Road Kill Diaries

Harley-Davidson may have scrapped its "Screw it...let's ride" ad campaign but after two days of drenching rain, I'm ready to wheel the SuperGlide out of the garage and spend what is forecast as a nice weekend for riding.

I was supposed to photograph a tractor pull today but mud from the last two days of wet stuff has left the ground to muddy for even tractors so the day is free.

A buddy needs to ride down to North Carolina to pick up an oxygen sensor for his Buell. Maybe I'll go with him.

Or I might head down into deep Southwestern Virginia towards Abingdon and Bristol.

Or I just might hit the Parkway and cruise.

So many roads, so little time.

Harley-Davidson has put the screws to its "Screw it...Let's ride" ad campaign.

Seems the company has second thoughts about the image the campaign projects.

Image? Harley-Davison is second-guessing its image?

For years the company has cultivated an image that pushes the edge. A tv ad called "respect" (above) showed a rough-looking Harley rider showing up at a trailer while a young couple is in bed. When the woman looks out the window, she tells her bed-mate "it's him!"  The man in bed hides in the closet while the Harley rider comes into the bedroom and climbs into bed with the attractive blond. The camera zooms into a wedding photo on the night stand. The husband is the one hiding in the closet.

So the company that put that ad on the air now wants to clean up its image by cancelling the "screw it...let's ride" campaign?

When Harley goes politically correct we know times are tough.

Even with the rain, eight bikers arrived at the Roanoke River Wayside on U.S. 11 near Dixie Caverns Sunday afternoon for a poker ride to benefit Dalmatian Rescue of Southwestern Virginia.

For me, the route looked familiar. Up U.S. 11 to Christiansburg for the first stop at Duncan Honda, on through Christiansburg to Virginia Rte. 8 to Riner Food Market, then on to Floyd to X-Press Mart followed by north on U.S. 221, down Bent Mountain, to Back Creek Rescue Squad and then on to the final stop at Green Hill Park near Salem.

I ended the ride with three 9s and that was good enough to win the grand prize: A $300 tattoo from Asylum Studios in Salem.

Which leaves three questions:

• What design?
• Where to put it?
• And when to have it done.

Rabbit, a fellow member of the Roanoke Valley Harley Owners Group (RVHOG) passes out samples of "HOG Chili" Saturday at the annual chili cook off on Salem Avenue in downtown Roanoke, Virginia.

The roar of Harleys announces when the chili's ready and the crowd flocks to the "biker/chili bar" facade on the parking lot to sample the chili that rountinely wins the charity event in the Star City.

And they won again this year, taking First Place in the judging plus People's Choice, Best Booth and Best Presentation.

But face it. Would you refuse a sample of chili from a biker wearing a pig nose?

Not likely.

With temperatures in high 80s Monday, I decided to ride to a meeting in Roanoke. We finished up just as the sun disappeared over the mountains Southwest of the city so I headed back up Bent Mountain at dusk.

I love night riding but it can be tricky in the mountains: Dark, winding roads and the ever-present deer pose hazards, as do the cars that pop out of side roads without warning.

The headlights of a following car fell back as I headed up the twisties of U.S. 221 on Bent Mountain. The road has several good turns that run for a couple of miles up the mountain and the Super Glide handled them with ease. Recent rains have washed the last of winter's gravel and abrasives from the road so traction was not a problem as I swooped the last of the turns and topped the mountain. The driving lights on my engine guard cut a bright swatch through the gathering darkness as I dropped into sixth gear and cruised at 55 for the 22 mile ride home.

No deer, no varmits, no wayward drivers...just a pleasant evening ride.