEM VALLEY FARMS ICE CREAM
20 DARLING RD, SALEM, CTBACK ON DARLING RD
LEFT ON OLD NEW LONDON RD
RIGHT ON ROUTE 85LEFT ON CHESTERFIELD RD
LEFT ON ROUTE 163RIGHT ON MEETING HOUSE LANE
RIGHT ON RAYMOND HILL RD
LEFT ON FITCH HILL RD
RIGHT ON GALLIYAN LANE
RIGHT ON ROUTE 32 ONTO HWY 2A EAST
RIGHT ON HWY 2LEFT ON HWY 164RIGHT ON HWY 165 INTO SHETUCKET TPKE
BUTTONWOOD FARM ICE CREAM
471 SHETUCKET TPKE, GRISWOLD, CTBACK ON HWY 165RIGHT ON BETHEL RD
LEFT ON ROUTE 138/VOLUNTOWN RD
LEFT ON ROUTE 12RIGHT ON ROUTE 138/NEWENT RD
CROSS ROUTE 169 ONTO RTE. 138/TOWN HOUSE RD
LEFT ON KINSMAN HILL RD
BEAR RIGHT ON KINSMAN HILL INTO INLAND RD
LEFT ON POTASH HILL RD
RIGHT ON ROUTE 97/SCOTLAND RD
LEFT ON WALDO RD I- STATION RD – JERUSALEM RD
RIGHT ON ROUTE 14LEFT ON BACK ROAD (STOP AND TAKE PICTURE)LEFT ON BEAVER HILL RD
RIGHT ON ROUTE 203/WINDHAM RD
LEFT ON BATES RD
RIGHT ON S BEDLAM RD
LEFT ON ATWOODVILLE RD
RIGHT ON RTE 89 – IMMEDIATE LEFT ON MULBERRY RD
LEFT ON CHAFFEVILLE RD
RIGHT ON BOUSA RD
RIGHT ON HANKS HILL RD
RIGHT ON FARRELL RD
LEFT ON BUNDY LANE
LEFT ON GURLEYVILLE RD
ENTER UCONN CAMPUS – RIGHT ON STORRS RD
RIGHT AT BIO SCIENCE COMPLEx
FOLLOW SIGNS FOR DAIRY BAR
UCONN DAIRY BAR
3636 HORSEBARN HILL RD/RTE. 195, STORRS, CTBACK THROUGH CAMPUS ON STORRS RD
RIGHT ON ROUTE 275/EAGLEVILLE RD
LEFT ON LAKE ST INTO CROSS ST
RIGHT ON SOUTH ST
RIGHT ON HWY 6
LEFT ON STEELES CROSSING RD
RIGHT ON BOLTON CENTER RD/RTE. 85GET ON I-384 WEST INTO I-84 WEST
ExIT 46 TO WEST BLVD
LEFT ON PROSPECT AVE
RIGHT ON BOULEVARD
LEFT ON WHITING LANE
RIGHT ON PARK RD
A.C. PETERSEN RESTAURANT
240 PARK RD, WEST HARTFORD, CT
Page 50 MAY 2016 • BACKROADS
SHIRA’S ICE CREAM RUN SUNDAE DRIVE Rip & Ride® • 110 miles
BACKROADS • MAY 2016 Page 51
There will be a group buffet dinner at the Hotel Lenhart Saturday,May 28. Cost is $22/pp (tax and tip NOT included) with a cash bar.You MUST call the Hotel Lenhart to make reservations NO LATERTHAN MAY 10 (716-386-2715) as well as notify us (973-948-4176 •[email protected])
If you are booked at the Hotel Lenhart, you may put the charge toyour room. If you are staying elsewhere, cash or check will be ac-cepted – NO CREDIT/DEBIT CARDS.
Here’s a route from Branchville, NJ to Wellsboro, PA. enjoy andwe’ll see you on May 26.
