don_zielke

And we had a good ride - DODGING THE RAIN! I measured 185 miles from Groveport (where I gassed up)... did part of one of the MadMap routes... 1. Reynoldsburg to Circleville via 317 and Rt 104, 2. Circleville to London via Rt 56, 3. London to Washington Court House via Rt 38, 4. Wash C.H. to Hillsboro via Rt 41 and S.R. 6, Rt 28, Rt 771, and Rt 138, 5. Hillsboro to Chilicothe via Rt 50 6. Chilicothe to Reynoldsburg via Rt 23 (we just wanted to get home by that point) We got hammered with rain from Rt23/270 to Reynoldsburg. We were supposed to go from Hillsboro to Waverly via 124 and Rt 220, then Rt 335, C.R. 50, Rt 207, Rt 327, and back up to Rt 56. We ran out of steam. The loop from Circleville to London to Wash. C.H. was pretty boring. We should have run the opposite direction, but we would have got soaked. Did anyone else go ride at 9:00 AM?

Gang, something has come up that requires my attention tomorrow morning, so I was wondering if anyone would be interested in a delayed start ride instead - starting at 1:00 PM instead of 9:00 AM? I posted the route, so if you want to just go at the previous time that's fine too, I just can't leave until 1:00... I'll be Starbuck's at 1:00 if anyone wants to go. (Updated first page too)

Good to know... I haven't been on Big Pine for a while.

Well here's my planned route. I tried mapping this on Google Maps but got extremely frustrated and gave up. The mileage is around 150 miles, and roughly 4.5 to 6 hours depending how long the breaks are. 1. Start: Starbucks 8100 E. Broad St, Reynoldsburg, OH 43068 (Bing Maps says 8070, Google Maps says 8100... the one in front of Target next to the Chinese restaraunt) 2. East on Broad Street 3. Turn LEFT on S.R. 310. 4. Turn RIGHT on Hollow Road. 5. LEFT on York Road. 6. RIGHT on 161. 7. LEFT at Granville exit for S.R. 661 8. Follow through Granville. Turn RIGHT on to Main St, and then LEFT following signs to S.R. 661. 9. Follow 661 and turn RIGHT on Dry Creek Road. - Turn Right on 13, there's a BP gas station a mile or two down the road, good place for a quick gas/wiz/drink/smoke break. 10. Turn LEFT on S.R. 13. 11. Turn RIGHT on Snyder Road. 12. At stop sign, turn RIGHT on Donn Road. 13. At stop sign, turn LEFT on Horns Hill Road. 14. At stop sign, turn RIGHT on Loches Road. 16. At stop sign, turn RIGHT on Purity Road 17. Turn LEFT on 79 18. Turn RIGHT on Hickman Road. 19. When you get to Hanover, look for signs for S.R. 668, turn RIGHT. (Also labeled Brownsville Road) 20. Follow 668 through Somerset (optional gas/food/drink/ice cream stop first entering town) and Junction City until 668 ends at S.R. 93. 21. Turn RIGHT on S.R. 93 and follow into Logan. - Logan is another good place for another quick gas/wiz/drink/smoke break. 22. At this point you stay on the main road through Logan. When you get to S.R. 664, you can either go LEFT and down into Hocking Hills region, or turn RIGHT and go north towards home. a. South: Take 664 south. Turn LEFT on S.R. 56. This stretch is a blast but you will need to pay attention. When you get to 374 again, turn LEFT. Follow back up to 664 and turn RIGHT (North), then LEFT on Big Pine Road (this is a DO NOT MISS road!). This dumps out on 374 again, turn right and follow 374 clear to S.R. 33. Turn right on 33 and then get off at 664. Do it all again or try something new. b. North: Take 664 north. My all-time favorite stretch of road, at least until you hit Rushville - then it's all over. 664 ends at 256, which you can take back into Pickerington or take any of the roads that intersect with 256 north to 70.

Will do. I'll work on this tonight when I get home.

Cool, a few are interested. I have a route that goes from Reynoldsburg, up & over Newark, down to Logan, and back. Runs around 150 or so miles, twisties most of the way. I've run it many times, lots of scenery and lots of fun even at a "moderate" pace. Gotta have my morning coffee, so how about we meet at Starbucks for a coffee at 9:00 AM or so to review the route and kickstands up by 9:30 AM? Starbucks is located at: East Broad & Waggoner 8070 E Broad Street Reynoldsburg, Ohio 43068 Link to Map

Gang, something has come up that requires my attention tomorrow morning, so I was wondering if anyone would be interested in a delayed start ride instead - starting at 1:00 PM instead of 9:00 AM? I posted the route, so if you want to just go at the previous time that's fine too, I just can't leave until 1:00... I'll be Starbuck's at 1:00 if anyone wants to go. ******************************* I'm still on the fence. I'll be out of town for VMD, so not sure I want to be gone all day at M-O. Also not liking the way DMG runs the show. Someone's gonna get killed with that stupid pace car. Was thinking about just going for a ride Saturday morning instead. If you're not going to the races, let me know if you'd like to go.

Hey Sean - I talked to the guy that did my suspension and he's going to be at Mid-Ohio track for the track days. You can reach Ken Hall at ken@superbikeitalia.com, web site is http://superbikesuspension.com I have his phone number too if you need it.

Well it sure couldn't look any worse than it does now!!!

From what I've read, it appears that it will be more like the Tiger and not really have any true off-road capabilities like the GS does.

Yes, mine was awesome too, but much better after I added the 4-2-1 exhaust. Sorry didn't even come close to making that clear. The gear driven cam "whine" was what sold me... My "problem" with the VFR has to do with my preference for v-twins over fours, I think. It's a capable bike and a great rider can probably ride circles around my sorry butt. My first bike was a Hawk GT, and the VFR just didn't live up to my expectations as well as I thought it would. I should probably also note that I never took the time to really properly set up the suspension. I had converted the rear wheel to a 17" from a 600F2 and had a custom WP rear shock, and don't recall if I ever replaced the fork springs or not.

Strange... still opens up for me OK. Maybe try it again later?

2010 Ducati Multistrada spy pics

I had an '87 VFR700 for 6 years and while it was a nice bike, it was just that - nice. Didn't have a whole lot of character until I added a 4-2-1 exaust. I've ridden all the generations of VFR's, some of which with significant seat time - an entire day or more, not just a demo ride. I had the opportunity to spend a day on a friend's VFR800 and I must say while it was a nice bike, I was pretty underwhelmed with the handling. Not that there was anything wrong with it, the bike just doesn't feel as agile as my Monster. That's may have been just a setup issue though. Motor & tranny were great, although the vtec was a little strange when it kicked in. Power was entertaining. I much prefer the Monster ride position over the VFR. I like being more upright in the saddle. If I were in your shoes I'd see if I could ride one for a half hour or so minimum. Dealer demo rides aren't always long enough to get a feel for the bike.

Glad you guys made it back safe. I overslept or I might have joined you today. Went to Motohio to demo ride some Ducatis but we got rained out there too.