Thanksgiving at OBX

Many places have begun making stickers for your car, bikes, panniers, and helmets, with three letters, so you can discretely brag about your travels.  One of the first places to begin selling such stickers was the Outerbanks, North Carolina (OBX).

In 2008 my older brother, who currently lives in Northern Virginia, and used to live in North Carolina, invited my family to spend Thanksgiving in the Outerbanks with his family.  It was one of the best vacations I have had with my family.  So for Thanksgiving 2010 my wife and I decided to pack up the family spend a week with my brother, his family, my mom, and my in-laws on the beach. 
The Outerbanks are a string of barrier islands located along the North Carolina Coast.

Confession time.  My lovely wife of 10 years is not a fan of motorcycles.  She has grudingly allowed me to ride throughout my life, and has allowed me to purchase my current ride, and while I would love to ride North Carolina highway 12, which runs the length of the Outerbanks, if I rode she would not come, and if I went without her, she would likely kill me in my sleep, therefore, while this blog is motorcycle oriented I made this trip in a car, which car I will not admit as it would require that I forfeit my man card. 

On December 17, 2010 we flew into Dulles International Airport, which despite the many upgrades, was clearly built in the 1950's.

After spending a couple days at my Brother's house we drove from Washington DC to North Carolina.  Once we arrived we found the house we rented for the week. 
This was the view from the deck at this point I knew it really was going to be a rough week.  Warm weather clear skies, and a wonderful view of the beach, what a rough life I am forced to live. 

The Outerbanks are also famous for having a number of lighthouses, the most famous of which is Cape Hatteras.

While this is the most well known it is not open during the off-season, therefore, we went to Currituck lighthouse that remains open year round.

After you climb to the top, you can walk around the outside of the lighthouse you get a better view of were you are.

On the left is the Atlantice Ocean, and on the right is the sound which seperates mainland North Carolina from the Outerbanks. 
There are two other lighthouses on the Outerbanks, Bodie Island, which was closed for renovations, and Ocracoke.  To get to Ocracoke you drive to the end of Hatteras Island, and ride a ferry. 

After about a 45 minute ferry ride, you arrive at Ocracoke Island, which is famous for being the hiding place for Edward Teach, aka Black Beard.

The lighthouse on Ocracoke is smaller and is a constant 360 degree light rather than a rotating light.

The most important thing of the entire week was that we were their to celebrate Thanksgiving.  We all worked together to create a wonderful meal.  It also did not hurt that it was about 70 degrees, sunny, and right on the beach.

As it was Thanksgiving here are my thanks.  Thank you to everyone who came and spent time with us.  To our great friends from South Carolina who drove up to spend some time with us, we miss you and hope to see more of all of you.  Thanks to my Mom for getting the great home on the beach, and to my Brother for introducing me to the Outerbanks, although it may be the most expensive addition I have, yes even more expensive than motorcycling, to my wonderful in-laws, I consider myself one of the luckiest men on the planet to have married into such a great family.  Finally, and most importantly, thanks to my wonderful wife and two lovely children, thank you for all that you do for me, I am truly blessed. 

IF IT AINT BROKE

I am a huge fan of Triumph Motorcycles.  It may be because of my family connection to England, my Mom is from England, or it may be that I like the exclusivity factor, or it could be the universal reception you get when riding a Triumph.  I recently rode up the Blue Ridge Parkway with my brother.  I was riding a BMW which generally takes all of the attention, however, my Brother's Triumph Thunderbird Sport stole all of the attention and comments.
Fellow Traveler "What kind of bike is that?"
Me "A BMW R. . . "
Traveler "No that one."
Brother "ATriumph" (trying not to laugh uncontrollably).
Here is a picture of what he refers to as a pure "Cafe Racer"

In addition to liking Triumphs, I like the Streetfighter look, therefore it should be no suprise that the Speed Triple gets me excited.  I am not alone in this, since its creation in 1994 the Speed Triple has been Triumph's best seller, and since its introduction in 1996 the most recognizable feature has been the round bug eye lights, followed by the complete absence of any fairing of any sort.  It is so popular and well liked that the bug eye lights is now an optional extra on Harley-Davidson motorcycles.  Imitation really is the highest form of flattery.  The picture below might as well be considered porn in my world, and well as one of my friends, you know who you are.

Now however, Triumph has decided to alter the appearance of the Speed Triple.

