HONDA HOOT REVIEW By Brad, Washington, D.C. Starting point, Washington, D.C. Wow, what a great trip--a total of 1500 miles in the saddle, and the bluejeans induced butt rash to prove it! Despite the rash, my 1995 ACE performed beautifully. Only change I would make next time is to adjust the carbs. for thinner high altitude mountain air. I have a Dynojet kit and aftermarket (Two Brothers) pipes on the bike, and above 5,000 feet the bike got a slight case of the hickups. Highlights: Blue Ridge Parkway on a motorcycle is everything the promoters said it would be and more--absolutely fabulous riding road--few cars, beautiful scenery, smooth curves, cool temps. They even have motorcycle ONLY camping areas--it rocks! Asheville NC was a nice, although small town. Accommodations were good and centrally located. We guess that about 6,000 folks were there, and all major brands were reasonably represented, although Honda was dominant. Of the Hondas, the Shadows were the dominant bike, followed closely by the Gold Wingers, and the ST1100 guys. Sport bikes were the least present category. Weather was great--they usually get an isolated T-storm everyday, but we managed to avoid all but one. Demo rides from all the big manufacturers were a big draw--they took us out in groups of 15-20 riders with pack leaders to keep things under control, but they took you on both the interstate and the Parkway for pretty high speed riding (80 mph in some spots). Favorite non-Honda ride--Triumph, especially the Speed Triple--what a fine piece of machinery that is. Fit and finish was beautiful, and the motor ran like a pack of wild stallions. Worst ride--Buell S1 Lightning--poor design all the way around--pipes cook your privates, seat stinks, and engine is a shaky EVO 1200 that lacks anything close to a smooth power band. Even my Harley riding buddy hated it. Royal Star--nice overall balance--feels low and wide like a Heritage, however, the reports on power shortage are totally accurate--in gears 3, 4, or 5 a full throttle roll-on will get you nothing but a stuttering gasp. Too bad really--with better performance the bike would be pretty nice. Yamaha is so anxious to promote the thing it was the only bike they brought--along with the biggest and best customer lounge, product give-aways, video screens, etc, etc, etc. Most popular ride--the Valkyrie, hands down. In fact, so popular that we could never get a time slot to test it ourselves. Nevertheless, everyone, and I mean everyone that took it out came back with a shi_ eating grin on their face. The power on that bike is truly incredible, and the ride is A1 top flight. Accessories for the Val also look nice--a couple were ridden to the rally fully decked out. Vendor show was pretty good--lots of custom stuff going on--paint, neon, bags, chrome bolt-ons, etc. They had the four blue COBRA ACEs, as well as the fancy Royal Stars, and a few special HDs. Talked with lots of folks there, and picked up a few choice brochures which I will pass along soon. Custom bike show was won by a 1982 Goldwing flat 4 cylinder. The bike was very low with a solo saddle and chromed out. It really looked like a smaller, leaner version of the Valkyrie--very nice indeed. Other organized events included a cookout at a big horse ranch, complete with 2 bands (one country, one rock) and plenty of food. We also spent an afternoon whitewater rafting, which was a nice break from the bike thing. However, as far as biking went, there were plenty of interesting day rides. David Edwards, Editor from Cycle World Magazine led one of them on his classic 1970's Honda CB. The only real lowlight for me was self inflicted--went to move the bike one morning before and forgot to take off the front disk lock!!! Ouch--broke the bracket holding the front brake caliper--thankfully, the local Honda dealership had one put on in a jiffy, but it cost me a hundred dollar lesson. Beware of disk locks!!! I was not the only one with the problem! If you do put one on, make sure it is right up under the brake caliper so you cannot roll the tire at all unless it is removed. General lowlights included two bikes going down during the rally--both with two riders. The first happened in front of the hotel--car pulled out right in front of a Wing, which slammed into the driver's door--nobody hurt, but the bike was trashed. The second was a spill on a day long Parkway tour ride--I think the bike hit a big patch of gravel and slid down. Never got a final status report on that one, but I think the folks were just rashed up a bit. Thankfully, no real tragedies. All and all I would say it was a solid rally, and one that I would recommend you try. Several folks told us about the Americade rally in NY that takes place in early June. That rally draws 40,000, and according to those who went this year, it is also a very good time. Maybe next year! Brad, a.k.a. ACE2RIDE@aol.com (Ed: Our Thanks to Brad for this interesting review!)