WHAT’S INSIDE
FREE WHEELIN’ BRIAN RATHJEN
What’sina name?
A lot. Names give us familiarity and insight, and allow for quicker recall of people, places, and things.
No one can top the South when it comes to naming roads, although they do seem to like their reptiles and dragons. Who does not love dragons?
You have the Back of Dragon, Route 16, just outside Marion, Virginia. The Tail of the Dragon, Route 129 along the border with Tennessee/North Carolina. The Arkansas Dragon, Route 123, has a sign that says “impassable hairpin turns ahead,” just to give riders a heads up. There is a road called the Georgia Dragon, also called the Such-
es Loop, and from personal experience, this part of the Peach Tree State cannot be beat. Plan a ride there, and say hello to Bill at Two Wheels of Suches Motorcycle Lodge.
tler, Route 209, in North Carolina. In Virginia, you can ride Route 691, the Serpent’s Revenge. The Hellbender, Tennessee’s Route 421, is home to the largest salamander in North America. Not a lizard, but a harmless, if scary-looking, amphibian.
With a less dire-sounding name, the Cherohala Skyway (pronounced Shira Haula), between Tellico Plains, Tennessee, and Robbinsville, North Carolina, is a favorite too. Having a name for a road, route, or section gives it more flair, feeling, and funability, and almost all these routes and loops have great logos too; an image to bring home the miles in a visual way. These logos make for great stickers as well.
We began giving certain parts of our Bigger Better Loop names, too, so we could pinpoint them better on our usual post-ride chat.
(Everyone should have these)
Sticking with lizards, there is Route 276, the Copperhead Loop, in North Carolina’s Pisgah National Forest, that winds for 81 miles with 8 serious waterfalls along the way. The Pineola Python, Route 181, and the Rat-
There are certain turns, elevation changes, and some sections in our BBL that have a happy je ne sais quoi when riding them.
And when Jenny says Qua… you best listen. Because I can, I will tell you where some of these bits and pieces can be found, if you are ever in this part of the Garden State. Cont’d on Page 6
WHATCHATHINKIN’
Cerebral instinCtiveness
Cerebral: relating to the brain or intellect, often implying an approach that favors thinking and reason over emotion or instinct; It’s used to describe activities, or people that are thoughtful, analytical, and mentally demanding, rather than visceral or purely emotional.
Instinct: an innate, unlearned, and complex behavior pattern that drives living organisms toward specific actions, crucial for survival.
I’m done saying anything about this winter, which will hopefully be long gone once you are reading this April issue. I know, and have seen through social media posts, those who have taken the bull by the horns and gotten out to ride at least once a month since December gripped its icy fingers around our throats. We have always tried our best to do the same, but our gravel driveway which turns into a skating rink with the slightest moisture and sub-freezing temps had the bikes sequestered for months. Quite honestly, if I need to put on more than my heated gear and a long sleeve shirt under my ‘stich, I’m tagging out.
The end of February saw a good bit of thaw and temperatures going into the 50s, perhaps even higher, in our neck of the woods. We had spent the morning at a diecast show which saw thousands, if not tens of thousands, of 1:64 vehicles of all makes and models being scrutinized, pawed and haggled over by some true collectors. We were there out of curiosity, but ended
up coming home with a bag full of diverse items to be added to the ever-growing collections, both in the house and populating the garage. Once we got home, the bright blue sky was still beckoning so we decided to head out for a ride. Brian had been out the day before on his GS, so today opted for the R13RT, which has wintered at Backroads Central. I went to the barn to rescue said ‘stich, bringing it into the house to warm up and return its suppleness. Brian, always in charge of lawn care and vehicle maintenance, checked tire pressures and the ponies were rolled out from their long winter slumber. Helmets were cleared of any unwanted residents, mirrors adjusted from being bumped and repositioned, and tanks checked for fuel (my 2004 Honda 919 is a minimalist, having no fuel gauge or any other high-tech electronics, and I like it that way).
I don’t know about any of you, but when I am off a motorcycle for some time there is a slight hesitation. I wouldn’t go as far as calling it a Yip, and sometimes there’s more of a fluttering butterfly feeling than others, so I will stay with a slight hesitation of mounting and charging out to seize the day. However, on this beautiful late February winter’s day, I was at peace. Pulling out of the driveway, I was comfortable and settled as we set out on our Bigger Better Loop. The bike was running fine, the roads were relatively clear, and we had plenty of daylight left to enjoy. Musing over the tranquility I was feeling and discussing it with Brian, we thought that the difference between having that flutter or not may have to do more with where the brain resides. With many years of riding behind us, the mechanics of riding has almost become instinctive. We know the order of movements, the rhythm with which the motorcycle functions, and the sequences of smoothness. But once one over
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ON THE MARK
my bad
People make mistakes. Hopefully they’re minor, especially out there on the road. I’ve been privy to the mistakes of others on the road quite a few times, but thankfully, none has been egregious enough to involve me in any big way. When riding, I assume the worst of people and am therefore not disappointed when I find it. Nor – so far – have I been injured by them. I try to remember that I am also human (some would argue the point) and I temper my annoyance with the knowledge that I am slightly off-perfect.
A minor faux pas in a personal setting is usually remedied with a simple apology, frequently the eponymous “My bad” of this column. If you forget to hold the door for someone, as happened to me today, a simple “Oh, sorry, didn’t see you” will more than suffice as recompense for the minor error. Bumping into someone in the hallway is a minor thing as long as it is accompanied by a polite “Excuse me.” Manners are the grease on which polite society slides.
But then, there are…cars. And trucks. And yes, motor cycles. When people are aboard a motorized means of conveyance, something happens to them. A mi nor slight becomes cause for a major reaction. I understand – the stakes are higher when a very expensive vehicle is involved, but most of the time the intention is no more deliberate that a non-held-door. It’s like every action is an affront to the entire driving world.
For example, today I was returning from our little town. The road from the town merges into a larger state highway, with quite a distance of two-lane travel that narrows down to one. I was coming back from stopping our mail for a big journey we were taking, and I was mentally crossing that off my to-do list. As I usually do, I put on my turn signal, looked in my mirror, and – seeing nothing – began to move left. When I did, a blaring horn sounded and I canceled my move.
As luck would have it, the young woman and her Prius were exactly in my blind spot, not far enough forward to be in the corner of my eye and not far enough back to be in the mirror. I felt bad and gave the standard little “my bad” wave. Judging from her reaction, however, my action was so egregious, so dastardly, that my simple acknowledgment of error wasn’t enough for her. The violent histrionics she went through inside her car, as viewed in my rear-view mirror, made it clear that if she had anything to do with it, I would be castrated immediately. Her paroxysms were nothing short of seizure-like.
As if the motions weren’t enough, they were apparently accompanied by sounds, and while I am no lip reader, I have no doubt that I was roundly chastised in many different ways. At the next traffic light, I thought about going back to apologize personally, but I realized it could be construed as a road rage response, even if that wasn’t the intent, and that I might end up as a frozen pancake should she elect to take further umbrage at my presence. So, I sat in silence, wondering if she was going to experience an aneurysm as a result of my actions. It is a sign of the times, I suppose. I remember one time in upstate New York, I mistakenly changed lanes only to find that around a bend ahead, a partially-obscured road sign indicated I
Continued on Page 6
Free Wheelin’
Continued from Page 3
Off of County Road 521, just before Stillwater, there is a road called Millbrook that heads up into the long ridge in the backbone of this part of New Jersey. It twists and turns, and has turns that force you to work to ride in a spirited tempo. Atop this, a small road named for a county in Ireland, Shannon, is a pearl. At one point, the road snakes, viper-like, up and around the creek and pond in an awesome fashion. It always elicits an “I love this road” from one of us. It needed a name, so we simply called it The Snake. Like Murder Mountain Run in Virginia, Shades of Death certainly didn’t need a new brand, but CR 622, from Anderson Hill Road west up and down and around the Paulins Kill and into Swartswood State Park, I now simply call 8-Mile Road, with all due respect to Mr. Eminem. These miles are always fun.
The last two names of exciting pavement are a nod to both Reg and Gigi Pridmore, who have mentored us, and so many others.
