Everything on the checklist is due, including the valve check. This maintenance takes a full day!
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Some thoughts about riding long distance on a motorcycle
My bike isn't even 9 months old yet, and I've ridden over 19,000 miles. I consider myself a distance rider, not an endurance rider (there's a difference). Here's my list of things that work and things that don't work.
1. Understanding the weather over your route at the time you're going to be there is critical. Damn BMW for not allowing weather integration into their GPS. I should not have to add a tray and another GPS for this capability. Traffic is an inconvenience; but, weather will kill you. BMW got this one wrong.
Not only should you look for detailed weather on your route; but, you really need to understand the national picture and frontal weather. In November, I was riding cross country from California and didn't look at the national picture. Winter storm Boreus was going to impact my route and I didn't see it. The local forecasts didn't give me enough insight into what turned out to be a rough ride. You can look at my posts here for details. Remember that frontal weather extends 250 miles on either side of the front. If you want a clue what to expect from temperature and wind as a front crosses your route, look at the temperature and wind differences before the front crosses your path. They will be similar unless the pressure systems on either side of the front are changing, causing the front to weaken or strengthen. Learn about weather. It's important.
2. The right gear will make or break the ride. I could, and probably will, write about gear. I could go on for a long time. Don't listen to marketing hype. The marketeer won't be on the ride with you when you're cursing your gear. Take a long critical look at each piece of gear and decide for yourself if you need it, if it's going to work exactly as you think and what you're going to do if it fails.
3. Heated gear works best when there is a wind barrier. I know for a fact that I can use my heated gear with the temperature controls all the way up to about 40 degrees at 75mpg (with a fairing), and be comfortable; if I don't have wind protection. Once I put wind protection in place, like my Goretex rain suit, my heated gear keeps me toasty warm down to 13 degrees. I haven't had it any lower than that yet. My apologies to my antarctic readership; I don't have data to help you.
4. Plan to stop past major cities or plan to leave late in the morning to avoid rush hour traffic. Nothing kills a nice ride like being stuck between cars and trucks at a stand still.
5. CARRY A ROAD ATLAS WITH YOU. Your GPS isn't enough. When traffic comes to a dead stop and you don't know how far the traffic jam starts in front of you, it might be time for a new plan. Get off the road and pull out the road atlas to figure out your options. You may need to use a lesser road; but, the delay could be made up for in an increase in fun factor.
6. Replace your bungees with ratcheting tied down straps; and don't shorten them either. Tie downs are more secure; and, if you should get stuck somewhere and need to rent a U-Haul or put your bike on a trailer for some reason, you have the straps you need. Carry at least 4. Also, if you need to work on your front tire, you can use the tie down strap to anchor into something heavy to pivot your bike on the center stand. Tied downs can be used with a tarp to make an emergency lean to and save your bacon if you should have a strap on your saddle bag break.
Make sure you manage the loose end of the straps. You don't want these flying in the wind. Also, be careful, you can break almost anything on your bike with these.
7. A long distance trip is the wrong time to experiment with live octopus tentacles or other foods not normally in your diet. I'd also recommend staying away from foods that are known to make your stomach upset and stick with well known restaurants or those with a great reputation from the locals. The last thing you want is to be pulling off every exit to find a bathroom.
8. Never, ever, ever put sunblock on your forehead. You sweat, it runs, your eyes tear uncontrollably. End of story. If you need sunblock on your arms, find a hot chick to do it for you. Rub your eyes just once and you'll regret it. While we're on the subject of sunblock, your best protection is complete coverage with a light colored, well ventilated material. Again, gear is another subject entirely; but, it's better to cover up than use sunblock. Again, if you must, have someone else apply it for you to keep it off your hands and hand grips.
9. Put your side stand down at the toll booth, get your money out, pay the attendant, put the change away, pick up the side stand and go. Flip off the guy behind you that is impatient. Better that he/she be angry than wait even longer as you pick your bike up off the ground when you dump it. While we're at it, stay to the left of the oil in the center of the lane and watch for cagers that decide they need to cut you off to get through the toll quicker. Solid white lines mean nothing to cagers.
10. Steel belts are not tire change indicators. If you're planning a 3,000 mile trip, make sure both tires will make the trip with distance to spare, or plan to have them changed on or before the trip. You always know how much brake pad you have left, right? What about air pressure?
