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As with most years, 2011 was filled with some joys & celebrations and some disappointments. My plan to ride, ride, and ride some more fell way short of fruition.  I started the year by outfitting my bike for travel by mounting a set of saddlebags and getting some additional tailbag luggage.  This tripled my storage space, and made it really convenient when I did have the opportunity to travel. 

I rode to Deep Creek Lake in Garrett County, MD, and I led small groups from First State HOG Chapter on overnighters to Virginia Beach for the Bridge-Tunnel Ride, Williamsport MD, Gettysburg Bike Week, and Tilghman Island.  But my plans to visit Maggie Valley and Pigeon Forge and to ride Skyline Drive did not pan out.  I hope my luggage set-up gets used way more in 2012!

Jay and I took a vacation to Jamaica over Spring Break, so that ate up what would have been a good week of riding as well as a huge chunk of our travel budget!  I’m not complaining…relaxing by the pool, sailing the ocean, and climbing Dunn’s River Falls were well worth it!

There were many other factors that contributed to my abbreviated riding activity – work, family obligations, work, weather, chapter obligations, work, and catching up on sleep to name a few…  I had planned to increase my typical riding by 50% this past year, but in actuality it decreased by about that amount.  Sad (and embarrassing) as it is to say, I only put 5K miles on my Harley in 2011.

Don’t get me wrong, the year was not a total loss.  I had the opportunity to visit Barber’s Vintage Motorsports Museum in Alabama – an amazing sight that every motorcyclist should see at some point! 

I traveled to Canton, Ohio, for my regional HOG rally committee training, and visited the Pro Football Hall of Fame while I was there! 

I finally got to visit Fallingwater – the Frank Lloyd Wright house built overhanging a waterfall in southwestern PA!  (I’ve wanted to see it for like 30 years!)

The best part of 2011 has to be the recognition by my fellow chapter members for all of the hard work and efforts I put in to helping make First State HOG a successful enterprise.  As the photographer, newsletter editor, merchandise officer, volunteer coordinator, and a road captain (and those are just my official titles), I spend a lot of time and effort working for the good of the chapter.  I was recognized for these efforts by being voted by the membership as HOG of the Year!  I am truly honored.

Looking forward to 2012 – I am on a mission to make up for lost time last year.  I am a member of the Maryland/Delaware state HOG Rally committee for this year’s rally which is to be held in Deep Creek Lake in June.  I’ll be taking as many trips back & forth to that destination as possible as we explore roads and businesses in the area to set up a hugely successful rally for you to enjoy. 

Jay and I have plans to attend two other state HOG rallies as well – the Pennsylvania Rally in State College, and the New Hampshire/Vermont Rally on the Kancamangus Highway.  Each of these trips will be at least 3-4 full days of riding - woo hoo!  Spring Break week is wide open for motoring here, there, and anywhere.  Who knows, maybe I will even get to Skyline Drive & Maggie Valley!

I am looking forward to my 5th wedding anniversary and a year with the sun on my face and the wind in my hair! Whatever happened (or didn’t happen) last year is now in the rear view mirror and my sights are set on riding more in 2012! 

Tags: Mrs Road Captain by Diana Green
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Animals in the roadway are certainly an interesting hazard to motorcyclists.  A friend of mine actually had a vulture pick up its lunch from the roadway, fly it across a lane of traffic, and then drop it on the pavement right in front of her!  And then there was the time she used her foot to point out some roadkill, which turned out to still be alive!

These situations happen to motorcyclists all of the time, though I have not found very much specific information on what to do when it happens to you.  The Delaware Motorcycle Operator Handbook reads:

“Naturally, you should do everything you safely can to avoid hitting an animal.  If you are in traffic, however, remain in your lane.  Hitting something small is less dangerous to you than hitting something big - like a car.

Motorcycles seem to attract dogs.  If you are chased, dowshift and approach the animal slowly.  As you approach it, accelerate away and leave the animal behind.  Don’t kick at an animal.  Keep control of your motorcycle & look to where you want to go.

