Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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Motorcycle Math by JAMES JONES When I was a kid, my father would often tell me that everything was about math. Throughout life, I have tried to figure out some scientific formulas that would help me plan my life better. I have learned to adapt these formulas to my motorcycle life. During my recent trip to Sturgis, S.D., I found some of my formulas worked great and I thought that they are ready for prime time. • Rule of Three The Rule of Three Like the rest of life, there are certain rules states that if you have more than three that apply to biking. people involved in any event you will have drama. So expect it! This will save you frustration. On our trip, we had one person that enjoyed eating five times a day. He trailored his bike out and his wife had packed him enough food to feed an army and he felt that he needed to eat it. That was great however, come time for us to go eat, he didn't want to go where we wanted to go because he had just downed a rack of ribs like King Kong eating a banana. Thus, drama ensued because our bellies wanted food and he was ready for desert. • Pounds Per Mile. You might think that motorcycling is physically challenging and would result in the loss of weight. Not true. I have found the opposite happens. I have concluded my scientific study by measuring miles between Cracker Barrels and McDonalds. I have learned that I can gain one pound per 1,000 miles. Of course some people pack on some pounds by the number of beers they consume, but I have not gotten to the bottom of that number yet. • Cost Per Mile. Although you would think that a motorcycle would be cheaper than a car, I have found that statement to be completely wrong. For the point of this math problem, lets say that you are riding 1,000 miles and you get 37 mpg, and 6,500 miles out of a set of tires with an oil change and service every 6,000 miles. With fuel at $3.75 a gallon for premium, it is costing you 10 cents a mile for gas. Now depending on your bike, a good average set of tires carries an average cost of $400 for a set (including changing and balancing), which comes to .06 cents a mile. Add in oil changes and services at $125 comes to .02 cents a mile. Then it is costing you .18 cents a mile to operate your bike. Consider your 1,000-mile trip and you have a cost of $180 or $18 per 100 miles. • GPS Math, GPSs will often differ depending on the algorithm that the company used to figure in the routes. Also, routes can change based on individual settings like "fastest route" or "shortest distance." • The 20 Minute Gas Stop. On our trip back to Nashville, we stopped in St. Louis. We had about 300 miles left in our 725-mile day. It was near 2 p.m. and Bob said we should be back to his house by 7 p.m. I told him that it would be more like 9 p.m. The GPS said it was a five-hour drive, but it did not consider the 20-minute rule. In a car you can fill up a tank of gas in about five minutes and be gone. If you are riding on a motorcycle it can take five minutes if you are just getting gas and moving on. However, if you are with two or more people, then there is always someone that needs to do something. This requires you to move your bike to a parking spot (unless you are one of those people that block the pump while we all wait). Anyway, someone will have to go to the bathroom, get something to drink, check their phone or Facebook. Then you have to get everyone ready and gear back up and on the road again. Although we had 300 miles to go, we averaged about 130 per tank of gas. At 65 mph that put us at two hours for every stop. Three hundred miles divided by 130 miles per tank equals three fill ups (actually 2.3 but you round up here). That is an extra hour and with the five hours hitting dinner time, we had to stop at the Cracker Barrel to add an extra pound to my fat butt because I had crossed another 1,000 miles this trip. • x2. Even if you think you have a good price figured out for a trip multiply it by two and you will be closer to the true price. SEPTEMBER 28 • 2ND ANNUAL TIM DIFFIN MEMORIAL RUN at the Doghouse. Registration at 11 a.m., first out at noon. Food, live music, 50/50, door prizes. Benefits Christmas gifts for Cumberland County foster kids. Call 583-3067 for more information. OCTOBER 5 • HARLEY'S HEROES at Cape Fear Harley Davidson. Call 864-1200 for more information. OCTOBER 26 •T&B CANCER RESEARCH RIDE at Hooters. Band, food, 50/50, door prizes, best and worst hands. Presented by AFMC Benefits cancer research. Call 988-7946 for more information. NOVEMBER 9 •3RD ANNUAL APPRECIATION DAY & MEMBERSHIP DRIVE at Lost Memories n Spring Lake. The fun starts at 3 p.m. Food, door prizes, games, live music, Bikers For Bikers Foundation Membership Drive. Call 583-3067 for more information. PATRIOT GUARD RIDERS The Patriot Guard Riders is a diverse group of patriots from every state that come together to honor fallen soldiers at funeral services across the country. Visit www.patriotguard.org for more information about the group. GOLF TOURNAMENT OCT. 5, 2013 BENEFIT FOR FLEA OCT. 19, 2013 Thirsty Thursdays $1 off all drinks! 4624 BRAGG BLVD. JAMES JONES, Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomingweekly.com. BIKE NIGHTS EvEry thursday 482 n. mcpherson church rd. 910-354-2590 LIVE MUSIC DRINK SPECIALS for daily food & drink speicals, Band schedules & more connect online ... 42 UCW SEPT. 25 - OCT. 1, 2013 MacSpeedShop.com WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM