Midwest Guest

Back in the Saddle: Taming the Wind

With 200 miles on my bike, riding back from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation Returning Rider Course a headwind picked up. That wind beat the daylights out of me for about ten miles. I knew then that I needed some kind of wind protection.

I looked around on the web for windshields for my Boulevard S40. Everything I came across was above $250 and I wasn't willing to spend that much for something that might or might not work. I did a quick check of Amazon and found Slipstreamer. It appeared that the Slipstreamer “Spitfire S-06C” might just work. The price was right so I went to the Slipstreamer web site to check it out.

It turns out that the Spitfire was just what the doctor ordered. Under $100, good reviews and an easy install.

The Spitfire is fifteen inches from the headlight opening to the top of the shield. Mine is set about three inches above the headlight and comes to about my nose level. The Spitfire was a breeze to install. It took about forty minutes including quick rides to get the positioning just right.

The Spitfire installs via two adjustable bars that attach to clamps on the bike's handlebars. At first glance it appears flimsy but in practice I have no problems at up to 65 mph (I haven't ridden any faster but I doubt that it would make a difference).

To install the Spitfire attach the bars to the windscreen using the included nuts. Then you install the clamps to the handlebars; these install in different configurations so you may have to do some trial and error here.

After installing the windscreen get on and go for a short ride to test the angle and height. Make adjustments and repeat. Once you have it right, re-tighten all the screws and bolts and take a longer ride. If everything is fine remove each fastener one at a time and put some “Medium Strength (Blue) Loctite” and re-install. Now there is no danger of the windshield coming loose while riding.

The Spitfire works great; it deflects the air and wind off of my chest and over my head. It greatly diminishes wind noise and if for some reason I want to ride without the screen it is easy to remove. The shield is made of optically clear acrylic and should stand up to normal motorcycle use. Slipstreamer makes a variety of screens for almost any motorcycle you can think of. They include all needed hardware and are available in either chrome or black finish. The screens are available in either clear or a light smoke tint.

Slipstreamer publishes an Application Chart. The chart lists the windshields and what bikes they are compatible with. They also offer their full line catalog for download.

©Tim Marks 2015 All rights reserved

Back in the Saddle: Two Churches, A Grotto, Two Museums & a Lake

When one lives in an urban area, it is often hard to find nice afternoon rides within a reasonable distance from home. That is one of purposes of my posts here on the Midwest Guest Blog. Today I present a nice 22-mile ride that begins just six miles from my home. Because it courses through some of the richest communities in Michigan, I call it my “Ride to Wealth.”

 

 

The ride includes a number of sites to explore along the way.

Begin the Ride at the corner of West Maple Rd and Cranbrook in Bloomfield Township. Follow Cranbrook Rd. North through the neighborhood to Quarton Rd. (16 Mile Rd). Beautiful suburban homes line a well-paved slightly curvy road. At Quarton turn Left and proceed about a quarter mile to Dunston Rd. Follow the winding Dunston Rd. about ¾ of a mile until you reach Church Rd. A left turn on Church Rd. brings you to our first stop of the ride.

Christ Church Cranbrook: established in 1925, the Goodhue and Associates designed Episcopal Church was dedicated in 1928. Stop and wander around the grounds. Statues of famous personages adorn the outer walls of the church. Statues depict Protestant theologians such as John Wycliffe and William Tyndale, explorers such as Jacques Marquette SJ, American founders such as George Washington and William Penn, and a host of others. If the church is open step inside to see this architectural gem.

To continue on your ride, turn left from the church lot onto Lone Pine Rd. and head west. On your right is the Cranbrook Educational Community that I will discuss later in the article.

 Continue west on Lone Pine as trees that line the road hide the large luxury homes from view. At Franklin Rd., the route begins to have some nice easy curves that make this section a pleasant ride. At Inkster Rd. turn right and then follow the sharp left curve to remain on Lone Pine. When you come to Orchard Lake Rd. make a right turn and continue about ½ mile to Pontiac Trail. Turn left and follow Pontiac Trail about ½ mile to Old Orchard Trail.

