East Texas Butt Burner Mar. 7, 2004

[Tourmeister]

Howdy,

:tab Okay, no racing on Sunday. The weather guessers are predicting 0% chance of rain and mid to upper 60's. Sound good to you? It does to me!! So... If you feel like getting the bike out and testing your tushy, show up at my place 9:30am Sunday morning. Here's the address:

1617 Woodland Lane
Huntsville, Tx. 77340
936-295-0187

:tab If you take Exit 116 off of I-45 (Hwy 30 and 11th St), head East into town past the McDonalds. At the first light (Normal Park), go right. There is a Brookshire Bro's grocery on the right. Go up Normal Park a block or two to the first stop sign. There will be a carwash on the right and a plant nursery on your left. Turn left onto 19th St. Go one block to the first stop sign and turn left on Ave. S. There is an apartment complex on the right and Gibbs Park on the left. Go two blocks on Ave. S, and it dead ends, you can only go right onto 17th st. Go up the short hill a half block and at the top of the hill is Woodland Lane. Turn left. It is a culdesac. We are the second house on the right.

:tab Kickstands up at 10:00am. Please have a full tank of gas when you arrive.

Ride Rules

1. Wear the gear! At a minimum you must have a helmet, gloves, and jacket. We'd be much happier to see good boots and riding pants ;-)

2. NO squidding! This means no wheelies, stoppies, burnouts, etc,... We do not want to attract undue negative attention.

3. No passing on the right! If you are behind a slower rider, pass safely on the left. It is preferrable that they know you are coming so you don't freak them when you blow by them.

4. Speeding is done at your own risk! Sure we all ride a little quick at times. If you get a ticket, don't bother blaming me.

5. Ride your own pace! I know you've all heard this before. Take it serious!! You will not get left behind. I stop the group at all turns in the route so we can regroup. It is rare for the group to wait more than a minute or two at most even for the slow riders. I will not continue until I get a thumbs up from the last person to arrive. Really, I want everyone to take this serious. Picking people and their bikes up out of ditches is NOT FUN!!

6. Group formation. On straights, we ride in a staggered formation with at least a one second gap between the person ahead of you. DO NOT CROWD THE RIDER IN FRONT OF YOU!! If you are all over the back of the person in front of you, you need to go ahead and pass them when it is safe. There are deer out in East Texas and if they have to swerve or brake to miss a deer, you need to have time to react! The staggering is only required for straights. When you hit the curves, take whatever line you think is best to get you through the corner safely.

7. No booze! We will be stopping for lunch. We do not tolerate drinking until the end of the day when we are off the bikes. May sound kind of strict, but that's the way it is.

8. If one gasses up, we all gas up! I know this rule bugs some people. However, it will never fail that a few people will wait to get gas because they don't "need" gas yet. This totally screws up everything because they get out of sync with the group and we wind up having to make more stops and waste more time than we would if everyone will just fill up at the same time. I will hound you about this!!

9. Passing other traffic. I expect to you pass other vehicles in a safe manner. This does not include passing through a corner on the double yellow! If the bike in front of you passes, DO NOT assume it is necessarily safe for you to pass as well!! I have seen way too many close calls because of this behavior. Remember, we don't want every car we pass to be pissed at motorcyclists because we are obnoxious
;-)

10. Keep track of the rider behind you. You should be checking your mirrors every time you get done with a set of curves to make sure the person behind you has come through without incident. The idea is to make sure no one gets left behind as a result of mechanical issues or an accident. If you turn around, then the person ahead of you will eventually turn around, and so on, until the whole group comes back. We will do whatever is necessary to get all bikes and riders home.

:tab Those 10 rules may seem like a lot, but they are not. Most are common sense. I do expect everyone to abide by them though.

