Do not forget that the 14th annual Hollywood Happening is going on this weekend, June 1, 2 and 3 in Gowanda, NY.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Weekend Rides 5/19/2012-5/20/2012
What a beautiful weekend for riding!
I pulled out the bike about 10:30am Friday and headed off in the direction of my dad's house (about a 45 minute ride). I zipped through the back country roads with no direct rout premeditated. The old roads I went down had farms and wooded areas. Very scenic. I even passed by my great grandmother's old house (now owned by a stranger). It stirred up childhood memories about playing in the front sun room and the creek that ran out front. Good memories.
Finally I made it to my dad's and my step brother was there with a friend. We all chatted awhile. It gave me a chance to vent, much needed. Dad also let me know that there was going to be a bike blessing at a church in the village of Cherry Creek on Sunday and that if I wanted to ride with him and his friends where to meet.
I took a different rout home. This day I was riding the bike a little harder than I usually do. Nothing dangerous, but a little rush helped clear my head. I came up behind a truck pulling a hay wagon so I decided to take a right, and found my new favorite road! Yocum isn't a long road, but it was cool. The signs said seasonal traffic only, so I had no idea what condition it would be in. Around here seasonal usually means a dirt road with many pot holes. Not so here. I did have to go slow, first and second gear mostly, because the road was narrow with tight turns and fresh gravel but this gave me a chance to take in the view. The road twists through a wooded area and down a hill. There were a few houses hidden in the trees. Very nice.
Carrie was there when I got home. She had taken the day off also and used her time to clean out a corner of the basement so we could paint. That is how I spent the rest of my Friday.
This got me to think I would like to see what they were talking about. Carrie and I hoped on the bike and headed out.
We do not live far from Buffalo so in about 10 minutes we were coming up onto the Skyway. I turned off and rode the new roads below on the lake front. They twist and turn under the Skyway. I pulled into a parking lot and we went for a nice walk.
The old building that is supposed to be torn down has a little history. South of Buffalo used to be big into metal smelting and forming. Bethlehem Steel owned miles of the lake front. I do not know an accurate account of the history but I do know a little. Bethlehem Steel closed down decades ago and some of the buildings have been sold to other companies, but most of it became a waste land. As a kid it was a joke when driving through the area because it smelled like sulfur or rotten eggs.
Now the area is used for storage and they are the site of several large wind mills. The building in question I believe is a 100 year old office complex.
The building is in rough shape and it would take a ton of money to rebuild/restore. It is also in an area where there is very little chance it would attract business if someone restored it, so I can understand it being taken down. It will just be strange to travel the Buffalo Skyway and not see it anymore.
After checking out the building we wandered the lake front some more. It isn't finished but I have to say they are doing a nice job. In the past you wouldn't come down here. It was covered in weeds, waste and about once a week a stripped down stolen care would be set on fire here.
Buffalo was known for it's canals and ship yards 100 years ago. Over the decades these had been filled in or left to deteriorate. This area is being restored so people could come and walk, bicycle or fish. Much better than the waste land it used to be.
My next plan was to get back on the Skyway and ride into the city of Buffalo where we could grab something to eat, but we had a problem when we were leaving. The road right in front of the old Bethlehem Steel building had a series of pot holes that caused us to bottom out hard (we were going under 10 miles an hour) that popped my rear brake light out, breaking the plastic tabs. Carrie had to hold it on for the ride home where we called everywhere looking for a replacement. On par for Harley Davidson, no dealers carry Vrod parts so I would have to improvise.
After about an hour I went out to the garage and tore apart the rear end of the bike to come up with some ideas. It didn't take long. I cut a piece of aluminum, drilled some undersized holes (so that they would be tight on the wood screws) and used the plate to drill some undersized holes in the bottom of the tail light. I used some locktight hoping it would bond between the aluminum and screws.
This caused small visible cracks to form on the underside plastic, but I wasn't worried because the light took some damage when it bounced down the road. I will have to replace it eventually, but needed something to get me through the weekend.
