Shoop

Brian - It was great meeting you. I'll be back Saturday evening. Hope to see you again - when I'm not incinerating burgers & brats. Punk - The parking lot will be pretty empty at 11 AM but folks will start getting back by 3 or 4. Not sure if anybody will be at registration till then. Ask at the desk. The regist room is right by the lobby. Chris

BUMP

Welcome

Welcome Burkley!

Please consider attending the 2019 Fly-By Week in Marietta Ohio, starting Monday Aug 19 through Saturday Aug 24. Sunday is when folks pack up and say goodbye till next year. Check out the web page at flybyweek.com The event is conducted by the Motorcycle Sport Touring Association (MSTA) which is a nation-wide organization of riders that are interested in sporty riding at far-flung locations where great roads are abundant. The event attracts 100-150 riders, many who are riding with their wives, etc. from across the country. This year you can register for the event for $20 and do not need to be or become a member, though there will be a liability waiver. The entry fee gets you access to the event and two cookout meals, Fri & Sat. Sodas and water are provided. BYOB. The main days for he event are Friday and Saturday. But beginning last year the organizers opened the event to begin Monday and extend through the week to provide more time in the area. The group attending during the week is smaller so, after getting back from the day's ride and cleaning up, we carpool to one or more of the delightful downtown restaurants - and have a great time. The format for the rides is that we form small groups of typically four to eight and then head out on one of the 20+ posted routes. Most of the routes take most of the day and include a lunch stop suggestion. The rides are grouped into categories like Touring Bike Friendly, Destinations, or Twisties. There are two suggested routes for adv bikes - gravel roads, not demanding. Signup sheets are available for each riding day which try to group skill / speed levels and interests. But frankly, most groups form up during the storytelling sessions in the parking lot the evening before. The MSTA members tend to be mature and skilled riders. We have folks ranging in age from the 30's to the 70's. Many have been members for decades. The Fly-By, previously called the Mail Pouch Fly-By, has been running for about 25 years, usually from the same hotel. Each evening the parking lot has an amazing collection of bikes of all makes and of many styles. Many ride their sport touring bikes from far away. But quite a few bring sport bikes by trailer. If you want to see them, stop by in the early evening. The parking lot will be empty from about 8 AM till PM or so. If you have any questions, reply here or send me a PM. Hope to see ya there! Chris Shoop

I don't have any insight on the Tom Tom. I'm certain that it's good. I've had the Garmin Zumo 396 for a few months. It has the same features that you listed for the Tom Tom plus the smartlink to the phone features that Tim noted. It took SEVERAL rides till I learned how easy it can be to use. Stoopid people who have never used a GPS wrote their instructions. A huge feature for me is that the Garmins seem to be the ones used by folks that organize the group rides I prefer and that makes it easy to share their routes without needing to do any conversions. Chris

Welcome!

I looked at online images of the Kawi ER6N. It looks like they use a direct lever from the shifter shaft. But if your bike uses a shift linkage, check and lube the external linkages. If they go dry this can cause the bike to shift poorly. For my bike, the problem is usually with downshifts.

Politics... https://www.webbikeworld.com/missouri-governor-keeps-mandatory-helmet-law-in-place/

OK, but the new ones are NOT SHINY!

Or just come to the flyby week. Lotsa people there who can share similar stories, or just find a group to go riding with. If I lived closer to NY, I'd probably have already modified my house to allow for the in-laws to move in with us. They're in assisted living now - insanely expensive. But they had an insurance plan. My wife spent the past month there. But let's talk about riding instead, OK? Chris

There's no charge for the chance to meet new people from far away who travel here for those roads. They might tell you stories about AR, CO, AZ and other places you might not have visited, or roads that you didn't find in those areas. The fee is for the two meals. Well, one on Friday , and maybe a second one on Saturday. If you come during the week, the meals at the restaurants are on your own tab. That's not very clear in the description.

