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Saturday June 7th..flash...there's no other "loopers" around. It's just me, my Suzuki Dr 200 SE and the rear end of that semi I'm drafting at 75 mph. Even though I've been in the saddle for 10 hours I must concentrate more than ever before... for failure here behind this truck at such close distance would prove disastrous. Hi everyone I hope this past weekend was as enjoyable for you as it was for me. What could be better than a 12 hour motorcycle ride around Lake Erie? Some might say , lots of things and they could be right. But today it was the me and my machine versus other men and their machines. Today was the Lake Erie Loop # 5.
It all started oddly enough in Thurmont , Maryland a week before where Paul Graham aka Pigpen said , "Hey are you going to do the Loop this year?" I said I don't know. I've actually got a bike I purchased from Andrews Cycles (used but like new!) that I could use. Well I gave no more thought to this until Tuesday of the following week. It was an impulsive decision to go for it. I emailed my interest and registration. I called Phil Andrews to see if they would be interested in sponsoring me in this race and Phil said "yeah we're down for that" and my was fate was sealed I had to do it. I installed a GPS on Thursday night and never checked the angle of screen deflection or the wiring which as you will see later almost proved my downfall.
One of the cardinal sins in doing any timed/distance event is to change or add things that you are not familiar with before the event. Adding something as simple as a gel butt pad gave that plank of a seat a wider surface area to sit on but also placed me higher on the bike. An inch can make a difference especially over a twelve hour period. Add wiring under the tank without without routing the wiring properly is another mistake. Little things in a distance race add up to the seconds added or subtracted that help you win or in my case come in third.
Saturday morning at 6am just like in road racing there was a flagman out on the road and 25 or 30 bikes were revving their engines waiting for the Checkered Flag to drop. It did and we're off barreling down the road at break neck speeds. Well I'd better enlighten everyone what breakneck speed is... this race is for motorcycles with displacements at or under 200cc. Three classes; 50's, 125's and 200's. So breakneck speed on a 200 is about 60-65 mph. Hey, it's all relative ya know! Okay we're barreling down the road and hit the first stop sign. Gearing down with bikes all around me I was lucky not to crash and was the second off the stop sign out onto the main highway which was long. Everyone had an opportunity to draft just like we were racing at Daytona (well almost!) All went well until I noticed about 11 miles into this that there was only one guy in front of me and the other 10 guys that were behind me were gone? This scenario reminded me of a dog I had as a kid. When I'd get home from school and let him out to play, he'd run off bat ought of hell for somewhere and I wouldn't get him back for until an hour of chasing him had passed. I was like my old dog. I got let out, went off screaming' like crazy and got lost (momentarily). Here's the really cool thing. I stopped and looked at my GPS and figured I need to be onto 20 to Norwalk where I would pick up I-80. A State Highway Patrolman stops and asks if he could help!!! He did and I was grateful so there's my positive mention about the Highway....
I knew exactly where I was going "once" I got to Detroit but forgot to chart an exact route out of the campground and it cost me time. That lost time coupled with another error 8 1/2 hours later eventually proved to be my downfall eliminating me from having a chance at first in my class. Remember this is old fashioned racing. The guy that actually shows up first wins! Anyways I found Norwalk, the turnpike and eventually motored up to Detroit on I -75. I had a hydration pack on and was drinking like a camel until I started having to go like one! I had to stop before I needed gas which caused me to stop again within 11 miles or so. Not good decisions but honestly this wasn't up to me it was natures call.
The rules were simple. You can go clockwise or counterclockwise but you must have a gas receipt in Detroit, in Canada and in Buffalo or there about. How you go , how fast you go it's all up to you. I was lucky and ran I-75 all the way to the Ambassador Bridge into Canada. I brought a Canada Insurance Card, my Birth Certificate, registration and DL and all I needed at both border crossings was my DL and registration! Everything was going smooth, (well with knobbies on a single cylinder street legal dirt bike nothing is really smooth) until I noticed that was GPS shut off. After turning it on several times and checking connections best as I could while riding I flipped the screen to voltage and got a sickening feeling in my stomach. My voltage fluctuated from 8.75 volts to 11 volts. Anytime now this bike was going to shut down so mentally I was thinking what to do should she stop. Well she never stopped and I finally flipped off the GPS (which saved me I'll explain later) figuring why worry about it. Just deal with it if/when it happens!
An uneventful trip until I reached the border crossing into USA . Here are the questions in the order they were asked.
Q what are you doing? A riding my motorcycle Q where are you going? A To Ohio Q Where did you come from A Ohio
Q What were you doing in Canada A Riding my motorcycle around the lake Q Did you buy anything A Yes gasoline
Okay you can go.. My turn to ask questions... Q Hey Mr.. Border Guard/agent. I missed meeting my buddies and they left without me. Can you tell me did you happen to notice a couple of guys on little motorcycles coming through? A yes Q how long ago A ten minutes Vroom I'm gone
Flash back to I'm on the New York Thru Way drafting a semi at 75 mph and my high mounted fender is flapping in the turbulence. Feet on the rear pegs, chest on tank bag , my chin resting not so comfortably on my fist as I peer through the top of my glasses. Just a couple more hours and I'll be there. Well the final couple hours actually went by pretty quickly.NY Thru Way to I-90 to 480 w to 10/20 where I ran out of gas and pushed a couple hundred yards to Rt 58 and finally after 12 hours and 6 minutes pulled into the Campground and got the last time stamp. DONE put it in the books!
