Just Another Day!

Today ROCKED!!

I got to see a few things and experience nothing but awesome weather the whole way.

Above is a screen shot of my just over 600-mile day.

I am know just a few hours away from my Mother's house and then I'll be taking a lot more time to take some shots of all the cool roads I remember as a kid.

Time to sleep now, but after I am rested it is off to Salem, Ohio!

Snug As A Bug

Today went much better than yesterday. The storm front that I dealt
with for half of the day yesterday finally disapated and it was smooth
sailing. I made up the time I needed to make up and I'm right back on
schedule.

My bike had some interesting company last night and should be a lot
happier tonight all locked up and covered under the watchful eye of
Big Brother.

Wind, Rain & The Fear of God

Well, I had to stop and take refuge at a rest stop just West of Santa
Rosa after near 75 MPH gusts made me chilly. Cold is one thing, but
cold and wet is bad!

It Begins!

Well, I am off and running and so far so good. I have just over 400
miles so far today and want to get a little further East.

The sky ahead looks dark, so it may be time to get wet. I had bird
near miss and 2 dogs in the middle of US40, so the ride is already
interesting!

Time for lunch and then back on the bike.

Can You See Me Now!

OK, for those who last saw my bike completely apart here she is back together and freshly washed. For those who have seen my bike before you may notice a new set of lights. I'll talk about them in a couple days, or ask and I will answer on South West Rides.


Yesterday I did get new tires mounted on the wheels and then put them back on the bike. I then cleaned the bottom end of the engine, I did this so that on the road if I have a problem and it is engine related I will be able to tell quickly upon disassembly if there are any fluids leaking as I started from completely clean. I then changed the engine oil and ran the bike through a full heat cycle.

All fluids were checked and then I reassembled the plastics on the bike.

This morning I installed Ride On in the tires. Ride On is a Tire Protection System that also adds dynamic balancing to the tires. I had just run about 1000 miles with it in my last set of tires and have liked it, so I am anxious to see how it does on this ride.

After that installation I took the bike for a 75 mile shake down ride with no issues. Back home I washed her and now she sits in the garage, ready to be loaded.

One more day which is devoted to packing and then the journey begins. I will be posting details tomorrow on how my trip can be viewed via a shared SPOT tracking page and of course will be updating my progress via my Blog and the occasional Gallery.

Just a Few More Days!

In about 4 days I will be heading out to Ohio. :)

Being that I will be riding just over Four Thousand Miles on my road trip I am making sure that everything is in proper mechanical order and that all of the electronics are operation as expected.

Even though I am not completely through with the current tires I felt to be safe I would get a new set installed, therefore I will be getting those put on tomorrow as well as an oil change.

Then I'll put the bike through a shake down run and I should be ready to go.

The Ride Starts Here

In reality I started the mental preparation for my upcoming ride a few weeks ago, but the physical preparation begins today and in the form of hydration. Yes, more than a week away from my departure date I have begun the task of making sure my body not only has, but can retain enough water for what I am about to undertake. More about that in a minute.

The undertaking is not remarkable for some, but unfathomable by others. I am going to ride from Mesa, AZ to Lisbon, OH the place of my birth and where I grew up. It is a trip Home, both physically and metaphorically in a sense that I will be attending a High School Reunion while I visit Ohio. While the Reunion is not the reason for the trip home, it is a convenient excuse.

I take this trip at a very interesting time due to the upcoming Presidential Election, the Economy and the price of gasoline. The last point may prove to be the most interesting as when I originally planned this trip the economics of the whole deal never figured into why I was doing it, but now it seems my route will be the most economical. I've also been a little ahead of the curve, whether I've wanted to be or not, this seems to be one of those times.

Anyways, back to the water. A lot of people never think about how the management of hydration figures into a long distance motorcycle trip, but to me it is a vital part of getting where I want to get safely. I am not a rider that drinks on the roll, but that may change. I have found in the past when I have liquid readily available I tend to over-drink causing me to need to stop too frequently to relieve myself of the over-hydration.

The lack of hydration over a long period of time leads to fatigue and while on a normal day type ride that fatigue can be easily dealt with on the fourth day of riding over 500 miles it can be dangerous. Paying attention to hydration ranks right up with proper maintenance of ones motorcycle, proper sleep and proper eating habits.

I'll talk about these things while on the road, but as I said...the Ride Starts Here!

Yeah, Shade - WHATEVER!

Well folks, in case anyone was wondering when the nice calm, cool weather we have been having was going to end....its OVER!!

I went today to pick up my Uly in my version of stupid expenditures for the year. Turns out I just needed a new battery after all and that the ones you get for a deal, well they SUCK!

So I rolled out of the Arrowhead HD, up on to the freeway and into a Blast Furnace! No easing into it this year for me, nope nothing but BAM and HOT!

So, get your hydration pack chilled and the wet vests out folks, time to ride North!

Missing From Action

Well, I thought I was having battery issues on my Buell like a lot of other riders seemed to be having recently, but no such luck for me.

I've had a starting issue for some time now so I thought a replacement of the battery would do the trick. It turns out that something esle is amiss as the bike had the same issue with a new battery.

So, it is in capable hands being looked at now, leaving a empty spot in the garage. Hopefully I'll have an answer soon as to what the problem is and how much the solution will cost.