The Reg is found on a small county road named 651, between Unionville. Just south of the Jersey state line is a nail-biter of a steep right-hand downhill. A sightless incurvatus in se turn that makes you slow, steady your bike and then slowly roll on the throttle, having great trust in your skill and bike, and that there really is a road on the other side, as you accelerate into the quickly following left sweeper. I bet Reg would revel in this section of roadway.
Then there is a piece of pavement I have dubbed Gigi which is the closest to Backroads Central, along County Road 521 heading north from Stillwater. A gentle bank right, downhill slope into a demanding left bank, with an oak tree dead center, on the edge at the apex to keep you honest. Like the woman, it can be fun and a joy to be around, but if you take the wrong line or bauble in these couple of turns, she is gonna let you know about it. What’s in a name? I think a lot. What about you? ,
WhatChathinkin’
Continued from Page 4 thinks these things, or dwells on that flutter, then the cerebral takes over. A prime example for me: I have had many issues when it comes to non-pavement and slow maneuvers, together or separately. As I just said, I know the mechanics, the functions and sequences, but my brain will not give in to that knowledge. I have had well-trained people give me tutelage, and do fairly well, but fall back on bad habits and form when on my own. My instincts are challenged by the cerebral, and my brain wins every time. But this day, the end of February, while riding with snow still covering the fields, my instinctual actions and cerebral mind seemed to work together. There was no overthinking of situations, just observations and reactions. Sure, my awareness of the surroundings, which should always be there, might have been heightened as motorists aren’t used to seeing motorcycles out in February. But the joy of being back on my bike, of loving the feeling, had me wanting to keep going. And if there weren’t commitments and obligations, I know we would have done just that. ,
On the mark
Continued from Page 5 should have remained in my original lane. When what I thought was a safe gap opened up to my left, I signaled and changed back. Well, the individual in the car in front of whom I’d moved took it as a great affront, so HE changed lanes, accelerated hard by me on the right, and then rapidly reinserted himself back into the line of traffic in front of me. Apparently that one spot in line was very important to him. If I had the chance, and if I was dealing with a rational human, I would have excused myself and offered the old excuse, “Sorry, I’m not from around here.”
I am not sure why this particular kind of internal combustion poisoning exists. I have read many versions of it, from the suggestion that it is a Napoleonic response from those of small stature to those that postulate it has something to do with reproductive equipment size. I hope the young woman I wronged today got over her high-blood-pressure-inducing event. I hereby offer my sincere “My bad.” ,
BACKLASH
Brian & Shira
I truly enjoyed your Radar Love story which brought back some fond motorcycle trip memories. Being a fan of long distance solo rides I have become very appreciative of my lovely wife’s suggestions on POI’s and her HTS “Home Team Support “
I’ve been very fortunate to enjoy many wonderful motorcycle adventures in my life. On one occasion however, my beautiful sunny cross country ride through Kansas turned into a most frightening nightmare! Within minutes the sunny blue sky turned to an unusual shade of purple with increasing winds and nowhere to pull off. Thankfully, I was advised to take shelter several miles ahead. Along with a few other motorcycle riders the bikes were secured against the building. The power proceeded to go out at this now over crowded hotel. Travelers were sleeping in the hotel lobby and we were told a tornado had touched down 10 miles ahead!
My point is, don’t assume you can ride out any storm. A fully charged cell phone in your pocket with location info is essential along with some valuable HTS.
Joe Giuffre
Shira & Brian,
I have an addition to Welcome to the Jungle’s Scary Monsters tidbit. The scariest Monster for me was while traveling in Australia and having been warned about “roos” (kangaroos). A small group of us were riding along the Murray River on our way to Adelaide. I noticed movement in the bush on my right. I slowed down just as a kangaroo bounced out and across the road. I recall the rhythmic bong-bong as it headed into the bush on the opposite side. I glanced in my left mirror to see the same ‘roo headed back across the road behind me and saw one of my colleagues swerve to miss the it. He went down with the kangaroo bouncing over him and his downed bike. Our guide told us that the kangaroos’ curiosity is what makes them so dangerous. Apparently, they are curious about humans on two wheels. This kangaroo did a U turn when he got to the opposite side of the road after I slowed down. He turned around to see what it was that he missed on his initial bounce. Ralph, who was behind me, was scuffed up a little, broke a mirror and his left foot peg. We traded it for the rear passenger peg and he was up and ready to ride.
Burt Richmond
Words Matter
Brian,
According to Google, appetency is a RARE word. Usually I look up one or two words a year, so been slammed in Feb! Wow you guys are great. And for Mark’s sake, nurses ride too! Love your work. Thanks for the monthly joy.
Ann Lockyer
Hi Ann,
Thanks for noticing. Byers really has vocabulary… I cheat – but it has become a running discourse with a few readers as we try to flummox them and make us all a bit betterer wit Americanese – I am from NYC and speak perfect Queens English! We have had some words tossed our way with a dare to find a use for them in Backroads. It is all good fun! And, I love nurses too- and not because you are all so damn cute. The empathy I have felt when under a nurse’s care has always humbled me.
Hey Brian,
I want to thank you again for the coverage in your newsletter!! You must have a solid following because my website for Chain Cleaner PRO received an increase in 587% views!!
I did get 2 orders and I am very thankful. Marketing my chain cleaner has been a challenge. I just can’t figure out how to generate sales without me giving a live demonstration of the product. It sells so well at the swap meets but people don’t seem to be interested in the product on the web. I hope you survived the winter storms and are safe and healthy.
Blessings, Jim Dotson
GEORGE BARBER PASSES
George W. Barber, Jr., founder of the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum and Barber Motorsports Park, died peacefully on Sunday, February 15, following a brief illness. He was 85 years old.
Following graduation from Auburn University, Barber enlisted in the Alabama Air National Guard, serving six years with the 117th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing. He took the helm of Barber Dairies at age 29, guiding it into a leading provider in the region.
to give back to Alabama through this lifelong interest.
Today, the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum houses the world’s largest collection of motorcycles and Lotus race cars. When the collection reached 1,000 vehicles, Barber was asked if they should stop. “Heck, no,” he replied. “We’ll keep going.’”
His wonderful museum is the greatest in the world, and all lovers of motorsports owe him a debt of gratitude for all he had accomplished.
A DAYTONATO REMEMBER
Barber’s legendary competitive drive first manifested on the racetrack, where he dominated the Southeastern sports-car circuit. With 63 victories to his name, George was regarded as a leading talent of his era, trading paint with the likes of Dan Gurney and Peter Gregg. Motorsports remained a driving force throughout his life. After the sale of Barber Dairies in 1998, Barber merged his various ventures to centralize the management of his diverse investments. In the 1980s, he envisioned a way
na’ Russel and Miguel Duhamel as the most successful riders in the long history of the race. Icing on the cake for Herrin, as he is the first rider in history to take four in a row – 2023-2026. Adding to the auspicious day was 18-year-old Kayla Yaakov, the first woman to ever podium in the Daytona 200, taking a well-de-
The 84th running of the Daytona 200 is in the books, or should we say the history books. Josh Herrin won his fourth consecutive Daytona 200, his fifth overall, tying Scott ‘Mr. Dayto-
served third place trophy on the platform. Yaakov battled Darryn Binder into the final lap, then slingshot past him on the run to the flag, securing the final podium spot in dramatic fashion. “I’m just so happy to be here on the podium,’ Yaakov enthusiastically after the race, ‘and keep showing women they can do it. It’s a special thing I am able to do, and I’m so honored to be in that position now.’
BMW JOINS SUPERHOOLIGAN RANKS
BMW celebrated the 50th anniversary of Steve McLaughlin’s race win at the Daytona 200, with this stunning R 1300 R Superhooligan custom roadster.McLaughlin’s victory in the first-ever superbike race at Daytona took place in 1976 while riding a BMW R90 S, which the new R 1300 R Superhooligan has been presented alongside. The build was carried out by employees from the company’s BMW Motorrad Custom
Speed Shop division, with Philipp Ludwig serving as the project manager alongside Katrin Torge.
The design also celebrates Reg Pridmore’s win in the inaugural AMA Superbike Championship. Both riders raced on the above-mentioned BMW R90 S bikes for the Butler & Smith team.
The same blue that’s used on the BMW M1000 RR brake calipers also appears on the bike’s aluminum rear frame and on the tubes of the fully adjustable Wilbers upside-down front forks. The forks have also been extended by 30mm for more lean angle clearance, while the spring of the fully adjustable Wilbers suspension is also finished in the same blue tone.
