Road Captain USA

A few weeks ago I got a new toy: the Go Pro Helmet Hero camera.  Not wanting to look like a total dork with a camera sticking off the top of my head, I attached it to my handlebars with a special attachment purchased separately.  The perfect opportunity to experiment with my new toy arose when First State HOG chapter went on their local Covered Bridge Tour.

It’s a long story, but the route got passed through several pairs of hands before it landed in Jay’s lap.  The two of us pre-rode the trip several times over Memorial Day weekend making changes to suit our needs and adding two more bridges to the original six.  With the help of a couple of our chapter’s veteran Road Captains, we made the necessary adjustments for taking a large group of bikes along this challenging route.  The tour passes through 8 covered bridges in Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.  Along the way you ride through woods, rolling hillsides, and country farms.  Many of the roads are narrow with no shoulder or guardrail.  There are blind curves, steep grades, and inclined stops just to keep it interesting.

The weather was gorgeous for our pre-rides as well as the following weekend when 20+ bikes joined us for a hugely successful trip.  Despite the fact that several of our gentlemen were riding solo that day, we still had a total of 30 people to wrap up the ride with dinner at Wesley’s Seafood Restaurant in Fair Hill, Maryland.

I had the Go Pro Helmet Hero set to take pictures 2 seconds during the pre-ride and every 5 seconds during the official chapter dinner ride. In total the camera took 4000 pictures. I edited them down to 88 and posted them to Flickr. Click here to see the complete set of photos (taken mostly by my Helmet Hero camera) on Flickr.

I have never seen so many people request a copy of the route after a ride.  Everyone had lots of fun.  The route is fabulous!  Last weekend a couple of us re-ran a good portion of the route on our own.  With only 3 bikes, and no longer having to follow directions step-by-step since Jay now has the route memorized, we were able to fly through some of the twisties at a brisker pace than with such a large group as we had done before.  It is even more enjoyable that way - not only great scenery, but fun to ride too!  As Lem would say “It’ll really make your ass pucker!”

A full product review of the Helmet Hero camera is coming soon…

Tags: Mrs Road Captain by Diana Green
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While I have been focusing on promoting Million Mile Monday whithin our local HOG Chapter it didn’t occur to me that I should do a little promoting of Million Mile Monday here at Road Captain USA to our online friends. Then an e-mail from the marketing people at HD woke me up. So here goes…

Tags: HOG®, News & Announcements by Jay Green
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What could be better than genuine Harley-Davidson chrome accessories with style and safety in mind? I first heard about these mirrors from our HOG chapter’s Safety Officer who recomends them to everyone who rides an Ultra Classic. When I asked our Head Road Captain if he had heard about them, he told me he has them on his bike and they’re great.

The Harley-Davidson Split-Vision Mirror Kit part# 92190-06 is not only stylish; it is designed to reduce blind spots. This mirror features a large primary panel for normal viewing and a second smaller outboard convex panel for a wider field of vision. Many of you use convex mirrors on your SUV’s and pick-up trucks. Why not use them on your motorcycle? When using these mirrors, I find that I can see traffic over my shoulder in the opposite lane. For example: I can see cars passing me on the left in the right hand mirror. I’m told these mirrors are especially helpful on the Ultra Classic models where many riders find they see too much of the elbows and shoulders of their passengers thus obstructing their view of traffic.  These mirrors look great and give you an edge when it comes to safety and I’m looking for every advantage I can get. I highly recommend these mirrors; they retail for $119.95 at your local Harley-Davidson dealer.

If you have any questions about these mirrors, please contact Parts & Service at Mike’s Famous Harley-Davidson in New Castle, Delaware 302-658-8800

Stay tuned to RC USA for reviews on practical motorcycle parts you can put to good use.

Tags: Product Reviews by Jay Green
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Moto-Maps^® Back-Road Touring Guides are your map to back-road adventures.

Riding season is finally here! It’s time to find some twisty back-roads and see what this country looks like from two wheels. If you’re a transplant like me, you might not know where the good roads are hiding. Or maybe you’re out of fresh ideas and are looking for some new roads to ride. “Where to ride?” is the question and “Moto-Maps^®” is the answer!

Moto-Maps LLC is a company in New Hampshire that makes small 3.5″ x 6″ laminated flip charts of scenic back-roads for motorcyclists. There are twenty five different editions of Moto-Maps^® thoroughly covering the east coast states plus a few in the mid-west and west coast. Each booklet includes six to seven maps with turn by turn directions for 6 or 7 loops. Each ride is a full day trip ranging from 3 to 8 hours to complete. The books are small so that they can fit in pockets and small compartments. They are laminated for durability and bound by ring clips so you can easily remove just the map you want to use that day.

I purchased several of these booklets to help me plan out of state trips and they worked very well. I was so impressed I contacted the president of Moto-Maps^®, Keith Myers, and requested permission to offer these great little motorcycle maps on my website. The maps cost less than $10.00 a piece and are available at www.shop.roadcaptainusa.com

If you are going to Laconia Bike Week later this month, I suggest you purchase at least one of the three New Hampshire editions. One of the New Hampshire editions is a special one that high lights the locations of Harley-Davidson dealerships along the ride routes. Don’t waste too much time at Weirs Beach, ride those mountains! See the back-roads of this great country! That’s what it’s all about!

Click here to see all 25 Moto-Maps

Tags: Product Reviews, Trips & Places To Go by Jay Green
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Check out the June 2009 issue of East Coast Biker Online! Diana’s article on Perpetual Motion in ECBO on page 26. Joker’s monthly New England Update is on page 58 and my monthly Product Review is on page 60. Click Here!

Tags: East Coast Biker Online by Jay Green
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