Well November 1st is less than a week away for our Raleigh, NC group ride. All are welcome and we should have a great time. For time and meeting place, see this article. I hope our new Fayetteville and Rocky Mount friends make it a special point to come and enjoy our back roads ride and fantastic lunch at Earnie’s. (If you are not sure where the meeting place is, plug the address into Google Maps or your GPS to find it.)

Today was much like many Sundays, meeting the bikers and scooter riders at the Chapel Hill meeting spot. It certainly is a very diverse group of bikes that shows up. There are the sport guys on their high reving bikes, the Harley guys with their leather and fringe, the scooter contingent which is always laughing and having a good time and the off road bikes which are always weaving.

The trip over this morning was punctuated, and I mean punctuated by a very unfortunate odor. After zipping off I-40 onto Highway 15 I had the opportunity to get a whiff of one of those special odors that we get to enjoy with our heads outside all the time. At first I could not identify it but it seemed particularly familiar but out of place in a suburban environment. Frankly, it smelled a bit like a whole lot of manure.

Now I wish this story was about the odor of newly cut grass, or the blooming of spring flowers. Sadly it’s about ten miles of nothing but strong farm yard air freshener. I could not figure it out. At first I thought that maybe someone had done some fertilizing or maybe there was a farm nearby. But as I rode, rather than fade away, it only got stronger and stronger.

Turns out that I was trailing a very large truck pulling a 53′ double deck trailer of the worst smelling and most gaseous pigs in North Carolina. I was actually happy once I gained on the truck and found the source of the odor. A quick flick of the power button cured the problem.

The very nice barista at the parking lot latte booth left a note on the window that she wasn’t feeling well today so she went home. That meant no warm coffee to warm my innards after a somewhat chilly ride over. And for you Wisconsin guys that ride naked in February, I’m not even going to whine about the chill. So I headed over to the nearest coffee dispensary, Burger King.

While I was there waiting I spotted this very odd certificate on the wall. What in the world is a “temporary certificate”? Isn’t it either a certificate or not?

Temporary Certificate

So a bit warmer, I walked back to the parking lot where all us guys and gals meet on Sunday morning. Everyone is invited.

And what did I see, the guy below getting off his hog. I had to take a picture of him for you. I just loved the shirt.

I Have Issues

Closer to lunch time Charles and I headed over to our favorite lunch spot to sit, drink sweet tea and just visit for a while. Traffic got a bit bunched up in one spot along the way. That can happen when a house is blocking the road.

House Blocking The Road

After lunch I was going to follow Charles down the highway for a bit till we came to our split and headed our separate ways. As I rolled up behind Charles at the red light to turn right for the highway my Burgman died. I mean dead as one of the many dear that littered the roads this morning. Charles made the right on red and never got to see me get off and push the Burgman up the little hill so I could get out of traffic. A really nice begging homeless guy offered to help me though.

The symptoms were a bit odd. The Burgman was running just fine and then stopped dead in mid-stream. I checked the battery connection, checked the power of the battery by looking at the low beam and high beam, got down on the ground and checked the kickstand switch, and it really had me puzzled. Last thing I wanted to do was call to get the Burgman hauled back home but a 40 mile push was more than I had in me today.

So I disconnected the battery to see if that would reboot the bike. Still silence when I tried to start it. Strange. If it was a soft battery I should at least hear it try to engage. What could it be if not the kickstand switch. Ahh, the only other thing that does that is the cutoff switch. Sure enough it was in the off position. I must have hit it by accident as I came to a stop at the red light.

Once I pushed it back to on and hit the starter I heard that most wonderful sound. Thank you Burgman Angel. Thank you.

Robin, who will be part of the group ride on November 1st, offered up these group ride hints and tips to share. For those of us that will be making the ride, they are good things to take notice off. Of course I had to add some comments in ( ).

Strong and Intensely Suggested Rules of the Ride:

• Start the day ready to ride. Riders are expected to arrive on time at the departure point in proper attire for the conditions, and physically ready to ride. It is helpful to be gassed up (no, not chili with beans) and ready to go at the time indicated for kickstands up. There will be scheduled gas/rest stops during the trip as determined by the ride leader. (AKA, all knowing, all powerful and omnipotent person at the head of the line with the small bladder.)

