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Back in October Dan Bateman had a great post on his blog about group riding. He asked me to come over to Musings of an Intrepid Commuter and post a comment on the topic since I obviously spend a great deal of time riding with my HOG Chapter. Thinking I’m an expert on the topic I left a lengthy comment.

When I say “my HOG Chapter” you have to wonder if I mean it is mine because that is the chapter I belong to as do all the members; or have I become posessive of the chapter since I became the Director? Jack Riepe who is another blogger (Twisted Roads By Jack Riepe) left the 20th comment in the form of a numbered list. His first rule about group riding:

1) Never ride with anyone whose title is “Director.” They generally prove to be real douches in the long run and can kill a good time in a flash.

I was offended the first time a read that and was tempted to respond in a snippy way. I didn’t. I have recently started to fear that I am that douche, am on my way to becoming that douche or was coming close to it. I am hopeful that I can undouche. I enjoy being Director but I don’t want to be a douche and I don’t want to kill a good time.

Tags: Deep Biker Thoughts, HOG® by Jay Green
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This is a bit difficult to write because my public image is all about motorcycle safety and this topic flys in the face of logic. But God knows we didn’t get into motorcycling due to logic! I’ll have to say that motorcycle riding photography (taking pictures while you are riding) should be reserved for non group riding adventures and on slow speed roads if anyone is going to do it. I also have to say I was inspired by the interview with Josh Kurpius which I posted in March. He was featured in HOG magaizine this past month but not related to photography. Although this is dangerous it’s not like I’m practicing heel clickers for the X-Games.

Click here for Josh Kurpius Interview

I added Josh’s blog to my blogroll. He and his friends have a blog called Kemosabe and the Lodge.

Back in the spring Diana and I visited the Blue Ridge Parkway where I took alot of pictures using an old Nikon CoolPix 995. The Nikon was my first digital camera and it cost an arm and a leg. It had 3.34 megapixels and 4x zoom. The delay time before the camera would show image in the digital screen was terribly slow. Here are some pics I shot while riding.

The Nikon died on us and we covered Gettysburg Bike Week as reporters with our dinky Kodak EasyShare CX7530 with 5.0 megapixels. The on/off switch is a dial which is not good for a riding camera. Need a button to turn off and on with one hand. Very easy to shoot though even though I prefer a bigger camera to work while riding. Bigger cameras also have a neck strap which is required equipment for riding and shooting. A wrist strap doesn’t cut it! The neck strap must be comfortable! The cheap ones that come cameras are too rough. The one that came with my Nikon chewed up the back of my neck and I felt like I had a bad sunburn. The little Kodak camera was terrible indoors even with it’s flash on. The delay between pictures on this camera was also lagging. Here is one picture taken on the self guided tour through Gettysburg battlefields while riding.

For our trip to Fox Creek leathers and a return to the Blue Ridge Parkway we decided to upgrade. Diana will be upgrading to an SLR soon but only the most expensive SLR’s show the picture on the digital screen before you snap your shot. This won’t work for me for riding and shooting. I can’t be using the eyepiece to frame shots while riding! A big screen is a must. A screen that can angle and swivel is a bonus. I bought a Canon Power Shot SX20IS with 12.1 megapixel and 20x optical zoom. This camera was pretty expensive but seemed to be the best I could get while maintaining the simplicity of a point and shoot. The Canon accepts filters so I purchased a UV filter to protect the lens and improve quality of pictures. This camera has a great shape for right handed only operation. Can be turned on and off with thumb. Zoom can be controlled with index finger. The camera takes awesome video with really good sound. The swivel screen allows for great worm eye and overhead shots (not to be taken while riding).  The Nikon probably still works but the battery charger that powers the battery is probably what really died. The Nikon was powered by a strange hard to get and expensive rechargeable battery. One of the features we like about our Canon and our little Kodak is that they use AA batteries that you can buy anywhere. Here are some shots to compare with the previous Blue Ridge Parkway pictures.

Tags: Cool Video & Pics, Deep Biker Thoughts, Product Reviews by Jay Green
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Diana and I just got back from Road Trip #6 for the year. The first trip was a 4 day trip down the Blue Ridge Parkway in the spring by ourselves averaging 350 miles a day. That was followed by a chapter overnighter to Cheriton, VA to commemorate Karen Fortner. We took another chapter overnighter to Williamsport, MD and used CB communication for the first time. That was followed by a trip to Gettysburg, PA with just the two of us using the CB radio again. Diana and I took another trip to Cheriton, VA for Cheriton Day without the CB’s. Most recently we returned to the Blue Ridge Parkway to visit Fox Creek Leather traveling further south and averaging over 300 miles per day. We used the CB radios again. We crossed through 6 states in 4 days including Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee.

