I spotted the tool kit you see above in a Wall Street Journal list of suggested gifts. It’s made by an outfit in Switzerland and the price (as quoted by the Wall Street Journal) is an astonishing $2,850. Yes, you read that right: $2,850. Thinking it had to be a mistake (even Snap-On tools are not that expensive), I got on the Internet. Yep. $2,850. I’m thinking that kit above is maybe $50 worth of tools. So I looked around a little and saw the same Wohngeist tool kit from another retailer for $3,000. And then another for $2,800. I imagine the people who picked it up for $2,800 felt they scored quite the bargain.
Want another shocker? All three of the online retailers, quoting the prices you see above, are sold out. Gresh and Huber, we are in the wrong business.
Here’s another Wohngeist tool kit for those of you who don’t want to spend $2,895. This one is only $1,895. Like my people say: Such a deal!
If you’re thinking of something more down to earth, you can always pick up a basic tool kit from Amazon. This one was $49. It looks pretty good to me and it’s more in line with what I’m used to spending. I’m an Amazon kind of guy.
I think the Amazon version has more screwdrivers and it has a ratchet and sockets. The Wohngeist kit does not. What were you expecting for $2,895? I know, I know, the Amazon kit doesn’t have that nifty fold-out ruler. But I already own a tape measure. So I’m covered.
Not content with that find, I checked to see if Amazon had a motorcycle tool kit. Here’s one that looks like it came right out of my 1965 Honda Super 90, and it’s only $12.95.
I don’t still have the Super 90, but I do still have the tools. Somewhere.
We’ve written other blogs about motorcycle tool kits. This one explains my approach for identifying and carrying the tools I may need. It contains links to Gresh’s and Huber’s blogs on the same topic, too.
Watch for our 2022 Christmas, Hanukkah, and Festivus gift guide. It’s coming up soon.
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I follow a few motorcycle forums and one of them has a watch thread. One of the guys who posted recently alerted me to a Casio GD400 G-Shock watch in a new color scheme. Without intending to, I guess I became a G-Shock collector. My orange and turquoise GD400 conked out on a Baja trip (my fault, not the watch’s), and when I tried to buy another one, I was g-shocked (pardon the pun) by four facts: The orange and turquoise color was no longer available, prices on the orange and turquoise model were up about 400% on the secondary market, you couldn’t get replacement parts for that color, and G-Shock collecting/investing is a real thing.
My first Casio G-Shock watch. I still have it.
I liked the watch, though, and when I was in a watch shop on the east coast, I saw a new color theme Casio had released. I like the watch, so for me it was a no-brainer. I picked up a replacement in OD green and black. I’m wearing it right now.
My daily wear Casio GD400 G-Schock watch.
I took the inability to get replacement parts on the orange and turquoise model as a challenge, and I overcame it. My orange and turquoise model is digitally and happily tick tocking away on a shelf in my office.
Anyway, to circle back to the topic of this blog, Casio just introduced this new color scheme in black and gold, and I like it. It’s the one you see at the top of this blog. The deal is this: The new Casio is available now for $69.99, which is a good price. Casio is taking pre-orders on their website, and they will start shipping on 25 November. My order is in.
Want to see other Casio watches? Take a look at these G-Shock watches on Amazon.
More watch reviews (including several Casio watches and more) are here.
Alamogordo is a cool town, and on a recent visit there Joe Gresh, Susie,and I took in three of its attractions: The White Sands Missile Range, White Sands National Park, and the New Mexico Museum of Space History. This blog is on the New Mexico Museum of Space History, a five-story tall structure that is arranged in a spiral (kind of like the Guggenheim in New York City). Joe, as the Ambassador of Alamogordo, suggested riding the elevator to the top and then walking down the spiraling hallways to take it all in, which is what we did.
As museums go, this is a good one. There were a lot of cool things to see, including a mockup of the space shuttle control panel (that’s Joe piloting the Shuttle in the photo above). Some of the other cool things are shown in the photos below.
Sputnik, the Russian satellite that initiated the space race.The Ham capsule. Ham was the first chimp launhed into space. He’s buried on the Museum grounds.Paying homage to perhaps one of the greated sci-fi series ever, Star Trek.An exterior view of the Museum.There’s a small missile park outside the Museum building. The vehicle in the foreground is a rocket sled, used in early development efforts.
If you ever find yourself in Alamogordo, the New Mexico Museum of Space History is worth a visit.
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I first visited White Sands Missile Range in the mid-1970s when I was in the Army stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas. I visited two places that day 50 years ago: The White Sands Missile Range, and White Sands National Park. I did the same most recently (i.e., hitting both spots on the same day) with Joe Gresh and Susie. We recently posted about White Sands National Park. Today, the focus is on the WSMR Missile Park, a display of military equipment just inside the White Sands Missile Range main gate.