Turn Right on Old Orchard Trail. Old Orchard Trail follows the south shoreline around Orchard Lake for about two miles with nice views of the lake and Orchard Lake Country Club. The road is in decent shape and incorporates a number of nice curve including a very sharp curve after you pass the golf club. At the sharp curve Old Orchard Trail becomes Hiller Rd. Continue on Hiller to Commerce Rd.

Turn Right on Commerce and ride along the North Shore of Orchard Lake about two miles to Indian Trail Rd. Turn Right on Indian Trail and we come to our next stop.

On your left will be the Orchard Lake Schools Campus. The Catholic Educational campus includes a high school, Seminary, and liberal arts college. Slightly back from the road at the campus, entrance is a small grotto. This is a nice spot to stop rest and reflect.

Follow Indian Trail to Orchard Lake Rd. and turn right, continue to Long Lake Rd. and turn Left.

Long Lake is a six-mile stretch of mostly straight, newly paved, smooth riding. It is not particularly exciting but the speed limit is 50 mph, which allows you to get some wind in your face. About half way along Long Lake, we come to our next stop.

Kirk in the Hills Presbyterian Church is a phenomenal beauty. Built to emulate the 13^th century Melrose Abby in Scotland, the church is set on Island Lake. The magnificent facility opened in 1958 and the congregation competed an educational annex in 1965. Walk around the church and admire the beauty of the setting and the building. Behind the church building, you find a number of sculptures by Marshall Fredricks, sculptor of the “Spirit of Detroit.” I have never had any issues taking photographs of the outside of the church but it is my understanding that the church prohibits photographs inside the sanctuary.

Return to Long Lake Rd. and continue east until you arrive at Woodward Ave. Turn Right at Woodward and follow it until you reach the entrance to the Cranbrook Educational Campus.

The Cranbrook campus includes a wonderful garden and two museums. The Cranbrook Art Museum is one of Michigan’s pre-eminent museums of modern art and the Cranbrook Institute of Science has wonderful programs for all ages. A number of serious academic scientists developed their love of science at the center.

Return to Woodward Ave and continue south for about 200 feet to Cranbrook Rd. Turn right go about ¼ mile and you find yourself back at Christ Church Cranbrook.

This ride can be a fun hour ride or a nice excursion touring some interesting and educational sites.

© Tim Marks and Dominique King 2015 all rights reserved

Midwest travel links for August 2015

Check out some great Midwest-related stories I found online this past month:

A Tale of Two Lighthouses: Crisp Point and Whitefish Point-I've been to a number of Great Lakes lights, but this breathless account of Sally's adventure at two remote lighthouses in Michigan's Upper Peninsula reminded me that, while we've visited Whitefish Point in the past, visiting Crisp Point is still on my bucket list. Check out her story at the always entertaining Unbrave Girl blog.

Whitefish Point

Classic American Road Power-Uke's Harley Davidson-This Harley dealership/museum in Kenosha, Wisconsin is definitely on our bucket list! Keith Ulicki opened the first Uke's in 1930, and his family still owns the dealership, Wisconsin's oldest. Check out Tony's story about this motorcycle enthusiasts' Mecca at The Walking Traveler blog.

Classic Car Collection: Kearney, Nebraska-With more than 200 vehicles, there is plenty to see at this classic car museum in Nebraska. Cool cars make for a cool and interesting stop if you're driving along I-80 says Sara. Check out her story about the museum at the Travels with Sara blog.

Lincoln Highway provides history and sites and Iowa-We love the Lincoln Highway, the first transcontinental highway in the United States, and enjoyed exploring it through Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia and parts of Illinois and Pennsylvania. I especially enjoyed parts of and a few notable stops in Iowa like the hometown of actress Donna Reed and the historic Harrison County Courthouse. Check out Tim and Lisa's story about this legendary road at The Walking Tourists blog.

Short original brick section of the Lincoln Highway in Indiana

A Perfect Weekend in Indianapolis-We enjoyed our visit to Indianapolis earlier this summer, but Maya and Michael offer a few ideas for more things we should check out next time we visit Indy. I particularly liked seeing images of the city's cool vintage Indianapolis Central Library, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame and this couple's picks for local shopping. Check it out at the VisuaLingual blog.

What I Found in Indy-I like Max's approach to seeking out some of the more hidden treasures like the Slow Food Garden in Indianapolis' White River State Park and cool urban initiatives like a booth allowing visitors to send a postcard from Indy free of charge! Check out his story at The Urbanologist blog.

