srwebwiti's Blog

I want to introduce all of you to a special group of people -- who will be getting a little extra face time on MyFoxMilwaukee.com and FOX 6 News. They're a group of motorcycle riders who will be riding in from all parts of the county -- blogging and taking photos for MyRide on MyFoxMilwaukee.com.

These are our MyRide Riders -- and I got the chance last night (along with Vince and Ted) to meet all of them together at one time. Here they are.



The people in the above picture are coming in from Bend, OR -- Glacier National Park, MO -- San Antonio, TX -- New Orleans, LA -- and Bangor, ME. Along with Vince and Ted, they will be sharing stories on the road, showing up pictures of things they've seen while touring the country. And because each of them is taking a different path on the ride home to Milwaukee, each of their stories will be unique.

You'll be learning more about this bunch in the coming days on MyRide as well as FOX 6 News. They're a relaxed bunch who loves the open road. I can tell they're going to have a great time -- because I had a great time visiting with them last night.

Watch for their stories of the road and their photos on MyRide on MyFoxMilwaukee.com.

I've been keeping track of how many times I bring the motorcycle to work -- so I get a better feel for how much money, if any, I'm saving by doing so.

So far, I've ridden in 17 times this season. What does that mean in terms of cost savings?

Well, I average about 55 miles per gallon with my bike. I have a 44 mile round trip. So on my bike I burned about 13.6 gallons of gas on my bike. If we're talking $4.15/gallon, that's a cost of about $56.44 for gas for those 17 days.

Doesn't sound like much until you see how much it would have cost by car. In those same 17 days, my car (which averages 33 miles per gallon) would have burned 22.6 gallons. If you use the same $4.15/gallon price, that's a total cost of $93.79 for 17 days by car.

Still following me? After 17 days, I saved $37.35 in gasoline just by riding my motorcycle. That's a few lunches at a fast food place for me -- or more likely, about nine gallons of gas.

Interesting, huh?
 

Okay, I'm as frustrated as the next person about the high price of gas...

But what makes me even more angry about this high price of fuel -- is how difficult it is to finish filling your tank on an even dollar.

You know what I'm talking about? Unless you're right now, you're going to end up pumping $45.01 or $38.02. One or two cents off almost all the time -- because each little squeeze of fuel costs that much more.

Is this just me -- or is it ticking off other people too?

Copper, black and chrome. That's how Harley-Davidson's marking its 105th anniversary on a limited edition of its 2008 motorcycles. From what I've seen, it's a pretty nice color. If you haven't seen it yet, CLICK HERE.

I think the biggest factor for me will be how the copper and black look in the sun. If they shine, if they have lots of metal flake sparkling, then I'm on board with the color. Can't wait to see it in person.
 

Oh may, I think I'm going to bust! Having looked through Harley-Davidson's plans for the 105th Anniversary Celebration, I couldn't be more pumped about what's to come.

If you were going to take one of the 25 trips across the country to come back to Milwaukee, which would you do? There are many more options than in past years -- and that's going to make this one of the most memorable rides home ever.

By the way, one of the biggest reasons I'm jazzed about the ride this time around -- I actually have a bike of my own. I had the privilege of being part of the FOX 6 coverage for the 100th Anniversary. It was a blast -- but made me even more determined to get my own bike.

 

I took my first long motorcycle ride of the season on Friday. It was actually my longest ever in one day -- roughly 330 miles (very manageable too). The destination -- Doc's Harley-Davidson in Bonduel, Wisconsin (about 30 miles northwest of Green Bay).

I was riding with my Dad and brother -- and we hit the road just before 9 a.m. It was cool outside -- upper 50s. Not a bad temperature if you're riding short distances. But about 75 miles into the ride, we pulled over because our lungs were shaking. With that northwest wind we had, it was downright chilly. It really helped to make that stop however, because after that, there were no issues with the cold. It was like we had to get our bodies used to it.

We pulled into Doc's H-D about 1:30 p.m. -- after taking a nice scenic ride that took us along the shores of Lake Winnebago. It was sunny and warm up in Bonduel. After about an hour of hanging out -- it was back to the road.

Unfortunately, the direction of the wind changed from being out of the northwest to coming out of the southeast. That meant we rode into the wind again -- all the way home.

Bottom line -- it was a great ride -- mostly because it was with my Dad and brother. It was unlike anything I've ever done before. I cannot wait until we begin planning our next one-day big ride. Maybe it'll take us somewhere out of the state.  

 

I went on my first big group ride of the season this morning/afternoon. It was the Support The Troops ride hosted by the Kettle Moraine HOG Chapter and Hal's H-D. Great event -- and the weather made for a huge turnout -- as you can see by the pictures below.

The weather was phenomenal. But guess who forgot to bring the sunscreen along -- and now wears a rather bold sunburn and raccoon eyes? Yup, you can't see it in this picture, but I have it now.

By the way, I found this event because of the calendar on MyRide on MyFoxMilwaukee.com. And I'll be going back to it week after week to see if there's anything worth checking out -- and being a part of. 

Gotta tell ya... I'm the guy who's entering the events you'll find posted on the MyRide on MyFoxMilwaukee.com events calendar. And if we were to give a weekend a theme, you might call this upcoming weekend -- the Poker Run Weekend. There are four of them on Saturday -- and two more on Sunday. If you're looking for a reason to ride, check out the calendar. On top of the poker runs, there are other rides and a custom bike show or two.

By the way, if you have checked out the MyRide ROX photo gallery lately, it's worth another look. Lots of cool bikes of all makes and models. We even have our first Indians and first scooter too.

 

C'mon... We know you think your motorcycle is the coolest thing on two wheels! Now show it off in the MyRide ROX photo gallery. What in the world is that? It's bikers of all kinds showing off their rides -- with pride. CLICK HERE to see for yourself.

If you'd like to send a picture to be added on the MyRide ROX page, e-mail it to cary.docter@foxtv.com.

 

It seems like it's been the longest spring known to man. Cold, wet weather has kept me, and I'm sure thousands of other bikers, off the roads. But not anymore. Today, I rode into work for the first time this year. And this weekend, I plan on doing a little tooling around town. Let the sun shine down!