Motorcycle TourM

agazine

Motorcycles, Travel & Adventure

JUNE 2014

Volume 20 No. 6

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MONTHLY COLUMNSFREE WHEELIN’ ...............................................................4

WHATCHATHINKIN’........................................................5

POSTCARDS FROM THE HEDGE................................6

ON THE MARK.................................................................7

THROTTLE BLIPS ............................................................8

THOUGHTS FROM THE ROAD..................................10

BACKLASH......................................................................11

INDUSTRY INFOBITES.................................................12

MYSTERIOUS AMERICA.............................................15

BIG CITY GETAWAY......................................................17

GREAT ALL AMERICAN DINER RUN.......................19

WE’RE OUTTA HERE....................................................21

SHIRA’S ICE CREAM RUN..........................................23

PLACES TO GO AND THINGS TO SEE....................32

UPCOMING EVENTS CALENDAR.............................36

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE......................................47

FEATURESWE LEAVE THE GOOD LIFE ......................................25

RIDING UPSTREAM ON THE COLORADO............38

GATHERING OF THE NORTONS...............................42

WHEN LIFE THROWS YOU A CURVE....................44

PRODUCT REVIEWSSHAD USA ZULUPACK DRY BAGS .........................31

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHTS .............................................48

Motorcycles, Travel & Adventure

Publishers Brian Rathjen • Shira Kamil

Contributors Jeff Bahr, Mark Byers,Dave Erfer, Bill Heald,Tim Kessel, Jeffrey Kurtzman, Kirk Landmesser,Mike Stackhouse, Dr. Seymour O’Life

Editorial Office BACKROADS, POB 317Branchville NJ 07826

phone 973.948.4176

fax 973.948.0823

email editor@backroadsusa.com

online www.backroadsusa.com

Advertising 973-948-4176

BACKROADS (ISSN 1087-2088) is published monthly by BACK-ROADS™, Inc. 2014. All rights reserved. BACKROADS™ may notbe reproduced in any manner without specific written consent fromthe publisher. BACKROADS™ welcomes and encourages submis-sions (text and photos) and suggestions. Include phone number withsubmissions. BACKROADS™ will only return material with enclosedsufficient postage. The written articles and opinions printed in BACK-ROADS™ are not necessarily those of the publisher and should notbe considered an endorsement. The Rip & Rides® published are rid-den on the sole responsibilty of the rider. BACKROADS™ is not re-sponsible for the conditions of the public roadways traversed. Pleaserespect the environment, read your owner’s manual and wear properprotective gear and helmet. Ride within your limits, not over them.

W H A T ’ S I N S I D E

RiderWearHouse hits the road 34

The sun sets in the…East? 21

38

http://www.olympiamotosports.com

JB

It is with great sadness that I tell you of the passing ofour dear friend and “Throttle Blips” columnist Jeff Bahr.

Jeff was killed while riding his Triumph Tiger near Mifflinburg, Pennsyl-vania – the victim of an 86 year old man leaving a grocery market and pullingdirectly into Jeff’s path.

Jeff attempted to swerve into thenorthbound lane, but could not avoidthe impact, state troopers reported.The front of the motorcycle struckthe left front of the Cadillac.

Jeff died at the scene.I have known Jeff since he showed

up for a ride one Sunday at the StateLine Lookout back in the 90’s.

From the beginning he was a prob-lem, in the best of ways.

Never one for convention Jeff didan excellent job of calling some peo-ple and things for who and what theywere.

He rarely minced words when hethought somebody was wrong orsomething was amiss. He was one ofthe most “unfiltered” guys I knew.

Shira would receive his monthly column armed with her red pen.This endeared him to many, infuriated others and separated him from the

rest.This magazine is not large enough to hold the repartee between us, over

the years, on capitalism, politics and bikes. Not to mention the occasional starlet.

A prolific writer Jeff was the author or co-author of more than a dozenbooks - including Weird Virginia, Amazing and Unusual USA and a numberof Arm Chair Readers.

He stood in for Dr. O’Life many a time, was an original member of Sey-mour’s ‘Tanked Bags’ and was a wealth of peculiar knowledge - remember-ing names and details of some of the oddest things and events.

His Throttle Blips column, here in Backroads, always got readers thinking– for better or worse.

Jeff recently survived Stage-4 lung cancer and the loss of an adopted step-son. It had been a difficult last few years.

Jeff and I had cancer at thesame time.

During these months we werea support team to each other,with neither of us letting theother get too down, depressedor in any sort of despair.

It seemed the one was alwayslooking for the other and thenext sunny and warm day to goexploring the backroads on twowheels.

This is exactly what Jeff wasdoing when fate stepped in.

After going through all thisShira and I wonder how, in anyworld, this can be fair.

As those of you who havebeen with this magazine for a

while and have attended any of our events know – Backroads has a large ex-tended family and Jeff Bahr was a big part of that family.

Our deepest thoughts go out to Jeff’s mom and sister, Maria and to all thosewho knew his words or were fortunate to know Jeff personally.

Jeff Bahr was one of the finest and unique men I have ever known andShira and I will miss him beyond words.

Head west, brother.

F R E E W H E E L I N ’

BRIAN RATHJEN

Page 4 JUNE 2014 • BACKROADS

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Don’t Let time SLip AwAy

This a particularly hard issue to put together. Yes,

the weather has improved and sitting at a computer

on a finally warm, sunny day is difficult, but that’s not what makes this trou-

bling. It’s the fact that the space that should hold the words of our lost scribe,

Jeff Bahr, instead is in memoriam. The photos used for the Mysterious Amer-

ica column were compiled by Jeff, as he was one to frequent these weird and

wacky wonders that fill that column. Putting together the index page, I could

not bring myself to take his name from the contributor’s list, as his thoughts

and influences will continue to be a part of this magazine.

Being blocked for what to pen, I remembered this piece I had done some

time ago and felt it a good time for a revisit.

Brian and I went for a great brunch ride recently; just sort of Googledbrunch spots in NJ and found a cute little place snuggled down near French-town. The morning broke to sunny skies, and, after what seemed like a life-time, the temperatures were predicted to be above 60 degrees.

Gearing up in preparation, I fitted my earplugs complete with speakers, tomy zumo, and spun up some tunes. Normally I just let it shuffle, but I usuallyset the tone for the day and pick a good first riding song. That day it wouldbe Robert Palmer’s ‘Twenty Million Things.’It comes from confusion, all the things I left undone

It comes from moment to moment, day to day,

Time seems to slip away.

I got twenty million things to do.

All I can think about is you, with twenty million to do.

Scooting down Route 521 listening to Mr. Palmer sing, I became quite sen-timental thinking of his demise. So many things left to do, and no time to dothem. That led to thinking of all the times I’d put off taking the bike out, evenjust to run simple errands, just because I had too much to do and hopping inthe car was so much easier.

I’m sure not by coincidence, the next few songs to whirl up were by anequally talented and departed artist, Steve Goodman. Unfortunately, I dis-covered Mr. Goodman after his passing, but have latched onto his songs andlyrics quite enthusiastically. ‘You better Get It While You Can’ ran througha similar scenario of taking advantage of the time:You better get it while you can, you better get it while you can.

If you wait too long, it’ll all be gone, so you better get it while you can.

Doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor, it’s the same for a woman or a man.

From the cradle to the crypt, it’s a mighty short trip,

So you better get it while you can.

This set my brain on how fortunate I am to be doing what I’m doing andhaving the time to ride and travel while I can enjoy it. I certainly realize thatso many people have limited vacation and days to spend just tooling aroundon their motorcycles, but even a short hop for an hour or two can help getyou in a great state of mind. I know many folks who commute on two wheels,and while sitting in traffic or being on some uninspiring roadways may notbe the optimum situation, it’s still better than a car, train or bus.

This month Andy Goldfine’s 23rd Annual Ride to Work Day will takeplace. Hopefully all you folks who don’t generally take your rides to workwill do so, thus increasing the awareness of motorcycles on the roads. Seemswith the rising oil prices and general economic status these days, it just makessense to hop on the bike whenever possible – perhaps Andy should changeit to Ride to Work Month until things calm down.

As has been written many times in these pages, get out there wheneveryou can. Make that list of places you’d like to see, near and far. It could bethat little museum in your town that you just never got to, or something youread about in Backroads, or a trip to Mongolia – whatever. Kind of like theBucket List, only motorcycle-related and not so maudlin. Whatever you do,make time for something on that list at least once a month, if not more often.

And just to confirm that some things disappear from this world far toosoon, up popped Harry Chapin’s ‘A Better Place to Be.’ Slipping through thefarmlands of New Jersey, I couldn’t think of a better place to be on that day,riding with my best friend and taking advantage of the time I’m given to getit while I can. I suggest we all do the same thing, as per Mr. Goodman.

W H ATC H AT H I N K I N ’

SHIRA KAMIL

BACKROADS • JUNE 2014 Page 5

the GpS ConunDrum

First, I wish to say one thing about the loss we just

experienced: Godspeed, Jeff Bahr. It was an honor to

be in the same publication as such a unique spirit.

We are surrounded with many wondrous inventions thatare designed to make our lives easier. That said, I think wehave to be cautious in our adoption of these miracles, be-cause even though we really are living in a Brave NewWorld the application of the latest conveniences often comesat a price. I’ve been wrestling with GPS navigation since be-fore it became commonplace, and I have to admit I reallyhave a love/hate thing going on with what is after all somepretty amazing technology. This is especially pertinent thesedays thanks to the fact the GPS units are getting more accu-rate, more comprehensive in their coverage, more compactand durable, and even more affordable. This is further sup-plemented by what you can download to your “portableelectronic device,” for a lot of apps for phones and tabletshave GPS chops that rival the quality of dedicated units.

Clearly, then, the Love aspect of my relationship has todo with the devices themselves, which are quite brilliant atdoing what they’re supposed to do. It’s no exaggeration to say they’ve be-come pretty indispensable in modern life, at least with a substantial part ofthe population. Unlike ABS brakes, GPS navigation in various forms becameavailable quite quickly after it showed up on automobiles, and there arepresently several companies producing units aimed at motorcycles as wellas a few that are incorporated with big touring rigs as a factory option. Forthe touring rider, these devices have made getting around in unknown placesa snap, at least compared to having to consult a conventional map, right?

Shoot, these days you reveal a paper map and it looks like your unrolling theDead Sea Scrolls.

We can argue about what this means some other time. Now to the other side of the coin. The Hate part of my GPS relationship is

a strange derivation of what I just mentioned that makes them so useful: theirwonderful functionality when you’re a Stranger in a Strange Land. Eventhough statistics state (or at least they used to-I haven’t looked over them in

a while) most accidents take place fairly close tohome, I think there’s far more danger lurking outthere when you’re in an unfamiliar place. Whilethere’s certain acts of driver idiocy that seem uni-versal, I have always felt different regions, cities,etc. have there own special flavor of stupid that driv-ers engage in, and one day I hope to produce the de-finitive work on the subject. In addition to driverbehavior, there are also pockets of weirdness in theguise of traffic patterns, one-way systems, right-on-red regulations, even traffic circle/rotaries (or round-abouts, as they are known in other countries). Thatlast outrage should be banned in the US, because Ifeel most American drivers can’t deal with theseswirling pools of mayhem. It’s not that they’re in-capable of grasping the concept of rotary intersec-tion where traffic doesn’t stop; it’s more that theyare so comparatively rare in this country that out-of-towners (and even some locals) get terribly confused

when they encounter one. Suffice it to say, when you are monitoring yourGPS and encounter one of these Nine Circles of Hell you will have an awfullot on your attention plate when you need to divert 100% of your shieldpower to traffic. Throw in some potholes or other local landscape irregular-ities and things can get decidedly perilous in a hurry.

It all comes back to what dominates my thinking these days when it comesto riding. I have discovered as I age, my faculties are not quite as sharp as

(Continued on page 14)

P O S T C A R D SF R O M T H E H E D G E

BILL HEALD

Page 6 JUNE 2014 • BACKROADS

ZZZAAAApp!

Zzzaaapp! is NOT the sound you want to hear unlessnear one of those blue lights that’s sending a damn mos-quito to bug Valhalla. It’s definitely not a sound youwant to hear near your motorcycle. Surprising, then, iswhy manufacturers don’t provide more appropriateways to tap the electric sap from your alternator. OEMsknow we’re going to farkle. Driving lights, heated gear,MP3 players, GPSs, and intercoms are among the thingswe love to add, so why don’t they give us the option todo so in a safe, effective way? As usual, when customerservice is absent, I suspect lawyers at play, but I’m tiredof going to great lengths to get my tweek on. Give ussome ready-placed connectors, like the auto guys dowith trailer wiring.

I just got through farkling the Wee, but I had to add afuse panel to run wires to an assortment of gizmos. Youcan’t just put in a panel, however, or something’s boundto drain your battery, so it begets a relay, a relay begetsa trigger wire, and a trigger wire begets a trigger circuit.If that sounds Biblical, it’s because by the time you geteverything relayed and heat-shrunk and zip-tied, thehanging gardens of Babylon seem simple by compari-son. You can try to run everything to terminals on thebattery, but on one bike I needed longer battery screwsjust to accommodate them all.

Speaking of zip-ties, they are genius…until you runthe back of your hand across one that some other nerddidn’t cut off straight and it leaves a nice, bloody track(for you racers and track-day guys, also see “safetywire”). If properly installed, zip-ties are as handy as abuddy with a service manual. I think I used 2,000 ofthem on the Wee.

When farkling, you need shrink – the head doctor andheat shrink. Fortunately, even though Radio Shack isnow just a phone store, they still sell the little tubularShrinky-Dinks for wires. The best is called SumiTubeand it has glue inside that is activated by heat. Onepiece of advice: don’t appropriate the wife’s hair dryerand definitely stay away from a butane match as a heatsource (unless you LIKE the smell of barbecued plas-tic). You can get a cheap heat gun at Michael’s and yourwife can steal it for crafts.

If zip-ties are from the gods, other things are tools ofthe devil. Those blue connectors that cut through the in-sulation are one example. If you need to tap into a wire,use a Posi-tap instead. If you’re going to use crimp con-nections, learn how to solder. A little dollop of solderwill make sure that baby doesn’t pull out, then you cancover it with heat shrink and be confident that your gearwon’t fail just when you need it. I use solder to tin theends of the wires that go into the fuse block. A goodsolder joint is shiny: if it’s dull gray, it’s trouble.

Dielectric grease is your friend. It’s a non-conductinggoo that should go in any connector that is subject towater intrusion, on your light bulbs, and everywhereelse you don’t want corrosion to happen (bullet termi-nals are infamous for corroding into oneness). If youcoat the outside of your battery terminals with it, theywill be less prone to grow a beard.

Overkill? There is no such thing as overkill whenyou’re 200 miles from home in the cold rain and yourheated grips give up, taking your driving lights withthem. You may end up with no fuel injection or a friedelectrical harness. Or, those double-wattage headlights

you added fry your handlebar switches because, like the Wee, they’re not ona relay and all the power goes through the switches. Heaven help you if youhave a CAN bus (short for Can’t Add Nothing). It is possible to hang thingsoff that bus, but it takes farkling to a new level.

If you’re a V-Strom owner, here’s a shameless plug for a one-man companycalled Eastern Beaver. He makes beautiful wire harnesses using OEM con-

nectors so you can add farklesand trigger circuits and not haveto cut into any wires. He alsomakes a replacement headlightharness that adds relays so yourswitches don’t go bad and youcan even add a cutout switch toturn off one of the lights whenyou need the extra juice forheated gear. Farkle away, butbeware the Zzzaaapp!

O N T H E M A R K

MARK BYERS

BACKROADS • JUNE 2014 Page 7

JB, that’s what I called him. Not sure why, or when that started but he said he liked it causeit made him feel important, and he was.

Some mornings while I was on my way to work he would call me from either his favoritebagel shop or his bike and tell me of his plans for the day. He’d tell me about a great road hediscovered or another museum he found, and he found a lot of wonderful museums to see.We’d talk about where we would ride that weekend, or a trip we should take.

He would talk and talk and talk and I would listen because when I needed someone to ventto, he would listen. We were there for each other, and I thinkthat’s why we were such good friends.

I miss the big lug, the roads won’t be the same without himguiding me on the next adventure.

Farewell JB, I hope you’re riding your perfect motorcyclenow as fast and as far as you desire.

