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.

©2008 Suzuki Burgman Scooter Riders - 'Lovers of Fun'. All Rights Reserved.

That route would make it easier for Chuck, from Mentone fame, and his yellow shirt to join us since he lives in Danville, VA.

If anyone is interested in joining us for our group ride, please contact me. I’ll post more details here in the comments section as I have them, including meeting point.

We came up with this idea as the three Burgies and Silver Wing were all out having lunch together after the Sunday morning meet in Chapel Hill.

The preliminary plan is to meet at the Sheetz at 4801 Thornton Rd, Raleigh, NC 27616 (919) 862-0904 and be pegs up by 10 AM. We’ll head to Ernie’s Restaurant, 1010 John Randolph Blvd, South Boston, VA - (434) 572-3423 for a tasty and affordable lunch and then head back.

All riders are welcome to join us for this group ride.

Steve

©2008 Suzuki Burgman Scooter Riders - 'Lovers of Fun'. All Rights Reserved.

You can’t imagine how nice it was to see him sporting one of the BurgmanRiders.com shirts. Very cool.

My Scooter Can Go 120 MPH T-Shirt

BurgmanRiders.com Shirt

You know, one of the most enjoyable aspects of owning a Burgman scooter/motorcycle is that you meet the nicest people. Everywhere I go I am always amazed at how nice and friendly Burgman riders are.

It was the first time Charles had come to the Chapel Hill meet and it is always a little strange the first time you show up since you don’t know anyone. But as we stood there talking, Scott walked up and said that he likes riding his sport bike but he loves to ride his girlfriends Burgman 650. Then we all got to talking about riding, the Burgman and good times.

Then off Charles and I went to get some lunch together. I guess you could say we had a mini-ride together as we made our way the 10 miles or so to the restaurant. I forgot to tell him that he is a very good formation rider. Charles, if you read this, I’ll ride with you anytime.

In October a group of us Burgman 400 and Burgman 650 riders in the Raleigh, NC area are going to plan a small group ride out for some lunch and back. If anyone is interested in meeting on a Saturday or Sunday in October, let me know and let’s go have some fun together.

And many thanks to Charles for representing BurgmanRiders.com with his awesome t-shirt. It looks great on you. If you want one of the cool Burgman designs Danny did, take a look here. They are pretty cool.

©2008 Suzuki Burgman Scooter Riders - 'Lovers of Fun'. All Rights Reserved.

The Line of Riders at Mentone

Since this was the first Burgman rally I had ever attended I really did not know what to expect. Would I feel like an outsider, isolated, would their be little cliques and would it feel strange? The answer is that I could not have been more comfortable. Everyone was wonderful, welcoming and it was easy to make friends from absolute strangers. There were a number of newbies like myself but you could not really tell.

But the underlying current that ran though the rally was created by Deb, Scout as we know her online. People just can not imagine how difficult it can be organizing such as event. No matter how hard you try, someone in a large group is going to be a complainer and unhappy for whatever reason. Deb never let it show and was an amazingly adept hostess for the event.

The rides were well planned with frequent stops and a fun place for lunch and the evening BBQ on the top of the mountain, after a long day riding together was a joy as well. If the same group does it next year, be sure to get the ribs.

Before the group set off on the 175 mile ride on the second day we all milled about and spent time talking and looking at other scooters and bikes. There were a couple of Goldwings and a smattering of other motorcycles and scooters like the Vespa, Aprilla and Yamaha. Nobody cared if you didn’t have a Burggie, you were still part of the group.

As people arrived I passed out BurgmanRiders.com reflective safety stickers. Here are some photos with the stickers freshly applied.

BurgmanRiders.com Sticker on Tour Case

BurgmanRiders.com Sticker on Duane and Vickie's Burgman 400

Duane and Vickie were an awesome couple. Duane had previously contributed a review for the site and wearing his free t-shirt that I sent him as a thank you.

The night before I sat at dinner with Bill and Polly, Duane and Vickie, and Tina (Bagpipes). Ironically we discovered that all the guys are pilots and we incessantly told pilot stories. We had a great time. What was odd was that not one of us knew a Burgman rider that had crashed and died but we all knew pilots that had. Evidently flying a private plane is a lot more dangerous that riding a Burgman.

BurgmanRiders.com Sticker on Scout's Burgman 400

BurgmanRiders.com Sticker on the Joe's Black Thunder

Black Thunder, the name of the scooter, was ridden by the Smith’s. A brother and sister riding team that I apologetically had to asked their names three times.

“My name is Joe and this is Joe Carol.”, Joe said.

“Okay your name is Joe and you are Carol?”

“No that’s Joe Carol.”

“But I thought you were Joe?”