Spring Break to Blue Ridge Parkway: we learned we can plan and travel epic sized adventures on our own and that 350 miles is about our physical limit. This many miles per day for several days in a row is more like work than vacation. But if you want to see what the world has to offer in a limited amount of vacation time then you have to put some serious miles on the road.

Karen Fortner Memorial Ride: we learned to be patient. Under the threat of foul weather we didn’t rush. Somehow we didn’t get wet. Those who rushed did.

Williamsport HOG Poker Run: we learned that using CB radio communication from lead bike to sweep bike is extremely valuable in group riding. At one point our group got split in half at a traffic light just before the on ramp to the Interstate. I told Diana to keep going with her group and that I would take the second group and meet her at the next rest stop. No need for her to pull her bikes over on the shoulder of an on ramp.

Gettysburg Bike Week: we learned we can travel through a rain front if we know the weather on the other side is sunny.

Cheriton Day: we learned we can survive a tsunami. We left for a four hour trip after I got out of work on a Friday evening. There was zero chance of rain reported as we headed down the Delmarva peninsula. As we got within an hour of our destination which was the very tip of the peninsula it started to rain. We didn’t bring any raingear. As we travelled down Route 13 and got closer to the location where our friend Karen Fortner was killed in a motorcycle accident the skies just opened up and poured water on us like I have never experienced. This was not rain, this was torrential downpour. We could deal with getting soaked but we could not see. We were on the shoulder of a dark highway in a rural area. All we could do was ride down the shoulder with our flashers on at 10 miles per hour and hope no tractor trailers ran us over. We finally got close enough to the Cheriton Fire Department to get off the highway and head for a safe haven. We dried off and as soon as we decided to stay at the Fire House the storm vanished. We got back on the road and got to our destination at midnight. This was a scary ride and I was literally shaking. I’m so impressed with Diana’s ability to ride through these conditions. 

Fox Creek Leather: we learned we can ride down the side of a mountain on an unpaved road with hairpin switchbacks, no guard rails, no lights, no signs of civilization in a dense forest at night in North Carolina. As we have discovered for the second time you can map out a route using computer software but there is no guarantee the roads will be paved. Sometimes you find yourself on a dirt road when you map out routes to places you have never been. This time we ran out of road at the same time we ran out of daylight. We were coming down a dangerous mountain and there was no way we were going back the way we came. You have to know how to handle your motorcycle on a variety of terrain. The CB’s were invaluable in that we could talk each other though this and check on each other. I could warn Diana about the deer that was staring at me from ten feet away as well as the four cars we encountered. Diana could keep me abreast of our progress in miles as we traveled 5 miles down the mountain at 10 miles per hour. We also learned that although we can travel 300+ days that it is more work than fun and we should cut our trips back if we want to enjoy ourselves. Once again we impressed each other in our ability to cope with the unexpected and dangerous.

I hope there are a few more overnighters in our future before winter arrives.

Tags: Deep Biker Thoughts, Rider Skills, Trips & Places To Go by Jay Green
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This is my blog and all opinions expressed here are mine. They are not facts, just opinions. With that said here are some thoughts from The Jay Green on what makes a great HOG Chapter.

It’s all about creating a special place that differs from “real life”. We have fun, we have spontaneity, we have camaraderie, we have adventure, we have passion and we live our dream. With the exception of placing a top priority on safety, it’s one big alcohol and drug free party. Out there in the “real world” you feel like a cog in the machine. You feel like “the man” has you under his thumb. Out there people don’t connect. They don’t know your name. They don’t know your passion. They don’t touch. They don’t dream. When you show up to a HOG Chapter event you should feel special from the minute you walk in the door. I don’t care if it’s your first meeting, in this time and place you are family! You will be greeted with a handshake, a hug or a pat on the back. There are no newbies, no rubs, and no wannabes. We are all equal because we are all Harley-Davidson owners and we all belong to the same chapter. For a brief time you put aside your woes and share your passion for Harley-Davidson motorcycles with like minded individuals. There should be few rules. Everyone should understand this is not serious business, this is about riding and having fun safely. Ride and have fun, that’s the motto. That doesn’t mean do whatever you want to do. Our members represent the chapter and our sponsor and should always present a positive image and act responsibly. We are sponsored by the local Harley-Davidson dealer and are law abiding citizens.