For larger animals (deer, elk, cattle) brake and prepare to stop - they are unpredictable.”

Period.  That’s literally it.  Now seriously, how helpful is that?

Back in the day when I took my Basic Rider Course there was a class segment devoted to this topic as well.  I will never forget what my lead instructor said regarding the matter:

“When it comes to animals in the roadway, there are the Squishables and the Non-Squishables!”

OK, once again…WTF does that mean???  I mean obviously a caterpillar qualifies as a Squishable and a moose would be Non-Squishable, what what about the in-betweens like squirrels and groundhogs?

I came across a turtle in the road the other day and started wondering if the poor little critter would qualify as Squishable or not?  I mean, he was pretty small…but then with the hard shell I don’t know that he would actually “squish” as it were. 

What about a bunny rabbit?  How about a fox? 

Where do we draw the line between the Squishables and the Non-Squishables?  What do you think?  Have you had any experiences with any of these creatures?  What’s the biggest thing you’ve run over?  Was it successful, or did it tear up your bike or cause you to crash?  Do you have any funny stories about critters in the roadway? 

Please share your experiences with Squishables and Non-Squishables by commenting below…

Tags: Mrs Road Captain, Rider Skills by Diana Green
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Once I had come to grips with relocating my turn signals I set to work deciding on the saddlebags themselves.  I was looking for as much space as possible without looking big & bulky, in a bag that would fit a Dyna - something that would neatly blend with the lines of my bike.  Throw-over styles were not an option because one of my primary objectives is to open up my rear fender and allow it and its lovely rack to be seen for their beauty, so covering it back up with a cheesy slab of leather would defeat the entire purpose.  My Mustang seat (as well as my chaps) have a simple braided trim, which I would’ve liked to duplicate if possible.  I did not want lots of studs, conchos, and other gaudy trim items.  I didn’t really know ahead of time, but as I researched I determined that I really like the slanted styles as opposed to the big boxy-looking straight ones (which turned out to be a good thing because of the exposed shocks on my Super Glide).  I definitely did not like anything I saw with bold harsh lines to it, preferring smooth curves instead.  I settled on the Revolution Swooped Hard-Mount Saddlebags by Willie & Max in synthetic leather (item code 03436).

Although I intend that the bags will remain on my bike nearly 100% of the time, I decided that it would be worth the expense to invest in quick-detach mounts that would make it easy to remove the bags for bike cleaning (as if that ever happens), or to take all of my luggage into a hotel room instead of pulling everything out and carrying it individually.  I decided on the Easy Bracket for my bags.  I am also still considering getting an Easy Tote carrying handle and/or some type of saddlebag liner tote.

When my saddlebags arrived, I almost cancelled the order for the Easy Brackets because of the shape of the back side of the bag.  Since it is not flat, the Easy Bracket would likely need some kind of alteration in order to fit.  And the top of the bag overlaps the side a bit, so I wondered where & how the key-lock mechanism would fit & work.  I was unable to get any information on the exact (or even approximate) dimensions of said bracket, so I have had to judge from photos of them attached to bags.  Long story short - I decided to toss it in the air and see if it would fly.

Jay had been extremely worried about the docking posts not fitting into the threads left behind by the bolt that originally attached the turn signal.  I wasn’t sure what the heck he was talking about, but he was absolutely correct.  It is not that the posts don’t fit into the threads, there are no threads at all!  Since the bolts originally holding on the turn signals were mounted from inside to outside, there is no need for threading on the inside of the fender strut.  We needed to purchase the docking hardware kit for detachable accessories (part # 53961-06) in order to replace the rear fender mounting bracket with one that is threaded.  (The picture below shows a side-by-side comparison of the old piece and the new one.  If you look closely you can see that the new one is threaded inside while the old one is not.)

As a temporary hold while we waited for my Easy Brackets to arrive, we used the rest of the kit to bolt the fender strut back on.  (Note: the kit only comes with two bolts, although you need two for each side.  How Harley-Davidson expects you to attach this stuff with only two bolts I have absolutely no idea!  We used leftover parts from an old kit to finish the job.)

