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As some of you know, I’ve been pretty distance on the forum over the last year or so. I sold my bikes, got married and this week I became a parent for the first time. Life has been hectic but hopefully 2021 i will be fortunate enough to get back into riding, back the way my riding began. Southeast Ohio day rides. I don’t see much long travels in the near future. Anyways, here is my new baby girl Karlie...

Hey all. I'm planning to host at least one group ride a month next season. These rides will be very beginner friendly, but not at all boring. There are roads around here that are low traffic, decent pavement and good signage and sightlines. These are the roads upon which I built my fundamentals. I was privi to some very cool riders that were more than happy to offer help and correct mistakes before they became muscle memory. I still ride with a couple of these riders fifteen years later and we still have a great time. I want to invite you to that brotherhood. I am grateful for the friendships I have with these folks and the folks I have met on this board. I know we seem to be at each others throats this season. I am certainly in the camp of brown crayon mouth and letting shit get to me that I cannot control. No good ever comes from trying to bend the will of natural law. It's been a long, hard 6 months for me. For perspective, I rode almost 20k miles last season and even a couple work trips were taken on my Voyager. This year? Maybe a couple thousand? I have noticed the lack of time in my helmet equals less time for me to decompress and work shit out. My brain gets cramped with minutia and other people's bullshit. I enjoy life a little less. I am less grateful for what I have. I lose myself for too long. Riding is the treatment for what ails me. It forces me to focus on right now. Right here. If I blew a corner, I have to let it go. I can't think about the next corner, either. I have one two seconds from now that requires all of my focus. The only thing that matters when I am in "zoom" mode, is the here and now of Pauly's life. No distractions. I said that so I could say this.. I know three kind of new riders. The first rider is the one looking to become a better motorcyclist. They want to enjoy the sport. These are teachable riders. The slightly less teachable riders are the riders that can't check themselves and those that refuse to push themselves. All of these rider styles are welcome on these rides. I bet the title to my bike that I know something you don't that can change riding for you in a positive way. These rides will be focused on the new riders. They will be tailored to suit your comfort level so you can focus on fundamentals of street riding. If you wish to discuss your particular trouble areas before that day, feel free to PM me and we can chat about it. Whatever makes you more comfortable and able to focus on the task at hand. Riding changed my life for the better. I would like to help you along the same journey to being alone in your helmet. Disclaimer: The racetrack is the ideal environment to learn the fundamentals of street riding. I plan to ride this Monday. I am extending this invite to everyone, but take note that if a new rider RSVPs, the ride will be tailored to that rider. Feel free to PM me and RSVP in private, too. I am cool with whatever makes you less apprehensive. I am also willing to meet you where you are comfortable riding to, within the NEO limits. I can't be riding to Columbus or Dayton. Maybe someone from that region will start their own rides. Groups will be small, though. Large group rides are distracting enough for veteran riders. These are rides that can be done comfortably in jeans, boots, jacket, glove and a helmet. No land speed records are being set. Just a nice ride across some tasty curves to preferably somewhere not disgusting to have lunch, and back on the road for the home stretch. Nothing fancy. No bait and switch, either. I can guarantee no matter how fast the rest of the riders go, I will stay at your pace for as long as you feel comfortable. This has been a problem in the past and I feel too many new riders are left out due to one reason or another. I can't promise great weather, but I can promise crooked roads, tasty food and a relaxed pace. Lastly, as long as the doctors are recommending masks, I will be wearing one. You can do whatever you want, but please be courteous and respectful to me and other riders. Also, this is a ride. It is not a Biden/Trump death match and politics are verboten. I get enough of myself and the rest of you online. I do not care who you vote for. I care that you want to ride bikes. I hope to see you outside next season.

Brice and Zion are off the charts.