Rip & Ride® Spring Break 2016 Rally To Penn Wells Hotel62 Main St, Wellsboro, PA • 570-724-2111
This ride starts at the Victoria Diner, Route 206, Branchville, NJ(north of Branchville proper) • Approx. 210 miles
Right out of lot north Rte. 206Left at Dingmans RoadCross Delaware River on bridge $1.00 toll (cash)Straight at Rte. 739Left at Silver Lake RoadRight at Rte. 402Left at Blooming Grove Road (right past I-84)Left at Rte. 390Right at Old Green Town RoadStraight at Brink Hill RoadLeft at Rte. 507Right at Rte. 191Left at Spring Hill Road
Left at Jubilee RoadRight at Haas Pond RoadLeft at Rte. 690Right at Rte. 502Bear left at Glendale RoadLeft at Zielgler RoadRight at Langar RoadLeft at Commerce RoadRight at Suscon Road (past I-81)Bear left at Main StreetLeft at Rte. 11 (cross Susquehanna River)Right at Shoemaker StreetLeft at Church StreetLeft at Hillside Road to Shira’s Ice Cream Run!
LAND AT HILLSIDE FARMS, 65 HILLSIDE RD, SHAVERTON, PAContinue on HillsideRight at West Church RoadLeft at Rte. 309Bear right at Ferguson to Main RoadBecome Demunds RoadBear left at Rte. 292Right at Rte. 29Left at Sugar Hollow RoadLeft at Rte. 87Right at Rte. 154Right at Rte. 14Left at US 6 to WellsboroHotel on Main Street on right
SPRING BREAK 2016 UPDATE
Peter Miller
What Causes MotorCYCle Crashes? a look Behind the nuMBers
The UnlicenseD MoTorcycle riDer
This is the second in a series of articles where we look beyond the numbersregarding motorcycle crashes and their causes. Motorcyclists know that rid-ing a motorcycle is inherently dangerous. The risk can be significantly mit-igated by simply abstaining from some practices and following others. Asmentioned in my last article, a National Highway Traffic Safety Adminis-tration (NHTSA) report entitled “Countermeasures that Work, HighwaySafety Countermeasures Guide for State Highway Offices”1 identified keycausative factors for motorcycle crashes as well as ways to minimize injuriesin the event of a crash. The last article discussed riding while impaired withalcohol and its devastating impact on motorcycle crashes. This article willlook at the second significant causative factor for motorcycle crashes, unli-censed motorcycle operators.
When referring to unlicensed operation it means the person operating amotorcycle is not licensed for that activity. Having a license to drive a cardoes not entitle someone to operate a motorcycle. To legally operate a mo-torcycle in New York State, and virtually all other 49 states, you must eitherhave 1) a valid Class M license or Class M endorsement on an existing li-cense or 2) a valid Class M learners permit and be under the “general super-vision of a supervising rider”. But included in this discussion of
licensed/unlicensed motorcyclists we also have to include inexperienced rid-ers, riders who ride infrequently and riders who have “reentered” motorcy-cling after a long hiatus from riding.
Let’s look at some numbers. Nationwide, about 22% of motorcyclists in-volved in fatal crashes had no license. That’s according to the National High-way Traffic Safety Administration2. The Insurance Institute for HighwaySafety puts the number at 28% for fatal crashes. One NHTSA report fromthe mid-nineties estimated that as high as 42% of all motorcycle crashes in-volve unlicensed motorcyclists. A modification to the helmet law in Michiganin 2012 prompted several studies to be conducted regarding motorcyclesafety in that state. The Milwaukie – Wisconsin Journal reported that over a10 year period, 36% of motorcycle crashes involved riders with no license.In 2012 the average was 42%! So, what’s the problem? Why are so manymotorcyclists unlicensed? I’m not sure. Think about it though. How manyof you reading this article know riders who aren’t licensed? Are they capableriders? Do they ride often? I would guess the answer to both questions is“no”. In my experience as a Police Motor Officer, whenever I encounteredan unsupervised rider without the proper license/endorsement, I would askhim/her “you’ve had this permit for x years, why haven’t you ever taken theroad test to get your license?” Some riders actually told me they were “afraidthey couldn’t pass the test. You know officer, it’s a left circle and a right circleand figure eight, it’s hard”, Yet these riders would be on the highway, with apassenger (that’s not permitted incidentally if you only have a permit) riding
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Welcome to the Jungle - The Art of Learning to Ride SkillfullyA column dedicated to your riding survival
Page 52 MAY 2016 • BACKROADS
without the skill or confidence to pass the basic road test. But the “Counter-measures that Work” study goes a step further. It realizes that licensed ridersoften lack the experience necessary to be proficient riders. Training, both fornew and experienced riders, is considered a counter-measure that works inpreventing crashes. Think about the average rider in the United States. TheDepartment of Transportation estimates the average motorcycle is ridden1800 miles annually. Kelly Blue Book, a publication that estimates valuesfor used motor vehicles, suggests that the average mileage for sport bikes is3000 while touring models average about 5500 miles. That’s an average.Most riders begrudgingly park their bikes about 6 months of the year, somemore, because of the weather. Others may only ride their motorcycles on aweekend, perhaps one weekend a month. How proficient can they be at ridingwith so little time on the road?