Once my actual brackets finally arrived, we set to work installing them.  Then we quickly realized that we really hadn’t needed the docking hardware kit because the rear bolt doesn’t need anything to thread to.  It just slides through the hole in the same manner as the turn signal bolt did and is held in place with a nylon lock nut on the inside.  Having already installed the replacement (threaded) inner bracket we were worried that we’d have to take it back off again, but the rear bolt for the Easy Bracket is only 5/16″ so it slid right through the 3/8″ threading and installed perfectly.  Altogether this step took about 15 minutes of pondering and about 5 minutes of actual work to complete…it is as easy as changing out 4 light bulbs.

The brackets slid on easily, but were not so “easy” to remove.  They are machined so perfectly to exact specs that they are actually a very snug fit.  We couldn’t get them back off without banging on the bottom edge.  Not really wanting to have to bang on my saddlebags once they were installed, Jay ground out the edges of the holes just about 1/32″ for a little better ease of removal.

Remember I said the back of the bags were not flat?  Well Jay came up with another ingenious idea to combat that problem.  He took some 3/4″ plywood and cut them out to the shape of the back of the bag, then he carefully routed out the curves from the “saddlebag side” of the board.  This created a new flat surface for mounting the brackets and also gave the bags themselves more rigid support.  We painted and lacquered the wooden forms before assembling everything.

As anyone who has ever mounted saddlebags can probably attest to, positioning them properly is probably the most nerve-wracking, if not difficult, part of the job.  The saddlebags need to be aligned vertically, horizontally, rotationally, and in coordination with each other - all at the same time as being sure to clear the shocks, pipes, axle, swing arm, belt drive, and just about anything else you can imagine!  Once you actually get it aligned where you want, marking the bracket is pretty difficult too…since you have to reach around and get the pen in between the fender and the bag then make a mark without messing up any of your alignments!  This was also very awkward due to the fact that the bike was sitting on an angle on its kickstand.

Once we made the initial marks, we laid the bags out side-by-side and compared measurements, tweeked the positions a little, then re-drew a nice solid border around the easy brackets and marked the positions of the holes to be drilled.

After drilling out the holes, we temporarily bolted the brackets to just the wooden forms so we could easily re-check the alignment on the bike.  We actually even hung the bags over the wooden forms to see how they would look all together.

Mounting everything together required longer bolts than the ones that came with the kit, so we made a trip to the hardware store to get them.  While we were there we also picked up some stick-on rubber forms that we used to fill in some of the uneven spaces between the wood & the back of the saddlebag.  We drilled holes in the round ones and used them similar to a washer to absorb some of the vibration and make it a more structurally sound mount where the bolts went through.  Then we used the long strips around some of the edges for a nice snug fit.

The last step was certainly the easiest.  Once everything was mounted where it needed to be, all that was left to do was slip the keyhole slots of the Easy Bracket over the mounting posts on the fender strut and drop the saddlebag into place.  This went off without a hitch…I totally understand how they got their name!  Reaching the key to engage the lock mechanism was less of a challenge than expected  because our wood plates filled in a lot of the saddlebag top “overhang” creating much better clearance for the key.

Here’s the final product.  Now I am completely ready to “Go Places” this riding season.  I removed my tail bag and doubled my storage space at the same time (and I still have the option to use the luggage rack for more space if needed).  I rediscovered my bike’s sleek lines by opening up the back fender, and kept the minimalist look.  What do you think?

