armith

Just got word that I won't have the kids that weekend.. Just me and the gf with a weekend to ourselves... discount show tickets, hotel close by, legendary stories of Buddy's... I do believe we are a go this year!!!

I loved the diversity of the bikes.. Not just the makes and models, but work done to make each their own. Must have been cool to watch a small parade of bikes rolling by but each being completely different from the other. And how about that 60s vintage Honda 300 we saw at speedway! I wish we could have snapped a picture of that..

BTW.. At this point I simply can't keep track of who is planning to make it and who cannot.. It's close enough now that a who's in list is trivial since everything is planned out. I'm doing this ride regardless.. I really hope everyone to come, if you can't, no problem I intend to do it next year.. I'm sure the bridges will still be there.

That is exactly why I intentionally set the date the week before and rain date the week after.. The festival really has turned into a money maker for the region.. Which is good for everyone.. But I don't want the risk or responsibility of moving a group of any size thru hundreds of people, cars, and bikes. That and we wouldn't have been able to see as many bridges with that cluster____ at every turn. For those who made it last year.. I'm sure you'd agree it's a lot better to do this at our pace and just enjoy the rural landscape. Yeah the weather isn't "perfect" but I think cool weather with some sunshine adds to the whole "autumn" riding experience. To each their own and no worries to those who can't make it.. If you change your mind we'll be at the Sheetz till 11am.. hopefully any possible sprinkles or cold morning dew will be gone and we'll be able to enjoy a nice dry ride.

we're still on.. leaves are in full color now so should be beautiful riding..

once again a reminder, If anyone is coming from central ohio or even canton akron area and wants a place to bed down I've got space.

It's official now... We will try for the 16th.. I will make the appropriate changes to the first post. Thank you all for your responses.. I think scenery wise this will work out better since the leaves will have changed by then. Now lets hope the weather is more cooperative.

OK.. I'm still willing to do this tomorrow.. But it is looking like there are enough people that can't make it that I am considering deferring to the Saturday Oct. 16th. Might not be any warmer but the trees should be in full color and maybe we'll luck out weather wise. So who all can make the 16th?

forecast is a little less favorable (still 30%-50% chance of showers and high in upper 50s) so if anyone is backing out not a problem just please let me know ASAP.. It takes me an hour+ to get to bula and I'll be kinda pissed if only 2 people show up to ride.. I'd rather cancel and cut my losses.

yeah its but maybe 5-6 miles away from the Windsor Mills bridge and only a few miles detour from Andover.. Can easily be a game time decision when we're at CB Pizza..

Just throwing it out here.. Assuming things are going well, weather is cooperative.. Would anyone be willing to add a few extra miles and swing thru Mesopotamia.. It's a very nice Amish community and their town square is pretty scenic.. adds a about 20 extra miles (a little more if we don't slab down 11 from andover) to the trip but can be skipped without effecting the bridge route. Just giving out options for those in for autumn scenery.

original post updated with route information.. Will tweak route if necessary after my scouting run today.

30% chance of sprinkles and high of 56.. Make sure everyone dresses accordingly for a cool ride.. I might have a couple spare glove warmer heat pack things.. And just as a courtesy in case anyone is coming up from a longer distance or doesn't want to do the whole trip there and back in one day.. We have room for guests and a garage to keep the bike(s) out of the elements.. PM me if interested.. Ashtabula is about an hour 10 from my house but it's a straight shot up 11.

The streets app wants to go that way but as I recall Benetka is not paved north of the bridge.. last year we came in from the south.. We back tracked olin since it was closed.. Weather hasn't been cooperative for me the last couple days so going to test run the route today in my car to account for any other suprises.. Thanks for the heads up!

10 Day forecast: Sunny High of 60.. 10% chance of rain.. Sounds like perfect weather for an autumn ride! fingers crossed that forecast holds as we draw near. I will probably be scouting out the route tomorrow after work.

