Lunch

Was at Papa and Beer, a nice mexican place where we ate outside then after we rode upto a Harley dealer to buy a T shirt.

Today's ride

Has been a good one, and at only 150 miles pretty easy. We went through
Blowing Rock park past Grandfather Mountain then took the 221 south
through some nice country before heading upto Asheville.

Wet weather clothes off

It's dry - it's 75 degrees and we are hoping to be going up to Mount Mitchell and then onto Asheville - a superb ride today so far.

Asheville

Today a short run to Asheville, as it's going to be glorious weather
tomorrow, but not so good today as you can see from this picture of our Holiday Inn in Boone.

Yesterday

It may have looked like yesterday was a total washout, but I thought I
would do a blog on some of the good moments.

1 We met a real park ranger with a wide brimmed hat.

2 Iain and I also saw a medium sized rodent which some people at the
bar said could be a woodchuck or a groundhog - I think it was a raccoon.

3 We saw loads of deer by the road too.

4 The ride down the mountains was fun and dry and we ended up in
Vesuvius a backwoods Virginia town.

5 We ate at Gerties which is a country store and an American
institution it will provide all the needs for the local community - I
stopped in a few of these on route 66. The thickest hillbilly accents
ever, but nice people.

6 After the rain on the motorway we had a great 50mile dry ride
through the North Carolina countryside where they seem to grow
mostly perfect sized and shaped Christmas trees.

7 Going over to Ruby Tuesday a lively bar restaurant where all seven
of us sat at the long bar having a drink and some very good food. But
most importantly having a great chat about the ride that day. This is Kelly who was our waitress.

Drowning

Having spent most of the day drowning in rainwater, we have now found
an agreeable bar right opposite our hotel where we are now drowning in
margheritas!

A long and winding road

There used to be a Japanese game show on TV called "Endurance" in which young Japanese men endured a series of inhumane physical challenges, such as bathing in tubs of insects or hanging upside down over a cesspit. And today was a bit like that, really!

We started full of optimisn at 8.30 am and headed up to the entrance to Skyline Drive, a 120 mile road which runs along the top of the ridge that is the Shenandoah National Park. Unfortunately, the storm which had arrived last night had decided to linger and a large cloud descended over the mountain meaning that we could hardly see the bike in front let alone the famed vistas and panoramas referred to in the guide books. For mile on mile of twisting road, our view was the tail light of Roger's bike or the odd deer (why do deer stand in the middle of the road causing danger to life and limb when there are literally millions of acres of prime woodland where they could stand and be much safer)?

We decided after 5 hours of this to descend to the Interstate and continue our journey at speed and in clear visbility. A good plan - until the heavens opened. If, like the poor hapless contestants in Endurance, you have ever had a jet wash trained on your face for 45 minutes at full power, you will know what it is like to ride at 60mph in driving rain wearing an open faced helmet. I am sure that my pores are all the better for it but it is not a pleasant experience. For mile upon mile we rode through the storm. Roger assured us that our destination was about 30 miles away. He missed off the hundred, unfortunately.

The golfers among you will know that sometimes 17 holes of dross can be forgotten after a drive, dead approach and tap in on the 18th, and motorbike rides can be similar - hours of misery can disappear as the sun comes out for the last 20 miles as you cruise to your overnight stop. Well today that didn't happen. To use the golfing analogy, we scuffed the drive just short of the ladies tee and then hacked our way through knee high rough all the way up to the green, finishing with an ugly 3 putt as the heavens opened again with a biblical vengeance as we limped, bedraggled into Boone (although to be fair the Holiday Inn Express is a step up from last night's Super 8 Motel (which can best be described as a Travelodge without the finery)).

In all we did 370 miles today which, in all honesty, was about 120 miles too many. However, we had a great meal and some great margheritas in the bar across the road. Al described today as "the worst day of his life", which was probably a bit of an overreaction, but I can see where he is coming from.

Tomorrow will be much more relaxed......

A bad day on a motorbike is better than a great day at the office

This is an old biking saying and it was tested to the limits today.
We started off on the 105 mile skyline drive which averages over 3000
ft above sea level and is supposed to be amazing. Well it was a low
cloud day and it was all we could to to see the tail light in front
let alone a view. And riding a twisty road all that way with misted
glasses is not a joke.
Still we made it and had some lunch in a redneck country store some
BBQ pork and chips.
Roger then said it was about 40 miles to our hotel in Boone NC but it
turned out to be about 200 and this leg of the journey was in
torrential rain - but these things happen and it was a great experience. We have just arrived at the hotel and it's
8.30 pm - I really need a drink.