Punk, B-Mac, everybody, JUST DO IT! I'm a member of the MSTA. So is @Qman. I'm also helping coordinate the event, well, mostly the cooking and restaurant stuff. I am certain you guys can find a group at this meeting that you will enjoy riding with. There are all sorts - fast, very fast, used to be fast, and then more leisurely (that would be me.) They post 20+ rides and provide paper maps or downloadable GPX files. The groups usually form up the evening before the ride, though some groups are set and don't change out people very often. But there are signup sheets that are for different speed preferences. Then in the morning, usually pretty early, the groups head out individually. When two or more are on the same route they will try to stagger departure times. The routes usually have a suggested lunch stop, but that is optional. They tend to get back well before dinner to get cleaned up and then hang out by the grill or the pool behind the motel. The event used to run Friday through Sunday and they had two cookout or catered meals. Then last year they changed the format to encourage early arrivals. But the early guys then go to an arranged restaurant - on your own tab. I also help shuttle people to the restaurants. On Thursday we hired the Marietta jitney to shuttle the 50 or so people that were there for dinner time. I am coordinator for the Friday cookout - burgers, brats, beans, slaw, chips, veggie trays, cookies from Walmart, and lots of water and sodas. A lady who hasn't done this before is planning to do kebabs on Saturday. (There's a mex place right next door...) I really like this group and the Marietta event is one of the largest regional meetings. Last year we had about 130 bikes. I'm expecting quite a few more based on the talk that was going on at the national rally two weeks ago in Bristol VA. You'll find all makes of bikes, lots of BMW's and even a few Harley's and wings. All of the guys and ladies are avid riders. Some will have ridden from CO, TX, WI, NJ to get to the ride. Most will probably still show up on Friday. Please notice that this is the first year that you don't have to join the organization in order to participate. I think we fired the lawyers. We're about to tell the AMA to take a hike if they keep insisting on getting the members contact info. So, you can just register and show up. But if you register at the event I WILL give you a burnt burger and a crumbled up cookie box with a few crumbs in it. It really helps to have a decent count for planning. Please consider attending! How did this turn into a grom discussion??? Oh, never mind. Chris Shoop

Welcome Eric.

Well, shucks. Won't be no clowns at this party...

https://www.facebook.com/events/1234022526762012/ I missed the first two already.And I'm going to miss the next two. Maybe July...

Nuff said.

Hey Michael, Greetings! I took a 25-year break from riding and got back into it in 2013. Really enjoying it. Check back regularly to see if folks are organizing rides. Often a group will come down to the nice twisty stuff here in SE Ohio. In particular, look for any postings for an "Epic" ride - those are usually designed for larger groups but we break up into smaller groups to match speed preferences. Chris

BUMP. I called the dealer, Wheelsports. Yes, the Friday demo rides are from 4:30-7:30. They will be on suburban back streets. I'm guessing 35 mph max. Thinking harder about a 2-hr ride to get there. Chris

Home. Drizzle started as I crossed the Ohio into WV. It was great meeting everybody. Chris

For those who have time after the ride, I heard from a friend that this place is very good. https://theboondocksbbqandgrill.webs.com/

No Problem. Here's your link: https://athensmotorcycle.club/race-info#bce5f3c8-8166-433d-af24-3f5fa384612d

Agreed.

BUMP -- It's two weeks out. Time to start drooling again. So, who's going? I'll be busy Saturday so I'll prob take Friday afternoon off to be there early. Note that the Friday time has changed from the initial notice from 10-3:30 to 4:30 to 7. They will have the following models: 390 DUKE, 790 DUKE, 690 SMC, 690 ENDURO, 1090 ADVENTURE R, 1290 ADVENTURE R, 1290 ADVENTURE S, 1290 SUPER DUKE GT, and 1290 SUPER DUKE R. Demo time: Friday 4:30 to 7:00 Saturday 10:00am to 3:30 Demo Location Address: American Motorcyclist Association 13515 Yarmouth Dr. Pickerington, OH 43147 Apparently the 790 Adventure is still invisible.

HEY! Where's the route map? The ride is on. The weather is great for riding so quit bitching and burn off all that estrogen out on the roads. Sheesh... kids these days...