Where did you ride today?

Loaded up the Vulcan S and Uni-Go as if I were on my way to a STOC events and went for another test ride with the new hitch and trailer hookup. Hit all the speed limits up to 65 MPH and all normal road conditions. Only that faster speed showed a little unstabillity with the trailer. I think it's due to how light the Vulcan S is (495 lbs wet) vs the weight of the trailer (maybe 140 lbs or slightly less loaded). Rode almost 47 miles. I put 82.5 miles on the trailer since installing the new hitch on the Vulcan S on Aug 1.
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Rode the NT up on a favorite route of mine Squaw Pass Rd up to Echo Lake and then back home see map. 152 miles from my garage and back. A four hour ride with 75 min. of it getting across the City to and fro. Really wish I lived on the west side of Denver.

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I usually head toward the eastern slopes and mountains when I go for a day ride but east of here are a series of irrigation canals that have service roads alongside of them. A friend, who knows the area asked me along for a ride.
Much prettier than I had envisioned.
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The canal actually goes across this coulee, via a large concrete culvert under the valley. There is enough of a elevation difference that it works by siphon. No pump needed.
STAY AWAY FROM the SIPHON entry!!
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Things were going real good. Nice day, good roads. Right up until we hit MUD. The kind that clings to things but is slicker than grease. Makes your boots 10 inches wide and sticks to tires and clogs fenders! Took us about 2 hours of pushing, pulling, digging out mud, to get turned around and get back to hard ground about 200 yds away at the bridge (road was dry on the other side; the side we came from). My friend's 1090 was particularly difficult. The mud clogged in the fender and kept locking the wheel tight. Mine did as well but not as bad. Who thinks low fenders on "adventure" bikes is a good idea ??! Lesson learned. Turn around earlier rather than later!! I was whipped by the time we got them out.
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But the ride home yielded a nice picture of an old barn.
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No pics. Rode over to a friend's trailer. He's in his mid-80s. His wife just got home from having heart surgery. He needed some help clearing out a pathway to get her inside to the bedroom. I think they've made a TV series about people like him. I found a holiday card, not a Christmas card, from 2016 in amongst the things I helped carry to the dumpster.

Not a scenic ride, but any excuse to ride is a good one.

Chris
 
Rode down along the South Platte river to the South Platte Hotel to see if they had a room for the weekend. Fortunately or unfortunately, (depending on one's view point) they were full for the summer. :biggrin: :(:)

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Rode the FJR up of my Guanella Pass loop. 155 miles. Colorado is getting crazy on the week ends, never saw so many cars parked all over the summit for hiking. Remind me not to go riding on weekends around here. Stopped at South Park Coney Island in Baily to grab a brat but they were not open yet. Don't know why. The key to riding in the mountains of Colorado is to ride early in the morning and after tourist season, but then watch out for the Old People leaf peeping in Sept / Oct.

Note: The first three pictures are my file pictures as there was no place to park for summit pictures today. Too crowded with parking of the hikers climbing Mt Bierstadt 14er.

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Got out on the ST for a few errands; jeez I love that bike, it is just like my '92 Accord; the only thing in life you can depend on, why did I ever sell that, the only car I've sold since... hmm... I'm sure it's just going to explode in the driveway or vanish without a trace. transferred other mc plate over to the XL600 for the "anual running of the 1985 XL600; you know the one, that four valve - true hemi - dual sequentially carbed - de compression chambered - de energized igniton below basic weakling kicked thumper that won everything in baha for about ten years... same battery that I left in it last year... alright, maybe didn't win everything in baha but they were always in the running
Met a couple at the boat launch with a bit of a boat trailer problem, ran the hub over to princess auto, got the wrong bearing kit, turns out that it's a straight spindle with an inboard inner race ID of 1 3/16" and OD of 2 1/8" and the outboard bearing is 1 1/16" ID and 2" OD. Rode over to Princess Auto with the Hub, then Canadian Tire at Senguin, very nice guy at parts almost closing time took down every bin with bearings that have been up in there since ______ was a Cowboy, matched the outers, but could not find the inners.
Very old boat trailer; I think '71 but a really nice little aluminum narrow deep hull with an Evinrude 50 and newly upholstered seats, probably a 12, maybe 14' I counselled him well to not leave it there overnight pending parts repairs and he flat decked it to a friends
having just chopped my fiberglass '17 I started looking at aluminum boats and holy _____ ____ , five _______ grand for a 14"?
[edit / added] If that inner bearing size rings a bell for anyone, I'll pass it along to the kid
 