Dave Erfer

Page 8 JUNE 2014 • BACKROADS

T H R O T T L E B L I P S • F A R E W E L L T O A F R I E N D

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trAveL

A $13 Anchor Steam doesn’t taste any better than a $4 one but this beer ispretty good nonetheless. To get to a point where I could order said invest-ment grade beverage I have endured the traffic laden roads of New York City,three full parking lots at LaGuardia Airport and one very irate young lady ina truck with Jersey plates on it. This apoplectic female was hanging farenough out the passenger window so as to make sure I could clearly see herraised middle finger directed at me. I do not need to be a lip reader to un-derstand what she is trying to convey to me although I have no idea what mytransgression involved. Jerseyites. They are such an angry people. Despitethis soul bleaching experience, after I parked and began the mile march inthe rain to terminal D when I saw a lady and her son pulled up to the closedgates of yet another parking field I felt their pain. I had driven around theairport for a half hour only to be rejected at each lot until I found one of thelast five spaces on the roof of a parking garage. I slogged across the busyroadway and explained to her where she could find this nirvana. She lookedgrateful and sped off. I did not mention the $33 a day parking fee. Why ruinthe surprise?

Such is airline travel today. To order my beer in the terminal restaurant Inever spoke with a waitress. Instead, I perused a menu on a table top IPad

and selected my poison. Nobody sympathizing with me “you look soakedhon. Have some coffee. Hope you have a good trip”. No testing out of mywitty waitress banter. Just the cold glow of Apple’s finest and moments latera lukewarm beer was delivered without fanfare – 18% gratuity already added.I wonder what the IPad is saving its tip money for. A new Android phone?

There was one bright spot. As Diane passed through security the TSA agentcommented about the motorcycle endorsement on her license. He then sawme and we had a moment. What kind of bike do you ride? A Yamaha R1.Blue of course. We could have spent hours talking bikes but the pressure ofthe line of sheeple building behind me made it a certain bet I would soon beobserving my second bird of the day –maybe a whole flock.

With no seats available in the newly designed terminal, the family and Iare relegated to staking out some floor space which I promptly annex as Jef-fland north and declare all its residents free to do what they want within ourfour by four borders. We are a peaceful country although we get very littledone. We spend a lot of time on the floor – whether on purpose or the resultof too many $13 beers.

And all this is tolerable. No, it’s really just barely acceptable because thereis no other option today when it comes to flying and getting from point A toPoint B as quickly as possible. But a month from now, I will quietly roll amotorcycle out of the garage as the sun pushes up against the darkness from

the east. I will turn the key and watch the needles sweepacross the gauge faces. If all goes well, the bike willfire without incident and I will hop on board. We willthen point ourselves in the direction we want to go andsome ten hours later we will arrive somewhere tired butin good stead. Along the way we will probably en-counter traffic, some irate drivers and who knows whatelse. Hopefully, a good dose of who knows what else.Sure, technology will intrude in the form of a GPS uniton the bike and maybe even some tunes in the helmet.But, when I stop for a burger at a small café somewherein the mountains of Virginia you can bet your ass Iwon’t be punching my order in on a machine. Nope,the waitress might ask where I’m from and the cookmight come out and give the motorcycle a once over ifhe is not too busy with what passes for a lunch crowd.Maybe when I leave I’ll find a family outside walkingaround the bike with the dad telling the children how heused to ride. That is when I ask if I can lift the kids onthe seat. The youngest boy looks worried at first butthen he succumbs to the magic that is motorcycles. An-other rider is born.

Back in my current reality I learn that the flight is de-layed another two hours as the rain pours down. I’mtold by a nice lady in a polyester suit provided by theairlines that there is a colossal storm hovering over us -and from what I have seen I believe that to be true. Thewoman who I directed to a parking space over twohours ago somehow recognizes me in the chaotic ter-minal. She actually takes the time to fight her waythrough the stream of people to come over and thankme. Suck it lady from New Jersey. Your middle fingerhas been trumped by this lady’s moment of kindness ina very weary world.

Jeffland is rapidly running out of provisions. It’s timeto move the tribe onward to the gate. If I was insteadtraveling by bike I would be pulling on a rain suit rightabout now and getting ready to continue on my way.No standing on line three hours from now at a rental carcounter at some sterile airport a thousand miles awayfrom here. Instead, the people cowering under theawning with me at the rest stop as they wait for the del-uge to slow so they can run to their cars would ask,“What are you going to do on that motorcycle? It’s rain-ing.” The answer is as it always has been:

Ride.

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THOUGHTS FROM THE ROAD Jeffrey Kurtzman

Page 10 JUNE 2014 • BACKROADS

Brian and Shira ,I just received a “share” of your Facebook post from Ken Condon regard-

ing Jeff’s death. What a tragedy. Dan and I didn’t know him well, but wefelt we did through his articles and the few times we exchanged correspon-dence over book projects. I am so sorry to hear this, and hope that you willconvey our sadness and fondness for him to his family. He was an “original,”and will be very much missed as part of the Backroads circle.

Judith M. Kennedy • Whitehorse Press

Shira and Brian,Came home an hour ago from a weekend of camping with my son up at

Stokes, and was absolutely shocked by your email and this news. Can’t be-lieve the absolute rotten timing of a disoriented 86 yr old! Sad, scary.Through BR’s rides and magazine, I felt he was part of my expanded broth-erhood, and know it must hurt you both so much more. My prayers andwishes to his family, fiancé, and you - his close friends.

God Bless all with Safe Riding,Craig

Brian,I was at the Kitchen Shop in Honesdale, PA over the weekend and I ran

into a lady wearing a Backroads jacket. I commented that it was my favoritemagazine. Imagine my surprise when she introduced herself as your Mom!We had a wonderful conversation. Just wanted to let you know. It’s such asmall world. BTW, it’s been 2 1/2 years, your Mom is due for another bikeride!!! Hint, hint....

Russ Bloomfield

Dear Backroads Magazine,I want to sincerely thank you for bestowing the Backroads Lifetime

Achievement in Motorcycling Excellence upon The Polar Bear GrandTour. What an honor it is to have such an award!

On behalf of the staff and members of the Polar Bear Grand Tour, I thankyou for this award. We will always treasure it! Ride safe, and enjoy the backroads.

Bob Hartpence • Chairman

Dear Editor,After reading your column in this month’s Backroads Magazine, a came

across a glaring and inexcusable error. On page 4, second bullet point. “Iknow if I am in the back I ALWAYS like to know what is coming up next.”Who are you trying to kid? After riding with your for close to 20 years, I’venever seen you anywhere close to even the back half of a group, none theless the “tailgunner”. What a joke!

I doubt it will ever happen, but the day you’re not leading is the day youlost your GPS AND the day your tank fell off with your map in the bag.

Loving regards,MB

BACKROADS • JUNE 2014 Page 11

BACKLASH Letters to the Editor

Got something to say?

We’d love to hear it.

Letters may be edited,

never censored, to fit.

Mail: BACKROADS • PO Box 317, Branchville NJ 07826

Fax: (973) 948-0823 • Email: editor@backroadsusa.com

LET’S PARTY LIKE’S IT’S 1984! V2V FOR MOTORCYCLES?The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has stated

that they do in fact intend to include motorcycles in the research they will bedoing about vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication technology.

V2V technology, in theory, allows for individual vehicles to communicatewith each other on the road. The conversation would let the individual vehi-cles inform other vehicles as to how fast it is moving, where it is moving to,and how far away it is from other vehicles. The theory goes on to assumethat using this technology will reduce crashes and therefore injury and lossof life.

The technology works something like this: if a vehicle is approaching an-other vehicle at a greater rate of speed and a collision is imminent, the vehiclecan brake itself to slow down and avoid the collision. Or if a distracted driveris bearing into your vehicle’s space, it will automatically employ evasive ac-tions such as hard braking or swerving.

“Vehicle-to-vehicle technology represents the next generation of autosafety improvements, building on the life-saving achievements we’ve alreadyseen with safety belts and air bags,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary An-thony Foxx. “By helping drivers avoid crashes, this technology will play akey role in improving the way people get where they need to go while en-suring that the U.S. remains the leader in the global automotive industry.”

When NHTSA announced that it was going to begin taking steps to enableV2V communications technology for light vehicles, the concern was thatmotorcycles would be negatively affected by not being included in the dis-cussion. It was revealed that the initial research will focus on passenger cars,but motorcycles will be included eventually.

NHTSA plans on equipping motorcycles with V2V technology so that thevehicle can transmit signals to other vehicles on the road to provide a warningof potential vehicle collision and avoid it.

Technology changes to motorcycles are certainly beginning to rise. Liq-uid-cooled, fuel-injected, touch screen equipped Harley-Davidsons are just

the first wave. What comes next is anyone’s guess. Some of it is certain tobe helpful, like GPS, but taking full control of a motorcycle away from themotorcyclist is one of the worst possible ideas in the universe – taking anycontrols away from the rider is not acceptable.

TRAVELS WITH TED IN COLOMBIA

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Page 12 JUNE 2014 • BACKROADS

INDUSTRY INFOBITES News from the Inside

spots.... Dates are October 20 to 31 - 12-day all-paved tour. They have allBMW GS models available for the Motorcycle Legends Tour. But you canalso choice to ride other great Adventure bikes like the Kawasaki KLR650,Suzuki V-Strom DL650 or 1000 ABS or Yamaha’s XT1200Z Super Teneré.

DRIVER PRIVACY ACT AMENDED TO SECURE MOTORCYCLISTS’ INFO

PROPOSAL NOW COVERS ALL MOTOR VEHICLE DATA

A proposed change in the language of the Driver Privacy Act in the U.S.Senate would expand the bill’s scope to protect all information recorded byevent data recorders installed on all “motor vehicles,” including motorcycles,the American Motorcyclist Association reports.

The substitute amendment was offered in committee by Sen. AmyKlobuchar (D-Minn.) to S. 1925, which deals with information collected byevent data recorders, sometimes referred to as “black boxes.”

While the government does not require the installation of event datarecorders on motorcycles, some current models are equipped with the de-vices.

“The American Motorcyclist Association supports the Klobuchar amend-ment and believes that all information collected by event data recorders be-longs to the owner of the vehicle or the person leasing the vehicle — whetherthey are on two, three or four wheels,” said Wayne Allard, AMA vice presi-dent of government relations. “Access to that data should come only at thediscretion of the vehicle owner or lessee.”

Allard thanked Sens. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) and Klobuchar for workingwith the motorcycling community to make this neededchange.

UN CALLS FOR MANDATORY HELMET USE

Recently the 68th session of the United Nations votedto approve a non-binding resolution entitled “ImprovingGlobal Road Safety,” which sounds innocent enough,but when closely examined, has some very disturbingideas concerning motorcyclists, motorcycles, and hel-met laws.

The most disturbing directive is “to encourage Mem-ber States (countries participating in the UN) to enactcomprehensive legislation on key risk factors for roadtraffic injuries including the non-use of helmets.” Or inother words, universal mandatory global helmet law.Keep in mind this is a non-binding resolution, but manycountries and legislative bodies take the UN’s sugges-tions very seriously. This is the warning shot across thebow. The United Nations is coming for motorcyclists.

That is why it is so unfortunate that America’s ownPermanent Representative to the United Nations, and amember of President Obama’s Cabinet voted in supportof the resolution. She even spoke to the General Assem-bly in strong support of the resolution.

The non-binding resolution has some other very trou-bling issues with regards to motorcyclists. For instance,one of the directives claims that there are insufficientpolicies in place to protect motorcyclists. The idea thatone type of policy would work for every country in theUnited Nations is beyond fantasy. Our diverse globalmotorcycle community cannot exist under a one-size fitall approach.

Another section of the resolution recognizes and com-mends The UN Economic Commission for Europe andthe World Forum for the Harmonization of Vehicle Reg-ulations to modify vehicle regulations to increase safety.This is essential in the UN calling for global harmoniza-tion of policy that could include helmet laws and uni-versal vehicle anti-tampering measures. Both of thesewould devastate the motorcycle community and after-market industry in America.

It is a clear picture of the mindset of the UN to sup-port such an over-reaching resolution. By muddying thewaters with controversial policies, the UN loses supportfor some very good ideas concerning distracted drivingand Good Samaritan policies.

SCHUBERTH NORTH AMERICA

TO DISTRIBUTE�HELD IN USASchuberth North America is proud to announce their partnership with Ger-

man motorcycle apparel and equipment manufacturer Held. Schuberth NAwill serve as the sole distributor of Held products in the United States, witha selection of products to become available in June 2014. This selection willinclude Held’s famous GORE-TEX, leather and textile riding gloves, pre-mium GORE-TEX textile adventure riding suits for both men and women,and waterproof bag systems. More information to be provided in comingweeks.

“We are very excited to welcome Held Rider Equipment to the SchuberthNorth America family,” said Randy Northrup, Vice President of SchuberthNorth America. “Held uses the highest quality materials and draws ondecades of engineering innovation to produce some of the best motorcyclegear available, which we believe will perfectly complement our offering ofSchuberth helmets.”

Best known worldwide for their award-winning glove lines, Held also de-signs and manufactures premium motorcycle safety gear, utilizing the highestquality materials and armour. Held’s innovations include being the firstequipment manufacturer to implement naturally abrasion-resistant kangarooand sting ray leathers in its products, the first to use a special inside steppedseam to eliminate seam discomfort, and the first manufacturer to use a tita-nium knuckle cover on their gloves.

BACKROADS • JUNE 2014 Page 13

EPA ACKNOWLEDGES THAT ETHANOL DAMAGES ENGINES

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has publicly acknowledgedthat ethanol in gasoline can damage internal combustion engines by increas-ing exhaust temperatures and indirectly causing component failures, theAmerican Motorcyclist Association reports.

The EPA statements are found in a rule proposal issued by the FederalTrade Commission regarding a new label for pumps that supply fuel blendshigh in ethanol.

According to the EPA, “[e]thanol impacts motor vehicles in two primaryways. First ... ethanol enleans the [air/fuel] ratio (increases the proportion ofoxygen relative to hydrocarbons) which can lead to increased exhaust gastemperatures and potentially increase incremental deterioration of emissioncontrol hardware and performance over time, possibly causing catalyst fail-ure. Second, ethanol can cause materials compatibility issues, which maylead to other component failures.

“In motorcycles and nonroad products [using E15 and higher ethanolblends], EPA raised engine-failure concerns from overheating.”

These EPA statements, contained in the FTC document, back the long-heldposition of the AMA.

“The American Motorcyclist Association has fought the distribution of E15fuel blends in an effort to protect motorcycle and all-terrain vehicles fromthe damage that ethanol causes,” said Wayne Allard, AMA vice president forgovernment relations. “Now the EPA acknowledges that ethanol itself is

harmful to emissions hardware and other components on all motor vehicles.It is time for the federal government to pause, take a hard look at this productand change its entire approach to ethanol in fuels.”

None of the estimated 22 million motorcycles and ATVs currently in op-eration can use fuels with blends higher than 10 percent ethanol. Doing socould void the manufacturer’s warranty, in addition to causing damage to thevehicle.

We applaude the EPA’s decision in its proposed rule to roll back the re-quirement for wider distribution and use of E15 under its Renewable FuelStandard.

POLARIS INDUSTRIES INC. CANCELS

AMERICAN VICTORY RALLY IN 2014 DUE TO EXPANSION

Polaris Industries Inc announced it is canceling the 2014 American VictoryRally due to extensive transformation of manufacturing lines at the com-pany’s Spirit Lake, Iowa facility, home of the Victory product line and annualrally.

“All of us at Victory are disappointed that we are unable to host the rallythis year as we know our riders are passionate about their bikes and the op-portunity to connect with each other, the Spirit Lake community and Victoryemployees at the annual rally,” said Marcy Bosch, committee chair, AmericanVictory Rally.

While the American Victory Rally won’t be happening this year, Victoryowners regularly organize local rallies across the coun-try. Rally attendees are encouraged to talk to their localdealers for information on other rallies or Victory eventsthat might be happening in their area.

Page 14 JUNE 2014 • BACKROADS

poStCArDS from the heDGe (Continued from page 6)

they were when I was in my twenties (I know-how canthat be possible? I thought that only happened toOTHER people). Oh sure, there are those who knew mein my twenties who would argue that my faculties wherepretty much on sabbatical most of the time during thosesalad days, but I wasn’t the guy who flipped the Suzukiwhen trying to perform a wheelie in front of our neigh-bors in Austin, was I Douglas? Most embarrassing.

So there we are, in a city with streets and driving pat-terns and drivers and road hazards that we are unfamiliarwith, and naturally we would rely on GPS to navigateas it’s really good at that. But it’s here where I think theGenie should be put back in the bottle and you shouldstay focused solely on the world around you, with fewother distractions. But wait: how do you find your wayaround, and get to your destination? Well, in the pastwhen I was going into a new city, I would stop (usuallyfor gas) before diving in the maw of Evil, and literallymemorize the map and directions as to where I wasgoing. If needed, I’d write VERY simplified directionson a map and put it on my tank bag or Aerostich sleeve.Yes, I would be distracted for a second if I needed toglance at these aides, but I made them very simple, largeand free of unnecessary detail. As good as the latest GPSis, I still think it’s more distracting and I feel voice in-structions are a tad better than relying on a visual displaybut still distracting. I have had problems even in carswhen I’m told to take the next left, as there is often asmaller road it’s not referring to that I go down by mis-take. This is a personal failing, not a flaw in the software.

