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Well, I can't say I did it today, but after years lovingly wrenching on my older bikes, chucking money aside for the better part of a decade, I bit the bullet on a machine I can trust to not leave me stranded, hammer my spine on bumps or be hopeless when gravel appears. I just completed installing the major farkles I wanted on this bike and so far, I love it to death. Claims it's boring are vastly wrong. Also, hey, I haven't been on this board in a long time. The last few years have been kind of...weird.

I haven't posted here in a long time. Life and all that crap. The bike needed work, etc. Then May a year ago, I had triple spinal fusion surgery in my neck. I was completely unprepared for how long it took to get back to anything more or less, "normal" Healing, out of shape, blah, blah, blah. I've taken a few rides this year, but they were short, 50 miles or less. I figured I was "feeling out" how I felt. Today, I got up and thought "f**k it", cleaned up, got the gear together, got the bike out and headed west. Cincinnati to Clifty Falls State Forest via Versailles, and back, no Interstate. 164 miles round trip. On the Vulcan 500. Bug platters on the helmet, a welt on my neck from whatever the hell flew into it at 60 MPH. Aside from being stiff here and there and despite a nice gel pad, my ass hurting, I'm in decent shape. I've been off the two wheels for way, too long. It's good to be back. Stupid question, does the rump toughen up or am I just old?

Yeah, I think we talked a couple years ago, but I fell out of riding for a while. Damn that was stupid. I'm not going to say how fast I wound up going on the ol' 500, but it was stupid/fun. Tank mounted speedos suck. Look down, OH SHIT! Sure, I wouldn't mind going for a ride. Maybe get a critique how shitty my lines are...

I didn't want to get this spendy. but I wound up with a Shoei RF-SR. It fits fantastic. Not quite the Laz-e-boy feel of the Arai, but damned good. Comfortable. Comes with the pinlock insert. The tiny vents flow air fantastically. My 85 mile ride the other day with it on was completely different than the EXO-500. No pressure points at all. Impossible to fog (I can't say that of my sun glasses!!!), MUCH quieter. DOT / ECE / Snell rated.

I think is was Iron Ridge campground. Primitive - no electricity, but there are paved roads with parking pads at each site. There's running water available and (more or less) heated showers. Each site has a picnic bench and a really awesome, heavy cast iron fire ring set into the ground. Nice hiking accessible from inside the campground. Pretty good riding in the area and a small town with a supermarket not too far away if you happen to be in need of ice and *refreshing beverages* for some reason. Certainly not the kind of *refreshing beverages* park rangers frown upon, of course...

The stars finally aligned today. "Good enough" weather, sunshine, feeling good, motorcycle that's actually running, ready and waiting in the garage. Stopped in Delhi (West side 'burb of Cincinnati) to get some quality health food - Arbys. Headed down Anderson Ferry to 50 and headed west to make a bee line to Miami Rd and Brower Rd. (By Harrison's Tomb). Brower starts slow and straight, but that's offset by the fantastic odor the power plant and asphalt companies create. After the plant, the bends pick up a bit and it turns into a proper, nice wooded road. An alternate route is to dip off of Brower up Cliff Rd. to Dugan's Gap for an amazing view of the Ohio river valley and back down to hook up with Brower, which becomes Lawrenceburg Rd. - should have taken that, but didn't. Followed Lawrenceburg Rd. across 50 where after a mile or two, the curves start picking up a little and it becomes reasonably wooded as you follow the Whitewater River. At Jamison Rd. Lawrenceburg Rd. becomes Dearborn Rd. - that's where the fun really starts. If you don't get stuck behind a Buick, it's a blast reminiscent of KY 10 or 22. Sweeping bends, tight ones, good sight lines for the most part. Has a nice variety of curves and landscape. I stopped at the Marathon on N. Dearborn in Lawrenceburg just in time to see a couple of "sporty" bikes go by as I was heading out. Couldn't tell what they were with the sun in my face, but seemed like SV650s or something of that nature. Anyway, what's a guy to do? Try to catch up! I'm sure they felt like they were loafing along and cars here and there kept their pace down, but given how rusty I am and I was on the modest Vulcan 500, it was just the right pick up in pace to get the blood flowing. I stayed a good ways behind them until they turned off somewhere around Rt 1 (don't remember if it was before or after). I continued a couple miles New Alsace where I doubled back and opted to head home via Rt. 1 South to 50 East. The sun was getting low and the temp was dropping. In all, an 85 mile trip. I don't care if it sounds corny, but I'm just so damned happy - haven't been on a ride like that in WAY too long. Wish I could have gone further, but the early sunset and temps conspired to keep it short. And if you're the riders who were in front of me, I hope I wasn't cramping your style.

