Pennsylvania trip on Friday, August 27th

[YamaMana]

Yes, Smeth sent me to MidTown who sent me to Lance's.

[MacDoc]

all booked and ready to roll....flat on my back coaxing my sciatic nerve into hibernation.

weather looks superb.

[gcrouse]

Man if i didn't have my mom's 80th this w/e I would so be in on the ride !!! The weather does look awesome. Safe riding everyone
Gary

[djez]

I have been to PA so many times.. since I have families and in-laws lives in Harrisburg and Hershey.

I have never been there with my MC though.. would love to do it one day..

Since my sister moved to Hershey i made it a point to visit her frequently on my Bike.

I will see you guys in couldersport friday night. And Im off to Hershey.

[jaygreene24]

How many are going on this trip?

[djez]

I wish I can join your ride, but my time and destination are different. I will leave Toronto 3pm and will be at Couldersport Paul's Motel by 8pm.
Will ride to Hershey Saturday and head home on Sunday.

I'm hoping to see you guys in Couldersport.

May I suggest to visit Wycoff Run(10 miles sweeper)if you havent tried it and you are going through 555-120 anyway. Its 5 miles east of 120/555.

[mototrek]

How many are going on this trip?

I know the first message in the thread was written by Anik. Ask him.

[mototrek]

all booked and ready to roll....flat on my back coaxing my sciatic nerve into hibernation.

weather looks superb.

Does that mean we'll see you at the Fort Erie Crossing at 11:00 am?
We cross at 11:00 - sharp - full gas tank and empty bladder!!

Where are you "all Booked?"

We are "all Booked" at Paul's motel in Coudersport!

Hope we are all on the same page.

cheers,
Peter

[YamaMana]

Yes there's 3 of us meeting you at Fort Erie. Leaving Mississauga at 7:30am for a scenic run & breakfast. All booked in at Paul's tonight.

[djez]

Have a good and safe run down to PA. Im not so lucky that I have to wait till 3 before I can go. See you Guys at the Paul's.

Anybody shopped at the Motorcycle shop at route 240?

[anik]

Got back safely to Toronto. It was an amazing trip. Wish I could stay till Sunday. Have fun guys!
It was really nice meeting and riding with you all!

[MacDoc]

Thanks - we will some photos

http://s106.photobucket.com/albums/m269/macdoc/

bloody 7 degrees this morning then 29 this aft
dodging deer last night on the way home - I was solo - got separated - glad I did
others got lost - they got home later and they were all icicles.

5 deer total - 2 crossed the road 100 m in front of me - glad it was only two

2 wild turkeys as well

dusk and night not a good time to drive here

went into the elk area and there was a huge bull elk in someones back yard - quite content - he's wild but apparently quite tame..

crazy good roads to ride Burgman continues to impress - me and fellow riders

tons of bikes down here - many Canadians - had a drink with a bunch tonight - all types
Heading back tomorrow.

can anyone identify this fiesty little guy - coiled and would strike like a tiny rattler but could fit in the palm of your hand wiht room to spare - so fierce
Sure looks like a diamonback - gorgeous colours.



saw him while looking at this guy



Lined up for lunch


Very pleased with the Burgman ...ask Anik

Much fun - more to come.

[anik]

Thanks - we will some photos

http://s106.photobucket.com/albums/m269/macdoc/

bloody 7 degrees this morning then 29 this aft
dodging deer last night on the way home - I was solo - got separated - glad I did
others got lost - they got home later and they were all icicles.

5 deer total - 2 crossed the road 100 m in front of me - glad it was only two

2 wild turkeys as well

dusk and night not a good time to drive here

went into the elk area and there was a huge bull elk in someones back yard - quite content - he's wild but apparently quite tame..

crazy good roads to ride Burgman continues to impress - me and fellow riders

tons of bikes down here - many Canadians - had a drink with a bunch tonight - all types
Heading back tomorrow.

can anyone identify this fiesty little guy - coiled and would strike like a tiny rattler but could fit in the palm of your hand wiht room to spare - so fierce
Sure looks like a diamonback - gorgeous colours.



saw him while looking at this guy



Lined up for lunch


Very pleased with the Burgman ...ask Anik

Much fun - more to come.

Looks like I missed out on that.

Ya that burgman is pretty impressive. Can keep up with the bikes pretty good!

[MacDoc]

1650 km mostly fun secondary roads 7 am Friday to 9 pm Sunday.

Some new friends - good fun. More later but for now, hot tub for some some what stiff neck BUT no sciatic problem - biggest hurtle to get by.

Breezed through the border in both directions and very friendly welcome in Pennsylvania - they seem to like bikers there from what we saw.

[MacDoc]

Think this will be my poster pic for the trip - very lucky framing

[YamaMana]

Missed Mr. Mototrek's company for the final leg. Hopefully arrived home safe & sound and hit some of the great roads on the way!

[djez]

Although I'm only a part of this trip during the Hotel stay and breakfast, I did enjoyed my ride with my 400 cc naked.

I left Toronto at 3pm and treat myself to a scenic route 240.


When I reached Olean the temperature started to drop. Forecast says 15 deg low but it feels a lot colder. I reached the hotel at 8:30 and the group was not there, went out to grab food.
out of curiosity I ordered Chicken fries and I learned my lesson. I was looking for chicken but all it is is potato fries in oil.