Slow Food Garden, Indianapolis

Downtown Wooster: A City Full of Surprises-I like nice surprises, and the small town of Wooster, Ohio looks like a good place to experience pleasant surprises. We've driven through Wooster, but we've yet to visit it and stay a while. We hope to remedy that and experience some surprises on our own soon. Meanwhile, I enjoyed getting a peek at the town and the nearby Lehman's Hardware store, which several people have suggested as a must-visit for Tim and me. Check out Tonya's story at The Traveling Praters' blog.

The white squirrels are (almost) everywhere in Olney, Illinois-Albino squirrels are everywhere you look in Olney. Their images adorn police cars, city welcome signs, trash bins, shops and more in town, but Scott had a little difficulty in finding a real, live white squirrel in town. He finally achieved success in his search after reminding himself to "Think like a white squirrel!" (hey, the same tactic sometimes works for me when I'm searching for a misplaced item--"if I were a set of keys, where would I be?"). Check out Scott's search and success story at the Quirky Travel Guy blog.

That's it for this month's Midwest travel links list. Do you have any favorite Midwest stories or blogs to share?

Want more Midwest news and links? Subscribe to my bi-monthly Midwest Guest newsletter!

Back in the Saddle: Riding Stony Creek

Beginning and returning riders spend a bunch of time looking for local places to ride on a weekend afternoon. At some point, we get tired of slightly curvy, boring suburban subdivisions that are reminiscent of the old Monkees song “Pleasant Valley Sunday.” Fortunately, riders in Southeast Michigan have other choices. Here and in some future posts, I will share some of those I’ve found.

My criteria is simple; a decent road surface, pleasant surroundings, and a difficulty level appropriate for beginners/returners.

Metro Detroit is home to the Huron-Clinton Metropark system and the system has numerous parks that present a perfect place to spend an afternoon with our bikes. One of the best for riding is Stony Creek Metropark in Washington Twp.

The centerpiece of Stony Creek Park is Stony Creek Lake. The pleasantly wooded main Park Road encircles the lake with glimpses of the water as you ride. The road surface is good with only a few “tar snakes” to contend with on curves. The curves are great for beginners, who can easily ride the Park Road at the 35 mph speed limit with only a few curves of concern.

The Park Road is about 7 miles around and there are many offshoots to picnic grounds that add pleasant riding opportunities. One such offshoot is a 1-3/4 mile ride down a newly paved byway to the park’s nature center. The speed limit on the side trips is 25 mph. A note about speed: this is a park, motorcycles, bicycles, pedestrian and cages (cars) must share the roads. The park police strictly enforce the limits and can often be seen running radar along the way. I find I am confident running the main road at 33-37 mph and the side trips at 20-25mph.

So, what makes a nice day riding Stony Creek? Pick up a sandwich and some chips on your way to the park. Ride a loop or two once you arrive and then find a nice place by the lake to enjoy a picnic lunch and maybe read a couple of chapters in your favorite book (my favorite picnic area is Winter Cove on the western side of the park). After lunch, ride a couple of more loops around the park before you head on home.

Not a bad way to spend the afternoon.

© Tim Marks & Midwest Guest 2015 All Rights Reserved

Back in the Saddle: Review of Pilot USA Visto Air Jacket and Mesh Gloves

By Tim Marks

Note: When we travel by motorcycle, it is important that we have the best gear available. This is the first in a periodic series about travel gear recommendations and reviews.

One of the things that I learned during my returning rider class was that even 65 degrees is too warm in a leather jacket. This sent me on a quest to find a comfortable summer riding jacket. My first try was a canvas “Jean Jac”, but even worn over an armored shirt, it just didn’t feel very protective.

My next step was to hit some of the local dealers and try some summer gear on for size. The result was not pretty. The jackets I tried on didn’t fit, the armor didn’t stay in place, the gear looked badly made, or, in the case of the jacket I liked, the price was well over $300. That wasn't going to work for me.

One afternoon I was surfing the web and came across an article about Pilot USA. The reviewer liked the gear, so I decided to investigate. I went to the Pilot web site and downloaded the 2015 catalog.

Here's what I learned about Pilot USA.