:tab There are also some bike to bike signals that we use for communication. You may already know many of them, but here is a review just for grins:

http://www.ama-cycle.org/roadride/images/groupsignal1.gifhttp://www.ama-cycle.org/roadride/images/Groupsignal2.gif
http://www.ama-cycle.org/roadride/images/Groupsignal3.gifhttp://www.ama-cycle.org/roadride/images/Groupsignal4.gif
http://www.ama-cycle.org/roadride/images/Groupsignal5.gif

NOTE: the tapping on the top of the helmet is more commonly used to warn of LEO presence. If you see this, you may want to slow down. Also, not shown is the common signals for left and right turns. Left arm bent at elbow with hand straight up -> turn right. Left arm straight out -> left turn.

:tab I hope to see some of you Sunday morning!

Adios,

[train460]

Hello friends
****, Scott, already commited to haveing a BIG ride with the v-max group going west, sealy Round top, fayette, etc. Is this the same one we went on last year, The ride for Sasha? I have plotted that ride out on a map and am running it maybe next month to check on the roads for a future ride, I have to check on gas stations as the v-max only goes about 100 mile between fillups.
later
Michael hansen

[Anonymous]

Hey Scott,

I will try to make it out.

Where are you planning on riding to?

Is there anyone leaving from Houston that wants to ride up to huntsville with me?

Chris

[homermacleod]

I guess that I should have logged in for that last post.

[Tourmeister]

Chris,

:tab The route is about 400 miles, starting in Huntsville and coming back to Huntsville. Depending on where you live in Houston, many people will cut off on US 59 in Livingston at the end of the day and head back into Houston that way rather than coming back to Huntsville. This saves them a good bit of time on the end of the day.

:tab We are not actually riding "to" anywhere ;-) We are just gonna do a big loop that gets out as far East as Burkeville, Hemphill, San Augustine, etc,... There are some really nice roads out there!

Adios,

[Tourmeister]

Michael,

:tab This is not the same route that we did for Sasha's fundraiser ride. That was only about 180 miles long and went North of Huntsville. This one goes way East and is a hair over 400 miles. Also better roads.

:tab Be sure to let me know when you do come up. If I have time, I'd love to ride with you.

Adios,

[Rdslvr04]

Hey Scott

Count me in. I'll be coming w/ my group. Chris drop me an email at camus_a2@yahoo.com if you'd like to meet up and head that way w/ us.

Vittorio

[kawi jm]

Hey Vit who all is in your group?
BTW Scott me & Patrick might try to make it too. :twisted:

[Tourmeister]

Cool, love to have you guys come along!

John, do you already have the SV fixed up?

Adios,

[kawi jm]

really the ol' SV is pretty crash worthy. Shy of some rash on the fairings everything is good. I went ahead and ponied up for the rearsets, but that was just b/c I need more ground clearance. I could have gotten a stock rearset replacement on ebay and went the cheap route. The frame sliders are PRICELESS! :mrgreen: Hope to see ya!

[Anonymous]

Thanks for posting on the site, Scott. I will be out of town, but I'm hoping a few of my members will be able to join ya'll.

Brad
www.bikefreq.com

[Anonymous]

Guys,
I'm thinking seriously about meeting up with ya'll at Scott's house. Haven't done it in a while, but is 400 miles really a butt burner?
'Preciate the offer Scott.
Steve

[Tourmeister]

Steve,

:tab The fact that you have not done it in a while is what makes it a butt burner ;-) When I get in to tour mode and am knocking out big miles on a regular basis, it does not bother me. But like working out, it only takes a very short time to lose the benefits of riding regularly. Then those muscles moan and complain when you try to use them again hehe. By the time you get back home to Houston, you will likely be over 500 miles for the day. While that is not excessive by touring standards, for the average weekend warrior it is pretty rough :lol:

I hope you can make it!

Adios,

[Dirtrideroader]

What would be the best way to get to your house from the SW side of Houston, without taking the freeways?

[Anonymous]

NOOOOOO!!! My bike won't be ridable until NEXT weekend! :angryfir:

[pdef]

...forgot to log in.

