Post Xmas Ride

"It's one day after christmas
I'm crabby and I'm broke
I'm so full of ham and cookies
I think I'm gonna croak..." 

Not really. My spirits rose when I realized it was 45° - another balmy winter day in the burbs. Took my daughter on her second pillion ride today. Our hands were a bit cold, but we had an invigorating 40 minute ride. Finally got some pics taken of me on the bike.

Hope you're having a great holiday so far. If the weather keeps up like this, I will!

First EZ Riders Club Ride

Actually, the group is called the EZ Riders Scooter Club and this was my first group ride with them. This was a joint ride with about a dozen members of the Philadelphia Motorcycle Riders Group. The usual plan is to meet at a cafe, tank up, and take great back country roads to a hangout for lunch. In this case, the lunch stop was Big Momma's Dog House in Milford, NJ - to celebrate their last weekend in business. Turns out this has been a favorite lunch venue and they wanted a last hot dog to say good bye. (Click photos to enlarge)

EZ Riders Tom and Rod (center right)

Three of us EZ Riders (Hammy, Tom and me) met up with the PMRG folks at Danielles Espresso Cafe in Ambler, PA. Had some espresso and talked bikes. Nice group with some pretty fancy bikes, mostly Harleys. From there the EZ Riders split off, led by Hammy around Lake Nockamixon to Milford, NJ - almost froze my fingers off. Guess what? The Dog House was already closed! After a parting photo op with Big Mamma, we had lunch across the street at The Ship Inn.

Clockwise: Hammy in front of Danielle's, Tom and Rod with Big Mamma and the Ship Inn

All in all, I had a great time despite the cold fingers, met some great people with a passion for riding in common and some (not so good) English food. I'll skip the tongue sandwich next time.

View Map of my 120 mile ride.

Happy Thanksgiving Joy Ride

What a great day and our daughter is home from College too. Couldn't resist the great weather. Took my daughter on her first pillion ride.

Piaggio mod: Givi Windscreen

With winter fast approaching and the temperatures dipping to 40 degrees, I thought I'd better get a windscreen. Ordered it from Helmet Head in Georgia but they had to order it from Italy - took about 6 weeks to arrive. UPS delivered it on Friday.

This morning I took off the faring and bolted in the new Givi windscreen. Took some photos before my test drive. Protects my chest from the wind, but directs the noisy blast right to my helmet - oh well.

Coffee, Cars and Careers Meet-Up

Today, my Saturday morning joy ride took me to my first C3 Meet-up (Coffee, Cars and Careers). There were quite a few exotic cars such as a Ferrari, Porsche, Lotus (2), and one crazy 3-wheeled Piaggio.

The meet-up was organized by Matthew Levy (Global HR Lead, Career Coach, Author & Speaker).

Norristown Car (& Motorcycle) Show

Sunny day. Great excuse to ride and gawk at the some beautiful cars and cycles at the Annual Norristown Car Show.

Philadelphia Ride for Kids

I learned about the Philadelphia Ride for Kids through my EZ Riders Scooter Club membership. This was a great event benefiting the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. I got to ride with 100 other motorcyclists for a police-escorted 40 mile ride. Intersections were guarded - didn't even have to put our feet down!

"When you join hundreds of other motorcyclists for this scenic ride through the Pennsylvania countryside, you'll have a great time while raising funds for the PBTF's medical research and family support programs! Riders on all makes and models are welcome. The police-escorted ride starts at 10 a.m. sharp, rain or shine! After a light lunch, participants will enjoy a Celebration of Life program that features interviews with young brain tumor survivors—the Ride for Kids® "stars" of the day."  

Learn more at: http://www.pbtfus.org/rideforkids/events/2011/philadelphia.html.

Some very interesting bikes and people. That's me in the center frame.