Street bikes on dirt roads. YES YOU CAN

It was a beautiful Monday. What better way to spend the afternoon and take a ride with your son? We were thinking of doing a little more dual sport riding this year. so, we decided to ride up to the PATRA trail head and have a look. We will be back with the right bike and a registration.

     The DRZ400 wasn't quite up to being street legal yet; so we improvised taking the street bikes. Who says you can't do gravel roads (not the trails) on a Kawasaki ZRX1200 and a Yamaha FZ6? The big 180-17 rear tires dance around a bit on the gravel, but if you keep the speeds "reasonable" you will be just fine.

                                                                   

   We ventured around on some back roads and found The Mount Pisgah Altar and stopped to take a few pics of the beautiful view.           

                                                                         
The Altar is quite the sight and surrounded by great roads. The initials or symbol in the setting stone is, however, a mystery to us.

                                                                             

                                          We even had a visitor at one of our roadside stops.

                                There is ALWAYS time for ice cream at Howells Ice Cream King                                                                  

The FZ6 even hit another milestone for us on the way home. Cody is really enjoying his new (to him) motorcycle.

Overall a great evening of putting dust on the bikes and burning some fuel. About 130 miles of easy riding and smiles. Why don't we do this every chance we get?                                                                   

We really get around.

Thanks to our awesome customers, our tee shirts really get around.

                            We have just recently had our shirts show up In Agra, India.

In the past we have visited Belize.

We have also been to Aruba.

Even the wild animals come out for our shirts.

The wilds of Pennsylvania

We even travel in groups

 And sometimes it is a family thing

So, get a shirt, take a trip, send us the pic and maybe you will be featured on our blog next time :)

Snow days can be fun too.

    After getting a few bikes fixed at the shop, we promptly closed the doors at 2:00 (a rare thing indeed) and headed home for some much needed play time.

     The snow was falling, fluffy and light. PERFECT traction for knobbie tires.
                             

It was hard to keep a clear, fog free faceshield to see where we were going. Luckily, we have the correct gear intended just for that purpose (we can even sell it to you as well).

Remember, you don't have to spend a fortune to get out and have fun in the snow. A 20 year old mount will still get the job done with decent tires on the rim.

The bikes were going well and we were riding all over "our" mountain. Time to see if the scooters could move in the snow too. We knew it wasn't going to be their forte, but just wanted to see if we could get where we wanted to go.

                                           

We won't lie. This is not a ride for beginners and, if you look, that rear tire is sliding around pretty well. However, the Lance Cabo did manage to make the drive up the entire road in the snow. Not too shabby.

We had a blast. After getting wet, sweaty and tired; we declared it a great snow day and went in to cozy up around the fire with some hot cocoa.

                                                                     

Merry Christmas

We would like to take a moment to thank all of our customers...wish them a happy and prosperous New Year.
                                                                             

                         
      If you have shopped here already; you know we are a small family owned shop, but we are passionate and honest about what we do. We look forward to seeing you in the upcoming year.
     If you have never been here? Stop by and visit, we love to talk 2 wheels.

Shrinky Dink V

    The next event begins Dec. 21 and will end March 20th. 2018.

                                                                           

The rules.

The rules are pretty simple and loosely followed at best. 

1) BE SAFE! You all know your limits, but don't risk life and limb, too much, for a good result. This is supposed to be FUN.

2.) The challenge will start on December 21st and run through March 20th.

3.) The ride will have two classes. Motorcycles and Scooters; if you have one of those wierd in between bikes we will make it up as we go. DON'T WORRY! We have this covered; just ride SOMETHING!

4.) This is pretty simple, the coldest temperature wins, sort of. TRY to take a pic in front of a temperature sign somewhere. We realize this isn't always possible, so you CAN use your phone in a pinch. NO CHEATING! We are putting you on your honour to be fair.

5.) The ride has to be 5 miles or longer to count (total length). The longer the ride the more points it gets. We have a formula worked out for this. It's math stuff, don't worry we have that under control. So, if you do 11 miles in -2 and some nut does 80 miles in 3 degrees. He/she MIGHT just beat you. There are extra points for stupidity (just remember rule #1)

6.) This contest is open to residents of the U.S. only.

7.)If you think it is too warm where you live? Do it anyway, remember points are awarded for originality, stupidity, and bravery. This is supposed to be FUN. The first year the Shrinky Dink was won by a southern rider who got lucky on a cold snap in the south.

     That's it for the rules we think. Ride. Post your pics on our  Facebook page. We will post a few for fun, but will save the results till the end. There will be a chat about the ride during the event. Also feel free to post comments here.

Yes, there will be prizes. They may or may not be amazing. Ride now. ride often.

   There will be an open house at Carlisle Cycle and Scooter on Saturday February 24th.  It is part of our winter riding contest There will be some snacks and lots of warm beverages to keep you toasty. IF the weather is decent some folks will ride in. If you want to arrive on 4 wheels that is just fine,too. Stop by and enjoy the people riding in. There will be lots of shenanigans, and some short rides around the block as well. The sidecar rig will be out and running no matter what the weather (we have snow tires). The shop will be staying open late; stop by, laugh, ask questions, talk bikes and scooters. There will be movies later in the evening on the projector if you would like to stay.

    The weather is already turning cold. Remember, BE SAFE out there, and have fun. Remember, you don't have to win for this to be fun. It is all about the ride!

    A little tip: If its over 32 degrees it doesn't count. But you can ride anyway. Be sure to post ALL of your rides below 32. They all add up.

                                                                                 

We have been asked many times just how we score this. There are secret modifiers, BUT the basic scoring system is as follows.