When I had the bike back together I went in the house and woke Carrie up from her nap, telling her we need to go now.... the sun was setting now and I wanted to take a ride down rout 5 by Lake Erie.
When riding down rout 5 we were able to watch the sun set behind the lake. It was gorgeous. As we rode it began to get darker and buy the time we got to Sturgeon Point the sun had mostly set. Carrie and I hung out there for awhile before riding off to Angola and then back home. We didn't get home until about 10:30 PM Saturday night.
The day before I called my dad when the light broke and told him we would not make the blessing. I never told him I had made a temporary fix to the light because I didn't know how the light would hold up.
Carrie was excited about the ride. We don't ride with groups much and she is a social person. When she woke up I was finishing up cleaning the bike so she helped a little before we went inside and ate breakfast and had more coffee.
We headed out around 10 AM to Gowanda. I stopped at a gas station in Gowanda to gas up. A few minutes later a couple of bikes pulled in, one being my dad and step mom. They didn't see us as we were on the other side of the pumps. I able to give them a bit of a surprise.
After gassing up we cruised over to the meeting spot. About 8 bikes showed up, most were 2 up. We took rout 353 out of Gowanda, through Dayton and back roads to Cherry Creek. The roads through there I knew well, old stopping grounds. We stopped at the Methodist Church in Cherry Creek.
I would say about a hundred people showed up. I saw a few people I had not seen in awhile. The ceremony was nice. I would like to thank everyone for showing up. After the prayer we were asked to make some noise and head to Someplace Else, a new local bar in Cherry Creek.
Standing outside Someplace Else with my Pepsi in hand, I chatted with friends while guys with loud pipes ran up and down the street. After everyone had a few drinks we split up into a our riding groups and headed out.
Our group head south through the hills. The first stop was The Backyard Bar and Grille. A couple of other groups came and went too while we were there.
A few drinks later we headed south again to the outskirts of Jamestown. Our final destination was The Swamp. Other than the bar tender and 1 patron, our group had the run of the place. We ordered some food and hung out in the back. None of us remembered sun screen so we were crispy by now. This is where Carrie and I decided to head home since we had the longest ride by an hour.
We drove through the city of Jamestown and followed rout 62 north. I opened the bike up a little for the ride home. We ran into a few of the groups we met earlier, but we only stopped for gas in Gowanda. I took back roads from there, taking Carrie down Yocum for her first time.
When we got home I told Carrie thank you for coming with me. Her response was that she was glad she had a full face helmet because she was smiling from ear to ear the hole time and was afraid she would have looked like a dope if she didn't have the helmet. So easy to say she enjoyed the 7 hour outing.
Carrie had a few videos of the trip (she took the pictures I posted), but they are either at a right angle or upside down when I play them on the computer so I am not going to post them.
In closing I would like to thank everyone involved and the establishments that hosted us. We had a good harmless weekend that we will all remember until Alzheimer's kicks in.
Ride on and ride safe.
5/19/2012
My Friday morning started by having to sit in court. The meeting was adjourned about 5 minutes after it started because there was a misfiling. I will have to go back, but I had taken the day off from work so I didn't need to go back to work. Since I was a little worked up about having court even when I got home, I decided that I needed a ride.I pulled out the bike about 10:30am Friday and headed off in the direction of my dad's house (about a 45 minute ride). I zipped through the back country roads with no direct rout premeditated. The old roads I went down had farms and wooded areas. Very scenic. I even passed by my great grandmother's old house (now owned by a stranger). It stirred up childhood memories about playing in the front sun room and the creek that ran out front. Good memories.
Finally I made it to my dad's and my step brother was there with a friend. We all chatted awhile. It gave me a chance to vent, much needed. Dad also let me know that there was going to be a bike blessing at a church in the village of Cherry Creek on Sunday and that if I wanted to ride with him and his friends where to meet.
