MotoPhotoFile

My Harley XL1200L

2011-03-29T15:44:00.000-07:00

Here's some pics of my Harley. She's pretty. But she's got to go. :( Selling her.

Only 4658 miles on the ODO

She's pretty skinny from the front. Nice tires too.

Black and white pearl paint job. Kinda hard to find.

Love this profile

A few minor scratches in the clear coat near the tank. Click the image and zoom to see them.

2009-06-26T05:58:00.000-07:00

Skyline Drive thru Shenandoah National Park

I finally went and did it. After about 7 long months of waiting, I rode Skyline Drive through Shenandoah National Park. I had wanted to ride this road since I got here last November, but waited on slightly better weather. Well, after being gone most of the spring, I finally had the time and time off to ride.

So I rolled out of bed, checked the route on Google Maps (thank GOD for Google Maps), chugged two cups of coffee and headed out.

View Larger Map

I hit the road at about 0830. The weather report promised sunshine and warm weather (85 in my town). I dressed accordingly. This means I had my mesh cycleport gear on with a really light-weight tanktop on underneath. Great warm-weather/hot-weather setup. Thought I'd be just fine.

The road to Skyline Dr is nice. I decided to ride North to South because the North entrance is much closer to me than the southern entrance. I hit I66 West and was cruising. I66 is a pretty stretch of highway with nice scenery and, in the direction I was going, little traffic.

I hit Front Royal and was pleasantly surprised to find a nice little town with a RiteAide. I had forgotten my earplugs and was already getting a bit of a headache. I stopped in, grabbed some excedrine and some earplugs and rolled out. I found the entrance to the park and paid my 10 bucks. Seems like a lot for a motorcycle, but the pass is good for 5 or 7 days (can't recall). I didn't ask if this counted toward a camping permit or whatnot - just a thought if you all want to bike camp in the park. All the camps had vacancies. This was a weekday.

First impression as I pulled off from the gate was, "Man 35mph?!?" That's right. The speed limit is all of 35mph throughout the entire 109 mile stretch of park road. Ok. I sorta kept it to 45-50mph. This kept me ahead of all traffic and I was riding alone throughout 90% of the road. Nice. Not one park cop seen.

Second impression as I wound higher up the mountain was, "Man, it's getting chilly. Wish I had brought a flannel." It got chilly up there. My mesh gear is very effective and I was snottin' a bit from chill. The highest point on the road is all of 3600ish feet, but that's high enough that the temperature stayed down at about 60 degrees. Couple this with very shady roads and you've got a chilly ride.

Third impression, ok this was actually my first impression, was "Man, this is beautiful!" Absolutely the best scenery I've ever ridden. The road sorta rides the ridge up the mountain and gives you views of valleys on both sides of the mountain as you ride along.

There are AMPLE pull-offs to stop of take photographs and the bathrooms are spaced about every 40 miles. Not too bad. Besides the scenery, the air itself was perfumed with the scent of wildflowers, damp forest and cut grass. I was getting high from the aroma riding along.

In all, I rode the 109ish miles in almost exactly 3 hours. That's not too shabby with the speed limit and the stops for photographs and potty breaks. I saw a few deer that were ABSOLUTELY too comfortable with people. I also saw 1 black bear on the side of the road but couldn't slow down to take the photo as I had cars behind me at the time. It was just sitting there eating something - prolly a hiker... saw lots of hikers there. I stopped for gas about 10 miles east of the South Park entrance on I64. I did the math and averaged 53.5mpg. Awesome. I still had time so I decided to take the 'back way' home up hwy15 to Culpepper then hwy28 to Manassas and back.

Hwy 15 is a nice little bit of country road but turns into a 4-lane at times and gets trafficky around the towns/cities. Still, as you can see above, pretty nice. Hwy 28 is very trafficky and has a speed limit of 45mph. Booooo. Wont ride that one again. Lots of other backroads in the area that are very rideable and rider-friendly (curvy, light traffic, no cops).

If I had to do it again, I'd go South to North as there are more places to eat on the North end in Front Royal. The South Entrance has a 'town' which consists of a shut-down gas station and a handful of other buildings. Yeah - next time I'm going South to North for sure. Also, I'll be sure to ask about costs for camping and bring some hiking gear. I had a severe craving to hike around a bit... real pretty area.

Reflection...it's a good thing.

2008-06-22T11:54:00.001-07:00

Ok, so I wanted to be more visible at night. Add more light. Expensive and would eat into the reserve 100watts of electrical power I've got to play with. So I decided to order some 3M black reflective stickers. Got them from ebay for a song. 4 stickers measuring 3X8inches. Cut and apply. Pretty simple and the results are quite more than I expected. I didn't waste any of the sticker material. A fifth sheet would have been nice. Can't wait till the sun goes down and I get to take a photo that really shows off the potential of these stickers. Should definitely be visible at night from the sides now. Next week my LEDs come in for the front and rear :) Then I'll really stand out.

Playing in the Redwoods

2008-05-31T11:39:00.000-07:00

Ok, I made it a point to find a no crap dirt road. One would think that this task would be fairly simple. Think again. All the dirt roads around here are either private or gated off. So, I road around and found one. Actually I stumbled upon it about a year ago. At the time I was riding my Kawasaki Nomad and didn't want to risk it. But I vowed one day I'd return.

And I did. This time on my Wee. And what can I say... It was fun. Too short, lasting barely more than 5 miles. It wound down the backside of Mt Madonna and as such was steep and filled with plentiful switchbacks. The surface was loose dirt and gravel on a very solid base. It never rains here so things were dry and dusty. The first inch or so was basically powder. Being a relative dirt virgin, I took it slow. 15-20mph. I felt stable the entire time. It was great.

Next up... I don't know. I really want to find a good long dirt road somewhere. The hunt is on.

The Long Ride Days 2-4

2008-05-05T18:54:00.000-07:00

I decided to combine days 2-4 into one post for times sake and because there wasn't much to say about day 3 or 4.Day 2 started at 0500hrs when the alarm blasted out FM static. I had wanted to get an early start on the day which meant leaving by about 0600hrs. The restaurant in the hotel didn't start serving breakfast until 0630hrs but there was a McDonalds right next door and I figured I'd just grab a breakfast sandwich and go.

After the morning ritual I went out, loaded the bike, and set off towards McD's. Closed. I pulled into the gas station and filled up thinking that perhaps it opened at 0600hrs. I waited 15mins and the place still wasn't open. I settled for a gas station breakfast sandwich for 3 bucks and headed out to my bike. I opened the wrapper and lo and behold, mold. At this point I was seriously regretting my decision not to wait on breakfast in the hotel. It should be noted that Tonopah, NV is a small town and the fact that it had a McD's is a bit of a miracle.As I pulled out of the gas station I saw a sign for a Burger King at the other end of town.

I set off, my stomach grumbling. Five miles later I found the BK which was, thankfully, open. And not only did I finally get breakfast, I also got a show! Sorta like a Gerry Springer episode. The highlight was me overhearing one woman tell her boyfriend/man/maybe husband/coulda been brother say "You're not stupid, you're just misunderstood. You're really a genius. Look at Einstein, he couldn't even tie his own shoes". At this point I left BK not wanting to insult them by laughing.

So off I went into the chill morning air with the bright Nevada sun blaring into my still sleep-filled eyes. I pulled over about 20 minutes later to lubricate the chain (no that's not a metaphor, I really lubed my chain). I also pulled on my fleece jacket as an extra layer of warmth. Again, I was on a 2-lane secondary road and there was absolutely no other living things as far as the eye could see.
At least the skies were pretty. That's one thing the desert southwest has going for it - great sunrises and sunsets.