The number 83 that’s found at the front of the bike and on the rear fairing is a tribute to the number used by McLaughlin, but so is the bright orange color that’s found on the front fenders and tank side panels of the new R1300 R Superhooligan.
YAMAHATO LEAVE CALIFORNIA
Yamaha has announced it will relocate its US subsidiary Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. from Cypress, California to Kennesaw in the US state of Georgia. This marks the end of an era spanning nearly half a century. Yamaha acquired the property in Cypress in 1978 and opened its US headquarters there in 1979. At the same time, all real estate at the current location is to be sold, including office buildings, warehouses, and the entire property covering approximately 25.1 acres.
The move does not come out of nowhere. Yamaha has a long history of shifting business operations to Georgia. As early as 1999, the marine division was relocated to Kennesaw to be closer to customers. In 2018, a comprehensive reorganization of the Cypress location followed, with the motorsports division—except for testing and racing departments—moving to Georgia. In 2019, this process was advanced further, with motorcycle and off-roadoperations also being based in Kennesaw. Additionally, Yamaha
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Wanamakers General Store presents
GREAT ALL AMERICAN DINER RUN
shag’s Crab & seaFOOd 1045 sOuth brOadWay (rte 49), Pennsville, nJ 08070 shagscrabs.com • seasOnal hOurs: CheCkbeFOreyOugO
Not a year has gone by in the last three decades that this magazine has not made a trip for one specific culinary delight.
Oh, you might know a great place for steak (Red Wolfe Inn). Maybe superb ice cream (ask Shira). Perhaps a nice ethnic restaurant that is nearby.
But Backroads is located in the Skylands region of New Jersey, and the repast we are talking about goes by the scientific name Callinectes sapidus. The beautiful swimmer. We call them Blue Crabs.
Blue crabs are native to the coastal waters of the western Atlantic, from Nova Scotia to Uruguay.They prefer brackish water environments like estuaries and coastal lagoons.
They are particularly associated with the Chesapeake Bay, where they are a key part of the ecosystem and a valuable fishery.
Although we adore The Bay, sometimes opportunities pop up, and riders need to be aware that when they do, you need to strike.
While down in Jersey’s southern latitude, just above where the Delaware River pours into its bay and meets the sea, visiting the Edelman Fossil Park & Dinosaur Museum – which was appropriate as the crabs we’d be eating this day have been around, in one form or another, for millions of years before the dinosaurs.
tasty places to take your bike
We have been in this part of New Jersey a few times, doing stories on the oldest rodeo in the USA, and the time we tried to annex that part of the New Jersey peninsula that is claimed by the state of Delaware near Fort Mott (it’s true, we did).
Just east of that very questionable state line, on a two-lane road cutting through the marsh and estuaries, designated 49 by Salem County, you will find a well-kept and tidy roadside restaurant simply called Shag’s. This eatery – that specializes in the beautiful swimmers, has been serving up bountiful blue crabs for years; and their local reputation has been earned with sweat equity.
Shag’s is a seasonal joint, and we know that ‘crab season’ is a real thing. We once heard that you should only eat shellfish in months that have an R in their name. Who makes these rules up?
Summertime is the best time to chow down on Blue Crabs, and although there might not be a table with a water view, we are pretty sure your eyes will be on the tray of steaming hot blue crabs coated in Old Bay seasoning, sitting atop the long sheets of brown paper covering the wide table.
We had called about an hour earlier, when just leaving the dinosaurs, and told the girl on the other end, more or less, when we’d be there. Crab’s take time, and this worked well for us, at it gave us a chance to stroll around the tidy shop, take in the ambiance and chat with a few of the local customers, and there were a lot, coming in for some “Jimmies,” male crabs. The females are called “Sookies,” and most crabbers toss the gals back as they can hold thousands of crab eggs
in their spongy underbelly sac. Sookies are said to be sweeter, and we’d never turn one down if it was already on the plate.
About ten minutes after we arrived, a gal came over to our table, put down the tray heaped with Blue Crabs now red, and sides of corn on the cob and seriously great French fries.
They were having a special this day on #1s – and we ordered two dozen. (What were we thinking?).
Crabs come in different sizes – Jumbos being the largest – then there are #1s and #2s. Know, before you arrive to feast, this is not going to come cheaply, and eating these bad boys is an art… a potentially messy art. Think Jackson Pollack here!
But, like most things, if you take your time with this painting and savor every stroke and piece of meat, then we promise you that you will not ride away disappointed.
We certainly did not, as we got only halfway through, and Shag’s kindly packed them up for us, in a dimension we could handle, and they were in the ancient refrigerator in the office a few hours later. Ready for Crabfest II
-The Skylands Reckoning, a couple of days later.
But, what if some in your riding group are not all that enthused about Blue Crabs? Well, ride away from them.
Okay, maybe not – but for that sorry lot of people, Shag’s has some sandwiches too - they even have burgers, and if you like Tex-Mex, then we heard their bang bang shrimp tacos are killer, as are the other tacos on the menu – shrimp, Mahi, salmon, and, of course, crab. We also know their platters, which can serve up combos, might be the way to go.
They even have a pizza-like crab Rangoon and shrimp scampi.
So many times, we will be riding down a secluded road, and then you will spy a restaurant that screams The Locals Eat Here!
And, at Shag’s Crab & Seafood, they do. You should, too. ,
Warren County Tourism presents BIG CITY GETAWAY
mOtOdOFFO vintage mOtOrCyCle
COlleCtiOn
36083 summitville street, temeCula, Ca 92592 951-676-6989 • doffowines.com
When you are thinking of Southern California and motorcycles, a lot of places and names can easily come to mind… The Japanese motorcycle industry got its foothold in the USA in this part of the nation.
Just east of Carlsbad and Lake Elsinore, two other famed locations in motorcycle history, you will ride up through the Santa Ana mountains.
daytrip ideas to get out of the daily grind
When people think California wines, they usually think north of San Francisco, but the town of Temecula, with its perfect vineyard climate, has long been known for its exquisite vineyards and wines. Being such it has drawn vintners from around the globe – one such was Marcelo Doffo –whose family emigrated from Italy, and settled in Pampas, Argentina where the family farmed soybeans, corn and raised cattle.
As a young man, Marcelo immigrated to the United States and began a new life journey. In 1994, he visited the old country in the northern region of Turin, Italy, and discovered that, like every good Italian, his great uncle still made wine the old-fashioned way in his basement. Don’t they all?
Marcelo returned home anxious to try his hand at winemaking, creating his first batches in his garage. By 1997, he had expanded his knowledge and developed his skills as a winemaker and was awarded the silver medal from the Orange County Wine Society. That same year, he purchased an old cattle ranch in Temecula, California, complete with a historic one-room schoolhouse. The rest is California wine-making history, and today his children Damien and Brigitte, and their children carry on the patriarch’s love of wine… and another love as well. One we all share too.
Motorcycles. In an early photograph of Marcelo and his family in Argentina, there is a motorcycle to be seen.
We first heard of the Doffo Collection from our friend Vas and Yael, avid riders (and all-around cool kids • greek-adventures.com), and when we were last scooting around this region, we made it a point to head to the vineyard that is about as picture perfect as any we have seen.
Walking up to the main tasting room, we took in the spacious and beautiful grounds and vineyards, and spotted a few motorcycles here and there, but were not
really prepared to see how the Doffo family has wonderfully combined two passions that only a few lucky humans can truly understand. Wine AND motorcycles.
The Doffo family loves motorcycles and riding. It turned out that, after establishing Doffo Winery,
Marcelo set out on a quest to find and restore those very motorcycles that mesmerized him as a child. In the years since, the MotoDoffo Vintage Motorcycle Collection has grown to include nearly 200 motorcycles and scooters from around the world and attracts moto enthusiasts and wine lovers alike to the Moto Doffo Barrel Room housed on the winery grounds. What began as a small collection of old bikes quickly evolved into something more. Most of Marcelo’s collection is built around small-displacement machines – the very ones he grew up loving, but now owns and happily shares with visitors. For you horsepower fans, know he has some larger machines as well. But, in our opinion, it is more fun to ride a small bike fast than a large one.
