Wellston Wildlife Area Ride

There are a bunch of local rides I have mapped out over the years in the region  of Athens/Meigs/Vinton counties. Most of these are out of necessity. It is mid-winter, cold, and I am feeling cabin bound. Today was such a day. There were steady winds (20 mph), occasional gusts, 42F, cloudy, and periodic light rain showers. Seemed like a great day to bundle up, pull out the dual-sport (Kawasaki (2007) KLX-250S) and go for a 60mi/90min ride. 

This ride is largely a loop ride with about 80% on-road and 20% off-road. Beginning in Albany, OH, head West out SR50, pick up Vinton Station Rd (just outside of McArthur, OH) and cut over to SR93, then go South until you take right onto SR683. At that corner there is a Marathon station if you need a quick snack or fill-up. From there, just head up to the Wellston Wildlife Area. The central element is Lake Rupert (good spot for fishing or picnicking). Throughout the area there are some good double tracks through the woods and various trails to ride. Today I just spun around the lake and headed back to SR93 where I picked up Sam Russell Road (paved) which then turns into the Vinton Furnace Experimental Forest Rd (unpaved; Wayne National Forest). (No WNF riding permit is required here because this is a public vehicular road.) This will take you (on dirt/gravel roads) through the Raccoon Ecological Management Area (destined to become the largest intact tract of forest in the state of Ohio) and let you out on SR 160, where you turn left and head back on 4-lane SR32. The ride:

This was the first test of my new Wolfman tank bag. I purchased a whole set of this luggage for enduro camping (claimed to fit almost all dual-sport MCs). It is one of the few setups I could find that would fit this bike. It is first rate stuff (quality), but is reflected in the price (made in USA). This ride is typical of many dual sport rides in the area--more is on pavement than off. Most of the tires that come on dual sports are really just off-road tires (which do not perform very well on pavement). The solution is a 50:50 tire tread design. However, some bikes are hard to find tires of the right size. The KLX250S is just such a beast. I finally found and ordered the only set of tires I could find anywhere: Bridgestone TW301/302 (Trail Wings). I have a set in the shop, just haven't got them on the bike yet. Will report back later.

Upshot: fun, 4-season, diverse ride.

Tires

Everyone on two wheels knows the value of good rubber on the road. Actually, I have been a stickler for this even on my four wheeled vehicles for years. This is the only contact point between your vehicle and the road, so why skimp on quality or run them down to the wear bars just to save a few bucks? Another one of those penny wise and pound foolish deals.

After my first season on the Buell 1125R, I noticed fairly significant wear on my tires after only about 3500 miles. Admittedly, I often ride pretty hard and make good use of the edges. :-) But, 3.5K seemed a bit low mileage to me (was expecting 5K). The stock OEM tires are Pirelli Corsa III's. Overall, I have been pretty happy with these tires. They are really sticky with three zone dual compound technology and handle very well in the twisties and inspire quite a bit of confidence (maybe too much).  These tires will do well on the track as well as the street.

As an experiment, I decided to explore an alternative tire to see if I could get some more mileage without sacrificing quality. Michelin also offers a dual compound technology tire, the Pilot Power 2CT, that has been rated well. I picked up a rear tire from sportbiketrackgear.com as they had a pretty good price and I have been happy with them as a vendor. 

All this talk (thinking actually) of tires got me in the mood to finally purchase a tire changer. I guess there are two types of people in the world: those who insist on doing everything themselves so it can be done right (assuming you have the time and inclination), and those who are happy to just farm stuff out. I try not to do the latter because I am unhappy more often than not with the final product. In sum, dealers and mechanics do not have the same attachment to the bike as you do. Back on topic. Probably, like most people who mess with tires, I have wrestled with them all sorts of ways with mixed results.

After a fair amount of web reading, product research, and a demo at a track day, I was pretty well convinced of the value of the No-Mar Tire Changer. The Classic Model will handle most types of motorcycle tires. I got the hitch mount version which is kind of neat because I do not need to commit the space in my shop (wish I could) and it becomes portable for track days. The website offers a lot of useful instructional videos. A basic tire change and balance only takes 15 minutes (once the tire is demounted from the bike) even for a newbee.  I was pretty impressed actually. Based on what most shops are charging for tire mounting, it would seem that you could nearly recover the cost of the machine after only 10 tires (by getting best online tire prices and savings on labor). I have 3 more tires in the shop for other bikes that I plan to do this winter.

