Stew's 2009 Super Magna Meet Experience
And so it begins...
(July 2009)
My position was eliminated 3 April 2009, so I had a LOT of time on my hands.
Time to get things done. Things I'd been putting off because I let work take
priority over them. Hope I never make that mistake again. In any case,
my severence held out long enough to rebuild my Super Magna and make it to
the 2009 Super Magna Owners Group (SMOG) annual meet in Elkins, WV.
The original plan was for my wife and I to ride up to the meet, but that plan soon changed to Jay and I riding to the meet. She just didn't want to go, period. But that was okay, Jay had been looking for a reason to go visit his family that he hadn't seen for years, and especially wanted me to meet his aunt and uncle, who also ride motorcycles. We would stay with them on the way up, as well as his sister in Jacksonville, FL.
I still have to get the Super ready for the journey, and there are some major "hiccups" getting her ready, but that's another story... The plan was to take three days to ride up, leaving early enough that we can take our time and enjoy ourselves and the "Americana" along the way. Well, that was the plan anyway...
VROOM!!! VROOM!!!
(4 August 2009)
There are last minute "headaches" and "dramatic moments", enough to put us at
least a day behind schedule. We're supposed to be there already! It's going on
two days behind schedule by now, and the realization that we won't being riding
to the meet starts to set in. We'll have to load the bikes into the truck and
drive there. I struggle to diagnose the cam timing problem in the newly rebuilt
engine, and Jay and I struggle to repair it, but we don't want to call his
sister to tell her until we know for sure what we were doing. Long story short,
we find the problem, fix it, and
button up the bike enough to test fire her...
I attach the auxiliary fuel bottle, set the choke, turn on the key, cross my fingers, and press the start button. She ROARS to life!!! WOOHOO!!! We're going to the meet!!! Well... As soon as I get the rest of the bike together. She still needs the fuel tank, seats and backrest installed. Then the carbs still need tuned and synchronized. We decide not to start on the carburetors as late as it is already. Jay says he'll swing by in the morning to help me with that, then we'll load up and go. I'll believe that when I see it... Let's just say Jay isn't much of a morning person.
Jay surprises me, pulling in about the time I finally manage to button things up enough to take a short test ride. It's only about twenty minutes, but enough to see if all the major systems are working, then head back to the barn. The carb sync will have to wait. I finish packing up the tools, spare parts, fluids and anything else I may need. Never did get around to painting the ground effects, let alone attaching them to the bike. Oh well. I throw them in the back of the truck and take a can of spray paint. I'll paint them and put them on when we get to the meet.
Now comes the hard part, loading the bikes. I'm saving my shower for after we're finished. We get both bikes up the ramp and into the bed of the truck, cross-strapped at each fork slider, and again at the rear engine mounts. They're not going anywhere... as long as the cables holding up tailgate (and the rear wheels of the bikes) don't snap. I still can't find our bike-to-bike radios. Jay has his, but it's pretty much useless for communication without mine. No big deal, let's get the rest of the goodies packed into the back seat so I can get showered and we can get on the road.
I'm glad Jay decided to help get the truck ready to go yesterday while I was busy working on my bike. We changed the oil and filter, air filter and wipers. I figure it will be pretty much loaded to capacity. A quick check of the tire pressures and we're all set. After a quick shower, I pack up my remaining personal items, and we say our goodbyes. We're outta here!
We're on our way...
(5 August 2009)
We're two days behind schedule - and driving, not riding - but we're finally
on our way to the meet! We take our time, following the schedule we laid out
for our destinations and days travelled, as if we are still riding. Why be
in a hurry? The plan assumes an average speed of 40MPH, as if we're still
riding, so there's really no hurry getting anywhere... Well, we do want to
get to Jacksonville in time to have dinner with Jay's grandparents, but it's
still only about a three hour drive, and we have plenty of time...
We navigate our way to Jay's grandparents and sit and chat with them for hours. Turns out his grandfather is an Air Force veteran, and with my love of war birds and air shows, we have a lot to talk about. We finally head out to dinner, where we meet up with Jay's sister, Dara. After enjoying a festive meal, we head back to stay the night with Dara, and her husband Matt. There we meet Fang, their little dachshund, who chases their cat like a live toy! Dara and Matt have to get up for work in the morning, so Jay takes the couch, and I settle into the spare room.
(6 August 2009)
The next morning, Fang manages to sneak into my room, acting as my alarm
clock. He jumps up on the bed and showers me with kisses. I'm awake now.