WSMR is a place with history. It doesn’t go back that far…it was created in July 1945, right at the end of World War II, when we grabbed all those Nazis for our space program (the Russians were doing the same). A lot of them were sent to White Sands, along with a hundred German V2 rockets. We cut our space program teeth on them, launching two thirds of our V2 stash and studying the rest before we started building and testing American versions. Our first atomic bomb was tested on the northern edge of White Sands Missile Range. When I was based at nearby Fort Bliss to the south, we heard stories about missiles launched from White Sands that went a bit wide of their mark and landed in Mexico (as in Old Mexico, not New Mexico). Like I said, there’s a lot of history here.
It used to be that you could just drive onto White Sands Missile Range and visit the missile park. In those days, they had a German V2 on display along with perhaps a dozen or so other US missiles. But that was then, and thanks to Osama Bin Laden, this is now. Now, you have to park outside the main gate, show ID to the minders, fill out a form saying you’re not evil, and get permission to walk onto the base. From the main gate, it’s maybe a couple hundred yards to get to the missile park. The indoor stuff (including that old V2) was locked up when we visited, so all we could see was the stuff on display outside. But that was good enough, at least until the skies opened up and the rains came down.
The photo ops were fantastic…military missiles, gun systems, and aircraft against the bright blue New Mexico sky, with a bit of cloud cover to soften the shadows. We had a blast. Figuratively speaking, of course.
Joe Gresh, asking what would happen if he pushed that button.The Fat Man (I am referring to the atomic bomb). Gresh has been dieting, and doing pretty well at it.The mulitple launch rocket system, or MLRS.There are all kinds of cool missiles on display here. It’s free, too. We used to build plastic models of these things when I was a kid.A US Navy 5-inch gun. Gresh climbed inside the turret when it started to rain.A Nike Hercules anti-aircraft missile, successor to the Nike Ajax. The Nike Hercules could carry a nuke. Although designed as an anti-aircraft weapon, the nuclear-armed Hercules could be used against ground as well as airborne targets. Don’t ask me how I know.When it started to rain, Susie and I jumped beneath the wing of an F-4 Phantom.
We only stayed about an hour at the White Sands Missile Range, our visit shortened by the rain and the fact that the indoor displays were closed. But that’s okay. We’ll hit this place again on the next visit to New Mexico.
Gresh has New Mexico pretty well scoped out. I was worried that after visiting with him at Tinfiny Ranch there wouldn’t be much left to do in the area, but boy, did I have that wrong.
“White Sands,” Joe said. “We can do the missile museum and the National Park. It’s really not sand, you know…it’s gypsum.” I didn’t know that, but I do now. I first visited White Sands 50 years ago, and on that visit, we took in the missile museum and the National Park on the same day, too. It’s doable; they are not far apart. White Sands National Park is about 15 miles south of Alamagordo on US Highway 70, and the missile museum is a few miles south of that.
I shot this photo of Joe Gresh on an RX3 in 2016 as we rode through the Gobi Desert. We were both rolling along at 70 mph; I was about 10 feet to his left on another RX3. The Gobi looks a lot like the Mojave.
White Sands National Park looks about like what I would imagine the Sahara Desert to be, although having never been in the Sahara Desert, I could be wrong. I always thought the Gobi Desert would look like the Sahara, too, but when Gresh and I rode through the Gobi a few years ago on our ride across China, it looked like the Mojave here in California. But not White Sands. Nope, it looks like, well, white sand, even though (as Gresh said) it’s really gypsum.
The photo ops really are amazing in White Sands National Park. You can get by with a cell phone, but to me it would be a crime against nature to visit any US National Park without a good camera and a circular polarizer. I use a Nikon and it usually wears a 24-120 lens.The sky, the clouds, the white sands…it’s all very impressive.Folks walking the dunes in White Sands National Park. Many people bring sleds (of the circular pan variety) to slide down the dunes. You can rent them in White Sands National Park, too.
The ticket in is $25 per vehicle, but I have the lifetime senior citizen pass. I was looking forward to using that pass, but when we went the entrance gate was unmanned (or unwomanned, or perhaps unpersoned, or whatever passes for politically correct these days) and we just rolled in. It’s funny, I guess. That’s what happened when Gresh and I led the CSC Motorcycles Western America Adventure Ride when we entered Yellowstone National Park. Gresh must be the national park admission fee good luck charm.
Gresh was really showing us a good time in the Alamogordo area, and we hit both the White Sands Missile Range Museum and the White Sands National Park on the same day. From there, he took us to his favorite Italian restaurant in Alamogordo, but the day didn’t end there. Our next stop was the New Mexico Space Museum. Both WSMR and the New Mexico Space Museum are coming up in future blogs. Stay tuned.