I guess the ultimate motivation for my continual harp-ing on staying focused and eliminating distraction isbeing aware that it’s the only real tool we have in a worldfull of deadly drivers. We have to know what they’regoing to do before they do, and always expect them todo the dumbest, most dangerous maneuver imaginable.Tragically, there are some scenarios that we can’t doanything about, but as long as we ride we need to do thebest we can and eliminate any and all potential distrac-tions. Hey, I love GPS, but remember, like any miracu-lous technological solution, it’s a two-edged sword.

DAreDeviL muSeum of niAGArA fALLS

303 rAinBow BLvD , niAGArA fALLS, ny 14303 • 716- 282-4046

Who ever said this was a man’s world?Well, up north, where New York and Canada share the mighty falls of

Niagara, it was a woman who first conquered the famed waterfall.The year was 1901 and the now infamous Pan American Exposition was

taking place in Buffalo, New York. History was made when PresidentWilliam McKinley was shot by an anarchist, Leon Czolgosz. The newlydeveloped X-ray machine was displayed at the fair, but doctors were reluc-tant to use it on McKinley to search for the bullet because they did not knowwhat side effects it might have had on him.

Still even with all these his-tory-changing events happeningat Niagara, other news was to bemade as well.

On October 24th of that sameyear Annie Taylor became thefirst person and the first womanto go over the falls in a barrel andsurvive. Taylor, a 63 year oldschool teacher from Michigan,accompanied by her cat, decidedto tempt fate in an effort to gainfame and fortune.

With all that was going on atthe Pan American ExpositionTaylor felt she would be able to attract a huge crowd. On the afternoon ofOctober 24th, 1901 a small boat towed the barrel containing Taylor and hercat into the main stream of the Niagara River where it was cut loose.

At approximately 4:30 p.m. thebarrel was seen edging over thebrink, only to reappear less than aminute later where it was seenfloating at the base of the falls.Fifteen minutes later the barrelreappeared close to the Canadianshore, where it was dragged to arock and the barrel lid removed.

To everyone’s amazement,Annie Taylor and her (we wouldthink) unhappy cat, emerged fromher barrel, dazed but triumphant.Her only injury was a cut on her

forehead that she receivedwhile being extracted from herbarrel (or mauled by her cat?).

Thus began a history of‘daredevils’ attempting to grabtheir own bit of history. Asyou would think, many timesthings did not end well at all.

On July 25, 1911 the infa-mous Bobby Leach plungedover the falls in a steel barrel.

BACKROADS • JUNE 2014 Page 15

Morton’s BMW Motorcycles Presents

Dr. Seymour O’Life’s MYSTERIOUS AMERICA

Bobby broke both kneecaps and his jaw during his daring event. Years later whiletouring in New Zealand, Bobby slipped on an orange peel and died from compli-cations due to gangrene.

On July 11, 1920 Englishman Charles G. Stephens equipped his wooden barrelwith an anvil for ballast. Charles tied himself to the anvil for security. After theplunge, Chuck’s right arm was the only item left in the barrel.

Ouch!The first Canadian to conquer the falls was Karel Soucek. Karel survived the

plunge, but later that year Karel was killed while recreating the drop from a plat-form inside the Houston Astrodome when his barrel hit the edge of the water tank.

Do you see a trend here, kids?Still today you can see many of the barrels and vessels that have sailed over the

edge of Niagara at the Daredevil Museum of Niagara Falls.Step into the barrels and floatation contraptions of Niagara Falls most famous

and infamous stunt attempts at the Daredevil Museum of Niagara Falls on the NewYork side of the border. This exciting museum chronicles the sometimes deadly,sometimes heroic feats that have been attempted at Niagara Falls and includessome incredible artifacts. Visitors to this free museum will see the inner tube-wrapped barrel used by Steven Trotter in 1985. Trotter returned to the falls againto make his second attempt; this time with a female partner, Lori Martin, a catererfrom Georgia.

They were the first male and female to make the big drop together.Probably the most dramatic attempt was Robert Overcracker who tried to pilot

a jetski over the brink of the Horseshoe Falls to help promote awareness for thehomeless. His parachute did not open and he plunged to his death. His body wasnever recovered.

Some people didn’t feel the need for a barrel like Kirk Jones who went over thefalls with nothing but the clothes on his back. He miraculously survived with justsome bruises but was fined $2,300 and banned from Canada for life! Oh, theshame!

Many of these barrels, contraptions and craft can be seen at the Daredevil Mu-seum of Niagara Falls - a fascinating place where you can get up close and seesome of these artifacts and fiascos in person and certainly a place that has a spotin this Mysterious America.

O’Life out!

Page 16 JUNE 2014 • BACKROADS

Cross Country Powersports911 Middlesex Ave, Metuchen, NJ (732) 491-2900

www.CrossCountryPowersports.com

Cross Country Open HouseSaturday June 7see website for details

SLIM CHANCEYOU’LL FINDANOTHERBOBBER LIKE IT…

Cross Country Powersports911 Middlesex Ave, Metuchen, NJ (732) 491-2900www.CrossCountryPowersports.com

…ANYWHERE.

Victory and Victory Motorcycles® are registered trademarks of Polaris Industries, Inc. Always wear a helmet, eye protection, and protective clothing andobey the speed limit. Never ride under the influence of drugs or alcohol. ©2013 Polaris Industries Inc.

Cross Country Open House • Saturday, June 7See website for details

prohiBition DiStiLLery

10 union St, roSCoe, ny • 607-498-4511

tAStinG room AnD tour hourS: noon – 6pm monDAy thru SunDAy

Disclaimer: Tasting is not drinking. Be Responsible. Buy a bottle, or two,

for consumption when the bikes are parked. Now, on to the good part…

The year was 1920; to be specific January 16th. The 18th amendment wasenacted and with it brought the end of legal drinking in the United States forthe next 13 years. But did that stop us? Heck no! It did start a booming busi-ness of folks selling alcohol under the radar screen. Speakeasies popped upacross the nation, helping people break the law and continue to enjoy them-selves. Rum-running, smuggling of alcohol over water, became a huge busi-ness, with ships bringing rum (duh) from Bimini to Florida speakeasies. Withrum being so cheap, there was not enough profit, so they began bringingFrench champagne and English gin to New York City and Boston, where theprices were high. According to the PBS documentary ‘Prohibition’, the term‘bootlegging’ was popularized when thousands of city dwellers would sellliquor from flasks theykept in their boot leg. Theheydey of American spir-its was born, with every-one from school teachersto presidents keeping asupply on hand. Moon-shiners, bootleggers andrumrunners were makinga fortune, the Roaring 20swas in full swing, womenwere drinking with men inpublic and, soon afterwith the 19th Amend-

ment, they were votingas well. Life was good,sort of. The 21st Amend-ment, repealing Prohibi-tion, showed us that it isbetter to imbibe, and theliquor was soon flowingfreely, as well as legally,once again.

The year was 2009.Brian Facquet and JohnWalsh, said ‘to heck withthe financial woes’, quittheir jobs and followedtheir dreams to produce alocally crafted spirit thatrespected a sense oftenacity found in the American entrepreneur. What they ended up with is adamn fine hooch made from 100% corn, locally grown and produced in thetown of Roscoe, home of fly fishing and beautiful motorcycle riding. Theirinitial recipe won a silver medal at the San Francisco World Spirits compe-tition and, from there, they spent some time perfecting it to bring you the flo-ral smoothness you taste today in Bootlegger 21 New York Vodka, namedfor the 21st Amendment which brought booze back to the public.

They moved to their current digs in the historic fire house in 2013. Thespace is perfect for their needs, with a beautiful tasting room and enough realestate for stills, drums and bottling, and the aging barrels which will soonproduce their line of bourbon and whiskey.

Our long-time acquaintance, Jeannette Moser, who is helping Brian andJohn with tastings and such, brought us around for the tour. We learned what‘6 times distilled’ meant and exactly what ‘charcoal filtered’ is and does. We

BACKROADS • JUNE 2014 Page 17

Hanover Powersports Presents

BIG CITY GETAWAY daytrip ideas to get out of the daily grind

saw the different stills and the difference between vodka,gin and whiskey distilling and what goes into, and comesout of, each metal tank from start to finish. Did you knowone of the differences between bourbon and whiskeycomes from the barrels in which they age? Bourbon canonly be aged in ‘virgin’ barrels, while whiskey can spendits time in used barrels.

Their bottling is done on premise as well, with each bot-tle hand labeled. Their wonderful retro-botanical, stampedglass bottle is worth the price of admission alone. Thelabel, which is based on the old prescription note one re-ceived to buy ‘medicinal’ alcohol during the days of pro-hibition states that Bootlegger 21 is ‘officially ‘not’prohibited in all fifty state.’ What you’ll get when you tasteBootlegger 21 is smooth. It’s a ‘big’vodka, almost full-bodied, and BrianFacquet likens it to unaged whitewhiskey. The smell is slightly sweet,which you’ll notice on your tongue,making it a superb sipping vodka.Throw in a couple of ice cubes andyou’re good to go.

If you like Bloody Marys, I highlyrecommend tasting the McClure’sBloody Mary mixer that is sold atProhibition Distillery. Made from allnatural ingredients and based on theirspicy pickle brine, you will not tastea better vegetable juice cocktail any-where. Add some Bootlegger 21 andyour Sunday brunch will be perfec-tion.

The town of Roscoe is also hometo the Roscoe Brewing Co., maker of Trout Town American Amber Ale andthe Barleyhopper. Located sort of around the corner, they have a tasting roomand gift shop where you can sample their wares and see the works of some

very talented local artists. If you hap-pen to be staying in the Catskills, lookfor their brews on tap at many of thelocal restaurants and pubs.

Here’s a short hop from Port Jervis,NY to Prohibition Distillery. You cancertainly make a much longer loop,heading into Catskill Park and ending

in Roscoe or, better yet, stop at Prohibition and pick up a bottle and then endyour day at any of the great lodgings available in this region. Whatever youdo, enjoy yourself and remember, tasting is not drinking and be responsible.

rip & ride® page 52 Shira Kamil

Page 18 JUNE 2014 • BACKROADS

the humminGBirD houSe

310 route 94 South, newton, nJ 07860

973-300-0333 • www.humminGBirDhouSenJ.Com

The story of Route 94 is really a tale of two rivers asthis historic highway runs some 80 miles from the Hud-son River Valley to the Delaware River.

Another good thing about Route 94 is the incrediblenumber of fantastic roads that run in and around this oldpiece of pavement.

Along the way it meanders through historic towns,some big, some small and there are a number of greatrestaurants along the way, but this month we want to fea-ture a relative newcomer to Route 94 that has put upshop in an old farm-style home just south of Newton,New Jersey.

Welcome to The Hummingbird House.The Hummingbird House was once known as the

James Mattison House. This house was built in the late1700s, probably around 1793, by James Mattison whohad come to Sussex County in 1780.

It has had a colorful history since.We spotted the new incarnation of this establishment

that was a Tea House in a previous life. It had sat closedfor a bit and seeing it now open and serving breakfastand lunch we knew we’d soon have to stop in and dosome research for the GAADR!

We took a spin over one bright late winter day, meet-ing some friends there that had ridden over to join us.

The Hummingbird House has a distinct and comfort-able country feel to it.

Located right on Route 94, they have a large lot that’llhold any good-sized riding group, stone patio andwooden wraparound deck – all good for al fresco diningduring the warmer months.

There are a number of decent sized rooms and we allcommented on the great old and wide wooden plankfloors.

The Hummingbird House does not lack for ambiance.The Hummingbird House is a family-owned/run

restaurant; it is owned by Elizabeth Biron and SherylBiron and family traditions and values run through theentire house.

The restaurant’s name has a great story as well.Growing up Dad, Mike, was big on breakfast for hisfamily. He has now passed but the hummingbird has asignificant meaning because a hummingbird would fre-

quently visit the family after Mike Biron’s passing.The family feels that the hummingbird would visitto let them know that the future would be great. Itturned out to be such a good omen. In addition to thebird being apart of the logo the strong mountain be-hind it is the beautiful Burgess Adirondack Mountainwhere Mike’s ashes rest.

Entering the restaurant we took a seat at one of thelarger tables in the first of many rooms and took agander at their breakfast menu.

Almost everything on the morning menu comeswith their special Hummingbird home fries. Fear not,there are no little mashed birds in this mix, rather awonderful combination of spices and potatoes thateveryone at our table raved about.

The eggs benedict looked to be delicious and fill-ing, as did their steak and farm fresh eggs. You canhave two or three farm fresh eggs any style you’dlike and add bacon, sausage, taylor ham (Jersey fa-vorite) or the more conventional ham.

The Hummingbird House offers four different

BACKROADS • JUNE 2014 Page 19

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GREAT ALL AMERICAN DINER RUN tasty places to take your bike

omelettes including western, veggie, Italian or meat lovers or you can createyour own, like I did staring with a meat lovers and adding fresh spinach andfeta cheese.

It and the Hummingbird home fries were perfect this day.Pancakes and French toast are well represented with seven selections in-

cluding a dujour and their magnificent Hummingbird House French toast.Shira opted for their stuffed French toast, which featured bananas foster andwas more like dessert than breakfast – always a plus.

If you just want a sandwich they have you covered here as well, but werecommend the Fat Boy that serves up bacon, sausage, egg, cheese and hash-browns.

Straight to the aorta we say!We returned for lunch a week or so later.If you are thinking light try one of their salads – you have five to choose

from including the special Hummingbird (what can we say they like thename!) which has a scrumptious combination of sun dried cranberries,toasted walnuts, and feta cheese. The Caesar was most excellent as well. You

will also find a number of tasty sandwiches and paninis. How about some-thing different and healthy – green apple and brie? You will find a fish sand-wich which is ightly panko breaded and pan-pressed for a crisp exterior andflaky moist inside served with homemade tartar sauce.

The burgers are most excellent as well and the special HBH burger comeswith fried shoestring shallots, cheddar and a homemade aioli. All the burgerscan be had with a choice of cheddar, provolone, American, brie or fresh moz-zarella.

Another nice idea, if you are not famished or feel like something different,is to try their meat and cheese platter; a selection of meats and cheeses servedwith a fresh rustic loaf and homemade pesto, a great combination sure toplease.

The Hummingbird House is open Tuesday – Sunday: 6am-3pm andthey are closed Mondays.

As we said Route 94 is a neat and historic road, but we’ll bring you up ourown way – along the backroads from Harriman State Park. Also available isthe GPS route for your Garmin device – enjoy! Rip & Ride® page 52

Page 20 JUNE 2014 • BACKROADS

inDiAn roCk inn

2206 river roAD / route 32, upper BLACk eDDy, pA 18972

610- 982-9600 • inDiAnroCkinn.Com

We have seen many a nice sunset, after a good day’s ride, but as we gazedwestward from our perch on the porch of the Pennsylvania side of theDelaware River it struck us that we were on the PA-side yet watching thesun set over the river and New Jersey.

I’m no geography major, but doesn’t the sun rise in the east and set in thewest? At least that is what I have always understood.

Still here we were… and there was no denying that our star was quickly

heading towards the horizon and the drinks, company and ambiance of thelarge wooden porch in front of the Indian Rock inn, as superb as it all was,was indeed facing west.

Located just south of the city of Easton, along a nook of the DelawareRiver that flows to the north and Pennsylvania is actually east of New Jersey,you will find the Indian Rock Inn.

To push our credibility even more I’d like to say that we were told that thisspot on the river has been in the service industry for more than 700 years.

Okay, how’s that? Well it seems that in pre-European times the local Lenape tribes fished this

part of the river and created a large stone pool at the base of the high androcky palisades above the river to hold their catch.They added to the natural pool with rock and stoneand created a holding tank that would keep the fish tillother Lenape could come shopping, as it were.

When the building that is now the Indian Rock wasfirst constructed back in 1820 this stone holding tankwas used in the original foundation.

There are even tavern licenses dating back years be-fore – so no matter how you look at it, for years thispart of the river has had a great allure for we humans.

It still does today.Unlike most of Bucks County, which can be a bit

pretentious and expensive, Beverly and Tom, whonow call the inn home, keep things friendly, invitingand reasonably affordable.

The weekend of the big Norton Gathering at Wash-ington’s Crossing, about 30 miles south, we mean-dered over to Upper Black Eddy and took a room atIndian Rock.

BACKROADS • JUNE 2014 Page 21

Bergen County Harley-Davidson Presents

WE’RE OUT TA HERE a weekend destination keeping you on the backroads

The old place has great charm within and without, and the friendly greet-ings from fellow travelers and some locals sitting on the sun drenched porchand at the bar was taken as a very good sign.

There were some early diners and fellow riders in the two dining roomsand in a short time Beverly was showing us our home for the night – a largenicely appointed room with a super comfortable queen bed and private bath.

The room was phone and TV free, which worked for us as we wanted aquiet evening and both had good books to read.