The average motorcyclist in the United States today is in his early forties.Some of these riders are referred to as “re-entry riders”. That is, they rodemotorcycles years ago, perhaps in their late teens or early twenties, and thengave it up to raise families, appease a wife or husband or sell the motorcycleto buy a house. Now, years later, the kids are grown, the mortgage paid andthey want to ride again. The riding skills they possessed long ago have per-ished. Today’s motorcycles are bigger and faster. Without proper training tore-enter the sport, a rider could easily get in over his/her head. I know of nosignificant study that correlates riding experience with crashes. I do knowthat the more you ride the better you are at riding. The more training you un-dertake the sharper your skills become. From my own experience as a riderand a police officer, I know that inexperience is right up there with alcoholimpairment as a causative factor for crashes. Motorcyclists without a license,young riders who just purchased their motorcycles, older riders who were
out riding for the first time in ten, fifteen, twenty years too often are the focusof a crash investigation.
The last article about riding while impaired with alcohol suggested that ifyou made the decision to ride without consuming alcohol you could reduceyour risk of crashing considerably. You now know that as many as 42% ofcrashes involve unlicensed motorcyclists. Is it possible that motorcyclecrashes could be reduced by 42% if all motorcyclists had sufficient skills topass a road test and get licensed? Maybe. Could re-entry riders be safer onthe highway if they took refresher classes before hitting the open road? Ithink so. Can the infrequent rider improve his/her skill by simply getting outand riding more and take advanced training classes? You betcha!
1. Countermeasures that Work: A Highwayy Safety Countermeasure A Guide for State Highway
Offices Seventh Edition 2013
2. NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts 2013 Data Motorcycles DOT HS 812 035
BACKROADS • MAY 2016 Page 53
320 Front Street, Belvidere, NJ • 908-475-2274 • www.thisilldous.com
Open Daily for Breakfast and Beyond • 7am to 4pm • Sunday 7am to 1pm
Try our Full Throttle Breakfast Special every Saturday + Sunday
Worth the ride from anywhere!
NOW AVAILABLEBarbeque Catering
Flexible • AffordableReady When You Are
Sharing your passion for good food since 1983
Member of
Located at Ross’ Corners • 1 Route 15 • Augusta NJ • 973-300-2300
www.chatterboxdrivein.com
Spring is here! Take a ride and join us at
THE CHATTERBOX DRIVE-INGREAT FOOD • GOOD TIMES • EXCELLENT RIDING
‘50s-Style Drive-In RestaurantFull and Varied Menu
Room for the Whole Gang
Come Ride the Dragonwww.dealsgap.com
800.889.555017548 Tapoco Road, Robbinsville, NC 28771
Deals Gap318 Curves in 11 Miles
Deals Gap StoreMotel
Bar and Grill
EVERY MONTH - WEATHER PERMITTINGEvery Thursday • Bike Night at the Chatterbox Drive-In, Rtes. 15/206, Augusta, NJ.Tire kicking, good food and friends • www.chatterboxdrivein.com
Every Saturday May - October • Bergen County Harley Davidson Saddle Up Saturday.9am for coffee and bagels. Ride departs at 10am. Return to the dealership for FReefood and music. Proper attire MUST be worn! No shorts or sneakers. BCHD, 124 essexSt, Rochelle Park, NJ • 201-843-6930 • www.bergenharleydavidson.com
MAY 20161 • 18th Annual Metro Collectors Show, 15 Perrin Ave, Pompton Lakes, NJ • 8am-1pmrain or shine. Free parking and admission. Detail www.metropetro.weebly.com
1 • Ginnie’s House Ride Against Child Abuse. Sign in/endsite: Tramontin HD, Route 80exit 12, Hope, NJ. 10-11am • KSU 11am • $20 rider/$15 passenger and walk in. Policeescorted ride ending with live music, food, raffle, prizes and vendors
6-8 • Mountain Moxie presented by Moto Girl Cafe. The Switzerland Inn, 86 High RidgeRd, Little Switzerland, NC. Three-day event dedicated to women who love motorcyclingand the men who ride with them. Presentations by the motorcycle industry's leadingwomen, scheduled during breakfast and dinner hours so there's plenty of time to enjoythe great roads in the area. Details: www.motogirlcafemountainmoxie.com
6-8 • BUZZARD BOTTOM 9 by Poverty Riders International and Buzzard Brent, HighCountry Motorcycle Camp, Ferguson, NC, just 20 miles off the Blue Ridge Parkway.Camping fee of $12 per night with meals available by donation and volunteers. Direc-tions and map download: www.highcountrymotorcyclecamp.com. Contact Brent @ 336973-3911 or email [email protected].