I took a different rout home. This day I was riding the bike a little harder than I usually do. Nothing dangerous, but a little rush helped clear my head. I came up behind a truck pulling a hay wagon so I decided to take a right, and found my new favorite road! Yocum isn't a long road, but it was cool. The signs said seasonal traffic only, so I had no idea what condition it would be in. Around here seasonal usually means a dirt road with many pot holes. Not so here. I did have to go slow, first and second gear mostly, because the road was narrow with tight turns and fresh gravel but this gave me a chance to take in the view. The road twists through a wooded area and down a hill. There were a few houses hidden in the trees. Very nice.
Carrie was there when I got home. She had taken the day off also and used her time to clean out a corner of the basement so we could paint. That is how I spent the rest of my Friday.
5/20/2012
Saturday I woke up, drank some coffee and watched the morning news. The news covered a story about an old building being tore down and how Buffalo Transportation had put about $8 million into the south Buffalo lake front and were expecting to sell it for $1 dollar.This got me to think I would like to see what they were talking about. Carrie and I hoped on the bike and headed out.
We do not live far from Buffalo so in about 10 minutes we were coming up onto the Skyway. I turned off and rode the new roads below on the lake front. They twist and turn under the Skyway. I pulled into a parking lot and we went for a nice walk.
The old building that is supposed to be torn down has a little history. South of Buffalo used to be big into metal smelting and forming. Bethlehem Steel owned miles of the lake front. I do not know an accurate account of the history but I do know a little. Bethlehem Steel closed down decades ago and some of the buildings have been sold to other companies, but most of it became a waste land. As a kid it was a joke when driving through the area because it smelled like sulfur or rotten eggs.
Now the area is used for storage and they are the site of several large wind mills. The building in question I believe is a 100 year old office complex.
The building is in rough shape and it would take a ton of money to rebuild/restore. It is also in an area where there is very little chance it would attract business if someone restored it, so I can understand it being taken down. It will just be strange to travel the Buffalo Skyway and not see it anymore.
After checking out the building we wandered the lake front some more. It isn't finished but I have to say they are doing a nice job. In the past you wouldn't come down here. It was covered in weeds, waste and about once a week a stripped down stolen care would be set on fire here.
Buffalo was known for it's canals and ship yards 100 years ago. Over the decades these had been filled in or left to deteriorate. This area is being restored so people could come and walk, bicycle or fish. Much better than the waste land it used to be.
My next plan was to get back on the Skyway and ride into the city of Buffalo where we could grab something to eat, but we had a problem when we were leaving. The road right in front of the old Bethlehem Steel building had a series of pot holes that caused us to bottom out hard (we were going under 10 miles an hour) that popped my rear brake light out, breaking the plastic tabs. Carrie had to hold it on for the ride home where we called everywhere looking for a replacement. On par for Harley Davidson, no dealers carry Vrod parts so I would have to improvise.
After about an hour I went out to the garage and tore apart the rear end of the bike to come up with some ideas. It didn't take long. I cut a piece of aluminum, drilled some undersized holes (so that they would be tight on the wood screws) and used the plate to drill some undersized holes in the bottom of the tail light. I used some locktight hoping it would bond between the aluminum and screws.
This caused small visible cracks to form on the underside plastic, but I wasn't worried because the light took some damage when it bounced down the road. I will have to replace it eventually, but needed something to get me through the weekend.
When I had the bike back together I went in the house and woke Carrie up from her nap, telling her we need to go now.... the sun was setting now and I wanted to take a ride down rout 5 by Lake Erie.
When riding down rout 5 we were able to watch the sun set behind the lake. It was gorgeous. As we rode it began to get darker and buy the time we got to Sturgeon Point the sun had mostly set. Carrie and I hung out there for awhile before riding off to Angola and then back home. We didn't get home until about 10:30 PM Saturday night.
5/20/2012
Sunday I woke up early, made coffee and feed the dogs before heading outside to wash the bike. This was the first time I used my Harbor Freight motorcycle jack to wash the wheels. That made it so much easier to wash, clean and dry.The day before I called my dad when the light broke and told him we would not make the blessing. I never told him I had made a temporary fix to the light because I didn't know how the light would hold up.