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This is our third and final blog on the Lee .44 Magnum Deluxe 4-die set. We posted an initial blog on the four dies and their components, and then a second blog on how to setup each die in the reloading press. This last blog on the .44 Magnum Deluxe 4-die set shows how my reloaded ammo performed and wraps up my thoughts on the Lee 4-die set’s advantages.
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Here’s the bottom line: The Lee Deluxe 4-die set is easy to set up, it makes accurate ammo, and it positively prevents bullet pull under recoil. Lee’s locking, crimping, and decapping pin retention approaches are superior and the Lee dies cost less. It’s a better product at a lower price.
That said, let’s take a look at the specifics.
.44 Magnum ammo loaded with Lee’s Deluxe 4-die set. It’s good looking, consistent, and accurate ammo.
I used my Turnbull Ruger Super Blackhawk for this test series. It’s the gun you see in the big photo at the top of this blog. I fired 5-shot groups at 50 feet from a bench, using a two-hand hold and resting my hands on the bench. No other part of the revolver was supported and I did not use a machine rest. I held at 6:00 on the orange bullseye.
Superb Accuracy
This, to me (and I imagine to most reloaders) is the most crucial aspect in evaluating any reloading equipment, and in my experience, Lee’s Deluxe 4-die set provides superior accuracy. I was more than pleased with the results. The targets below speak for themselves. My preferred .44 Magnum load of 6.0 grains of Bullseye with a 240-grain cast semiwadcutter bullet, reloaded with Lee’s Deluxed 4-dies set worked well. It was accurate, and barrel leading and recoil were minimal. I know you can load hotter .44 Magnum loads. Read that sentence again, and put the accent on you. A 240-grain projectile at just under 1000 feet per second (which is what my load provides) works fine for me.
A one-hole, 5-shot group brought to you by Lee’s Deluxe 4-die set.Typical .44 Magnum groups at 50 feet with ammo loaded on Lee’s Deluxe 4-die set.Modest barrel leading after 50 rounds of .44 Magnum ammo with cast bullets.
Groups that tore one ragged hole were typical. That speaks highly of the Lee die set’s ability to produce consistent ammo.
Consistent Crimping
The Lee factory crimp die is just a better approach than any other die maker’s. It gives a better crimp, it assures cartridge chambering, and I believe it maintains better bullet alignment in the case. Yeah, you can crimp in a separate step with the bullet seating die, but then you wouldn’t have the carbide straightening and alignment features you get in the Lee factory crimp die. It’s a better approach that better aligns the bullet in the case and guarantees reliable chambering.
A beautiful and consistent crimp.
Simply put, with the Lee factory crimp die there is no bullet movement under recoil. None of the cartridges in this test series experienced bullet pull under recoil. The Lee crimp die does a great job in locking the bullets in place. In similar testing using a Lee Deluxe 4-die set in .357 Magnum, I found that regular crimping (i.e., not using the Lee factory crimp die) allowed bullet pull, but crimping with the Lee factory crimp die did not. This .44 Magnum reloaded ammo performed similarly.
Easy Die Adjustability
The Lee dies are easy to adjust and they stay in adjustment. I like Lee’s incorporation of orings for holding the locknut in place and for locking the die position in the press.
Lee uses orings extensively for lockrings and other adjustments. The approach works.
When I first encountered Lee’s oring approach 40+ years ago, I thought it was a bit sketchy, but I’ve come around. I believe this is better than using a standard locknut, even when the locknut uses a set screw to lock it in place on the die body. The Lee approach is easier to use. You can remove the die and preserve the adjustment without damaging the die body threads. I’ve never had a Lee die go out of adjustment, and to my surprise, none of the orings on any of my Lee dies ever deteriorated or otherwise failed (and some of my Lee dies are more than 30 years old). Even if an oring did fail, based on my prior experience with Lee Precision I’m pretty sure if I (or you) called Lee, they’d ship a replacement for free.
Free Shellholder
As mentioned previously in one of the blogs in this series, I like the fact that a Lee die set includes the shell holder.
Lee provides a free shellholder with their dies. It’s the right thing to do.
With most (maybe all) other die manufacturers, you have to buy the shellholder separately. That’s an inconvenience and an added expense. I like Lee’s approach better.
Better Decapping Pin Retention
I like Lee’s approach for securing the sizing die decapping pin better than the approach used by the other guys.
The Lee decapping pin retention approach is a superior engineeirng design.
With other manufacturers’ dies, if something obstructs the decapping pin, it’s easy to bend or break the decapping pin. When that happens, a reloading session is over until a new pin is installed. With Lee’s approach, an obstruction just backs the decapping pin out of the locking collet, and if that occurs, it only takes a minute to fix.