Waking Jay and getting him moving proves to be more difficult. Dara and
Matt have already left for work, and I've already had my shower, once he
is finally awake. We have a nine to ten hour drive ahead of us today.
Tonight we stay with Jay's Aunt Tracey and Uncle Jesse in Christiansburg,
VA., and getting a late start just puts us there all that much later.
We get in after dark, but they're still up and they've saved us some pizza to reheat. We meet their little sweetie of a beagle, Paula, and I ask if I can give her the pizza crusts. They're okay with it, but apparently Paula isn't, and she takes a big dump on the kitchen floor. Guess I should have left that sliding door to the patio open... Sorry about that chief.
Jesse fires up the hot tub for us, so we have to sit and have a soak. A few beers later and I'm ready to get out. It's a pleasant evening, but things are winding down. We watch a bit of television, but everyone is nodding, so Tracey shows us our loft room upstairs and they retire for the evening. Not long after that, we do to.
(7 August 2009)
In the morning, we head out for a ride. At first I'm reluctant to take
the bikes off the truck, but that only lasts a minute once I realize I
should probably put more test miles on my Super. They're ride captains
for their
New River Valley Riders Club. We have plenty of time to make it to
the meet from here, so we
unload the bikes and ride out to Mountain Lake,
where "Dirty Dancing" was filmed - about a 65 mile trip - enough to
give me some confidence in my bike after the rebuild, and the both of
us an idea of what to expect the next day.
After a short ride through Virginia Tech, where they both work, we meet with their daughter, Cara, who also works there. Then we're off to pick up the brake shoes Jesse ordered for his bike. While we're waiting, Jay and I spot a number of classic Honda V4 Magnas, Sabres, and Interceptors roped off on the showroom floor. By now I'm noticing my cramp buster is missing, forgotten at home on the V65 throttle, and how much of a difference it really does make. I ask if they have any... No, but the Honda shop across the street does. Score!
When we get back, we load the bikes back on the truck, then it's on to the meet. Jesse had us go out I-81 to Harrisonburg, VA to catch US 33 E to Elkins, WV. When we come to this wonderfully smooth and calming stetch of US 33 through the National Forest, we know why Jesse had us come this way, but it doesn't last long. The map says about four hours... NOT! Talk about a roller coaster ride! Signs read 9% grade next 5 miles, 8% grade next 7 miles, etc. I keep worrying the truck will go one way and the bikes another - now we really know what's in store for us... or so we think.
It's late by the time we check in at the EconoLodge in Elkins, more than five hours later, so we leave the bikes on the truck and decide to mingle a bit before hitting the sack. First we run down to the corner store to stock up on some goodies. I was going to buy some beer, but decide not to, and just buy a case of Coke. We put as many cans in the sink as will fit and fill the sink with ice. Between the loud voices of the "night owls" out in the parking lot and the caffeine in the Coke, it's hard to fall asleep.
Let's Ride!!!
(8 August 2009)
The next morning we barely have enough time to get the bikes unloaded,
prepped, and fueled, before the ride sets out at 10:00 AM. Had I read
the information packet they gave us when we signed in the night before,
I guess I would have known to be fueled and ready to go. Good thing I
didn't buy that beer. As we're ready to head over to fuel up, I notice
I haven't attached my ground effects yet, and hastily do so when we get back.
At the pre-ride "huddle", there's a last minute route change, but we think nothing of it since we're not leading. We're just part of the pack. We don't get ten miles into the ride before Pat goes down, after hitting some gravel on a curve of that leg that was added at the last minute. We all pull off to the side, and before we even have our gear off, we see Pat's up, but in pain and having trouble breathing. The gentleman that lives at the top of the hill sees it happen and comes down to ask if we need help.
He's a local and says he sees this happen a lot on that corner, telling us they had just cleaned the ditches the day before, which is where the gravel came from in the first place. Thankfully Pat wasn't going faster or he would have sailed off the road into the woods and been even more severely injured. By now he's up on his feet, but shaky, and complaining it's painful to breathe. It's obvious shock is setting in, so the kind gentlemen calls the local rescue squad, and brings a lawn chair down the hill for Pat to sit in until they arrive. He also offers to let us park the wrecked Super in his drive until they can fetch the trailer from the hotel to load it up.
Jay and I don't know Pat personally, but he's a friend of one of the meet organizers, Tom, and was riding Tom's bike when it happened. Looks like he got a little loose in the gravel and locked the brakes, causing a low side fall, then slid off the road. The skid mark and scrapes in the road trace the path the bike took straight off the road. There's even another skid mark left on the road by the guy behind him locking up the brakes.
