First KY Ride - 2025

[BDS]

A quickie…

Like many, I’ve been able to get out for short rides, a few times over the winter, but, a couple buddies and I did our first “official” ride of the season yesterday. 175 mile loop from Cincinnati to Biancke's in Cynthiana, KY for lunch, and, back roads home. Felt great to get out. All three of us needed the break from “responsibilities” associated with our phase of retired life. Adult kids/grandkids, economy, medical challenges, … you know the drill. Sigh. So, a day in the sun on my Mandello was just what was needed! Here are a coupla pics. One joy was trying out a new helmet. Schuberth C5 … fits comfortably, and is my first modular. Coming from Arai and Shoei, I thought I’d try something different for what may be my last helmet purchase.

After checking tire pressure, nuts and bolts, etc… ready to ride! (New helmet is on the seat)

Ferry to Augusta, KY

Lunch break at Biancke's

 

[Bill Hagan]

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Great stuff!

Muttoneers will be in your airspace in late May.

General route as before, with these overnights: Ripley, W.V.; Maysville, Ky.; Owensboro, Ky (x2); then on to the Ozarks.

Let me know if interested in joining for all or part.

Bill

 

[BDS]

.

Great stuff!

Muttoneers will be in your airspace in late May.

General route as before, with these overnights: Ripley, W.V.; Maysville, Ky.; Owensboro, Ky (x2); then on to the Ozarks.

Let me know if interested in joining for all or part.

Bill

Hi Bill! Thx for the kind invite. I don’t know what my calendar will look like in May, but, I do remember your posts of the hangs with Scott. Every time I ride my KY routes, I think of you - because that 1054 “spur” section off 62 (that you recommended), is now a regular part of my rides! That’s a great little section of road - cheers!

 

[Raven]

That ferry looks just like the one I cross the Ottawa River on quite often. Also that C5 is the same graphics as the one I've been ogling all winter. I'm trying to convince myself that I need to upgrade from my perfectly good C3.

 

[BDS]

Hey Raven… we have a couple of this type of articulating ferries on the Ohio River. I guess the design makes good sense for river crossings. About the C5 - it’s my first Schuberth - they ain’t cheap, but, based on my first ride with it, I like it better than my others. I just got the SC2 com system, but haven’t got it set up yet. Easy to install though. Will fiddle with it after today’s ride to Indiana. Be well up there in the great north country!

 

[indyrider]

Hey Raven… we have a couple of this type of articulating ferries on the Ohio River. I guess the design makes good sense for river crossings. About the C5 - it’s my first Schuberth - they ain’t cheap, but, based on my first ride with it, I like it better than my others. I just got the SC2 com system, but haven’t got it set up yet. Easy to install though. Will fiddle with it after today’s ride to Indiana. Be well up there in the great north country!

I like the looks of the C5 and bought a C3Pro last year. A good helmet, but over winter I sent it back because it has this annoying issue of the visor popping open. They found out it was a manufacturing mistake and since it is no longer in production they basically said tough luck. Even though it has 4 years of warranty left, they wanted to charge me $500 to get it replaced with a C5. Needless to say, I'll be buying a new Shoei sometime over the summer before I take a long trip that always involves riding in the rain.

I haven't gotten out on the warm days in Indy yet, some of us have to work!

 

[Vagrant]

Look at the LS2 carbon fiber. Fantastic helmet.

 

[Raven]

I like the looks of the C5 and bought a C3Pro last year. A good helmet, but over winter I sent it back because it has this annoying issue of the visor popping open. They found out it was a manufacturing mistake and since it is no longer in production they basically said tough luck. Even though it has 4 years of warranty left, they wanted to charge me $500 to get it replaced with a C5. Needless to say, I'll be buying a new Shoei sometime over the summer before I take a long trip that always involves riding in the rain.

I haven't gotten out on the warm days in Indy yet, some of us have to work!

You can buy the parts to repair the visor mechanism for under $25. thevisorshop.com Just type in C3 and you'll find it. I sent you a PM.

P.S. Having PM'd indyrider, it seems his helmet has a manufacturing defect which can't be fixed with new parts.
Boo to Schuberth for their reluctance to help in a proper manner. I would expect better from a high end helmet manufacturer.

 

[BDS]

I like the looks of the C5 and bought a C3Pro last year. A good helmet, but over winter I sent it back because it has this annoying issue of the visor popping open. They found out it was a manufacturing mistake and since it is no longer in production they basically said tough luck. Even though it has 4 years of warranty left, they wanted to charge me $500 to get it replaced with a C5. Needless to say, I'll be buying a new Shoei sometime over the summer before I take a long trip that always involves riding in the rain.

Man, that discouraging, from a customer point of view. The C5 is my first Schuberth. So far, it has “felt” good and performed well. But, if something messes up (a lot of plastic bits on there), it would be frustrating to get that sort of treatment. As @Raven mentioned, perhaps it’s a fix you could do yourself (cheaper than a new helmet, anyway). Visorshop folks are helpful (I dealt with them for Arai side pods). Good luck!

I haven't gotten out on the warm days in Indy yet, some of us have to work!

Spring/summer, are just around the corner

 

[Bill Hagan]

So, let's leave Helmet City and returning to Ferryburg ...

No wait ... I like the place; Ferryburg can wait.

I did just buy a Shoei Neotec 3 to replace my aging and well-worn N2. Great helmet: I have a head that is good for little else, but was, apparently, used -- without my knowledge, permission, or subsequent royalties! -- by Shoei as its manufacturing model for its XXL helmets, at least for full-face and modulars.

I actually tried on a Shixberth -- oops; spelling based on @indyrider's unhappy report -- at Kissell Motosports in Tyrone (just north of Altoona), Pennsylvania, a few weeks ago. I always buy helmets at dealers. Kissell's parts folks are way-above-average friendly, and they always have a large selection of a number of brands, but the Schuberth's fit just wasn't quite right for me.

Yes, I know they will settle in after a few hours of rding (and several Bayers ), but it was more money than I wanted to spend to be a subject in a helmet experiment. All gear was 1/3 off, so both S brands were tempting.

So, I defaulted to the Shoei. I am compelled to add that I have been disappointed in Shoei's customer-dis-service operation. Only dealt with them once, and that was a decade or more ago, but it was frustrating. I understand that moto-helmets might be one of those items that have a high return rate -- more for fit than defective parts -- but I suspect initial pricing includes a cushion for that.

Haven't ridden with it yet, but will soon.

OK, time to write over to Ferryburg.

After our mutton gluttony in Daviess, County, Kentucky, in late May, Muttoneers will (as mentioned in an earlier post in this thread) head to the MotOzarks.

Our plan is to cross the Mississippi on the Hickman Ferry before riding on to our "base camp" for the Catfish Crawl portion of the trip. I and several others have crossed there before. I even have the tee.

"Had" might be more accurate as I thinkthat one "graduated" to Most-Favored Rag status last year after several too many wearings and washings. My Perfect Pillion & Polish Princess is always sweetly diplomatic, but nonetheless made it clear that, In Her Opinion, the Hickman Ferry and some others needed to move from hangers to rag bins. And that was that.

Enough. "P3" is making noises about breakfast -- my task and specialty, not hers -- so you are saved from more blathering.

Bill

 

[BDS]

…always enjoy your posts, Bill! A friend and I were riding in the Ozarks last Sept and were going to cross at the ferry, but, it wasn’t running due to low water (I doubt you’ll have that problem!). We crossed at Cairo (what a sad state that town is in). Have a great trip down that way! And, I hope the new Helmet works out! Cheers!