Massages are available at the inn with prior arrangement which Shira haddone, getting me, what she called, a month early birthday present.

Me, I will take a good massage any day and Judy gave a great one.While I was getting slightly pampered Shira was meeting and schmoozing

with the local color at the long bar at their Barking Dog Saloon, named afterthe Daschunds that really run the Indian Rock.

In fact, not that you will be bringing yourpooch along on the bike (well, maybe some ofyou will) but, the Indian Rock is a pet friendlyinn – they even like children and will let themstay too.

The Saturday afternoon crowd at the BarkingDog was upbeat and very friendly as was thebartender, who did his profession proud and hada serious knowledge of good music, which hekept flowing, along with a well constructed cos-mopolitan with extra (like a milk shake).

I sauntered downstairs after the massage tofind a happy buzz to the place and a serioussunset beginning to form over the river and thecanal, which also runs directly in front of theIndian Rock.

With the sun oddly setting over the skylandsof New Jersey all was good with the world, butit was about to get better as the approachingdarkness set off the diner bells in our heads andwe took a seat in the many windowed diningroom, watching the world pass by and taking abit more interest when the occasional group ofsport bikes came by at a rather brisk pace.

Indian Rock has a lot to offer - great location,superior roads, nice porch with baffling sunsetand the comfortable bar just steps away. But, itis their restaurant that really will grab you.

Here Chef Val Roy Gerischer serves up somequality seafood, beef and game dishes inspiredby Mediterranean cuisine, with entrees fromnorthern Africa and Europe.

This is a We’re Outta Here and not a GreatAll American Diner Run, but it could be –something to think about.

With that being said let me just touch onsome of what was offered that night.

First off their Caesar was awesome and whowouldn’t love the asparagus with fresh goatcheese and pesto wrapped in puff pastry?

Shira dove into their fried oysters that wereso plump and flavorful by themselves that anydipping sauce was really an unnecessary evil.

For dinner I chose the Deep Fried Pork Loin,coated in panko bread crumbs, deep fried,served with apricot horseradish sauce, andmashed potatoes.

The apricot horseradish sauce was and is abrilliant idea and two flavors I would not havecombined myself but, if I serve it to you at myhome, know I made it up.

The menu also included salmon, steak, rackof lamb and other tasty decisions. You could notgo wrong with anything on the menu, but youmust save room for dessert. The carrot cheese-cake, split between us - as we are not total glut-tons - was divine. Other temptations included

a white chocolate bread pudding with a whiskey hard sauce and vanilla cremebrulee.

The Indian Rock serves up Sunday Brunch, making it an excellent week-end ride destination.

The next morning a cup of coffee and the silent atmosphere of the riverand the rocks was only occasionally disturbed by the trilling of song birdsand the occasional motorcycle heading south to Washington’s Crossing. Atthis moment of time all was well in the world and we wouldn’t want to beanywhere else.

As you can tell we think the Indian Rock Inn is a most excellent place andfar more real and comfortable than many of the more expensive and aloofinns further to the south. To make it even better we will give you a nice threestate ride to this cozy getaway along the part of the Delaware that flows north,not south. Enjoy! Rip & Ride® page 51

Page 22 JUNE 2014 • BACKROADS

Clockwisee top left: White table clothes but casual dining • Take a seat on the porch to watch the world go by and the

beautiful sunset over the Delaware and New Jersey • The perfect Cosmo at the end of the day with an excellent meal

hoLSten’S BrookDALe ConfeCtionery

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mon-SAt: 11Am-11:30pm • Sun: noon-10pm

Don’t Stop Believing – that there will always be ice cream, for better or for worse,in the pages of Backroads. And this month, we are definitely dealing with the betterof the ice creams to be found on our hunt for homemade delights.

Even though Holsten’s Brookdale Confectionery has been serving their finestdairy and chocolate temptations since 1939, it took the end of one of the hottest se-ries on television to bring them to the spotlight. Much to the dismay of the localswho have been stopping in for their burgers, fries (NOT onion rings), ice creamsodas and take-home chocolates,Holsten’s, for whatever reason, waschosen for the last location shoot-ing (no pun intended) of the Sopra-nos. I am a Jersey girl, born andbred, having pork roll running

through my veins (YUCK!) but I have to admit that I did not watch oneepisode of this series. No, I didn’t know ‘these’ types growing up – I wasa good girl and had nothing to do with that element in Cliffside Park (al-though Frank Sinatra did attend his father’s wake at Macagna FuneralHome and one Willie Moretti was gunned down at Joe’s Restaurant acrossfrom Palisades Amusement Park). So the allure of sitting where Tony So-prano ate his last onion ring was not compelling as were the tweets andyelps heralding Holsten’s ice cream and all things creamy.

Bloomfield may not be the quintessential motorcycling mecca, but it’snot Manhattan either. There are plenty of good roads to be found in Pas-saic county, and certainly in the rest of the state leading to your goldenring. We arrived on a weekday, and parking was easy to find. The store-

BACKROADS • JUNE 2014 Page 23

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front looks like you will be walking in to an old-timey luncheonette/ice creamparlor. The tinkle of the bell will remind you of days gone by, when you werea kid entering the penny candy store. To your left is the counter with appro-priate red-covered swivel bar stools, soda fountain manned by the soda jerk(said with affection) who happens to be the person responsible for makingthe wonderful treat you are about to consume. He also makes fresh whipped

cream and the assortedsauces to dowse your icecream of choice. Behindhim is the grill that will searyour burger, should you bea bit peckish.

Glancing to your right, your eyes will widen andyou’ll start to feel a slight drool developing in yourmouth, as you take in the cases of homemade chocolates– dark and milk, truffles, miniatures and, bestill myheart, butter crunch. Not to disappoint, they have someof those candies from days gone by, such as candy cig-arettes (probably illegal in most states).

We slid onto two stools and perused the flavor menu.No surprises here, and no cute, trendy names to deci-pher. You’ve got your vanillas, chocolates and coffees’strawberry, black raspberry and cookies and cream;some sherberts and ices and their flavor of the month,as well as some sugar free. Should you be a purist, orderup a cup or cone with or without whipped cream.Should you be a glutton, how about a Banana Split or,better yet, a Holsten’s Special (four scoops, two top-pings whipped cream, nuts, sprinkles and, of course, acherry). There’s milk shakes, regular or ‘heavy’, floats,sodas and the always popular egg cream.

On this day, I opted for a scoop of their Special Flavor– Vanilla Peanut Butter; how could I pass that up – andcoffee chip, with peanut butter sauce crowning thisbeauty. Brian decided on a milk shake sporting cookiesand cream. Both were excellent, decadent and ex-tremely satisfying. We managed to escape without giv-ing in to the chocolate devil, but if I find myself backin this part of Bloomfield, I don’t think I’ll be as luckynext time.

If you venture to Holsten’s, and I highly recommendthat you do, don’t be worried that the screen will turnto black before you can leave. Just be concerned thatyou’ll go into a sugar coma from all the goodness theyhave to offer.

Page 24 JUNE 2014 • BACKROADS

The limited production Raider SCL is loaded with premium cruiser features. Craftedfor riders who value exclusivity, only 500 of these exceptional machines will be built.The Raider SCL features newly developed, aggressive, robust, dark Matte Iron paint accented with a Matte Raven

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“We Leave the Good Life!”

BACKROADS • JUNE 2014 Page 25

e’re planning a ride to the Isle

De’ Madeleine, do you want to go?”

That was the question asked by my

good friend Michele late winter of 2013.

“When?” was my reply. I wasn’t sure if

Nadia and I could get away as it was

going to be my first summer at a new

job, Nadia was moving in and there

were numerous other priorities planned

out for the summer. BUT, I knew I was

going to need a break so I tentatively

said OK. I went online and checked out

the archipelago the Isles form and, to

be honest, my first thought was meh…

. it looks very nice, but I want to go for

a motorcycle ride. Good thing I had the

good sense to trust my friends!

Our friend from Montreal, Nancy-Lynn, wasgoing to be the tour coordinator. This was great be-cause, to be honest, I really didn’t have the time toplan things as busy as the summer was going to be.I did put in a request though. I noticed one of our fa-vorite bands, Great Big Sea, was doing a concert inNew Gloucester N.S. during our trip and I thoughtit would be fun to include the show. Nancy-Lynnwas going to be riding her brand new Can Am Spy-der RT, bought because her boyfriend didn’t ride andhe’d be passenger. She’s been riding two wheels along time but she’s also a little peanut of a woman(only in stature!) so she knew she’d need something

to help support the load. Where there is a will, there is a way! Take note ofthis ladies and gents.

Michele, on the other hand, was to ride her new (used) V-Strom 650. How-ever, I received a call from her just before the trip and she said she felt morecomfortable on her little Kawasaki EX500. After talking with her for a bit, Itold her to ride the Strom up anyway and I’d see if I could “fit” it to her a bitbetter.

Everyone met at my place in Maine (Nancy-Lynn coming from Montrealand Michelle from south of Boston) and we had a great evening meal and afew drinks while we checked out the machinery and made last minute plans.I got to meet Andre’ (Nancy-Lynn’s boyfriend) for the first time and we hitit off great. I was also happily surprised that our friend Chantal, also fromMontreal, was joining the ride to PEI. After breakfast the following morning,I checked out Michele’s V-Strom.

Her complaints were, she didn’t like the way it handled and she couldn’tget her feet on the ground like she wanted. There were also a couple otherminor nit-picks to be addressed. It’s amazing, to me, that folks can ride bikesthat aren’t even close to properly set up. Looking at Michele’s bike, I realizedthe previous owner had the bars and levers rotated forward, plus the after-market seat was too wide and spread her legs causing her to not be able toplant her feet at a stop. Furthermore, the shock pre-load was maxed out caus-ing the bike not to settle when she was aboard. As I have a Wee-Strom aswell, I grabbed my old stock seat and set it on her bike, I rolled the bars backand adjusted the controls, I set the pre-load down and I raised the fork tubesabout an inch in the trees to lower the front end a bit. When Michele took itdown the road, she came back all smiles! I even talked her into keeping the

top box on so she coulduse it. (She was afraid itwas going to make thebike too top heavy)

With the little details out of the way, we were off. It was a prefect Maineday and we were almost 3 hours from my house when I realized I’d left mydriver’s license and credit card at the house! On the breakdown lane of I-95I weighed my options. Nadia had our passports and her credit cards so I madethe executive decision to proceed. If I was asked for my license at the border,we’d just have to head home. With fingers crossed, we proceed across Maineto the Canadian border.

Passports in hand, we breezed through customs much to my (and everyoneelse’s) relief! First stop, the Hilton in St. John New Brunswick. Nancy-Lynnsure knows how to pick them! We had some great rooms and proceeded tothe streets where we sampled the music, art, and entertainment that makesthe waterfront of St. John so much fun. While hoisting some drinks and toast-ing, Andre and Nancy-Lynn said, “We leave the good life!” Slight brokenEnglish? Nah, sounded great to everyone and for the rest of the trip “weLEAVE the good life” was our mantra.

Saddling up the following morning, the plan was to hit the highway andblast to Amherst and then take the Glooscap Trail down to Joggins FossilCliffs. The weather was cooperating and we soon found ourselves on thebeach at Joggins checking out fossils and petrified trees. If you’ve never beento Joggins, it’s a great place to take a break. Take a guided tour and checkout the center which tells how some of the oldest fossils in the world are atJoggins. Even in my motorcycle boots, the walking was fine.

Page 26 JUNE 2014 • BACKROADS

After Joggins, we wound our way along the coast but had to cut inland dueto our time schedule. We got into Pictou and checked into our rooms just intime to head to the Great Big Sea concert. If you’ve never heard of GreatBig Sea, they’re a Newfoundland band that combine traditional folk flavorwith rock. I’ve never seen them when they didn’t put on a high energy show.Alan Doyle’s (one of the lead singers) throat wasn’t good when he hit thestage and he could hardly speak but he still belted out some good songs withthe rest of Great Big Sea filling in what he couldn’t do. They were on their20th anniversary tour and you could tell they’ve been doing this and lovingit for a loooong time. All in all, a great time. After a restless night in Pictou,we were off for Moncton, New Brunswick.

We needed to be in Moncton for the fol-lowing morning as the Can-Am needed itsfirst service. The plan was to do CapeGeorge and then meander across the Sun-rise Trail back to Moncton to spend thenight there. Cape George was breathtakingbut also had Nancy-Lynn on her toes, as itwas the first real test putting the Can-Amthrough a bunch of corners. She adaptedquickly though and we were soon back onthe Sunrise Trail. Along the way we hitsome of the only rain of the trip. As wewere coming into Tatamagouche, the skiesstarted to open up. What do you do whenit starts to rain in Tatamagouche? Pull intothe Train Station Inn for lunch! I’ve writ-ten about the Train Station Inn before butit deserves another little blip. Without adoubt, we had the best chowder and the

best dessert of the trip at the Train Station. I hadn’t had the chance to eatthere on past trips but I will certainly not miss it if I’m within 50 miles thenext time I’m in the area! If dining in an old railroad diner car and havingsome great food wasn’t enough, the heaviest rain came down while we were

sipping coffee and having hot chowder. Sometimes you just live right. (Or,as we chanted, we leave the good life!) By the time we were done, the rainhad lightened up and we headed to Moncton.

If you’ve ever been between Amherst NS and Sackville NB, you knowthere is a spot of low lands between the two that the wind can HOWLthrough. I could say it was windy when we went through but, instead, let’sjust say I’m going to get about 1000 more miles out of the right side of mytires than the left…. Yeow! We were looking for semis to hide behind. Wepulled off at Fort Beausejour in NB to take a break after we got across thelow lands.

Fort Beausejour is one of those places you blast by on the highway andnot notice. This is a crying shame be-cause, for starters, the location is justplain beautiful. Sitting on highlandsabove the tidal plains and meadowsof Fundy Bay, you can look for milesaround you. The dykes and trenchesfrom the Acadian settlers, windfarms, the ocean, all there to see.Even after hours, like we were, youcan stand on the hill and just soak inthe beauty that surrounds you. Youcan also see weather coming in likewe did! The skies toward Monctonlooked EVIL! You could see a seriousrain line approaching and we figuredit was going to be a wet ride to endthe day. We saddled up and left thefort, but not before we learned it wasthe last outpost of the French. It fellto the British in 1755, and shortly after, the Acadians were driven out of thearea, many to settle Louisiana and become what we now call Cajuns.

Back to the ride though. As evil as the clouds looked from the fort, an oddthing happened about an hour into our ride. The highway started a gradual

BACKROADS • JUNE 2014 Page 27

turn to the north, AWAY from the storm. By the time we headed into Monc-ton, there were clouds and rain on either side of us, but no rain where wewere! We pulled into our hotel and just as we got off the bikes, the sky openedup, while we stood under an overhang. We DO leave the good life. At dinnerthat evening, Andre’ said I was like Moses parting the seas. Not so sure aboutthat but I’ll take that kind of luck anyway I can get it.

In the morningNancy-Lynn andAndre’ got the Can-Am serviced andback to the hotel bythe time the rest ofus were ready toleave. Michele had

a patient (she’s a dental hygienist) that had asked her to go to Bouctouche,NB and take a picture of the welcome sign, as his folks were from the town.So I was told to lead the way. ‘Cept I really didn’t know the way and aftertaking us about an hour or so out of the way, we finally got going in the cor-rect direction. We made it to Bouctouche eventually, had lunch, took saidpicture and then, after a stop in Shediac, high tailed it to Summerside, PEIwhere we were staying that night. I may have led everyone astray but at leastthe weather was PERFECT.

The only thing I’m going to say about our hotel in Summerside is, I thinkit’s going to be one of those places you read about on the news….Bought byan outfit out of China, its sole purpose is to funnel busloads of Chinesetourists through on their way to see the Ann of Green Gables house. Exitsnot marked, no hall lights, etc. If you end up in Summerside and the hotelyou booked has a couple of Chinese Lion statues on either side of the entry,

run away. You’ve been warned. A ride across Prince Edwards Island is never a

bad thing and the weather was once again great.We made the ferry to the Isle De’ Madeleine intime and secured the bikes for the crossing. Wetook turns playing cards, checking things out, andsampling desserts on the menus. (Maybe a cock-tail or two as well) Above deck the weather wasSPECTACULAR. I don’t think I’ve ever been onas smooth a crossing as that day. The seas wereflat calm and the lighting as we caught sight ofthe islands was perfection. The Isles couldn’thave looked more striking.

