Action-Packed 2007 Calendar Released

 

2007 is shaping up to be busy year here along Appalachian Highways. I’ve published a calendar with a list of events and rallies I’ll be attending this year. Among other things, I’ll be rolling out two new programs based on the Essential Guide book.

 

One program is called See and Be Seen. It’s a FREE hands-on seminar that covers 10 ways to improve your ability to see on the road and your visibility to others. The first session will be held at the Open Road service center (Sterling, VA) at the end of February. You can find out more about that program and register by clicking here: http://www.openroadoutfitters.com/calendar.

 

I’ve also developed a program called Planning the Perfect Motorcycle Trip. Perfect Trip offers a batch of ideas you can use before and during your trip to make your riding vacation a memorable and safe journey. This program is well suited for club meetings and open houses, so if you’d like an informative and fun program for your next event, drop me a line.

January 2007

A Veritable Cornucopia of Moto-Related Announcements

and Updates from the desk of Dale Coyner

The Essential Guide to Motorcycle Travel

 

It’s almost here!

 

Many of you have been directly involved in the new title, The Essential Guide to Motorcycle Travel. I received an advance copy two days before Christmas and it looks fantastic. I think you will especially enjoy the great photos that so many of you contributed.

 

According to Whitehorse, early orders are strong and the initial printing of 5,000 copies will go in a few months. I’ll be contacting those who contributed to the book to see that you get your complimentary copies. When I get stock in hand, I’ll post it on the Open Road site for online purchases.

Calling Virginia Riders

 

Motorcycle Virginia!, the first state-sponsored initiative in the nation to promote motorcycle tourism, safety and economic development is looking for a couple of folks to help maintain the website (http://www.motorcycleva.com).

 

We are converting the site to a database-driven format so it can be easily edited by anyone with a little spare time and a web browser.  We need help adding listings and keeping existing ones up to date. If you have just a bit of spare time and an interest in promoting Virginia as a great place to ride, please drop me a line.

Upcoming Feature Articles

 

If you’re a subscriber to Motorcycle Consumer News (http://www.mcnews.com), look for a series of tech articles I’ll be doing starting in 2007.  Some pieces will be “how-to’s” while others will focus on new technologies and trends that will either directly affect motorcyclists or influence the designs and features of products we use in our sport.

 

I’ll be contributing a little piece to the local BMW group (BMW Bikers of Metropolitan Washington) newsletter on a regular basis. More or less. Hopefully more. Probably less.

 

Rider magazine has accepted a piece I wrote about a trip over the summer to Montana. This is a ride I took with my good buddy Dave Paul who wanted to get back into riding. No set date yet, but I figure it will show up by mid-summer.

Plan B

 

Time for a new plan. As most of you know, after I finished the Essential Guide title, I decided to become even more involved in motorcycling and opened up a little shop in Sterling, Virginia. As a result, I’ve been involved in many moto-related activities, they just haven’t all been directly related to riding the Appalachians.

 

So, for 2007, I’m going to change things up. I do plan to continue writing features and sharing new finds from my home region, but I’m going to broaden the scope so I can keep you updated on the other things you may enjoy; news from the shop, tech features, journeys outside the region, news from the Motorcycle Virginia council, and updates to the Essential Guide.

 

Check out the calendar when you get a chance and let’s plan to ride a few miles of the open road together this year!

In addition to the seminars, I’ve put a few dates on the calendar for planned rides. I’d like to get a few small groups together to explore western Virginia and eastern West Virginia as well as a multi-day Blue Ridge Parkway loop trip. If you’ve always pledged you would ride the Blue Ridge Parkway from end-to-end but haven’t yet done it, this is your year.

If you’ve been thinking you’d like to try motorcycle camping, I’ve set a date for a local motorcycle campout, too.  I decided to keep this one close to home to make it easy for those riding and camping for the first time. Later in the year, we might plan something further out. Wherever we camp, I’m sure it will be fun.

 

Tentative dates are posted now on the Open Road calendar (see above link). Details will come later as plans are confirmed.

 

2007 Open Road Adventures Scheduled—Road Trip!

Appalachian Highways is manufactured to exacting specifications by wordsmiths in the USA.  Spelling and grammatical errors give it that aged appeal like distressed wood furniture. 

 

Always ride responsibly and wear a helmet. A good one.  Unless noted, text and images on this page are Copyright 2005-2007 by Dale Coyner.   For permission to reprint, contact Dale.

Dave Paul does a little unexpected off-road riding in our ‘06 Montana adventure. Look for an upcoming report in Rider.