sunday ride: down east with m3 ..sorry bout the helmet.

[madmotomike]

What a day….what a ride…when the collective humor is at a high pitch; fun is sure to follow.



It was on the cold side of chilly this morning as I headed to bojangles on the Suzuki bandit 400. sure was glad I had my red belstaff jacket on over my leathers as I underestimated the coldness of the bright morning. Sure wish I thought to bring the “hookups” for my electric gloves? Those things work phenomenally when they are hooked up. This is something my hands were remembering and kick’n my brain about forgetting.



To accentuate the needless suffering . my zebra and my tdm both feature wonderful snug protective hand guards that ban the effects of “wind chill” from impacting the dayz ride.



Could have been worse…Lamar only was wearing light summer gloves! I thought about suggesting that we go really really really fast as the wind chill effect will only increase until we have enough speed that a boundry layer of laminar air flow is built up around the frozen appendage. I figure if we maintain a speed of 122.5 that would just about do it? wadda ya think?



Luckily mr “high vis” Derek had a spare pair of work gloves on his bmw. Lamar was much appreciative. Mr day glo himself took the opportunity to show off the bmw electric grips. They sure demo ‘d good. But I credit their effectiveness to the gs plastic hand guards “THE GLOW” man had installed on his BMW R1100R motor bike. it made a funny pic as each of us (‘cept Derek) suffering with frosty digits had to grab one grip or the other seeking warmth and relief from pain. Made me snicker to wonder what the “civilians” thought as this group of motorcyclist stood around engaged in conversation while maneuvering and competeing to get a chance to grab one grip or the other. Humored me so much that dennis the menace saw the ‘lectric wire and thought briefly about yanking the wire to one grip. I thought the better of it as Derek is my friend and he is very quiet but I did not want to incur the rage of the monster that must surely live within!



Some how I do not believe he would accept my drain bamaged explanation…



Mean while there I was arriving at bojangles on my feisty 400 bandit. It is atheletic and I was spoiling for some precision flying the moto exotica of small pistons moving at warp speed(14,000 rpm)!!! Even if it is not a moto gp bike …it still sounds amazing and helps fuel my fantasy…(my brain fills in the gaps the way it sees fit and I have a great time). the short wheelbase and light weight add to the impression. It weighs 380 lbs at least it is in the same 100 lb bracket as the moto gp bikes…335lbs!!!!!



All of this makes It feel correct and appealing! The sound –the precision-the immediacy of response…….i love this tool!!! I spent part of the day playing “billiards”. I made my bike handle like a billiard ball on rebound off a cushion…cornering lines were based on deep entry before steering change…minimized time spent at max lean…immediate throttle and FIRE!! ZIPP’N OFF IN A NEW DIRECTION! Very entertaining for me probably disconcerting for lamar who was in trail.



Fueling the moto gp fantasty was lamar’s bike. a 2006 suzuki gsxr600. sounds like sport bike normal ? right? Except it had a beautiful moto gp paint job. You see Lamar gave his bike some break danc’n lessons and had a disagreement. When he fixed the damage he bought body work already painted to match Kevin schwantz’s “LUCKY STRIKE” Suzuki from his 1993 champioship season.. THIS BIKE LOOKED SO COOL! All the stickers were correct in scale and placement. An amazingly sharp effect.(bike is 4 sale for 4600.00…great deal). Lamar must go over to the sand box and fight bad guys for a while so he is selling it.(I will send pics tommarow).



This is the environment in which we rode. It was a wonderful group… bunch of Aquarius (jan-feb) born adventurers off to check on the world in the seaside burg of Oriental NC. My birthday was last week----derek’s is next week----lamar’s was last week---jimmy unknown---jimmy of stan/jimmy the bipolar comedy team that lives in stan’s head?------will Jimmy does not have a birthday!!! In fact stan was perfectl normal until he started riding with me. Then there was that fateful day when during a Sunday ride…Derek and “JIMMY” and I stopped to check out a mx course I knew about. It was not open but that has never mattered before. Stan was hesitant but “jimmy” got loose and grabbed the controls. Jimmy rides pretty good. The whoop de dos gave him no trouble and his form on the jumps was textbook perfect. I guess he should have known that berm would collapse when he fired the bike into it.. would probably have been okay if he was riding something besides his Suzuki sv650 shod as it was with Michelin pilot tires!? I am disappointed…you think that Michelin would have done more research and come up with a compound/construction/tread pattern that would allow a suzuki sporting streetbike to “HOOK UP” better on a mx course… (I DO have pics of this ride..somewhere)



The ride was much fun..we just flowed along on our 60-80mph schedule. 60 mph on the twisty stuff so we could savor the opportunity and 80 mph in towns and neighborhoods so we could traverse the area quickly and promptly get out of their world ..leaving the neighborhood in peace. You see ……I am polite…I went very phast to minimize my incursion into THEIR daily routines. I like to ride ..i am not an arseh*le. Any one know where Rocket Rod Mckeithan lives in Fayetteville? I was just wondering………………………..?