Celebrating its 20^th year in business Pilot USA supplies custom-made leather suits to AMA professional motorcycle racers. They also supply quality OEM-branded riding gear to manufacturers such as Suzuki. In recent years, they began selling street-riding gear under their own brand, and I am glad they did.

Pilot carries fabric riding jackets, ranging from a year-round three-quarter-length touring jacket to waist-length mesh street jackets. I was interested in the street jackets. The Direct Air jacket comes in a number of colors including high visibility yellow, but the Visto Air is what got my attention.

Pilot describes the Visto Air in their catalog this way:

“The Visto jacket was designed in response to those who wanted more HI-VIS coloring on our Direct Air jacket. It features … twice as much 3M Scotchlite and top to bottom HI-VIS coloring for maximum visibility both day and night.”

I made my decision! Instead of ordering online, I called the company since I thought I might need some help fitting my not so svelte build. With some consultation, we decided my 5’9” 210-pound frame would fit nicely into a size XL. I placed the order and my jacket arrived within 4 days, not bad for free shipping.

Material and Construction

Pilot constructed the jacket of 210-denier “Pilotex” micromesh with 600-denier “Pilotex” fabric covering the impact areas. The mesh appears to be very heavy-duty and the non-mesh fabric on the elbows and shoulders looks extremely durable. All seams are double and triple stitched to stand up to hard use. The entire front and back of the jacket is Hi-Vis material and helps make the rider obvious to surrounding drivers. All of the zippers are YKK and work seamlessly.

I regularly ride with the jacket in 80-plus degree weather, and I am comfortable and cool even at slow speeds. The yellow color does a great job reflecting the sun’s rays keeping you cool even at a long stop light. When it gets down in the 50s, I can zip in the water resistant liner and cut some of the breeze. I’ve worn the jacket in weather as cold as 60 degrees without the liner and found it very comfy.

Protection

The heavy material should give a significant amount of abrasion resistance and the included armor protects the rider against impact in a crash. The elbow and shoulder armor is CE approved micro-cellular polyurethane. The back protector is not CE approved; however, it seems more substantial than most non-approved back pads. The back pad is upgradable to CE Level 2 protection for about $40.

Jacket Features

The Jacket has many pockets. There are two traditional hand warmer type pockets (of course, being mesh they won’t warm your hands). Along the zipper on the left chest is a vertical pocket with a snap-hook to hold keys or documents. The final pocket on the exterior of the jacket is a small slit pocket, ideal for holding a driver’s license or credit card. All exterior pockets close via YKK zippers. The interior includes Napoleon pocket on the left, a 3” pocket at the left bottom and a cell phone pocket in the same area. The jacket replicates the interior pockets on the removable liner. Pilot marked all of the interior pockets with red tabs for ease of finding them in the dark.

Jacket Conclusions

My Pilot USA Visto Air jacket would be a good deal at twice the price but at $165, it is the best buy on the market. If you are looking for a summer riding jacket that is cool, comfortable, protective, and just great to look at this is the one to try.

Pilot Super Mesh Gloves

The quality of the Visto Air impressed me so much that I had to try Pilot’s Super Mesh gloves. When I took home my bike from the dealer, I also bought a helmet and a basic pair of gloves. These gloves were mostly mesh with imitation leather palms and almost no protection. They also cost $35.

I noted that Pilot sells its Super Mesh gloves for $50 ($45 with the 10% coupon I received for buying the Visto). As you can see from the picture these are high quality gloves. The construction quality is on a par with the jacket and the materials are of an equal quality. Goatskin palms allow a sensitive feel on the grips and double layers of leather in the impact areas provide protection. Carbon fiber armor on the knuckles and fingers protects the back of the hand. A small amount of mesh fabric on the gloves flow plenty of air to keep my hands reasonably cool, very comfortable at 80 degrees. Let’s see, 10 extra bucks for 100 times the quality, and protection, another can’t miss for Pilot USA.

You can find Pilot USA on the web or you can contact them by phone at (951) 698-9948

Ride Safe Everyone!

© Tim Marks 2015 All rights reserved

Back in the Saddle: Returning Rider Training

By Tim Marks

It was very early on a chilly Sunday morning in April as I rode west on metro Detroit's Seven Mile Road in the dark.

Why in the world would I be out on such a day and at such an hour?