There's some debate as to whether we should have altered the plan at the last minute, but cools heads prevail. The lesson? Don't make last minute additions or changes to the route without checking it out first! I'm not sure how this could have been avoided though... The problem here is the route was checked out, but a few days BEFORE the ditches were groomed, so it wouldn't have mattered unless the route was checked that morning.
The first responder on the scene is a volunteer fireman. He has Pat lay down until paramedics with the squad arrives. Almost immediately the fire engine also arrives, and Jay helps them direct traffic as the medics get Pat immobilized and into the ambulance. They figure he has a cracked rib, so it's off to the hospital for x-rays. Over the course of an hour and a half, Pat is carted off to the hospital, and the wrecked Super is loaded up and trailered back to the hotel. We're given a choice... head back to the barn, or continue with the ride, deleting the optional leg we no longer have time for.
The Ride Continues...
Most of us opt to continue riding, after all, that's what we're here for! So we're off on the ride of a lifetime. Here's the route we followed: Head out US 33 past US 219 / US 250 out of Elkins to Harding, then toward Huttonsville to US 219 / US 250, continue on US 250 out of Huttonsville toward US 220, take US 220 toward Franklin and catch US 33 out of Franklin back toward Elkins.
View Elkins, WV - Saturday Route in a larger map
So basically we climbed the mountains twice, once on US 250, and once again on US 33. Needless to say, a LOT of shifting and engine braking, something new that I don't think some of the guys quite understood... including me. I know I wasn't used to all that cornering, and was afraid I was braking too much, because now Steve, the guy behind me, kept coming into the corners hot - right up on me, to where I'd lose him in my mirrors, then see him again as I got on it out of the curve. Early on, I kept creeping up on the folks riding two-up in front of me, Todd and Wendy, before finally catching myself and giving them a bit more distance.
They asked me at our first fuel stop if they were going too slow for me, so I knew they noticed. I told them they were fine, and once I realized I wasn't giving them enough distance, I made some adjustments. Then I overheard our tail gunner, John, talking about engine braking, so I knew it wasn't just me that was having difficulties. Of course, I'm not the quickest through those switchbacks and twisties either. Guess I'm still thinking too hard about it in the tight turns - not yet second nature to me - but I've come to the conclusion that I like those nice long sweepers more than the tight twisties. Maybe with more experience I'll change my mind.
My favorite parts of the ride are the S curves, one after another after another after... lean left, lean right, lean left, lean right... you get the idea. As I'm looking ahead of me, each bike leans into and rises out of each corner, one after another, in a giant, synchronized dance. It looks like a long motorcycle snake, winding its way through the mountains. I can't stop grinning from ear to ear. I no longer notice nor worry about those around me. I'm too involved in enjoying the moment to think about anything but setting up for the next curve. Maybe I'm having too much fun? Nah... No such thing!
After our next fuel stop, we sit down for lunch at Subway. Jay is ready for more riding, but we have a long way left to go, and I'm hungry! At our next fuel stop, the ride captains say we're going to stop at Seneca Rocks, about halfway back to the hotel. I look in disbelief as we pass right by it! This is the most I've ridden at once, ever! Even with the gel pad on the seat, my butt's telling me PULL OVER! Not matter how I move or shift my weight, I just can't get comfortable.
That last 20 - 30 miles on US 33 toward Elkins I know I'm in trouble... I start feeling GREEN! I feel like I'm going to hurl in my full face helmet... from there it grows into a cold sweat, then tunnel vision sets in. I don't know if it's the hundred some miles of breathing in all those exhaust fumes, dehydration, some bad chipotle sauce on my Subway sandwich, my sore, burning, and less than iron butt, or a combination of all of them - but now I'm definitely feeling like I need to pull over.
After all the drama this morning, the last thing I want to do is add to it by pulling over. Finally we reach the relatively flat stretch of US 33, where it spreads out to become a less demanding four lanes, but I'm still having trouble maintaining my speed. So I take some deep breaths, try not to exceed my now limited abilities, and motor through it "back to the barn". The gap between me and the folks in front of me continues to grow until we reach the outskirts of town though. I'm never so glad to be somewhere other than home (and off that AWFUL seat)! But even after all that I'm still grinning ear to ear.
I wish we could have made it for all three days of riding, but something tells me there's a reason why we didn't. We were thinking of taking a few more days and taking the Blue Ridge Parkway down to the Smoky Mountains on the way home to ride the Tail of the Dragon in Deals Gap, TN. After we finally got the bikes loaded, we both decided to just head back home and save that adventure for another time.