BigLenny

Turtle, Eck had great suggestions. Also, the Blue Ridge Parkway is an awesome drive. I wouldn't call it a tourist trap. It's simply one of the greatest driving roads in the country. If take the BRP over to Asheville, make sure you grab a bite at the Tupelo Honey Cafe. Oh, and here is a must in my opinion: Go to Asheville and take a tour of the Biltmore Estate/House. OMG! You won't regret it. If you do, go ahead and spend the extra money and get the headets for the guided tour.

Let me make something clear. I feel like I've stepped on some toes here, and Lord knows I certainly don't wanna do that. I too think some of the ways pirate riders dress is way cool. I did see a lotta folks wearing some pretty cool stuff at the rally, making some serious fashion statements. People watching is one of my favorite activities at rallys. However, what I was mainly talking about was, there was a large number of folks that were just plain nasty. But, I guess that's their business if they wanna not take a bath and wash their hair and look grungy and ride a bike. After all, we're all bikers with the commonality that we like to drink the wind, as they say. So, please forgive me if I offended anybody. I don't want to be a judgemental person at all. I've always taken pride in the fact that I truly love all kinds and brands of motorcycles. I guess I need to work on the liking all styles of riders part. LOL.

Yes. That's kinda what I was getting at, except a lot of what I was seeing Saturday was silly and dirty. However, some of it I think kinda looks cool. But please be clean. Lol.

Went to Bikes Blues and BBQ this past Saturday and for the most part enjoyed myself again test riding bikes and looking at bikes at the Antique Bike Show, as well as the Bikes Blues and Hot Rods Too car show. Food was great. Music was awesome. Due to the weather, there had to be a record attendance this year. They say it draws 400K. Some years I doubt that. This year I believed it. A freakin boat load of bikes everywhere you looked across 3 cities. But, I gotta ask a question. Nobody has ever accused me of being good lookin (those of you who met me at the international this year can attest to that), and not a sole would nominate me to be in GQ magazine, but, why in the world do a certain very large segment of bikers feel like they have to dress like nasty looking degenerate pirates to ride motorcycles? In general I haven't really focussed on it in the past, even though my wife has been yappin about it for years. But, this year, at BBB it seemed to have gotten the best of me. LOL. It's like these people woke up in the morning and said, "We're goin to the bike rally today, let me find my worst lookin sh** to wear." I know a guy whom I've been friends with for 30 years. Fairly clean cut family man who is an accountant. Standard haircut guy with a close cut goatee, kind like me. The dude bought a Harley two years ago, and now he has a foot long beard, a 2 foot pony tail, rides his bike with no helmet, only a skull patterned dew rag, leather chaps everywhere he goes, and either a torn up sleeveless shirt or vest, and he has added probably 5 big tattoos. Not to mentioned a nose ring. When he's riding his bike he looks honest to goodness like he is flat broke. I really try my best to not be a judgmental person. I usually have a "to each his own" attitude. But, at BBB this year, there was sea of these type folks. Thousands. I was wearing riding Draggin jeans, a black t-shirt with a bike shop logo on the back, riding boots, and a black Daytona Bike Week ball cap, and I was waaaayyyy outta place. And, the tradeshow this year was 90% tuned toward that crowd. I wasn't interested in buying a leather jacket with studs and chains on it, or chaps with flames on them, or skull and crossbones jewelry, or a t-shirt with some vulgar off color comment on it, or thigh high riding boots with high heels for my wife (I take that back, that might be cool), etc, etc, etc. But man, over half the tradeshow was vendors selling that garb. But, I did have fun. It was a lot like going to the circus and watching the freakshow, except it was free. LOL. I recommend everyone to go to it at least once.

Puc, If Yammy does come out with a new tourer, and if Tip gets a brand new birthday gift. Whatcha gonna name it???

Went to Bikes Blues and BBQ this past weekend and the Yamaha corporate truck was there doing test rides. They confirmed to me that Yamaha is doing an announcement on October 5th or 6th, but they are also doing ones in November and December. They said they have never seen Yamaha spread the new lineup announcements out as much as they are this year. They also said they get asked about a new full dress touring bike all the time, but stated they don't know if one is going to be announced this fall.

