IMS 2014 - Trike Ride

     I went to the International Motorcycle Show in Long Beach this year with a goal in mind to ride something completely different and the Can-Am Spyder three-wheeled cycles qualified. Can-Am has several models; the Spyder RT for a fully equipped touring cycle, the Spyder ST for sport touring, and their newest model, the Spyder F3 which was the big draw to their demos that Saturday. However, the timing didn’t work out well for that and I ended up passing on my scheduled demo and, as I outlined in the previous post, went for a putt on an Indian Vintage with several of the other Victory riders.

     The weather for our demo rides was perfect. Scattered high clouds to give the bright cyan-sky definition, mid-seventies temperature – just enough to make me regret not packing my mesh riding jacket, and just a whisper of a breeze to bring in the fresh aroma of the Pacific. One or two deep breaths when I’m on the coast is all it takes to wash away any lingering stress. In the middle of the demo lot with groups coming and going, riders rumbling in for the show, and dealership hucksters trying to bring in buyers and I still had the easy going feeling the coast always brings me. Mother Nature treated us very well.

     Once Kevin, Steve, Dale, and I were done with our Indian demo we decided to see what all the noise about Harleys is. Dale wanted to compare his current ride and Harley’s CVO Road Glide, a newer version of what he upgraded from when he went to Victory. Kevin opted for the CVO 110 Electra Glide, and has posted a nice review of his Harley demo on Facebook and he and Dale’s ad hoc demo route.

HD Tri-Glide Ultra

     I jumped over to a Harley trike just for something different. Curiosity, you know? I was required to watch a video on trike riding before proceeding with the actual demo. It was a good thing too as they are very different in steering and the spatial relationships with those two rear wheels. I also had to demonstrate a couple of the maneuvers, backing and weaving between cones, to a Harley rep before going out on my own on a prescribed route through Long Beach. I was on a Harley Tri-Glide Ultra, a touring model trike. The other model is a Harley Freewheeler equipped to cruise. The unguided demos amazed, and somewhat amused us, especially when Dale and Kevin created their own route. During the video there was a close up of the instrumentation panel of an idling trike and I felt like my eyes would wobble out of my head; this sensation was confirmed when I started the trike and it told me all I really needed to know about Harley Davidson and their progression as motorcycle designers. It would take me several hundred miles of riding to get used to the trike and another few hundred to feel proficient.

     I found that the trike was a whole lot more work than its two-wheeled cousin. You really have to steer a trike and start later into a turn or you end up cutting the corner with the inside wheel. Also, while putting along a straightaway the trike seems to want to wobble one way or another and you have to keep a very straight line with the front wheel. During my fifteen minute ride I never got comfortable. Additionally, I was instructed not to put my foot down at a stop and it wasn’t until the last three or four stops that I didn’t take my feet off the floor boards before realizing my error. Evidently, you could end up running your own foot over.

I won’t be riding a trike until that’s all I can handle. I did wonder the show floor looking for a sidecar outfit as I’ve been fooling around with the idea of setting up my Victory Cross Country with one so that Ollie Verdoodle can come along sometimes. Dogs love the fresh air hitting them in the face and having their ears flap behind their heads – me too!

Y’all keep the iron side up.

IMS 2014 - Vintage

     I hadn’t seen some of these folks for a year, maybe longer. While you never really forget how great it is just to be with people like the “Greater Los Angeles Area Victory Riders” memories do have a tendency to fade or fog over a bit. The measure of friendship is found in how easy it is to take up where you left off, something time itself has little power over; it’s only those experiences, the trials that test all of us, that change us over those periods of separation that can roughen up the edges of any friendship. A further measure is how adroitly we step through those experiences and get to the heart of our being together. I suppose I was a little more sensitive to this after a late writing session the night before putting some old cruddy experiences into a story. Pretty mushy stuff for bikers but still, we have our soft sides.

     I arrived at the IMS show in Long Beach, CA right about the time I’d wanted to but still later than I should have. The lines for demo registrations were lengthening as I dismounted. Even so, my timing was pretty good because I rolled in and parked next to Vicki’s new Honda Gold Wing F6B, a beautiful bike that suits her well. I joined her and Tim in the line to register for a Can-Am demo ride just to experience something really different but somehow landed up in a later group than they did and I floated over to the Indian demo trailer where I found several of the other Victory riders; Steve, Kevin, Dale, Brad, and Karrie. Brad and Karrie were signed up for the new Indian Scout, easily the most popular ride of the day and they had to wait for a couple of groups to finish before they got their demo while the rest of us got rides in the next group. Steve and Kevin opted for the Roadmaster, a bike roughly equal to their Victory Visions; Dale and I went for the Vintage, a bike on par with our Cross Countries – something to be said for our preference for continuity. Actually, it was a sound way to compare the rides with what we saddled up on every day.