I won't bore you with details beyond saying a truckload of life got in the way. Both bikes needed considerable work and time was short. I've got my little Vulcan 500 buttoned up and running like a Timex. Went on a motorcycle camping trip to Lake Vesuvius last month and the weather has been general crap every single day since I got back. But she's running again - I have to remind myself I have a perfectly running motorcycle out in the garage just waiting. The Nighthawk gets torn down (AGAIN) this winter. Just thought I'd say hi. Doug

I had been away from riding for a while; the machine needed considerable work, which I finally completed. Found this thread because I'm looking for a helmet again. Thought I'd necro-update that I eventually got the Scorpion Exo-500. It's fairly good, but still has a bit of forehead pressure and is kind of bulky. There are several LS2s (looks like they've switched to oval), Icon and a Bell on my radar. And of course the Arai is a shining beacon of comfort and expense. Going up to I-Ron-Pony on Monday.

As a follow up, I took my shitty Pontiac Vibe on the route I would have on 2 wheels. 25 most of the way down to the Tellico Plains of TN and mostly 27 on the way back, stopping to see Cumberland falls on the way back. "Discovered" some roads that are massively entertaining. Check out TN 116. I drove part of it - holy hell!!! KY 700 between 27 and 90 going to the falls is GREAT. And KY 227 is amazing for being near SW OH. I was flogging the little hatchback for all it was worth, hard trail braking into bends, flooring it out of them and wasn't even coming close to breaking the speed limit on that thing. I also discovered a "road" that linked 116 to a northern route was essentially a logging road barely carved out of the side of Brushy Mountain. It was as close to pants staining as I've come. No place to turn around. But amazing none the less. I HAVE to do this trip on 2 wheels eventually. Trip down:http://goo.gl/maps/feh6l Trip back, not including TN116 and the Brushy Mountain detour: http://goo.gl/maps/HZHnD

More importantly, what will become of the Pirelli calendar?

Then by movie universe rules, a 200 should upshift at least 27 times

I have a Nighthawk 750, the cover is dead on, right down to the plastic dipstick hole. Reason I think it's a last gen, hydraulic tappet 750 is the squared valve covers and hoses to the oil cooler - the earlier ones used the frame. The frame looks right as well - the passenger pegs are in the right place and those cheezy wire heel rests are even there. That kickstart looks fake to me.... And it just proves that Google knows literally everything. I just wasted my time wondering instead of looking it up first. http://www.bikeexif.com/daryl-dixon-motorcycle I really like how the XF650 tank looks on it. Wonder how much work it took to fit it.

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the bike itself. Looks like an early Nighthawk 750 quasi-cafed, with a wrapped V&H exhaust, a reverse fork front end from some other donor, no airbox or battery and a spray painted engine. I'm also relatively certain it's a fake kickstart since that sure does look like the 16v, DOHC, hydraulic lifter version of the 750 (valve cover is a give-away) that never had one. Did *ANY* CBxxx have a kick start? I can't decide whether I like it or hate is as a monstrosity. Regarding sound, trigger discipline, etc, just accept that Hollywood has no understanding of reality, let alone basic physics. All cops can chose to shoot people in the knees, revolvers can fire 20 rounds w/o a reload, a .44 magnum can throw a man across the room w/o so much as a hint of recoil, cars have an infinite number of gears...

As boring as it sounds, I've decided to convert visiting my buddies down south to a shorter car trip. Too many variables / factors stacking up. I've never gone that far solo, the roads are probably going to be sketchy so soon after a harsh winter (tube tires), I don't have much rain riding experience and cold/cool weather compounds it all at my level of experience. If I'm going to burn vacation time, I'd like it to be enjoyable and safe. There will be time for trips when the weather is a bit better.

I'd love to have a heated vest too, but the puny alternators on both of my bikes aren't up to the task of running much more than gloves and a phone / gps. The winter suit does a fine job, it's just bulky.