[Tourmeister]

What would be the best way to get to your house from the SW side of Houston, without taking the freeways?

I guess it really depends on how far out West of town you are starting from? If you are anywhere near Beltway 8, you really should just suck it up and run the Beltway to I-45 and head North. That will be the quickest route by a long shot! Otherwise, you will be on roads with a lot of traffic, stops, etc,... and it will take a longgg time to get here.

If you are pretty far out west, then you might want to head up towards Waller via FM 362 and pick up FM 1488. Run 1488 to FM 149. Take FM 149 up through Montgomery to FM 1791 and turn right (North). Take 1791 all the way up to Hwy 30 and go East. Take 30 right into town. Cross over I-45, go past McDonalds to the first light. Brookshire Bros on your right at the light. Turn right onto Normal Park. Go to first stop, turn left onto 19th St. Go to first stop, turn left on Ave. S. Go to dead end, turn right on 17th St. Go up real short hill, turn left onto Woodland Ave. We are second house on right. Look for the bikes.

:tab I know you are coming from a long way off, but please try real hard to get there by 9:30am. The Brookshire Bros has a Conoco gas station. There is a Texaco, Chevron, Exxon and Diamond Shamrock at the I-45 intersection. Please have a full tank when you arrive ;-)

Hey Guest. Who are you? Pdef?

Adios,

[Anonymous]

I'll tell you what will burn my butt.............someone telling me when I have to put gas in my bike! :)

Kidding, kidding. I appreciate and agree to abide by the 'rules of the ride'. The organizational efforts will surely only increase the fun and safety factors for all.

Thanks again to Scott.
Steve

[Tourmeister]

Everyone's a smart a__! :-P See you Sunday morning Steve.

Adios,

[adoumas2]

What I really can't stand is folks calling you from your front door when you are out of town. Geesshhh. The nerve of some people. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

I'm completely moved out of my place in Houston now so I will be in Austin on the weekends here on out. Be sure to call beforehand!!!! :shock:

[pdef]

Yeah, that was me as guest. And I just realized that nick sounds like a rapper's name. pdefrancesco was too long though and I am not creative :-(

[Tourmeister]

And I just realized that nick sounds like a rapper's name.

:lol: What is wrong with Phil? or Philip? So... can you rap? :-P

Adios,

[pdef]

Ever heard of an Italian rapper? Me neither. It's probably best I don't try. ;-)

[Anonymous]

Tell ya what burns my butt...........people get sick.

I'm leaving for the airport in 1/2 hour to see my dad in a Florida hospital for an as yet diagnosed illness........maybe a stealh kind of stroke.

Catch y'll next time. Be sure to enjoy the day.......every day.

Steve

[Greeves TFS]

Steve,

Hope everything turns out all right for your dad. You, your dad, and your family will be in my prayers.

[swwwinger]

Not going to make it Scott.

Took my wheels in last night to get the tires changed and one of the rims got gouged. I'll just leave them off till they can get it repaired on Monday.

Have fun and be safe.

[TexasFly]

Scott -


This wil be my first long ride since last year so I will probably be a bit rusty and slower than usual :shock: . If you guys don't mind me tagging along I am in ... also my front tire is starting to cup - I am scheduled for a tire change and a suspension upgrade next week.

[Dirtrideroader]

I will be there also. As a matter of fact, I am leaving right now. To make sure I am there by 9:30. I figure I can make there 13-14 hours.

[Tourmeister]

:tab Wow, as usual, lots of last minute changes to the roster, hehe. Steve, I hope everything goes well with your Dad. Brett, whaddya doing waiting until the last minute to get new tires mounted?! Wasn't it you that had tire troubles on that last East Texas ride? :-P I'm beginning to detect a pattern here :lol: Ah, well. We will catch you next time. TexasFly, come on up. You'll be fine. We are not going to be racing. I'll be carrying a passenger as will one of the other guys. I generally let the guys that really want to haul butt go on ahead with instructions as to where they should wait for us to catch up.