We swapped bikes for a short bit on Monday. Before we took off he asked if I was prepared to spend $20k on a bike. I wasn't, but that ended up being irrelevant, because I spent the next 3 days searching for one. He and I zoomed to Nielsen Motorsports in Lake Villa, Illinois Friday night. We spooned all night, had Starbucks for breakfast and zoomed to the dealership Saturday when they opened. It was ready to roll, except for the system update Jim was prepared to install for me, but they jumped on it with the quickness. I got my tutorial from the salesman and some more pertinent pointers from Jim. Rode it 445 miles home yesterday and put another couple hundred on it today. It just keeps getting better. If you are in the market for a sport touring mount, then go look at one of these. Ride one before you write it off. This bike is incredibly nimble and can be pushed hard all day with little fatigue. It takes everything I can throw at it and just eats miles at speed with ease. The brakes are awesome. Six-piston front calipers and 320mm dual discs stop this thing in its tracks. The new front end is the shining star of the bike, but the flat-6 and delicious exhaust note are nice touch. Also, Honda is offering .9%/60 month financing on leftover 2018 models for the rest of this month. That made the decision a little easier for me.

Covid thread. I told them my vaccine turned my penis into a mutated baby hammerhead shark. They banned me for the weekend to "think about what I've done" and when they unbanned me I told them to basically go fuck themselves.

Here is the video. Last two laps were the best.

Its Limited, alright... on power and handling.

Day 1 Left this morning at 7AM and arrived in Marion, VA at 6:30PM 512 miles later.

Day 2 included The Snake, BRP, Diamondback, Devil’s Whip and Tail only 416 miles today. Tory’s favorite was Diamondback. Her comment was we owned that road.

Haven't logged in here for a while. But got the ol' Connie out for rip today. After 12year and 80k miles still love this old girl.

#shitmyrichfriendsays

Took mine for a little 1900 mile stroll this weekend.

I was in Alberta and BC particularly around the Banff/Golden area in July of this year. I could not explain how beautiful it is up there. I also could not imagine what riding a motorcycle like you're about to do would be like. Unimaginably epic.

Loaded up and heading south for the smokies. Took 16 through WV/VA, staying in Abingdon, VA tonight. Staying at the gap store the next three nights.

Did some custom powdercoating on a set of 03 Cobra coil covers a few days ago, came out pretty sick. https://youtube.com/shorts/WZlqvWi52DA?feature=share

Started it! First time since last Dec. when I started the engine swap. Ran it for a few minutes then shut down to check for oil leaks. So far, so good. I'll start and run it a few more times, then put some gas in and go for a ride. I'm anxious to see how much difference I can feel with the new engine.

Last Friday was my last day of employment. After the weekend, I've now spent 2 days as an official retiree and I think I'm going to like it. I bumped the date ahead by 7 weeks from my original plan because my (now former) employer had put me on the road in Holland, MI for 19 weeks since early March with no end in sight. After 80 nights in a hotel, the manager gave me a gift bag and a card signed by all the staff. That's how you can tell you've been on the road too long. I have 2 cars that have been asking for attention - just routine maintenance. And the yard is a mess - I was able to keep it mowed, but nothing else. THEN I can get back to finishing my bike engine swap and hopefully start riding again for the fall season. Hope to meet you guys on the road!

Friday, the Spyder Wife and I set out for a overnight-er down to Augusta, KY from our home in Hocking Hills, Ohio. We take back roads as much a possible to enjoy the sights and enjoy curves with shade. Our first stop was Aberdeen, OH. for a photo of the Maysville Bridge looking south over the Ohio River. Next we crossed over and enjoyed Lunch at Delite's Diner in Maysville, KY. A 50's Style diner with great food and music. After lunch we jumped back over to Ohio and continued to Augusta, KY. Back roads again zig zaging from waterfront up high in the woods. One road (221) just North of the Higginsport Ferry had a stone wall that went for miles. This must have taken a lot of work back in the day. As the 4pm "Check In time at the "Augusta Guest House" had just past so we jumped on the Ferry and crossed over to the great little town of Augusta, KY. where food, music and friendly folks live and enjoy the river life. After check in and showers we walked down to the new "Beehive" restaurant$$$ for happy hour and dinner sitting out side with a river view. We finished and walked around town checking out the "American Queen" cruse ship that was docked for a few night stay. As the sun was closing we enjoyed the sunset by the river. We then walked back to the hotel enjoying the outdoor band playing at the Augusta pub and crashed for the night. In the morning we loaded up had breakfast outside at the General Store, ferried across to Ohio and returned home. Total miles 440

I subjected myself to southpaw lunacy and made the journey to retrieve it.