14-15 • NeW SWeDeN 450. Start: Cycle Gear, 2070 Rte. 70 east, Cherry Hill, N. end:PJ Whelihans Pub, 1854 Rte 70 east, Cherry Hill, NJ. Sign in: 8:30-10am. 450 miles ofamazing roads through the Delaware Valley area, one night of camping, hearty dinnerand breakfast with 100 of your fellow riders, all for under $60. Finishing patches thisyear. Details: 450.nsbmwr.com • email: [email protected]
13-15 • Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park hosts Historic Oval Invitation for vin-tage racecars and the Thompson Vintage Motorcycle Classic featuring on-track activ-ities, massive Swap Meet Marketplace, Manufacturer’s Midway Vendor, AntiqueMotorcycle Show and much more • www.thompsonspeedway.com
15 • Ramapo Motorcycle Club Spring Fun Run. Sign in/endsite: Rhodes North Tavern,40 Orange Tpke (Rte 17) Sloatsburg, NY • 9am til mid-afternoon. To benefit HelenHayes Rehabilitation Hospital. A designated route along some of the Hudson Valley’smost interesting roads, with stops for poker/dice/scrabble or other games, with achance to win prizes, while supporting a worthy cause. ramapomc.org
19-20 • COG Spring Fling Regional Rally, Williamsport, PA. For details, registration orcontacts visit tinyurl.com/COGSpringFling2016
21 • Grand Re-Opening of Bob’s BMW Vintage Museum @ Bob’s BMW Motorcycles,10720 Guilford Rd, Jessup, MD. NOW BIGGeR THAN eVeR! Showcasing over 65 vin-tage and classic BMW motorcycles under one roof along with thousands of uniqueparts, accessories, and other collectibles dating back to 1923. Details: bobsbmw.com
20-22 •Morton’s BMW Motorcycle Spring Fling Rally. For full details check their website:www.mortonsbmw.com
21 • 5th Annual Team Amey Memorial Ride. Sign in: Tramontin HD, Route 80 exit 12,Hope, NJ • endsite: Alph Fire House, 1109 Lee Ave, Alpha, NJ. Full info call 908-283-6248
20-22 • 2nd Annual Red Knights Motorcycle Club Yankee Rally. Open to any Red Knightmembers. Bolero Resort, Wildwood, NJ. Details: www.redknightsmc.com
27-29 • CT River Valley BMW RIders’ Charter Oak Rally, Camp Nahaco, 305 CrystalPond Rd, Woodstock Valley, CT. $42 pre-reg/$52 at gate - 2 nights camping, Fri. nightchili, Sat/Sun. continental breakfast, Sat. Dinner, continuous coffee, door prizes, 50/50and more. Info: www.crvbmw.org • 860-262-0247 • 860-965-9160
29 • MeetUp & Ride with Bob’s Road Crew @ Bob’s BMW Motorcycles, 10720 GuilfordRd, Jessup, MD. exciting group ride led by Bob! Details: bobsbmw.com
29 • Dawn Patrol Motorcycle Club Memorial Day Classic. Sign in: $20/pp. Bradley Gar-dens Firehouse, 24 Old York Rd, Bridgewater, NJ 9-Noon • coffee & donuts.endsite:Dawn patrol MC Clubhouse, 106 Robert St, Bradley Gardens, NJ with home-made food, beverages, live music, door prizes, trophies and vendors. Scenic Route(lime dot + route sheet). Info: 908-722-4357 • 732-356-5838 • www.dawnpatrolmc.com
26-30 • BACKROADS SPRING BReAK. Four days of incredible riding and fun, withovernights in historic hotels in Pennsylvania and New York state. For complete infor-mation see page 14 or visit our rally page @ www.backroadsusa.com/rallies.html
JUNE 20165 • Roar to the Shore and Avery's Ride. Sign in: Westbrook elks Lodge, 142 SeasideAve, Westbrook, CT. Details: www.TeamAveryCDKL5.com or call 860-964-0716
5 • Fort Lee Bike Show. Registration starts at 11am and ends at 12:30pm Sharp! Reg-istration is free. All bikes welcome. Award Classes-Best Sportster•Best Big Twin•BestCustom•Best Dresser•Best Classic/Antique•Best Metric•Best Paint•BestChrome•Best Rat Bike•Best in Show. enjoy food, crafts, music and more! Awards at3:30pm. Full details: www.bergenharleydavidson.com • 201-843-6930
