Twice a year I make a run to Daytona and Sturgis to co-produce the Flying Piston Benefit Builders Breakfast with Marilyn Stemp, Managing Editor of Iron Trader News.
My first big decision concerning the trip was Sporty or DYNA? I chose the Sporty for the 2,000-mile roundtrip from Indianapolis. Three weeks before the event, I heard a ticking sound in the engine, so I slid it into a “new” local shop. I check with them two weeks later and the mechanic says, “I’m not sure if I can work on Sportsters.”
Huh, I’ve never heard that one before. No Sportster, so Plan B.
Plan B included my 1995 DYNA. I don’t like it as well because I don’t have the ergonomics right, but I had a plan.
I yanked the cover off the ’95 DYNA. I traded an Indian PowerPlus engine for the very used Dyna at Sin-Central Garage in Iowa. I scrambled to install a set of D&D Pipes, tighten all the bolts, run a tank full of gas through it, and start stuffing my Leatherworks INC. saddlebags with necessities.
Four days before blast off, I rolled my worn hotrod out of the shed and got it stuck in the soft grass. After fighting it for an hour, it stuck further in the mud as rain arrived in sheets. I take a break and call Atomic Bob from Ohio for advice. He gave me two words. Kitty Litter.
Kitty Litter To The Rescue – I head to Kroger’s for kitty litter. I spread it around the wheels, and in no time the bike is moving – only I can’t make the turn quick enough and run it into the 6-foot wooden fence. Even with the kitty litter, I can’t budge it backward. Stuck again.
A week before I spent $170 for AAA road service. I call them on the Bat line and they let me know they can’t help because they’re busy. “You know, it’s raining, for god’s sake.” They recommend following up the next day.
What to do? I call the new shop and they have time to come out for a rescue. They snatch the bike and haul it to the shop for an oil change. I was rapidly burning daylight.
They noticed a groove in the rear tire. I speculated that while trying to get it unstuck, my mudslinging found a sharp rock and it sliced a line in the center of the tire. SAD!
So, along with the oil, I put a new Metzeler ME888 on the back because they don’t have my Bridgestone donuts in stock and the clock was ticking violently.
And in a blink of an eye and just $376.01 dollars later, I am riding again with new hooves on the rear.
Based on previous rides, here’s my Daytona pack list:
Check weather
Check credentials
Select primary credit card
$50 cash, $100 hideout
Battery charger
Credentials in plastic
AAA membership
Smart wool t-shirt
Smart wool high-collar shirt
Smart wool socks
Venture Heat heated glove liners
Regular glove liner
Ski Gloves
Knuckle dragger wrist gloves
5 Ball Leather Shirt
Motorcycle tools
Wire
Full face helmet
Balaclava
Insulated jeans
Insulated underwear
Rain gear
CBD & Advil
Velcro bags from Aerostitch
2nd Wallet
TCX riding boots
Velcro strips
Bunge cords
(2) iPhone cords and chargers
My first stop is in Columbia, SC, to meet up with the Flying Piston Benefit Builders Breakfast social media photographer Greg “Edge” Scheuer and event volunteers George Miller and Mike Ludlow.
197 miles to a Winery – The next day we took all day to jam 197 miles to Watermelon Creek Vineyard in Georgia. That day our motto was, “Eat to ride, and ride to eat.”
Even though we have a light day of riding my back screamed, remember the ergonomics. I pull out some Delta 8 gummies and CBD capsules and pop them at our first Waffle House stop. These are water soluble natural goodness that start working in 20 minutes. They put a smile on my mug and a bounce in my throttle.
The winery proprietors, Charles and Deborah Tillman, produce 11 muscadine and blueberry wines. The wines lean to a sweet taste and a promise of adventure.
The Wine Story – Watermelon Creek Vineyard began on the banks of Watermelon Creek in 1820. Three members of the Padgett family settled there and began a legacy forging an influence on agriculture, business, and spiritual life in Tattnall County for over 150 years.
Once the site of a sawmill, grist mill, turpentine still, barrel making, general store, post office, and the Padgett home place, Watermelon Creek Vineyard flourishes as a testimony to the love, labor, and devotion that the Padgett family dedicated to this area.
Pin-up girl – Charles Tillman spoke with us about his Ohoopee Whoopee label design. “After purchasing the 1820 Padgett homeplace, various artifacts and memorabilia were uncovered during its restoration. One item that caught our attention was a calendar print Aunt Lawana had saved. It’s a 1940s illustration by Rolf Armstrong, entitled, ‘SURE ENOUGH!’ It’s our pin-up girl for our ‘Whoopee Series’. Model Jewel Flowers embodies the pure satisfaction of just being herself and enjoying life’s simple pleasures.”
We spend the night in Glennville, GA, and early Saturday morning, I’m motoring to Bruce Rossmeyer’s H-D where I meet my partner-in-crime, Marilyn Stemp. We do a walk-through and meet up with the owners’ Mandy and Shelly Rossmeyer. Their advance person, Carrie Repp, does a good job of the setting up and we were good to go for the Sunday event.
Fortunately, there were only two times during the trip I was forced to show up clean and sober. I was bright-eyed while walking the facilities at Bruce Rossmeyer’s Harley-Davidson dealership with owners Shelly and Mandy Rossmeyer, on Saturday morning at 10AM, March 5th and Sunday, March 6th at 6:30AM to kick off the event.
Proceeds from the event teach kids to ride on 2 wheels. Last year we helped to train over 70,000 kindergartners through their P.E. department. This year we funded the Ormond Beach Elementary, the same school Mandy Rossmeyer attended when she was a little shaver.