Lower Cost
Lee dies are less expensive than other dies. Simply put, you get more bang for your buck with Lee dies.
The Bottom Line
As I said above, the .44 Magnum Lee Deluxe 4-die set is easy to set up, it makes accurate ammo, and it positively prevents bullet pull under recoil. Lee’s locking, crimping, and decapping pin retention approaches are superior and the Lee dies cost less. It’s a better product at a lower price.
We recently blogged about a visit to the Pima Air and Space Museum. This blog returns to that Tucson attraction with a feature on aircraft nose art.
Aircraft nose art goes back to at least 1913, when the Italians painted a sea monster on a flying boat. The aircraft nose art concept continued in World War I and really emerged as a folk art form in World War II. On US World War II aircraft this occurred primarily in the Army Air Corps (the Air Force was not yet a separate service). Nose art emerged again during the Vietnam War and continued in the Gulf wars. Today, even some commercial jetliners have it (most notably Southwest Air).
The Pima Air and Space Museum contains numerous nose art examples, a few of which I photographed during our recent visit. One aircraft with interesting and colorful nose is a B-24 that started life as a US aircraft and was later flown by the Indian Air Force. It’s the photo you see at the top of this blog.
An Indian Air Force B-24 Liberator. The B-24s were built by Ford. By the end of World War II, we were building them at a rate of one per hour.A closer look at the Indian B-24 aircraft’s nose art.The opposite side of the Indian B-24.
This nose art on a B-29 shows a map of North America.
A Boeing B-29 Bomber.The other side of the B-29.
Political correctness today precludes pinup nose art, but it was prevalent in earlier times.
A Bell P39 Airacobra.A Lockheed S3B Viking. The Navy, for the most part, did not allow nose art during World War II. They later changed their WWII stance.A Douglas A20G with an unusual bit of nose art.
Nose art often featured animals. Here’s a interesting take on a Curtiss P-40 and an A-10 Warthog.
A Curtiss P-40 sporting an Arizona rattlesnake.A Fairchild A-10 Warthog trainer with a warthog painted on its nose.
Gaping shark’s mouths with threatening teeth have adorned many combat aircraft including fighters, observation aircraft, electronic warfare aircraft, and helicopters.
A Grumman OV-1 Mohawk.A Republic F-105G Wild Weasel.A Grumman F-14 Tomcat.A Bell UH-1 Huey.
Here’s an interesting special ops helicopter with unusual nose art. Star Wars, as interpreted by a special ops team.
A Bell OH-58 Kiowa Special Ops helicopter with a Hans Solo nose art treatment.
We’ll have another blog or three on the Pima Air and Space Museum. There’s just too much to fit into a single blog, so please stay tuned.
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This is the second blog in our series of three articles on the Lee Deluxe 4-die set. The first blog focused on the dies and their components; this blog focuses on how to set up the dies in a press.
1. Shellholder
As a first step, I inserted the shell holder (No. 11 in Lee’s numbering system) into the press ram. It’s a no brainer, but I wanted to mention that Lee includes the shellholder with their dies, which is a nice touch.
I then raised the reloading press ram, and threaded in the sizing die in until it made contact with the shell holder. After the bottom of the sizing die contacted the shell holder, I lowered the press a bit, turned the die into the press a bit more, and tested it by raising the ram again. I wanted to feel just a bit of pushback on the ram.
The shellholder (lower arrow) in intimate contact with thre sizing die (upper arrow).
Once I felt resistance in the ram lever with the ram fully raised, I screwed the sizing die’s locking ring all the way down to the press head.
Screwing down the sizing die locking ring.
Once that adjustment was made, I don’t have to adjust the sizing die again for future reloading sessions. I can unscrew it by grabbing the locking ring and unscrewing it from the press head. The locking ring’s oring prevents the locking ring from inadvertently moving on the die body. All I need to do is screw the sizing die into the press.
The sizing die locking ring screwed all the way down to the press head.
At this point, I proceeded to size 50 cases. I inserted each into the shell holder and raised the ram fully. This both knocked out the old primer and resized each case.
Sizing .44 Magnum cases and punching out the spent primers.An ejected, spent primer..44 Magnum case with primer removed.
3. Expanding
After completing the resizing operation, I unscrewed the sizing die from the press and partially screwed in the expander die (just a couple of turns at this point). I placed a resized cartridge case in the shell holder and raised the ram fully.
I then continued to screw in the expander die until I felt the cartridge case touching the expander die. I then lowered the ram slightly and screwed the expander die a little further into the press, raising the ram and then lowering it again. I repeated this in minor increments to get the desired amount of flare on the case mouth. I knew I only needed a little bit, just enough to allow a bullet to start in the case mouth. When I do this part of the expander die installation, I check for adequate case mouth flare by taking a bullet and checking to see if it can start in the case mouth.