Over the years, Marcelo and Damian paid tribute to their favorite sport by creating an annual MotoDoffo wine, a Malbec-forward red blend that was always a best-seller. Just as he did with the family business, Marcelo passed on his love of two-wheeled machines to his children. Now the Doffo family can be found riding around Southern California or even racing vintage motorcycles at AHRMA events. The winery and the real collection, which
is housed in its own proprietary building, have been created in a wonderful style. The Doffo family has been able to mix a successful vineyard, a stunning world class motorcycle collection, and a superb restaurant, and still keep a happy, easy-going, and comfortable vibe throughout the grounds. Don’t eat before you go, as Doffo’s The Brunch House restaurant serves up breakfast and lunch, and will have you all fueled up and ready for a serious hour or so of two-wheeled exploration.
We were poking around what we thought was the collection, running alongside one large building that had the shades drawn. A young woman’s voice spoke up behind us and asked if we’d like to see the “collection?”
There is more, we thought? “Why yes… Yes, we would, young lady.” (I have a Medicare card, and I can say that now) She opened that large, shaded building.
Oh My God! When you really mean it, you can say…Oh My God! For real. Text abbreviations simply will not do.
Giant wine barrels flanked by a collection of machines suspended on the wall, bottles of wine with vintage race bike adorning their labels. Petite Yamaha, Honda, and Bultaco racers, Giuletta machines and other scooters, some marques we had never heard of, and Ducatis (of course).
The wall is adorned with vibrant and timeless motorcycle art and memorabilia. The Doffo Collection is so well done that George Barber would smile and approve.
We think you will too. Ride Far. Ride Smart. Ride the Backroads ,
Motorcycles presents Dr. Seymour O’Life’s
MYSTERIOUS AMERICA
The Search for the First Tyrannosaurus • Why New Jersey Matters!
neW Jersey state museum
205 W state street, trentOn, nJ 08608
609-292-6464 • www.nj.gov/state/museum
After a recent visit to the Edelman Fossil Park, I made it a point to read Dr. Kenneth Lacovara’s book – Why Dinosaurs Matter. I consider Lacovara to be the Michael Jordan of Paleontology.
It was a fascinating read, and one that kept hitting me with those little tidbits of knowledge that get the synapses firing, and inevitably led me down a rabbit hole deeper than time itself. More often than not, there will be an expedition down said hole. Lacovara stated in his book, “an expedition, which is simply an adventure with a mission.”
This book led to my discovery of the Leaping Laelaps, and brought me on a little expedition that would bring me to two museums.
One in Manhattan, and one in Trenton, New Jersey.
Leaping Laelaps is a watercolor by Charles R. Knight, one of the most famous in all of paleontology. Up until this one particular painting, the creatures that would become known as dinosaurs were always depicted as sluggish, crocodilian-like behemoths, that could not get out of their own way, and were doomed to die off from the start – even if they were around for 10,000 times the number of years that we have been. When we think of T. rex, Marc Bolan and the boys aside, we know this to be the biggest, baddest sauropod (two-legged) beastie of them all. Everyone knows T the King. But, before the T. rex was discovered, there were other Tyrannosaurus to be found. The very first was discovered by Edward Drinker Cope in 1866, just a mile from the site of the Fossil Park. A New Jersey native!
He originally named this creature Laelaps, after the mythical Greek canine that always caught what it was hunting. Charles Knight, a visionary paleo-artist of the late 1800s, visited with an aging Edward Cope in 1897 (Cope would pass a few weeks later), and the description of Cope’s home from Knight’s own autobiography was telling…
“Cope’s dwelling itself was commonplace enough. Inside, everything was unique and completely dust-covered. Never have I seen such a curious place—just like the kind that Dickens would have loved. Piles of pamphlets rose from floor to ceiling in every narrow hallway, leaving just enough room to squeeze by them and no more. At the right as I entered, I looked into the front parlor. Shuttered with inside blinds, the floor was completely hidden by the massive bones of some vast creature, probably a dinosaur. Dust lay thick here as elsewhere, and the place was absolutely bare of furniture and hangings. No pictures, no curtains, nothing but the petrified skeletons of extinct monsters . . . But Cope himself, the presiding genius among all this scientific chaos, met me with a genial and charming
smile, made me sit down, and talked, as only Cope could talk, about the things I came to discuss. So began a most interesting acquaintance with this wonderful man.”
From this meeting came many of Knight’s most famed paintings, but none as famous as “Leaping Laelaps.” If this meeting had not taken place, then our beliefs in these ancient beasts might still be terribly askew.
Knight’s late 19th-century painting was unique at the time for its depiction of dinosaurs as highly active and dynamic animals. The original artwork is just one of thousands of items housed in the Museum of Natural History Library’s Memorabilia Collection in New York City. Paleontologist Cope had named the genus of this particular dinosaur, but alas, Laelaps had already been used to name a genus of parasitic mite. So, paleontologist Othniel C. Marsh (Cope’s rival) renamed this dinosaur, one of the first known theropods, Dryptosaurus in 1877. Theropod dinosaurs are characterized by their hollow bones and three-toed feet—perhaps the best-known theropod is Tyrannosaurus Rex! But it was the Dryptosaurus, a Jersey beast, that was the first to be discovered. Like so many things, and, to paraphrase a Trenton bridge, Jersey makes and the rest of the world takes. But, as with much of Mysterious America, there are peculiar ley lines that cross and converge, and just a few blocks from this particular bridge, you will find the New Jersey State Museum.
Although Dryptosaurus has fallen into relative obscurity today, it was all
the rage in the late 1800s, mostly due to Knight’s “Leaping Laelaps”. Knight’s work of these two dinosaurs fighting as active, agile animals—a sharp contrast to other paleoart of the time, which illustrated dinosaurs as sluggish, tail-dragging monsters - changed the way we think of dinosaurs.
But the State of New Jersey, knowing the significance of this dinosaur, wanted to honor Cope, Knight, and the Dryptosaurus and, in 2014, the New Jersey State Museum honored the Jersey Girl theropod with a mount of two Dryptosaurus skeletons posed like the subjects of Knight’s painting.
It is a mighty looking statue, and one can almost feel the power of these two incredibly quick, agile, and dangerous beasts going at it. Was this a territorial fight, perhaps over prey and food – or maybe just Mr. & Mrs. Drypto’s way of getting to know each other before making little Dryptosaurus?
We can’t be sure of Knight’s thoughts – but the painting and the statue are so worthy of praise, and were a most interesting discovery.
The State Museum has an incredible second-floor display of dinosaurs, New Jersey’s deep history, and it was shockingly inexpensive – free. O’Life Out! ,
OUTTA HERE
the mOtOrCyCle inn
155 West dumPlin valley rOad - building 2, kOdak, tn 37764 865-225-1719 • www.motorcycleinn.com
In our travels, we have occasionally come across and had the opportunity to stay at some very neat places, inns, and hotels. Most of these are your standard types of rooms – bed, bathroom, some art hanging on the wall… and sometimes they are all so alike, it almost feels like you are re turning to the same room each night, even though you might be heading across the nation.
Sometimes a room is just a room, and a bed just a bed. But now and again, we catch wind of an inn that was created with passion, uniqueness, and an artsy eye. Places like the Madonna Inn, in San Luis Obispo, California, or closer to home, The Roxbury, in the town with the same name in the Catskills, of New York.
a weekend destination keeping you on the backroads
When travel you can almost make a game of trying to find unique and interesting places to stay, but this month we’d like to ride to an inn that we think every reader of Backroads would be happy to spend the night. Not only is this well thought-out and created, but it was made with passion and certainly some MOTOvation!
Welcome to the Motorcycle Inn.
The Motorcycle Inn is located just east of Knoxville, where the French Broad River has been shaped into Douglas Lake. In the small burg of Kodak, Tennessee, a neighborhood of Sevierville – often called The Gateway to the Smokies – where you will find all the prime motorcycle roads for which the region is legendary.
This is not just rider-friendly – it is truly a Motorcycle Inn.
Each of the 23 rooms, 18 single and 5 doubles, is built around various motorcycles. Here it is about motorcycles, their riders, and the Inn has a deep moto-cultural base.
Back in 2023, Vishant Patel, a long-time motorcyclist and an avid twowheel collector, had an opportunity to purchase the property, and did so, but from the very start, he had a vision, and stayed true to it. Now, after years of hard work, the Motorcycle Inn is open for business.