• Ride in a staggered formation when the roads allow it, like on the highways and other such roads, not in the twisties, with a minimum of two seconds between you and the rider in front of you, the distance gap expands as speed increases. Leave plenty of room ahead of you so you can stop if the bike in front of you performs an emergency stop. (Staggered does not mean that you need to get loaded before the ride.)
• It is best to keep in order unless the rider in front of you waves you by. If you must pass another bike, do so carefully, giving them plenty of room and never pass them in their own lane. If radio equipped, alert the rider verbally. If you are holding up the riders behind you, wave them by (with more than your middle finger), don’t just try to go faster, move to the right of your lane and wave riders by on your left.
• Each rider “owns” the full width of the lane that they are in. Do not pull up next to anyone in their lane while they are moving, even moving very slowly. If you pull up next to them, wait until their feet are down to do so. Each rider has to know that no one will be there if they decide to zig or zag at the last minute when approaching a light, for example. When pulling up at a light – follow the foot down rule above, but pull up two abreast. This will help getting everyone through a single light. Pulling away from the light is done in the same order as was pulling up to the light – don’t change order and don’t change lanes at the light. (Of course, we could try getting off, running around and switching bikes.)
• You are responsible for the one rider behind you making each turn. When turning at an intersection in the route, use your turn signal. The person behind you will see yours and turn theirs on. It is your responsibility to be sure that the rider behind you makes the correct turn. Be prepared to wait in case they are held up behind you. Use your turn signal for all turns and lane changes. It really helps the guys behind you.
• Ride within your own limits. There are no points or accolades for going fast, but the disaster of a crash would really be frowned upon by your fellow riders. (Not to mention the frustration of waiting for the ambulance and delaying the rest of the ride.) If you get left behind (don’t yell olly-olly-oxen-free), be assured that at the next turn you will catch up with the rider in front of you. Also, the leader will halt every now and then to gather the group back together.
• If there is an accident or mechanical problem, someone stays with the affected rider. If it will be a prolonged correction, the rest of the group may go on and keep to the schedule. (AMF)
• No one rides alone. (But really, aren’t we all really alone in this cold and infinite universe?) We may be a long way from home and getting lost or crashing alone would be a huge impact on the group’s ride. (It will piss off the rest of the riders.) If the last rider in line drops back to be out of sight, it is the rider’s responsibility in front of him to drop back also so that they are never alone. Alert the group via 2-way radio, if so equipped. (If no radio is available, wave you hands and scream like a chicken.)
• Ride your ride, not the rider’s in front of you. Make sure you keep looking down the road and through the corners, not at the bike ahead of you. Set your own pace and choose your own lines through the corners. If you’re staring at the tail light ahead of you, you’ll eventually get up close and personal with it. (The other riders don’t know you that well yet.)
• A group of motorcycles is not considered a “single” vehicle. Be courteous and allow cars to enter/exit a highway or change lanes. Make sure you let the riders behind you know what is going on. If a vehicle wants to break through the group on a multi-lane road, give them space to safely do so. Close formation once the vehicle exits the lane. If the vehicle does not move, cautiously and carefully pass to reform. We do not own the road. Be considerate of other vehicles. Give them space. (For they know not what they do.)
• Do not let big gaps build up between you and the rider in front of you if you can safely close the gap. Letting a big gap build up just puts more burden on the guy in front of you to keep you in sight and to make sure you make all the corners. In towns, keep the group tight so we do not lose folks at stop lights.
• NEVER pass the Group Leader. (It pisses them off.) Unless he waves you by or announces it is okay to pass, never pass the Group Leader. Even if he makes a wrong turn, follow him or get him on the radio letting him know you are stopping to wait for him to turn around. Even if we are going off of the planned route, follow the Leader. We do not want to get separated.
• When we leave from a stop, like a gas station or lunch, everyone should queue up ready to go. The group leader will not leave until everyone is ready. Be polite in not making everyone wait for you but do not rush to the point of not being fully prepared to ride. Leave from the stop in the order you are queued up. Do not take off from the back of the queue to pass parked bikes. They will not see you coming and may take off as well, causing potential contact.
• When possible warn the other riders of obstacles or hazards in the road…gravel, pot holes, debris, (small children, kumquats, cow patties, WMD), etc. If you see something in the road, bring it to the attention of the rider behind you by pointing at it with your right/left foot. Watch the road, last-minute panic swerving can negatively affect the riders behind you.
• When the group stops to put on their rain gear, put yours on too. It will be inconsiderate if we all have to stop again for you to put yours on at a later time. If you’re already “rain equipped” take this time to make other adjustments or simply rest, doing so without additional delay to the group. (This is not an invitation to adjust your package.)
• If you have a situation or an emergency, let somebody know! This holds true whether you’re on or off your bike. If you have special personal needs, let the group leader know preferably before the trip. It may be helpful to have an ICE contact programmed into your cell phone or on your person. (This does not mean that you should announce to everyone that it is your time of the month or your new artificial leg is loose.)

Finally, I understand that BurgmanRiders.com, nor the ride leader, will in anyway be held responsible for my safety and the condition of my bike while on this or any future group ride. I assume all responsibility and risk to both my person and my vehicle associated with the operation of my scooter/motorcycle while on this ride. So help me God.

Of course I will want to add that if we get stuck behind a pig truck or a house that I reserve the right to alter the route. I did that ride this week already.

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