On my way 😄

Recently stumbled on a leftover 2017 KTM 250 exc-f at a local dealer. Had to make it come home with me.

Ok, need to get the right red to match the website. The long one is the best of the two.

May 14th. Meet at New Concord Marathon at 10:30. If the group grows we can switch the meetup location. I’ll create a new post soon with details.

Casinos have a system where you can be banned if you have a gambling problem. I wonder if there is something similar for motorcycle dealers.

Day 3 We ran a version of Tonik’s route today. We had a little bit of rain, but nothing too serious. Definitely beat on the Concours today and made a CBR style run on the skyway once we hit dry pavement. Definitely the best day of the trip, 437miles.

Took the Concours out for 400 plus miles today. I’m definitely getting comfortable with the big girl. Dragging the left peg was an eye opener.

I too have stepped up my game.

We took they kids out for a quick ride today. KTM is still being broke in.

I completed the new bike today. First startup went well. Time for break in miles Alaska here I come

Mounted and balanced the new tires. Then took the rear rotor off the stock wheel and mounted it to the new rear wheel from Woodys. Then mounted the 320mm front rotor and mounted the wheels for the first time on the new bike. After that I installed the Safari tank (all new hardware, new petcocks, new fuel line and fittings) and plumbed the fuel lines. Then installed the fairing and re-aimed the headlight and light bar. The last item is the new shock being built for the bike by Cogent Dynamics. For the 82,000 miles on the original Sunny I ran a Cogent Mojave shock. This bike is getting a new Cogent Mojave Pro model (large remote reservoir with adjustable compression damping as well) as well as their hydraulic preload adjuster. It’ll be awesome to be able to soften the preload bit when riding the bike without all the luggage. Once the shock is in, fuel is going in and startup!! It’ll be great to see how it runs. I only rode it 10 miles or so before tearing the bike down. Some minor changes have been made from stock. Better air filter. Carb rejetted and modified with ethanol-proof o-rings and gaskets as well as a remote choke knob and manual air/fuel mixture screw (only needed one tweak on old carb in all those miles. Had to open up the air in Peru when over 16,000 ft). I’m also running a different exhaust can. The bike ripped stock. I’m sure it’ll be sweet. Alaska Ho!

Now for all the custom parts... He wants a taller wind screen first.

Hello sleeping strangers. Your weekly wake-up call is rapidly approaching.

333 miles. Took 93/83/78/377/550/26/800 and had breakfast at the Triple Nickel Diner. Tires are horrible. The quick shifter isn't as smooth as the GSA, but it functions. The windscreen has two positions... loud and louder. The brakes will get a fluid exchange this week because I think it's running the original fluid. They have two settings.. slightly slowing and endo, but boy do they stop that bike right now. The engine belongs in a sportbike. It's so good. Torque everywhere. Riding position isn't hateful and the seat is decently supportive for a stock pad. The suspension is without flaw, although more harsh than the GSA over bumps. I presume the lack of telelever is the culprit and I am just spoiled. The dash is meh, but easy to use once you figure out which button does what. Cruise control on a sportbike should be mandatory. I like being able to touch the ground with both feet at a stop. 10/10, would purchase again.

Spent 3 hrs on the Goldwing with my wife this evening. Close to 140 miles. Definitely not my normal pace but I think my wife now realizes what she has been missing when I’m gone for hours. Both of us had a blast.

I was in North Carolina riding for the week after memorial day. We were filling up at a podunk gas station near our hotel at the end of the day. Who do I run into? @NinjaDoc of course!