Carrie was excited about the ride. We don't ride with groups much and she is a social person. When she woke up I was finishing up cleaning the bike so she helped a little before we went inside and ate breakfast and had more coffee.
We headed out around 10 AM to Gowanda. I stopped at a gas station in Gowanda to gas up. A few minutes later a couple of bikes pulled in, one being my dad and step mom. They didn't see us as we were on the other side of the pumps. I able to give them a bit of a surprise.
After gassing up we cruised over to the meeting spot. About 8 bikes showed up, most were 2 up. We took rout 353 out of Gowanda, through Dayton and back roads to Cherry Creek. The roads through there I knew well, old stopping grounds. We stopped at the Methodist Church in Cherry Creek.
I would say about a hundred people showed up. I saw a few people I had not seen in awhile. The ceremony was nice. I would like to thank everyone for showing up. After the prayer we were asked to make some noise and head to Someplace Else, a new local bar in Cherry Creek.
Standing outside Someplace Else with my Pepsi in hand, I chatted with friends while guys with loud pipes ran up and down the street. After everyone had a few drinks we split up into a our riding groups and headed out.
Our group head south through the hills. The first stop was The Backyard Bar and Grille. A couple of other groups came and went too while we were there.
A few drinks later we headed south again to the outskirts of Jamestown. Our final destination was The Swamp. Other than the bar tender and 1 patron, our group had the run of the place. We ordered some food and hung out in the back. None of us remembered sun screen so we were crispy by now. This is where Carrie and I decided to head home since we had the longest ride by an hour.
We drove through the city of Jamestown and followed rout 62 north. I opened the bike up a little for the ride home. We ran into a few of the groups we met earlier, but we only stopped for gas in Gowanda. I took back roads from there, taking Carrie down Yocum for her first time.
When we got home I told Carrie thank you for coming with me. Her response was that she was glad she had a full face helmet because she was smiling from ear to ear the hole time and was afraid she would have looked like a dope if she didn't have the helmet. So easy to say she enjoyed the 7 hour outing.
Carrie had a few videos of the trip (she took the pictures I posted), but they are either at a right angle or upside down when I play them on the computer so I am not going to post them.
In closing I would like to thank everyone involved and the establishments that hosted us. We had a good harmless weekend that we will all remember until Alzheimer's kicks in.
Ride on and ride safe.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Happy Mother's Day
On behalf of all of us sons, husbands and fathers I would like to thank all of you mothers who put up with us.
Thank you for putting up with us when we were babies and needed our butts cleaned.
Thank you for putting up with us when we were children and peed on your favorite flowers.
Thank you for putting up with us when we were teens and came home drunk and holding our heads out of the toilet while we swore we would never drink again.
Thank you to the women that put up with us and would later take on our names.
Thank you for caring our seed and giving birth to start this all over again.
Thank you for putting up with our second and third childhoods.
Thank you for putting up with us when we are old and needing our butts cleaned.
Happy mother's day and I hope you spent it doing something for you.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Weekend Ride
We went out for a ride last Saturday. It was mid 60s with only a slight breeze.
I didn't need a destination, just a direction. My fiance pointed in a direction and off we went. At the second intersection I was waiting for the oncoming traffic so I could turn left when a bike sitting at the red caught my eye. With my full face helm the rider couldn't see me watching him, but I could see him talking to his son on the back (I assume it was his son). They were on a Fat Boy and what caught my eye was that he pointed in our direction, in fact, at us. When I looked I could read what he said to his son "that is what I want next". That put an instant smile on my face. A traditionalist wanting a vrod, who woulda thought!
On we went. We rode though several small towns and ended up taking a break at a country cemetery. My fiance's grandfather was buried there and she wanted to make sure it was being taken care of. It was a nice and peaceful break.
We rode on a little more before coming home. I have to mention the move we watched that night, The Change Up. I laughed my butt off watching it.
I am sorry I didn't take any pictures of our adventure. Maybe next time. Ride safe and ride on!
