This installment of my motorcycle diaries entailed a loop: starting down I-95 through Richmond and Petersburg, VA, then down VA-35 and US-58 to the City of Franklin City, I-264 to Virginia Beach, I-64 to Hampton, US-17 to Yorktown Newport News, and I-64 back to Richmond.
I rode a 2009 Kawasaki Concours 14, a six-speed, four-cylinder, sport touring motorcycle, when I wrote the story.
I had added farkles (accessories) to the Concours, including a Two Brothers exhaust, giving the bike the sound of a high-performance sports car.
Come along for the ride/adventure and learn about a few hidden gems in Southeast Virginia.
The weather was great that day, starting in the middle 50s and rising to the high 70s.
The adrenalin rush in anticipation of the ride and the slight chill in the air suppressed my need for coffee that morning.
I was, however, concerned about the morning rush-hour traffic through Richmond. I have learned to get in the left lane and go with the flow of the traffic.
VA-35 to Franklin was not as bumpy as I remember from an earlier ride.
A sign saying “Deer Crossing Next 20 Miles” put me on full alert, not knowing when Bambi might suddenly emerge from the thickets.
However, it was not a deer but a vulture that appeared to have a three-foot wingspan that nearly took me out.
The creature, finishing up road-kill, took off as I approached and flew within feet of my windshield. It veered off to the right just in time.
Regaining my composure, I returned to my zen-like state.
It was me, the Concours, the wind, a bright sunny morning, and the quiet rumble from the Two Brothers muffler.
Midway down VA-35, an approaching trucker flashed his headlights.
I wondered. “What’s up with that?”
I found out further down the road, as a policeman had pulled over a car.
I eased off the throttle, happy that the brotherhood amongst road travelers had worked again.
It was now about 8:30 A.M., and my first stop, the City of Franklin’s Train Depot, was not open.
I wondered why it was a depot until I saw a freight train creep by, loudly tooting its horn.
The Black River flooded Franklin in 1999 during Hurricane Floyd. The water rose as high as eight feet inside the Depot and other buildings.
The river was quiet and non-threatening this morning.
Since the Depot was not open, I stopped at Fred’s Restaurant, a local fixture. There I was treated with a friendly small-town atmosphere. Some locals wondered what a dude in biker garb was doing at their breakfast hangout so early in the morning.
After breakfast, I headed to the Ramada in Virginia Beach, my next stop on the ride.
My GPS let me down, sending me north instead of south on Atlantic Avenue. I should have known better, but I am directionally challenged.
From the Ramada, I headed up I-264 and across the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel.
My first ride through the tunnel scared the bejesus out of me. The roaring sounds coming from the other vehicles and my full-faced helmet made me dizzy and claustrophobic. I had to crack open the face shield on the helmet to get some air, only to be overtaken by the heat, oil, and gas fumes.
The tunnel was not the issue this time.
It was the swirling winds on the bridge leading to the tunnel that was a challenge. Luckily, the traffic was moving at a slow pace.
Leaving the tunnel, I fell behind a group of 10 motorcyclists, followed them for about 10 miles. They peeled off in one direction, I in another. Sometimes the company of other bikers is not so bad, even if you can’t talk to them.
I next stopped by and enjoyed my visit to the Hampton History Museum.
From there, I traveled to and stopped at the Newport News Visitors Center. There I met two Canadians on BMW motorcycles. They said they were headed to the Blue Ridge Mountains and then back to Canada. We briefly talked about their travels and the heat.
Nice guys.
It was 3:00 P.M. I was starting to feel the pain of being on and off a bike all day.
I decided to head home.
Overall, it was a great day trip, 312 miles, taking roughly eight hours.
The Concours behaved flawlessly.
Now, she is parked in the garage, looking like a panther and wondering when we will take the next road trip.