The roads being long, flat, and boring, I decided to push my speed up about the 80mph mark and ride on. I made great time, obviously, and got to see a lot of free range cattle. Who owns these cows by the way? Anyone know? I'd love to find out. They just wander about apparently and eat what little vegetation there is in Nevada.

This is apparently what's left of Warm Springs, NV.

I hit Caliente, Nevada well before noon. This is a cool little town literally in the middle on nowhere. Of course, that describes all the towns in NV. Makes you wonder how people manage to live there. But Caliente was cool for a middle-of-nowhere town. It was nestled in between some low mountains and there was a small stream flowing. The railroad also made its presence known here. I stopped for gas and got a free cup of coffee when I found out the gas station's credit card machine was broken. Nothing beats free coffee. As I stood around I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned and saw another Vstrom rider (ATGATT of course) who had been riding the canyon lands of Utah and was headed back to Washington. He also likes the color yellow but was riding a blue 1000.

I left Caliente behind and headed off toward St George, UT.
As I wound down into Utah the roads started getting SLIGHTLY more interesting. And, much to my delight, clumps of green grass began appearing on the side of the road. The smell of blooming sage permeated the air. High spirits.

I got into St George at around lunch and stopped for gas. This was the first major town I had seen in about 1000 miles, and the first traffic as well. It felt kind of alien. It was hot so I stripped out the liners of my gear and left St George towards Zion National Park. Getting to Zion was a bit of a pain. I got stuck behind slow moving traffic on some nicely curvy roads. But I finally got there and bought myself the 80 buck national park pass.

I hoped on the shuttle and took the tour of Zion from the passengers seat. Nice and relaxing.

Zion is a fairly impressive place. It is similar to Pinnacles National Monument in CA, only much grander in scale. I'd love to spend a couple of days doing the trails through the park. But my stomach was starting to grumble again and I headed off toward Kanab, UT on the advice of Don VSP and a few others. I had reservations at the Parry Lodge.

I have to admit, Kanab is a cool little town. And the Parry Lodge is excellent. They have a breakfast buffet, half price for guests, which was quite good. For about 70 bucks I got a nice room, the Omar Shariff room, and a great breakfast. The lodge also plays classic movies every night at 8:00 for free. It's sort of kichy, but all the rooms were named after old west movie stars. As stated I had the Omar Shariff room. Anyone else not have a clue who this guy was? I didn't.

I ate dinner at the Houston's Trail End. Delicious country fried steak. The gravy was the best part.
And they've got homemade apple pie which was to die for. Thanks for the tip Don!

Another cool thing to note about Kanab; apparently the Lone Ranger was filmed here. Interesting.

That pretty much concluded day 2. I decided to sleep in till 0600hrs on day 3. Mostly because breakfast didn't start until 0630hrs. I didn't want to miss an all-you-can eat breakfast buffet. And I'm glad I didn't. Excellent food was had. I met the cook, an ex-army man, when I pushed my bike up to the front. Everyone in Kanab had that small-town attitude - friendly and inviting. Wouldn't mind getting back there soon. Really enjoyed my stay. But I had to press on to get to the Grand Canyon.Again, the roads were a bit boring. One highlight was the Glen Canyon Dam.
But before I got there I found a rather neat dinosaur exhibit at a side of the road bureau of land management spot.
Glen Canyon Dam was quite a sight as well. I stopped and took some photos. I walked across the bridge which spans the Colorado river. In all, quite impressive. But I couldn't dwell here long and pressed on hard to hit the connector road which would lead me into the east entrance of the Grand Canyon.

This was actually a nice way to enter the canyon as, in the distance to the north, you could see the beginnings of the canyon itself. I rode into the park and was pleased to see that the speed limit on the road was 45mph. And traffic was light. I should mention that the wind had started building in strength from Glen Canyon Dam and was now getting fairly gusty. I pulled off and took some pictures. I was quite impressed with the overall size and magnitude of the canyon. Much bigger and more awe inspiring than pictures can show.

Along the sides of the road were burnt trees which gave evidence to recent wild fires. I reached the main canyon village area and decided to take a break for lunch, which wasn't much better than cafeteria food, and to take a stroll along the rim of the canyon. Quite nice. Very arid and fairly warm which made me glad I had water with me. I hiked little more than 3 miles and decided I'd had enough. It was getting close to 4pm and I wanted to wind down into Williams to find a room and a meal. Again, the winds just kept getting stronger.

As I left the park I noticed on hell of a big cloud of smoke blotting out the southern skyline. The winds were, at the time, blowing north toward the canyon. My original plan had been to stay overnight in Williams and hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon the next day. By the time I hit Williams I had reconsidered. For two reasons.
1) The winds were terrible at this point with gusts near 40mph and steady at 25-30mph.
2) The fire looked to be heading toward the park itself.

So I pressed on from Williams to Kingman, AZ via old route 66. I didn't even stop in Williams for dinner.
It should be noted now that route 66 is just as boring as all other 2-lane roads in AZ. Straight, flat, and desolate are words to describe this road. But it did have Burmashave signs along the way! The towns, all three that I past, were little more than wastelands. People still lived in these towns, but I don't see how.

I made it to Kingman, AZ hungry and a bit tired from fighting the wind. I found a meal at Denny's and a room, a suite rather, for 65 dollars thanks to military discounts. I set the alarm for early and drifted off to sleep wondering what weather I would be greeted with the following morning.

I rose, dressed, and packed the bike. It was already warm - a balmy 63 degrees at 0630hrs. I stopped into the lobby for some free breakfast and hit the road wearing gear sans liners. The wind was actually worse this morning. Keeping a straight line on the road meant leaning at precarious angles. It didn't help that the wind was coming at me neither head-on nor side-on, but rather somewhere in between. I was getting kicked around like a rag doll. And the temperature was dropping considerably. It was a cold wind. It was at this point that I abandoned my plans for Death Valley.

I decided instead to sprint home as quickly as I could to escape the damn wind. At one point, just as I came into Mojave, CA, I actually got blown off the road. I slowed to a stop and just sat for a time. Just holding the bike upright was a challenge in the wind. But I pressed on and wound up a mountain pass. I did mention it was cooler right? Well by the time I hit the summit I couldn't feel my fingers anymore and every breath was fogging my visor so I couldn't see. I stopped in Tehachapi at a hotel/gas station/restaurant. I decided it was time for lunch, and more importantly - coffee. I sat for an hour and thawed a bit. I called my wife to see what the weather would be like in Bakersfield, CA. She said the temps in Tehachapi were 40 degrees but because of the windchill felt like 30 degrees. Fun. But, a glimmer of hope, she said Bakersfield was at 59 degrees with light winds.

I thawed and rolled on. As promised, the temperatures quickly climbed and the wind subsided to a point although remained quite gusty. I arrived home at 5:00 that evening exhausted from a 10 hour fight with headwinds and side-winds and diagonal winds and every other type of wind you can think of. In total I traveled 1960 miles in 4 days. No record, but not too shabby. The first three days I did a good job of avoiding highways and sticking to secondary roads. I didn't have GPS and I didn't even get lost. The fourth day was nothing buy highway. If I had to do it again, I'd skip the Grand Canyon and spend all my time in Utah.

Taking a long ride...