See everyone in the morning. If you get here before 9:30 I may not answer the door :-P That's awful early for me to get up :mrgreen:

Adios,

[Dirtrideroader]

See everyone in the morning. If you get here before 9:30 I may not answer the door That's awful early for me to get up.

That is the advantage of leading the ride and getting everyone to converge there. I will be up slightly earlier than 9:30...

[Tourmeister]

Howdy,

For those so inclined to print out a few maps, here is a link to the images for the maps. Print them out in the order of their file name; ie, map01.gif, map02.gif...

http://twtex.com/linkfiles/030704-ETBB/

Here's the route:
FM 247 N out of Huntsville to FM 980
FM 980 East to Waterwood Parkway (not on map)
Waterwood Parkway South to US 190
US 190 East to FM 3152
FM 3152 Northeast to FM 350
FM 350 South to FM 942
FM 942 East to US 59 in Leggett
US 59 South to continuation of FM 942
FM 942 East to FM 1735
FM 1735 East to US 287 in Chester
US 287 South to continuation of FM 1735
FM 1735 East to FM 256
FM 256 North to US 69 Colmesneil
US 69 South to continuation of FM 256
FM 256 East to US 190
US 190 East to FM 777
FM 777 South a mile or two, watch for left turn!! SAND!! :eek:
:tab 777 makes a 90 deg left turn, slow down for it!!
Run FM 777 Northeast to US 190
US 190 East into Jasper for lunch.
:tab Look for Elijah's Cafe on the right as you come into town
US 190 East to Hwy 63
Hwy 63 Northeast to FM 1012
:tab Watch for 25mph curves on FM 1012 - take serious!
:tab There are a few driveways, kids and pets there!
FM 1012 South to US 190
US 190 East to Hwy 87 in Newton
Hwy 87 North to FM 1414
FM 1414 East to Hwy 63
Hwy 63 West into Burkeville for stop at Texaco.
Hwy 63 North to Hwy 184 in Hemphill
Hwy 184 West to FM 1592
FM 1592 North to FM 2784
FM 2784 North to Hwy 103
:tab There is a set of esses on this road perfect for photos
Hwy 103 East to Hwy 21 on your left a few miles up
Hwy 21 West to US 96 in San Augustine
US 96 South a block or so to FM 1277 on right
FM 1277 West to FM 1196
FM 1196 up to Hwy 21 and back to FM 1277
FM 1277 South to Hwy 103
Hwy 103 West to FM 1669
FM 1669 South to US 69
US 69 South to FM 844 on right
FM 844 South to FM 1818
FM 1818 West to US 59 in Diboll
US 59 South to FM 1987 on left
FM 1987 East, South, and then West back to US 59
:tab Watch for decreasing radius curves on this road!!
US 59 South to FM 350 in Moscow on the right
:tab Houston area folks may want to run US 59 all the way into town
FM 350 West to FM 3152
FM 3152 West to US 190
US 190 West to Huntsville

It's over 400 miles round trip. We'll probably stop every 90-100 miles for gas and a break.

Adios,

[kawi jm]

:angryfir: :angryfir: :miffed:
Gonna have to catch you next time Scott. I am a shoe in for the bike night though...see ya then.

[Tourmeister]

:tab Ugghh... My butt hurts!! :mrgreen: We knocked out almost exactly 400 miles by the time we got back to my house here in Huntsville. There were ten bikes. I was riding two up with Rebecca "Squeaky". It was an awesome day. The weather was spectacular. The roads were clear and traffic light. Tehre were a few dogs, I was long gone by the time they got up and started running. They got to the road in time to play with Debbie "Snoopster". My only problem were the kids standing in the middle of the road that did not think they needed to move even when they saw me coming :eek: All in all a great day.