Staying at the Two Wheel Inn tonight. Rode some BRP, 276, 215, and 28 south from 74 to War Woman. 850 miles for 2 days, not too bad for an old guy. The pic is Looking Glass Falls.

Got some time to work this weekend. Carbs mounted yesterday and exhaust today. This is the exhaust that Hoblick Cerakoted a few weeks ago. It looks even better on the bike.

Road 250+ Miles of curvy asphalt with my spyder wife and had lunch at Marv's place in Sardis. Roads: 255,536,800 in great shape.

Before I give what I expect will be an unpopular opinion let me give my 2A creds. I have been active for years getting this crap fixed. Organizing and attending open carry events at parks that had illegal no gun signs. Spending my own money helping sue Cleveland Hts, Cleveland and Oberlin for their illegal laws. And getting all the illegal gun laws off the books in the town I live in. In other words I have been in this fight getting shit done for years instead of just bitching about it on the internet. You are welcome. Removing the requirement for training is a really stupid fucking idea. When I took my CCW class there were two people there that clearly had never had much to with guns before. I don't know if the class got them far enough along or not but it certainly helped. Now these kinds of people will have no training and will be wandering around having accidental discharges that may kill someone you love. You have to go through a ton of training to drive a car. 8 hours of gun training is not a burden. All rights have limits and conditions and as long as they are reasonable conditions I have no problem with them. Proper safe gun training is not a hoop and not a burden.

I made my own plate for my bike in Afghanistan.😄 At some of the Afghan checkpoints they were scratching there heads wondering.

Oh, and almost got killed today. The closest I have ever come, even closer than the car that spun out in front of me during rush hour in St. Louis. Running pretty hot on 212, so very twistie, but not running super hot as I am 2up with a boatload of luggage. Very blind hard right hander, I am left side of my lane trail braking into the corner and start to lean and bam...there is the front end of a fucking 18 wheeler right there....and yea, he had a full trailer in my f'ing lane. There is no shoulder. Throttle off, ease on more brake and dive to the white line...that's all the room I can give him. A few more inches to the right and I am going to wreck. Debbie tells me there was only 2 or 3 inches between my mirror and the side of the trailer. And yes, trucks are prohibited on that road. I U turned got the plate and called him into the State LEO's on 911. Fuck that guy.

Busted out of Hocking Hills at 9am in a NE direction on curvy back roads with little traffic. Slipped under New Lexington on secondary roads while turning more north passing Crooksville and Roseville turning up to the river crossing at Philo then thru Chandlersville to our coffee stop in New Concord (Chapmans Coffee). Fueled up and headed south on 83 picking up 313 east around Senecaville Lake to 800 south thru Woodsfield jumping on 255 to our lunch spot in Sardis, Marv’s place. To our surprise it was closed. The man living next door stated that they closed last week, unable to find workers. So hungry and disappointed we jammed down the shoreline to FLY, (Riverview Diner) Lunch sucked but we were at the Ferry so across the river into Sisterville for a trip back north to the bridge at New Martinsville/Hannibal. After crossing back into Ohio we jumped on 536 to 78 and Blasted 78 home to the HOCK. Just under 300miles for the day of great asphalt roads and very little traffic.

Got to ride Nelsons last weekend and not work or coach. Was able to work on my own riding which was nice. Rode the Friday twilight and Saturday. Got a lot of open track.

Not my bike but the bike I’m riding to the gap Thursday. Getting everything looked over to make sure it’s ready. Dad and I are riding down and meeting my wife and mother for a long weekend at Gatlinburg, but we’re gonna ride for a little bit.

Picked up a 2009 Concours today. Less than 7600 miles on it. Rode it like 30 miles. Definitely a different feel than the CBR. It will take some getting used to. I’m guessing it’ll slow me down a bit. It doesn’t seem to beg to be ridden faster like the CBR does. It will scoot, however, if you want it to. Runs up to triple digits right quick. It’s definitely more comfortable, especially with a passenger. My daughter went with me to get the bike and test rode it with me. She was way more comfortable as a passenger as well. I hope I can get her mother to ride with me too.