2008-05-04T08:48:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess its been awhile since I posted a ride. There's good reason for that. It's not that I haven't been riding, I have. It's just that lately I've been riding all the same roads. Having been in Monterey for over a year now, I've pretty much ridden all the day-ride roads around here. With one glaring exception - Jolon Road to Ft. Hunter-Liggett. But I digress.

Having a week off from studies I decided it was high time I left the usual roads behind and headed, well, somewhere. I had a burning desire to return to Oregon. I just love it there. However, the weatherman predicted rain for the entire week. That normally wouldn't deter me. But rain coupled with 50 degree temperatures is enough to make me rethink riding. So, having to abandon my plans for Bandon, OR, I settled on a road trip through the American southwest. The trip, as planned, would take me through four national parks in five days: Yosemite, Zion, Grand Canyon, and Death Valley. Things don't always go as planned.

Day One had me heading out at 0600hrs. I had a desire to hit the road early to get as many miles behind me as I could on the first day. That, and the route for day one had me on twisty two-lane roads most of the day. In fact, I had planned routes to avoid major highways the entire trip. Things were going great. There was little to no wind, the sun was shining, and I was making great time. I hit Mariposa before I knew it. The only thing I forgot to do was to put the beaded seat cover on. It was in the trunk and I was too lazy to put it on the seat. As such, my arse was feeling a bit chapped by this point. I should mention that I was still in full cold-weather gear and the temps had climbed from 50 degrees to around 80 degrees. I slapped the beads on and was instantly happy. I love those things.

Thankfully I found out before I left home that CA-120, the road which bisects Yosemite park from west to east, was still covered with 6-feet of snow and therefore, closed. I had to reroute north to CA-88, a road I had never ridden.
This didn't upset me too terribly as getting to CA-88 involved riding the Little Dragon (CA-49) again.

This is a great stretch of twisty mountain road.

Lotsa fun. And as it turns out, CA-88 is also one beautiful stretch of tarmac. It winds up mountain passes from Jackson, CA toward Lake Tahoe and Nevada. The elevation quickly climbs from about 1000-feet to over 8000-feet at the summit.

Traffic was light, speed limits were high, and the curves would make even knee-draggers crack a smile.

There was also no lack of scenery. There was still snow on both sides of the road above 6500-feet which made for some great photos.

But for every good stretch of road, there are a thousand boring stretches. Or so it seemed. The stretch from Gardnerville, NV to Lee Vining, CA is a rather dull one. There is one exception. Just before you get into Lee Vining, there is a beautiful overlook which gives a top-down view of Mono Lake and the town of Lee Vining, which isn't much more than a gas station.

I stopped here to take picks. The pull-off was all gravel. I parked the bike, deployed the kickstand, and dismounted. And the bike fell over.

Apparently the kickstand hadn't fully deployed. It folded back up and the bike went down. Luckily I felt the bike going and caught it. I'm no hercules, so catching a 400lbs bike isn't something that comes easy for me. But I did manage to ease it down instead of letting it crash down. Still, the tip of the clutch lever snapped off. Just the tip. No other damage. My wide handlebars saved the plastic bits from getting scuffed up. I learned two things: the bike's kickstand really needs a solid kick before dismounting, and the bike is very easy to pick up.

This minor incident didn't spoil my mood. I wound down into Lee Vining and on to CA-120 East. This, as it turns out, is a fun road. I mean it. The VROC has dubbed this the giggle road and now I know why. Think roller-coaster style dips one after another for miles and miles. Couple that with nice twisty bits and virtually no traffic. What you've got is motorcycle euphoria. The scenery wasn't bad either and at the head of the road there was a crater that I might go back to check out the next time I ride out that way.

But the fun ended once I got into Nevada. The road flattened out and straightened out. For miles on end. Even the scenery disappeared. The tallest shrub was no more than 12-inches high. I ramped up my speed, flipped on the Vista-Cruz, and road on to Tonopah, NV which would be my stop for the night. Thankfully I found a room in the Tonopah Station, a Ramada hotel/casino/restaurant. The food in the restaurant was good and the bed was comfortable. Couldn't ask for much more than that.

Officially day one lasted 12 hours and 575 miles. Not bad considering the twisty bits I was riding. I'll post day 2, 3, and 4 soon.

Building my own auto-oiler

2008-02-23T19:17:00.000-08:00

Ok so call me lazy...

But I like the idea of the Scottoiler (Hawkoiler/Pro-Oiler/etc...). These relatively simple devices make life for motorcyclists easier. And that's always good. And, big bonus, they extend chain life and save TIME and MONEY on the 600mile(or less) cleaning routine. But I don't like the price (150.00 to 260.00). And the Loobman was just too damn crude for my liking. I figured if some crud can take 10 bucks worth of parts and put together an auto-oiler, well damnit all, so can I. So I set about it. I'm not done yet but I can give you some ideas what it'll be like when it's done. I studied the pictures of the Loobman, Scottoiler, Hawkoiler, and Pro-oiler. I absolutely had to have a Double-Sided delivery system. I also didn't want to have to squeeze a bottle (or push a button) every so often to keep the chain lubed, I'm forgetful and my chain would suffer. I also didn't want to tear into various PVC valves to build my own vacuum actuated system. Not being good with electronics ruled out putting in a wired pump of any kind.

Thank the low-tech gods and people that care too much about their lawns. I found an inline flow regulator valve that fits perfect into .17ID tubing. It even cuts the flow off completely.
So I then set out to get a Y-connector, something to hold it all together, and some metal to make a bracket (I'm sorry but that Loobman bent wire thing is just WAY too mickey-mouse for my taste) that will attach to the sidearm where spools would plug in (convenient that it's already there and all).

The last thing I needed was a reservoir of some sort. Not having any spare weedwhaker gas tanks around, I went to the pet shop and got a hamster water bottle. 118ml capacity is just over twice that of the Scottoiler standard AND it will fit nicely behind the passenger foot rest with some zip-ties. Added bonus, the .17ID (.25OD) tubing slips snugly up the water spout. Viola, instant gravity fed reservoir.

For 21.00 + 6.00 for gas, I was able to get everything I need. Tomorrow I'll be fabbing the bracket up and bolting it to the bike. The trickiest thing will be getting the flow rate just right. But, once it is set I'll mark the valve so I wont ever have to worry about it again. It's not perfect. But with the on/off flow regulator, I should avoid almost all oil leaking after the bike is parked (I put the valve as close to the Double-Sided delivery head as possible). I also used a spray-bottle straw for the tips (think Windex type spray bottle). The straw is a heavier duty plastic that will hold shape/position alot better than regular PVC tubing. So tuff that it can be heated and shaped. This also makes for easy tip replacement IF I would ever need to.

So, when it's all done I'll post lotsa pics with ride reports to tell you all how its working.

Hi-Rez of my new ride

2008-02-20T17:39:00.003-08:00

Click to make them biggie sized. They're LARGE.

My New '08 VStrom

2008-02-18T16:26:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I finally took pictures of my new beauty. She's still brand new too. Only 132 miles on the ODO. This was my third ride and I was bound and determined to stop and take a few quick picks along the way despite the cold temperatures and the overcast skies. Some of these pictures are in the same spot I photographed my old Nomad in. Just convenient spots for pulling off and fairly picturesque.

It was an exciting day when I walked into the dealership to by the Vstrom (aka WeeStrom). There were three other guys circling the bike when I walked in. One fella was very serious about buying it. However, he thought it was an '07, which shows he doesn't know much about the Vstrom's, and balked when the dealer came back with a quote of 7750.00 OTD. I stuck around and talked with the dealer, who had just started working there and was actually very helpful, and managed to talk him down to 6800.00 OTD.