   Any ride under 32 degrees F counts. For every degree under, that factor gets multiplied times the mileage of the ride. In other words. 10 miles in 30 degrees = 10 x 2 = 20 points. The same ride in 15 degrees would be 10 x 17 = 170 points. The cold rides REALLY add up fast. Remember, we had a winner two years ago with a large number of short hops to work, but he rode almost EVERY DAY.


New for this year, BONUS POINTS:

+500 A naked ride, +500 for the coldest ride,  but  +200 for any ride done in the buff. A helmet, gloves and footwear are allowable. ( This is the only ride where points are awarded for a ride under 5 miles; around the block will do.). Yes, you can do more than one, but you won't want to.

+1,000 points (YES, 1,000) Absolute coldest ride, MUST be 5 miles or more. The absolute coldest temp wins this one. There will only be one. In case of a tie the longer ride wins.

+250 points The longest ride under 32 degrees. Total mileage for the day wins here.( We may name this the Tony award)

+200 points for attending the shop Shrinky Dink 5 event on a bike.  The ride in has to be at least 5 miles. So, you far away riders can truck it in part of the way if you like.

+100 points for ridiculous terrain ( there will need to be a pic)...if it makes the judges wonder how the heck you got there...it counts. This can be awarded multiple times.

The longest ride IN snow. Obviously this could be dangerous. Remember rule #1. Be safe.  +300 if the machine has 3 wheels. +500 if it has 2 wheels. There will be 2nd and third place awards here. Each one dropping 100 points from the 1st place award. ( We need a pic of the bike IN the snow)

Rides on 50cc machines or mopeds get a bonus of a 1.5x multiplier on all points.

Vintage bikes. Anything built before 1992 will receive the same multiplier as 50cc machines. All points multiplied by 1.5x. 
^^^ The bonus for vintage and 50cc are NOT stack able.

+600 points if you manage to end up on television in one of their "bad weather" segments.

+100 for the FIRST post in the contest

+100 for the LAST post in the contest





Go to the FB page Shrinky Dink Entries to post your results. Social media IS a thing, ONLY rides posted this year will count. If you don't post it, it doesn't count.

We work on an honour system here. We will trust you. If you say you did it, you did. Keep track of your mileage and temp on the days you ride. The only things we require a photo for is the coldest absolute ride. We need a picture of a bank sign, or if one isn't nearby, a screen shot of your phone with the temp will do in a pinch. We also need a pic for the snow ride. Last, but not least we need a naked ride pic ( NO we do not need to see your junk) of you on the bike. Last year we were supplied with video proof of a lunatic riding by his house on New Years.

Get out and ride. We have cold weather gear if you need it, stop by. BE SAFE, and have fun. Make sure to check back often as new bonus rides will be added periodically.

Scooter Jousting III: The Hammer awakens.

                                                         We held our third annual scooter jousting event.                 

                            Kerrin and Rachael were warming them up. Testing the rides and the equipment.   

Oh, That fits well.

     There was no need to be hungry. There were all kinds of yummy dishes made by friends and we supplied drinks and Chicken Chili. Sadly, no one remembered to take pics of the food spread. We even had a few awesome cakes. Some of our customers are turning pro (Heather).

                                                                             There were family crests.

And valiant steeds.

As well as some serious contestants. These young guys are getting better every year.

E. trying to get the girls to check him out. 

                                                                We even had squires to retrieve weapons.

                                                                               

                                                                          Yes, that is a helmet.

    This year, more people made their own weapons. 

Tell me this wouldn't worry you?

Team Monster Helm even had its own squire (pretty good with a sword already)

                                    This year? We even had an impromptu scooter limbo contest.                             

                                                                         

                                                                         The bar got quite a bit lower than that.

                                                                             

                                                                      There were plenty of smiles

The bikes ran all day with some TLC, but they didn't look too pretty in the end. Don't worry; both of these bikes were low quality Chinese scooters destined for the scrap heap when we got our hands on them.

If you didn't make it; you missed a good time. We'll see you at the next one!

                                             
      Thanks to Heather for some extra pics! Check out the event HERE on Facebook  and another blog A scooter in the wild will have another perspective for you.   

                                                                   

York Bike Night

York Bike Night is an annual event that coincides with an open-house at the Harley Davidson Factory in York.  York celebrates with three days of events focused on the world renowned brand that put them on the map. Friday night  was a great night. The streets are closed to cars but left open to just us two-wheeled folk. There are bands, food, and LOTS of bikes to look at.

                                                A few of us headed down to check out the scene.  Of course, as usual, we had to be a little different, so we rode our antique 'foreign' machines.                                   

                                                           
       If you ever wanted to stand out like a rock star, try riding a handful of vintage two-stroke scooters in a sea of 1,000+ Harleys.  The parade was fun and we were cheered all along the route.                           

                                           We took some time to park and review the bikes in the lot.
 Parking? there is ALWAYS scooter parking.

         
York Bike night was a good time. TMISC was representing and we were glad to be a part of it!


*Thanks to Rob and Das for the extra pics!

Sunday back roads

   A Sunday ride to the Old Sled Works in Duncannon, PA turned into a back road adventure. We enjoyed trolling around the shops for a bit, and of course, a few vintage cold sodas out front before we left.
    It was just Cody and I so the roads were getting smaller and tighter; until we found what we were looking for.

                        The equipment wasn't made for this, but that never stopped us before.

                                        Making some fellow riders jealous. This is our kind of road.   

We may be doing a little hiking/hunting up here this year; so some further looking about was in order.        

Eventually, the sun was getting low in the sky, and vintage headlights aren't the best after dark. So we headed back down the mountain and toward home. We hope that whatever you ride, or whatever the road surface is, that you found some time to get out today. If you didn't, make sure to stop by the shop when we are open and we will try to have you ready for the next time.