I didn't need a destination, just a direction. My fiance pointed in a direction and off we went. At the second intersection I was waiting for the oncoming traffic so I could turn left when a bike sitting at the red caught my eye. With my full face helm the rider couldn't see me watching him, but I could see him talking to his son on the back (I assume it was his son). They were on a Fat Boy and what caught my eye was that he pointed in our direction, in fact, at us. When I looked I could read what he said to his son "that is what I want next". That put an instant smile on my face. A traditionalist wanting a vrod, who woulda thought!
On we went. We rode though several small towns and ended up taking a break at a country cemetery. My fiance's grandfather was buried there and she wanted to make sure it was being taken care of. It was a nice and peaceful break.
We rode on a little more before coming home. I have to mention the move we watched that night, The Change Up. I laughed my butt off watching it.
I am sorry I didn't take any pictures of our adventure. Maybe next time. Ride safe and ride on!
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Tech: Wire Harness Cover
Awhile back I had made a plate for the speedometer to mount to. This plate mounted the gages where I wanted them but it did not cover the wire harness plug in the back. Well I finally got the time to make my cover.
I started with a piece of cardboard (like most of my modifications) and mocked up what I thought I wanted. When I was close to what looked right to me I flattened the cardboard and drew an outline on some aluminum sheeting I had (the same plate I used for the speedometer plate).
After it was drawn I used my Bladerunner (a table top jig saw) to cut out the profile.
To get the edges straight after bending I used a pedestal belt sander. This left a rough edge that I had ti file down before sanding. I used a sanding block to shape the bends so that they were uniform because when using black paint, light reflection can bring out the slightest mistakes.
I started with a piece of cardboard (like most of my modifications) and mocked up what I thought I wanted. When I was close to what looked right to me I flattened the cardboard and drew an outline on some aluminum sheeting I had (the same plate I used for the speedometer plate).
After it was drawn I used my Bladerunner (a table top jig saw) to cut out the profile.
I then used a small vise, a hammer and my hands to shape the bends.
I had to make adjustments as I went, but for the most part the cover fit right away.
To get the edges straight after bending I used a pedestal belt sander. This left a rough edge that I had ti file down before sanding. I used a sanding block to shape the bends so that they were uniform because when using black paint, light reflection can bring out the slightest mistakes.
I prepped it for primer and then sprayed it black.
I then had to mount it to the speedometer plate. I drilled .190" holes and used 8-32 button head screws and Locktite.
And the final look with the speedometer mounted.
I am very happy with the way this looks. I do not think this project took more than three hours of my time and now my wires are not exposed.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Tech: Front Fender
I like the front fender on some of the Victory motorcycles so when it came time to address this part of my bike I looked around for something to start with that would be similar. Ghost Rider Customs had a metal fender that I really liked so I saved it to my favorites during the summer. By the time fall came and I was ready to order it, they stopped caring it.... They replaced it with a fiberglass model that they are adamant is much better. My first reaction was no, so I looked around for another steel fender. I wasn't very successful so I came back to Ghost Rider and decided to give this thing a try.
The web site states "Comes Gell Coated ready to Prime and Paint, or we can paint it any solid color
for you for $200.00 (choose custom paint option at checkout) or email us for
Custom Paint quotes!"
http://www.grcustoms.com/shop/NEW-V-Rod-Front-Fenders/ so I figured that this would be a quick job.
The box took a couple of weeks to arrive. I was surprised to see that UPS had not crushed it. Inside I found the fender was well wrapped in paper and bubble wrap. My first impression when I pulled it out of the box was disappointment. This was definitely NOT ready for prime and paint. I emailed GRC and their response was that it is supposed to come rough.
Above you can see the rough and uneven edges that the fender came with. I let it sit a couple of days before deciding not to send it back and continuing with the project. I knew I had the ability to make this work, I was not expecting to put the extra time into it. "ready to prime and paint". I also expected better for the price.
