It's planning month!

January, for those of us in the southern states, is a time for afternoon rides and planning the summer rides.  It's 12 degrees outside and that kind of hangs over all of us.  The bikes have been parked now for most of 2 months with only the occasional afternoon ride.  The planning is hard to get excited about with ice and cold all around.  Mid-winter maintenance is not going to happen with the garage below 40 degrees.  The 10 day forecast looks just as miserable with no letup.

This is very unusual weather for North Carolina.  Yes we can have a few days below 20 degrees but most afternoons are above 45 degrees with many in the mid 50's.  We also have an Indian Summer in January with temperatures high enough to do long rides or overnighters.  Just 4 years ago I left Raleigh on a trip to Key West, about 1000 miles, and it was beautiful.  There is no sign of this now.  Just before Thanksgiving I changed the oil and filters in all three bikes, flushed the brake fluid and put them on trickle chargers.  Not much else to do except read motorcycle magazines and watch the Dakar youtube videos.  My favorite magazine is RoadRunner and the recent issue features RT 66 and it is a must read for anyone planning to discover sites along this wonderful road.

My current list of possible rides that I need to plan include another trip to Key West, the BMW MOA rally in Vermont, the BMW RA rally in Wisconsin, a giant loop through Western Canada down to the loneliest road out of California and back to Arizona to explore more of RT 66 and Utah 89.  Obviously, this won't all happen this year so to get back to planning for the coming summer I need to prioritize these.

I hope these aren't pipe dreams but at almost 77 years old I need to do what I can before I turn 80 when I reassess my abilities.  I have never been this idle in the winter and I know that my skills deteriorate when sitting long periods.  I need a few long rides in the spring to get it all back together and feel comfortable on the bikes.  I am sure it is true for all motorcycle riders that the more you ride the better your skills and awareness of traffic becomes.

For now, winter depression sets in but I will recover, hopefully in 10 days.

MSTA Star Rally 2026

Not to be forgotten is the MSTA Star Rally October 17-21 in Springdale, AR.  This rally is the old Honda Club.  I have gone to a number of these and they are great.  It is not a brand specific rally anymore.  It is well attended and they tend to have the rallies in locations where you and I would want to ride.  While there is some shopping it is mostly about seeing the area.  They have numerous rallies around the US throughout the year.  The timing of this one will be great for fall colors.

https://ridemsta.com/star/

They have prepared routes and gps files to follow on your own.  They have group rides with a leader.  There are road, dirt and adventure routes.

With something for everyone you will see families, couples and singles there.  The Banquet at the end is well attended with prizes and a motorcycle raffle.