“I am but she is Joe Carol.”

“Ah so it’s Joe and Joe Carol.” How about that for some creative naming. Thank goodness I had not met them after a couple of drinks, I would never have figured that out. LOL

Before the big ride I met Tony who had the best decorated bike at the rally. Tony has some of the best stories and if you meet him you must ask him about getting stripped searched at the U.S. - Canada border.

Tony and His Burgman

Chuck Davis From Danville

Here is a picture of the most enjoyable Day-Glo Chuck Davis from Danville, VA. I had spent the day before on the short ride riding behind Chuck and on the second day he won the award for best panic stop, but I’ll get to that latter. You’ll be able to easily spot Chuck in photos below.

A couple of other sites before we set off on the big ride was the sticker on the mirror on one of the Goldwings. I’ll let you read it for yourself.

Goldwing mirror

Here is the most stickered scooter of the rally, the Vespa. You can imagine how many stickers were on the outside of the scooter with this many on the inside.

Vespa Stickered

Mount Up

Scout lead the big 175 mile ride and some riders decided to do the shorter ride on day two. We all lined up and off we went. I managed to fall in line in position three so all I’ve got is an exciting picture of the front of the Burgman parade. I’m daring but not so much so that I was going to turn around for the dramatic shot behind me.

Position 3 View

We crossed the state line along the way and made our first big stop at the Natural Bridge. I really don’t have a clue where that was but it was a nice spot.

Parking at the Natural Bridge

The Natural Bridge

Tina Hopper pulled out her bagpipes again at the Natural Bridge, just as she had the day before at the falls. They really do fit very nicely under the seat of a Burgman 400. Good to know. Listen to a sample of Tina play at the Natural Bridge.

Not Everyone Wanted to Cross The Narrow Bridge

Off we were again to lunch at a a cool little hippie lunch joint in the backwoods of Georgia, Shenanigans Cafe. We filled the parking lot of the neighboring bank and then all walked in the door to create an instant lunch rush. I discovered there were some added perks to being third in line.

Tummy full and rehydrated again, we set course to return down the twisty roads and apparently after lunch I was the official unofficial line of demarkation in the long line of riders. We entered the town of Cowan, Tennessee where as I crossed the railroad tracks as rider number 3 I heard a train horn, looked to my left and there was the train coming. Just as I passed over the tracks the gates came down and the rest of the pack was stuck on the other side. You can see their tires under the train in the picture below.

Burgman Tires Under Train

And that was a long train but eventually it passed and the pack crossed over the tracks to meet us few lonely riders.

Waiting For The Gate to Lift.

We had a couple of more stops to make, one of which was right near the Unclaimed Baggage store in Scottsboro, Alabama. I’ve always heard of the place and next time I go to the Mentone rally I’ll go visit it.

We’ll apparently I was not done being the line of demarkation for the ride. On the way back, just as I passed through a traffic light it turned red and the entire pack behind me had to stop, and Chuck Davis, who you met earlier did an awesome panic stop to avoid running the light. That will get your heart pumping.

Stopping One Last Time For Gas and Water

Then we made the windy trip back up the mountain to the little park across from Deb’s house. There to greet us was a huge BBQ trailer, a porta-potty and some really great desert treats. We also met up with the riders that had done the short ride so we could all enjoy a beautiful sunset, good food and good music from Terry.

Relaxing At The End of the Long Ride

Finally feed and rested we watched the sun go down from on top of the mountain and enjoy the peace and tranquility of that special place.

Mark and Velena Enjoying the Romantic Sunset

Once the sun went down, our Americana entertainer, Terry, brought out his guitar and began to sing for us. Listen below. He was fantastic and had a large and eclectic song list. It’s always nice to hear a country singer doing Margaritaville.

And then the day was over. Nothing left but welcome sleep and the ride home. If you didn’t make it this year, there’s always next and I certainly hope to see you there.

Looking Forward to Next Year

©2008 Suzuki Burgman Scooter Riders - 'Lovers of Fun'. All Rights Reserved.

Well if you read my trip to Mentone article then you know that I was not going to pair up with any white cars on the way home. Instead I found a nice big pickup truck with a huge Harley Davidson sticker in the back window to run with. That guy really looked out for me and we spent about two hours together. He cleared traffic and waved me along to follow. So I did just that.

My Harley Davidson Truck Friend

Now the total trip home from Mentone was just about 11 hours long and that’s just about enough riding for me today. Well, not quite true, I did take four Advil and I could do another hour or so if I had to but that’s a brave thing to say as I’m laying in my own bed writing this.