Here you can see where I had to remove the inside build up so that the fender would sit on the wheel evenly.
Remember to use proper safety equipment when working with fiberglass and paint.
After that I had the fender roughed down on the inside and evened the edges so that I could get a good fit with the fender and see how it looks on the bike. I used a climbing rope to set the clearance height. This will give it a tight look, but it should give it even clearance all the way around the tire.
With the fender in place I could see how the lines flow with the rest of the bike. The fender did not follow the lines of the rim, so I used a marker and drew where I needed to cut.
After cutting the shape I fit it again to make sure it was where I wanted it to be. I was happy with the first try so now it was time to shape the edges. As a tool maker by profession I have a few metal files lying around and I have had to shape a few metal parts by hand in the past so that is what I chose to make clean lines on the edges. I filed it at a right angle to the sides, just concentrating on smoothing out the side profile. When I was happy with that I used the file to put a rough radius on the inside of the edge. The wall thickness changes along the edges so some spots needed a little more work, while other spots need little or none.
After I filled the edges I used 120 sand paper to smooth the edges further followed by 220, 280 and then 400. As the sand paper grit got smaller, the more I worked the outside of the edge, gently creating an outside radius.
After a couple of days I was satisfied with the general shape of the fender so I wet sanded the gel coat with 280 and then 400. I was able to sand out a few of the imperfections in the molding, but others I would have to fill and sand later. I painted the fender with primer and then wet sanded it. I followed this procedure 2 more times, prime, wet sand, prime, wet sand. Eventually I had a smooth looking fender.
I had to build a stand to paint the fender. It was easy to make from scrap wood I had sitting around. I used a piece of plywood for the bottom. The center post can be any length, as long as it doesn't make the stand top heavy. Last thing you need is for the stand to fall over when painting. On top I used a 6" long piece of wood that I nailed like a "T" to give the fender a nice broad place to sit.
Over the burgundy I used Dupli-color Burgundy Berry Met. This was the closest thing I could find to the original Harley paint. I painted the Dupli-color twice, wet sanding between followed by two layers of clear coat. To get a nice smooth surface I used a 3M buffing kit. It came with a 1000 grit sanding pad, two buffing creams and two buffing wheels that fit into a standard drill chuck.
After bolting the fender to the forks the front and rear of the fender tweaked a little, closing the clearance between the fender and tire. I had to take the fender back off and slot the holes to move the fender away from the tire more. I should have checked the fit with bolts before painting.
The color is slightly off, but with plans of repainting the tins next winter if funds allow, I wasn't going to spend a lot on the Harley custom paint. Summer project will be cleaning out that messy garage.
After a couple of weeks of cold wet weather I was eager to get the bike out and ride it to work Wednesday. I have to say that in the sun the paint matches closely and you likely wouldn't notice the difference unless you were told.
It took more work than I intended, but I like the way the fender looks. I was also able to sit with my 12 year old son while working on it. Hopefully he learned something from it, like maybe hard work can pay off.
I picked up the fork bag at the Harrisburg, PA Swap two weeks ago. I don't know if it will be on long term, but for now it gives me a place to stash my stuff.
After a couple of weeks of cold wet weather I was eager to get the bike out and ride it to work Wednesday. I have to say that in the sun the paint matches closely and you likely wouldn't notice the difference unless you were told.
It took more work than I intended, but I like the way the fender looks. I was also able to sit with my 12 year old son while working on it. Hopefully he learned something from it, like maybe hard work can pay off.
I picked up the fork bag at the Harrisburg, PA Swap two weeks ago. I don't know if it will be on long term, but for now it gives me a place to stash my stuff.
Monday, April 2, 2012
Harrisburg Swap Meet
I had never been to the Harrisburg swap meet before, I have never been to Harrisburg, PA for that matter, so I was eager to see what they had going on. My fiance joined me for the 5 1/2 hour ride there from western New York. We packed up the three dogs and left on Saturday before the rain moved in.