Tags: Mrs Road Captain by Diana Green
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After designating 2011 as the year “First State is Going Places” and then packing for my first two overnighters of the year with Jay, I have come to the conclusion that I cannot fight it off any longer…adding saddlebags to my Dyna Super Glide is no longer optional.  I ride a cruiser because I want to ride a cruiser, not a bagger.  The stripped down, no frills, “pure machine” look was one of the things that attracted me to the Dyna Super Glide in the first place.  I like the sleek lines of my bike with the solo seat and fender rack that just blends perfectly into the layback license plate.  I did not want saddlebags anywhere near my bike.  Unfortunately I am forced to keep a tailbag on that fender rack 24-7-365 just to have a place to hold my wallet and sunscreen (not to mention rain gear, spare gloves, camera, ride paperwork & maps…and forget about toiletries and a change of clothing for overnight trips)!  Well, the hard decisions have been made, and Jay will no longer be my “pack mule.”

Being a total novice in the area of saddlebags, I did a LOT of research on the topic.  I found that real leather will generally last longer than synthetic, though it is not typically waterproof.  I found that bags can be hard-mounted or throwover styles, and that you can also get brackets for quick-detaching of hard-mount bags.  I found that bags come in every shape, size, and style you can imagine…unless you are looking for something very specific (and then you have your work cut out for you, or you may have to compromise somewhere).  I found that there are no two ways about it, Dynas are required to relocate their rear turn signals off of the fender strut in order to be able to install any kind of rigid-mount bag.

The turn signal relocation was a major sticking point in this project.  I already have a layback license plate that I completely love and did not want to replace it with the layback plate kit for signal relocation.  Jay has this product on his bike, and although it looks fine the angles of it just would not match or blend with my luggage rack the way my current plate frame does.  There is supposedly an option to extend the turn signals farther back along the fender (basically by extending the strut longer), but I could not find any information that indicated just how far back it would push the signal and feared that it would still interfere with opening the lid on the saddlebag anyway.  Besides, despite the fact that the parts counter guy swears the part does exist to fit my 2008 Super Glide, I found no evidence that such a part had been made for Dyna models prior to 2009.  So I purchased the kit that mounts to a standard license plate bracket (part # 68732-02A), and made plans to finagle a way for it to work with my current set up.

Installation:

Mounting the light bar to my current license plate frame was a challenge because there is not a kit designed for such an attachment, so we had to do a little “customization”.  Actually Jay had a brilliant idea to drill two holes in the fender and stick the connecting bolts through - attaching it directly to the fender instead of the license plate frame.  (Thank goodness he did this while I was sleeping, or I might have had a heart attack!)  We also determined that with the really tight fit it would be a good idea to drill another hole on the right side of the license plate mount for the wires to run through.  This was very careful work - starting by drilling a small hole then making it larger and larger to the desired size.  We also inserted rubber grommets into the holes for a “professional” finished look (and to help keep the wires from cutting against the sharp edge of the holes).

Once the removal and “fabrication” part of the work was done, we set to work actually moving the lights.  First the turn signals needed to be removed and disassembled.  The wires needed to be fed through the threaded hole in the signal, then through the signal bar, and out the small hole on the back of the bar.  The light bulbs & casings could then be reassembled and screwed loosely onto the ends of the light bar.  Shrink tubing was used on the wires before connecting the assembly to the bike and threading the wires through the fender.

Finally, with the turn signal wires pulled back through the brake light housing, we needed to splice the connectors back onto the ends.  This was a very difficult job for Jay when he did his signal relocation, but it turned out to be not so bad this time around.  (Maybe it just needed a woman’s softer touch to do the crimping.)  Of course there was the very stressful moment when we turned the key and checked to see if all of the lights worked.  Both of us held our breath for a moment, then…pay dirt!  WooHOO, I can breathe again!

The final stage of this process was to reassemble everything we had taken apart.  The signals needed to be aligned and tightened - no problem.  The license plate bracket and CB antenna needed to be remounted - no problem.  And the plate itself along with its decorative frame needed to be installed - problem!  The newly customized location of the light bar partially blocks the bottom two holes for the frame.  Perhaps a shorter bolt with a really thin nut might do the trick?  Or maybe we’ll be able to find some decorative “stick on” kind of fake bolts?  For now though, it ain’t going anywhere so it’ll do.