The dealer said he'd only talk to the manager if I would sign the paperwork at the price. I said, "If you can do 6800.00 OTD, then I'll sign this minute." He walked away and about 10 minutes later he was back with the good news. This was my first new bike and I was quite excited. But I had to wait two full days to pick it up since it was closing time on Saturday - most motorcycle dealer's are closed on Sunday and Monday.

I picked it up Tuesday after work and was in heaven. The dealer was nice enough to throw in a full tank of gas (they even popped the cap to show me it was full). I let the bike warm up till I saw two bars on the temperature gauge and then eased off into traffic. I was instantly impressed with how light the bike was and how well it handled. Coming of a 1500cc Nomad that weighs in at a hefty 900lbs, the 470lbs Vstrom (420lbs without gas), felt lighter than a feather.

I broke the bike in similar to the Motoman method. I know that this is controversial, but what the hell - if it breaks, I'll take it in for warranty service. I didn't redline the bike however. Didn't really come close. Got it to 8000rpm twice in the first 30 miles and only after it was sufficiently warmed up to the task. Changed the oil and filter and took it out again for 46 miles. Adjusted the chain slack, which was way out of spec, and took it out today for about 56 miles.

The bike just gets better each time I ride it. It handles like a dream. The ergos are damn near perfect for me. The seat is comfortable. I don't get helmet buffeting until 80-85mph and even then it is minor. The engine is quick, really quick, and has plenty of passing power at 70mph. And the best thing.... it runs smooth as silk at 75mph. It loves 75mph. Pop the gearbox into 6th and just slip along.

So, in short... I love this bike. I don't know why I didn't buy one sooner. It was on my short list for a few years. Glad I finally got it. My son was with me when I bought it and named it BumbleBee. The name stuck. She's my BumbleBee.

Oh, and by the way, my Nomad is gone. I sold her to a nice gentleman and I'm sure she'll be taken care of.

FOOL ride (with very foolish choices)

2007-08-15T10:53:00.000-07:00

This is what Oregon looks like - HEAVEN

Well, I can now said I've been to Oregon. And I love it. While riding, and observing the miles of pure beauty that is Oregon, I decided that words really couldn't do it justice. And unfortunately I didn't take enough pictures. I'll suffice it to say, I've seen heaven, and it is Oregon.

A stop we made to look at sea lions and the lighthouse there.

The impetus for this little foray 600 miles north of Monterey was a VROC gathering aptly dubbed the FOOL ride. FOOL - Fogies and Old Timers Oregon Loop Ride. I'm neither a fogy nor an old timer however, I was allowed on this ride. And I had a great time. I met some great VROC'rs. I also met the guy that is going to be setting the worlds record for fastest VN2000 at the Bonneville salt flats. I wish him luck.

This is a picture of what will be the world's fastest VN2000. No motor. It was getting 'tweaked'.

So anyhow. The trip itself was a 4-day excursion northward. I started the trip at about 5:30am and headed toward San Jose on Hwy101. I had planned on riding 101 all the way up to Oregon and Coos Bay. It was the most direct route. However, as I neared San Jose I decided to split off toward Hwy 5 to save time. I'm glad I did. Hwy 5 is a super-slab highway, have no doubts, but it was a great ride. I went through some beautiful farm country, then wound up into the mountains before entering Oregon. It was perfect. Got to see Mt Shasta, which is a huge beast of a mountain. Quite a sight to behold.

Mt Shasta from a convenient rest stop. August and SNOW!!

I made it to Medford Oregon at around 2:30pm. I was making great time, enjoying myself, and best of all - I was averaging 43mpg. But I needed to know what road to take to get across to the coast of Oregon. Well, I stopped and asked a gas attendant for directions. He was a great guy. Got a map off the shelf and we started looking at it. He pointed to a road that lead from just north of Medford to Gold Beach on the coast. Great I said. I bought the map and left.

This is NF23 aka Bear Camp Road. Note the lack of ANYTHING on either side.

Boy what a mistake. It turns out that the road he had me take is National Forest Road 23 - aka Bear Camp Road - aka road where James Kim died last winter. I had NO IDEA what I was in for. I should have turned around when I saw the giant red sign warning off people. I should have turned around right then, but I didn't. I kept going.

This is the sign at the start of N.F. 23. I should have turned back.

Again, words can't describe this road. It was horrible. At times the pavement disappeared, fallen off the side of the mountain leaving 1/2 of a 1-lane road. Other times, the pavement turned into gravel with no warning. There were boulders in the road, potholes, and frost heaves. I inched along the roughly 40 miles till I finally saw 2-lanes again. Lesson learned, never trust Oregon gas station attendants.

Other than that, the trip was great. I saw great sights and ate great food. It was far too short. I should have taken an extra day or two to stop in at all the tourist trap gift shops and what not. All said, I think I put about 2000 miles on the bike.

This was along HWY42. Sherm stopped to impart some info on the area.

Oh, and a word to the wise, DO NOT travel Hwy101 south from Eureka, CA to San Francisco. It is a nightmare. Actually, its fine till about 100 miles north of San Francisco. At that point it turns into traffic hell. Much more advisable to cut from Hwy 101 to Hwy 5 at Eureka via Hwy 299. I should have. I didn't. I was hating life for 2 hours from 100 miles north of San Francisco to 20 miles south of San Jose.

This is Sherm "Hooligan". He was our intrepid guide for the trip. He really knows where to find good food. Oh, and he's got the best garage I've ever seen. Nothing but bikes, tools, and trophies. I didn't ask about the trophies. Meant too though.

This is apparently a famous lighthouse. Sits at the mouth of the Umpqua river.

This was a stop at a famous lighthouse. From left to right is Donna, Mario, Sherm, Linda, and Richard.

This is the place I slept for 2 nights. I headed south and stayed in a hotel in Eureka, CA the third night.

Mt Madonna, a journey through mist to light

2007-07-31T20:57:00.000-07:00

I woke this morning with the nagging thoughts from the night prior. I had, quite flippantly, claimed that there is a lack of adequately maintained back roads in California. I drew a comparison to Pennsylvania. You can literally ride all day in Pennsylvania without setting rubber on a 4-lane. It truly is heaven. Well, when I woke, I was determined.

So I set about google maps trying to find side-roads and back-roads in my area. Roads that eventually went somewhere and didn't dead-end or turn into a dirt path. Much to my delight, I found some very good candidate roads. Still couldn't completely avoid 4-lanes. But at least 3/4 of my day would be spent on 2-lane blacktop. Or so I thought.

An aside here. I've got what I call a limited photographic memory. That means, if I stare at something long enough, I got it memorized. It is limited in that sometimes the image fuzzes out in my mind. Really. That's how I remember things. Images. Well, I 'memorized' the route. Missed my first side road. Bummer. Had to ride a ways on Hwy 1 toward Santa Cruz.

But as luck would have it, I noticed a road sign for Elkhorn Slough. I had remembered seeing that on one of the maps. So without any hesitation, I guided my 800 pound cruiser of Hwy 1 and on to adventure.
The first half of the ride was great. I was blasting along a twisting and wriggling canyon road network. Road past fields and farms and the occasional marsh. Saw little towns and ramshackle houses and ramshackle people shuffling about their daily grind. It was heaven, if only for a few minutes.

It seemed like it lasted a minute, but it was closer to an hour. I eventually wound my way out and into Watsonville. Having been here, I didn't slow down or stop for pictures. I just headed for what I had spotted on google maps - a road that wound up the back side of Mt Madonna and on to Gilroy. I could see her, or half of her anyway. The morning on the coast was damp, cool, and low clouds and mist had wrapped themselves around the top of the mountain.