I used Missouri Bullet Company 240-grain cast bullets for these reloads.The 240-grain Missouri bullets.
I don’t put too much flare on the case mouth. All that’s necessary is enough to allow the bullet to start into the case mouth.
The case on the left has not had the case mount expanded; the case on the right has had the case mouth expanded. Only a small flare is necessary.
Once the bullet could start to enter the case mouth, I knew I had enough flare. At that point, I raised the ram with the case in the shellholder. The case is now in intimate contact with the expander, preventing any expander die rotation. I then threaded the locking ring all the way down on the expander die, locking it in place in the press.
Screwing down the locking ring after the expander die has been adjusted.The expander die lock ring locked in position.
Once I had locked the expander die in place, I proceeded to run all 50 cartridge cases through it.
50 Starline cases that have been run through the expander die. I usually reload handgun cases in multiples of 50.
After completing that operation, I grabbed the expander die by its locking collar and unscrewed it. It, too (like the sizing die) now had the locking ring in the right place, and it would not require adjustment for future reloading sessions (for .44 Magnum ammo; if I wanted to load .44 Special ammo, the shorter .44 Special cases would require making the adjustment described above again).
4. Priming
At this point, I seated primers in all 50 cases. I use an older Lee priming tool that is no longer available from Lee. My Lee priming tool is close to 50 years old, which says a lot about the quality and durability of Lee reloading equipment. I’m not going to spend too much time today talking about seating the primers, as this blog is focused on the Lee Deluxe 4-die set. I may do a future blog on the latest Lee priming equipment.
My old Lee priming tool. It still does a great job.
5. Charging
After priming, I charged the cases with propellant. My load is 6.0 grains of Bullseye powder with a 240-grain Missouri Bullet Company semiwadcutter bullet. You won’t find that load in modern reloading manuals. I have a library of old reloading manuals; this one is from an earlier Lyman cast bullet handbook.
An oldie but still a goodie. I use Bullseye powder for several different handgun loads.An older Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook with a great load for the .44 Magnum.6.0 grains of Bullseye with a 240-grain cast bullet works well in the .44 Magnum.50 Starline cases primed and charged with Bullseye propellant.
6. Bullet Seating
I next seated the bullets using the bullet seating die. The bullet seating die can also be used to crimp the bullet in place, but I don’t crimp with this die. To prevent the bullet seating die’s internal crimping ring from crimping the bullet, I screwed the bullet seater nearly all the way into the bullet seating die (I wanted the bullet seater to reach the bullet before the die’s crimping feature reaches the case mouth). I then adjusted the bullet seating depth by screwing the die body deeper into the press.
A .44 Magnum cartridge about to have its bullet seated to the correct depth. The upper arrow points to the bullet seater adjustment; the lower arrow points to the locking ring.
I adjusted the die deeper into the press until the bullet was seated to its crimping groove. This resulted in an overall cartridge length of 1.600 inches.
Having a good calipers helps reloading enormously.The 240-grain bullet seated at an overall cartridge length of 1.600 inches, but not yet crimped in place.
After I had achieved the desired bullet seating depth, with the ram raised and a cartridge with a seated bullet in the shell holder, I screwed down the die’s lock ring to lock the die in place. I then seated the bullets in all 50 cartridges.
7. Crimping
The last die is the crimping die. Here’s what it looks like.
The Lee Factory Crimp Die. This is a stellar bit of reloading equipment.
To install and adjust the crimping die, I raised the ram without a cartridge in the shellholder. I then screwed the die fully into the press head until the bottom of the crimping die firmly contacted the shellholder. At that point, I backed the crimp adjuster nearly fully out (until I knew it would not contact the cartridge case). I needed to do this step without a cartridge in the press because if I tried to do it with a cartridge in the press, I might have overcrimped the bullet in the case before I had the crimp adjustment correct.
The shellholder in intimate contact with the bottom of the Lee factory crimp die.The factory crimp die locking ring, fully screwed down on the die body.
I lowered the ram, installed a cartridge that had not been crimped into the shellholder, and raised the ram fully. I lowered the crimp adjuster until it contacted the cartridge case (I could feel when it did do by increased resistance on the crimp adjuster as I screwed it into the die body).
The crimp adjuster.
I then withdrew the ram slighly and turned the crimp adjuster in a little bit more. I backed off the ram and examined the crimp. I repeated this process (backing off the ram, screwing the crimp adjuster in a bit more, and examining the crimp) until I was satisfied with the crimp.
A crimped .44 Magnum cartridge. The Lee factory crimp die does a great job.
Once I was satisfied with crimp, I crimped all 50 cartridges.
