Fall is in the air

Fall officially arrived a couple weeks ago, at 5:18 p.m. (ET) Sept. 22. Last week I confessed I really like riding this time of the year, but what’s happened to fall? It got way too cold way too fast. The past couple mornings have dawned just barely breaking 40°F. That’s way too far away from my normal low temperature threshold of 50°F. My riding gear selection does not include any “heated” items. The only “heated” gear I own are the front seats in my H3 Hummer! So far this week, all my morning commutes have been on heated seats in a four-wheeler. Oh, well, I guess you can call me a lightweight.

This past weekend did turn out to be a couple beautiful crisp fall days. My normal Saturday morning ride up to Ducati Indianapolis for a steaming hot espresso was delayed just a bit until the thermometer started to sneak up close to that magic 50°F point. Maggie and Laura Carr were busy decorating the showroom with spider webs, orange lights and other spooky decorations. Oh, it is October, and Halloween is just around the corner. Rumor has it there’s going to be a Halloween party at Ducati Indianapolis on Friday, Oct. 30, so start working on your costumes. Let’s see, maybe I could dress up as an over-the-hill motorcycle road racer!

Word circulated last week on the iDESMO forum about a local Triumph club ride Sunday morning out to Newport, Ind., for the 100^th running of the Newport Antique Auto Hill Climb. Indy DESMO member Chris Hollandbeck braved a 48°F morning on his Ducati Multistrada to represent the Ducati crowd among a pack of Triumphs for a chilly morning ride from Indianapolis out to Newport.

Chris reported there were over 350 old cars there for the centennial running of the Newport Antique Auto Hill Climb, the newest year being 1941. For this competition, entries must be 1942 or older, must have an internal combustion engine and must be American-made, stock production vehicles with no modifications. Most everything was pre war, including both cars and motorcycles with most of it totally restored from a Stanley Steamer to old Indy 500 cars. Cars are divided into classes. They have a start tree, and when the light goes green, up the hill they go. The point is to get to the top of the hill as fast as you can. Way back when, auto manufacturers treated this race as a big deal for bragging rights.

Anyway, Chris reported it was very interesting to see all the old cars and watch them run flat out, which for the Stanley Steamer isn’t fast but for some of the Indy 500 cars, they climbed the hill pretty quick. The quaint little town of Newport was totally packed, with people everywhere, a gigantic parade, big wheel races, baby contest, gospel music jamboree, flea markets, fireworks, a free street dance, a big variety of festive cooking and an endless display of beautiful antique and show cars. Um, festive cooking! This might be a good event for the Motorcycle Sport Touring Association (MSTA) group I hang out with to attend next year.

I’d like to thank iDESMO member Chris Hollandbeck for the ride report and all the great photos of the event. I should have braved the chilly morning and joined you all, bolstering the Ducati ranks. I wonder how fast my 1098 R Bayliss LE would have made it to the top of the hill. Maybe for the next centennial celebration!

I’ll see you all next week at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com .

Greg