Each room at the Motorcycle Inn features a different machine… we’re not just talking a poster on the wall, or a slick livery-styled paint job, but a real and special machine in each room…. And the room was designed and built around that machine and its history.
Did you ever want to sleep with a Ducati 916? The first time we saw this bike, it might have crossed our minds. Hey, no judging…it ain’t that weird after the first time, and at the Motorcycle Inn you can do just that.
Other machines and rooms you will find here include an MV Agusta F4, placed in front of an Italian backroad twisting up toward a stately villa, with the spires
of the town’s church atop the hill. Nice.
There are rooms featuring Bimota, Aprilia, Benelli, and other Italian-style machines abound.
Indeed, you will find Japanese horse-powered stays as well with a Honda Fireblade, a Kawasaki ZX-7, a Repsol Honda CBR1000, a bright yellow Yamaha R1, and so many others making a room their own. Outside, you’ll find a tall stone firepit area, made all the more outstanding by two of the fastest motorcycles ever sold to the common man framing the firepit – the Honda Blackbird and a Suzuki Hayabusa. Through the entire Motorcycle Inn, you will find just that… motorcycles. Everywhere. Celebrated. Venerated. Enjoyed. Not just for their practicality, but their form, design and artistry.
Who does not love a beautifully maintained Norton Commando 951 Racer, with its waspy black and goldstriped fuel tank and featherbed frame? Do not think that Germany is not involved in this, as we spied a nice BMW S 1000 RR on site as well, as a Harley-Davidson powered Buell.
The amount of work, craftsmanship and detail that Vishant and his crew have put into the Motorcycle Inn is almost staggering.
When you take in the sheer amount of two-wheel horsepower, the vision and follow through that has gone into this place, and then stir in the magnificent Smokey Mountains, then you surely have one of the best motorcycle and rider-friendly places we have ever discovered. ,
Among the kosher restaurants and supermarkets, Bukharian barbershops, synagogues and Judaica shops peppering Main Street in Kew Gardens, Queens, one family-owned business particularly stands out: Max and Mina’s, a kosher ice cream shop opened by brothers Bruce and Mark Becker back in 1997 and still going strong with unmistakable character. Known for its ever-changing menu and bold creations—from cereal-inspired scoops to savory surprises—Max & Mina’s has earned a cult following and national recognition. Every batch is made in-house, reflecting the brothers’ passion for creativity and quality.
Their grandfather Max Sockloff was a chemist who made a living by developing consumer products such as toothpaste. For his own pleasure, and to delight his wife, Mina, and his extended family, including Bruce and Mark, he developed recipes for ice cream, too. After Max’s death, Bruce uncovered his ice cream journal, which eventually helped inspire the shop. With close to 16,000 flavors created since their opening, I’m sure that Bruce and Mark have surpassed their grandfather in sheer variety of flavors.
You’ll find Max & Mina’s on an unassuming block in Kew Gardens, Queens, NY. Not the best of riding, but when you have such an eclectic spot, you make concessions. For me, it seems like a no-brainer to make a stop the next time I’m headed to CitiField to see the Mets. I can only hope that this season’s team will be inspiring enough to get me there soon. The facade of Max & Mina’s is just a very small piece of the amazing decoupage you will
find once you enter. Surrounded by what Bruce Becker calls “my collections” – a wildly diverse, visually overwhelming display of cereal boxes, bumper stickers, decals, record albums, pages clipped from old magazines, and more, covering the walls, the ceiling and most other flat surfaces – it reminds me somewhat of the inside of our Monkey with a Gun Tiki Bar.
Bruce continually weighs the expectations of returning customers, who often request favorite flavors from past visits, against his own desire for “keeping things moving” by creating new ones. In a shop that can offer only 30-some flavors on any given day, Bruce says he’s a ‘game day’ person, letting his mood guide him once he hits the machine. He’ll make up to five new flavors each day.
Bruce is always stopping at farm stands, finding the freshest in fruits, vegetables and whatever else may inspire his creativity. He will also make regular trips to places like Costco, BJ/s and Walmart, as he says they have phenomenal ingredients and he’ll just buy them all.
Some of the favorites that have appeared are farmfresh blackberry, cardamom pistachio, eggnog, and salty peanut butter. Max & Mina’s gained wide attention in its early years, however, for flavors that stepped beyond the bounds of what was then considered suitable for ice cream. Lox is the most infamous; pickle and horseradish are recurring favorites.
Considering how much wall space is devoted to cereal-box artwork, not only from the colorful box fronts but also from the backs and sides, breakfast cereal ap-
pears prominently in many of Bruce’s creations. One of the top sellers, when on the menu, is Captain Crunch cookies ‘n’ cream, which features the namesake breakfast. As children, observes Mark, the stories and games on the backs and sides of the boxes entertained us, briefly, during breakfast –just as a visit to Max & Mina’s can “take you out of your reality for five minutes.”
The shop is almost a museum and a time portal. On one section of the ceiling, there are pictures of scenes from the 1989 Batman movie. Rather than keeping the collection in a box in the garage, attic, bedroom, or hoarding it away, it is out for all to see, such as a 1976 Yankees yearbook. While you might get lost in the revelry, it is just a wonderland of surprises.
Max & Mina’s sells hard ice cream only; there’s no soft serve, no sorbet. No sprinkles, either. Business is cash only. In what can be a surprise to customers from outside the neighborhood, Max & Mina’s is closed on Saturdays – even on sunny summer afternoons – just like all the other kosher businesses along the strip. The shop does open briefly, after the Sabbath, late each Saturday evening.
At Max & Mina’s, every day is Ice Cream for Breakfast Day, or rather Breakfast Ice Cream Every Day. If you visit, I’d love to know what flavor caught your fancy. ,
“Turn right when you see the rock shaped like a bear. Turn left when you see the bear shaped like a rock.
Chief Wild Eagle • F-Troop
If anything has been around for a long time, it is a rock. Basically, much of our world is simply… rock. Sometimes they are just hard, and unyielding pieces of the landscape that we would really like to avoid as riders. Sometimes, a good rock, to take a seat for a lunch break, is a happy thing. But with all the rocks that abound along the backroads, there are some that stand out more than others. Some cannot help but catch our attention due to their enormity, others because of all their musical friends that gather with them. Some because they are almost hard to miss…literally. Let’s take a quick ride and visit some of the rocks that have made their place through the ages.
Mushroom Rock - Little River Canyon, Alabama
Mushroom Rock is a rock formation found in the middle of Highway 176 that runs along the edge of Little River Canyon – one of the most impressive canyons in the eastern United States. The rock is shaped like a giant mushroom. It has also been known as Needle Eye Rock due to the slot in its base. Mushroom Rock is actually a cluster of large Dakota sandstone concretions—huge boulders formed around 100 million years ago. After a million or so years, it was almost taken out by the state of Alabama, but a road crew saved it.
The story is that several decades ago, a road crew constructing the original scenic drive is credited with saving this canyon landmark. Plans called for the rock formation we now call Mushroom Rock to be removed. Construction staff refused to blast it away. The crew built the road around it instead. Thanks to the determination of the crew to leave the formation intact, we now have Mushroom Rock in the national preserve. Still, even though you know it is coming, every time we have ridden by it, it always seems to get a small spurt of adrenaline into the system.
Although many note-worthy rocks are singular stone monsters, others are a bunch of formations that have been given a singular name by humans… ‘cause that is what we do. Take our next two formations.
Vázquez Rocks - Agua Dulce, California
The Vasquez Rocks are located in a 900-acre park northeast of Los Angeles, known for its wildlife and its awe-inspiring monoliths.
These rock formations were formed by rapid erosion during uplift about 25 million years ago, and then later exposed by uplift activity along the San Andreas Fault.
What we have today is a very striking and almost mountain-sized formation that should seem very familiar to you.
These unique rocks have been the location for more than a hundred films and TV shows. Blazing Saddles, Galaxy Quest, Ben Hur, Planet of the Apes… but is best known for “Arena” – the Star Trek episode where Kirk battles the Gorn. Pesky lizard men!
Seneca Rock - West Virginia
Back on our side of the continent, deep in one of our favorite states to ride, you will find the crossroads of Routes 28 & 33, where the Seneca Creek meets with the North Fork of the South Branch, and standing guard nearly 900 feet over all this, the mighty Seneca Rocks.