If one of our members makes a mistake we do not shun him or her. We support our friends. We help them pick themselves up, dust themselves off and get them back on the road. If one of our members suffers a tragedy, we all feel their pain and are there for moral support. We do what we can. If one of our members isn’t pulling his weight or contributing, so what? He pays to be a member of this chapter and has the right to take from it what he wants. Everyone gets out of it exactly what they put into it. We focus on the positive and ride past the negative.

If you succeed at creating this atmosphere, you and your members will belong to something special. With that will come chapter pride. What could be better than belonging to a special group and being proud of it? There is nothing wrong with pronouncing your chapter as being the best or being number one! Sports fans do it all the time. The big difference between us and passionate sports fans is that we are not spectators. We wear our one piece patch and roar down the highway of adventure arm in arm with our fellow HOG members!

After a HOG trip, activity or meeting we go home, take off the leathers and return to the grind. We may not be hard core. We may not live “the lifestyle”. But we get it, we understand it and we respect it! We are 99%ers. We go back to work on Monday morning to our jobs and yearn for the next chance to feel the freedom of the open road. We also yearn for that special feeling we get when we walk in the door at a HOG Chapter Social. We yearn for the camaraderie, brotherhood and sisterhood we only know when we are at a chapter event. We yearn for that handshake, hug or pat on the back.

I feel sorry for riders and citizens who don’t know this camaraderie. I look on with awe at the members of motorcycle clubs who live the lifestyle 24/7/365. HOG is just the right mix of biker lifestyle and responsible living for me and many others who want to enjoy motorcycling as a recreational pastime. 

I also feel sorry for members of HOG chapters who have not created this special atmosphere. From what I read on the Internet you would think a HOG Chapter like ours doesn’t exist. Some HOG chapters and some Harley-Davidson dealers just don’t get it. I’m thankful I get it, our sponsor gets it and our members get it.

The real world sucks! Being a member of a great HOG Chapter makes it all good!

Tags: Deep Biker Thoughts, HOG® by Jay Green
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It has been a year since the tragic accident on April 24, 2009 that took the life of our close friend Karen Fortner. We will never forget our friend, she was one in a million. A true original who touched many hearts. She is dearly missed.

Karen, we still love you!

Tags: Deep Biker Thoughts by Jay Green
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When winter fades away I break out the fair weather gloves for cool weather riding. In the spring and fall I wear a pair of Olympia full finger thin leather gloves with a thin layer of padding in the palm. These were the first motorcycle gloves I bought when I got into riding Harleys. I worry that if I go down the pavement will shred through the thin layer of leather and padding. In the summer I have been wearing Olympia fingerless gloves with a healthy amount of padding in the palm. I worry if I go down the exposed parts of my fingers will get shredded. I know I’m a spaz and I worry too much, but I have been wanting to get a pair of full finger gloves that provide cooling air flow in the summer and a healthy amount of padding in the palm. Our sponsoring dealer is currently offering 15% off of in stock gloves to members of our HOG chapter so I went up to Mike’s Famous Harley-Davidson in New Castle, Delaware (in Tax Free Delaware). If the staff didn’t know me they would have thought I was a crazy man taking half an hour to pick out a pair of gloves at closing time. Well they probably do think I’m crazy even if they do know me.

I kept going back and forth trying out gloves and asking myself questions. Do I like the fit? Is there enough padding to take the edge off a crash if I go down hands first? Will I be able to get them on quickly if everone is ready to hit the road when I get out of the mens room last? Can I get them off quickly so I’m not last in line for the men’s room. Finally I decided on the Men’s Air Flow Gloves 98183-99VM. The Large were a tad too big but were comfortable and easy to get on and off. Ijust wish they were a tiny bit smaller. The medium fit like a glove on my hands but too tight in the wrist causing the velcro to feel scratchy. I took the large. These gloves are actually a bargain at $35 and with my 15% off they were $29.75 and with a $25 gift certificate redeemed from my Friends and Family points I only spent $4.75! 

They have a thick lightweight fabric topside and pigskin leather bottomside with a fair amount of padding. I can see myself cutting the velcro tabs off to make them easy access. I hope we have a long and mutully beneficial relationship. Anyway, I wrote this article to illustrate all the nutty little conversations I have with myself when making a simple decision about a pair of gloves. I hope that you don’t think that I am completely nuts and that you agree that we spend many many hours in the saddle and choosing the right gloves is an important decision… similar to choosing a mate. You’re gonna spend a lot of time together, you have to trust your gloves to have your back if things get dicey and they have to be a good fit. Too bad you can’t just date a few different gloves before choosing the right ones.

Tags: Deep Biker Thoughts by Jay Green
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