While I was snugly tucked up into DeSoto state park in Mentone, Alabama I was in a bit of a news vacuum but I figured out the storm that hit Texas must have done a lot of damage judging by the waves of utility trucks I saw going south this morning. It looked like a few trucks were on their way from a number of electric companies. I tried to take a picture of a line of utility trucks but I hit a hell of a joint in the road right before it was time to press the button and you got the picture below instead. Notice how distorted it is and that will tell you how ’special’ that road patch was. The road was actually level.

KerThunk

The highlight of the morning was ‘the screw’. I’ve always been curious how do those screws that wind up in tires, end up on the highway. Today I left on in the middle of the interstate.

Let’s see if I can paint the right picture for you in words. Just as I spotted the screw on the right hand side of the windshield was loose, I reached for it and at the very same time if fell out just an inch in front of my reaching hand. I didn’t even slow down for it. What was I going to do, get down and look for it on the highway?

Missing Screw

Someone once told me that the definition of an idiotsecond was the amount of time it took your car door to close as you caught a glimpse of the keys in the ignition. Well the screw was a bit of the same thing. Look, the screws loose, damn. I better twist it back in, plunk. Damn!

I thought I’d just lower the screen and that would keep the windshield stable for the rest of the trip but after I just passed my third exit I noticed that the windshield was now separating from the bracket on the right side. Of course that revelation came as I has just passed the exit. Damn again.

I backed off on the speed and hoped for the next exit to be close. Hoping apparently does not make it so but the exit finally arrived. Luckily I found one of those nice clean gas station-McDonald’s combos so I guess I did get the lucky exit after all.

While I had my trusty phillips head screwdriver under the seat, but I was now sans one screw. Luckily I noticed that Suzuki, in their infinite wisdom, and cost saving efforts, had used the same screw in a lot of places, so I stole one out of the dash and used it to secure the windshield.

Of course, the only reason my trusty phillips head screwdriver was under the seat to begin with was to make sure that I check those windshield screws from time to time. Damn again. The good news is that the fix worked and now all I have to do is go get a replacement for the one I robbed out of the dash.

Overdrive

On the way home I had an opportunity to use the apparently lesser known overdrive in the Suzuki Burgman. Tony at the rally had shared with us his use of the overdrive on his 650. “Overdrive?”

Sure enough I followed Tony’s instructions and engaged the overdrive which drops your RPMs by 200-300 when you are at cruising speed. This also added about 4 extra miles per gallon for me on the way back.

So here is what Tony said to do to easily engage the overdrive.

1. Get up to cruising speed, around 70 mph, and then press the transmission into manual.
2. You should be in 5th gear.
3. Press the UP button one more time and you’ll see the OD gear light up above 5th.

His instructions worked like a charm and did in fact lower the RPMs at cruise. When I came to some steep inclines or needed a boost of speed I just dropped it back into automatic and off I went.

Simple Is Better

Simplistic Tools in Action

Here is my cup holder in action on the way home, and as I said, it never falls off from there. You can also see my very functional and inexpensive universal tool docking station, otherwise know as a big piece of Velcro. Whatever I want to have in front of me I just stick there. If I don’t need it, I put it away. Sometimes it is the GPS that sits horizontal but most of the time the iPhone occupies the right hand side with my headset plugged in listening to tunes. Everything is right within reach and easy to put on and take off in flight.

The End of the Line

Chattanoga, Knoxville, Asheville, Statesville, Hickory, Greensboro, and Durham all flew by on the way home. But what made the trip fun was a guy on a BMW that paired up with me for an hour and we rode in formation and then latter I went to pass a group of six guys on Harley’s but got boxed in behind them so I just fell in formation. If they had a gesture or signal for “Infidel in our midst” I’m sure they would have flashed it. Harley-Harley-Harley-Harley-Harley-Harley-Burgman. At the earliest possible option I flashed them the peace sign and took off, jetting by them. It was funny to see them all close ranks when I pulled up behind them. I just wanted to scream to them not to worry, I wasn’t going to be riding that slow for very long.

And then, in a flash of nearly eleven hours on the Burgman flying NE, I was back in Raleigh, bike parked, boots off, Advil consumed and honestly, ready to do it all again tomorrow.

©2008 Suzuki Burgman Scooter Riders - 'Lovers of Fun'. All Rights Reserved.

Scary Bathroom Vending Machine

The ‘Caution Flammable’ warning on this men’s room vending machine did not provide much comfort either. It reminds me of the Friends episode where Ross goes to the tanning salon and gets too much on one side.

Barriers at Fire Department

I came down a hill to the three way intersection. Across the street from the intersection was this emergency station. The big yellow barriers in their front yard made me laugh. I wonder how many people slid through the flashing red light into their front room before they put those up?