50 reloaded .44 Magnum cartridges.Reloaded ammo in the cartridge box.
The last step for me was to label my newly reloaded box of .44 Magnum ammunition.
Labeling is critical. If I don’t do this immediately after loading the ammo, I might forget what the recipe was.
I had my 50 rounds of reloaded .44 Magnum ammo; the next step was a trip to the range to see how it shot. That blog will post in about a week. A spoiler alert…this ammo performed magnificently. Stay tuned, and you’ll see.
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I’d heard of the Pine Barrens when I was a youngster in New Jersey but I’d never been there, which was weird because the northern edge of the Pines starts only about 40 miles from where I grew up and geographically the Pine Barrens cover about a quarter of the state. New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the US, but you wouldn’t know it in the Pine Barrens. Pine trees and sand, lots of dirt roads, and not much else except ghost stories and New Jersey’s own mythological Jersey Devil (more on that in a bit). The region is mostly pine trees, but there are just enough other trees that our last-weekend-in-October ride caught the leaves’ autumn color change. That, the incredible weather, and saddle time on Jerry Dowgin’s vintage Honda Scrambler made it a perfect day.
Kicking back in the Pine Barrens town of Chatsworth. Check out the leaves changing colors in the background.A 305cc Honda Scrambler, the Jersey Devil, and Lucille’s Country Diner. Life is good in the Pines.Jerry Dowgin at speed in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. He’s been riding the same motorcycle for five decades. Jerry paid $10 for his Honda Scrambler. I offered to give him what he paid for it, which drew only a smile.
There were other things that made the day great. For starters, that has to include riding with Jerry Dowgin, former South Brunswick High School football hero, vintage motorcycle aficionado, and son of the late Captain Ralph Dowgin. SBHS is my alma mater (Go Vikings!), and the Dowgin name is legendary in New Jersey. I didn’t personally know Jerry when I was in high school (he was four years ahead of me), but I knew of his football exploits and I knew of his State Trooper Dad. Captain Dowgin commanded Troop D of the NJ State Police, and thanks to a photograph provided by lifelong good buddy Mike (another SBHS alum), Trooper Dowgin graces the cover of The Complete Book of Police and Military Motorcycles. Take a look at this photo of Jerry, and the Police Motors cover:
In the New Jersey Pine Barrens with former football star Jerry Dowgin and his awesome Honda Scrambler. I only run with the cool kids.Jerry’s father, Trooper Ralph Dowgin of the New Jersey State Police. This photo was taken in 1936. The one above it was taken 4 days ago.Trooper Dowgin’s original leather motorcycle helmet. Jerry showed it to me.
My ride for our glorious putt through the New Jersey Pine Barrens was Jerry’s 1966 CL77 Honda Scrambler. Jerry has owned the Scrambler for five decades. Jerry’s name for the Scrambler is Hot Silver, but I’m going to call it the Jersey Devil. The bike is not a piece of Concours driveway jewelry; like good buddy Gobi Gresh’s motorcycles, Jerry’s Jersey Devil is a vintage rider. And ride we did.
Honda offered three 305cc motorcycles in the mid-1960s: The Dream, the Super Hawk, and the Scrambler. All were 305cc, single overhead cam, air-cooled twins with four-speed transmissions. The CA77 Dream was a pressed steel, large fendered, single carb motorcycle with leading link front suspension. Like its sister Super Hawk, the Dream had kick and electric starting; the electric starter was unusual in those days. The Dream was marketed as a touring model, although touring was different then. Honda’s CB77 Super Hawk was a more sporting proposition, with lower bars, a tubular steel frame and telescopic forks, twin shoe drum brakes (exotic at the time), twin carbs, a tachometer, and rear shocks adjustable for preload. The engine was a stressed frame component and there was no frame downtube. Like the Dream, the Super Hawk had electric and kick starting. It’s been said that the Super Hawk could touch 100 mph, although I never saw that (my Dad owned a 1965 Honda Super Hawk I could sometimes ride in the fields behind our house).
The Scrambler fuel tank. Honda hit a home run with the Scrambler’s styling.Everything on this motorcycle is well proportioned. The ergnomics fit me perfectly.The cool kids removed the Scrambler’s bulbous two-into-one muffler and replaced it with Snuff-R-Nots. Jerry is one of the cool kids.
The third model in Honda’s mid-‘60s strategic triad was the CL77 Scrambler, and in my opinion, it was the coolest of the three. It had Honda’s bulletproof 305cc engine with twin carbs, and unlike the Super Hawk engine, it was tuned for more torque. The Scrambler didn’t have electric starting like the other two Hondas (it was kick start only, a nod to the Scrambler’s offroad nature). The Scrambler had a downtube frame, no tach (but a large and accurate headlight-mounted speedo), a steering damper, and a fuel tank that looks like God intended fuel tanks to look (with a classic teardrop profile and no ugly flange running down the center). The bars were wide with a cross brace. With its kick start only engine, the magnificent exhaust headers, and Honda’s “we got it right” fuel tank, the Scrambler looked more like a Triumph desert sled than any other Honda. In my book, that made it far more desirable. I always wanted a Scrambler.
