SmithCreate

Yesterday was an amazing day for riding. My daughter and I woke around 7am and geared up to head out to breakfast with the BMW Dutch Country Riders. It was a beautiful morning and the temperature was great.

Later in the day I was out exploring some of my favorite roads here in Dauphin County with the addition of my new helmet camera. After about 50 miles of riding I pull up towards the gate at my back yard like normal. I pull in the clutch to put the bike in neutral but the clutch didn’t have any tension on it and freely came back to the handle grip. And the bike was still in gear! Quick thinking, I hit the kill switch to turn off the motor before I hit the fence. I then proceed to mash the bike into neutral with my foot and put the bike on the side stand. After a close inspection I come to the conclusion that the cable must have snapped. Luckily I was at my house and simply pushed the bike into my back yard. Too bad I wouldn’t have a bike to ride on Memorial Day.

Tomorrow I will call the dealer and see if I can get two replacement clutch cables. One to replace the broken cable, and another to keep on the bike as a spare in case this should happen again and I’m a long way from home.

I bought the Oregon Scientific ATC2K video camera on Amazon last week. It arrived on Tuesday along with a 2GB SD card that I purchased. After inspecting the contents of the package and reading the freaking manual I assumed mounting to the motorcycle helmet may not be the best option (the manual specifically shows biking-style helmets, not motorcycle helmets). This video I created shows a few options that I have on my BMW F650GS. None of them seem to work for me. So I may head out and grab some velcro strips and see how sturdy a motorcycle velcro helmet mount may work.

BMW offers some excellent riding events called XPLOR events. I attended the XPLOR the Pine Barrens event held in New Jersey last April and had an amazing time and met so many wonderful people.

I learned that BMW is holding another XPLOR event in Charlottesville, Virginia called XPLOR Blue Ridge. The event will be split into an off-road event and tarmac event and is being held June 13th, 14th, and 15th. The off-road event requires knobby tires which I don’t have on my bike so I opted for the tarmac event. These events fill up quickly so I contacted the event organizer and asked to be put on a waiting list. On Friday I found that some people dropped out and I was confirmed as a participant.

The event will be be staged from the Best Western Charlottesville Airport Inn & Suites. After some searching I found someone who had reserved a room for the event. A phone call later and I have someone to share a room with. So I’ll only be paying for one night.

More details on the event:

Join BMW XPLOR for a unique double ride event to discover the best of the Blue Ridge. It’s another of our famous off-road GS rides, but with a twist - we can now accommodate tarmac riders too. There is no charge for participation, as this is a way for BMW Motorcycles to say “thank you” to our fellow BMW devotees for all of their support.

Roam the Tarmac with Nate Kern

For our on-road participants on any of our BMW motorcycles, you will be given a route sheet for self-guided tours of the beautiful Virginia Piedmont region, featuring historic sites, horse farms, wineries and some of the best unknown two lane roads you’ll ever see. Well-known BMW Moto-ST racer Nate Kern will take out his personal bike to join up for one of the tarmac routes and he’ll show you how the track really can make you a safer street rider. You will link up with the off-road riders for dinner at the end of the day Saturday and of course, swap stories to argue about who had the most fun. You set your own pace: just remember, you are on public roads in a state not well-known for the tolerance of its police force or the laxity of its speeding fines, so be careful out there!

All participants will receive swag bags, a dinner banquet on Saturday night and much more, all FREE! You pay for your transportation to and from the event, hotel accommodations, and a meal or two — the rest is on us! Off-Road participants will receive training, maps and GPS routes (BMW Navigator/Garmin format).

I can’t wait!

I took the Pennsylvania Motorcycle Safety Program Experienced Rider Course yesterday at Appalachian Harley Davidson in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Two of my co-workers were also taking the class. All of us wanted to become better riders and learn new techniques. It was a lot of fun and the rider coaches were very friendly and helpful. At the end of the day we road the course and were graded on our skills. I passed! Woohoo!

This new commercial for the Discovery Channel is my favorite right now. I love the song. And I like how they pulled in some of the stars from many of the shows on Discovery Channel. Very creative.

What are YOU going to do with your economic stimulus check? Mine is currently in my savings account. My thoughts are that most Americans will either save it or use the money to pay off debt. I have thought about using it to put a wooden fence around my yard along with my neighbor. Or put the money towards my motorcycle loan. But with the rise of fuel prices, I may just keep it in my savings account until I need to buy fuel oil for my house. This check will not even fill up one tank come this Winter.

The above photo is now being used on NowPublic.com for the article “Obama and Clinton await their fate in North Carolina and Indiana“. The site is user contributed which really adds to the amount of events that can be covered from so many different views.

Yes, today is Cinco de Mayo (the 5th of May in Spanish). Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican holiday. Not to be confused with the Mexican Independence Day which is actually celebrated on September 16th, Cinco de Mayo celebrates the initial victory of Mexican forces over French forces in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

In the United States, Cinco de Mayo has taken on a significance beyond that in Mexico. The date is perhaps best recognized in the United States as a date to celebrate the culture and experiences of Americans of Mexican ancestry, much as St. Patrick’s Day, Oktoberfest, and the Chinese New Year are used to celebrate those of Irish, German, and Chinese ancestry, respectively. Similar to those holidays, Cinco de Mayo is observed by many Americans regardless of ethnic origin. Celebrations tend to draw both from traditional Mexican symbols, such as the Vírgen de Guadalupe, and from prominent figures of Mexican descent in the United States, such as César Chávez.

I know what I’m doing this evening. I’ll be heading out to indulge in some Mexican food!

Yesterday was the Harrisburg Flickr Meetup photo walk. It’s been a long time since we’ve all seen each other so it was nice getting together again. We met at the Broad Street Market and had some lunch before heading out through the city on our photo walk. As we walked through Midtown I was surprised at all of the homes that have been renovated and the homes that are in the process of being renovated. We even talked to some builders who were working and discussed their plans for renovating several other houses close by.

Every time we get together and go for a photo walk we end up meeting people. It seems that a group of people walking down the street with cameras tends to draw some attention. It’s always fun.

Attempting to better my health through watching what I eat, I’m trying to cut some bad stuff out of my diet. One thing I absolutely love is ice tea. I could drink this beverage all day, every day. But I’m trying to cut caffeine out of my diet so I need to find an alternative beverage. I really don’t enjoy drinking water. It is too bland for me.

So last night as I was out I thought I would stop and pick up some fruit juice to quench my thirst. Browsing down the aisle, there are so many choices! First I browse by flavor, cranberry sounds good, then by price, then after picking up the bottle and turning it around and reading the ingredients… ahhhh… high-fructose corn syrup! Trying to find something to drink which doesn’t have high-fructose corn syrup in it is quite a task. But it is something I intend to do to better my health.

On a related note, I did pick up some decaf coffee for the morning. I hope that by cutting out caffeine and high-fructose corn syrup I am bettering my odds against diabetes and hypertension in the future.