The GPS wanted to take us on a rout I had never been on so I rerouted it to take us through Bradford because I knew that area. The rout was quick through New York but it quickly turned into back roads when we were in Pennsylvania.
I enjoyed the rout through the mountains and rural towns through out PA. So many scenic hills and wooded areas that the light rain didn't make much of a difference. About 20 minutes before Harrisburg the sky started falling. It rained so hard I had a tough time seeing the vehicle in front of me. Luckily with the GPS I could judge when turns were coming up so I didn't need to jam on the brakes when I could see them through the window.
The swap meet was going to be held at the Farm Show Complex so we decided to get a room at the Staybridge Hotel. I was told that this hotel had been completed late last year, so everything was new. I was not expecting a small kitchen in our room. This was nice because we had the dogs with us and I wanted to limit the amount of time they had to sit in the van (the van was set up nicely for them).
After checking in we decided to visit the local Haley Davidson dealer, Susquehanna Valley Harley-Davidson. This was a nice dealership. They had two new Vrods and a flat black Muscle. They did not have may parts, and per usual, no VRSC section. They were running a pre Swap Meet Sale on many of their items.
I am getting married this August and have not found a wedding ring yet. I saw a ring I liked and joked about that being my wedding ring. Not funny I guess. =)
After the dealership we grabbed some food at the grocery store and holed up in the hotel.
In the morning we were welcomed to a good breakfast at the hotel then we loaded up the van and drove around the corner to the swap meet.
At the meet there was an assortment of people, parts, bikes and merchandise. Instead of describing it all, I will post a few pictures.
I enjoyed my time at the show and would have liked to take a little more time digging into what everyone had but with the dogs in the van, I didn't want to leave them alone too long (our dogs are spoiled and were in no danger at any time). I only bought one thing, a used $65 fork bag in great condition for $20.
Our ride home was pleasant. It did not rain and there are plenty of great mountain and woodland views as well as the great little towns that dot the land. I let the GPS take us on a different rout home. This rout was quicker through PA but slower through NY.
The GPS wanted to take us on a rout I had never been on so I rerouted it to take us through Bradford because I knew that area. The rout was quick through New York but it quickly turned into back roads when we were in Pennsylvania.
I enjoyed the rout through the mountains and rural towns through out PA. So many scenic hills and wooded areas that the light rain didn't make much of a difference. About 20 minutes before Harrisburg the sky started falling. It rained so hard I had a tough time seeing the vehicle in front of me. Luckily with the GPS I could judge when turns were coming up so I didn't need to jam on the brakes when I could see them through the window.
The swap meet was going to be held at the Farm Show Complex so we decided to get a room at the Staybridge Hotel. I was told that this hotel had been completed late last year, so everything was new. I was not expecting a small kitchen in our room. This was nice because we had the dogs with us and I wanted to limit the amount of time they had to sit in the van (the van was set up nicely for them).
After checking in we decided to visit the local Haley Davidson dealer, Susquehanna Valley Harley-Davidson. This was a nice dealership. They had two new Vrods and a flat black Muscle. They did not have may parts, and per usual, no VRSC section. They were running a pre Swap Meet Sale on many of their items.
I am getting married this August and have not found a wedding ring yet. I saw a ring I liked and joked about that being my wedding ring. Not funny I guess. =)
After the dealership we grabbed some food at the grocery store and holed up in the hotel.
In the morning we were welcomed to a good breakfast at the hotel then we loaded up the van and drove around the corner to the swap meet.
At the meet there was an assortment of people, parts, bikes and merchandise. Instead of describing it all, I will post a few pictures.
I enjoyed my time at the show and would have liked to take a little more time digging into what everyone had but with the dogs in the van, I didn't want to leave them alone too long (our dogs are spoiled and were in no danger at any time). I only bought one thing, a used $65 fork bag in great condition for $20.
Our ride home was pleasant. It did not rain and there are plenty of great mountain and woodland views as well as the great little towns that dot the land. I let the GPS take us on a different rout home. This rout was quicker through PA but slower through NY.
This was a good way to spend the weekend.
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