The event went off without a hitch. We enjoyed meeting and seeing the builders, including Cory Ness, Chop Docs, Brian Klock, Rusty Wallace, and a host of others.
After setting up the online silent auction and getting the products to the winners physically at the Benefit, we ship the remaining products to the out-of-state winners.
I stuck around until Tuesday morning and at 8:00 a.m. the three amigos, Bear, Edge, and myself, headed North. We shot up 95 North and over to Columbia, SC. Bear and Edge peeled off for home, and I mistakenly stopped for lunch.
During this late lunch, I added some Delta 8 and CBD combo to take care of my back, and then jumped on the DYNA. Five minutes later the bike shut down, and I coasted across three lanes of rush-hour traffic to the shoulder of the road.
It turned out my starter stuck on, and with the combination of the throaty growl of the D&D Pipes and the earplugs, I didn’t hear it. It burned out the starter and blew a fuse.
I got on the horn and called AAA. They said I don’t have the correct membership level (WTF), but I could get a tow at commercial rates. They also suggested I could get an upgrade but would need to wait 72 hours to use the service. Which was a polite way to say, “Boy, you’re screwed.” They quoted a commercial rate of $350 (WTF). By the way, after you finish Monday and Tuesday, what you have left are the (WTF) days.
I called the local Harley Dealership: No Joy –Thunder Tower Harley-Davidson, only work on vintage bikes in the offseason. Vintage? I didn’t think a ’95 was that old. But 27 years old does make it an antique. It doesn’t look that old. You remember the story about how exotic dancers and Harleys are the same? When you stop spending money, they quit.
The dealer was polite but hemmed and hawed about when the bike would see the light of day. Maybe next off season– certainly not in a mood to help a brother out.
While I’m on the side of the road, Derek stops in his work truck, ambled up and we talked about DYNAs for 30 minutes.
Again, I was burnin’ daylight. What to do? I called Commander Edge for a rescue.
He hooked me up with Joe Licketto of Madness Motorcycle. Joe hauled my bike in and then and home because he’s sick.
Plus sick the next day. Finally, on late Thursday afternoon, Joe and the bike were good to go. And in a blink of an eye and just $475.31 dollars later, I am riding again with a new starter.
At lunch, I noticed in the reflection in the Waffle House window, my brake lights work but not my running lights. So, I keep an eye out for a dealership off the Interstate. I stop at in Tennessee at Smokey Mountain Harley-Davidson and pay $10 for a $2 bulb. While I’m there, Jackson ambles up and we talked about DYNAs for 30 minutes or so.
A few miles outside of Lexington, KY, the Polar Vortex that was racing to the East Coast sweeped through the area and created a whiteout on the road. I head for the nearest exit to find The North Star Inn and Cafe.
The registration desk was in the Cafe. Only the Cafe doesn’t serve food. They have a dress shop. And the dress shop was actually a buyer’s club that is accessed on Facebook. But they do have rooms, rooms for travelers.
I’m not the only one with the idea of getting out of the cold. The only room left had a jacuzzi. Sweet Jesus! Cold to the bone, my hands felt like needles were piercing my fingers.
I parked the DYNA next to the motel door out of the elements, or so I thought. Two inches of snow found the black beast.
I like the Leatherworks saddlebags. They lock on the bike, and the bags themselves also lock. This means I can set them, forget them and unlock them and take them into the hotel. Another benefit is if I go down, these heavy 10oz leather bags take the road rash and not the painted pieces.
LINK – https://leatherworksinc.com/
The next exit up held a path to the Ark Encounter Museum.
The Inn was full not just because of the weather. The next exit up held the magnificent Ark.
The Ark Encounter is a Christian religious and Young Earth Creationist theme park. It opened in Grant County, Kentucky, in 2016. The centerpiece of the park is a large representation of Noah’s Ark based on the Genesis flood narrative contained in the Bible. It is 510 feet long, 85 feet wide, and 51 feet high.
Weird. Who goes to these things?
Turns out, people from across the world come to visit the ark. It must be a satisfying experience as each year the exhibits grow.
The next day was cold. A thin layer of ice laid dangerously under the deceiving snow. The temperature hovered around 20 degrees. I planned for sun, rain, and cold. But not 20 degrees and ice. So, I stayed the day and bought a pizza at the gas station – which gave me a mild case of food poisoning a few hours later. It was a tasty pizza with dubious origins.
Sunday morning, I’m up early, packed, and ready to go. The bike turns over a couple of times and then won’t fire. I unpack the saddlebags and locate the Battery Tender.
I roll the sled into the sun and hook up the juice. At 30-minutes past check-out, the Inn, dress shop, and Facebook promoter /owner gave me the hairy eyeball. So, I attempt another start… it almost fires. SAD!
Voodoo Hoodo – When I lived in California my hippie girlfriend nicknamed Lisa Armbong, (she had a thing for herb), took me to a Reiki class where we moved energy with our hands. So, I dusted off the instruments and laid may powerful paws on my battery.
I said a mystic incantation and then told the Della DYNA I’ll take a hammer to her tail light if she doesn’t start. I hit the power switch.
She fired right up.
Now cooked! I threw a leg over her and headed to Indy.
Event Recap – The ride was excellent. Enough things happened to make it memorable. I planned a 7-day trip, it required 12. I got to hang out with cool people and had lunch with Donnie Devito, President of KIRSH Helmets. It took 5 days to make it back to Indy—a one day run, usually.
LINK – https://rallytickets.com/2021-flying-piston-breakfast-benefit/