The Scrambler’s speedo. The switch on the left is for the headlight; the amber light is a neutral indicator. The speedometer is accurate; we rode through a highway sign that showed your speed and it matched the speedometer indication.The Scrambler’s front fork damper.The Scrambler’s tool storage compartment.Jerry’s wife Karin made the toolkit pouch. Jerry’s toolkit includes the original Honda tools and a few extras.A single overhead camshaft, two valves per cylinder, and threaded locknut valve adjustment. Honda’s casting quality was superb for the time.
Jerry and I had great conversations on our ride through the Pine Barrens. We talked motorcycles, the times, the old times, folks we knew back in the day, and more. Other riders chatted us up. The Scrambler was a natural conversation starter. Every few minutes someone would approach and ask about Jerry’s Scrambler. Was it original? Was it for sale? What year was it? I had a little fun piping up before Jerry could answer, telling people it was mine and I’d let it go for $800 if they had the cash. I can still start rumors in New Jersey, you know.
The Scrambler’s rear suspension has three preload adjustment positions.Relatively sophisticated for the time on a mass-produced motorcycle: Twin shoe brakes.The Scrambler’s rear brake was similarly equipped.Gresh and I are both members!
The 305cc Honda twins of the mid-1960s were light years ahead of their British competitors and Harley-Davidson. British twin and Harley riders made snide comments about “Jap crap” back in the day (ignorance is bliss, and they were happy guys), but at least one Britbike kingpin knew the score and saw what was coming. Edward Turner, designer of the Triumph twin and head of Triumph Motorcycles, visited Honda in Japan and was shocked at how advanced Japanese engineering and manufacturing were compared to what passed for modern management in England. No one listened to Turner. The Honda 750 Four often gets credit for killing the British motorcycle industry, but the handwriting was already on the wall with the advent of bikes like Honda’s Dream, the Super Hawk, and the Scrambler. I believe we’re living through the same thing right now with motorcycles from China. Or maybe I just put that in to elicit a few more comments on this blog. You tell me.
I’m always curious about how others starting riding, so I asked Jerry if he inherited his interest in motorcycles from his motor officer Dad. The answer was a firm no. “Pop wasn’t interested in motorcycles; he saw too many young Troopers get killed on motorcycles when he was a State Trooper.” Jerry’s introduction into the two-wheel world was more happenstance than hereditary. He was working with his brother and his brother-in-law installing a heating system in a farmhouse when they encountered the Scrambler. Jerry bought his 1966 Scrambler in 1972 for the princely sum of $10. Yes, you read that right: $10. The Scrambler wasn’t running, but the deal he made with his brother was that Jerry would do the work if his brother would pay for the parts (and in 1972, the parts bill came to $125 from Cooper’s Cycle Ranch, one of the early and best known East Coast Honda and Triumph dealers). Getting the Scrambler sorted took some doing, as the engine was frozen, it needed a top end overhaul, it had compression issues, and getting the timing right was a challenge. But Jerry prevailed, and the bike has been a Pine Barrens staple for five decades now.
Jerry shared with me that he plans to leave his Honda Scrambler to his son and grandson. I think that’s a magnificent gesture.
Jerry on his Scrambler at the end of a great day on the road.Jerry and his Scrambler were featured on the cover of the Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club’s magazine about 4 years ago.
Our ride in the Pine Barrens was most enjoyable. It’s amazing how little traffic there is in the Pines, an unusual situation for me. As a son of New Jersey, riding with no traffic in the nation’s most densely populated state was a new experience. But there’s a lot of land down there in the Pine Barrens (the area was a featured spot for dumping bodies on The Sopranos, and that probably wasn’t just a figment of some screenwriter’s imagination). Riding into the Pines (where we saw few other motorcycles and almost no cars), we made our first stop in Chatsworth. Chatsworth is an old Pine Barrens wide spot in the road with only a few buildings and a roadside eatery with no seating. You buy a soda and a dog (of either the hot or brat variety), find a seat on one of the roadside benches, and chat with other riders. It was different and much more fun than what I remembered New Jersey riding to be, but I had never ridden the Pines before. The locals told me it’s always been like this.