Ok date is nearing I've made some updates to the first post.. Shooting for Oct. 2nd.. Unless there is an overwhelming response to make it Sunday we'll keep it as Saturday. I'll start monitoring the 10 day forecast when the time comes. I'm thinking Covered Bridge Pizza as a late lunch idea as it fits into the route a little bit better.. Plus I'm thinking less chance of a crowd at 2-3pm on a Saturday. Since we're leaving at 11am there's time to snack early. I still kinda want a photo op at the Lift Bridge so if the weather cooperates I'm thinking we make that the final stop.. That way we're all close to the highways for everyone to head home... If the weather doesn't cooperate we'll make Harpersfield / Mechanicsville bridge the last stop which is also near I90 for easy departure. Now I'll get a Plan B (poor weather less bridges) route together and I'll probably make a scouting run later this week.

Glad your alright! Heel up quick..

Do we want to meet at the Sheetz like last year or anyone opposed to meeting up at the bula harbor.. the lift bridge is sorta a nice photo op for getting everyone together. Now that the construction is over it's easy to get to from Rt 11. Don't matter to me either way just figured I'd throw in a little product placement for Ashtabula........tourism?? Also would we like to stop at State Rd bridge for "action" shots again? I know some people were interested and some weren't.. I thought it was kinda cool but we can skip it, especially if weather is a factor.

ok so I've got a couple routes drafted up.. We can take last years route which will be an all day run 12-13 bridges... an alternative route will be more like 7 or 8 bridges but hitting Windsor and Riverdale bridges which are way away from the bulk of the bridges.. But this gives us a couple nice stretchs of open road riding instead of stopping every 4 or 5 miles.. That will set up nice for dinner in Andover too. What's are you guys feeling? few extra miles and couple less bridges or same route as last year and trying to see as many bridges as possible? BTW for those who didn't make it last year.. Ashtabula County has 17 total covered bridges.. the plan was to visit 14 of them.. we ended up with 12 or 13 visited.. To hit all 17 bridges would be pretty much a dawn to dusk trip requiring a little dirt/gravel road travel. My route avoids the non paved stuff as much as possible.

July 24th.. The bike in front of me has his go pro facing back at us.. hehe No trailering here!!!

We did ride with the "faster" group but I can tell you the camera being low to the ground adds to the sense of speed.. I'd say the pace was "appropriate" for traffic and conditions. Can you believe thats around 10am on a saturday? I highly recommend everyone experience the dragon at least once.. Just don't be a hero.. There's no trophy or umbrella babes on the other side. That whole region has fantastic riding.. There is something for everyone's taste.

Finally got around to putting this up on Youtube.. Footage shot with GoPro HD mounted below turnsigal on fairing.. Emily was on the back.. When we were done her smile from ear to ear was priceless! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEut8WwNafA

don't have the route finalized yet.. last year was maybe around 70-80 miles.. took all day but we hit like 12 of the 17 bridges.. Plan on it being and all day thing.. and we usually do a quick stop midway in Jefferson for food/gas/pee break.. Thinking about a slight change up to put on a few more miles but maybe cut it down to 9 or 10 bridges.. Plus it was suggested we try dinner at Covered Bridge Pizza in Andover. It's been a hectic few days so I haven't put a lot of time into planning the route.

Well try to narrow down the day.. Does Saturday or Sunday work better for everyone? My goal is to iron it down to Saturday, Oct 2nd with a raindate of Oct. 16th. But if Sunday works out better for most people then we can bump it.

1. If the gas has also been sitting in the tank for a year + too, might need to drain the tank and drain the bowls and put in fresh gas. If your lucky it's just bad gas.. Might be a good idea to take a flashlight into the tank and check for rust.. Which leads to seeing if you got a clogged fuel filter. 2. make sure fuel petcock all the way open.. 3. Check the plugs.. check for spark 4.seafoam is not a starter fluid... If you flood the intake with seafoam it really won't want to start.. seafoam in the gas however will help to clean stuff.. once you get it running. The bowl screw might just be loose or could have a leaky seal (if it has seals)..