Seneca Rocks history spans thousands of years of use by the native Seneca tribe (thus the name) for hunting and trade. European settlements and farming along the valley followed, and it rose as a major American rock-climbing destination. This came into play during the start of World War II; the cliffs became a training ground for the U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division for practice before our troops headed towards the European Alps. Seneca Rocks is truly a unique geological formation of resistant Tuscarora sandstone dating back millions of years.
It is absolutely one of the most amazing “rocks” of which we know.
Balancing Rock - North Salem, New York
Along a winding backroad named Route 121, outside North Salem, New York, you will want to keep a helmeted eye peeled for something a little different: a giant boulder, seemingly balanced atop a sprinkle of smaller ones. It weighs about 60 tons, and the granite from which it is formed does not match any other granite naturally found for hundreds of miles.
This is the birthplace of wackadoodle theories.
Let’s look at a few of the common ones.
It was created by aliens, as the region has been called the UAP capital of New York. Others claim it was ancient Celts or Vikings that raised this rock atop the others. Yep, a bunch of very strong Norsemen heave-ho’d this rock
for the hell of it. Some believe Native Americans constructed it as a worship site.
No one has been able to conclusively prove the origins of Balanced Rock. Could it be that it is simply a glacial erratic, carried hundreds of miles from the north by the glaciers, then left by chance to balance on smaller stones when the firn and frazil receded after the last ice age? You can visit and decide for yourself.
Madison Boulder -Madison, New Hampshire
Rocks and boulders come in all sizes, but this next one is pretty big. The Madison Boulder is the biggest. Anywhere. 83 feet in length, 23 feet in height above the ground, 37 feet in width, and weighing upwards of 5,000 tons. The 17-acre site was acquired by the state of N.H. in 1946. In 1970, Madison Boulder was designated a National Natural Landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior because the enormous erratic is an outstanding illustration of the power of an ice sheet to pluck out very large blocks of
fractured bedrock and move them substantial distances.” The boulder was deposited in this location during the most recent period of glaciation, around 14,000 years ago. You will find the Madison Boulder just south of Conway, and not too far from the famed Kancamagus Highway.
The Lord’s Prayer Rock – Bristol, Vermont
Although this big boulder is impressive enough, it is what is carved onto it that makes it so special. The Lord’s Prayer. There is a story behind this boulder. There always is.
Legend has it that a 19th-century physician, Joseph C. Greene, of Buffalo, NY, thought of hieroglyphs when planning a way to commemorate his boyhood in the Bristol, Vermont area. He’d grown up in South Starksboro, and one of his jobs had been to deliver logs to the Bristol sawmill. The journey down the mountain, via Nine Bridges Road or the Drake Woods Road, was fraught with difficult switchbacks and stream crossings. When Greene reached the giant boulder and a level byway, he’d always say a prayer of thanks, knowing the worst of the trek was behind him. It became known as Bristol Rock. In 1891, Greene paid a carver to engrave the Lord’s Prayer on the slab. He had his own name added: Joseph C. Greene, M.D.
Another story is far different… and that Greene was simply upset by the cursing and swearing of passing logging wagon drivers. So, he had the prayer carved to make them think twice before taking the Lord’s name in vain.
Whatever you take as the truth, this is worth a stop and maybe having a chat with Providence yourself. It could never hurt.
Ringing Rock State Park Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Just above the Delaware River, there is a very strange and different state park – Ringing Rocks.
Here you will find a vast boulder field strewn about its 123 acres, almost ten feet deep in some places. But that is not the odd thing about this park, it is that these rocks are musically inclined.
Indeed, bring a hammer and give one of the boulders a hard whack, and it will answer you with a ringing tone.
It is the most bizarre thing.
Are the boulders themselves yet another gift from the last ice age? (What would we write about if not for the ice age?)
The boulders at Ringing Rocks have a much, much older story…which began almost 200 million years ago, during the
Triassicage, when Pennsylvania was part of the supercontinent Pangaea. As the land mass that became Africa began to pull away and create the Atlantic Ocean, a sediment-filled basin extending across what would be this part of the Keystone State. The continental rifting created volcanoes that have since eroded, leaving behind layers of rock that oozed out through the sediment and cooled down.
The rocks that formed this way are called diabase, which means “formed by fire.” Erosion over the last many thousand years has taken away the soil and left just the rocks.
But why do they ring?
The iron content of the diabase is often identified as the source of the ringing ability. Actual chemical analysis of the diabase shows that iron content (as ferric oxide) of the rock ranges from 9% and 12%. When the rock is struck, the iron and hard mineral contents create ringing sound waves.
It surely makes a different and unusual stop while exploring the backroads that truly rock! ,
WHAT’S HAPPENINGIN 2026
Americade made its annual visit to the Adirondack Mountains and its longtime home in Lake George, New York. Americade has been taking place for 42 years. Traditionally held the first full week of June, the event is now one week earlier during the week following Memorial Day. This year the event kicked off on May 27th and continued through the 31st. What started as a small event known as Aspencade East in 1983, formally became Americade in 1986. The early years drew a few thousand riders to upstate New York. In the heyday of the late 1990’s into the early 2000’s upwards of one hundred thousand riders would descend on Lake George. The event opened on Tuesday with registration at the Holiday Inn on Canada Street. TourExpo, guided and unguided tours and, of course, demo rides began in earnest on Wednesday morning. For the most part Mother Nature was kind to the region as the weather was dry for the entire week and a bit on the cooler side after sunset. Saturday was the only day it rained which put a damper on festivities for the day.
TourExpo was in two sections - Expo North along Beach Road and Expo South in Festival Commons (the old Gas Light Village site). Vendor selections ran the gamut, and the variety of vendors and products was on par with the previous few years.
Demo rides were set up at Fort William Henry and featured rides from Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Harley Davidson, Indian Aprilia, Moto Guzzi, CF Moto, Can Am and Triumph. Kaplan Cycles had a static display with Buell, Gas Gas, and Stark. Attendance was strong but not overcrowded. We were able to get in on some demos on three separate days without much waiting. The representatives from each of the manufacturers were all very helpful and provided great rides whether escorted or unescorted. This remains one the biggest attractions at this event and the factories did not disappoint.
Of course, there many other attractions included the many twisty roads the Adirondack Park has to offer. Americade also featured guest speakers, comedy nights featuring Alonso Boden, seminars, battery checks, a Ride For Kids charity event, and NY Ride Like a Pro demonstration on Canada Street. There was music in the center of the Village at Sheppard Park. All in, each day had a full schedule from 8:30 AM to well past sunset. Friday night was capped off with the fireworks over the lake and the Town was filling up with weekend warriors.
The Village itself was as clean and welcoming as ever. Roads had been improved along with landscaping lighting and some store fronts and motels had been freshened as well. Perhaps the crowd was not near the record levels of the early 2000’s, but the impact of the event on the Village and region as a whole is still significant. Tens of millions of dollars are spent in the region and the sales tax revenue to the village is an important part of the annual budget. This is and continues to be one the region’s most important annual events. Within an easy day’s ride from all major points in the Northeast, it makes an ideal spot for this type of rally. Let’s not forget to thank all the volunteers at the info booths, guiding folks on their rides or directing traffic - great job by all.
Looking forward to this year’s Americade - May 2730, 2026 - it can’t come soon enough!
~ Tony Lisanti
MOTOMARATHON HISTORY 101:
In 1986, a small group of Colorado motorcyclists tried to ride as many mountain passes as they could squeeze into a long weekend. Since then, “compressing as many passes and twisty roads into the classic four-day motorcycle sport-touring getaway became an obsession,” said Motomarathon Founder John Metzger, who began designing annual “Pass Rides” that evolved into a nationally sanctioned series of Motomarathons.
MOTOMARATHON 2026:
The Motomarathon, now run by John Bossolt, is not a competition, but a vacation. It is all about riding the highest quality roads, during daylight hours, avoiding interstates and urban areas as much as possible, and stringing together the premium twisties and backroads within the nation’s premier riding areas. The rides emphasize sightseeing, leisurely lunches, and camaraderie after a long day’s ride at a nice hotel and restaurant, and then a cozy bed.
The philosophy, however, is individualist and minimalist, so each rider is free to make their own accommodations (camp if you want!), ride alone, ride only one day or one checkpoint. Your day and your ride are as open and flexible as possible. Take a moment and think about this… how often can you take the time out of your busy life to take a vacation like this? And when you make that effort, the Motomarathon Association, in return, is committed to finding and developing the highest quality routes possible. They remain on the cutting edge of the sport-touring experience, finding the best rides through the art of Routemastering.