That does it. I'm gonna check mine too.

Just an FYI. I stopped by my local Yammy dealer yesterday to see if they had heard anything on Yamaha's 2016 lineup. The owner said Yamaha has ordered all of the dealers to be on a conference call for an announcement on October 6th. He assumes they will be announcing the 2016 lineup on that call. We'll see. Just letting y'all know BL

Bikes Blues and BBQ is this coming weekend in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Always a great time! Anybody gonna be there?

I read that too BlueSky. He claims he is innocent and that he had pawned that gun over two months ago. Seems like that would be easy enough to prove. I hope the police have at least done their due diligence enough to check the date of when he pawned it.

Corrected that for ya. It was driving me crazy. Sorry about my silliness.

The Talimena National Scenic Byway is for sure one of my favorite roads I have ridden over the years. I live in Little Rock, so we usually get over there a couple times a year to ride it. Everything you say is true. One of the best kept secrets of motorcycle roads. Rich Mountain is the second highest peak in Arkansas, and the road runs right on its ridge for a long ways. We have ridden a lot of the famous bike roads in Tennessee, NC, Virginia, Co, UT, AZ, NM (and still have a lot more to go), and I still feel we have roads here in Arkansas that rank right there with most of those, and the TNSB is certainly one of them.

My top 3 requirements for me to attend a M&G&E is: First, I would want to Meet people. Then, I would like to Greet them. Finally, last but not least, I would have great interest in Eating with them. Tehe.

Ya know? I'm not trying to go all Christian and everything on this subject, but, there are large number of verses in the good book that instructs to have nothing to do with a fool. I have a tendency to believe some of the stuff I see in that there book of guidance. As for my own experiences; I can't say that I have ever had a good experience when I engaged a stupid, or idiotic, or foolish person.

Wait. If your steed is broken down and you're having to wait on a stator in order to get it running, should you really be referring to is as "Trusty"? LOL.

Wow! WV is leading! I hope it's as good as Maggie Valley, because I know that area is sweet. I voted for Maggie Valley, but I'm open for wherever.

Yep.

Tehe. Dat's funny Silver.

People who live in subdivisons and won't keep their freakin lawns mowed! People who smack (chew food with their mouths open)! Grammatical errors like: "I seen" instead of "I saw", or "to" instead of too", or "there" instead of "their", or "You done good" instead of "You did well", or "I come" instead of "I came", "now n days" instead of "nowadays", etc. Lazy people who make excuses. People who exaggerate.

So, Is that price, $84.99, high, low, or what?

Is this as simple as it looks? It looks like it just plugs into the light bulb socket, but should i have some kind of relay in the system? Just asking before I do something stupid. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Yamaha-XVZ1300CT-Royal-Star-Tour-Deluxe-2005-2009-LED-Taillight-2010-0819-/361351162493?hash=item5422352a7d&vxp=mtr#ht_3761wt_869 BigLenny

Hey Kids, When does Yamaha announce their 2016 lineup? I was thinking it was maybe September or something like that. I'm getting rather antsy about whether or not those spy pics we saw a few months back have any credence to them. Lenny

Ed, It was great meetin you at The International! Sounds like you had a great time touring the rest of the country. I am jealous. LOL. Hey, you mentioned making it to Bikes Blues and BBQ. We just found out my wife is going to have surgery on Sep 10th. This is a big one that is going to put her off work 8 weeks. BBB is 13 days after her surgery. At this time, I see no way how I'm going to be able to make it. It's going to be a slow recovery and I'm gonna be her servant for a few weeks. Just letting you know in case you were still considering it.

You're right. When we cruised out of Galveston, we were shocked at all of the oil rigs. It was like we were floating by small cities all night the first night we sailed. There are 4000 oil rigs in the gulf. Makes it ugly.

I voted in favor of after school has started. But, let me suggest right after school has started. Like late September. If it gets into October too far, it could effect our northern members due to weather. We're spoiled down here in the south because October and even as late as November is usually the perfect weather for riding, but not for our northern friends.