I found the road which would lead me to the top with little difficulty. Quickly I began to realize why google maps didn't highlite this road. In fact, it was completely invisible until you zoomed in quite close. The road itself was just a one lane, if with fairly decent blacktop. Only the occassional frost heave or pot-hole. Thankfully there was a noted lack of gravel in the corners, of which there were many and sharp.

I road on, undaunted, through a thickening forest of towering redwood. The higher I climbed, the more pronounced the mist became until, at times, all scenery except the road was obliterated. Finally, at what I would guess was the 3/4 point up the mountain, I began to see hints of blue sky.

Heaving a sigh of relief in anticipation of warmth and sunlight, I settled into the turns with a vigor. There were no real shoulders on this road. Though with traffic being slight, I found ample opportunities to pull over and snap the occasional photo. At one point, the road ran through a tunnel of redwood. I had to stop and take in the moment. It was quite breathtaking. But I knew I had to press on. My goal was not just the top of the mountain.

According to google, this road lead up and over the mountain and then on into Gilroy. I was looking forward to the downslope. As I crested the summit I came to a stop sign at a convergence of 3 roads. Ahead of me was an unmarked dirt road that, quite obviously, plummetted down the mountain. To the left was a road called summit. To the right, pole line road. I sat for a moment, or two, considering this. The road I was on, Mt Madonna Rd., was supposed to continue on. However, the dirt in front of me was in no way passable as a road for my cruiser. I thought and thought and thought, but unfortunately my 'limited photographic memory' chose that moment to fuzz out. To make matters worse, my trip meter was reading 114 miles. At best, I can get 150 miles before hitting reserve. Then a quick 30 miles and it would be pushing 800lbs up around mountain roads. I was a bit worried.

I turned left onto summit road. About 100 yds later I saw a sign proudly declaring that this was not a through road. Damn. I continued on a bit and was quite surprised to find what could only be described as hippy heaven. I rode past a 'school', and saw the teenage students in the school yard tossing paper airplanes and dancing. I can only assume this was physics class. Or phys ed. Giving up the hopes for a gas station, I pulled a U-turn on this deserted bit of road.

I arrived back at the intersection and pulled over. I took off my gear and walked a bit down the dirt road. The walk didn't do anything to dispel my trepidations about bounding down it on my Nomad. In fact, the entire road had a rather eery and other-worldly feel to it. I didn't take a picture of it, but at the entrance to the dirt road stood the most gnarled and twisted old coniferous tree I'd ever seen. It was hung about with abandoned spider webs and mist blowing up from the valley. From somewhere in the distance a lone crow called out over and over.

I returned to my bike and breathed a bit. At least it was sunny. A few minutes passed and a car, one of the few I saw up there, pulled up. Inside were two teenagers smoking a joint. A small dog peaked around from the backseat. I asked where Pole Line Rd headed to. They didn't know. When asked where I wanted to go, I replied Gilroy. They pointed down the dirt road. That way, they proudly declared. Thanks I said, and waited for them to drive off.

Faced with the unknown before me and little gas, I decided to turn back the way I had come. Not what I wanted to do, but given the circumstances, it was the only choice. I returned home and, after warming myself with some coffee, checked google for Pole Line Rd. Sure enough, it cut across to the main road around Mt Madonna, Hwy 152. Had I gone 5 miles, I would have hit a main artery across the mountain and arrived at my intended destination for the day within 20 minutes. Ah well. Next time maybe. At least I was able to have a bit of adventure.

Till next time.

San Juan Grade Rd

2007-07-27T10:55:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

Well I got around to riding San Juan Grade Rd again. This time with a camera and solo. Two weeks ago I attempted to ride this road with some friends. Approached its southern start point and saw some cops and city workers standing about with a road closed sign barring my way. I asked what the problem was. Turns out some crime had taken place up the road and it was closed for investigation. Damn.

So yesterday, lacking anything better to do, I suited up and headed out to this one-of-a-kind road. I have to admit, this time around it wasn't quite as impressive as the first run. For starters, there seemed to be a good bit more bumps than the list time I went through. And the weather just wasn't being nice.

Typical west coast, cool and cloudy. Ah well. I enjoyed the heck out of it anyway. Didn't get too many good pictures because of the clouds and haze. Also gotta admit, with this area being in drought mode, wasn't much green to see.

For those of you who don't know about San Juan Grade Rd, I've got an earlier post that covers it in great detail. To sum up, its a short bit of goat-trail that runs between Salinas and San Juan Bautista. Long ago forgotten by the government of California, it has fallen into disrepair. But it's a bit of a blast for a short ride. Great twisties if a tad too bumpy. Would be great for a dual-sport like a VStrom or KLR650.

The Heart of California Ride

2007-07-10T20:27:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know what you're thinking. Well, maybe I don't. But I can guess that a random picture of a map raises some questions.

The above map represents my next adventure. At least, that's the hope. In my life, plans never seem to come to fruition. Other, weaker-willed individuals might give up even trying to plan under such circumstances. Not me. I'm too stubborn for that. Every time an idea or a plan gets shot down or 'indefinitely postponed' due to life, I just come up with something new.

This is my newest plan. It has me covering roughly 1000 miles in three days. I'd be visiting Yosemite National Park, seeing Mt Whitney, riding through portions of Death Valley, visiting Red Rocks State Park, crossing two mountain ranges - two times, traveling through a myriad of climate zones, and running the most scenic portion of the road most have deemed the most scenic in the country - Highway 1. It will be me, my bike, and the road.

A motorcyclist could not dream of a more ideal excursion. Well, perhaps that might be overstating things a bit. After all, there's still Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America to consider. Those dreams will have to wait until I retire or hit the lottery. For now, this will be my dream ride.

There may be others that join me for parts or all of the journey. Then again, I might be alone on these roads. Expect a full ride report, with a plethora of pictures. This ride is still four weeks off and a lot can change in that time, but I have faith this ride, this dream, will become a reality.

Some of the roads I'll be covering are written about on the famous Pashnit.com website. If you get the chance, surf by there and do some reading. It really is a great site. I've yet to become a paying member, but will eventually. Here's some links to writeups about the roads I'll be on.

Highway 120 through Yosemite National Park. Thank goodness there's a gas station halfway through the park. If not I don't think my bike would make it the 150miles from one side to the other.
http://www.pashnit.com/roads/cal/Highway120.htm

Here's a writeup on hwy 395

http://www.viamagazine.com/top_stories/articles/eastside_story05.asp

Of course hwy 1 don't need no introduction. And the ride up to Coulterville is mostly mundane till you hit hwy 49:

http://www.pashnit.com/roads/cal/Hwy49Dragon.htm

And lets not forget California State Route 58 (has an entire book written about it apparently)

Link.

here's a link to the Google route. Pay no attention to the start, stop, and pause locations.

Map.

Heck, I could even throw in links for all the tourist traps I'll be sure to stop at, but I've got to save something for the ride report don't I? If anyone reading this has suggestions for good food stops along the way, feel free to let me know. The only thing I love more than my family, motorcycle, and dog, is food.

Till then.

Oh yeah... I call it the "Heart of California Ride" because if you squint at the map, it sorta looks like a heart. That and it covers the entire midsection of California.