EVENT DETAILS:
For 2026, they will be hosting the New York to Maine Motomarathon. Check-in is on Sunday, August 23, and ride dates are August 24-27. The Marathon will depart West Point Military Academy on Monday, August 24, and arrive on the shores of North Hero Island, in the middle of Lake Champlain, for one night. Tuesday morning, you will head out for The Birches on Moosehead Lake in Rockwood, Maine. There you will have a superb basecamp for three nights and get a chance to explore beautiful Maine on routes created by Motomarathon Rider and Maine resident, Dave Rouleau.
THE COST:
The cost for registration is $100 per rider. This helps cover logistics, shirts, website costs, and insurance. Their insurance premium nearly doubled two years ago and shows no sign of going down. After speaking with riders who participate in other events, they are finding that everyone is experiencing the same issues, with some events disappearing off the map.
To help cover the increased costs and keep the registration fee down, they are looking for sponsors for 2026. Sponsorship includes having your name and emblem listed on their shirts. They will promote you, or your company, at the event, and on their website and Facebook page. Sponsorship is $495. This will also cover your registration fee if you participate. Any assistance you can offer to keep Motomarathon going will be greatly appreciated by everyone involved.
John and Motomarathon promise you a great week of motorcycle riding along some of the finest motorcycle roads in the northeast, and you will meet some great like-minded riders too. We’ll be there too – but let that not dissuade you.
Make your plans now, the summer is coming! www.motomarathon.com
Sunday, August 23 • Thayer Hotel at West Point 674 Thayer Rd, West Point, NY 10996 845-446-4731 • www.thethayerhotel.com
Monday, August 24 • North Hero Inn & Restaurant 3643 US-2, North Hero, VT 05474 North Hero, VT 802-372-4732 • www.northherohouse.com
Ask for Robert, mention Motomarathon
Tues. - Fri., August 25-28th • The Birches, Rockwood, Maine 281 The Birches Rd, Rockwood, ME 04478 800-825-9453 • www.birches.com • Ask for Bradley
RAMAPO 500 - 500 MILE WEEKENDOF FUN
Last year I attended the 45th Ramapo 500. What’s that, you ask? Well, it’s a two-day ride over amazing backroads, through stunning scenery that you would never think could still exist in the crowded Northeast and New England. Your entry fee includes the route, coffee and bagels at the start, dinner, door prizes and good fellowship on Saturday night, and breakfast on Sunday morning. And, of course, a spot to pitch your tent on Saturday night. (There are always motels nearby for those of us who just can’t stand sleeping without air conditioning.)
The ride starts Saturday morning in Congers, New York. You get a beautifully executed route sheet, (which even has suggested food and gas stops indicated). You can also have the route uploaded to your GPS, which I always do. I tape the route sheet to my windshield as a backup, fire up my Cardo and GPS, and I’m off for the ride.
Every year the destination is different, and the route is sure to include places and roads that you have never seen. This year we were headed to the Ross Hill Park in Lisbon, Connecticut. Now, all I usually see of Connecticut is the over-built, over-crowded, and totally ruined area near I-95 or, sadly, the once-lovely Merritt Parkway. I now cringe at the thought of going to Connecticut. So I was delighted when the route took us through Harriman State Park, over the Bear Mountain Bridge, and into the wilds (Huh? What?) of Connecticut. Rolling fields, cool forested mountains, beautiful old houses and buildings, sweep ing views and NO TRAFFIC. And miles and miles of twisty tarmac.
It was more like rural New Hampshire or Vermont. At the end of a long, satisfying day, I arrived at the campground and claimed the lake-front cabin that I had reserved for the night. Then off to the dining hall for dinner with old and new friends, followed by cocktails at the picnic tables. We were probably all asleep by 10PM...as one Gold Wing rider put it “wrestling one of these for 250 miles is more tiring than riding 500 on the Interstate.” Well, duh. That’s just one reason I usually ride my Suzuki DR650, a light and nimble steed that can still carry loads like a pack mule. The next morning we were served a really excellent breakfast; a big helping of fluffy scrambled eggs, tasty home fries, a sausage patty AND three slices of bacon, and a choice of several types of bagels and spreads. And lots and lots of coffee. Then we all packed up, and started out on day 2, heading back to Congers by a slightly faster route, which helps everyone who needs to get home and get to work on Monday. Still lots of beautiful scenery and curvaceous roads. I’m one of the slowest riders of the group, but I made it back to the end point a little after 5PM. It was great to see the variety of bikes that had made the ride; 650 V-Stroms, Harley Sportsters, Softails and Baggers, BMW GSs of various sizes, some Triumphs, a Kawasaki Vulcan... it’s truly a welcoming and inclusive group.
So what’s the attraction? Two days of beautiful riding, hanging out with old friends or meeting new ones. Hey, it’s two days of fun, and isn’t that what we’re here for???
I’ve been riding in the 500 since 1989, and back then the sheer challenge of successfully following the route sheet to the end - remember, no GPS or cell phones back then - over routes that often included miles of unpaved roads (not these days) and trip-meter readings that often varied wildly from what was printed on the route sheet… well, it was kind of a big deal to actually finish a Ramapo 500. These days the only danger is getting a sore butt from two days in the saddle, so it’s really just a huge dose of two-wheeled fun. This year, look for the event on the internet: www.ramapomc.org/events or www.facebook.com/RAMAPOMC.ORG/. 2026 date is July 11-12 and will overnight at the Blackthorne Resort in East Durham, NY. It’s always a blast. Now get out there and ride! ~ Stephanie Feld
CANTON FALL FOLIAGE TOUR 2025
It all started with a wedding. “Smiling” Frank Watson wanted to put together a ride in the beautiful rolling twisty roads in Canton PA. He had to file the route with the local parks systems through which the ride traversed, and low and behold he was denied access to one of the vistas on the route. A wedding was scheduled that same day and the bride had looked up other permits happening the same time. It also put the ride itself in the cross hairs of all the states’ parks systems to scrutinize. When you see Frank he is always smiling and that means riding fun. Frank Watson is an accomplished ice racer and flat track racer with many titles under his belt. Frank is a tremendous leader and organizer who knows how to make great routes for motorcycles and put on a great event for everyone at any skill level to have fun. The ride each year is just over 100 miles of dirt roads with paved roads as you pass through towns. There is always a fuel stop about mid-way. The dirt roads are legal PA roads with a few rougher seasonal roads and park roads mixed in. Any street motorcycle can do this ride. A legal dual sport is preferred with some kind of DOT adventure tire. There is also a chase truck if you breakdown. Base camp, Watson Diesel has free camping. Entry fees collected all go to benefit Canton Lions Club local charity projects. This ride for me brings me back to a simpler time with not many rules or regulations, it’s at your own pace. It’s a time to catch up with your riding buddies and just have a great time riding and eating for a few days. Nothing too hard or intense to encounter but you will always create some great riding stories out of the weekend.
During the ride this year they had prizes for a scavenger hunt. They supplied assorted images and you had to find them and recreate your own. One challenge was to find a cow with a green ribbon around its neck as you pass endless farms with cows. Frank had to explain to me, the NJ rider, what a cow was - I just called it steak.
The lunch The Lions Club puts on every year is so good….they take care to ensure we have a great time and eat good food. After the ride the first day, The Lions Club puts on a dinner. After that you can participate in some riding games like a balance beam challenge and a slow race. Frank is the announcer and it’s just a ton of fun.
New to the event this year for the second day was a vintage paved street ride. You can take this on your modern bike or bring a vintage bike. They have 3 different classes of scoring or prizes for the bikes that finish. In my class was the oldest bike that would finish. The problem with that was my buddy and I both had 1966 Hondas… then they add your age to the bikes age…. my buddy had 10 years on me and won that challenge.
The vintage bike route was about 90 miles with a fuel stop about 30 miles in. I must say with an elevation of about 2,000 feet, Canton and surrounding boasts some AWESOME elevated twisty street riding rivaling some West Virgina roads. This area is just a hidden gem. This ride had a stop at a private vintage motorcycle collection. There was something like 200 motorcycles of all genres. Bob Logue of Bob Logues’s Honda dealership was nice enough to host us at his home for a private tour.