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Chris09 said:
Got out on the ST for a few errands; jeez I love that bike, it is just like my '92 Accord; the only thing in life you can depend on, why did I ever sell that, the only car I've sold since... hmm... I'm sure it's just going to explode in the driveway or vanish without a trace. transferred other mc plate over to the XL600 for the "anual running of the 1985 XL600; you know the one, that four valve - true hemi - dual sequentially carbed - de compression chambered - de energized igniton below basic weakling kicked thumper that won everything in baha for about ten years... same battery that I left in it last year... alright, maybe didn't win everything in baha but they were always in the running
Met a couple at the boat launch with a bit of a boat trailer problem, ran the hub over to princess auto, got the wrong bearing kit, turns out that it's a straight spindle with an inboard inner race ID of 1 3/16" and OD of 2 1/8" and the outboard bearing is 1 1/16" ID and 2" OD. Rode over to Princess Auto with the Hub, then Canadian Tire at Senguin, very nice guy at parts almost closing time took down every bin with bearings that have been up in there since ______ was a Cowboy, matched the outers, but could not find the inners.
Very old boat trailer; I think '71 but a really nice little aluminum narrow deep hull with an Evinrude 50 and newly upholstered seats, probably a 12, maybe 14' I counselled him well to not leave it there overnight pending parts repairs and he flat decked it to a friends
having just chopped my fiberglass '17 I started looking at aluminum boats and holy _____ ____ , five _______ grand for a 14"?
[edit / added] If that inner bearing size rings a bell for anyone, I'll pass it along to the kid
Click to expand...
B&b bearing phone number 604 591-3371 say hello to Randy for me, he should have them, open Monday. Address 10-7788 132ST .
 
No pictures as it was just slab work. It's a lovely PNW day, and I answered a Craigs List add for some hard to find aquarium plants for extremely cheap. 40 miles up I-5 one way.
I took the long way back home on 99, back on I-5 to cross the Columbia, then back on 99E in Oregon, since I live a block off it a bit further south.
I can't do any long distance until one of two things happens:
I need carpal tunnel surgery on my right hand, or I need cruise control on the ST. I'll do whichever is cheapest...
 
I've been down at the Sierra Sidewinder in Walker, CA for the past week. My trip down was simply slabbing it from north of Seattle to the rally point. Coming home, I had more time, so I took the scenic route. Today had me going from Lakeview, OR to The Dalles.

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I ended up down there a few minutes later.

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Those last two pics were from a road I took on a whim. Little to no traffic. I left the hustle and bustle of Hwy 97 and found that gem.

Chris
 
I Took my first ride in over three weeks on my bike -- all that time it's been down for electrical work. Not repairs but adding new lights and a new USB charger port on my handlebar. (A year ago I put one in my trunk but I wanted one up front now that I have a phone holder on my left handlebar.)

The Z-Moon fog lights are brighter than my car's headlights and this motorcycle's low beam headlights too. Z-moons are comparable to the ST 1300s upgraded bulb high beams, but in the color yellow instead of white light. (The Lights can be hooked up to give you either yellow or white light, but I chose to only connect the wires to give yellow. So my choices are "bright yellow" or "off" per the selection of my illuminated toggle switch mounted up on my left handlebar.

I rode for an hour while the sun was still out and then later went out again well after dark to see how these lights performed at night.IMG_3283.jpegIMG_3282.jpeg
 

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