The first islands we noticed were Entry Islandand Havre Aubert Island. The slow rolling green hills with cliffs falling intothe ocean just take your breath away. Interestingly, we found later that EntryIsland and Grosse-Ile Island are actually Anglo and they call the Isles theMagdalen Islands there. Oh, did I mention that few people speak English?Actually, it really wasn’t that much of a problem as there always seemed tobe someone who could help translate. Plus, we had Andre’ and Nancy-Lynnas personal translators. We stayed at a place right off the ferry and it wasabove an Italian restaurant. Lovely smells wafting in through the open win-dows. Windows open because there was no AC in the rooms… But no matter,we would still have a great time while we were there. We did learn that thebar next door didn’t stop playing music until around 2:30am. The good newswas it was very good acoustical music and not something like AC-DC. Plus,we didn’t have to get up early. (LOVE island time!)

One of the planned activities was to do a guided sea kayak tour. Nadia hadput up with many miles on the back of the bike without a peep so it was onlyfair to agree to a morning out on the water. Truth be told, I would not have

Page 28 JUNE 2014 • BACKROADS

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missed it for the world! We had a great guide and he took us on a fantastic tourthrough tunnels in the cliffs, that the sea had carved out of the soft rock that makesup the islands. Some of the tunnels lead into cavernous rooms where the ceilinghad let go allowing the sun to shine in. They looked like something out of IndianaJones. Nadia commented on the bright colors of the houses along the shore and wewere surprised to hear the houses were painted the different colors so the fishermencould tell which house was theirs, when returning from the sea. We spent a goodthree hours plus on the water and couldn’t have asked for a better time. It was prettycool to ride our motorcycles to a beach, strip out of our gear, go kayaking and then

hop back on the bikes and ride off.

And ride we did. Every island seemed to havesomething different. Havre Aubert Island, on thesouth end of the archipelago, had a little artistcolony with a bunch of cool shops and things tosee. The islands are tied together by sand bars, onwhich the roads are built. There are sandy lagoons,dunes, places to swim, (the water is quite nice bythe way) wind surfing, places that rent kite pow-ered dune buggies, bicycle rentals, and I could goon and on. Basically, what I thought was going tobe a “meh” trip turned out to be one of the best I’ve taken.

As we often do, the group split up and went our dif-ferent ways. We had the best crab meat sandwich I’veever tasted, while we were there, and really didn’t havea bad meal at all during our visit. The green rolling hillson the islands made for many photo ops. and you alwayshad a view of the water it seemed. We saw the prototypevertical shaft wind generator that the world’s tallest, inCap Chat, QC, was based on, while riding through thedunes. We also stopped at the interpretation center forthe salt mine on the way to Grosse-Ile.

The salt mine was another highlight on the trip. Al-though you can’t actually go down into the mine, thecenter pretty much fills you in on all the workings. Welearned the archipelago was formed by a huge salt domeunder the ocean floor. No one knew there was salt underthe islands until the 80s when they were drilling testholes for oil and stumbled upon it. Interestingly, thepoint where the salt is closest to the surface is also apoint where there are no neighbors and the inlet is deepenough to almost park a freighter at the mine! I didn’tthink anyone could get that lucky. We also saw salt ofall different colors. Clear being the purest, other salt re-sembled the rock salt we put on the roads and, believeit or not, (to the delight of Nadia as well I might add)PURPLE salt. We were told, you put salt into water andthe minerals left on the bottom after it dissolves is whatgives it the color. Curiously, the purple salt leaves noth-ing! Another thing we learned was the equipment thatthey use to mine is disassembled and brought down in

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the elevator. Once below ground,they are reassembled and put towork. They never see the daylightagain. Garages below ground servicethe vehicles because if they evercame up from below, no matter howmuch they were cleaned, the saltdust in all the nooks and crannieswould corrode the vehicle solid in amatter of a few weeks. I thought themine stop was very cool.

The rest of the islands wereequally as interesting. We stopped at

Old Harry on Grosse-Ile Island and walked the grounds where, in the 1700and 1800s, walrus herds were hunted to extinction. We read how a dozenpeople could kill as many as 300-400 walrus in a night for the fat, hide andmeat. It was very overwhelming to stand on the spot of such bloodshed. Still,the history of the island and the beauty of it made for one of those trips thatyou promise to repeat sometime.

The evening return on the ferry came with another bout of rain and wewere lucky enough to befriend a couple on a Harley that lived just down theroad from the hotel we were staying in. They were happy to lead us throughthe fog and rain to our destination and, believe me, as tired as we were, wewere thankful for their help.

When we finally headed back home, there were hugs all around. Nancy-Lynn and Andre’ were staying longer and heading to Cape Breton so Michele,Nadia and I hit the road and after 11 hours on the road, we rolled into myplace. We had done close to 2000 miles, had eaten some of the best food I’dever had, had been blessed with some perfect weather, caught some stellarmusic, and best of all, we had gotten to hang out with some GREAT people.I guess we do leave the good life!

Resources

Joggins Fossil Centre, 100 Main St, Joggins NS Canada

888-932-9766 • www.jogginsfossilcliffs.net

Train Station Inn, 21 Station Rd, Tatamagouche NS Canada

N 045º 42.534  W 063º 17.017

888-RAILBED • www.trainstation.ca

Fort Beausejour National Historic Site

111 Fort Beausejour Rd, Aulac NB Canada

506-364-5080 • www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/nb/beausejour

Centre D’Interpretation Mines Seleine

56 road Prinicpal, Grosse-Ile, Quebec Canada

418-985-2318 • open Mon-Sat. June-September 2014

Page 30 JUNE 2014 • BACKROADS

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All Zulupack bags are madeof a 420D Nylon double-sidePVC coating equating to athree layer PVC-Nylon-PVCcombination – very light, ex-tremely pliable but very strong(temperature tolerant) and tearand abrasion resistant. With aminimum of three folds of thesealing flap and proper closureof the PVC watertight zippers,the bags are absolutely water-proof. Most of the Dry bagsoffer backpack capabilityusing SHAD’s well formed

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BACKROADS • JUNE 2014 Page 31

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MOTORCYCLE AND SCOOTER RIDE TO WORK DAY • MONDAY, JUNE 16TH

You’ll notice a few more motorcycles on the road this year on June sixteenth because it’s thetwenty-third annual ‘Ride to Work Day’. World-wide, more than an estimated million riders becometwo-wheeled commuters to demonstrate riding as a fun and practical form of utility transportation.

“Motorcycles and scooters take up less space in parking areas and on roads. And there’s a lowerfootprint. Riders seek recognition for this form of personal mobility, and government and publicawareness of the many benefits,” states Andy Goldfine, an event organizer. Over 100 Americancities formally recognize Ride to Work Day by proclamation, and rider’s clubs around the world en-courage their members to participate in this annual demonstration.

According to the Ride to Work non-profit organization, for hundreds of thousands of US workers,riding is a socially beneficial form of transportation which provides a broad range of other publicbenefits. According to the United States Census Bureau and the Department of Transportation, overeighty million cars and light trucks are used every day for commuting, and only about 200,000 mo-torcycles and scooters are a regular part of this mix. On June 16th the practical side of motorcyclingand scootering becomes more visible as a higher percentage of America’s 8,000,000 cycles and scoot-ers replace automobiles. www.ridetowork.org

ALTRIDER’S CONSERVE THE RIDE 2014 • JUNE 27-29TH

Climb elevations on pristine riding trails, take in the beauty of the lush forests, and enjoy all thebumps along the way. Join adventure motorcycle outfitter AltRider on June 27th -29th, 2014 forone of their signature adventure rides, Conserve the Ride.

Conserve the Ride will take place in the spectacular Pennsylvania State Forest, a vast expanse ofdiverse terrain and stellar riding trails. Designed to highlight the thrill of off-road riding, the trekwill utilize GPS-led routes full of lush scenery, gorgeous flora, epic vistas, and plenty of dirt andmud if you want to get a little dirty. The tracks are curated for riders of all skill levels exclusivelyby members of the nonprofit organization Seven Mountains Conservation Corp (SMCC). Proceedsfrom the three-day event will benefit SMCC’s efforts to preserve the forest for trail activities. Reg-ister for the event at www.altrider.com/ConservetheRide.

This year’s Conserve the Ride will also offer an exclusive optional class with Dakar Rally starand skilled instructor Jimmy Lewis. Lewis is one of the only Americans to podium finish at Dakarand a four-time International Six Day Enduro Gold Medalist. “The expertise Jimmy brings to ourevents is bar-none,” Jeremy Lebreton, AltRider President says. “He lives and teaches his class inNevada, so this is an excellent opportunity for guys on the east coast to experience everything he

Page 32 JUNE 2014 • BACKROADS

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has to offer.” Lewis is offering his off-road training class at a deep discount from his normal school rates (www.jimmylewisoffroad.com) in Nevada. The $239 registration for Conserve the Ride includes two nights of camping, five catered meals including a special pig roast, adult beverages, an endurocross

race on a custom built track with professional racers and compelling presentations from travel bloggers and Jimmy Lewis. In addition, there will be plenty ofprize giveaways from sponsors Icon, Akrapovic, Rox Risers, Motorcycle-USA, BMW of Manhattan and Kissell Motorsports. To see what’s in store for the ride,check out the video from Conserve the Ride 2012 @ www.altrider.com/event

ROCK, RIBS AND RIDGES - 2 DAYS OF GREAT MUSIC AND MOUTHWATERING BBQ • JUNE 28-29THFREE PARKING FOR FIRST 100 ARRIVING BY MOTORCYCLE COURTESY OF RIDER INSURANCE

The music and the smokers will both be cooking as the summer concert and barbecue season heat up as the 5th annual Rock, Ribs & Ridges festival movesto its new home at The Sussex County Fairgrounds in Augusta, NJ on June 28-29, 2014.

Presented by Franklin Sussex Auto Mall, Rock, Ribs & Ridges is an annual, two-day celebration of great music from legendary artists and mouthwateringbarbecue served up by award-winning regional chefs.

“We’re very excited to announce new artists and a new venue for our fifth annual festival,” said Executive Producer Howard Freeman of Promo1. “We’vegrown to a new location and the fairgrounds with its 145 acres of beautiful farmland allow us to open up an exciting new layout with amenities that music andfood lovers will really appreciate. We have expansive space for new VIP seating and parking options and we will be able to offer on-site camping and RVoptions, too, as we present our biggest festival ever.”

George Thorogood & The Destroyers head the lineup of nine artists performing over the weekend.Known as the “World’s Greatest Bar Band,” their immortal hit “Bad to the Bone,” has been featured ineverything from the James Cameron movie “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” to a Wrangler jeans com-mercial.

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Artimus Pyle of Lynyrd Skynyrd returns after first playing the festivalin 2012. Other headliners include Grand Funk Railroad, the Outlaws, New Riders of the Purple Sageand Leslie West of Mountain. Also performing are The Pfeiffer Twins, Citizens Band Radio and TheFarmer Phil Band.

Festival-goers will be equally thrilled by the delicious comfort food served up by top chefs, who willalso compete for thousands of dollars in prize money in a juried rib cook-off and the coveted titles of“Best Ribs,” “Best Sauce,” and “Weis Markets People’s Choice.”

Barbecue teams include 2013 Best Ribs champions Chumley’s BBQ & Catering Company of Florida,NY; 2013 “Best Sauce” and “People’s Choice” winner Texas Smoke BBQ of Jefferson Township, NJ;Three Men & a Baby Back of Bergen County, NJ, the 2012 Jack Daniels Invitational World GrillingChampions and the first “Best Ribs” winners at Rock, Ribs & Ridges in 2010; and the award-winningPigtails Barbecue Company of West Salem, Ohio.

Tickets ($40-75/adults • $15-25/children) are available at any Weis Market inNew Jersey or online at www.rockribsandridges.com.

BACKROADS • JUNE 2014 Page 33

BOB HARTPENCE AND THE POLAR BEAR MOTORCYCLE TOUR RECEIVES BACKROADS’ LAME AWARD

words: Brian Rathjen • images: Bernard Walsh

At this year’s Polar Bear Stop in Easton, Pennsylvania we gave our annual Lifetime Achievement in Motorcycling Ex-cellence to Bob Hartpence, the Chairman of the weekly motorcycle runs held during the winter each month.

For 36 years the New Jersey based runs have brought riders out of their winter slumber each week to various destinationsaround the state and beyond. Rides now end up north to the heart of the Catskills and south into Delaware.

In our travels around the nation we have often been asked about these AMA-sanctioned rides; as they are unique in thecountry and highly successful.

Considering how many riders manage to get out on their machines during the winter months, solely because of thePolar Bear Motorcycle Tour, and the incredible work of Bob Hartpence, the “Flight Leaders” and all the other volunteerswe felt that they truly deserved Backroads only award this time around.

Congratulations to Bob and all involved with the annual Polar Bear Runs and thank you for all you do.The Backroads Lifetime Achievement in Motorcycling Excellence, also known as the LAME Award, is giving semi-

infrequently to a person or groups that have shown to promote our sport of motorcycling and have encourage others toride and enjoy the open road on two wheels in a safe, fun and consistent manner.

AEROSTICH ROLLS INTO THE NEW JERSEY/ NEW YORK REGION

For the eighth time the famed RiderWearHouse has done a “Pop-Up Store”far from their Duluth, Minnesota home.

For those of you who do not know of Andy Goldfine - and his ground breakingAerostich riding suits - he and his company have been one of the best sources tofind extraordinary motorcycle jackets, suits, helmets, boots, gloves, tools, bags,and other accessories from around the planet.

And, the great state of Minnesota, oh sure, you betcha.But, until recently, unless you were to ride to Duluth and their factory head-

quarters, you had to order from their ample catalog. Sometimes catalog orderingcan take a few times to get correct. Suits need to be sized correctly to be right-eously comfortable and, in truth, quality needs to be seen and felt to be truly un-derstood.

With the advent of their Pop-Up Stores RiderWearHouse has brought theMountain to Mohammed, so to speak. (Please – no fatwas)

In late April Aerostich opened the doors on their weeklong event in Edgewater, New Jersey, along the Hudson River –easily accessible for those in the Garden State, New York City, Connecticut and U.S. Airway jets.

We took a spin down to say hello and see what Aerostich had brought to our home state.They brought plenty – trucking in over 5,000 pounds of gear.

Page 34 JUNE 2014 • BACKROADS

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Every Aerostich suit and style, a multitude of colorsand sizes all were there to be tried on and properly fit-ted. Gloves, heated vest, liners, fleecewear and othergear, along with a plethora Mr. Happy puppets werethere to be seen as well.

No, you couldn’t buy a suit and ride away with it, butyou could have it custom fit by one of the many Rider-WearHouse personnel on hand and get that perfect fitand a good idea of what colors worked best for you,thus avoiding the possibility of the wrong size, ill fit orlack of perfect happiness with your new suit when it ar-rives at your home (or garage) a short time later. Andthey threw in free shipping to boot.

Our pal and traveling companion Notso Happy, andhis side-kick Pepe, came along - as Hap wanted to seehis cousins and was excited to meet Aerostich mavenLynn Wisneski herself! Andy had watched too manySopranos episodes and didn’t come.

We hope you were able to make this event and thatAerostich comes back to our area soon; as many seriousriders are faithful wearers of their gear and those whohave not seen their products and quality should reallytake a good look - up close and personal. It mightchange your riding habits for the better. You see, to thefolks at Aerostich motorcycles are part of the “SocialGood,” and one of the best things a human can get in-volved with.

Well, we agree and with all the happy Aerostich faith-ful rolling into Edgewater for this short event we thinkothers do too.

BACKROADS • JUNE 2014 Page 35

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EVERY MONTH - WEATHER PERMITTINGEvery Tuesday • The Ear - Spring St, NYC. Come meet some fellow riders and do somebenchracing or whatever. 8pm-ish

Every Tuesday • Bike Night @ Texas Smoke Barbecue, 400 Route 15 South, Jefferson,NJ. Dine indoors or out with dinner specials. Meet and kick some tires while enjoyingsome terrific barbeque • www.TexasSmokeBBQ.com • 862-209-4078

3rd Tuesday • Two Wheels Tuesdays Harley Davidson Long Branch @ MJ’s Restaurant• 3205 Route 66, Neptune, NJ • 6-9:30pm • Start May 20 through Sept. 16

4th Tuesday • Ladies Only Rides • Harley Davidson Long Branch, 671, Broadway, LongBranch, NJ • Meet at 6pm • Runs through Sept. 732-229-8518

2nd Wednesday • Restore the Shore Dinner Ride • Harley Davidson Long Branch, 671,Broadway, Long Branch, NJ • Meet at 6pm • Runs through Sept. 732-229-8518

4th Wednesday • Jersey Shore Ice Cream Run • Harley Davidson Long Branch, 671,Broadway, Long Branch, NJ • Meet at 6pm • Runs through Sept. 732-229-8518

Every Wednesday • Chelseas Restaurant/Pub, 1051 Rte. 22 East, Lebanon, NJ 6-9pm,weather permitting all summer • www.chelseasrestaurantpub.com

Every Thursday • Bike Night at the Chatterbox Drive-In, Rtes. 15/206, Augusta, NJ.Tire kicking, good food and friends • www.chatterboxdrivein.com

Every Saturday • Stop by the dealership at 9am for coffee and bagels. Ride departs at10am. Return to the dealership for FREE food and music. Proper attire MUST be worn!No shorts or sneakers. • Bergen Harley-Davidson, 124 Essex St, Rochelle Park, NJ • 201-843-6930 • www.bergenharley.com

JUNE 2014May 29-June 1 • 42nd BMW RA NATIONAL RALLY. Barber Motorsports Park/Museum,Birmingham, AL. Get ready for a close encounter with every little thing you love aboutour sport: grand scale riding, the finest motorcycle museum in the USA, good food anddrink, grassy and comfortable camping and thousands of your moto brothers and sisters--new and old. As an added bonus, Keith Code’ California Superbike School will be onhand with his fleet of BMW S1000RR superbikes. Participate or watch as students flyaround the fabulous undulating track. Your rally fee includes 3 nights camping, admissionto the Vintage Museum, entertainment and much more. www.BMWRA.org

May 31-June 1 • Rollin Fast Cycles Victory Demo Days. Food, music & specials. 104Main St, Lebanon, NJ • 908-236-9000 • www.rollinfast.com

May 30-June 8 • 12th Annual Warrensburg Bike Rally. Schroon River Rd, Warren CountyFairgrounds, Warrensburg, NY. Free parking and admission, vendors and demo rides.