9 • Backroads Mystery Ride Lake George. Full details on page 44 or visitwww.backroadsusa.com/rallies.html
UPCOMING EVENTS CALENDAR What’s Happening UPCOMING EVENTS CALENDAR What’s Happening
Page 54 MAY 2016 • BACKROADS
7-11 • Americade Motorcycle Rally. The Best Roads. The Most Motorcycle Companies.The Most Welcoming Rally. Lake George, NY. Special Pre-Registrant events Monday,June 6. 518-798-7888 • www.americade.com
6-11 • Dirt Daze Rally for Adventure Bike enthusiasts • www.dirtdazerally.com
10-12 • AltRider Conserve the Ride Rally, Woodward, PA. 2 nights camping, 5 mealsincluding pig roast + local craft beers, presentations and seminars, prizes and an awe-some time. More info altrider.com/conserve-the-ride-2016/pid/1525
10-12 • Hudson Valley Motorcycles Ducati Demo Days. 179 North Highland Ave/Rte.9, Ossining, NY • 914-762-2722 • HVMotorcycles.com
11-19 • Laconia Motorcycle Week, Laconia, NH. America’s Original Riding Rally. Oneof the Big 3 • www.laconiamcweek.com • 603-366-2000
15 • Blue Knights NJ IX 29th Gooch’s Garlic Run to benefit three local families withchildren having catastrophic illness. Start @ 4pm: Rockaway TownSquare Mall, exit35A, Rte. 80 West/exit 35, Rte. 80 east, Rockaway, NJ. escorted ride leaves 6:30pmSHARP. $20 registration. end: Newark Ironbound section with vendors and live music.More info: www.BKNJIX.org
23-26 • Johnstown PA Thunder in the Valley • www.JohnstownThunder.com
18 • 11AM • Riding Cuba presented by Bob’s BMW Motorcycles & MotoDiscovery @Bob’s BMW Motorcycles,10720 Guilford Rd, Jessup, MD. Bob Henig, owner of Bob’sBMW, and Skip Mascarro, founder of MotoDiscovery, will be sharing exciting storiesand amazing photographs from their epic adventure, followed by Q&A. Guests will alsobe provided details for a SeCOND Cuba adventure, scheduled for November 2016!You won’t want to miss this great opportunity! Visit bobsbmw.com for event details
25-26 • 7th Annual Rock, Ribs & Ridges @ Sussex County Fairgrounds, Augusta, NJfeaturing Jefferson Starship, Kansas, Blues Traveler, Pure Prairie League and more.Barbecue fans will enjoy the juried rib cook-off • www.rocksribsandridges.com
JULY 20169-10 • 40th Annual Running of the Ramapo 500™. Sign in: Ramapo MC Clubhouse,Veterans Memorial Assoc. Bldg, 66 Lake Rd, Congers, NY • endsite: Rhodes NorthTavern, 40 Orange Tpke (Rte. 17) Sloatsburg, NY @ 7am. $45 advanced reistration/$60day of event. Two-day 500-mile gorgeous ride with free camping with pool, Sat. dinner,Sun. breakfast, awards and prizes, starter pins and finisher patches. GPS route uploadservice for add’l fee. ramapomc.org
17 • Ride for Kids UTICA. Deerfield Volunteer Fire Dept, 5476 Trenton Rd, Deerfield,NY • Registration: 8-9:30am • Kickstands Up: 10am. Details: rideforkids.org
22-24 • Cross Country Ducati Demo Truck event, 911 Middlesex Ave, Metuchen, NJ.Ducati experience Tour Three-day weekend full of Ducati demo rides with full fleet of
2016 models. Info: www.ccducati.com • 732-906-9292
25 • Sharpen your skills and build confidence at the track. The Street Skills RidingAcademy is conducting a Cornering Skills Instructional Track Day just for street ridersat the New York Safety Track in Oneonta, NY. Pre-registration required. Info: 585-802-9859 • [email protected] • streetskills.net
31 • MeetUp & Ride with Bob’s Road Crew @ Bob’s BMW Motorcycles, 10720 GuilfordRd, Jessup, MD. exciting group ride led by Bob! Details visit bobsbmw.com
AUGUST 20167 • Ride for Kids Hudson Valley. Central Valley elementary School, 45 Route 32, CentralValley, NY. Registration: 8-9:30am • Kickstands Up: 10am. Details: rideforkids.org.