A good group . there seemed to be no undercurrents of discontentment. The speeds were moderate and the riding was disciplined and showed ability and forethought..



Took river bend rd from pollocksville the back way to new bern nc. This route has always been fun as it swings casually thru the Carolina pines. It would have made a great nc scenic byway . one of its features is the croatan island walk. A neat place for a peaceful respite with natural beauty of north Carolina.



However….



I am afraid the opprtounity has been lost. “DEVELOPERS” in the name of profit and riches have moved quicker than I could . there are sssssssssssssssooooooooooooo many developments started that the beauty will be lost forever. The proximity to the river and the potential for huge profits of river front property have sold our birth right off. This is a shame! I must pay more attention and move quickly to arrest the unbridaled consumption of the nc pine forests.



We stopped at the small store on the bank of the trent river. The store has been there forever as have i… I remember when they had to up grade their pumps and was saddened by the forced removal of the gianormous live oak tree that was way too close to the pumps. Tree was incrediable but the root system fouled the underground tanks so when the upgrade was required “THE TREE “ had to go.. I have been riding on that route for a very long time 21 years…..YIKES!!



THE discussion in the parking lot centered around derek’s “day glo BLING!!! JACKET”….THE heated grips on das bmw….the chilly weather….chapter 2 of todays ride. I reminded Derek about the famous “golf ball “ pic of president Eisenhower putting on the white house lawn. The pic was shot from a U2 recon plane on the edge of space..in the pic you can clearly read “TITLEIST”. MY point to Derek was given the amazing fact of THAT pic. “THEY” could see derek’s “BLING” jacket from THE MOON!!!



The jacket is an Olympia purchased from Backroads Triumph Jacksonville nc (910-347-4050). It is startlingly effective! Much more so than the orange icon vest the jimmy was wearing. Not that jimmy..he was in a strait jacket in stan’s brain; the other one.



At the little store I thought briefly about topping up my tank.i decided against it as I rationalized away the impulse. I shared this information with my friends. Might not have been the best thing to do. Their eyes flew wide open and briefly rolled back in their heads. Gosh they DO read what I write!! I thought the only one who did was Rod the rocket Mckeithan of Fayetteville nc. He routinely challenges my opinions and kicks me in the teeth. I like it….thanks for the interaction rod… keeps my brain a work’n. so the crew knew of my disconcerting propensity to run out of g-a-s? I tried to put them at ease and pointed out that Derek is along on this ride…Derek has rescued me from isolated death on the side of the road next to a sickenly silent motorcycle at least 4 times!!



It is kinda a kool arrangement. he laughs at my attempts at humor- rides “tail end Charlie” on the group rides( gives me updates and scouting reports and intel on how THE GROUP is or is not behaving. Especially good at spotting bad technique or indecision or insecurity and rescues me when I miscalculate fuel range) In return , I do not hide his bike from him and or play other frustrating

/irritating jokes on him or with his bike.



We are strooling along toward Arapahoe nc. The plan is to take the 2nd bike path to the right in grantsboro and surf the road on in to Arapahoe. Worked great. For such a diverse flight of bikes ;they meshed will together. The bmw r1100r is the most advanced technology(easily). The Yamaha r-1 and the gsxr1000 are Japanese sport bike normal. That is superlative designs executed to perfection hitting their targets center mass. The Kevin schwantz Suzuki 600 was more of the same but the execution of the paint and styling was first rate. It was easily the visual standout of the group. Well done.



In Arapahoe we started our final leg. It was so so sweet… . A secret…it starts with a fast 45 degree tun to the right hard on the gas get ready for the flip to the left…don’t lollygag….ready ready NOW!! SHIFT THE WEIGHT AND RIP THAT BIKE FROM RIGHT TO LEFT HARD ON THE THROTTLE!! Here it comes ..here it comes A HUGE SWEEPING RIGHTHAND BEND THAT GOES ON FOREVER AND FEATURES THREE APEXES….each one taken faster than the previous. Deep lean angles----if executed properly the lean angle of the bike does not change..yet the apexs will be hit precisely!! Yeah buddy!! Ye haw!! The line of sight thru the complex is un hindered…exiting the last part of the corner. You must prepare promptly for a blind entrance relatively tight –off camber left with just a small hook on the end(decreasing radius). If on a proper late apex vision enhancing throttle motivated line; it can be experienced with much joy and satisfaction. Good stuff.