1 • Morton’s BMW Off-road training - exact date and details TBD. Stay informed withour News & Notes e-newsletter or check our website. Morton’s BMW, 5099A Jefferson

Davis Hwy, Frederickburg, VA • 540-891-9844 • www.MortonsBMW.com

1 • Humane Society of Port Jervis & Deerpark Ride & rock for Rescues. Pre register: Rid-ers $15 • Passengers $10 • Party only $10. Day of Event: riders $20 • Passengrs $15• Party only $15. 10am 202 Rte. 209, Port Jervis, NY. More info www.pjhumane.org

1 • Born to be Wild Nycak Hospital Motorcycle Run to benefit the Maternity Dept. Signin/Endsite @ Nyack Hospital Parking Lot, corner of 5th/N Midland Aves, Nyack, NY: 9-11am with breakfast refreshments • 60-mile ride through scenic Rockland County withroute sheet/GPS/escorted ride available • Picnic lunch 11:30-2pm with live music byAction entertainment, prizes, raffles 50/50. Prereg: $20/rider;$15 pass • after 5/23:$25/rider;$15/pass;AMA discounted. For question and for full detailswww.hudsonva-lleyharleyriders.com • 845-629-1013

1 • Bergen County Harley Davidson/Fort Lee Art & Music Festival Ride-In Bike Show,Municipal Parking Lot, Fort Lee, NJ. Registration Free by 11am • Trophies by 3:30pm •For more details call Rich @ 201-843-6930

2-7 • Americade • World’s Largest Touring Rally Returns. Lake George NY. For all thedetails and registration information visit www.americade.com

7 • Bikers for Brooke MC Run/Family Fun Day to benefit the Brooke Healey Foundation.Police escorted run • Sign-in: Our Lady of Peace Church, 111 South St, New Providence,NJ 10-11:30am • Bike Blessing 11:45 • Leaves: Noon • $25/pp; under 10: $10 • End-site: Mount Carmel Hall, 56 River Rd, Berkeley Heights, NJ 2-6pm • www.bikersfor-brooke.com

7 • Cross Country Powersports Open House. 911 Middlesex Ave, Metuchen, NJ • 732-635-0094 • www.crosscountrypowersports.com

6-8 • AltRider Adventures Conserve the Ride Weekend. Ride the scenic, lush trails ofPennsylvania. GPS routes (created by the locals in Seven Mountains Conservation Corp.)for all skill levels on scenic off-road trails, 2 nights of camping at Woodward Caves inCentral PA, 5 meals including a special pig roast + adult beverages, off-road seminars,live EnduroCross race on a custom built track, prize giveaways from our sponsors. Findout all the details at www.altrider.com • info@altrider.com

13-14 • Rhinebeck Grand National Meet. 8am-5pm. Dutchess County Fairgrounds, 6550Spring Brook Ave, Rhinebeck NY

14 • Bergen County Harley-Davidson Father’s Day Bike Wash to benefit Disabled Amer-ican Veterans • Noon-3:30 • $5/bike • 124 Essex St, Rochelle Park, NJ • 201-843-6930 • www.bergenharley.com

14 • 4th Annual Carney Vetrano Benefit. Sign in: Shore Lanes Bowling Alley, Rte. 35,Neptune, NJ. Poker Run sign in: 10am-Noon. Bowling Noon-5pm. Ride-in Bike Show Signin 1pm. Poker Run $20-rider/$15 passenger • Car & Bike show $20/entry • Bowling$20. All proceeds beneift the Ronald McDonald Childrens Cancer Camp. Contact StevenVetrano: svetrano@thebarhamgroup.com

Page 36 JUNE 2014 • BACKROADS

UPCOMING EVENTS CALENDAR What’s Happening

14-22 • 91st Anniversary of the original riding rally- Laconia Bike Week. Weirs Beach,Laconia, NH. www.LaconiaBikeWeek.com • 603-366-2000

16 • RIDE TO WORK • www.RideToWork.org

16-20 • Concours Owners Group 25th Anniversary ‘SilverDammit’ National Rally. RallyHeadquarters: Holiday Inn of Johnson City, TN. Tent and RV camping located nearby.registration available online @ concours.org/national/nationalrally2014

19-21 • Mid-Atlantic Women’s M/C Rally. Gettysburg, PA • www.MAWMR.org

22 • 6th Annual Baer’s Poker Run to benefit Multiple Sclerosis • Sign-in 9am-Noon:Baer’s Sports Center, 330 Grandview Ave, Honesdale, PA or Harmony Lodge No. 8, 519Rte. 206, Andover Twnshp, NJ • $20/pp incl. pin or patch, raffles, 50/50, vendors, livemusic and ride • www.WRVR.net • 570-253-2000

24 • Liberty Harley-Davidson Blacktop Bike Night. Live music, vendors, food/beverage• 12 W Milton, Rahway, NJ • 732-381-2400 • www.libertyharley.com

28 • Woodstock Harley-Davidson Red, White & Blues Party Car & Bike Show • AACAMid-Hudson Region trophies. Free BBQ. All makes and models welcome • 949 SR 28,Kingsotn, NY • 845-338-2801 • www.woodstockharley.com

28-29 • Rock, Ribs & Ridges Music and BBQ Festival • Sussex County Fairgrounds,37 Plains Rd, Augusta, NJ. Presented by Franklin Sussex Auto Mall. 2 days of peace,music, bbq and brew. Adults: $40-75; Children: $15-25 • www.rockribsandridges.com

29 • I Bike for Animals 7th Annual Rally to benefit common sense for animals of WarrenCounty NJ. Sign-in/Endsite: Landslide Saloon, Pattenburg, NJ. 50-mile scenid ride withhuge food fest at endsite. Raffles, auction DJ and the school of rock • www.common-senseforanimals.org • 908-859-3060

29 • 8th Annual Nassau County Fireriders Christmas in June Toy Run to benefit SCOFamily Services. Sign-in with breakfast: Applebee’s, 938 S Broadway/Rte. 107, Hicksville,NY @ 9am-Noon • $10 plus unwrapped toy • Endsite with BBQ: Tappen Beach, SeaCliff, NY

29 • Warriors Run Motorcycle Ride for our Military to benefit Wounded Warriors. Policeescorted ride. Start/End: Madison Avenue High School, New Milford, NJ. Sign in: 8-10am;KSU 10:30 sharp. Rider: $25; Passenger: $15; Walk-in: $10. After party food, motorcycledemonstrations, entertainment, vendors • www.warriorsrunnj.com

JULY 20142-5 • Wing Ding - Madison, WI • www.GWRRA.org

11-13 • New Jersey Motorsports Park hosts AHRMA Vintage Motorcycle Festival. Thun-derbolt Raceway, Millville, NJ. Racing and exhibition. www.njmp.com

12-13 • 38th Annual Ramapo 500™ • Sign in and 'day-of' registration 7-9am, Veterans'Memorial Association, 66 Lake Foad East, Congers, NY. This two-day 500-mile tour, de-signed and orchestrated by the Ramapo Motorcycle Club, will take participants on anoriginal ride through the northeast along back-country roads and routes less-traveled, cul-minating at a unique camping venue (hotel accommodations will be available). Dinner

and breakfast, pins, patches, and dozens of prizes and awards are part of the package.*Total participation strictly limited to 400 – Rain or Shine this event is always a sell-out.Further information and money-saving advanced registration forms (highly recommended)are available on-line at www.ramapomc.org

19 • Woodstock Harley-Davidson Rock N Rumble • 949 SR 28, Kingsotn, NY • 845-338-2801 • www.woodstockharley.com

20 • Second Generation MA 11th Annual Motorcycle Dice Run to benefit United Hospiceof Rockland County. Sign in : Rhodes North Tavern, 40 Orange Tpke, Sloatsburg, NY •9:30-11am. Riders: $20; passengers: $10; Walk-in: $20 • Scenic country ride, huge bar-becue, live music by Love Cats • www.secondgenerationma.org

18-20 • AMA Vintage Motorcycle Rally. Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course - Lexington, OH •www.AmericanMotorcyclist.com

AUGUST 20142-3 • Odd Ball Old Dob 10th Annual Bike Show and Ride, Curtiss Museum Classic Mo-torcycle Festival, hammondsport, NY • 607-569-2160 • www.oddballolddog.net

17 • FW Speer Yamaha Foggy Mountain Reliability Run. Registration: $20. Sign in 8:30-10am at dealership. Expert/Novice classes. 7 Main Ave, Passaic, NJ • 973-778-6256 •www.speeryamaha.com

SEPTEMBER 20145-7 • Women’s Sportbike Rally VIII - Deals Gap, NC • www.WomensSportbikeRally.com

7 • Lost Wheels MC Poker Run to benefit Montrose VA Hospital, Castle Point Food forVets, Vassar Hospital Children's Ward, Food Bank of the Hudson Valley. NEW SIGN IN:McDonald's, Route 9, Fishkill, NY (Dutchess Mall) 9-10:30am Registration • Run ends @3pm. $25/riders; $15/Passenger; $10 under 15. Endsite: Canopus Lake Beach, FahestockSt Park, 1498 Rte. 301, Carmel, NY. Ride the route and join us for great food, live music,games, vendors, door prizes and %0/50. Cash prize for best poker hand. Trophies forbest rep club and bike show People's Choice and Best of Show • www.lostwheels.com• Pat: 845-800-0041

10-13 • Westchester Beemers NY Trio Tour 2014. Sport-touring ‘scavenger hunt’ event.3 consecutive daily rides begin and end at Hampton Inn, Elkins, WV base location. Dailyrides average 8.5 hours covering 350 miles. Limited to 33 riders. $50 incl. Sat. eveningclosing dinner, rider card and prizes for top three finishers. Discounted lodging arrange-ments in place at base location (304-630-7500). For full details call or visit 914-328-7909 • www.triotour.org

Sept. 26-28 • Backroads Fall Fiesta • Shippensburg, PA16th Backroads Fall Fiesta. Shippen Place Hotel, Shippensburg, PA. Surrounded by someof the most scenic and twistalicious roads in Pennsylvania. We’ll have a group dinnerSaturday night (pre-registration IS required for dinner) at the University Grille, at the hotel- $34/pp. Rooms start at $87/night. Call today and get yours. Please ask for BackroadsGroup when booking. www.shippenplace.com • 717-532-4141

BACKROADS • JUNE 2014 Page 37

INTRODUCING TUESDAYS BIKE NITE @

For all the biker andbarbecue enthusiasts out there,

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“Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it.”Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through It

I have ridden the banks of a good numberof America’s great rivers. There is a magic intracing the pavement that ribbons along thepath that big water has carved. Many regionsof North America lay claim to a plethora ofmajor waterways. A look at a good map of no-table American rivers reveals exactly what Iam talking about. The northwest has its ser-pentine flows such as the Snake and the Co-lumbia. The Midwest is an amazing arterialdrainage laced with magnificent waterways.The east has its share of geographically andhistorically significant rivers.

However, when you look on that same mapto the desert southwest, there is but one riverthat has continentally significant flow andlength – the Colorado. As it drains from the

Rocky Mountains of Colorado to the southwest, the Colorado River producessome pretty significant magic. It is the Colorado, after all, that continues tocarve the wondrous Grand Canyon. A motorcyclist can get a great view ofthe Colorado River in that Grand Canyon – from a distance. However, to

truly ride a significant portion of the ColoradoRiver, one has to look further to the southwest.This is where the powerful Colorado defines thejagged vertical border between Nevada, Ari-zona and California on its way toward Mexico.

A river flows one way, motorcycles are moreflexible. My ride of choice on the Colorado isupstream – for no particular reason. A word tothe wise, this is not a midsummer ride. Townson the Colorado River often boast the nation’shighest temperatures in the dog days. However,there is a flipside to this thermal coin. Whenmost other major rivers in the nation are iced upand frigid, the Colorado is a winter rider’s de-light. Yes, my friends; winter is a time to packyour saddle bags and head southwest.

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Riding Upstream on the Colorado River

The RideAn upstream ride on the Colorado has a nat-

ural starting point of Yuma, AZ. The “snow-bird” Mecca of Yuma is only a fistful of milesfrom the Mexican border and resides on thesouthernmost stretch of the Colorado that isstill in the US. A look at my tank bag mapshows that there is not a route to the immediatenorth of Yuma that will keep me on the banksof the Colorado. The Arizona route deviatesmiles from the river and so does the Californiaoption. However, it is clear that while the CAroute reconnects with the flow a bit sooner, theAZ route will get me there faster. I opt for theArizona path.

While not on the river, US95 is a strikinglybeautiful ride in a barren kind of way. It skirtsthe western portion of the Kofa wildlife refugefor most of its path from Yuma to Quartzsite,AZ. This mostly straight road is a quick andscenic path back to the Colorado. The visualcontrast between the cacti-spotted desert andthe purple-hued stone mountains in the distancemakes up for the lack of curves on this stretch.

At Quartzsite, there is a decision to make. Ican opt for another fast route north that isstill off of the river, or I can head due westtoward the river which will take me overthe Colorado and into California. This time,I opt for the slower more scenic route.While this ride to the west is on Interstate10, it is still also the 95. After a few mileson this path, I finally reenter the ColoradoRiver Valley at the river town of Ehrenberg.The deep blue waters of the Colorado are abeautiful contrast to the muted hues of the

desert. Riding over the liquid ribbon, I am wel-comed into California. From this point on, myroute will never deviate more than a few milesfrom the river.

After a short ride west into California, I headnorth on what is still US95 - yes, this highwaytakes a strange and circuitous path up the Col-orado River. For miles on this northern journeyup the Colorado, the road and the river repeat-edly converge and separate like double-Dutchjump ropes. Whereas the early part of the ridehad the contrast of desert and rugged mountainranges, this portion has a triple contrast. Yes,the desert and mountains are still in evidence,but there is the added element of the green rib-bon that skirts the river. It is a kind of trifectaof visual delights.

I finally part ways with US95 when I meetup with the California 62, which takes me eastback toward the river and Arizona. After reen-tering Arizona over the Colorado, I meet upwith another highway 95. This time AZ95takes me north on the river.

This stretch is possibly the most visuallystunning on the ride. From Parker, AZ to the

north, the trek is winding and exhilarating.The road is skirted to the west by the Col-orado and rock spires accent the view onboth sides of the river. Speedboats and Jet-skis slice the cold, blue water of the Col-orado, and resorts punctuate the river atregular intervals. However the big punctu-ation of this part of the ride is the ParkerDam, which transforms the Colorado Riverinto Lake Havasu.

At this juncture, my ride is on the banks

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of the lake ratherthan the river. Imiss the “flow”, butthe growing ex-panse of the waterbrings its own

beauty. At the southern tip of the lake, I ride upon another vision that seemsout of character for the desert southwest – a riparian wetlands area. The vastreed-filled expanse of the waterway is like nothing else along the ColoradoRiver. It is visually similar to the wetlands in the Midwest.

After a ride of panoramic straights and rock-skirted sweepers, I drop into

one of Arizona’s most interesting and incongruous cities.Lake Havasu City is a vision of contrasts. It sits on the ex-pansive desert lake and has at its core, The London Bridge.Yes, that’s right. In the middle of the southwestern desertrests the impressive relic of British history. The stonebridge that once spanned the River Thames from the mid-1800s was purchased and transported to Arizona in 1967and now towers over a portion of Lake Havasu. The arcingbridge supports dip into the blue-green waters creating avision reminiscent of some ancient European waterway.However, a look to the horizon brings my reality back tothe American Southwest. My stay in Lake Havasu City ismade even more enjoyable by a major triathlon that hasswimmers, runners and bikers competing in the shadow ofthat impressive bridge.