Anyone know if Buddy, Will and Vittorio ever made it home? Last we saw, they may have goen the wrong way on US 59 and headed toward Texarkana :rofl Wonder how far they got before they realized what was going on?

Loads of pics. I'll try to get a report up soon.

Thanks to everyone that made it out! I cannot wait to do it again!

Adios,

[Squeaky]

OWWWWWWWW!

Just got home. Had to take a few breaks on the way back from Huntsville - both Chris and I were cramping up along the way.

Scott, I must say - This was a FANTASTIC ride. Weather, traffic, roads, and your leadership were all more than I could have hoped for my first long ride.

I'll be on my own ride next time, but give me time to heal from this one first...

[dower]

Buddy and I made it home. Still waiting to hear from Vittorio. We actually didn't go the wrong way. We just hesitated and got caught at the light.

The day was perfect. Thanks for letting me tag along with everyone.

I actually feel pretty good. Going to drop the bike off for it's first service tomorrow and have it ready for this coming weekend. :-D

--Will

P.S. I'll post the my pics from the ride this evening and send out the link.

[BikeClown]

Great Ride / Great Weather - Scott was a host. Sorry to make y'all wait for my flat and thanx for the help. Scott you didn't mention the nice East Texas Church Folk in your recap!

[Anonymous]

My butt & hands are still numb. That was the best ride I've done thus far. Great group of gals & guys and good pace. I clocked about 550 miles on the blade. Thank you very much for mapping out the route and leading us Scott. Looking forward to future rides.

Erin :-D

[VFRinAustin]

:tab Ugghh... My butt hurts!! :mrgreen:

Hope your not to sore to knock out some miles next week. I am hoping you (and anyone else that wants to) can do a little riding heading to east texas as I head out to Natchez. Do you still have some spare floor space? If not let me know where a good hotel to stay at there in Huntsville.

Sounds like you all had a good time. I am jealous. Spent saturday painting, doing laundry (when I was watching the 200). Sunday got out for a quick 120 then back inside to start painting again (when will we ever be finished).

[Dirtrideroader]

Ron and I stayed on 59 until I peeled off at Patton village thinking I saw a service station sign. I wanted to check with Ron to find out how far he wanted to go. I think Erin was up in front of us somewhere.

When I realized there was nothing there, I got back on the freeway to see Ron exit on 242 after I had already passed it. I decided to just keep riding. I got home at 9:20, had 13 messages on my anwering machine, 6 on my cell phone. It is great to be loved and have people worried about you.

My odometer read 493 miles. That was from where I filled up in Huntlville. Yahoo maps says it 99.4 miles from my house to Scott's. Add a few extra miles for meeting up with Chris and Rebecca and I got almost 600 miles. All of it was fun up until we got on 59 to head home. I think they imported their road crews from Lousiana to work on 59. The expansion joints got old real fast.

It was great to finally meet some of the people on the list. I hope I did not cause to much trepitaton to the people riding behind me. I am used to riding alone mostly and had a slight snese of unease riding with people who's skill level was a mystery to me. As the day went on and I was told, "hey you, on the yellow tractor, get to back where you belong"(just kidding), I became much more at ease. I spent most of the day playing the bridge between the leaders and the followers. Enjoying my own little world.



All in all, it was a great day. I got home the neighbor had the kids in bed at his house. Of course they weren't asleep. He gave me some ribs he had cooked we went home to turn in for the night.

I had a great time.

[Snoopster]

Thanks Scott -- that was an awesome ride considering I originally planned to be a passenger :lol: Thanks Chris (mrr1150gs) for talking me into riding my own bike. It's nice to be able to realize a goal. That was my longest ride yet (400 miles). Even though I hung out at the back of the group, I rode at a faster pace then normal. It was nice to be able to put a face to a username and meet such great people. Good luck to Rebecca w/ the MSF course. Glad to hear that you & Chris found your way out of Huntsville and back home. :-D

[Dirtrideroader]

Even though I hung out at the back of the group, I rode at a faster pace then normal.