11. Endurance is a personal thing. You have to discover it. Everyone's is different. Some folks just don't want to ride more than about 200 miles and want to make several stops along the way; others can knock out 1500 miles in 24 hours. To find your endurance, start small and add miles 100 at a time. Whatever you find your daily limit to be, don't think for a second that you can maintain that for days on end. Your daily limit will decrease with multiple days of riding. As an example, I can do 1,000 miles in 24 hours, and probably can do 2 days of that; but, I have no reason to believe that I'd feel good riding 3,000 in 3 days.
Here's a test for both your daily limit and your multiple day riding limits. Make a U-turn in as tight, challenging radius. At the end of the day, try the same U-Turn. You'll quickly discover that your skills degrade as you ride longer distances. You'll also find that when you're tired, you really don't want to do the U-Turn and would rather duck walk the bike around.
--------- Some additions from my friend Paul, with edits for clarity - Thanks Paul! ----------
12. Keep the back side of your legs free from any clothing seams. Given that you have a good saddle, that seam will become painful over time. It doesn't matter whether it's underwear, your riding pants, or rain gear. Some people prefer a a long leg base and others long leg boxers. You choose, just beware.
13. Keeping cool - One of the absolute best products I’ve ever used in the heat is the HyperKewl Cooling Vests. These can make an un bearable trek across the Desert very pleasant. My Wife would regularly experience Hyperthermia crossing Las Vegas in the Summer. After a quick pre-soak, just place under your vented gear and you’re ready to go. When the Wife’s happy, you’re having a great ride!
14. Battery talk - When looking to replace your battery (every 2~3 years), take a good look at the newer Lithium-Ion-Phosphate batteries! Less than ¼ the weight, about ¾ the size, and about 5 times the lifespan (yes, that’s about 15 year!). These are amazing! Only drawback is that you’ll need a new charger if you ever want or need to store your bike. Recently installed an Antigravity brand OEM battery on my LT and it cranks like never before!!!!
15. Sun visor - When your shades just don’t cut it and your helmet didn’t come with a Fighter helmet style visor, just add a strip of electrical tape to the inside top edge of the existing visor. This will allow you to simply dip your head to block the blinding sunlight.
1. Understanding the weather over your route at the time you're going to be there is critical. Damn BMW for not allowing weather integration into their GPS. I should not have to add a tray and another GPS for this capability. Traffic is an inconvenience; but, weather will kill you. BMW got this one wrong.
Not only should you look for detailed weather on your route; but, you really need to understand the national picture and frontal weather. In November, I was riding cross country from California and didn't look at the national picture. Winter storm Boreus was going to impact my route and I didn't see it. The local forecasts didn't give me enough insight into what turned out to be a rough ride. You can look at my posts here for details. Remember that frontal weather extends 250 miles on either side of the front. If you want a clue what to expect from temperature and wind as a front crosses your route, look at the temperature and wind differences before the front crosses your path. They will be similar unless the pressure systems on either side of the front are changing, causing the front to weaken or strengthen. Learn about weather. It's important.
2. The right gear will make or break the ride. I could, and probably will, write about gear. I could go on for a long time. Don't listen to marketing hype. The marketeer won't be on the ride with you when you're cursing your gear. Take a long critical look at each piece of gear and decide for yourself if you need it, if it's going to work exactly as you think and what you're going to do if it fails.
3. Heated gear works best when there is a wind barrier. I know for a fact that I can use my heated gear with the temperature controls all the way up to about 40 degrees at 75mpg (with a fairing), and be comfortable; if I don't have wind protection. Once I put wind protection in place, like my Goretex rain suit, my heated gear keeps me toasty warm down to 13 degrees. I haven't had it any lower than that yet. My apologies to my antarctic readership; I don't have data to help you.
4. Plan to stop past major cities or plan to leave late in the morning to avoid rush hour traffic. Nothing kills a nice ride like being stuck between cars and trucks at a stand still.
5. CARRY A ROAD ATLAS WITH YOU. Your GPS isn't enough. When traffic comes to a dead stop and you don't know how far the traffic jam starts in front of you, it might be time for a new plan. Get off the road and pull out the road atlas to figure out your options. You may need to use a lesser road; but, the delay could be made up for in an increase in fun factor.