After another beautiful ride north, the AZ90 takes awestern turn toward the third state on this ride upstream. Entering Nevada, Icross what has again become a river and take a quick stop at Park Moabi.This area is a regional park that has been developed into a rather eclectic andentertaining mix of tropical themes. From here I do a short stint on Interstate40, before embarking on the last stretch of road that skirts the Colorado. TheNeedles Highway parallels the river all the way to Laughlin, NV. This ridehas rugged grey mountain views to the west and the river valley to the eastfor its full length.

Laughlin is a small, vibrant gambling town on the banks of the Colorado.It is a miniature version of Las Vegas that most find more welcoming andless hectic than its much bigger brother. I rent a room in one of the towering

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casinos for about $20 and thoroughly enjoy my eveningwalking the main street and people-watching. However,the highlight of the Laughlin stay is sitting on the river-bank and watching the neon hues the casinos cast on theColorado. It is a great time to “reflect” on where the wa-ters will flow – under the London Bridge, through areed-filled wetlands, in the shadows of red canyons nearParker, and ultimately into Mexico.

Laughlin could logically be the end of a ColoradoRiver ride since just above the town, the Colorado be-comes Lake Mohave. However, there is one morestretch that affords me a view back to the river valley.Crossing back into Arizona, I make the winding climbtoward Kingman. The view back toward the Coloradois another visual delight. The river is visible at severalvistas through the rugged stone mountains.

Again, this is a perfect ride for late fall, winter, orearly spring. A ride upstream on the Colorado includesa smorgasbord of ecosystems and is dotted with inter-esting towns. It is well worth a spot on your riding cal-endar.

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BACKROADS • JUNE 2014 Page 41

On a crisp Sunday morning, in late April, the break of day peacefulness along the Delaware River in Bucks County was occasionally disturbed by the revelryof a most pleasant tone.

The sound of dozens of motorcycles – solo, and in groups, purringly making their way along the river and to the historic park at Washington Crossing.They came in all types, sizes and ages – with a great deal of the British Marque Norton found

in their numbers.A true sign of spring is when the Delaware Valley Norton Riders hold their annual Gathering

of the Nortons in this historic park.Here, hundreds of years ago, the Continental Army was looking to get rid of the British and

Hessians – this day they were welcome back in the forms of classic motorcycles of Britishtenure and others as well.

Page 42 JUNE 2014 • BACKROADS

EVENT RECAP

21ST GATHERING OF THE NORTONS – WASHINGTON CROSSING HISTORIC PARK, PA

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Although called a gathering of Nortons there were wonderful examples of many machines to be seen. All were welcome.The brilliant day brought in hundreds of machines and riders and you would easily need a couple of hours to really take in the entire gathering.Although Backroads had covered this event in the past this was the first time we had made the ride down to the park and we have to tell you – if you love

great old bikes, in all sorts of conditions and styles – this is the event for you.Being a free ride–in event you could not beat the price and the feeling that was running through the large crowds, especially after this past winter, was one of

admiration, wonder stirred in with the occasional “Oh my God” gawking. They say a picture is worth a thousand words so we’ll give that a try and make aSunday free for late April next year for the 22nd Gathering of the Nortons.

BACKROADS • JUNE 2014 Page 43

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My brother Eric and I have been riding together since 1980. We bothstarted with old /5 BMWs we purchased from two guys in the military. Wewere not lured by the temptation of the Japanese brands that were quicker,cheaper, and looked fast parked in a driveway. Eric and I wanted to own“the best touring bike” made and did not realize that 10 year old, neglectedBMWs were not as bullet proof as new Hondas or Yamahas. Our adventurestarted a “bit left of center”, and over 30 years later we have experiencedmany great bikes and rides together.

My brother and I were also into antique cars. I do not mean we ownedmuscle cars which in the early 80’s were still basically used cars, no we wereinto cars most people thought belonged in a museum. Eric had a 1915 ModelT Ford roadster, and I had a 1930 Packard coupe. If you have not put two (2old /5 BMWs instead of new Japanese brands) and two (two antique carsover 50 years old and primitive) together you can see that sidecars were dif-

ferent enough for us to be alluring. Eric almost bought an old BMW /2 witha Steib sidecar in the mid 80’s for less than $2,500, but he needed a bit of fi-nancial assistance from our father. Dad was not in the mood to subsidize thepurchase, so sidecars were relegated to another time. It was my turn in 1995to try entry into a sidecar. I saw a Hannigan at Americade and came hometrying to convince my wife that our 3 year old son would love riding withhis father strapped into his child seat in the rig beside me. She told me noway was our son riding in a sidecar! I tried to use the seatbelt-child seat ar-gument but I know when to quit.

Fast forward over 30 years and my brother is diagnosed with bladder andprostate cancer. I will not go into the gory details but after about a year ofchemotherapy and surgery my brother decided he had lost his confidence fortwo wheels. The decision to sell his BMW was not easy for him. I supportedhis decision, but I was upset that my brother’s life was being changed for

Page 44 JUNE 2014 • BACKROADS

When Life

Throws You a Curve…Lean In and Turn

him. Eric was also feeling like he was letting me down which, for me, wasa heart breaker. He was still not “out of the woods” medically, so emotionswere running high. I told my brother if he changed his mind in the future hecould always buy another bike, so not to worry. It was also a hard change forme, since 90% of my riding has been with my brother. We have ridden mostof the New England states, Novia Scotia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, andUpstate New York. We anticipate each other’s moves on the road, and thethought of riding with someone else almost feels like abandoning a buddyfor someone new.

OK, here is wherewe ‘leaned in andturned!’ Eric put hisbike up for consign-ment with the dealerwhere we have pur-chased all our newBMWs. They usu-ally do not take bikeson consignment, butwe have been cus-tomers since theirfirst year in 1998 andthey decided to assistEric in this tough de-cision. Well, a few months later Eric sees a small, local dealer selling newUrals and mentions for me to check it out. I found my way to the Ural dealerin less than a week. I was hooked! The Ural was bright blue with a largewhite stripe (think Shelby Cobra meets Frankenstein). It looked like it couldgo anywhere, and it had the old /5 BMW look. I wanted to demo the Uralbut the dealer was too small to let a bike go on the road for a demo. Wefound another dealer 25 miles from home and they had a demo, plus 2 rigsin stock.

Eric and I arranged on Black Friday to finally drive a sidecar! The child-hood excitement of the holiday season was back, maybe there would be asidecar in the garage before New Years. We took out a chamo model Uraland I deferred to my older brother to be the first one to drive it. I jumped

into the chair and we did a few laps around the strip mall where the dealerwas located. We then jumped out onto the highway for about a 5 mile ride.It was a weird feeling to be riding in the chair but it only took about a milefor me to settle into it and start to laugh. We were riding a sidecar and it onlytook 33 years! Eric quickly commented that it was surely not a modernBMW and we would be returning to the performance of our old /5’s.

Well, was it guilt on Eric’s part for not leaving me to ride alone, or myguilt in wanting to keep him distracted from constant thoughts of cancer? Ithink it is more about two guys who love to ride, and more importantly want

to ride together.We decided thesame day as thedemo ride to takethe plunge andbuy sidecars. Wewanted to tradeour BMWs (1998Cruiser and 2004RT) but the dealwas so bad wejust could notagree to the terms.The dealershipwanted to give us

wholesale for our pampered BMWs and pay only $400 off two Urals whichwould be purchased the last month of the year, end of model year, and majorupgrades were coming in 2014 (fuel injection and triple disc brakes). Wecould not believe they did not want to move two 2013 Urals in December.Soon keeping our BMWs was about to become fate.

The sidecar bug had bitten hard and I was cruising the web. I showed Ericnumerous web sites on sidecars. One site had a picture of a BMW Cruiserwith a color matched S500 Steib. The S500 Steib is the sidecar that lookslike a giant bullet. The look is straight out of the 1930’s. Eric was hooked.He decided he wanted to put a Steib on his Cruiser. Eric threw down thegauntlet and said if he was going to buy a sidecar would I buy a sidecar formy RT. How can I turn down my riding partner, he was back in the hobby!

BACKROADS • JUNE 2014 Page 45

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It was easy for me to select a Hannigan for my RT BMW. Eric and I hadseen Hannigan products since we joined the BMW Owners of America in1980. Hannigan attended a BMW Owners National Rally years ago whereEric and I spoke to the founder for about 45 minutes. His sidecars are madefor BMW’s and incorporate a lot of technology. I liked the fact they are rel-atively light, have a disc brake, and even have Electronic Camber Controltoo. I called Hannigan directly and asked numerous questions. I also callednumerous times before finalizing my decision.

Buying a sidecar rig for your bike is not as easy as going into a dealer andbuying a new bike. There are many different models of various sizes withmany different features. I have to admit the price moves quickly, but in fora penny in for a pound. By the time I stopped saying yes to all the featuresthe price was what I would have spent to buy a new Ural with trading myBMW. I had made the right decision because I still have my anti lock discbrakes, fuel injection, heated grips, electric windshield, bags, power outletsand my BMW!

Eric’s decision to buy a Steib sidecar reminds me of the time I sent my1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass convertible to a restoration shop. The unknowingowner may think the discussion to “redo the motor” is straight forward, butby the time every component is rebuilt and the engine compartment is de-tailed the price has doubled! There is one dealer on the East Coast that im-ports Steibs into the US from Germany. We learned a lesson in patience with

this process. Even though the dealer has offered sidecar installations for over20 years it is a specialty that seems to get squeezed in between their normalprocess of selling new bikes and doing routine maintenance. The Steib is allmetal and the body is in 8 major sections held together by aluminum. Thissidecar company has made these sidecars in a similar way for over 75 years.The dealer sends the Steibs to a specialty painter who takes them completelyapart, paints them, and then reassembles. The frame is then color matchedto the frame of the bike. Eric did not have many option decisions, but he didorder the red interior because that was the color of the rig he almost boughtin 1985. Yes, the cost was adding up like an antique car restoration. I willnot even get into the process of shipping the bikes, and the frustration of notbeing able to walk into the shop to check on progress.

My brother and I are now so anxious for spring to arrive. We have not rid-den in our 50’s as much as we did in our 20’s and 30’s but 2014 is a new be-ginning. We have looked for a regional training course but it seems Virginiais as close as it gets to NJ. Eric purchased Driving A Sidecar Outfit by DavidL. Hough, so we can jumpstart our knowledge. Eric and I will be 33 yearveterans, who are really sidecar rookies! We will be the “sidecar brothers”!

If you see two guys on BMWs with sidecars, wave, we would love tospread the gospel of 3 wheels to anyone who might want to experience a dif-ferent riding lifestyle.

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Page 46 JUNE 2014 • BACKROADS

The Eyes Have It

One common thread that just about everymotorcycle instructor will repeat over andover is “Look where you want to go!”

This basic mantra is a constant, if offtimes repeated, whether it be an MSF BasicRider Course or more intensive instructionsuch as CLASS or other track-based in-struction.

This one truth rings in all motorcycle, bi-cycle and even car driving.

It is not so hard to understand.Professionals call it “Target Fixation.”And, it is something that we, as riders, must consciously work on improv-

ing, if not perfecting.As I stated professionals do this instinctively, some of us need to remind

ourselves or be reminded by others.Years back I was attending a Honda CBR1000RR intro at the big track in

Las Vegas. This, coincidentally, was the home of Freddie Spenser’s schoolback in those days.

Honda had contracted Freddie to give all the attend-ing moto-journalists an abbreviated version of hisschool – hitting on all the basics and high points withclassroom time and track time combined nicely.

One of the major tire manufacturers was also in at-tendance and our 1000RR was shod in the morning withtheir best high-performance street tires and then in theafternoon with pure track rubber. In between sessionsour tires were wrapped in warmers to keep their tem-perature and grip up.

Although you do feel a bit special when coddled so,the truth was deep inside I wondered just what the heckBackroads – a touring magazine - was doing with thenew hot set-up from Honda on a track in the desert sur-rounded by far more talented and faster riders.

I did my best not to get into a losing argument withspeed and gravity; doing my best to not get run over orruin anyone’s line.

Instead I listened to Freddie’s instruction and did mybest to improve with each lap. After lunch and now on‘track tires,’ something I had never experienced before,I was amazed at how tight the machine now felt andhow well these tires gripped and handled. The feedbackwas incredible and my lap times dropped.

Just when I thought I really was moving I was blastedby World Champion Freddie Spenser who, while drag-ging his knee through the left hander, turned to look atme – holding onto the bike with just one hand, whiledragging said knee –gave me the sign to look furtherdown the track.

Later he took me to the side and stated firmly thateven though I thought I was looking ahead, at that speedI REALLY had to look further ahead.

My laps after this talking to got a bit better and, moreimportantly, more consistent.

Look where you want and need to go and the bike willfollow.

On the streets if you round a corner and you spot alarge pothole, choose a line around it and look to the farpoint in that line.

If you stare at the pothole you will probably ride rightinto it.

The same goes for simply making a u-turn on a tightlane. Get that head and eyes turned and look into the di-rection you need to go. If you falter and look at the curbchances are you will run right into it and topple over.

On winding country backroads get used tolooking as far as you can. Sure everyone glancesaround and sees different things closer to the mo-torcycle but don’t fixate on them. Keep your eyesdown the road and that is where you will end up.

As I said, some riders are really good at this,others not so much.

I have had experiences with riders that justhave a hard time coaching themselves into thislife-saving habit, especially at slower speeds.

How many riders do you see coming to a stopor making a tight u-turn staring at the frontwheel?

I would say a good number.When this happens it is okay to acknowledge this but then you need to

practice where your eyes are looking in order for it to become easier andmore natural.

As it has been proven time and again your motorcycle goes where youlook. It is a reality of motorcycle riding and one we must all be aware of.

Anyway you look at it the eyes have it!

BACKROADS • JUNE 2014 Page 47

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SCHUBERTH INTRODUCES NEW MINERAL WHITE FINISH FOR THE C3PRO AND C3PRO WOMEN FLIP-UP HELMETS

The C3Pro, and its fit-for-women counterpart the C3 Pro Women, are the result ofover 60 years’ experience in developing the world’s most advanced helmets, com-bining improved comfort and fit, optimized aerodynamics and ventilation, and acompact construction making them quietest flip-up helmets available. Together thetwo helmets make a perfect two-up compliment for any motorcycle, especially themineral white K 1600 GTL Exclusive BMW

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CASEBUDI IPAD CHARGER TRAVEL CASE

Some of you might be wondering why we feature non-motor-cycle specific products like this CaseBudi?

Truth is we travel a lot and these days there arealways a small cadre’ of wires, adaptersand plugs coming along for the ride.Sometimes we will just stuff them into asmall fanny pack which has found use as

a travel companion but, invariably, these wires and cables ‘Christmas tree light’ and become a tangled mess to rival theGordian Knot.

Well, at least for the iPad this has become a bit simpler.The CaseBudi iPad Charger Travel Case has a tough black ballistic nylon exterior and the case

holds and protects your iPad charger in style.It is designed specifically for the iPad charger and has a lanyard clip so you can lock it onto your

luggage or iPad case.The CaseBudi people make a number of cases for different applications and for the $14.99 that this

case cost we thought it a worthy travel investment • www.casebudi.com

TWISTED THROTTLE’S NEW SEAT-RACK FROM SW-MOTECHThe New SW-MOTECH Seat-Rack is a luggage carrier that replaces the original passenger seat. The Seat-Rackis secured using the bike’s seat lock mechanism and can be removed using the ignition key. No modification tothe bike is necessary, installs in moments. The rugged 4mm black powder-coated aluminium Seat-Rack featuresvarious slots for securing gear and luggage using standard straps. Special rubber seals ensure a perfect fit and

Page 48 JUNE 2014 • BACKROADS

P R O D U C T S P O T L I G H T S

Motorcycles, Travel & Adventure

Join us for our 16th Backroads Fall FiestaWe’ll have our base camp at the historicShippen Place Hotel in Shippensburg, PA

Surrounded by some of the most scenicand twistalicious roads in Pennsylvania

You can explore the beautifulMichaux State Forest, take a spin to

Mr. Ed’s Elephant Museum orcheck out Centralia, the town on fire.

We’ll have a group dinner Saturday nightat the University Grille, at the hotel.

Rooms start at $87.20/nightCall today and get yours. Please askfor Backroads Group when booking.

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FALL FIESTA 2014September 25-28

A SHAMOKIN’ TIMEIN SOUTHCENTRAL PA

protects against sand, mud and water. The Seat-Rack is available for select motor-cycle models, including BMW R1200GS LC, KTM 690 Duke 4, and KTM 1190Adventure, from $189.99. More applications are in development. • www.twist-

edthrottle.com

SW-MOTECH HAWK LED LIGHTS FROM TWISTED THROTTLE

SW-MOTECH has launched a second generation of their popular HAWK FogLights, using the latest LED technology for optimum visibility, long life, and lowmaintenance.