Yay, stage 1 complete!  Next up: Installing the Saddlebags

Tags: Mrs Road Captain, Technical Stuff by Diana Green
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So you’ve taken the plunge and bought a motorcycle.  You have instantly become a part of arguably the largest fraternity on earth – the brotherhood of bikers…or have you?  You cruise down the road and other motorcyclists drop you a “low two” or give you a nod in acknowledgment.  People talk to you at gas stations about how cool your chrome looks, how many miles you get to the tank full, or how much they’ve always wanted to get a bike.  But somehow you always seem to be riding alone.

Somehow these “brothers” seem more like random passers-by than people with whom you share a deep bond.  But yet you see large groups of them riding together down the street, and there are all kinds of group insignia worn on the backs of the dudes at your local bike night.  That, my friend, is where my story begins…

There are countless motorcycle organizations across the globe.  Most are drawn together by some bond such as firefighters, law enforcement, military/veterans, races, religions, or even the brand of bike they ride.  Some are family-oriented.  Some worship leather, spikes, and tattoos.  The beauty of it all is that there are so many motorcycling organizations out there that you are sure to find one that fits your niche.

Once you find a group that suits you, you are very likely to get much more than you bargained for when you joined.  A riding organization or club can offer some of the deepest friendships you’ll ever find, a support system for whatever tragedies life throws your way, and a wealth of information on places to ride, motorcycle safety, gear & accessories, getting through the inspection lanes at the DMV, and even the best insurance, breakdown cover, and roadside assistance plans!

The best part of all is that when you are a member of a motorcycle riding organization, you will never have to ride alone again.

Tags: Deep Biker Thoughts, Mrs Road Captain by Diana Green
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This May marks its third annual designation as Women Riders Month, a celebration of women who have chosen to take the handlebars and inspiration for those who soon will.  Today women riders are nearly six million strong – one out of every four motorcyclists.  Twenty years ago only 3% of the riders on the road were women.  That makes females the fastest growing demographic in motorcycling for two decades.

Women Riders Month is filled with many significant events geared towards women who ride.  International Female Ride Day (this year on May 6th) is held on the first Friday of the month each year.  The concept was first introduced as a Canadian national event to “connect women with motorcycling” by MOTORESS International in 2007.  Within its first year the idea was embraced by thousands of women not only in Canada, but also in the US and several European locations – making it an international event from its induction.  Whether it is on a sport bike, cruiser, or any other kind of motorcycle, women all over the world will be seen enjoying life on two wheels that day.

Harley-Davidson Motor Company will sponsor several events celebrating Women Riders Month as well.  There will be Garage Parties at local dealerships all over the country where women can learn about proper riding gear, bike maintenance, choosing the right bike, and even how to lift a dropped bike in a non-judgmental, female-friendly atmosphere.  At the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, the very first Biker Boot Camp for Women will be held from May 9-14.  Women who attend will participate in a Rider’s Edge course as well as learn about the history of women riders and an introduction to the biker lifestyle.  The first bike night of the year at the Museum (on May 12th) will also be dedicated to women riders as they kick off the riding season.

Finally, Harley-Davidson is also sponsoring Women’s Ride Day on May 14th.  The theme is simple and clear:  get out there and ride!  Women across the globe are encouraged to throw a leg over their bikes and ride – by themselves, with a friend, or with a group.

I know there are a bunch of guys out there who are wondering what all the hoopla is all about, but there are equally as many who believe that a woman’s place is riding bitch.  There are likewise many women who lack the confidence in their own abilities to even try to ride their own (likely generated out of the aforementioned attitudes).  Face it, most bikes out there are made for men – all of the lowering kits, “reach” seats, and pulled back handlebars in the world just will not make some women be able to reach the controls on some models!

The odds are stacked against women riding their own.  Any woman who overcomes all of those obstacles deserves recognition.  And any woman who would like to ride but feels she can’t should be given the inspiration and encouragement she needs to see that she can.  That’s what Women Riders Month is all about.

Tags: Mrs Road Captain by Diana Green
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