Hwy 25 Trip

2007-06-24T14:16:00.000-07:00

This morning my wife, almost immediately after getting out of bed, suggested that I go for a ride. She must have been reading my mind. That was my first thought this morning as well. It was a typical California summer morning. The sky was blue, truly lacking in clouds, and here on the peninsula it was already a balmy 58 at 8 O'clock. So, taking my wife's advice, I grabbed my jacket and helmet and slipped out the door.

Now I had no real idea which direction I wanted to go. My first thought was south on Hwy 1 through Big Sur. Eh, it was still a little chilly and I had removed my windshield. North and east then toward warmer weather. But where and which roads? I sorta didn't decide until I stopped to fill up and take a leak in Hollister. One part of me wanted to head off on Hwy152 east toward Los Banos. The other part of me was crying for new territory. The later won.

I swung onto my seat, thumbed the starter, and cruised south out of Hollister on Hwy 25. I'd been on bits of this road before. Twice as far down as the junction with J1 (Panoche Pass) and once to Tres Pinos. So, in essence, it was a new road for me. Leaving Hollister behind I noted a sign in Tres Pinos reading last service for 76 miles. I smiled. Exactly what I was looking for.

As I settled into the road I felt about a months worth of stress melting away. I was alone flying down this beautiful piece of California two-lane. At times it was bumpy. There were a few surprise turns thrown in. But in all, it was a great ride. Twisty enough that I did pass a few rocketeers out having a blast. As stated, I was pretty much alone on the road. Maybe saw 20 other vehicles total.
The entire time that I was riding down Hwy 25 I could get over the feelings of De Ja Vu. Something about this road felt so familiar. And then it hit me. This road was so similar to the back roads of Pennsylvania that, had there been more green along the way, I could easily have thought I had been transported there. The road, Hwy 25, runs along a narrow bit of valley which is alot more like a long shallow canyon. The road heaved and twisted its way over, around, and through the gently rolling hills. I zipped past almost all types of farm that I could imagine. There was a stretch that had me staring at the vast fields of grape vine before plunging me back into a labyrinth of twists and turns. I was so enthralled with the ride that I didn't want to stop and take pictures. Not that there was anything like a shoulder to pull off on anyway.

Whereas this was a new-to-me road, I had looked at it longingly in the past on various maps. I knew that somewhere along the way, south of Pinnacles National Monument, there was a road that cut off west toward King City. When I saw the sign for King City, I didn't hesitate. I turned off and kept smiling. I don't recall the name of the road that leads from Hwy 25 to King City. It's really not important. What is important is that it too was a load of fun with lovely views.

I whipped into King City knowing vaguely that Hwy 101 passed by it somewhere. I didn't know where. This lead to an interesting tour of the housing communities of the town. Nice place. Passed three or four large parks where kids were playing soccer. Almost stopped to watch a game, then caught sight of the highway.

Pulling onto to the highway I was greeted with a full on gale force blast of wind. Not having a windshield, and riding 75mph into a strong headwind was not my idea of a good time. Ten miles north I pulled off Hwy101 and found my way to G17 (River Road) and headed home. It was a great ride. I felt a bit sore in the wrists and back but completely at peace. There is just nothing as therapeutic as riding a bike.

Anyhow, till next time...

Fork It

2007-06-09T18:45:00.000-07:00

"FORK IT," I said to myself while Cranky and I struggled to remove the stubborn ass caps from the forks. Didn't have a 17mm hex wrench so thought I'd be smart and try the 17mm bolt trick on Gadgets FixIt site. Short story long....very long

I, being the cheap and adventurous guy that I am, decided that I could do a fork oil change on my own. This seems simple enough. A fork oil change typically isn't that hard. But on the 2001 Vulcan Nomad FI, the forks have a cartridge type suspension. Piss. Extra work. "Who needs a dealer," I asked myself.

In reality, I thought I could do a fork oil change with the help of a friend. Luckily for me, there was a fellow VROC'er close by who agreed to ride down and lend me a hand. He was even nice enough to bring beer and a torque wrench. Both proved invaluable. So, armed to the teeth with tools and knowledge, I set about tearing my bike's front end off.

It should be noted that Japanese bikes are built by oompaloompas with teeny tiny hands. Some of the bolts that had to be removed were in areas that no man should have to go. But, sheer stupid determination paid off. I managed, with some amount of cursing and sweat, to get my front end torn apart. Phew!

Then I remembered the caps in the fork tubes. The ones that need to be removed to get the oil out. Those damn buggers, the caps in the forks, wouldn't budge for nothin. We grunted and groaned to no avail and thought that we were done at that point. It was a pain in the arse just trying to get the 17mm bolt trick to work (which it doesn't ... really). We stood up, took a breath and were about to give in and do some cruising for a 17mm hex wrench.

Pissed a bit, I walked next door to tell my wife, she was at the neighbor's garage sale, that I'd be taking the car. Neighbor asks "Whatcha need" I spilled out the saga and told him I needed a 17mm hex wrench or 17mm socket with hex head. "Hold on," he says, "I might have that."

Now this is the neighbor that I've lived next to for about 8 months now. He rides Harley's. We ride together and belong to the same bike club. His car is American made. He also doesn't do much of his own maintenance, preferring trained mechanics to do it for him. Can't say I blame him. Anyway, I never would have thought that he would have a 17mm hex socket. Sure as the sky is blue, he walked back with one in hand. Actually, quite amusingly, he walked out with a full set of metric hex-head sockets. He said he didn't know what size they were, but Cranky and I saw right away that the one on the end, the biggest one, was 17mm.

Felt like breaking out the celebratory beer right then and there. But didn't. And glad I didn't. Cranky and I walked the 15ft back to my garage and proceeded, with quite a bit of brute force, to twist those caps out. Seems that they may have been loctited in place by a former owner or stupid mechanic. Ah well, they came out.

That's the long story. Moral is.. always have the right tool. In the end Cranky and I got the fork oil changed. Wasn't a damn thing easy about it really. Not mechanically difficult, just a pain in the ass. Really. Budget 5-6 hours for this one.

Some things I learned while doing it. (This will make sense if you've done a fork oil change or read Gadgets FixIt instructions page)

1) It's easier to take the fender off, and put it back, with the wheel off. This was learned in hind-sight.
2) There is absolutely no way to take the fork caps off without a 17mm hex wrench or socket w/hex. Don't even try a 17mm head bolt (the actual bolt size was M10 1.5). An inch long 17mm hex nut would work like magic though(M10 not actually 17mm - a nut that will fit into a 17mm socket.. hope that makes sense to you)
3) The door handle remover tool doesn't work for compressing the spring. It is too flimsy.
4) You don't need a spring compression tool at all. Just an extra set of hands. You can get the 14mm wrench on the 'holder nut' through the spring without compressing it. One twist and then I could hand remove the top cap. Had to squish the spring down by hand while Cranky reattached the top cap. This isn't too hard, you only need to compress it an inch or so.
5) Use 'picture hanging wire' to tie under the 'holder nut' on the piston rod. This allows you easy retrieval when it slips down into the tube and is easy to work around (and can be left in place until the top cap is tightened back into place). Needle nose pliers or medical forceps are needed to untie it.
6) Removing the spring to pump the piston rod up and down to 'remove all the old fluid' doesn't really remove much more than just tipping the fork upside down. I'd say insignificantly more. Your results may vary.
7) Anyone can do this with help from a friend and the right tools. Can't stress that enough.
8) When you take off the steering stem nut (the 36mm chrome one) there's a washer. This can be a bugger. Get something thin and strong to jar it a bit and then wiggle it up. Under this washer is an O-Ring. Don't even THINK about trying to remove the upper triple tree without removing this O-ring.