6. Replace your bungees with ratcheting tied down straps; and don't shorten them either. Tie downs are more secure; and, if you should get stuck somewhere and need to rent a U-Haul or put your bike on a trailer for some reason, you have the straps you need. Carry at least 4. Also, if you need to work on your front tire, you can use the tie down strap to anchor into something heavy to pivot your bike on the center stand. Tied downs can be used with a tarp to make an emergency lean to and save your bacon if you should have a strap on your saddle bag break.
Make sure you manage the loose end of the straps. You don't want these flying in the wind. Also, be careful, you can break almost anything on your bike with these.
7. A long distance trip is the wrong time to experiment with live octopus tentacles or other foods not normally in your diet. I'd also recommend staying away from foods that are known to make your stomach upset and stick with well known restaurants or those with a great reputation from the locals. The last thing you want is to be pulling off every exit to find a bathroom.
8. Never, ever, ever put sunblock on your forehead. You sweat, it runs, your eyes tear uncontrollably. End of story. If you need sunblock on your arms, find a hot chick to do it for you. Rub your eyes just once and you'll regret it. While we're on the subject of sunblock, your best protection is complete coverage with a light colored, well ventilated material. Again, gear is another subject entirely; but, it's better to cover up than use sunblock. Again, if you must, have someone else apply it for you to keep it off your hands and hand grips.
9. Put your side stand down at the toll booth, get your money out, pay the attendant, put the change away, pick up the side stand and go. Flip off the guy behind you that is impatient. Better that he/she be angry than wait even longer as you pick your bike up off the ground when you dump it. While we're at it, stay to the left of the oil in the center of the lane and watch for cagers that decide they need to cut you off to get through the toll quicker. Solid white lines mean nothing to cagers.
10. Steel belts are not tire change indicators. If you're planning a 3,000 mile trip, make sure both tires will make the trip with distance to spare, or plan to have them changed on or before the trip. You always know how much brake pad you have left, right? What about air pressure?
11. Endurance is a personal thing. You have to discover it. Everyone's is different. Some folks just don't want to ride more than about 200 miles and want to make several stops along the way; others can knock out 1500 miles in 24 hours. To find your endurance, start small and add miles 100 at a time. Whatever you find your daily limit to be, don't think for a second that you can maintain that for days on end. Your daily limit will decrease with multiple days of riding. As an example, I can do 1,000 miles in 24 hours, and probably can do 2 days of that; but, I have no reason to believe that I'd feel good riding 3,000 in 3 days.
Here's a test for both your daily limit and your multiple day riding limits. Make a U-turn in as tight, challenging radius. At the end of the day, try the same U-Turn. You'll quickly discover that your skills degrade as you ride longer distances. You'll also find that when you're tired, you really don't want to do the U-Turn and would rather duck walk the bike around.
--------- Some additions from my friend Paul, with edits for clarity - Thanks Paul! ----------
12. Keep the back side of your legs free from any clothing seams. Given that you have a good saddle, that seam will become painful over time. It doesn't matter whether it's underwear, your riding pants, or rain gear. Some people prefer a a long leg base and others long leg boxers. You choose, just beware.
13. Keeping cool - One of the absolute best products I’ve ever used in the heat is the HyperKewl Cooling Vests. These can make an un bearable trek across the Desert very pleasant. My Wife would regularly experience Hyperthermia crossing Las Vegas in the Summer. After a quick pre-soak, just place under your vented gear and you’re ready to go. When the Wife’s happy, you’re having a great ride!
14. Battery talk - When looking to replace your battery (every 2~3 years), take a good look at the newer Lithium-Ion-Phosphate batteries! Less than ¼ the weight, about ¾ the size, and about 5 times the lifespan (yes, that’s about 15 year!). These are amazing! Only drawback is that you’ll need a new charger if you ever want or need to store your bike. Recently installed an Antigravity brand OEM battery on my LT and it cranks like never before!!!!
15. Sun visor - When your shades just don’t cut it and your helmet didn’t come with a Fighter helmet style visor, just add a strip of electrical tape to the inside top edge of the existing visor. This will allow you to simply dip your head to block the blinding sunlight.
Friday, April 18, 2014
A lap around Key West in less than 3 minutes (video)
So far, I'm only need to ride in about a dozen states to have ridden in them all!