I finished third in my class and fourth overall. There was much friendship and story telling amongst the racers Saturday night and Sunday. I think the creator and race participant Bill Murar retired fire fighter said it best, " I ask you to suffer with me for this one day out of the year for the benefit of the kids (that the Aluminum Cans for Burned Children Pediatric Fund we support through this race) that live with pain many times throughout the year. All monies collected go to the Aluminum Cans for Burned Kids Fund.
When I got home I checked the sight glass for the oil and it looks like the gasoline wasn't the only thing I ran out of. I wanted to check the valve lash so I pulled the tank and found why the GPS and volt meter were erratic. The wiring dropped and melted on the engine! I was so lucky not to have blown the voltage regulator and/or battery. Needless to say it reminded me of the little things you do or don't do correctly that can spell disaster or success. Shutting off the GPS probably saved the electrical system.
For me it was about the competition and about my little part in raising money for this worthwhile fundraiser, "Aluminum Cans for Burned Kids" Pediatric Fund. I'd like to thank retired Fireman Bill Murar for again putting together a terrific enjoyable event. Rider Magazine and the AMA for covering the event. Special thanks to Phil Andrews of Andrews Motorcycles fame who supported me for this race. I can only say that Andrews Cycles is into and supports racing. If you are looking for a new bike please check them out at Andrews Cycles.com
Larry (I'm am #3) Ward... see you down the road
This past weekend was like a coming out party for a new motorcyclist, me! In the past year I hadn't had much time to ride any distance nor do any rallies so the weekend of May 30th through June 1st trip to Thurmont, Maryland was eagerly anticipated! Roy and I packed our gear and headed east on the turnpike towards Breezewood. The traffic was light probably due to the high cost of gasoline but with our bikes only sipping at a rate of 50 miles per gallon we didn't care.
The actual trip was around 5 hours with easy driving from Breezewood to Thurmont via Route 70. We had to pass through (up and down) the mountains to Camp West Mar. This American Legion Campground is off the beaten path with many a winding road twisting and turning through the mountains . The actual rally was hosted by BMW Club of Metropolitan Washington. The rally chair was Nancy Oswald who has distinguished herself by doing the 100cc ride in under 100 hours. That's coast to coast and back in 100 hours! Geez Louise..the President of the club is Tina Fraembs. How about that GIRL POWER!
Miss Kitty (Nancy Oswald) the Rally Chair also had a scavenger hunt which actually had several motorcyclists competing for the top prize. They did 295 miles scouting out the various secret locations in the hammering rain no less. Their was also a GS and road ride which didn't actually go all the way due to the in climate weather.
Friday night we had a terrific bowl of Chili and a ham sandwich. Saturday Roy and I cruised to Bob's BMW where we stayed for quite a while due to the high winds and rain. Finally letting up we went to Scooters Crab House for a terrific lunch. Cracking crabs with a wooden mallet is way cool and a neat way to get the frustrations out of the way!
Saturday night was the awards ceremony. Almost everyone of the 300 people attending won something. Roy and Paul Graham were big winners with an Aerostich Fleece pull over and BMW full length riding jacket respectively.
There was plenty of ice cold beer, wine, pop and a super dinner that night. I listened to a seminar about traveling to Alaska. No matter how many times I hear about Alaska I must say I have zero desire to go there.
We sat up talking about a million things as you mostly due at rallies until the wee hours and finally crawling into our tents around 1am. We were awakened by the sounds of what seemed to be a hundred geese flying in formation overhead! Roy and I got dressed and headed down the mountain to Thurmont to a little restaurant that is famous for hosting our Presidents; it's called the Cozy Restaurant. If you get to Thurmont you must visit the Sunday all you can eat morning breakfast . You won't go away hungry!
We came back to Camp Mar for one final visit packing up our tents and stuff and making the 5 hour trip home. I had a passport from the National Parks and wanted to visit Antietam Battle Ground and get my book stamped. Antietam is home to the worst, bloodiest single day battle of the Civil War. As with Gettysburg, Antietam leaves you with deep feelings about war, death and the finality of it all. Certainly a place to visit and pay your respects to those who have given all for one side or the other.
The trip home was uneventful except the last mile and one-half where I lost my ticket and instead of paying a fifty cent toll they charged me the "lost ticket" price of ten bucks!
There is no greater thing you can do for your health than to pack your gear, point your bike somewhere and take off. It'll clear your mind, put you in better spirits and just might make you live a little longer. See you down the road. Larry
© 2008