I was on my way to the (MSF)  Basic Rider: Returning Rider Course at Schoolcraft College in Livonia, Michigan.

Back in the fall, when I bought my bike, a fellow bike rider and neighbor recommended that I take the Basic Rider Course (BRC) offered by the State of Michigan. I had no reason requiring me to take the course since I kept my cycle endorsement up to date on my driver's license for many years. However, my experience during my first 200 miles of riding convinced me I ought to take her advice.

 

Class textbooks

 

I discovered that Michigan offers a returning rider (BRCRR) version of the basic course. The BRCRR is a one-day version of the three-day BRC. The focus of the BRCRR is for those with experience riding who want to improve their skills and/or qualify for their license endorsement. I already had the endorsement but improving my skill would make me feel more comfortable and safe on my bike. I logged onto the Schoolcraft College web site and signed up for the class.

The BRCRR requires students to supply their own bikes, while the BRC supplies the bikes for the class. The cost for the class is a bargain at $25.

 

 

I arrived at the college around 7:30 a.m. for the 8:00 a.m. class. In the classroom, I found about 20 anxious students. It was a diverse group with women and men of all ages. There was even a police officer there to train on his departmental BMW!

The bikes ranged from sport bikes to Harleys, included a scooter and, of course, my beloved Suzuki "Thumper".

The planned curriculum began with morning of class work followed by an afternoon of riding exercises, but because of the threat of rain, we only spent an hour or so in the classroom before we moved outside. We returned to the classroom after the road skills test to finish the classwork and take the written test.

The course began with a basic road exercise used to determine if you had the skills to remain in the Returning Rider class. The exercise included starting, shifting, stopping and executing a simple slalom to demonstrate each rider's skill level. The BRCRR assumes an ability to ride your motorcycle while the BRC starts from the more basic premise that you can ride a bicycle.

The riding exercises included slow speed maneuvering like a tight figure eight and U-turns. We practiced hard braking as you might have to do in an emergency. We became adept at tight turns, curves, evasion techniques, lane changes, and other needed motorcyclist skills.

After about five hours of riding, we took the dreaded skills test. There was no need to fear however, as our instructors did a brilliant job of helping us develop the needed skills.

We returned to the classroom to finish up the course work. The written test was considerably easier than the skills test. After the test, we finished up some paperwork and we each received our certificate.

Passing the BRCRR or the BRC allows a waiver of the state endorsement skills test in most states and, for those of us already endorsed, it often qualifies riders for an insurance discount.

The course left me with better bike skills and made me much more confident while riding.

Photo courtesy of Michigan Secretary of State Ruth Johnson's Office

For more information about motorcycle safety courses in your state contact your Secretary of State or DMV office. Here in Michigan we are fortunate to have motorcycle enthusiast Ruth Johnson as Secretary of State who is dedicated to motorcycle safety.

Be safe out there!

© Tim Marks 2015 All rights reserved

Visiting the Harley Davidson Museum in Napoleon, Ohio

By Tim Marks

We noticed a billboard for a Harley dealership as we drove through northwestern Ohio on our way to Grand Rapids, Ohio, and Dominique remembered reading something about a museum in the Harley dealership.

So, we checked it out.

The Napoleon Harley Davidson dealership is just outside of town at the US-24 exit, and the first thing you see walking into the building is the museum.

 

 

A bit of history first. The dealership started in 1962 by World War II vet Bill Soals and Bryce O’Daniels with “$500 and two basket cases of parts” according to the business' Web site.

The dealership honors Bill’s service to his country with a showcase in the museum.

Bill’s daughter Donna Jean “D.J.” and his son-in-law Marv Yagel took the dealership over after Marv’s return from military service in Viet Nam. The dealership became a labor of love for the Yagels.

Marv died in 2014 and Jim and Lynn Loomis, who by all indications take very good care of their customers, now own the dealership.

Back to the museum. Marv collected Harley memorabilia and Harley Davidson Motorcycles. The museum includes nine 1962 Harley Davidson motorcycles, four of which were lovingly restored by Marv.

 

 

The museum displays the bikes behind doors and windows that simulate garages, offices, and workshops. This great selection of 1962 bikes from the Motor Company will please any motorcycle fan regardless of what she rides.

