Hi all -
Been lurking for the past few days and decided to just do this cheesy corporate style and "break the ice". My name is Marcus and I just relocated to the DC area (Arlington) for work. Moved here from Atlanta where I spent many weekends bonding with my Duc in the north GA Blue Ridge - so I definitely look forward to exploring it from this end too. I ride a 2001 S4 in essential red (sorry...I'm a bit biased!) and can't wait to get her out to see this city, learn the hot spots and best rides, and hopefully meet up with y'all!
Cheers -
Marcus
A Snatch fan huh?
Welcome to the area. There's a good number of other Monster riders in the area and other Ducatisti. A good bit of the CAM gang regularly meets at Rhodeside Grill in the Courthouse section of Arlington. There's also folks in MD and down in Richmond if you feel like stretching your legs.
Also, the official DOC for the area is MAD http://www.mad-ducati.com/
Welcome! As Ian said, a lot of us get together every Wednesday night. I'll be posting up about that tomorrow probably. Hopefully Tim and Justin will be back and will be able to regale us with tales of glory (or at least trailer wag) from the journey and Moto ST racing out in Elkhart Lake, WI. People go riding just about every weekend and you can even find some weekday rides if you want to play hooky. We also maintain an alpha roster so it's easier to find people in your area for rides and wrenching. This group also has good relationships with our local dealers if you find an area of maintenance or repair that goes beyond your skill or inclination.
Welcome. Do come out and meet us at Rhodeside. There is plenty of riding to be had in this area and for sure the No. Ga. Mountains are fantastic, I've ridden many of them in last 4-5 years, but trust me we have our share of good roads within a days drive and VIR is a great track for track days. There is usually a ride going on every weekend. Again Welcome and think about joining MAD. - Gene
Great! Thanks for the info and welcomes. Can't make Rhodeside this week, unfortunately, but I just realized I live just a few blocks away so I will definitely be there soon. And thanks all for the tips on local shops....is it true that I will need to get a safety inspection to register in VA?
Quote from: Franky4Fingers on June 10, 2008, 04:09:58 AM
Great! Thanks for the info and welcomes. Can't make Rhodeside this week, unfortunately, but I just realized I live just a few blocks away so I will definitely be there soon. And thanks all for the tips on local shops....is it true that I will need to get a safety inspection to register in VA?
Every year. So far no emissions on motorcycles though.
Actually, it depends on the person you talk to at the counter, some don't bother asking for the safety inspection. That being said you are risking a hefty fine if you don't have the inspection sticker on your bike, and it's ugly as hell.
The good news is, any official inspection station can do a bike. So all you need to do is go to your local gas station that's got an inspection bay. Or if you want the royal treatment head to the Shell station in Shirlington, right off 395. Since most people just drop there cars there and go get coffee to kill the wait, they are pretty cool about skipping a single bike to the front of the line. Also I go there fairly often and have gotten chatty with the inspections guy, so he's pretty sure to recognize a monster.
If you don't want that nasty sticker stuck to your forks or worse you can snag a metal plate at just about any of the cruiser shops. The one I got is sized for that sticker and drilled so you can mount it - I help mine on w/ a rearset bolt near the passenger peg.
I didn't need an inspection sticker to register my bike, FWIW. However, you do risk it. If a cop is looking for it in particular, you'll get snagged.
Again - thanks for all the great info. I'll play it safe and get the ugly sticker. [bang]
Welcome, see you around town and always wave when you see a Monster.
No inspection is a $30 ticket in VA which translates into $91 once court costs are added. Been riding with a dead sticker for a few weeks now, haven't had time to scrape it off, but like Tim said a cop would need to stop you to see your inspection sticker or lack there of. ;D
Does that include rolling through the occasional checkpoints at a crawling pace? Some mornings at the 267W exit onto Reston Pkwy, there is a [leo] standing just behind or in front of the coin collector between the two lanes.