Since I sold my big bikes and am repairing my BMW R 75 I only had one bike if I was riding to Daytona so it was to be my 250 Ninja. When you’re talking about riding 2500 miles on a 250 things better be right mechanically so I set about getting ready. Oil and filter change. I tried Mobil One 4T for wet clutches and I am completely sold on it for this bike. I also wired in a Gerbing accessory plug for heated clothing which I knew I would need for coming back through North Carolina and West Virginia. When the sun dips now it gets cold fastand you multiply that by the wind chill at 70 mph well you get the idea. Check tires and pressure, checked fasteners and loaded up the bike. I had soft sided bags so I always use painters tape to keep the bags from scratching the side panels of the bike. Ron Craig fabricated a little plastic clamp that holds the throttle so I had a cruise control to be able to get my hands off the bars once in a while.

 Two day drive down to Daytona on board a 250 Ninja. 2,550 miles round trip and my butt is sore there’s no way around it short of a custom seat which I didn’t have but as you’ll hear later a visit to Mike Corbin’s custom seat shop hopefully will cure that.

I stayed in Wythevilles lower end on I-77 at Super 8 which seems to be my choice for lodging..cheap, reasonably clean and a free breakfast like cereal and waffles..

Here’s a tip:  get the numbers and call ahead. Many times you’ll get a better rate than just walking in looking tired. They will give you Triple A discounts and such and when you arrive they never ask for the codes or your card…

Second stop for me was just south of Savannah at Port Townsend again Super 8. A really nice location with a truck stop with a Denny’s within walking distance. The Super 8 was great for bikes because it was well lit and just off  I-95.

 I arrived at the LaPlaya Resorts and Suites around 12:30pm and grabbed my gear off the bike and headed to the air conditioned room. I reached Roy who said he was arriving around 5pm later that day from Alabama so I headed out to the beach. At this time of the season the ocean is pretty warm . I went in for a bit came out and actually feel asleep on the beach where the rising tide caught up with me and I got really wet. Note to self don’t fall asleep on the beach.

Tuesday we were fortunate to interview Art Kowich

Throughout the early part of the week it was cruisin’ as usual until the crowd arrives starting Thursday through Sunday. Wednesday we decided to take a 250 mile jaunt to Hucky’s BMW which is a German fellow Hans who sells discounted BMW parts from his garage. He does pretty well for himself and I left about 75 bucks lighter. Friday started two full days of racing at the Daytona International Speedway. I was able to catch up with the Number One Plate holder Jeff Hargis in the AHRMA Vintage Sportsman 750 class. Check out the interview on the podcast dated 10/23/12 2WPH. Next was Bio St. Bernard.. who is racing competitively at 70 years young on a 1969 Suzuki T 250 which is very similar to an X6 Hustler. You’ll also enjoy that interview.

Friday Night we were guests of Monica Quarto from QTQ at the Elks Club where we enjoyed a night of dancing to a lot of great 80’s music. Who would ever of thought we’d be able to hold up throughout the night. Heck seems all those women’s husbands have passed away and we were the only guys there who still could get up and walk. Hey it was all good fun.

Saturday we caught the races, went to dinner and even caught a little of the college games. How cool is it to walk out of the pits at Daytona International Speedway and go to the concession area and watch the Ohio State Buckeyes beat Purdue!! I have to admit I was worried a bit when our QB went down but unlike the Tressel era we have a strong backup QB who came in and engineered TD drives for the win!

Sunday at the crack of dawn, well maybe 8:30am we were off heading up A1A where we stopped at our favorite on the waterfront restaurant..Roy knows the name I just know how to get there. Great food, really great waitresses and a lot of bikers plus the ocean at the table!

Somewhere on Saturday Roy noticed his tire did not last as long as he thought it should and wouldn’t make it back home. It’s Sunday no bike shops open so off we go. Roy deflated his tire twice running on about 28 pounds in the rear to “flatten the tire so as not to make the center as suscepital to running on cords. We made it to Wytheville for the evening and was hoping to hit up the Harley shop on Monday. No luck they were closed so next place is Beckley West Virginia where Roy  found a 180/55ZR 17 tire that would fit his BMW. $279 bucks later we were off. The remainder of the ride was uneventful but the fall colors were spectacular coming through the mountains.

All in all it was some of the same. Some different and some not so good but I was glad to get away for a while. Hang in There!  Larry