Planes

I have always loved planes since I was a kid and wanted to be a pilot but life didn't turn the way I wanted so the dream never happened.   With my brother in New Jersey visiting us for the weekend, what better way to spend the Saturday together than by taking a motorcycle ride to New Hope and Van Sant Airport in Pennsylvania.  About ten miles after I left my house I reached a milestone with my Yamaha Super Tenere and quickly pulled to the side of the road to record the moment and spot.  I have now done 40 thousand happy miles on my baby.

On the way to New Hope we rode through back roads to Veterans Park in Hamilton, a place I pass everyday on the way to work.  At the entrance to the park there's a McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom, an airplane I have always admired.  A few years ago I assembled a model which sits in my office at home together with other model airplanes.  Below is my model, a naval version of the Phantom.

We stopped at the entrance for a few photos and then proceeded into the park to see the 9-11 Memorial.  

Hamilton township received a steel beam from the World Trade Center as a reminder of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.  There's also a stone dedicated to the memory of The Law Enforcement Officers and First Responders.  The township lost four residents on Sept. 11, 2001, and two township firefighters as members of the Urban, Search and Rescue team were sent to the city on a recovery mission.

McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom

On the other side of the park there's a Bell AH-1 Cobra, a two-blade, single engine attack helicopter and an M60 Patton, a main battle tank introduced in December 1960.  We took a few photos and then left heading west towards New Hope.  Lunch was calling.

We arrive in New Hope and head to The Landing Restaurant, Riverside Terrace & Bar.  The restaurant sits on the edge of the Delaware River.  After a very tasty ham and brie cheese sandwich and an ice tea, we leave and head north to Van Sant Airport.

A beautifully chromed Indian with tan leather seat and bags.

Van Sant Airport is the perfect location to hangout and relax while watching these wonderful biplanes taking visitors around the area.  One of these days I will take a ride but first I need to save money.

We stayed for a little over an hour which allowed me to capture footage of one of the biplanes taking off and another landing.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did hearing the wonderful sound of the radial engines.

Indian Roadmaster

I have always been intrigued by Indian motorcycles since I was a kid.  My dad always talked about a friend that had an Indian and how amazing the motorcycle was.  He would tell me the "Indian's" were majestic and big and everyone would look at them with envy.  I only saw them in photos and had never seen one until I came to the USA.
Indian motorcycles were originally produced from 1901 to 1953 in Springfield, Massachusetts and the last model came out long before I was born when the company went bankrupt in 1953.  The first one I saw was an oldie but still gracefull model.  Over the years I saw a lot of old models including the large collection at the Motorcyclepedia Museum in Newburgh, New York.  These are some of the models on display.

In 2011 Polaris Industries purchased Indian Motorcycles and in 2013 unveiled their new 111 cubic inches (1.82 L) "Thunder Stroke" engine and three new models.  The Indian Roadmaster is the new standard of comfort in long distance cruising and the most expensive Indian with an MSPR of $27,999.

At the 2014 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, Indian introduced their new model Scout, a cruiser with a 1,133 cc liquid-cooled, double overhead camshaft, four valves V-twin engine.  The Scout engine produces 86 hp at 7,730 rpm and 64 pound-feet of torque at 3,320 rpm.  The model has the lines and proportions of the 1928 Scout but designed to work in the modern world with all the latest in engine technology.  The Scout is currently their most affordable model at $11,299.

I would love to do a cross country trip on an Indian Roadmaster with my wife.  I am sure I would enjoy the motorcycle and she would love the comfort of the the back seat and would probably be more into motorcycle touring after experiencing the Indian legend.

Indian Motorcycle company, how about letting me do a long term review of the Indian Roadmaster Indian Red?

Indian Motorcycles

Blue Knights ride

On Sunday I left my house and traveled about 35 miles to the Woodrow Wilson Service Area on the  NJ Turnpike to meet up with the Knights of Lusitania RC.  I get there after a quick stop at a Wawa for fuel and a cup of coffee and then waited about 30 minutes for the group to arrive.  Once the group arrives, we quickly leave and head north on the Turnpike towards Newark, about 60 miles.  We were a group of about 20 riders and when we arrive at the meetup there were quite a few other bikes already there. 

My Yamaha Super Tenere

Two of the guys in my group have two motorcycles I have always salivated over.  The Yamaha VMAX and the Honda RVT RC51

A few of the other interesting motorcycles already there

A Honda Valkyrie RUNE

A beautiful matte black Indian

A little later the ride starts, there were easily over 200 motorcycles on the ride.  I didn't take any photos during the ride since I forgot my small camera and only had my SLR with me.  The ride was pretty long, up the Turnpike to Fort Lee, down under the George Washington Bridge and then along the Palisades Parkway and  eventually making our way back mainly through back roads.  Being the Blue Knights ride, all the police departments along the way basically blocked all roads for us to pass unimpeded.  I'm sure some people were stopped at intersections for more than 15 minutes which I think it's kind of unfair.  The Newark police were very professional and the ride went without incidents.  Here's a few photos of the Newark motorcycles.

I had never seen so many police motorcycles in one place.  The yellow are from the Newark police department and the few white are from the Linden police. 

After the ride it was time for lunch.  By the time I got inside the food line was already pretty long but there was plenty food for everyone and since most of the groups are Portuguese the food was catered from a Portuguese restaurant.

  

 

 

While some of the people were having fun inside with the band playing some good songs, others were outside watching the bike washing girls.

There were lots of dollar bills flying around, I think the girls did well.

As the afternoon wound down it was time for the Knights of Lusitania to leave, they had about a 90 mile ride to Philadelphia.  I decided to stay a little longer and watched them leave.

Outside I saw this Suzuki wrapped in red vinyl, it was pretty well done.

The group assembling and getting ready to leave

The event had a burlesque dancer and not only was she beautiful but danced well too.  She did two routines and everyone was entertained for sure.  I will show more photos in another post, I will end this post with two teaser photos.

More to come....