     In addition to the class relationship to my VCC, I like the Vintage because I favor the classic styling and, well, as I said, at my age, I can be considered vintage. This was the first bike that I’ve demoed that I felt would be competitive with the Victory cross bikes if I was in the market for a new bike again. The Vintage was smooth riding, had an intuitive feel to the balance, and at my 6’3” frame it fit me comfortably. The acceleration and cruising are on a par with my Cross Country. Dale reported that the red line is lower on the Indian, something that my conservative riding style wouldn’t uncover. Another thing that I really liked was the keyless ignition; the folks at Indian aren’t afraid that the latest in technology will spoil the classic styles or history of the bike. The one drawback for me is that the combination of the classic tank-mounted instrumentation and my full-face helmet are incompatible as I needed to look down to see what’s going on with the gauges; I’m spoiled by the faring mounted gauges on the cross and being able to glance down with an eye roll and get updated information. I was a little concerned about taking my eyes out of the riding environment to check the gauges. Still, it’s a good thing that I have only room for one bike in my life. Also good? I ride a bike that is nearly perfectly suited to me.

Me and Vintage - Photo credit to Dale Moews

     Kevin, Steve, Dale, and I went from the Indians to the Harleys and then into the convention center to take care of some Sena business before meeting others for lunch over at the Victory area. I’ll cover those on separate posts to keep each one shorter but post them in rapid succession.

     We ended up with twenty or so riders for lunch together. We opted, though I’m still in the dark as to how the option was decide upon, for lunch about a block away from the convention center and further away from the harbor. Somehow Sue kept us on the move without seeming to, an admirable skill; bikers appear to be harder to keep together on foot as opposed to riding on the open road. Jed is a fortunate man. We ended up at the Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery and were quickly rewarded with outdoor seating for all us, the strategy of moving away from the convention halls paid off. We enjoyed a relaxed lunch of good food and company which was topped off with a surprise birthday brownie a la mode for Dale. Nicely done Tim!

     Those folks are just plain fun and pleasant to be around. Thanks to all of them for such a great day!

Y’all keep the iron side up.

STICK1

I pulled up to Betty’s place for the KSU of 7:30 on a Wednesday morning with a fresh tank of gas in the bike and the Men’s Ministry meeting for the soul. I’d run into Betty at a friend’s 50^th birthday party the Saturday before and she invited me to ride with a group that pulls out of Lancaster on Wednesday mornings. Well, ‘run into’ is a bit misleading since I expected her to be there and had a 40 or so year old photo of her younger son Brian in my pocket. The honoree, Michelle, and Brian had been a part of a youth group that my wife and I acted as youth pastors for and I had searched for a photo of Michelle as an 11-year old with my helmet and gloves on. Betty’s invite came at a good time since I haven’t been able to connect with my riding friends from the southeast and I really wanted to ride with some folks.

Betty had her kick stand up and ready to pull out when I rode up but she needed to gas up her red 1996 Harley Dyna with a black rose detail on the tank and soft bags behind her. I’m not sure what type of Dyna it is; Street Bob, Low Rider, Wide Glide, Fat Bob, or Switchback. Regardless, the bike fit her well. And, I only know those names from the Harley website. We rode out to the Antelope Valley Harley-Davidson dealership to meet up with the main group - a 65 mile freeway ride to just to get started. I was a little apprehensive about riding my Victory Cross Country (VCC) into a Harley ride - after all, we bikers can be a zealous lot when it comes to our rides. I found them to be a likable group of experienced riders out for a little morning run with friends and any friend of Betty’s…

My '71 Honda CB500

Our 65-mile run to the meet point in AV was uneventful with the traffic flowing toward LA and wide open in front of us to the northeast. I’d ridden with Betty on one other occasion over Angeles Crest to Newcomb’s Ranch for a birthday lunch when I was still riding my ’07 Honda Sabre. Betty led the way and set a comfortable pace with a nice line. I had some time to think and found myself going back over the photos that I’d dug up the Saturday before. They included a B&W of my first bike, a ’71 Honda CB500. Those four cylinders took me wherever I wanted to go, including a 6,000 mile western-states tour that should be the subject of a multi-part flashback post. Those earlier rides also included taking Betty’s kids as well as the others from that church group for little rides around the neighborhood and rides up to Bass Lake to meet church groups that my mom worked with and taking those kids on rides around the campgrounds. If I tried to do that today the church leaders would only walk away shaking their heads and mumbling about liabilities. The old photos included one of my license plate: STICK1. I’m tempted to see if I can resurrect that one for my VCC. 

STICK1 - 'nough said

I took a walk through the showroom with Betty to pick up a turn indicator bulb for her Dyna and was very impressed by the bikes on the floor. Harley-Davidson builds some beautiful bikes. To be honest with you, they have a better color selection than Victory, particularly when my selection for 2010 was black or maroon. Victory now has a much better selection of colors and custom looks. To be equally as honest with you, none of those Harleys made we want to beg a salesperson to take my black VCC in trade; I love that bike, it’s taking me anywhere that I want to go.

The group ride was from the dealership out to the Pine Mountain Club where shared a late breakfast. There were 16 riders in total, 11 or 12 Harleys of various models, including a trike that road slack, 2 or 3 Honda Goldwings, and my VCC. We stayed off of the freeways and went out of Lancaster via some two-lane roads passing by Elizabeth Lake to Highway 138 and across the 5 freeway, up a side road to the Pine Mountain Road to our destination. It was a great combination of high desert roads lined with Joshua Trees and low-elevation mountain/canyon roads. These guys were very comfortable together and stayed in a tight formation at an easygoing pace. My relaxed ride held over to a nice breakfast with Betty and the three guys at our end of the long table having pleasant get-to-know-you conversations. I’m looking forward to another ride with them someday, maybe with STICK2.

Y’all keep the iron side up.