Fellow Motorcycle Enthusiasts -

Im sure you've heard similar intros in the past umpteen times but I figured there's no better way to start this write up than by beginning with how the XBHP website keeps me inspired to keep riding.


I am, like big chunk of visitors here, watching in silence, enjoying every review, soaking in all the pics and living a virtual adventure every time someone posts their travails of love for the road. I keep kicking myself for not putting in the effort to capture and document my past rides or sharing it with the community here. It looks like hindsight is useless and those memories are now locked in this nut of mine. That aside, Im trying to cut my losses and consciously record or take pics of my jaunts here on out. Ive enjoyed my many miles on the road to scenic destinations like Shimla, Ooty, Shillong and the like. My goal is to get in as many miles before frailty of the body sets in and renders riding a motorcycle impossible. This brings me to my latest short trip to a not so very popular place called Jim Thorpe in Pennsylvania. Im not going to beat the details of this place to death but whats worth mentioning about my destination is that it was founded as Mauch Chunk in 1818, its name was derived from the term “bear mountain” as its a local mountain resembling a sleeping bear. The town was founded by Josiah White, founder of the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company, it was later renamed for renowned athlete and Olympic Medal winner, Jim Thorpe, after his death in 1953. The reason I chose this location for the short ride is because it offers a small but predictable section of 'twisties' which I like to have fun on.
I took a day off work on a Monday deliberately to avoid congestion on the freeways, I had to drop off my wife at work though.

Here's a few pics to get us moving and hopefully get this approved by the moderators. If someone can help me figure out how to change the background color from grey to white it would be awesome.

We were pounded with spells of -20C with intermittent spells of heavy to very heavy snow from Nov 2017 through March 2018. Id stand by my balcony on weekends hoping in vain that somehow the weather predictions would go wrong and Id end up with a sunny day to sneak in a ride or two. But all I saw were dreary days and mind numbing cold that made it impossible to venture outdoors much less jump on a motorcycle and take it for a spin. Many a time I would just fire her up just to alleviate my anxiousness and feel the rumble on my palms. This is what many of our weekends looked like out of my apartment window.




Skip a few weeks and things are looking more spring and motorcyclists are out in droves, so was I.


Pre-Departure quick prep included finding my riding jacket, this is by no means a riding jacket. Its a leather jacket that I use exclusively for riding. I also rummaged and found my gloves, its still close to freezing if you factor in the wind chill in the Pennsylvania region.

My Riding Jacket



It was expected to be a very straightforward and short trip so I could ride light, I only carried the essential stuff. I made sure I was carrying all the tools and of-course who'd want to leave behind a flat-tire kit. I dread flats here cos if you cant fix it yourself, having someone come over and rescue the situation is a wasted day and an expensive one too. I currently carry this kit with me in the bag, its a pretty convenient and hassle-free way to handle a flat. You just point the nozzle into your tire and squeeze. It fills the tire cavity with this stiffening green-goo that kinda tides you over the immediate emergency till you can get it to a workshop to have it fixed.

Here's a pic



We always begin our road trips (four wheeler or motorcycle) with a mandatory stop for coffee and bagels at the adjacent WAWA coffee shop. For those from the North East US, you know exactly how frienzied a following WAWA coffee has in these parts of the US. For those who dont, WAWA is an awesome and convenient 'Everything Morning' stop. Weekday or Weekend, day or night, this shining beacon of consolation for that shot of Espresso, that much needed muffin, cash withdrawals and gas is a mandatory stop on almost everyone's itinerary. We live adjacent to one, so we begin almost all of our trips here.

Outside the WAWA shop


As I mentioned earlier, the coffee selection is top-notch. Theres a sort of consolation when you enter and find the coffee section and you're greeted by this choice just laid out for you, it energizes you and makes you feel like you can take on that trip you're about to embark on.



The good thing about WAWA is the hasslefree way to get to your coffee, not like the thoughtfully designed most inefficient way at the other places (AKA Starbucks). Here you can get in, choose any size of cups 8-20 Fl.Oz, fill up your brew, mix it the way you want with a choice of skim milk, hazelnut milk, french vanilla milk etc and a choice of sugar free sugars and pay. It costs the same no matter what you choose $1.10