My first tire mount was a mixed bag. Most tires have a heavy (or light) spot marked on the tire. It is important to find the corresponding heavy (or light) spot on the wheel and get them oriented in opposite directions. Pirelli marks the light spot on their tires with a pair of dots which one then lines up with the valve stem (presumably the heaviest part of the wheel; the two cancel each other out). It was unclear what Michelin does, though rumor has it that they have a barcode mark on the tire lip. Apparently, not finding any dots or obvious marks, I got this backwards on the Michelin and now have an excessive amount of wheel weights. Am waiting for the bike to come back from the shop (warranty repair) to redo the tire mount and correct this problem. 

Favorite Rides

Southeastern Ohio is a wonderful place to ride if you are in to the "twisty thing" (though there is an unusual amount of gravel and cinder at many intersections compared to other places in the country I have ridden). One of my favorite rides I did this summer was a loop trip from Athens, OH to Weston, WV & back again. About 300 miles total through some very scenic mountainous countryside.

From Athens, we left on SR50E through to Parkersburg, WV where we picked up SR47. This is without a doubt one of the most twisty roads I have ridden in the area. There are almost 9 switchbacks (posted at 10 mph) within a 50 mi stretch. If you are on top of your game that day, they can all be taken at the posted speed limit of 50 mph (though you will be scraping your pegs and boots). 

The road quality is good and the traffic is light. We did this route on a Sunday and traffic was exceptionally light. Beware though that gas is not readily available on SR47 (at least on Sundays). Gas up before leaving Parkersburg, WV. The good news is that Weston, WV has plenty of options for gas and food.

On the way back, for a change of pace, you can return on SR33. While not as exciting as SR47, it offers quite a lot of beautiful scenery in its own right and has some nice sweepers and a few more services. SR33 through OH is all relatively new 4-lane and a relaxing ride but watch your speed; it is tempting to throttle up and not notice. This is a fun full-day ride. Enjoy. Ride safe.

RIP Buell

I guess my very first post has to be devoted to my beloved Buell sportbike. Erik Buell had struggled for a long time to create a truly unique and high quality American sportbike (read the Book of Buell). The introduction of the 1125R in 2008 was the beginning of a new era. While perhaps a bit rushed and buggy at its introduction, by 2009, I think Buell had it down. So much so, they won the 2009 AMA Daytona Sportbike Championship (piloted by Danny Eslick).

Probably few people beyond Erik Buell will ever know all the details. But, Buell got in bed with Harley Davidson. I know many of the reasons why this happened, but, in my humble opinion, this was a mistake from the get go. HD dealers really wanted nothing to do with Buell. Most dealers shoved them in the corner of their shop. Salespeople had no interest in moving them. Mechanics had little knowledge of what to do with them. The bikes sold themselves only to a passionate few.

More importantly, bad engineering was forced on Buell. The sportster engine, while a serviceable v-twin, is NOT a sportbike engine and never would/could/should be (apologies to XB12R Firebolt fans). The introduction of the Rotax engine and other well thought out refinements produced a kick butt bike. I am so happy to own and ride one.

Then came the dreaded day: October 15, 2009. Erik Buell provided a press release and one of the saddest videos I think I have ever watched announcing the closing of Buell (by HD). I have to be honest, I can't say that I am not angry with HD. Their actions seem punitive at best. No effort was made to sell the company, only close it. At least HD had the decency to uphold existing warrantees and provide parts for a few years. I don't think HD even realizes how many people they pissed off at this point. Buell was not a moneymaker to date because no one at HD made any effort to move it. Now that it was a proven winner, HD drops it just when it was poised to take off...just doesn't make sense to me.

The only silver lining to this whole mess was that I was able to pick up a 2009 1125CR at cost. While an "unanticipated purchase", I am happy to have it in the paddock. While pretty much the same platform as the R, it has its own distinct style and attitude in the true cafe racer tradition. Despite my bad feelings towards Harley Davidson at this point, I will say that the people I worked with for the purchase of both my 1125R and CR were decent folks: S&P Harley Davidson.

I am saddened by the loss of Buell. Prima facie, HD did Buell wrong. Has so from the get go as best as I can figure. This is an iconic company with a bold American heritage. I am so glad I went to AMA Mid-Ohio races in 2009 to see Danny Eslick take the top spot on the AMA sportbike podium. I pray there is a future for Erik, the good people of Buell, and the grand American sportbike tradition.