Remember it doesn't matter how fast you ride, getting there is the important thing. Riding within your limits makes the ride a lot more fun. Although the occaisional "Oh Sh*&" does keep the body young.

When I was riding in front of you, you were always right there, riding your line. I think you did great.

[dower]

Here are some photos from the ride. I'm not a photographer. :-?

http://users.ev1.net/~dower/Pages/ETexButtBurner2004.htm

[Rdslvr04]

Hello All

Sorry for the late post. Finally got a break at work. Really awesome riding with and meeting everyone. Scott once again you really out did yourself. Thank you.

For my part, got home at 9:05 p.m. Had 515 miles on the odometer and got yelled at by everyone. Boy, like Chris said, its great to be missed. Just sorry I'd worried them.

Hope we can do it all again really soon.

Vittorio

[homermacleod]

Hello everyone,

I just wanted to say that I had a really good time yesterday and enjoyed meeting all of you.

I hope we can ride again sometime.

Just wondering, would anyone be interested in riding to San Antonio at the end of the month for the bike show?

http://www.txbikeshow.com

I will post this separately from this link later.

Chis

[scratch]

This was one of my favorite rides yet! Good folks, good roads and good weather made for a great day of riding. :-)

I especially enjoyed following Chris "homermacleod" on his SV650 and Ron on his Aprilia - those piped V-twins sound soooo sweet! 8-)

Hope we can all do it again some time.

[Dirtrideroader]

I especially enjoyed following Chris "homermacleod" on his SV650 and Ron on his Aprilia - those piped V-twins sound soooo sweet!

I am not a big fan of noise, but I have to agree, those bikes sounded like music. Made me feel rather anemic when I would accellerate out of a corner and all I could here was Ron's Aprilia.

I have read about a way to basically gut my muffler can to add a little base to the sound of the GS. I am considering it more now than ever.

Then, I will have to do something to the VFR. It just never ends.

I'll say it one more time, I had a great time yesterday. Great to meet you guys.

[Tourmeister]

Here's my version of things:

http://www.twtex.com/viewtopic.php?t=1211

Adios,

[scratch]

I'll say it one more time, I had a great time yesterday. Great to meet you guys.

Likewise, Chris! :chug:

[TexasFly]

Sorry for the late "thank you" note, but Monday I rode to Austin (yes, another 150 miles on top of Sunday's 427) and today I have been overwhelmed by work. It was a GREAT ride, partially due to the roads and weather, but mostly due to the fantastic company. A great group of people, talented riders and bike enthusiasts. The bike is now in Austin, getting new front springs & valves and a new rear shock. It took all I had just to keep up the pace, bouncing around on my relatively stiff suspenders. I scared myself more than a few times, but the grin never left my face! And my apologies for the noise but look at the bright side - it could have been a HD :eek:

[buck000]

Ron, who'd you drop the bike off with in Austin, AF1? That's where my bike is right now too, for some scheduled maintenance. I miss her so... :-(

I hate missing those Butt-Burners...some day...some day....

[scratch]

I hate missing those Butt-Burners...some day...some day....

Bet you would have really enjoyed this one, Paul. I'm still buzzing from it. 8-)

[dower]

And my apologies for the noise but look at the bright side - it could have been a HD :eek:

I really liked how it sounded. I had noise envy. :oops:

[TexasFly]

Ron, who'd you drop the bike off with in Austin, AF1?

Yes, she is at AF1 - Ed is doing the makeover. Was it your red Futura that I saw?

[buck000]

Yes, she is at AF1 - Ed is doing the makeover. Was it your red Futura that I saw?

Probably so, esp. if you noticed a Givi topcase rack on it.

You should hear her fired up, you might identify with the sound... ;-)

I really need her back, life being what it is right now... :-?