7 • Ride for Kids Western PA. Seneca Valley High School, 128 Seneca School Rd, Har-mony, PA. Registration: 8:30-9:30am • Kickstands Up: 10:30am. Details: rideforkids.org.
18-21 • Touratech Rally east, Huntingdon, PA. Details: touratechrally.com.
28 • Ride for Kids New england. Bose Corporation, 100 The Mountain Rd, Framingham,MA • Registration: 8-9:30am • Kickstands Up: 10am. Details: rideforkids.org.
SEPTEMBER 20169-11 • Vermont BMW MC present the 34th Green Mountain Rally, Goshen, VT. In themidst of the Green Mountains, enjoy the best home cooking (Fri/Sat dinners, Sat/Sunbreakfasts), great Vermont self-guided tours, Gap and GS rides, live bluegrass musicFriday night, door prizes and awards ceremony Sat. night, hot showers, camping, bon-fires and an hour of New england storytelling. Details: vtbmwmov.org/rally
18 • 33rd Annual Italian Motorcycle Meet by IMOC. 10am-3pm; judging at Noon. Fea-tured Marque: Aprilia. Admission: $10/single, $15/2-up. Hamilton Rod & Gun Club, 24Hamilton Rd, Sturbridge, MA. For full details visit www.imocusa.com or call 248-470-5788 • 401-397-4253
BACKROADS • MAY 2016 Page 55
UPCOMING EVENTS CALENDAR What’s Happening
dawn Patrol
Classic
sunday, May 29, 2016sign in: Bradley Gardens firehouse • 9am - noon24 Old York Rd, Bridgewater, NJ • Coffee + donuts
end site: dawn Patrol MC Clubhouse106 Robert St, Bradley Gardens, NJ
$20 includes large variety of GreAT homemade food and drinks
Scenic Route (lime dot & route sheet), live music presented byDVR Blues Band with Whiskey, door prizes, trophies for best rep clubs
(AMA, non-AMA and chapter), lots of vendorsFor information call
laz (908) 722-4357
Mike (732) 356-5838
Clubhouse (908) 722-4664
email: [email protected]
www.dawnpatrolmc.com
follow us on facebook
Motorcycle Club
18 • Ride for Kids Philadelphia. The event Center by Cornerstone, 46 N.Sugan Rd, NewHope, PA. Registration: 8:30-9:30am • Kickstands up: 10:30am. Details: rideforkids.org
18 • MeetUp & Ride with Bob’s Road Crew @ Bob’s BMW Motorcycles, 10720 GuilfordRd, Jessup, MD. exciting group ride led by Bob! Details visit bobsbmw.com
18 • AMA District II Corn Boil Rally. Sign in 9-11am • $15 Williams HD, Lebanon, NJ.endsite: eagles, Bridgewater, NJ. Ride in Bike Show, music, trophies, vendors. Info:732-887-5612 • 908-722-0128 • www.amadistrictII.com
24 • Bob’s BMW Fall Open House Oktoberfest & Swap Meet. 10720 Guilford Rd, Jes-sup, MD. Details: bobsbmw.com
24 • Forever Friends Motorcycle Awareness 5th Annual Charity Bike Run and event,Skylands Stadium, 94 Championship Rd, Augusta, NJ. Rain date: Sept. 25th. Details:foreverfriendsmotorcycleawareness.org
22-25 • BACKROADS FALL FIeSTA Four days of incredible riding and fun. For full de-tails visit www.backroadsusa.com/rallies.html
OCTOBER 20166 • Blue Knights NJ IX 28th Annual Harvey C. Irons Make-A-Wish Ride to benefit Make-A-Wish Foundation of NJ. Start and end: Skylands Stadium, CR 565, Augusta, NJ.$20/pp, under 12 free. Sign in: 9am - Ride: 11am. Coffee and donuts at start; enter-tainment, vendors and lunch at finish • www.BKNJIX.org • [email protected]
