Monthly Archive for April, 2008

Does the Theory of Chaos apply to motorcycling?

Published
by
Sojourn Chronicles
on April 27, 2008
in Ride-Eat-Ride
. 3 Comments

Sunday mornings don’t come often enough. Once a week is not enough for a breakfast ride with friends.

Put on the gear, roll the bike out, and head out to meet up with our group of riders at the new, temporary gathering spot, the UDF on US 22/SR3 in Landen.

Gathering for a breakfast ride.

First: a WOW moment. I filled up the V-Strom before our ride–273.4 miles on 4.527 gallons. That is a whopping 60.4 mpg! Secondly, it’s a 5.8 gallon tank! That’s an easy 300 mile range! Not that I’m anal about this, but I always check mileage and always try to fill up the tank to the same spot in the filler neck to ensure mpg accuracy. But, to have this much fun at 60 mpg is almost too much to take! :)

Our fearless leader, Jerry, was out of town. That meant the rest of us had to decide on a ride leader and a destination. This is where the theory of chaos starts to kick in. As leadership starts to diminish, so does the following and the social structure.

Who should lead was a topic of discussion during the week knowing that we would be without our leader. Well, I can’t name names here because I like everybody. But, their names should not appear here in this context and the roles they played, and the teasing that took place. After we decided to ride northwest, the task went to the one who knew the roads the best. Well, that’s the way it started out before we hit detours, missed our turns and had to turn around twice.

Okay. It’s an adventure. We’re with friends. We’re riding on a nice sunny morning. And, the breakfast destination is one of our regular choices because of their good service and great food. So what, if the guy who knew the roads best got us lost! I’ll be riding with him and the others again next week. It’s about the fellowship, and conversations about our rides.

It’s like real democracy. You elect a leader. He takes you down the wrong road, and to reward him, you elect him again. As a result, gas is about to hit $4 per gallon and the economy sucks.

I’m really glad I’m getting 60 mpg on the V-Strom, and I get to ride with a great bunch of guys that tolerate each other no matter what.–DBrent

Breakfast in Germantown.
The new V-Strom has new Givi luggage.

Motorcycle Travel DVDs: a great planning tool

Published
by
Sojourn Chronicles
on April 24, 2008
in Trip Planning
. 0 Comments

A Conversation with Michael Murray, Producer

You’ve decided you’re going to ride to Alaska, Moab, or Baja or maybe ride the 5,000-mile Trans American Trail. What do you do? You start collecting maps, reading ride reports online and contacting riders who have done it before.

Now, there is a new resource to help you with your planning and maybe speed up the planning process.

Motorcycle Travel DVDsMotorcycle Travel DVDs currently offers six titles with more coming. The DVDs provide interviews with experienced riders, travel details for your destinations, and an insight that might take months to gather on your own. Not pictured in the image to the right is New Zealand, the latest title.

Professionally produced, the information on the DVDs get to the meat of the information you need to plan a ride and prepare for safety. Then, you’re pleasantly surprised when it offers more travel information about the destination, such as accommodations and restaurants.

michael-murray Producer Michael Murray talks about the DVDs, and the efforts to produce them in this latest installment of Conversations. He also talks about future travel DVD destinations and some of his other projects. Michael is the founder and CEO of Motorrad Media, located in Boulder, Colorado.

Reference Links:

And now, a Conversation with Michael Murray:

 
 Motorcycle Travel DVDs: a great planning tool [19:58m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (63)

Over the hill and through the woods on Earth Day

Published
by
Sojourn Chronicles
on April 22, 2008
in Scribblings
. 3 Comments

Hiking path to the Little Miami River There is a path nearby that runs along the edge of a ravine. It starts out near the road looking more like a gully, and within a short distance, it widens and deepens making it more than a stone’s throw across. That’s where its stream empties into the Little Miami River.

When I was a kid living on the edge of town, I would often take hikes into the woods. Exploring, I would discover cow paths, creeks and streams, and in May I would find wild morel mushrooms. Dad taught me how to find them. I found the wild blackberry patches on my own. With a bucket of fresh blackberries, mom could whip up a berry cobbler in no time. It was always delicious, especially when it was still warm and the ice cream would start to soften immediately upon making contact on the lightly browned crust, sparkling with sugar.

