Thurmont, MD Nostalgia Run....

[Vince Lupo]

Picture-perfect day yesterday for the 20th Annual Thurmont Nostalgia Run. I'm a pretty bad estimator at crowd sizes, but I wouldn't have been surprised to have seen 200 bikes at this event. Every kind of bike was there - from 1930's Nortons, to the latest Ninja, and everything in between.

Our group decided to take the longer (80 mile) route through the rolling hills of Frederick County and into Pennsylvania near Gettysburg. Total mileage for the day (including the ride to the event) was about 240 miles, and all the bikes ran great. Looking forward to next year!


Our Gang - Me on the SuperHawk, John on his '49 Indian, Scott on his CB500, and Andrew (our leader!) on Scott's CX500.




A portion of the bikes at the event

[rustywrench]

Vince,
You have left many posts here about riding your honda back there and seem to be one of a very few who do post about your rides. You once even asked if anyone else ever ride out there and if I recall, no one responded. Well we do but just don't say so. I do have some back roads here in western Washington close by that I enjoy, however until i go through this cl77 and get the eng. tight and more dependable, I'm not as willing to get that far from home.
I envy your area to ride and now I'm thinking I may even purchase a bike back there and keep it at my in-laws house in Great Barrington, Ma. At least I'd have something to do while visiting there. Wast Mass. would sure be best enjoyed from an old Honda. Ride hard, RW

[Vince Lupo]

Thanks RW - Fortunately my bike is very well sorted and I have a darned good mechanic who probably knows the bike better than I do. BTW, that would be John Grainger on the '49 Indian in the photo above - always nice to have your mechanic come along on a ride!

One of the big differences between me and most other people on this Forum is that I don't work on the bike (other than oil changes, etc and trouble-shooting). I know my limitations, and sorting a carb or rebuilding an engine are way beyond my capabilities. As well, I'm very accustomed to riding long distances, so extended periods of time on this bike aren't a problem (the longest ride I've ever done in one stretch was 1100 miles in 21 hours on a CB900f from Thunder Bay, Ontario, to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan -- that was part of an 11,000 mile road trip that included Alaska). Plus, the SuperHawk is the only bike I own, so while some riders might spread their mileage out over several bikes in their collection, I do it all on this one bike. The bike probably runs better because of it.

It would be great to hear about some of the other rides that people do, and particularly to see some photos of other parts of the world. What is it like to ride a SuperHawk in Australia? How are those roads in Washington State? Anyone doing a long road trip with a loaded down Dream? Heck, if Robert Pirsig and his son could do Minnesota to California in 1968 on a CB77, why can't we do it today?

Hopefully my little posts about rides might inspire someone out there to give their vintage Honda just a bit more exercise. And maybe they'll tire of just 'hearing' my voice and will share their own riding experiences with us too.

BTW we're going out again Sunday morning, if anyone wants to join us....

[rustywrench]

I would love to ride with you this weekend but I'm fishing a coho derby all weekend. Oh that's right, I don't live there.
I intend to share more of my riding as time goes on and things improve a bit. My excitement in all this is the feeling of accomplishment when an old dead for 25+ years bike comes back to life. I'm not the kind to spend a lot of time making these things show room pretty but at least road worthy, then return them back to good use. Now I find it very enjoyable to ride the countryside with the wind at my face. Looking forward to reading more from others too, Ride hard,,,,,,,,,,RW

[Gunner_CAF]

Vince,

I enjoy reading about your rides and the pictures. I have been riding the CB77 every week this summer, mostly small trips. The longest was an afternoon ride and burnt up a little over a tank full. It runs great and it is a fun ride.

Gunner