This is followed by a sequence of mid speed corner reversals and takes us down to the water…man ! PAMLICO sound is so beautiful ..it would be so cool to learn to sail. Respectful speed thru the homes that are sound front. My bandit is not loud…the others are commanding attention. The bmw sounds different…sounds stronger?! IS IT a twin thing..



We arrive in oriental and tour the water front. I smile to myself when I remember my friend Art bailey who courageously stepped in to save all the old live oaks on main street from FEMA hungry tree removal experts after the hurricane. Some people thought that just because FEMA is paying to remove trees….these wonderful 400 year old trees should be removed? Afterall FEMA is paying? My friend Art represented the silent majority of townspeople who knew not what plan was afoot. Art was the “LORAX”(dr suess). HE spoke for the trees and We are all the better for it! thanks ART..



I notice that each of those magnificent trees now has a plaque hanging from it stating its “name” and its approximate age. Way to go ART.



The plan was to go to sea. WHAT? There go the eyes again..!! I told them that as a motorcycle owner I felt it was my responsibility to teach my bikes to swim. My bandit swims. Are you telling me your bikes can’t swim?!? Derek started to say something but my bikes have been swimming with derek’s bikes before. I KNEW he was a responsiable motorcycle owner. I was not worried about the bmw ……derek’s german “U –BOAT” swims just fine thank you.



I must admit that waiting for the minnesott beach ferry ; the other bikes and riders looked nervous. It could have been the idea of getting on a boat- - - - or it could have been the the way the assemblage of hungry seagulls were considering us. Derek with his spotless BLING. Lamar and his “PERFECT” KEVIN SCHWATZ REPLICA, and Stan loitering with “jimmy” peeking out from under the tobaggon hat on stan’s head.



It was a perfect illustration of the power of the “threat of action”. The seagulls sitting there -- - -fully loaded - - - - plotting and planning.



It was mostly an easy crossing . until the kidz went down to the tail of the ferry and started “feeding” the gulls. Then it was a seen out of Alfred hitchcock’s classic thriller “THE BIRDS”. They swooped and dived and maneuvered..i know THAT GULL is a basketball fan as he executed a textbook classic “pick and roll” play to win the day.



It was interesting to watch but I warned the guys about looking up for too long…..i saw fear in derek’s eyes as he cowered under some shelter. Then things got real dicey. Jimmy took some m&ms from lamar and went to negotiate in person with the flying masses. He bravely pulled his hat down low and tight on Stan’s head and steeling his resolve proceeded defiantly at his own peril. THEY WANTED THE M&M BADLY. They would swoop in testing and measuring . trying to calculate the “true risk” of going for it! man that m&M sure would taste good….BUT THAT IS JIMMY a fearless trickster in these parts…YOU know what happened when you got that Rolaids!!!



The story gets a little fuzzy as I noticed that lamar was giving theyamaha r-1 some m%M additives. I started laughing so hard that whhhhhhhhhhooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaa I am go-n-n-a- be sick. Not wanting to puke on the immaculate grease stained deck ; I grabbed the closet thing I could reach hopeing to control the torrent of digested stuff from splattering everywhere.. I sure am glad your helmet was there lamar. Look at it this way….in about six months you will forget that I threw up in your brand new helmet . you should thank me for not getting any on your bike!!



You guys should pay more attention..the seagulls pooping on you is bad but having the 6’9’ man-child madmotomike barf on you is something you may not survive…and will certainly never live down.





The rest of the trip was more of the same big moto fun…great conversation…..all in all a day well lived!!





You should join us on the next one



Pics tommarow…If you need another bike or if you want to maximize the bike value per dollar. Give some thought to LAMAR’S SUZUKI GSXR600. BIKE IS SPECIAL..ANY ONE CAN RIDE A STOCK ONE BUT THIS BIKE COMMANDS ATTENTION. The way I figure it “LUCKY STRIKE AND MOTUL” owe lamar some money for promotion.





Next week is the international motorcycle show in greenevill sc. It is gonna be fun……I went with the brown comedy team to the one in Washington dc. This time I may be going with the LEE brothers (ug and home) or MURF or MOTOMAN OR MR D-BLING himself…..it could happen. With a little luck the weather will be good for a ride …wonder if my yamadog xt will be ready of not?



Rester disappeared into his “inner sanctum” with the engine carried casually under one arm ..new wiseco piston in his hand. Was last seen muttering to himself about demon exorcism, big goofy brain damaged ..,some special voodoo magic that was going to take that thumper” motor over the top” and strike fear into the heart of m3 everytime he thinks about going for a spin!!





M3