I was certain, in those days, that I would grow up to be a forest ranger. The closest I ever came to being a ranger was to take a walk in the woods.

 

Hiking path to the Little Miami River

Today, I still enjoy a walk in the woods. I often carry a camera to document the scenery, or to create images that might be used for an illustration.  I enjoy seeing a trio of butterflies or listening to the birds calling to each other. I love to sit on a stump or a fallen tree, quietly and motionless. In only a few minutes, the woods come alive with life.

I am going to do more hiking this year–more trails, more parks, longer hikes through the glory of the earth. I want to take more hikes for several reasons: I want to live a more healthy lifestyle. I want to appreciate the beauty of nature and find inspiration. I want to see it while it is still with us.

Earth Day is about many things, but for me, on this day, after a walk in the woods, it is about the effort to preserve our environment, our natural resources. I hope you found time to do something today for Earth Day.

DBrent

Little Miami River

Breakfast ride: the first of the season

Published
by
Sojourn Chronicles
on April 20, 2008
in Ride-Eat-Ride
. 2 Comments

It has been months since I joined with the Sunday Morning Riders to ride out for breakfast. Sure, we’ve been meeting for coffee through the winter, but our group exists because of the fellowship of the ride. Some of the group rode out two weeks ago (the first of the season) while I was in Arizona. Last week was rainy. Today’s weather was good enough for a ride and seven of us mounted for a spirited ride through the countryside to Lumberton, OH, for breakfast.

It was the first breakfast ride on the new V-Strom, and it performed admirably. I’m gathering some facts and observations for a future bike review. Let me just say, everything they say about the Suzuki V-Strom DL650 is true … and then some. I was having so much fun riding through the twists and turns that I didn’t stop to take any pictures of it on the highway. Next time.

I was able to finally get through the first full tank of gas. The bike now has 358 miles. The first full tank of gas took me 261.6 miles and I topped off with 4.574 gallons of gas. That equals 57.2 mpg! :) WOW!

Yes it’s still in “break-in” mode, which means I’m not pushing it. But, I’m not dogging it either. I’m keeping it under the 5K RPM until the 600 mile service–Suzuki’s recommendations for break-in.

A breakfast ride with friends and a great motorcycle to get there. Does it get any better? How about when the weather is really good!–DBrent

So long, farewell, auf Wiederschauen, goodbye!

Published
by
Sojourn Chronicles
on April 12, 2008
in Scribblings
. 2 Comments

Okay, it’s a little trip down the Sound of Music lane, but I think it captures the mood, of saying goodbye to a dear friend and trustworthy steed. And, hoping that it finds happiness in its new home, bringing as much joy as it did mine. The Honda Shadow VT1100 is a wonderful machine, and I will miss it.

The new owner, Russ, carefully loaded the Honda onto the trailer, and with the help of his wife, Diane, secured it properly for the five-hour voyage to Pennsylvania. I gave it one last caress, they departed, and it was gone. :(

Honda leaves for Pennsylvania. 

It is hard to describe how a machine can bring such joy to life. It is inanimate but has a soul. It must be fed and cared for, but it gives back opportunities and experiences that will be long-lasting memories.

The new motorcycle, the Suzuki V-Strom DL650 awaits its chance for rides. It’s like the feisty young colt that is nearly broken, but needs to be ridden and tamed a little more. It comes with experience. The yellow V-Strom is quickly gaining the moniker, Bumble Bee.

As the Honda departed, I swear I could see a smile on the Bee, like it was saying, “HA! The garage is all mine now. No more sharing.”

V-Strom is happy.

Maybe. Maybe not. But, the Bee doesn’t know the fond memories I have of the Honda Shadow, and all the places it carried me faithfully and worry-free.

I am expecting the same of the Bumble Bee.–DBrent

Note: The Shadow was used in the production of four feature tour stories for Road Runner magazine. The most recent conducted last August, Blast to the Past in Northern Indiana, is in the May/June 2008 issue and will be on the magazine racks very soon.