That's it. That is the end of my fork oil saga. I started with bike disassembly at around 8:00am and went about it slowly, methodically. I ensured that all parts that came off were organized so that they'd go back on, in the right order, easily. Another 15,000 and I'll do it again. And not a second before.

Next maintenance... coolant system flush. WOOOHOOO.

Sunday Ride

2007-05-06T21:13:00.000-07:00

Well, I don't have any pictures of it, and I was tempted not to post on this ride but, I finally got the wife on the back of the bike. This is only her third time riding behind me on my Nomad. She gets nervous. So, I thought I'd take it easy on her. Just a short 1-hour jaunt up to Casa de Fruita outside of Hollister, CA. If you've never been, make the trip. It's well worth it.

Casa de Fruita is amazing. They've got several different buildings, each of which houses a different selection of things for you to blow your money on. They've got a very impressive fruit stand with an enormous selection of 'home-made' jams, syrups, sauces, and wines. Then there is the restaurant, the House of Sweets, the House of Wines, and others I can't recall. There is a mini train ride for the kids as well as a double decker merry-go-round. In all, a thoroughly impressive place. We ate at the restaurant and the fare was fair. Not bad by any means. Not stellar. However, the pies, which we didn't save room for, looked tremendous. The place even has an RV park, fuel station, and is open 24-hours. The perfect stopping point during any journey you happen to find yourself on.

Enough shameless promotion. The roads. The road I chose is called San Juan Grade Rd. It runs from Salinas to San Juan Batista. I believe I saw a sign indicating that, at one point, it might have been called G1. However, this road has long since been forgotten. It is a good 2-lane road from Salinas until it intersects with Crazy Horse Cyn. At this point it turns from 2-lane into 1-lane and the pavement gets, well, choppy. Fortunately, although the pavement was rough, there was an amazing lack of potholes. I didn't care. I had expected this anyway after looking at a satellite view of the road. Passing the above mentioned intersection, the bike, my wife, and I plunged into some of the most picturesque California landscape I've ever seen. And the best part about this ride is that I was going slow enough to see some of it.

The road, clearly laid down in the earlier half of the last century, snaked its way over rolling hills, climbing and winding ever higher as we traversed what was once probably a goat path through the mountains. At points along the way there were significant drop-offs as the road clung to the sides of steep hills. Each new turn in the road brought a new and grand panorama into view. There were deep valleys and towering mountains. vast fields cleared for grazing and some planted with a variety of crops. At points the farmland disappeared and we were riding through what could best be described as California wilderness.

The fragrance of the myriad wildflowers growing beside the road filled our heads as we swept along at a stately 35mph. Could we have gone faster, yes. Would it have been as fun, not nearly. The whole idea behind this trip was to see the country side and that is exactly what we did. We saw it, heard it, and smelled it. And at one point, with my visor clicked open for ventilation, I tasted it. Going at a parade pace also helped with the uneven pavement. And just as soon as I had settled into the rhythm of the road, it was over.

We rounded a sharp left with a switchback to the right as we crested the mountain pass. There before us, and well below, lay the farming community of San Juan Batista. It was quite breathtaking. We trundled the remaining two miles or so down the mountain and across the short distance to Hwy 156. From there we continued east to Casa de Fruita located just a smidgen past the junction of 156 and 152. But this highway riding was a bore compared to the lovely twisty piece of concrete slab we had just shimmied and jounced down.

Next time I take this road I will endeavour to take a few snapshots however, in most places there was no shoulder so doing this might become an adventure in and of itself. Till then.

Poker Run

2007-04-21T19:43:00.000-07:00

Well, where to begin. Today was the Poker Run. This little shindig here in Central California raised money for spinal chord patients at the Veteran's Hospital. Good cause. I can't even begin to give a good estimate as far as turn-out is concerned, but there were well over one-hundred bikes present. The BIAMC (Brother in Arms MC) had a good showing with 5 bikes. Attendees: Deuce, Gypsy, Biscuit, Radar, Otter, Rainbow, Hobo, Steve and Becky (a new couple that are thinking about joining). Skittles couldn't make it. Neither could Omar (I hope I spelled that right - just met him Friday and he's also thinking of joining). And yes, I've maid it into another picture - a bystander was nice enough to snap this shot off. The blue sky didn't last long.

We met the other riders for the Poker Run in the parking lot of the Prunedale American Legion. The parking lot was packed and folks were stacking bikes wherever there was room. Kind of chaotic, but somehow we figured it out and got our kickstands down.

After drawing my first card, a nine of hearts, we kibitzed with some folks and waited for kick-off. The kick-off, as it turned out, was more of a slow roll out. Folks just started mounting up and heading off. Others followed suit. We decided to go along, and off we went.

Now I'll put my two complaints here. The weather was terrible. It was overcast and there was more than just a little chill in the air. Despite one thermometer reading of 59 degrees, it felt much cooler. Second complaint, the stops were too close together. Between stops 1 and 2, and 2 and 3, we rode a maximum of ten minutes. Stop 4 was a good 30 minute jaunt across Hwy 129 from Watsonville to Hwy 101 and on to Tres Pinos on Hwy 25 south of Hollister. Not bad, except we got stuck behind a slow moving panel-truck on Hwy 129, an otherwise fun and mildly twisty road. That being said, I still managed to have a good time.

In all I pulled a lousy hand. I had nothing 9-high. And this wasn't the worst hand. Someone else had a nothing 7-high and won the low-hand. Ah well. I've never had any luck with cards. Or gambling for that matter. And therefore, I don't. However, one from our group of riders - Radar - did get lucky. She won the raffle at stop 4 and got a crisp 100 dollar bill. Lucky gal. She even called it. As we sat down at our table on the patio of the Tres Pinos cantina equipped with our free chips and salsa, she confidently declared, "I'm going to win." Well win she did.

There was a pack ride from Tres Pinos back to Prunedale, of which we did not take part. Not so much by choice as bad timing. The leader of the pack said lets go, and I guess he really meant it. The pack was long gone by the time we got to our bikes, geared up, and rolled out. And this was a mere 5 minutes after the announcement to mount up. We cruised along in our own pack and made good time. Back in Prunedale we had to park in the dirt on the hill above the American Legion Parking lot. Getting up there was an adventure in and of itself. Poor Biscuit had a back-up competition with a woman on a Sporty. Biscuit gave in and found someplace else to park. We turned in our 'score-cards', found out we didn't win, and went in search of food. The fare was fair. Barbecued chicken, chili, 'salad', and a roll. In all, not bad and very filling.

At least I think it was chicken.

I didn't stick around long after the meal. The weather was turning cooler and my back was telling me rain was imminent. I saddled up and, with Steve and Becky in tow, headed back down Hwy 1 to Fort Ord. Actually, I left before them thinking they lived somewhere other than Fort Ord. But, I missed the turn-off onto Hwy-156 East and had to do a U-Turn. At the intersection for the turn I had blown by, we met up and rolled on. I guess Steve's Roadstar doesn't have much in the way of ground clearance because he was dragging his floorboard quite a bit today. At one point I think I saw sparks in my mirror.

The ride was good, if short. The weather was, well, bearable. The experience was, of course, invaluable. Till next time.