Using a Car Tire On The Back Of The Burgman

Part of the Ridders After We Lost Half

The Group Stopped To Look At The Falls

Tina On The Ride Pulled Out The Bagpipes And Played At The Falls.

The Rustic Cabin I'm Staying In

©2008 Suzuki Burgman Scooter Riders - 'Lovers of Fun'. All Rights Reserved.

It feels so free and it is one part of my life that I just get utter joy out of so I speed, and at times I don’t, but for most of today, heading towards Mentone I was passing just about everyone, except the white car, which I’ll come back to.

I awoke this morning, overslept in fact, in Statesville, NC. I was hoping that it would not be raining like it was last night. I walked out to uncover the Burgman which was parked under the awning of the Sleep Inn, they were kind enough to offer to let me park it there. Yep, it was raining. Damn. It was cold also.

So I put the big yellow suit back on, doing the stupid getting into the riding suit dance and took off on the motorcycle. It was plenty dark out at 6:15 am and the heavy clouds didn’t help. It’s at times like this that I wish I packed the clear shield.

The GPS said that from Statesville, NC to the lodge at Desoto State Park it will take me all the allotted time so I blasted into the cold, wet and dark morning.

As the sun came up the temperature started to rise a bit as well; 69, 70, 71, come on baby. Even with the heavy riding suit on it was starting to get a bit chilly, a little sun would be a blessing.

When riding out on the road one of the joys is the sensory experiences. I was following a car with a guy smoking a pipe, I could tell. The mountain air was fresh and clean as I passed the Biltmore area in North Carolina.

I crossed through the mountains on 29 miles of curvy roads and had a ton of fun weaving my way around the corners and even passing other groups of Harleys. One guy was wearing a Hells Angles jacket?

Further down the road I paired up with the white car, we were kind of doing the same speed, fast. We ran with each other, zipping around slower traffic for quite a while till we needed gas. We both stopped at the station, they further up they I did. I was just taking care of small stuff and had not yet begun to fill the Burgman when I noticed the white car was getting ready to pull off and the gas cap was off. I hit the gas and honked the horn and pulled up next to them on the passenger side to tell them. As I hit the front brake to do a quick stop at the window the Burgman would not stop, it just started sliding. Apparently I had managed to hit the brakes right at the moment there was a stone under my front tire. I damn near hit the car, in fact slid to within an inch of the front fender.

It turns out that my friends in the white car were cops. Nice cops, but cops.

“What the hell are you doing trying to hit us?”, they said.

“Believe me, I was doing everything to not try to hit you. I just wanted to tell you your gas cap is open.”

With the stone right under the front tire I couldn’t steer either. I came an inch from a real mess. After I filled the Burgman I let them just go on ahead, way ahead. I was certain I had worn out my welcome.

So I hustled my way towards Mentone and the GPS said I was going to be just on time. And then as I crossed the Alabama state line the sign said I was welcomed to the central time zone. All of that and I was now an hour early. LOL

I’ll upload some pictures from today in another post.

©2008 Suzuki Burgman Scooter Riders - 'Lovers of Fun'. All Rights Reserved.

I road about another 13 miles and then it just started getting dark and the rain started getting heavy. I really blew my location. I’m 100 miles from Asheville in Statesville, NC.

We’ll at least I got some hours under the Burgman today towards the Mentone rally in Fort Payne, AL.

Very uneventful ride today. Great tunes, traffic was not so bad and everything went great. That’s what makes riding long distances fun.

©2008 Suzuki Burgman Scooter Riders - 'Lovers of Fun'. All Rights Reserved.

©2008 Suzuki Burgman Scooter Riders - 'Lovers of Fun'. All Rights Reserved.

I actually have you to blame a bit for finally tipping and making the iPhone purchase. You see with some new features on the iPhone I’ll be able to send in updates from the road to this site and attach pictures. I should also be able to upload pictures to my Flickr account and geotag them so you can see where they were taken on a map.

I might even try a new feature that will let me embed a map in this site and allow you to follow my progress on the Burgman real-time using the GPS capabilities of the iPhone. It will update my position on the map every minute and move the blip along. You can see a demo of this new technology here.

I was fortunate enough to be able to get a ‘rustic cabin’ down at DeSoto Park to stay in. I’m just a bit curious what ‘rustic’ really means. I’ll update you with pictures.

Now, you’ll have to bear with me, while I will be able to send photos from the road and I’ll be excited to update you but I don’t want to overload you with a lot of new articles. Plus, as cool as the iPhone is, it is still a small keyboard to type on. Don’t expect long winded updates.

And yes, I’ll ride it like I financed it. Once it is paid off I can ride it like I stole it.

©2008 Suzuki Burgman Scooter Riders - 'Lovers of Fun'. All Rights Reserved.