by Ron Beckley

 

It was a great rally.  July can be a little warm in Ohio but I spent 22 years in Georgia so it wasn’t too bad.  It was also dry except for some wind and rain Thursday night which included a tornado somewhere nearby.  One of our club members had the choice of securing his tent for the storm or getting some beers after a long day riding.  I helped put up his tent again after the storm.

 

It was a record breaking rally, more people (8048 not including kids), more motorcycles, more RV’s and of course more beer consumed than ever before.  There were venders galore and many ways to spend your money.  I came home with a set of horns that make my CS sound like a truck!  Saw several people from the club at the rally.  Chuck set up the first of the week which was a good thing for him.  By Thursday, camping space was a premium.  One of our lucky members got one of the rental tents already setup for free.

 

The riding around the rally was flat and straight.  The roads in eastern Ohio and in Pennsylvania are not bad.  Going and returning, Jim Herrick and I stayed on the back roads as much as possible.  I had programmed the GPS to take the way less traveled and it did.  We saw lots of good roads and country.  A little rain on the way back helped wash off the dust. 

 

Had to go to the dealer in Columbus to have a gas cap replaced.  It broke on the way out and three dealers I contacted going out said they didn’t have a cap available.  The Columbus dealer told me to come on in and if he didn’t have the cap, he would take one off another bike.  Max also offered to have a cap shipped to me next day air.  While the cap was being replaced, we visited the AMA Museum.  The new BMW exhibit has just opened.  The exhibit was smaller than I anticipated but it has some very interesting motorcycles.

 

Overall it was a good trip. Guess who won First Place in the F bike modified category?  The judge said he couldn’t believe he was giving the award to a CS.