16 • Ramapo MC Fall Foliage Tour. Sign in/endsite: Rhodes north Tavern, 40 OrangeTpke (Rte. 17) Sloatsburg, NY @ 9am-mid-afternoon. Guided/self-guided tour featuringthe best autumn pallet Mother Nature can provide along some of the Hudson Valley’smost interesting roads. Benefits Valerie Fund. ramapomc.org
24 • 9th Annual Ridgewood Fall Motorcycle Classic(Raindate Sunday, October 31st).Full details visit www.bergenharleydavidson.com or call 201-843-6930
NOVEMBER 201625 • 2nd Annual Black Friday Ride @ Bob's BMW Motorcycles, 10720 Guilford Rd, Jes-sup, MD. After a great success in 2015, Bob’s will be hosting a 2nd annual Black FridayRide! Avoid shopping pandemonium and #optoutsideon2wheels Visit bobsbmw.comfor details.
25 • MeetUp & Ride with Bob’s Road Crew @ Bob’s BMW Motorcycles, 10720 GuilfordRd, Jessup, MD. exciting group ride led by Bob! Details visit bobsbmw.com
Follow us on Facebook for up-to-the-minute information
Visit our online Calendar for more detailsbackroadsusa.com/events.html
Page 56 MAY 2016 • BACKROADS
UPCOMING EVENTS CALENDARRIDE LIKE A PRO NJ
Jerry ‘Motorman’ Palladino’s Training ClassesBeing Held in New Jersey
‘NEVER FEAR making a U-turn or dropping your 800lb. motorcycle again’
• Male-Female-Big-Small: It doesn’t matter
• You can learn the 3 simple techniques that motor cops have been using for years
• Our instructors - all active or retired motor officers - will show you how to use
the motor cop riding techniques to better control and handle your motorcycle
Check our website for available dates
www.RideLikeAProNJ.comPre-registration is recommended as classes fill quickly.Gift certificates available • Course Fee is $175.00
RISING WOLF GARAGE NYCEXCLUSIVE MOTORCYCLE PARKING FACILITY
Monthly Parking
Long & Short Term
24 Hour Access
Video Surveillance
Service Area
Personal Storage
Air Compressor
Battery Charging
We p rov ide a f r i end l y, c l ean and secu re env i r onment f o r t he mo to rcyc l e en thus i as t
By Appointment OnlyEast Village NYC
Ph: 212 475 5858 • Fx: 212 505 5205
www.risingwolfgarage.com
210 Route 10 West, East Hanover, NJ • 973-428-1735
www.HanoverPowersports.com
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1190 Adventure R
Jack-Of-All-Tradesamong
Travel Enduro Bikes
210 Route 10 West • East Hanover, NJ • 973-428-1735www.Powersports.Honda.comMon, Tue, Wed, Fri: 9am-6pm • Thur: 9am-8pmSat: 9am-5pm • SUNDAY: CLOSED
1190 ADVENTURE1290 SUPER ADVENTURE
ONLY Full Line KTM Dealer in the tri-state area
Keep the Adventure in your Travel
honda.com ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET, EYE PROTECTION AND PROTECTIVE CLOTHING. NEVER RIDE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF DRUGS OR ALCOHOL, AND NEVER USE THE STREET AS A RACETRACK. OBEY THE LAW AND READ THE OWNER’S MANUAL THOROUGHLY.For rider training information or to locate a rider training course near you, call the Motorcycle Safety Foundation at 800-446-9227. NC700X, CB500X, VFR1200X and CRF1000L Africa Twin are registered trademarsk of Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (08/15)
Take the road less travelled with any of Honda’s Adventure motorcycles
NC700X
CB500X
dealer DRESS FOR THE ADVENTURE
THE ALL-NEW 2016CRF1000L Africa Twin
THE ALL-NEW2016 VFR1200X
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www.HanoverPowersports.com
210 Route 10 West, East Hanover, NJ973-428-1735