Carmel Valley Ride - Solo Trip

2007-04-12T09:22:00.000-07:00

Well I got new rubber at a local shop called -- well I forget what it's called at the moment, but its a small little customization/mechanics shop. Not a chain stealership. Guy was really nice, named Billy or Bill. He knocked the price down on the tires, and gave me an all round good deal. Anyhow, that's not terribly important. To break in the tires I decided to cruise one of my favorite California roads -- G16 or Carmel Valley Road as it is called. 2 ways to get there. Down Hwy 1 south from Monterey - or - Hwy 68 east to River Road (G17). Follow River Rd south until you sorta run into G16. Easy little ride down River Road... a few turns that come at you by surprise. Gotta be paying attention as G17 turns off River Road and follows a different road. Easy to miss the turn off.

Carmel Valley Road itself (G16) is phenomenal. No other way to describe it. The pavement is OUTSTANDING with few potholes or bumps. Gravel and sand are pretty much a non-factor. AND it is twistier n' hell. Lotsa lotsa lotsa twisties. I pretty much stay in 3rd gear with trips down to 2nd for some real sharp (and blind) turns. At points the road becomes narrow - be careful around the blind turns as cars will NOT be on their side of the road. I ride close to the inside edge to avoid head-on collisions.

In all, Carmel Valley Road is 46 miles long and has some of the best vistas in California. Couple that with the nearly perfect pavement and you've got one hell of a nice place to play. Again, I didn't take nearly enough pictures to do it justice. I promised my SO that I'd meet her at the Tin Bar shopping area in Carmel at high noon. I made it on time.

And I only scraped floorboard once. :) Enjoy the pics.

No photo retouching here folks. Just pure purty chrome. Is there anything prettier n' chrome shinin' in the sun? Is there? By the way, it takes me about 3 hours to fully clean and shine it. My fingers, my poor poor fingers.

Trying to find a picture that captures the spirit of this road is tough. Most of the road disappears to quickly around the numerous twisties to get a good view of it. Anyway, I think this picture sums it up kinda nice... biker heaven. This is on G16 before it really drops INTO
the valley. Once you get in the valley the road runs along miles of tree-lined ravine. It's gorgeous. Pics of that below.

This aint exactly the tree-lined ravine I was taking about. Apparently I didn't get a good picture of that area... I seem to remember not having a place to pull off. Next time I'll go a bit slower and find a good shot. This is somewhere along G-16.

This is a bit closer to what the 'tree-lined' ravine looks like... still not it... closer though. A note.. if you take this road early in the morning (before noon say) travel East to West otherwise the sun will be in your eyes constantly. This is of course a dangerous situation for riding. Same goes for riding this road in the afternoon/evening - West to East. I learned the hard way the first time.

Just real pretty scenery out here. This was about 1/4 into G-16 if I remember correctly.

Again, this picture doesn't quite capture the spirit of the road... but maybe it gives you a clue. :) Ahh fun ahead.

Well that's it for now. Wish I had gotten some better shots, but I was rushed for time. Hope to pass you out on this road sometime. You'll no its me when you see a guy in a yellow and black jacket riding this purple and silver nomad (I'm color blind, your results may vary).

Panoche Pass Ride

2007-04-07T21:49:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics from Panoche Pass (California J1) from last weekend. Only a few. I'm going to have to remember to slow down and take more pictures along the way. Anyhow, pic above is at the small general store/post office at the start of Panoche Pass. Love the hand-painted sign. Backwoods here we come!

Here are some more pics. Enjoy. The rest are from the Panoche Inn. I really shoulda stopped more, but was into the ride too much. I might ride it again for better photos. Stress might. That road was terrible. In this picture I couldn't quite get the sign to hold still. It said population 8 + 3 dogs. I met all three dogs.

Me and a bud decided to cool our heels here. We missed it and had to turn around on a road no wider than 16 feet. I was having troubles. Apparently my bike weighs a good 100lbs more than the Road King.

This is what I call remote. Panoche Pass starts out green and lush on the west side and turns into high desert on the east. As you can see, that is one NARROW road. And this particular stretch was the best paved. Pretty aint it.

Another view of the road. Enhances the 'middle of nowhere' feeling. I personally love the donut peel-out. Perfect circle. How do those crotchety riders do that stuff?

And the last Panoche pic. That aint my rubber. But I was tempted.

Ride to Alice's Restaraunt

2007-03-17T23:26:00.000-07:00

This was the kickoff to our Alice's ride. It was chilly. Hence the chaps. That's Chris wondering what Jamie is doing. It was a good ride all in all. We even had a new member ride along with us. Funny, we saw a 250cc Honda Rebel pull into the gas station we met at. We said, "Nope, she can't be with us" -- she was. She, aka Skittles, did a fine job keeping up. She makes an appearance in another photo further on. The ride woulda lasted alot SHORTER had one of our crew not stopped at a Harley dealership in Santa Cruz. Long story short -- 2 people in our group ended up with new bikes that day. (well, technically about 3-5 days later). The weather was nice enough, especially after we pulled out off the coast and began winding up Skyline Rd.
This also happened to be the ride we watched a rider bite it hard coming around a curve to fast. Locked his rear tire, let it go, caught traction, highsided. He was fine. Bike was toast. We were all a bit shaky for having witnessed a rather horrific bike accident. Dude's bike flipped a few times and he slid a good 50 feet. Lucky bugger got up and was just fine.

2007-03-17T23:19:00.000-07:00

HEY! Its Skittles! She upgraded from her 250 rebel to a Sporty. She wants to paint it pink. And get pink LEDs. This was a stop halfway up the mountain outta Santa Cruz. It was Pretty. The road surface was BEAUTIFUL. I wish all 2-lane roads were paved as good as this one was. It was windy enough to put a grin on any Crotchety riders face as well. Traffic was a bit heavy. And there were LOTSA crotchety riders out there. Some quite inconsiderate.

2007-03-17T23:18:00.000-07:00

Just real pretty up here. Now I see why people like California. People like me anyway that hate beaches, big cities, and towns full of rich snoots who sit around talking about wine and yachts.

2007-03-17T23:17:00.000-07:00

The whole gang. Minus me and Chris' SO who was also taking pictures (Shoot me but I can't remember her name right now, I'm so bad with names).

2007-03-17T23:15:00.000-07:00

This was us at Alice's Restaurant. The food was GREAT! Garlic Fries to die for. That is, once I got my food. I specifically didn't order the Hog burger, I wanted the Harley. They brought me the Hog with Avocado. Blech! Had to send it back. Then got to wait whilst the others munched away. Skittles got a sprout sandwich. Sprouts and bread. mmmm. My burger had sausage, bacon, hamburger, 2 cheeses, extra mayo. Now that's good eating. Next time I'll take a snapshot of my food.

C-17 Ride to Kings City

2007-03-03T14:59:00.000-08:00

This was a short ride but it was nice. Just a small group out enjoying a road which has some nice turns and little traffic.

2007-03-03T14:58:00.000-08:00

A road side stop with a nice view

2007-03-03T14:57:00.000-08:00

As you can see, a mixed bunch of bikes.

2007-03-03T14:56:00.000-08:00

This was the end of the ride. That's actually me standing next to my Nomad. Probably the only pic you'll see me in.

2007-03-03T14:55:00.000-08:00

A better view of that bridge. It's the same view I had whilst taking a wee on those bushes in the bottom left corner. Coffee. Love it. Hate the tiny bladder.

2007-03-03T14:54:00.000-08:00

Another angle on the bikes.

2007-03-03T14:53:00.000-08:00

Deuce, Steph, Chris, and Chris. This was the end of the C-17 ride down at Kings City. Chris (yellow/black jacket) and I headed back up toward Monterey whilst Deuce (aka Pres aka Jamie), Steph, and Chris (denim), headed further south. It was a good but short ride.