Gone are the trademark bugeye lights, which have been replaced by some oddly shaped molded plastic which connects the lights to the instrument pod, and there is now a small piece of something, dare I say fairing like material (plastic) below the frame rails. 
Do not get me wrong I enjoy progress, as I have already been called out by suggesting that bikes like the Speed Triple are Cafe Racers, because they lack the vintage styling.  I like that companies are forever trying to better their bikes.  The Speed Triple's upgrade to Brembo brakes was greated with open arms, I am always interested in increases to horsepower as well, although it is not likely that I would know the difference between 125 and 129 horsepower, but buying a motorcycle is not rational, it is not driven by technical numbers and specifications, it is all about desire, and I for one will not be buying a 2011.  Give me back my round bug eye lights and completely bare engine. 
This same thing happened when Suzuki changed from the SV650 to the Gladius, although the new Gladius was technically superior, the bike lost its soul as a machine.
It is bad enough that you can no longer see the mechanical elements of most cars, plastics cover everything, especially engines, and manufactuers seem to make odd shapes just because they can, but for the quintessential Street Fighter and Cafe Racer of our time to fall victim to the forward march of plastic coverings is heartbreaking. 

So if you have a 2009 or 2010 Speed Triple hang on to it for a year or so, because I am going to need one.

Scorpion EXO-400 Rebel Helmet

My plan is to post something of interest, and as gear is an important issue for all riders, I will post reviews of products I have currently or have used in the past.  While I may not be ATGATT, I never ride without helmet, gloves, and generally a proper motorcycle jacket.  While I have ridden long distances without proper gear in the past, when I look back I feel lucky to have made it out with only minor cuts and road rash. 
The helmet I currently own is a Scorpion EXO-400 Rebel

The helmet is DOT and SNELL approved, the lining is comfortable and removable for washing.  I prefer flat colors and graphics and although I wanted a solid color, this was the only design available for the price.  On to a plug for which I am not getting paid.  I bought the helmet from http://www.motorcyclesuperstore.com/ it was delivered in 2 days free shipping, and is currently still available for $64.99, retails at local stores for $139.00.  I have found motorcyclesuperstore to have the best prices, as well as great service including their return policy.  (Motorcyclesuperstore if you are listening a new pair of riding pants would be nice).  The fit is a bit small, consider buying one helmet size larger than other helmets.  It has many vents, three on the forehead, one chin, and two exhaust vents.  I also has a breath deflector, and the best feature is the everclear shield which does not fog up.  I promise.  I have tried to fog up the faceshield on cold mornings and it will stay clear. 
Because of the tight fit it is sometimes dificult to keep earphones in place, either for your phone or your ipod, and finally my only real complaint is that the button to move the chin vent came off and was lost.

As you can see there should be a small black slider switch to open and close the chin vent.  This has only become an issue lately as my home climate is hot in the summer and mild winters, however, lately we have gone through a real cold spell.  Overall it is a good helmet, not the best in the world, but for the price it cannot be beat.

Future product reviews include, Pirelli Angel ST tires, Conti-Motion tires, Scoprion Jacket, crash tested by a friend, Motocentric Tank Bag, and others.

Cafe Style

A Cafe is defined as "a restaurant, usually small and unpretentious."  Thank you Dictionary.com.   

A café racer, originally pronounced "caff" (as in Kaff) racer, is a type of motorcycle as well as a type of motorcyclist. Both meanings have their roots in the 1960s British counterculture group the Rockers, or the Ton-up boys, although they were also common in Italy, Germany, and other European countries. In Italy, the term refers to the specific motorcycles that were and are used for short, sharp speed trips from one coffee bar to another.  Thank you Wikipedia.

Although I like any type of motorcycle, and have ridden everything from Choppers to Race Replicas, I must admit that my favorite style can be classified as a Cafe Racer, also known as Naked Sport Bikes, Super Standards, or Standard.  This style of bike has made a comeback of sorts recently as demonstrated by the "Cafe Racer" television program.  I could make practical arguments, about how these bikes retain the sporty nature of the more track oriented bikes, while providing some more comfort for all day riding, but his would be just rationalization.  The fact of the matter is, I like how they look.  Here are some examples:
What I currently own, a 2004 Kawasaki Z100

The best known, Triumph Speed Triple (What I want to own).

Some have even begun changing newer sport bikes into Cafe style bikes, this is a custom bike made from a Suzuki GSF600 (I believe).

Other well know bikes in this category are the Ducati Monster, Honda 919 or Comet if you live in Europe, Suzuki Bandit (Not the S version), Suzuki SV650 and SV1000.
Just thought I would explain the name.  I hope to continue to post about motorcycles, favorite roads, favorite places, product reviews, as well as motorcycle trips, I plan on going to Yellowstone this summer, as well as a cross country tour in 2012, and all other things motorcycle.