Gay twins

A bit of history

Front Royal has been around since 1789 and was the scene of a battle
in the civil war when Stonewall Jackson beat the Unionists here in May
1862.

The weather is grey and rain is predicted but it will not spoil our day!

Deans Steak House

Be warned they do not have bars in the state of Virginia only
restaurants!

So off we went to Deans for a nice steak and chips washed down with
some yeungling beer. Whilst we were there a tornado warning came on
the tv and it started seriously thundering down. So after the meal
dressed in bin liners we made our way back to the motel for an early
night. Class.
It's 8.30 and I am ready for bed.

Tomorrow we hit the blue ridge skyway

Twins

"...there are many things that I would like to say to you, but I don't know how..."

I chose to watch Living With Lions on the plane. It's the story of the 1997 British Lions tour of South Africa (that's rugby, for those who don't know). There is a great scene where after their first tour victory the team is in a bar in Cape Town having a few beers and singing Wonderwall by Oasis. Gets the hairs up on the back of your neck (even Tim's number 2 I would imagine).

So we rock up to Eagle Rider near the airport and are on the road within 20 minutes. Ian and I are on Glides and Tim is on a Road King. It is very hot (in fact 91 degrees when we reached Front Royal at around 4.30 local time). We decided to take the scenic route avoiding the Interstate and wind our way through some fabulous scenery towards the Shenandoah river valley. After about 20 miles the heavens opened and we got caught in a short but refreshing downpour. Having taken shelter in a petrol station we set out again. Ian and I have radios on our bikes and we are tuned to the same station. As we crest a hill, a rainbow appears to our left, the mountains ahead and rolling green pastures to our right. And onto the radio comes Wonderwall. So we spent 4 minutes cruising through the Viriginia countryside singing Oasis at the top of our voices. Surreal!

Al and his homies have just arrived. Roger, from last year is with him. The two others are Paul and Brian. Paul is from where Al used to live in New Jersey and Brian is from where he now lives in Vermont (I think, or it could be the other way round - we will know by the end of this evening I am sure). Bear hugs and handshakes all round. I have sent Tim back to his room to change as he is dressed in exactly the same clothes as me.

We're off to find steak and beer. I have a feeling that we will be successful.

G'night Jim Bob....

Super 8 motel Front Royal

Well we are all here on stop 1 and are now joined by Al, Roger and two
of their friends Paul and Brian

Eaglerider

Superb and I have exactly the same bike as my one at home.

Front royal here we come

The Flight

Well halfway into the flight and it's going ok. We had two pints of
guiness before we took off and then a couple of red wines with lunch -
a not unappealing chicken pasta.
I watched "Watchmen" and have now made a playlist from a selection by
joy division 10 cc supertramp radiohead and take that.
We are three hours thirty to Dulles.
Premium economy is perfect.

Terminal 5

Well here we are at terminal 5 with two hours to kill before we fly out.
Time for a drink!

A bit of background

Ian, Tim and I have known each other since our kids were at school together.  Someone had the bright idea of getting all the dads together for a drink one Friday evening and every first Friday of the month a gathering (of varying numbers) takes place.  The First Friday Chapter has various sub groups - skiing, golf, motorsports and now motorcycling.

Ian and I did our first trip together about 6 years ago when we rode to the South of France for the European HOG Rally in St Tropez.  I was on my Ducati ST3 (pictured) and Ian was on his Centenary edition Fat Boy (now unrecognisable and in different ownership).   Since then we have ridden together on trips to Las Vegas,  Florida and New England (and Ian has ridden Route 66 and a few European rides).

Feeling left out and slightly gay, Tim (in an act of alcoholic bravado on New Year's Eve 2007) accepted a challenge to learn to ride a bike (from scratch) and to join us on our trip to New England in May 2008.  Against everyone's expectations he did it and he, Paul Martin (another FFC stalwart and a bit of a nutter) and I joined Ian in Boston (he had flown back from LA after riding Route 66) for last year's trip.  

Our riding companions were Al Bellino (a very longstanding (I am not allowed to say "old") friend and former colleague (from Bankers Trust days) of my Dad, who I have known for about 30 years - far right in the Ben & Jerry's line up) and his two pals Roger and Guy.  Together the seven of us covered around 1300 miles over four days through the spectacular scenery of Vermont, New York State, New Hampshire and Massachussetts. We had a fantastic time and vowed to return this year, a trip which is now just over a day away.  Sadly Guy can't join us as his granddaughter is unwell (we will miss you Guy) but the US team is bolstered by some more Silver Surfers, who we are very much looking forward to meeting (biogs to follow).