From Chatsworth, it was on to Lucille’s Country Diner, a popular Pine Barrens roadhouse more like a California motorcycle stop than a New Jersey diner. Lucille’s is known for its pies, and (trust me on this) they’re awesome. We parked under a carved, presumably life-sized Jersey Devil statue. I’d heard of the Jersey Devil when I was a kid (it’s a New Jersey thing; think of it as a cross between Bigfoot and Lucifer and you’ll understand). We didn’t see the Jersey Devil lurking out there in the pine trees on this ride, but who knows? Maybe he saw us. As a New Jersey native, I know this: Anything’s possible in the Garden State.
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John Denver got it right: Almost Heaven, West Virginia. Hold that thought. Let the music play in your mind as you read this blog.
I think I found the best place in America for motorcycling. I could be wrong, but if you like twisties, if you like impressive views, if you like points of interest, and if you like good food, West Virginia (and in particular, the roads around Moundsville) is where you want to be.
A view from the top of the mound. That bridge spans the Ohio River, and that’s Ohio on the other side.
Moundsville is named after the huge mound that dominates the town (it’s what you see in the photo at the top of this blog). It was only in the 1800s when the person who owned the land surmised that it was an ancient burial mound (there were several in the area). The Native Americans who lived and then disappeared in this region were named (by us, not by themselves) as the Adena people, and it is now known that the mounds predate Christ. There’s an interesting museum next to the mound, and it is an easy place to spend an hour or two. The mound and the museum are free, and if you’re feeling up to it, there’s a circular stone stairway that takes you to the top of the mound (I made the climb, so if I can do it you probably can, too).
Susie on the way to the top of the mound.The Grave Creek Mound Archeological Complex Museum. It’s a very nice museum.A prehistoric mastodon in the museum.
Across the street from the mound is another treasure, and that’s the West Virginia State Penintentiary. It was used for well over a hundred years, but it closed in 1996. The West Virginia Supreme Court closed the place because it was inhumane. The good news is that there’s a modestly priced, 90-minute, guided walking tour. It’s a must-do sort of thing (in my opinion) and we thorougly enjoyed it. This is a place with a horrifying history (it was consistently one of the most violent prisons in America), and our guide (Tina) made it come alive for us.
The West Virginia State Penitentiary. Take the tour; it’s well worth the price of admission.Yep. Nine people. Another 85 went via the gallows. The West Virginia Penintentiary used to hold public executions and charge admission. One condemned guy in one of these public executions had the trap spring open before the executioner slipped the noose around his neck. He dropped 25 feet straight down, breaking numerous bones. Undeterred, the staff strapped him to a stretcher, hauled him back up the gallows steps, and hung him while he was still on the stretcher. “Don’t worry ab0ut the pain,” they are reported to have told him. “In five minutes, you won’t feel a thing.”A typical cell. It’s 5 feet by 7 feet. It housed three inmates.A cell in the isolation wing that housed a gang leader. He didn’t have to share his cell, but he spent 23 hours a day here.One of the cell blocks.
One of the most intriguing aspects of our prison visit was the woman who works in the gift shop. She lived in the prison for many years. No, she wasn’t an inmate. She was the warden’s wife. We had a very nice (and interesting) conversation with her.
One last stop on this most interesting West Virginia day was the Palace of Gold. If you’re old enough to remember the Hare Krishna crowd (the folks who used to hawk their books in airports), this West Virginia enclave is Command Central for them. The 30-minute tour was inexpensive and there were lots of photo ops. It’s not for everyone, but I enjoyed it.
The path from the gate to the palace.The entrance. It’s hard to imagine this being founded in the 1960s in West Virginia, but there it is.One of the hallways in the Palace of Gold.Another photo op in the Palace of Gold.
What I enjoyed even more were the roads to and from the Palace of Gold. Think magnificent twisties and stunning views, and you’ll have a feel for this part of West Virginia. It truly is a stunning area.
US Highway 250 in West Virginia is incredible.Twisties, twisties, and more twisties. If you designed a road specifically for motorcycles, it would look like this.
The best kept secret in Moundsville has to be Bob’s on 3rd Street. It’s in downtown Moundsville and it’s not fancy, but wow, the food is both spectacular and reasonably priced. We tried several different dishes, but the signature dish (named, of course, “the Mound”) is my favorite. It’s a gigantic thick pancake topped with scrambled eggs, hash browns, bacon, cheese and then another thick pancake. Put a little butter on top, pour on a little maple syrup, don’t tell the American Heart Association about it, and you can thank me later. And you will thank me. The open faced turkey sandwich and the open faced roast beef sandwich are great, too. And the pies…all I can say is wow. We tried a slice of the coconut creme and the blackberry pies, and they were awesome.
“The Mound” at Bob’s on Third Street in Moundsville. It was awesome.Coconut creme and blackberry pie. There are many more on the menu. Bob’s is Moundsville’s best-kept secret.
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