Thursday, April 17, 2014
4/16/2014 - Richmond VA to Bethlehem, PA
One thing I've learned in the thousands of miles I've ridden is that when you start getting tired, it's not time to grab another 50 miles and then stop. It's time to get off the road. I also know that when the sun goes down, my alertness starts to go with it; and so was the situation I found myself in at around the 800 mile mark. The sun had dropped down about an hour before and I was on I-95 in southern VA with images of deer running out from the roadside clouding my brain. It's at moments like these that you realize that all the technology that goes into those adaptive headlights really don't mean squat when you're running at 75 mph and have on coming traffic. What; Sleep Inn, Denny's and gas all in one stop a mile ahead? Game over. I stopped south of Richmond VA for the evening and decided to get a late start in the morning to avoid Richmond and DC's cager parties.
I tried a different approach to riding yesterday. The adage is that you need to rest to ride and that you should not combine gas stops with meal stops and you should take frequent breaks. I've largely ignored all of that. Yesterday, it worked out that I had to take 2 phone calls for work; one at 10 and one at 5. I thought this would be a perfect time to give it a whirl. I took off about 6:45 and by about 8, I was getting hungry and cold. Tampa was hanging around the 50 degree mark and I wasn't wearing my heated gear. I thought the temp would be rising rapidly. I was wrong. That was break number 1. I was getting low on gas at around 9:30, so I pulled off to get gas and stop for the phone call. The gas station didn't have a place to take a call, so I went up the road a bit and found a Dunkin' Donuts. So far, I'm still in alignment with these adages, somewhat. I got back on the bike and rode out that tank, ending up at a Cracker Barrel and got gas all in the same stop. So, I'm a little outside the margins on that one. My next meal stop was at 5pm and I also got gas at that time. While I didn't get an extra couple hours of riding out of all this stopping, and I actually traveled less distance, I definitely felt more comfortable. Usually, after a few hundred miles, I start to notice the seams in my riding pants. A few hundred miles after that, they usually bother me. This ride wasn't so bad. Of course, it helps that I stand up for 5 or 10 minutes every hundred miles or so as well. So, on the whole, I'm not convinced that there's a right way and a wrong way to do distance riding. I think the suggestion is worth considering; but, everyone will benefit more from riding in a way that is most comfortable to them.
Just another note about my GoPro. I can be riding down the interstate, standing up, no hands and people would be pointing to my GoPro. It's crazy how popular these things are. So many conversations on this trip have started with "Hey, is that a GoPro?"
It's 10am. I'm outta here in an hour to finish this ride.
I tried a different approach to riding yesterday. The adage is that you need to rest to ride and that you should not combine gas stops with meal stops and you should take frequent breaks. I've largely ignored all of that. Yesterday, it worked out that I had to take 2 phone calls for work; one at 10 and one at 5. I thought this would be a perfect time to give it a whirl. I took off about 6:45 and by about 8, I was getting hungry and cold. Tampa was hanging around the 50 degree mark and I wasn't wearing my heated gear. I thought the temp would be rising rapidly. I was wrong. That was break number 1. I was getting low on gas at around 9:30, so I pulled off to get gas and stop for the phone call. The gas station didn't have a place to take a call, so I went up the road a bit and found a Dunkin' Donuts. So far, I'm still in alignment with these adages, somewhat. I got back on the bike and rode out that tank, ending up at a Cracker Barrel and got gas all in the same stop. So, I'm a little outside the margins on that one. My next meal stop was at 5pm and I also got gas at that time. While I didn't get an extra couple hours of riding out of all this stopping, and I actually traveled less distance, I definitely felt more comfortable. Usually, after a few hundred miles, I start to notice the seams in my riding pants. A few hundred miles after that, they usually bother me. This ride wasn't so bad. Of course, it helps that I stand up for 5 or 10 minutes every hundred miles or so as well. So, on the whole, I'm not convinced that there's a right way and a wrong way to do distance riding. I think the suggestion is worth considering; but, everyone will benefit more from riding in a way that is most comfortable to them.
Just another note about my GoPro. I can be riding down the interstate, standing up, no hands and people would be pointing to my GoPro. It's crazy how popular these things are. So many conversations on this trip have started with "Hey, is that a GoPro?"
It's 10am. I'm outta here in an hour to finish this ride.
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
4/15/2014 - Florida Keys to Richmond, VA
So here I am, sitting in the Tampa Bay BMW dealership feeling shame.
I've approached maintenance with vigor, enthusiasm and relentless attention to times and dates; and now, I'm 600 miles over on my oil change and about to be over a thousand miles over on my 18,000 service. The 18,000 mile service is the big one...as I was told while I talked to Jason at BMW Tampa this morning, when I tried to schedule it for this afternoon. I said I could be there by 2, and I was; despite the fact that I was calling him from SW Miami at the time. He told me they needed A WHOLE DAY to wrench on my bike for that service. It's going to have to wait till I get to my home dealer when I can leave it. Besides, there is an old adage about distance riding - no major service before you take on a long trip. 1,000 miles from home qualifies as long distance (relatively). So, here I sit, feeling shame.
I left this morning with a rather bleak outlook no how this day was going to shape up. The weather guesser was forecasting thunderstorms with rain. I don't care about the rain part of that statement (mostly). The system below was supposed to march into Florida in the afternoon. The big question was whether or not I'd make it across alligator alley before the thunderstorms hit. If I got trapped there, I'd be totally exposed as there isn't any place to pull over and stop. I suppose I could pull over and throw up a quick tent and ride it out; but, they probably call this alligator alley for a reason. Things could get bad.
As it worked out, this ride went very well. Being 5 mph over the speed limit bought me my gas stops without the time penalty, and I didn't get any precipitation until coming into Tampa. At that point, my GoPro had enough for the day, and that's a shame because I would have liked to have the video of me going over the Skyway bridge into a Thunderstorm. They have these cool warning sings about high winds on the bridge and even have an AM radio station so you can here a message that says there are high winds on the bridge. I donned some rain gear and went for it. Strategery is my thing, so I found an F-150 and ran along it's leeward side. That broke most of the gusts and made for a nice ride. Damn you GoPro, you weren't there when I needed you.
Tonight, dinner with a friend and then off in the morning to head up to
PA. Hopefully, I'll have some time soon to put together all the video
I've shot.
I've approached maintenance with vigor, enthusiasm and relentless attention to times and dates; and now, I'm 600 miles over on my oil change and about to be over a thousand miles over on my 18,000 service. The 18,000 mile service is the big one...as I was told while I talked to Jason at BMW Tampa this morning, when I tried to schedule it for this afternoon. I said I could be there by 2, and I was; despite the fact that I was calling him from SW Miami at the time. He told me they needed A WHOLE DAY to wrench on my bike for that service. It's going to have to wait till I get to my home dealer when I can leave it. Besides, there is an old adage about distance riding - no major service before you take on a long trip. 1,000 miles from home qualifies as long distance (relatively). So, here I sit, feeling shame.
I left this morning with a rather bleak outlook no how this day was going to shape up. The weather guesser was forecasting thunderstorms with rain. I don't care about the rain part of that statement (mostly). The system below was supposed to march into Florida in the afternoon. The big question was whether or not I'd make it across alligator alley before the thunderstorms hit. If I got trapped there, I'd be totally exposed as there isn't any place to pull over and stop. I suppose I could pull over and throw up a quick tent and ride it out; but, they probably call this alligator alley for a reason. Things could get bad.
As it worked out, this ride went very well. Being 5 mph over the speed limit bought me my gas stops without the time penalty, and I didn't get any precipitation until coming into Tampa. At that point, my GoPro had enough for the day, and that's a shame because I would have liked to have the video of me going over the Skyway bridge into a Thunderstorm. They have these cool warning sings about high winds on the bridge and even have an AM radio station so you can here a message that says there are high winds on the bridge. I donned some rain gear and went for it. Strategery is my thing, so I found an F-150 and ran along it's leeward side. That broke most of the gusts and made for a nice ride. Damn you GoPro, you weren't there when I needed you.
Sunday, April 13, 2014
4/12/2014 - Pennsylvania to Florida Keys
This trip started out as an out and back 2,000 mile trip to add Florida to the list of states that I've ridden in. I knew that Florida was going to require a trip where it was the only state I would get on that trip. Same with Alaska. Now is a great time of year to do this trip. Spring thunderstorms haven't started to blanket the Eastern seaboard and Florida has a ton of sunshine; something I've missed for the last few months.
Doing a 2,000 mile bounce trip isn't much fun and really, I would rather ride all the way to Key west, the furthest southern point in the continental US. It also works out that my friend Jeff Kurtz was in Florida and there was a chance I would see him, as well as some friends in Florida. A couple of phone calls later and I had a mini-vacation going. It's a good thing too; because any time now, my next gig will happen and I don't know when I'll be able to fit in a long ride.
The first leg of the journey put me in Waycross GA. I had never been there before; but, Jeff was visiting his girlfriend Robin and they invited me to stay with them for the evening. Waycross was the destination. Robin has a very nice house there, with a ton of trinkets, or collectables. I felt very welcome. I arrived at nearly 10pm, and they were waiting for me. They had been following the whole trip on my EPRB since I left PA. Robin had a chicken dinner waiting for me and she gets makes the best potato salad I've ever had. She rocks. They also had a queen size air mattress for me. This thing must have been 8" thick. They fixed me up with a comforter, sheets and a pillow. Food, bathroom, shower, sleeping accomidations - what more does a weary endurance rider need? Entertainment! They had that too. Jeff and I could have talked for hours and I got there just in time for the last 9 laps of the Nascar race.
I skipped the part about the 890 mile ride to get there; mostly because it was uneventful. I planned to stay away from the northern section of I-95; mostly because it's highly congested; but, also because you pay a small fortune in tolls going through Delaware. My friend Mike Adams was dying for his first distance run of the season and rode up to Carlisle PA from Frederick MD to meet me. Together, we rode down to Harrisonburg, VA, where he jumped off and took Skyline drive back to Front Royal to Rt. 340 and home - a route I've ridden several times. It was about 400 miles total for Mike and he had a great time. With that route, you can't go wrong. It's gorgeous. I continued down I-81 to Roanoke VA. About a mile before the I-581 junction, traffic came to a standstill. It was either wait it out, or jump off. I jumped off. A quick peek at the road atlas (you carry one, right) showed that I had a good alternative to get back on course; but, would incur about a 30 minute time penalty. That was a much better option than sitting on I-81 for an indeterminate amount of time. The route took me up onto the Blue Ridge parkway and off onto Rt. 221, where I picked up I-77 about 40 or 50 miles later. It was a little slower going; but, the twisties on the Blue Ridge were enough to wake up the sphincter muscle after all that long boring interstate. The only other delay I had was 45 miles north of Savanna GA, when the setting sun caused drivers to ride the brakes, slowing things down to almost a standstill. A total of 60 minutes delay over 890 miles of travel isn't bad at all!
After great company and conversation in Georgia, I was off to Tampa Bay to meet my friend Charity, who I hadn't seen in 3 years. The plan was to hang with her for the day and then leave in the morning for Key West. Her car just arrived from England, so before I leave for the Keys, I'm going to take her for her car first and then hit the road. Charity and her husband own a very nice house in a gated community. By the time I got to her house, it was already 86 degrees and I was riding in full gear. It felt great to get a shower and put on some clean clothes. We decided to go sit by the beach and have lunch, followed by a walk with the dogs and some relaxing in front of the TV.
Here's the actual route I traveled on this trip and a couple videos!
Doing a 2,000 mile bounce trip isn't much fun and really, I would rather ride all the way to Key west, the furthest southern point in the continental US. It also works out that my friend Jeff Kurtz was in Florida and there was a chance I would see him, as well as some friends in Florida. A couple of phone calls later and I had a mini-vacation going. It's a good thing too; because any time now, my next gig will happen and I don't know when I'll be able to fit in a long ride.
The first leg of the journey put me in Waycross GA. I had never been there before; but, Jeff was visiting his girlfriend Robin and they invited me to stay with them for the evening. Waycross was the destination. Robin has a very nice house there, with a ton of trinkets, or collectables. I felt very welcome. I arrived at nearly 10pm, and they were waiting for me. They had been following the whole trip on my EPRB since I left PA. Robin had a chicken dinner waiting for me and she gets makes the best potato salad I've ever had. She rocks. They also had a queen size air mattress for me. This thing must have been 8" thick. They fixed me up with a comforter, sheets and a pillow. Food, bathroom, shower, sleeping accomidations - what more does a weary endurance rider need? Entertainment! They had that too. Jeff and I could have talked for hours and I got there just in time for the last 9 laps of the Nascar race.
I skipped the part about the 890 mile ride to get there; mostly because it was uneventful. I planned to stay away from the northern section of I-95; mostly because it's highly congested; but, also because you pay a small fortune in tolls going through Delaware. My friend Mike Adams was dying for his first distance run of the season and rode up to Carlisle PA from Frederick MD to meet me. Together, we rode down to Harrisonburg, VA, where he jumped off and took Skyline drive back to Front Royal to Rt. 340 and home - a route I've ridden several times. It was about 400 miles total for Mike and he had a great time. With that route, you can't go wrong. It's gorgeous. I continued down I-81 to Roanoke VA. About a mile before the I-581 junction, traffic came to a standstill. It was either wait it out, or jump off. I jumped off. A quick peek at the road atlas (you carry one, right) showed that I had a good alternative to get back on course; but, would incur about a 30 minute time penalty. That was a much better option than sitting on I-81 for an indeterminate amount of time. The route took me up onto the Blue Ridge parkway and off onto Rt. 221, where I picked up I-77 about 40 or 50 miles later. It was a little slower going; but, the twisties on the Blue Ridge were enough to wake up the sphincter muscle after all that long boring interstate. The only other delay I had was 45 miles north of Savanna GA, when the setting sun caused drivers to ride the brakes, slowing things down to almost a standstill. A total of 60 minutes delay over 890 miles of travel isn't bad at all!
After great company and conversation in Georgia, I was off to Tampa Bay to meet my friend Charity, who I hadn't seen in 3 years. The plan was to hang with her for the day and then leave in the morning for Key West. Her car just arrived from England, so before I leave for the Keys, I'm going to take her for her car first and then hit the road. Charity and her husband own a very nice house in a gated community. By the time I got to her house, it was already 86 degrees and I was riding in full gear. It felt great to get a shower and put on some clean clothes. We decided to go sit by the beach and have lunch, followed by a walk with the dogs and some relaxing in front of the TV.
Here's the actual route I traveled on this trip and a couple videos!
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
4/8/2014 - 16,370 - New rear tire and trunk mount brake light.
From my last post, you saw that I needed a new rear tire. As soon as I got home from that trip, I pulled the spent tire off and threw it in the pick-up. BMW made this very simple. It's actually easier than changing a tire on a car. Simply put the bike on the center stand, unscrew the T-50 lug nuts and pull the tire off. Simple. You do have to shimmy it out the bottom and may need to loosen the muffler to do so; but, essentially, that's it. I decided to take the muffler (BMW calls it a silencer) off completely, which is just a bracket and 3 Torx bolts. This made remounting the tire easier.
While I was there, I checked the brakes. I bough new ones; but, the ones that are there look damn good and I'm not replacing them just on the account of because. I checked the fronts also. They are also good. I imagine they are so good because most of my miles are highway miles; although, I do a lot of slow ride and I'd expect that to take it's toll on the rear brake.
When I got to Hermy's for the new tire, I got to talking about the new K16's. They are very snazzy indeed; but, I'm not sure I like the additional $4k price tag! I noted the brake light on the trunk and reflected on my ride home the other day, when I heard a screech behind me and a cager swerve to avoid me. I was turning left and stationary in the lane. I think it's hard to see the tail lights with the trunk on, so I plopped down some extra money and bought the tail light. If it saves my butt just once, it was worth it.
Now that I've got this horribly new looking tire on my rear, I need to scuff it up a bit. What better way to do that than a bounce trip to Daytona and back? That's the plan for this weekend.
While I was there, I checked the brakes. I bough new ones; but, the ones that are there look damn good and I'm not replacing them just on the account of because. I checked the fronts also. They are also good. I imagine they are so good because most of my miles are highway miles; although, I do a lot of slow ride and I'd expect that to take it's toll on the rear brake.
When I got to Hermy's for the new tire, I got to talking about the new K16's. They are very snazzy indeed; but, I'm not sure I like the additional $4k price tag! I noted the brake light on the trunk and reflected on my ride home the other day, when I heard a screech behind me and a cager swerve to avoid me. I was turning left and stationary in the lane. I think it's hard to see the tail lights with the trunk on, so I plopped down some extra money and bought the tail light. If it saves my butt just once, it was worth it.
Now that I've got this horribly new looking tire on my rear, I need to scuff it up a bit. What better way to do that than a bounce trip to Daytona and back? That's the plan for this weekend.
Saturday, April 5, 2014
4/5/2014 Bethlehem PA to: Toms River NJ 188 miles
Very nice ride with Dave from Kick Stands Up.
Had to cut the day short when we saw this while stopped at Wawa!
Had to cut the day short when we saw this while stopped at Wawa!
Friday, April 4, 2014
4/3/2014 - Panel replacement and rusted centerstand????
Well now. It's been a horrible winter and I've only gotten a couple of riding days in since my return from Houston in mid December.
This last week, I was replacing some panels on my K1600GT from my slow speed drop (video on this blog) and from when the wind too my bike over
In order to properly remove the top panel, you have to remove the lower panel in order to get to the bottom screws. To remove the lower panel, you have to remove the auxiliary fog light; which is torx and over tightened. Instead of potentially stripping these screws, I opted for removing the auxiliary light bracket from its mounting point on the engine. Doing one side of the bike in this way took me about 4 hours to get the panel off and on again; mostly due to there being a 1 inch clearance between the bolt head and the fairing. I needed a right angle torx wrench and then needed vice grips to get the bolt back in and tight. How I didn't damage the bolt, I don't know; but, 3 hours into the job I lost my giveadamn. It shouldn't be this hard.
The other side (right) was easier. I decided to cheat. Usually cheating gets me in trouble; but, it was worth a try and saved me 2 hours. This time, I loosened the lower panel and gently pried the top piece over the marker/turn light, creating enough room to get to the torx screw buried in there. Again, only 1" of clearance, so it took awhile getting things back in and aligned.
Time to put some real crash bars on this bike. Yeah, I get it - don't drop it. The problem is, I really like to slow ride and push the limits of how slow I can ride this big bike. I can't make the speedometer read 0 yet; but, I can make it read 1. Besides that, there's the austere conditions I find myself riding in. Hell, most of the damage came from this bike being blown off the side stand!
These are the crash bars I'm going with. I'll get them in black.
Now, while I was working on the lower panels, I couldn't help but notice this:
I sent photos to Hermy's BMW since this bike is just 9 months old requesting it to be replaced under warranty. I await an answer. Just yesterday, I was reading about a riders center stand collapsing because of rust. I will post their reply here.
This last week, I was replacing some panels on my K1600GT from my slow speed drop (video on this blog) and from when the wind too my bike over
In order to properly remove the top panel, you have to remove the lower panel in order to get to the bottom screws. To remove the lower panel, you have to remove the auxiliary fog light; which is torx and over tightened. Instead of potentially stripping these screws, I opted for removing the auxiliary light bracket from its mounting point on the engine. Doing one side of the bike in this way took me about 4 hours to get the panel off and on again; mostly due to there being a 1 inch clearance between the bolt head and the fairing. I needed a right angle torx wrench and then needed vice grips to get the bolt back in and tight. How I didn't damage the bolt, I don't know; but, 3 hours into the job I lost my giveadamn. It shouldn't be this hard.
The other side (right) was easier. I decided to cheat. Usually cheating gets me in trouble; but, it was worth a try and saved me 2 hours. This time, I loosened the lower panel and gently pried the top piece over the marker/turn light, creating enough room to get to the torx screw buried in there. Again, only 1" of clearance, so it took awhile getting things back in and aligned.
Time to put some real crash bars on this bike. Yeah, I get it - don't drop it. The problem is, I really like to slow ride and push the limits of how slow I can ride this big bike. I can't make the speedometer read 0 yet; but, I can make it read 1. Besides that, there's the austere conditions I find myself riding in. Hell, most of the damage came from this bike being blown off the side stand!
These are the crash bars I'm going with. I'll get them in black.
Now, while I was working on the lower panels, I couldn't help but notice this:
I sent photos to Hermy's BMW since this bike is just 9 months old requesting it to be replaced under warranty. I await an answer. Just yesterday, I was reading about a riders center stand collapsing because of rust. I will post their reply here.
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