Preparations are done.  Tim announced this morning that he is going to have a "number 2" to avoid embarrassing "helmet hair" which we eventually worked out as being that he is going to have a short haircut.  The weather forecast is for pretty much non-stop rain, but we are just assuming that Michael Fish has got himself a job Stateside and are packing shorts, tee shirts and flip flops.

So now a long flight (no booze as we are picking up the bikes when we land - how will we cope?!) and a 60 mile ride await us before we join up with the Yanks in Front Royal on Wednesday evening.

Nearly Ready to Go

The home team this year is me, Iain Thomas and Tim Harvey, and we will be meeting a bunch of guys (up to 5 more) from New England in Front Royal Virginia when we get there including Al and Roger who we all rode with last year on our New England Tour

The route will all be sorted out for us by Al, and will roughly be as shown on the map below. 

We arrive Weds evening and will be departing on Monday night - two of the highlights will be riding the Tail of the Dragon and the Cherohala Skyway.

View Larger Map

Painting Tins

Well with all the bits off to powder now that just leaves the Tins , and I am meeting Image Design Custom on Friday to sort them out.

Here is a pic of what they will get.

Next Road Trip

The countdown has started to the next road trip, when me Iain and Tim fly off to Washington to meet Al, Roger, Paul Brian and Frank on the 3rd June.  We met Al and Roger on our last tour of New England and they are great guys, and are looking forwards to meeting their friends.

Our bikes are all booked with Eaglerider in Washington and our first stop to meet them will be in Front Royal.  From there we are riding the Blue Ridge and Smokey Mountains for 5 days - can't wait.

View Larger Map

Off to Powder Coat

Well the bike is all stripped down now and ready to go to Colour Coatings in Edenbridge for Powdercoating.  Its going to be Pigeon Blue RAL 5014 and will take about 2-3 weeks to get shot blasted and then painted.

These are the bits being coated (plus the frame which i pick up tomorrow).

Cool Bike Site

Just found this one - an outfit based in Copenhagen that makes really nice Cafe Racers called Wrenchmonkees.

I particularly love their Gorilla Bike based upon a Honda 750 superb

Road Trip

Just got back from a great road trip to the 2009 Harley Davidson Euro Rally in St Tropez.  I went down with my friend Steve Butler, who I met on the Route 66 ride last year, and just south of Rheims we hooked up with David Van Kempen, who was also from the Route 66 Tour.

It took two days to get there with an overnight stop in Beaune - i went on the Macbeth Bobber, all laden up, and with its max 60 mile range visited most service stations on the Motorway down.

There must have been about 15,000 bikes down there and the weather was great.  On Saturday we had a ride out with Chelsea and Fulham HOG, in the hills behind St Tropez.  Unfortunately Steve had a crash and broke his hand, which resulted in us shipping the bikes back to the UK.

Nonetheless a top trip and for the detailed blog go to 36FuelStops

Home

Despite my best intentions to get there and back it was not to be, and it was with some regret that we got the taxi along the cast this morning in what looked like glorious riding conditions - still its great to be home.

You can only get to grips with a bike when you really put some miles on it and we actually covered about a 1000 in all, and for a hand built bike with no modern suspension that was some going.  The most surprising thing was how comfortable the bike was, the hard saddle and springs took all the strain from the hardtail drive - the bag tied to the front leaf spring gave it some stability as well.  I only had one small problem which was the barrel that holds the ignition key came loose and I couldn't switch the bike on and off, but despite this i made it down, and on site I met a great guy Paul Lusty who had all the tools (a 9/64ths Allen key) and the time to help me sort it out.

Paul was again able to help me out on the Saturday as he has a business shipping Harley stuff around and had three huge articulated lorries (all HD branded) and was able to ship our bikes back with any hesitation at all.  So with rain predicted for Sunday and Monday (and no front mudguard) it was an easy choice to join Steve on the plane.

Anyway this is the last post  - i hope you enjoyed it, and get ready for the next one which is our tour to Virginia and Tennessee in June - can't wait. 

End of the road

Well steves bike is a mess and he can't ride home.
Following the never leave your wingman rule I have arranged to get
both our bikes shipped back to the UK for next week . This leaves
just time for one last night out and then an early flight back tomorrow.

Some big dogs at steves hotel

Unfortunately Steve fell off on the rideout - he is ok but his bike is
a bit messed up.
Not sure what we will do now but he is safe which is the main thing.

Colombieres

Halfway round one guy fell off but is ok - great ride and fantastic
svenery

Chelsea and Fulham rideout

We are here in Gassin ready for three hours of tight hairpin bends not
sure I am up for this but I will have a go.

Friday night in st tropez

Must be at least 2000 bikes along the harbourside

No win today

Because my bike does not have a Harley engine the only catergory it
could go in was radical and unfortunately it's not that radical!
Still it had huge amounts of attention and loads of photos taken so I
am very pleased. Possibly I should have cleaned it first as 800
miles of bugs and grime do not look good.

Had a late lunch in grimaud and had an entertaining half hour watching
an irate Frenchman trying to get passed some parked harleys in his
clio - it was so funny.

Tonight we are out for some drinks with the guys from C and F HOG in
St Tropez and then back for a quiet night.

Good day all round.

Bikeshow

I have entered the bike in the drive in bike show - radical section

Prime people watching position

The drink is a monaco it's beer lemonade and grenadine
It's disgusting

Drawing a crowd in St Tropez

At the rally

Full of noisy harleys

Is having a well deserved beer

By the pool in a very nice hotel in St tropez

It's bug's life here on the road

Lancon

We are just past Salon at Lancon which is near where I spent a month
on hols last year

Goodbye David

At fuelstop 19 in the cote d'azur at last - we are having some lunch
and it's time for David to go off to Arles and me and Steve head off
to St Tropez - it must be 80 out.

Scorchio

We are 300 I'm south of beaune and the weather is gorgeous a you can
see we are at fuelstop ..... Lost count must be nearly 20

Halfway there

Well we made it to Beaune to the very nice hotel le cep - I was last
here in 2005 and had a nice drinking session with Iain and Andy mostly
drinking Marc de Bourgogne the local brandy.

We met David and he rode with us here and we are going out for dinner
with him his wife and son tonight.

Bike is going well and I have done 8 fuel stops so far!

Fuelstop number 3

And it's all going well

An early start

Here I am at 5:15 am at Tunneidge Wells ready to meet Steve

No getting out of it

Just fully loaded up the bike with a full saddlebag and a big holdall strapped to the front leaf spring suspension - did a quick 10 miles and nothing fell off or grounded out so I guess it will all be OK for the next 1800 or so miles.  

I did a photo shoot for BSH back in January and told the editor I would be riding it to St Tropez, well he kindly published that in the current issue, so I have to take this bike now come what may - despite how easy it would be on the Streetglide, with its CD player, hard luggage, comfy seat and 200 mile range between fill ups.

Back Street Heroes

The Macbeth bike made the cover of BSH this month (June 2009), and with a 9 page spread inside - very positive indeed; although some dodgy quotes he embellished from me - but there you go.  At the end it features the new bikes and lays the ground for future publicity.

Ian's got a brand new bag

Dianne from Chaos Custom has made me a matching bag to go on the trip
with - it will hold all my junk and help with those sharp left hand
bends!

Not riding solo anymore.....

A mate who rode Route 66 with me (Steve Butler) is also coming along on his Rocker C which is good - haven't told him about the fuel capacity of my bike yet.  He is local to me in East Sussex.

When we get south of Rheims and enter Burgundy we are meeting another friend from the Route 66 tour, David, who has a farm near

Dijon with his wife Christelle (who also came on the tour).

David is going to ride with us to Beaune and have some dinner at Le Cep and the next day he will ride with us as far as Arles to see his family.  He will be riding a Fatboy.

The Route

View Larger Map

This is the route I will be taking, departing on the 6th May and the first stop will be at Beaune where I will be staying at Hotel le Cep the next day its a ride down to St Tropez where I will be staying at Hotel les Capucines for three nights while I attend the Harley Euro Rally and I will meet with some of the guys from Chelsea and Fulham Harley Owners Group its about 800 miles or so each way.

Art for Bike's Sake

I met a great guy the other week Andy Charman who paints watercolours of bikes - especially it seems nice Harley's.

He is going to paint the Macbeth Bobber and then hopefully the three new bikes as and when they are finished.

A King of Infinite Space

No.4 will be the first bike to be completed of the three.  Its characteristic is that it will be a lot more shiny than the other two - the grips, hand and foot controls are all Billet Aluminum and the wheel rims are polished Stainless Steel.  I am not sure about the engine finish yet - I will either leave it stock natural silver, or add the Harley Chrome kit.  In addition this bike will have wide bars for comfort and a pair of saddlebags for cruising in style.

 

The name of the bike will be "King of Infinite Space", and the base colour will be RAL 5014 .

The bike then goes to Image Design to do the detail on the sheet metal painting.

Bits and Pieces

Just ordered some more bling for the bikes in the form of these microphone style taillights and number plate brackets, from Shade Tree Fabrications in Texas.  They are hand (rough) cast in Aluminum, Brass or Red Brass - I have gone for one of each.