Woke up early but it was blooddy cold at 7deg.Decided to stay and join the group for breakfast.
It was either join the group to take Route 6 to Grandcanyon of PA or take 44 down. I choose 44.


Arrived at hershey noon and we spent the day rest of the day in the park.



Going home I passed by wycoff run and the river under the bridge to get this photo.
Weather was great for a swim but I didn't bring my swim trunks




I passed by 555 around 3:30 pm and didn't saw any Elk. They say I have to wait near sundown to see them.
I did saw was 3 turkeys crossing 219 .

I wish I could have joined you guys more,... well there is always next week

[MacDoc]

next week - maybe for you
- gotta give aging bod a rest break here
Good to meet you if only for a few minutes.

I'm sure I've seen you at the Shed in Belfountain which is why the face was familiar.

BTW those heading into the Niagara Region....we had a terrific burger and home made pie here
Bike friendly parking and a nice area to explore in any number of directions.
Was a good break after a long stretch to the border and some zig zags along Ridge Road in Ridgeway as a final twistie treat.

Keith's Restaurant


Keith's Restaurant opened in 1952 making it 57 years old in 2009. Being within the Fonthill community for such a long time has cemented Keith's Restaurant as a well known and respected restaurant. They are especially well known for their pies that use fresh fruit.

"Once this was a confectionery store, home of Robert Froger's Ice Cream Parlour. Then it was used as a bakery by George Kaufman. Keith Crick bought the building in 1959 and opened his restaurant, adding a dining lounge in 1978." Historic Walking Tour of Fonthill. Tour 2. Pelham Historical Society. 2006.
Hours of Operation

Sunday - Wednesday
8:00 am - 7:30 pm
Thursday - Saturday
8:00 am - 8:00 pm
Directions

From Brock University Start out going SOUTH on GLENRIDGE AVE / RR-50 toward BROCK UNIVERSITY RD W. Continue to follow RR-50 Turn RIGHT onto CANBORO RD / PROVINCIAL ROUTE 20 / RR-20. Continue to follow PROVINCIAL ROUTE 20 / RR-20.

We got slightly lost in Hamilton with the new highways on top of the mountain ( we avoided the QEW like the plague ) but soon got sorted and slabbed it home.
Nice split off for the three of us in different directions at the 403/407 junction in Mississauga - good end to an excellent trip.

Thanks all.

[mototrek]

Missed Mr. Mototrek's company for the final leg. Hopefully arrived home safe & sound and hit some of the great roads on the way!

Saturday night, after a consuming a wonderfully twice-cooked medium rare steak with you guys at Lumber Jacks, I stopped at a red light. It was real nice of you guys to wait for me somewhere down the road... Must have been a long way down the road - never saw you again. I saw Billy and Macdoc returning to get gas, so I went for a pee and waited for them. So we left heading north and Macdoc rides up beside me and asks for the name of the motel. Hell, I don't know if it has a name!

After you guys would book into the motel, I'd still have 20 miles to go - in the dark! On deer infested roads. It was cold and dark and I got into Smethport about 9:20.

Sunday morning, I decided to go to church in town for the 9:00 mass and then have a great breakfast in the town diner - older than Fezz's in Coudersport.

I messed around the local roads for awhile and crossed the border at about 2:00 and slabbed it back to Markham. Kinzua and Tionesta will have to wait till next time.

Enjoyed meeting you guys for good food and conversation. Also enjoyed following a respectable distance behind that jewel of a Harley. Got to hear him accelerate up the hills - a sound that has no equal.

I almost lost my left arm on the way back - There were so many road warriors riding in groups of 10 to 20 bikes - all staggered and all stupidly waving!

Riding through Olean, I noticed people all lined up in garden chairs along the route. I guess the biker's parade is something the locals really like. 'Cause they were lined up on 417 as if it were Pride Day in Toronto!

I decided I would return the wave only of solo riders. My arm's still attached and it was nice to see there are some folks out there who still solo.

Looking forward to October. Renovo's Flaming Festival is something to consider.

cheers,

[MacDoc]

For those that want a feel for what the transmission is like on the Burgman, this is Honda's big gun version and the video does a decent job of explanation of the options.
The sound of the machine is similar tho of course the Honda is much faster and higher RPM
Still the principle of choice and ultra smooth operation remains.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YFBsOMNrm8&feature=related"]YouTube- Dual Clutch Transmission Modes on the VFR1200F HQ 640x360[/ame]

In this one, a rider of the same model of non-automatic comments

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Vo8anJ1sRM"]YouTube- Honda VFR1200F - DCT vs standard[/ame]

were I moving up I'd certainly pay the premium for the DCT.

I rarely use full manual, but use the Sport Mode ( Suzuki calls it Power mode) frequently where I want a narrow range, more acceleration and quicker response.
It's useful as a "gear down" approaching corners in conjunction with braking.

Some Burgman riders actually have some sort of deceleration sensor rigged to trigger the brake lights as the engine braking is pretty strong in the lower gears and I often don't touch the brake at all.
The same of course applies to those that gear down smoothly on manual bikes....cagers can get startled