The minimal draw of the 4-inch, 10-watt LED lamps project a broad beam of lightto improve visibility in foggy conditions and carry the ECE test mark. They arehoused in a black powder-coated aluminium body for durability and include awiring harness with a waterproof switch. Installation is easy and requires no specialtools.The SW-MOTECH Hawk LED fog lights retail for $399.99 per pair and areavailable through Twisted Throttle and its network of dealers throughout NorthAmerica. While each light includes a U-shaped mounting bracket, complete mount-ing solutions are sold separately. For bike-specific and universal mounting solu-tions, visit the Twisted website • www.twistedthrottle.com

HELIBARS® FIRST-EVER ADJUSTABLE HANDLEBARS

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These groundbreaking, Luxury Sport Touring bars pivot wrist angle positions overa 36-degree range, are up to 2-1/2 inches taller than stock, have 7 inches of for-ward/backward movement and are up to 4 inches closer to riders, striking the per-fect balance between greatly enhanced comfort and more nimble handling.In development for six years, the LST comfort kit is much more than a pair of low-tech, bar-rising plates. It addresses every drawback of the stock, fixed-position barson Honda GL1800 Gold Wings made from 2001 to 2014 and the radical FB6. To achieve perfect ergonomics for bodies of all sizes, they enable fine-tuning ad-justment one dimension at a time—using a simple Allen-head wrench—until theideal setup found.

Heli’s Luxury Sport Touring Horizon handlebars’ multi-axis pivots fix the bikes’steeply angled, severely rearward and awkward, low wrist angles on bars that aretoo close to riders. Their 36 degrees of fore/aft pain relief and ability to move awayor closer to riders keep the bars ends from landing in their laps and even hittingtheir thighs when turning left or right at full lock, transforming the 800-pound ma-

BACKROADS • JUNE 2014 Page 49

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chines’ low-speed, parking-lot maneuvering. Independent test riders say these HeliBars make the bikes feel 300 pounds lighter.The wrist rotation, additional height and reach movement help riders support their weight with a less cramped, more natural seating positions that aid inminimizing upper-body fatigue, muscle ache and lower back pain.The system’s high-strength, steel handlebars are connected with a solid, aluminum crossbar that dramatically reduces handlebar flex and offers more front-endfeedback. It also doubles as a convenient mounting point for electronic accessories. Heli’s exclusive HeliMount GPS adapter is optional.Bolting directly to the bikes’ top triple clamp, the LSTs use original cables, hydraulics and wire loom, requiring no permanent modifications. The turnkey kitincludes all components needed for installation using common tools in about three hours with HeliBars’ comprehensive instructions.Made in the USA, the steel handlebars are pre-drilled to mate with stock switch housings and their multi-axis pivots are CNC machined from blocks of aluminumbillet on state-of-the-art machines. For strength and security, the assemblies are attached to top triple clamps with aircraft-quality, investment-cast, T6 aluminum

risers using the original hardware. They’re finished with a durable, UV-resistant black powdercoat.Like all HeliBars products, this Luxury Sport Touring kit is backed by a 100% satisfaction guarantee via Heli’s

30-day return policy, and come with a one-year warranty.Heli’s unique, multi-axis replacement motorcycle handlebar kits are also available for BMW K1600s, HondaST1100/1300s and all Kawasaki Concours models, as well as most Harleys and metric cruisers

The undisputed leader in replacement handlebars and riser systems for more than 25 years, Heli Modified,Inc. has enabled motorcyclists to ride millions of miles in greater comfort for longer durations. The companydesigns and manufactures more than 70 products that improve the ergonomics of Japanese, European andAmerican touring bikes, sport tourers, sportbikes, and cruisers without changing their overall looks.Please visit HeliBars.com for more information about Heli’s innovative product line or call 800-859-4642 orvisit www.heliBars.com

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89 US 46, Columbia, NJ

908.852.4545

Rip & Ride® • PROHIBITION DISTILLERY10 UNION ST, ROSCOE, NY

607-498-4511 • WWW.PROHIBITIONDISTILLERY.COMTASTING ROOM AND TOUR HOURS: NOON – 6PM MONDAY THRU SUNDAYDOWNLOAD GPS ROUTE: WWW.SENDSPACE.COM/PRO/DL/98HSZO

START: ELK-BROX MEMORIAL PARK, PORT JERVIS, NYNORTH ON RTE 97RIGHT ON RTE 42LEFT ON OLD PLANK RD

LEFT ON STARLIGHT RD

LEFT ON ROUTE 17BRIGHT ON CR 183/AIRPORT RD

RIGHT ON RTE 55LEFT ON CR 142/BRISCOE RD

RIGHT ON SHORE RD

LEFT ON RTE 52RIGHT ON CR 149/SHANDELEE RD

LEFT ON HUBER RD

RIGHT ON THE GULF RD

RIGHT ON STEWART RD

LEFT ON HIGHLAND AVE

RIGHT ON UNION ST

PROHIBITION DISTILLERY/FIRE HOUSE ON LEFT

Rip & Ride® • THE HUMMINGBIRD HOUSE310 ROUTE 94 SOUTH , NEWTON, NJ 07860

973-300-0333 • WWW.HUMMINGBIRDHOUSENJ.COM(APPROX. 75 MILES) • GPS: WWW.SENDSPACE.COM/PRO/DL/N4VTZJ

START AT TRAFFIC CIRCLE FOR 7 LAKES DRIVE AND CR 106CONTINUE ON CR 106 WESTSTRAIGHT AT RTE. 17ARIGHT AT BENJAMIN MEADOW RD.LEFT AT CR 45RIGHT AT CR 13LEFT AT RTE. 94RIGHT AT CR 25RIGHT AT CR 6LEFT AT CR 42 / 37LEFT CR 12RIGHT AT CR 93LEFT AT RTE. 284LEFT IN UNIONVILLE OVER RRBEAR LEFT AT CR 36 INTO NJ CR 651 • WATCH 15 MPH SIGNS!RIGHT AT GORGE RD.RIGHT AT RTE. 23 NLEFT AT CR 519 (SPACE FARM SIGN)RIGHT AT CR 636LEFT AT RTE. 206 SRIGHT AT CR 521STAY ON CR 521 FOR A WHILELEFT AT FRANK CHANDLER ROAD (SOUTH OF CR 626)LEFT AT STOP CR 622RIGHT AT ANDERSON HILL RDAT T MAKE LEFT AT RTE. 94HUMMINGBIRD HOUSE ON LEFT

BACKROADS • JUNE 2014 Page 53

M O T O R C Y C L E M A R K E T P L A C E ALL THAT GOOD STUFF

Riverside Cafe & Lodge • 16624 Cty Hwy 17 • Roscoe, NY • 607-498-5305

www.riversidecafeandlodge.com • GPS: 41°58’09”N • 75°01’32.6”W

Riverside Cafe & Lodge, nestled on the Beaverskill River in Roscoe, NYCIA-trained chef • Motel rooms and cabins • Free wi-fiExcellent base location to explore the lower Catskills

O’TOOLE’S HARLEY-DAVIDSON®

Serving New York’s Hudson Valley for 40 yearsFactory Trained Service • New Model Sales

Genuine Harley-Davidson® Parts and AccessoriesConveniently located near the areas of Monticello, Middletown, Ellenville, Montgomery, and Walden

4 Sullivan St • Wurtsboro, NY845-888-2426 • www.OToolesHD.com

email info@motoaventura.clweb www.motoaventura.cl

Independent touring or guided tourswith multilingual guide, mechanic andsupport vehicle. 14 Years organizing

tours and BMW rentals.80 motorcycles in fleet.

World’s 2nd Largest BMW TravelPartner and Official BMW Dealer

Ride through Chile, Peru and Argentina.

Visit the full range of our beautiful and enchanting places

and see our lakes, other-worldly deserts,

the dramatic Andes, snow-covered volcanoes and,

of course, the magic world of Patagonia.

Join Us in 2014 or 2015Patagonia, Peru or Bolivia

in Latin America

Largest

Visit our website for all2014-15 tour dates

Competing at the Rock, Ribs and Ridges Music/BBQ FestivalJune 28-29 • Sussex County Fairgrounds • Augusta, NJ

Touring North Central Virginia?Then ride on over to the NEW

Comfort Inn & Suites in Orange

Motorcyclist Owned & OperatedLarge indoor heated pool and spa • Free deluxe hot breakfast buffet

Microwaves and fridges in every room • Large rooms + suites available

Comfort Inn & Suites334 Caroline St (James Madison Hwy), Orange, VA 22960

540-672-3121 • www.comfortinn.com/hotel-orange-virginia-VA657

Moto-Inn ApprovedTell ‘em Backroads

sent you!

15% Discountto all

Motorcyclists

The newest motorcycle-friendlyhotel closest to Skyline Drive…

just 30 miles away!

Fire Pit • Free WiFiCooked-to-order BreakfastHeated Pool • BYOB

We welcome everyone froma lone rider to a full chapter

344 Route 100, West Dover, VTwww.BigBearsLodge.com

802-464-5591

Page 54 JUNE 2014 • BACKROADS

M O T O R C Y C L E M A R K E T P L A C E ALL THAT GOOD STUFF

THE BIKE SHOP@ Automotive RevelationsMotorcycle Service

Repair + Parts

111 Mountain Spring Rd, Milford, PA • 570-228-6101 • fisherfabrications@gmail.com

Specializing in resurrecting old bikes and Vintage Custom work

Custom welding serviceand PA inspections available on site

Sussex Hills Ltd.

973-875-2048946 Rte. 23 SouthSussex NJ 074613 miles north of Sussex Borough

Norman GrossSince 1976

Our Reputation Speaks for Itself

Specializing in Motorcycle

Repair, Parts & Supplies •

Cycle Tires Mounted & Bal-

anced • Batteries & Hard

Parts • Dynojet 250 Dyno

available for testing

For All Your Harley-Davidson Needs

Now stocking a full line of heated gearMake your riding season last all year.

Come Ride the Dragonwww.dealsgap.com

800.889.555017548 Tapoco Road, Robbinsville, NC 28771

Deals Gap318 Curves in 11 Miles

Deals Gap StoreMotel

Bar and Grill

DAYTONA, BIKETOBERFEST,STURGIS AND BEYOND

MOTORCYCLE TRAILERS

BARN TRAILERS718-426-7039 • www.barntruckrental.com

57-05 BROADWAY • WOODSIDE NY 11377 (OFF THE BQE & LIE)

SALESRENTALS

320 Front Street, Belvidere, NJ • 908-475-2274 • www.thisilldous.com

Open Daily for Breakfast and Beyond • 7am to 4pm • Sunday 7am to 1pm

Try our Full Throttle Breakfast Special every Saturday + Sunday

Worth the ride from anywhere!

NOW AVAILABLEBarbeque Catering

Flexible • AffordableReady When You Are

Sharing your passion for good food since 1983Member of

Tues. thru Sat. 11am-10pmSunday: Breakfast 9am-Noon

Lunch and Dinner served until 9pm

The RivertonTravel along the scenic

backroads of the Delaware river.Meet the Markopoulos family

and taste chef George’sGreek American cooking.Best bar menu, lunch or dinner.

Fresh poppers, perogies, calamari, clamsand crispy wings with 8 different sauces.

John, Christina, chef George and Eoanna welcome you and your friends.

The Riverton Hotel and RestaurantAt Belvidere-Riverton Free Bridge, Riverton, PA

610-498-4241 • www.rivertonhotel.com

Member of

The Boat House

Restaurant

Join us for Brunch, Lunch

or Dinner overlooking

Swartswood Lake

1040 Cty Rd 521 • Swartswood, NJ

973-300-0016

www.theboathouserestaurantonline.com

Member

Tuesday ~ Sunday 11am-9pm

Brunch 10am-2pm • Closed Mondays

Call for Seasonal Hours

Excellent Ride Destination

‘50s-Style Drive-In RestaurantFull and Varied Menu

Room for the Whole Gang

Located at Ross’ Corners • 1 Route 15 • Augusta NJ • 973-300-2300

www.chatterboxdrivein.com

THURSDAY BIKE NIGHT IS BACK • join us at

THE CHATTERBOX DRIVE-INGREAT FOOD • GOOD TIMES • EXCELLENT RIDING

BACKROADS • JUNE 2014 Page 55

M O T O R C Y C L E M A R K E T P L A C E ALL THAT GOOD STUFF

WASHINGTON CYCLE WORKS

WCWWashington Cycle Works Junction of Rtes. 57/31 • Washington, NJ 07882

908-835-0043

www.washingtoncycleworks.com

We cater to road racers and support all Track Day organizationsCheck us for Suspension Setups • One-piece Road Race suits in stock

Closed Sun-Mon • Open: Tues-Thurs 9:30AM-7PM • Fri 9:30AM-6PM • Sat 9AM-3PM

If you didn’t like cool stuff,

you wouldn’t be reading

this magazine.

Here’s something

you’re going to love.

TORQ-ITScrewdriver/Speed Wrench/ Palm Ratchet

All In One Tool

Variable Speeds Over 600RPMLow Profile, with an “Ergo” Grip and a Non-Slip DesignAccepts All 3/8” and 1/4” Sockets and Extensions

BASIC SET: $19.95 • DELUXE SET: $29.95 • ACCESORY SET: $9.95

TORQ-IT PRODUCTS, INC. 1701 Manor Road • Havertown PA 19083Tel: 1.888.876.9555 • Visit Our New Website: WWW.TORQ-IT.COM

Hudson Valley’s

Number One Riding

Barbeque Restaurant

Located on Picturesque Route 9W

minutes from Perkins Drive

and Harriman State Park

just south of historic West Point

1076 Route 9W North

Fort Montgomery, NY

845-446-0912

www.barnstormerbbq.com

Celebrate the Season withsome awesome barbeque!

If you go home hungryit’s your own fault Route 20, Bouckville, NY • 315-893-1810 • www.yeoldelandmark.com

Ye Olde Landmark Tavern5 Spacious Roomsstarting at $90.00

Tavern andDining Room Menu

Serving Hours:Mon-Thurs: 5-9pmFri-Sat: 5-9:30pm

Sunday: 1-8pm

Seasonal April ~ December

Member ofFeatured in ‘We’re Outta Here’ Sept. 2011In the heart of great riding • Between Syracuse and Utica

Cooperstown • Finger Lakes • State Forests

JDS CYCLE PARTSEST. 1988

247 W. Westfield Ave, Rosell Park, NJ908-245-2445

• Parts & Accessories• Award-winning Service• Performance Work• Dyno Tuning• S&S Pro Tuning Center• Power CommanderTuning Center

American • Metric • Sport

Page 56 JUNE 2014 • BACKROADS

M O T O R C Y C L E M A R K E T P L A C E ALL THAT GOOD STUFF

http://www.nolan-usa.com

210 Route 10 West • East Hanover, NJ • 973-428-1735

JUST 35 MINUTES FROM NYC BRIDGES AND TUNNELS

www.HanoverPowersports.comMon, Tue, Wed, Fri: 9am-6pm • Thur: 9am-8pm • Sat: 9am-5pm

SUNDAY: CLOSED - GONE RIDING

Follow Us on Twitter

Watch Us on YouTube

Like Us on Facebook

for Up-To-The-Minute News

JUNE 2014KTM FACTORY DEMO TRUCK

WILL BE AT THE STOREDEMO RIDE ANY

KTM STREET BIKEcheck website or Facebook for date

ONLY Full Line KTM Dealer in the tri-state area

HUGE inventory of KTM Parts,Accessories and Apparel

honda.com ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET, EYE PROTECTION AND PROTECTIVE CLOTHING. NEVER RIDE UNDER THE

INFLUENCE OF DRUGS OR ALCOHOL, AND NEVER USE THE STREET AS A RACETRACK. OBEY THE LAW AND READ THEOWNER’S MANUAL THOROUGHLY. For rider training information or to locate a rider training course near you, call theMotorcycle Safety Foundation at 800-446-9227. CTX™ is a registered trademarks of Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (07/13)

2014 CTX™1300Legendary PowerGroundbreaking Style

2014 CB1100

An updated iconic clasic

210 Route 10 West,

East Hanover, NJ

973-428-1735

Follow Us on Twitter Watch Us on YouTube

Like Us on Facebook for Up-To-The-Minute News

www.Powersports.Honda.com

Dress properly for your ride with a helmet, eye protection, long-sleeved shirt, long pants, gloves and boots. Do not drink and ride. It is illegal and dangerous. Yamaha and theMotorcycle Safety Foundation encourage you to ride safely and respect the environment. For further information regarding the MSF course, please call 1-800-446-9227.Professional rider depicted on a closed course. ©2013 Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. All rights reserved. • YamahaMotorsports.com

Follow Us on Twitter

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2014 Super Ténéré ES

210 Route 10 West, East Hanover, NJ • 973-428-1735

www.HanoverPowersports.com