I have been riding around the great states of Tennessee and North Carolina for the past week.  As I have been down here, I have come to appreciate a law that both states have that says if you wait at a red light and it doesn’t change, I believe it is for two minutes and it has to have a vehicle detector, that if a motorcycle is the first in line, it may proceed through the red light.  This is because there is not enough metal to trigger the vehicle detector loops.  If a motorcycle is over the “loop” and the light does not change, it keeps a car from tripping the loop, as the motorcycle has it blocked.  I have decided that when I get home, I am going to send a letter to my state representative to see if he could introduce this bill.

Well, I came in from washing the bike tonight and Amy shows me the online newspaper.  It turns out that the Canton Repository had this very topic in the paper today.  Here is an excerpt.

COLUMBUS Ron Risko couldn’t afford to drive his pickup truck from his home in Louisville to work at a steel plant in Warren. The cost of gas was just too high for the 100-mile round trip. So he switched to a motorcycle. Now he’s got another problem — traffic lights. 

There isn’t enough metal on a motorcycle, scooter or bicycle to trip traffic lights governed by sensors embedded in roadways. 

So Risko and others who ride two-wheeled vehicles have to wait for a car or truck to come along and trip the light — or break the law by going through a red light. The former is OK when traffic is heavy, but Risko often is on his way to work at 5:30 a.m. And he comes home late in the evening, when few vehicles are on the road. 

“It’s not a problem I face alone,” Risko said. “I can be hung up forever.” 

State Rep. John Hagan, R-Marlboro Township, said he plans to introduce legislation this fall that will take care of the problem. 

‘COMMON SENSE’ 

Motorcyclists and bicyclists would be allowed to go through a red light after stopping for a required amount of time; for example, two minutes. They could proceed as long as traffic is clear. Seven states have similar laws. 

This law works in the states that have adopted it.  Ohio needs this law too.  I have to run two lights on my way to work everyday.  Right now what I do is illegal, but I cannot sit at the lights, as I block cars from changing the lights.  I guess I could sit there my next trip through, but I would still be there a day later.  i just do it, and I figure a cop or judge will understand if they are reasonable.

We are on a trip right now.  We are staying with family in the Knoxville, TN area and we traveled to Atlanta, GA to see my sister for a couple of days.  We have been riding an average of 300 miles per day.  Today we rode 344.4 miles and nearly ran out of gas.  Anyway, here are some photos we have taken along the way.  I will post more stories when I have some time.

Honda CB550SC Nighthawk running on the freeway. Not bad for a $300 bike!

Here is a shot of my sister's Honda CB550SC Nighthawk with my BMW Boxer motor in the foreground.

This photo of our BMW R1200RT taken on the Cherohala Skyway looks like a BMW advertisement

Here is another great photo that Amy took of my Uncle Greg's BMW R1150RT on the Cherohala Skyway.

These butterflies were EVERYWHERE on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Amy took many photos of the butterflies, and of the bees, but she got both in this photo.

I will post more photos when I have some more time.  Our days have been starting early and ending late, so I must call it a night.  We will be going back into the mountains tomorrow to ride some more great roads, and probably let Amy take many more photos.

Well, we had a close call today, and had the time of our lives trying to stretch our fuel supply. When we came to the Deals Gap Motorcycle Resort, after riding about 300 miles to get there, we still had “plenty” of fuel. My R1200RT showed that I still had about 40 miles to empty, my Uncle’s R1150RT showed that he still had more than a gallon left, as the low fuel light was not on. We made it to the North Carolina and Tennessee border, and his light came on. With the unreasonable 30 MPH speed trap speed limit on US 129 “The Tail of the Dragon” we were stuck in second and third gears, which is not good for fuel. Turning onto the Foothills Parkway, with 24 miles to home, and 16 miles to the nearest gas, my computer now read 8 miles to empty. We rode to the summit of the Foothills Parkway, and shut the bikes off, employing what those of us in Ohio call “West Virginia Overdrive” but you are free to pick your own state, if you are from Georgia, it could be “Alabama Overdrive.” In other words, we shut the bikes off and coasted down from the summit, over 8 miles. There is a gas station at the end of the Parkway, on US 321. At the end of the Parkway, we started the bikes, turned onto US-321, and into the gas station. WE MADE IT. We pulled up to the pumps and were out of the woods. For the entire 8 mile coasting session, my bike showed “Gas —” In other words “Hey Dummy, you should have bought gas an hour ago!!!! You are now out!!!!” Anyway, here is a photo of the gas station that would save us.

That’s right people, they no longer sell gas!  According to the GPS, the next station is 5 miles away, and we do not have the gas to make the trip.  We set out in the direction of the gas station, running at the speed of maximum efficiency.  I employ more “West Virginia Overdrive.”  We crest a hill, just as my Uncle’s bike starts to sputter a little, and we can see the next station.  We are able to make it there and get some gas.  It turns out that his tank is 6.5 gallons, and the pump reports that he purchased 6.6. gallons.  I still had about 20 more miles, as the trip computer is pessimistic by about 0.5 gallons.  

While some people may not have had this much fun facing an out of gas situation, we thought it was fun stretching the mileage all we could.  My wife has AAA coverage, my Uncle and I both have roadside assistance from the BMW MOA, and we were only minutes from his house, so a gas can was not far away.

I don’t know about anybody else, but I love my GPS. I have a Lowrance XOG that I purchased from a local sporting goods store. I really enjoy this unit as it is compact, has a rechargeable battery, and easy to use software. The GPS has an MP3 player, and hooks up to my intercom so I have tunes and turn-by-turn directions on my helmet speakers.

When our GPS really shined was when we took a trip through the New England states. I left home with no set route, I just knew that I had to be in Emmitsburg, MD for a class. I rode east for several hours on US 30 (which is GREAT in the mountains west of Gettysburg). After riding for a few hours, I finally told my GPS to take me to my destination. I always have it set to avoid freeways and to avoid toll roads. It can really take you down some great roads. We rode 1980 miles and were only on the freeway for 20 miles. We saw some breathtaking scenery and rode some excellent roads!

I know that many of you already have a GPS and I am not telling you anything, but I resisted getting one for some time, as an atlas was cheaper. Since I got it, I have never regretted it! I look up businesses on my GPS all of the time. It is really a great tool. I have my GPS mounted to my BMW R1200RT with a techmount. Incidentally, I have found my GPS online for about $40 less than I paid for it.

Let me know what you think. Do you ride with a GPS?

Looking for the best GPS deals on the net? Check out what’s on sale this week at Tiger GPS!

Thank you for taking the time to visit my new website.  I hope to keep you entertained with updates regularly, as I take more trips on my motorcycle.  Currently, I have three bikes that I use.  My first bike was a 1982 CB900 Custom which I purchased in April, 2006.  In October of the same year, I bought a 1982 CB650SC Nighthawk for my wife.  She slowly got used to riding on her own, and she loves it now.  On long trips though, we now ride our BMW R1200RT which I bought on March 20, 2008.  Here is a photo.

Our BMW R1200RT on Mt Washington Auto Road

Here is a photo from the most recent trip that we did.  We have a great time traveling together, and we would like to share our experiences with you.  Thank you again for taking your time to visit our site.