Across the street and up the mountain was Bob’s neighbor who was working on an exact replica of the Wright Flier. This fellow had built his own runway and hanger atop the mountain. He is working off the
exact patent the Wrights filed and his replica was 100% accurate down to the last stitch and glue used on the original plane. He mentions it was more accurate than the replicas now shown in several museums across the country. This ride stopped for lunch at High Knob Inn in Hillsgrove. Outside seating on the river was spectacular on this warm sunny day. The chicken wings were among the best I have ever had anywhere and that includes Buffalo NY. I couldn’t think of a nicer place in the middle of nowhere for a lunch stop. Worth mentioning is Forksville Big Mikes Steaks and Hoagies, locals tell us people drive up from Philly to get Mike’s cheesesteaks.
If you’re looking for a great time to be had with your friends at any skill level or any bike, you must check out this year’s Canton Lions Club ride, usually held the second weekend in October. www.tourarmeniapa.org/ ~ Harvey Mushman
West Virginia Shirawomple
The Swings of West Virginia
Have you ever heard the word Coddiwomple?
“Coddiwomple” is an often-cited, whimsical English slang verb meaning to travel in a purposeful manner towards a vague or unknown destination. It emphasizes enjoying the journey and embracing uncertainty rather than focusing solely on the final goal. It could be the Backroads ethos.
The BMW Owners Group has been running a Grand Coddiwomple for years, and every now and again we try to tag one or another.
With our Backroads Spring Break quickly approaching, and spending a bulk of the rally in the Mountain State of West Virginia, we thought we’d make our own little version of this. Shira had become enamored with the more than 50 beautiful “Almost Heaven Swings” that the state of West Virginia had erected at various vistas, historic sites and places of natural beauty around
the state. The more research she did, the more she wanted to share some of these beautiful swings with the riders on the Spring Break Rally. If you get The Backroads Report then you might have seen the article on these swings and how they were designed and constructed by teams of high schoolers. Their craftsmanship was exemplary, and knowing that young high school shop classes took this project on and did such an awesome job makes you want to see at least a few of them.
So let us tell you about the Shirawomple - The Almost Heaven Swings of West Virginia.
During this rally we will have two seperate Shirawopple Routes in search of the Almost Heaven Swings - one to the north and one to the south. Along these routes will be a number of easy to “swing by” swings. Stop by and take an image… West Virginia has made great wooden replicas of their state that will hold your phone or camera in the perfect place to snap your image.
The rider that bags the most swings, and can prove it, wins.
Wins what you ask?
Well, we’ll tell ya… a highly coveted baseball-style jacket, embroidered on the left chest and across the back with our ever-snazzy Backroads logo. In case of a tie, we will have some sort of rules…if we need them, or not. More info as we get closer to the rally.
Continued from Page 9 has relocated its golf cart, WaveRunner, ATV, and side-by-side divisions to Georgia and now employs around 2,600 people there. The manufacturing facility in Newnan, Georgia produces all full-size Yamaha ATVs and side-by-side vehicles as well as WaveRunners and golf carts for the US and global markets.
MORE YAMAHA NEWS
Thailand Moto GP Media Ban and Racing Boss as Spokesperson
An unusual step underscored the tense situation at Yamaha after the race. Not a single one of the four Yamaha riders spoke to the media. While it is not uncommon for riders to skip media appointments at overseas races, often for logistical reasons, for a manufacturer to keep all its riders away from the microphones and instead send a senior figure forward is rare and was viewed in the paddock as a clear warning sign. Instead, MotoGP racing boss Paolo Pavesio stepped before the assembled press. “I am not Yamaha’s new rider,” he opened his statement. “At the beginning of our journey, after our riders gave their best all weekend, I think it is right that I, as a representative of the company, explain where we stand with our project.” Pavesio spoke openly about the extent of the deficit and the challenges: “Now we know how big the gap is and that we have a mountain to climb. But we commit to taking these steps, one at a time.”
DUCATI BOSS SAYS NOTO SELF-RIDING MOTORCYCLES.
Ducati’s top executive said he hopes he’ll never see the day when motorcycles can drive themselves. Jason Chinnock,North American CEO, who has been with the Italian luxury motorcycle company for over 20 years and served as its North American CEO for a decade, said being a motorcyclist is a core part of his identity.
He told Business Insider in an interview that aself-driving motorcycle would “take away the entire reason to ride a motorcycle.”
Autonomous cars, he said, are useful for mobility — they transport people in a “safe, smooth, efficient, and carefree way.”
He said Ducati’s motorcycles are less about transportation and more about entertainment and the riding experience.
“We are not building mobility. We’re building motorcycles. We’re building something for joy and for fun,” Chinnock said. “If it takes away the ability to operate it and experience it, then just get in a pod and go from point A to point B.”
There are no commercially available self-driving motorcycles. Some companies, such as Japan’s Yamaha and the Singapore-headquartered Omoway, have started work on self-balancing bikes.
However, Ducati is not entirely dismissing autonomous features, adding them where necessary for safety. For instance, Chinnock said some of Ducati’s models come with electronic cruise control, traction control, and an anti-lock braking system. ,
The Law Office of Paul Gargiulo, P.C. presents
Welcome to the Jungle - The Art of Learning to Ride Skillfully
A column dedicated to your riding survival
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Should I stay, or should I go now? If I go, there will be trouble And if I stay, it will be double
The Clash
You are at an intersection on a tiny rural backroad that has ended in a T framed by a far larger, and far busier, main road. Four lanes run to the left and right. There is no traffic light, just the red and white stop sign for you. In the last twenty miles you have seen no other traffic, probably because they are all on this main road.
The vehicle flow is constant, with spats of slight gaps – but not enough for you to make that left on the far side of the road.
It reminds you of a cloud-speckled day, when dapples of sunlight paint the Earth, for just a millisecond, and then are gone.
You wait. You look. You are trying to time traffic from both left and right.
They both seem to be working against you. Just when you think you have it timed, that one ‘old man with a hat’ is ten miles off the pace and he screws it all up. Rhythm, baby. It is all about rhythm.
You remember Mr. Greenburg, your high school music teacher, rolling his eyes and telling you that you have no rhythm. Nice. So encouraging. But this time a spastic beat would not be just missing a note, but maybe missing dinner.
You try to focus, but then a woman in a large SUV, blaring teeny bopper music, rolls up behind you. In the mirror you see her right signal come on, and the phone in her hand. After 30 more seconds you feel this gal roll up a bit – losing patience to make her right. In your mirror you see her look down and then up again. She is texting – probably about you not turning.
The pharmacy that is controlled by the tiny, semi-unknown glands in your body start Breaking Bad… and you begin to hear Billy Joel singing Pressure.
This is a prime example of when Situational Awareness must come into play. Sharp attention, and the ability to quiet the distractions that are coming your way, are key.
Although the Killer Left Turn might not be the issue here, it still bears note to remember that, according to NHSTA, 40% of motorcycle accidents involving other vehicles are due to another vehicle turning left. This makes left-turn accidents the most common type of motorcycle accident involving another vehicle. But in this situation, you just need to cross two lanes and make that left, while filtering safely through and into the flow of traffic.
Although the road is fairly large, there is no middle ground, there is no “no-man’s land” where you can pause halfway through – before getting into the flow of traffic. When there is, you can break this process into Part One and Part two. But not here.
Nope, this has to be one smooth move. Your brain turns it up, and you slide into a more focused reality. The Japanese call this Satori. We call it “The Zone.” Thank you, Ken.
Like Eddie Morra on NZT, you tune out the car behind you, you see and gauge the speed of the cars approaching from the left and the right. Your mind goes into a cadence-like rhythm. If you were not doing a ridiculous form of road-math in your head, you might be able to hear your blood pulse. You are aware that the SUV gal has just laid on the horn, but it is somewhere back there, and not
You look right, left… then again. You have this; and as one car is just about to pass in the lane closest to you, you are already rolling forward. It clears and you cut across and bank to the left, minimizing your travel and getting into the left lane of the two-lane road with a steady roll of the throttle.
This all might seem like a lot – but, in truth, you probably run through this quite often. While riding, navigating a grocery store with a shopping cart, or walking down a crowded sidewalk. You perceive, evaluate, and then react to all you see; and sometimes it is good to think about how and why you do what you do. To decide if you should stay or you should go. ,