Even better than the bikes, in my opinion is the collection of memorabilia.

The museum showcases Marv’s fabulous knife collection, most that have Harley engravings on the blades or handles. There is also a wonderful collection of Harley 50^th anniversary items that includes a ceramic flask and several beer steins.

 

 

One of the most intriguing pieces is a gas tank signed by Willie G. Davidson, Vaughn Beals and Charles Thomson, the executives responsible for the buy-back of Harley Davidson from AMF, an event cherished among Harley riders. The tank is one of only nine in existence that celebrate the buy-back.

After wandering through the museum, we entered the dealership showroom where the comparison of the current Harleys to the 1962 versions is instructive. While the new Harleys are much more modern and more high-tech, they are Harleys through and through.  You can see and feel the Harley DNA handed down from the classics to the present.

 

 

Dominique was taking some photos of a bright red Ultra Limited in the showroom when a sales agent came over and offered to push the bike out of line so she could get a better shot. If that’s the way they treat first-time visitors, imagine how well they treat regular customers!

Visiting Napoleon Harley and the museum is well worth your time.

I have to say that this Suzuki rider was impressed!

Be sure you check out the first in Tim's Back in the Saddle stories about being a returning motorcycle rider, Returning to Motorcycling after 40 years.

Text © Tim Marks 2015 All rights reserved

Photos © Tim Marks and Dominique King 2015 All rights reserved

Back in the Saddle: Returning to Motorcycling after 40 Years

Many Midwest Guest readers already know that Tim Marks plays an important part role in whatever success I've accomplished with this blog over the past eight years. Tim and I usually travel together, plus he is my go-to in-house tech guy and helps promote Midwest Guest via social media. Tim recently embarked on a new adventure of his own, so I've asked him to share his experiences as a returning motorcycle rider and how I'm sure those will play into our Midwest travels going forward.

I bought a small used motorcycle from my uncle during the spring of my junior year in high school. It was a red 1969 Honda CT90 that I paid $75 for and hauled back from Grand Haven, Michigan in a U-Haul trailer.

I loved that bike.

Photo by Brayden Richards Lic. Creative Commons CC-BY-SA-3.0

I rode it to and from high school during my senior year and during my first two years of college. Summers were the most fun as I rode the bike to work as well as around town most days.

I sold it the summer of 1974 to a co-worker for the same $75 I paid for it originally.

I’ve missed the experience of riding ever since and renewed my cycle endorsement each time I renewed my driver’s license in hopes that I would someday ride again.

Finally, forty years later, I bought my new toy.

It started as a whim when I began researching motorcycles online. Since I hadn’t ridden in 40 years, I looked at “beginner’s” bikes, such as the Honda Rebel (250cc), Yamaha V-Star 250 and the Suzuki TU 250X. The lightweight and easy-to-ride bikes appealed to me, and I headed to my local dealer “just to look”.

I arrived at Motorcity Powersports in Pontiac, Michigan on a cool Friday morning in October last year. Ryan, my salesperson, spent time with me and, after some trial sitting; we determined that the 250s weren't a good fit for me.

 “Just what do you want to do with this motorcycle?” Ryan asked, a very intelligent question in my mind.

I told Ryan that I wanted to ride around town and take a few jaunts on two lane highways here and up north. Freeways were not on my agenda.

 

 

Ryan told me that he had just the thing for me and pulled up a new 2013 Suzuki Boulevard S40.

The S40 is a classically styled bike with a 40 cubic inch (650cc) single-cylinder engine (often called a thumper), a laid-back cruiser riding position, and a cool orange and black paint job.

I hit the bank, called the insurance agent, and returned Saturday with a check. They delivered the bike the same afternoon.

 

 

For the next two months, whenever the temperature was over 45°F, I was out on the bike. Since I hadn’t ridden a motorcycle in 40 years, I spent most of my time riding around the neighborhood so I could get a feel for the clutch, the gear shifter and getting needed practice riding the bike. I have to say, though, it was the most fun I’d had riding a road in years.

 

 

On Christmas Eve, 2014 I took my last ride of the year. I had the toy that I affectionately named “Thumper” winterized and placed in storage for the season.

I then looked forward to spring with great anticipation, but that is another blog.

© Tim Marks and Dominique King 2015 All rights reserved