Colorado 2010 (never made it any farther)

[LOKi]

I'm setting this up now so everything is in place when I hit the road. I have posted this before but I want it all in one place.

The plan: July 3rd- July 11th

4th- Denver, CO
5th- Winter Park, CO
6th- Canyonlands National Park, UT (just outside Moab)
7th- Brice Canyon
8th- North Rim of Grand Canyon (Crazy Jug point. Not a good place to camp if you sleep walk being ON the edge of the canyon. Passing through Zion before heading down there.)
9th-  Somewhere in New Mexico.
10th- burn it back across TX.
11th- Rest at home or short ride in from almost making it home on the 10th.

I might end up leaving a little early to check out a unit in the field for work. If that is the case I'll leave Thursday and the company will get me a hotel room that night in Dallas, TX so in the morning I can meet with the client then head out to Colorado. That gives me an extra day camping in the nice cool mountains.    Now I just need to convince my boss this is a good idea.  

Saturday I started working on the bike. Just a short list of odds and ends that needed some attention.
Change tires (front AND back)
Change chain
Change sprocket
Change oil
Change plugs
Clean bike (yes clean it)
Run always on power for box (needed something I can charge a cell phone at least in camp)

Tires. Do you think I needed to change this front? Believe it or not it was a little rough when going slow. Can't be good for high speed stuff either.


Here is the back tire all mounted and clean. I cleaned the rims with the tires off so I could get the bead lock part real clean too. Had problems with my last front slowly loosing air the entire time it was on. Might have contributed to the bad cupping in the above picture


New front sprocket was supposed to be here yesterday (Monday) so I went ahead and cut off the old chain and removed the sprockets. BTW see that hole in the middle of the drive shaft? That goes into the engine, it's not a dead end hole. Didn't realize this until later when I did the oil change and started it up to fill the filter. Oil flung out of that hole. Being I had been spraying the area down with a pressure washer is let it fling a bit out before turning it off. I did not spray that bearing once with the water so I'm sure no water got to deep in the engine. And if it did I changed that oil out after. But just a heads up if your do this. Best to put that nut back on before going to town.


With a little Pinesol and the pressure washer I was able to get it really clean though


She is looking clean yes? I'll get some better pictures when I have it all back together.


I checked on the front sprocket and it's on the truck for delivery. I'll get that all put together tonight. Bags are packed and ready to roll. Now it's the waiting game. Better than the running around with your head cut off trying to get last minuet things together.

If anyone wants to meet up along the way on this trip send me a PM. I'll check the sight as I get the chance. I will try to post on the road if I can. Probably no video until I get back but I'll try and put up some pictures.

[hockeyhawk]

Have a safe trip Loki, looking forward to the ride report. The bike is looking nice and clean, that pin sole stuff works great, how did you use it on the engine? I also love those Avon tires, I wish they made them in 16".

[hppants]

Bon Voyage my friend.  We are looking forward to seeing the adventure.

[LOKi]

how did you use it on the engine?

Mardi Gras cup (plastic cup) and a small scrub brush. Mostly Pine Sol in the cup with a splash of water. Kinda how you would make a good whiskey drink. 

Finally got the front sprocket in. Put it on last night. Now she can move under he own steam again.  Because of this now Hurricane in the golf, lots and lots of moisture it being pulled up over the south. I was concerned at first with how hot the first two days of this trip where going to be. Now they will be wet days but at least I wont be so  . I have been taking the truck to work all week because of that sprocket and today because I don't want to start a trip with dripping wet gear. Honestly I find driving the truck in the rain a little more stressful than the bike. I feel like the dam thing is just floating all over the place. Unsure of the traction and handling of so much mass. That's probably because I just don't drive the truck to much anymore. Only time I ever take the truck is when I'm pulling a boat or something.

I am a little concerned with two new tires, a full load, and rain to start this trip. I'll take advantage of any break in the weather to go scrub in the tires a little today. The people down the street are going to think I'm weird riding up and down the street swerving back and forth.

[82CB750SC]

Good luck and have fun!  Looking forward to see some pics and lunch reports.  Ride safe.

[tomb raider]

Glad to hear your scrubbing up the old Girl. What tooth did you do on the front ? Go up a tooth ?

Be safe Man...

[muttstang]

sounds like an awesome trip but I wouldn't call that the midwest ;)  That would be southwest region.

Midwest gets you up into Nebraska/Iowa/etc

[LOKi]

What tooth did you do on the front ? Go up a tooth ?

Up one tooth to a 16 in the front.

sounds like an awesome trip but I wouldn't call that the midwest ;)  That would be southwest region.

Midwest gets you up into Nebraska/Iowa/etc

Yea but I want to do a true southwest trip too. Keeping it to New Mexico, and Arizona. I also want to do a north west trip and that will be in Idaho, Montana, even Washington and Oregon. The Midwest being the states in the middle. I never intend on even going to what your calling the true "Midwest". So to keep my files straight I'm calling this the Midwest trip. Starting location is Colorado but calling it the Rocky Mountain trip wouldn't describe where I'm going either. Colorado isn't exactly the Southwest either, and that is the true destination of my trip with side trips that take me into the Southwest. Calling it the "Mountain state to southwest back to mountain state and burning both ways across Texas" is just to long of a name.

[drdubb]

Cool trip! I'm envious. How many miles a day are you planning?

I ordered a 16t sprocket in February from sprocket specialists. I was told it will arrive this week! Glad you got yours.

Send a "Loaded" pic of the bike

[LOKi]

Long distance burns across TX will be 900+ with the last day being over 1000miles. Once out there I'll be doing 300-600 mile days. I'll get some pictures tonight when I load up. Thinking of heading over to my parents house and start off from there in the morning. Cuts a good 100 miles out of the trip to Dallas.

Oh and my company IS sending me to Dallas on the way out. So free hotel room the first night. I'm happy about this. Camping the first night in poring rain would have sucked.

[luckylindy]

 Sounds like a great trip.

[tomb raider]

I ordered a 16t sprocket in February from sprocket specialists. I was told it will arrive this week!

What's up with that ??

[lysolmp]

Loki, you're taking my dream trip. Say hello to the most beautiful region on earth(Utah) for me and ride safe 

[LOKi]

July 1st New Iberia, LA -> Mesquite, TX----440miles
  

What a first day! Skies stayed cloudy and threating all day long. Even had some sprinkles but nothing that required rain gear. The cloud cover keep the temperature way down. It didn't get hot until Texas.

Now I'm at the hotel waiting for the client to call back before going over there to look and listen to the unit in question. We sent replacement parts but they got tied up somewhere. If I get to see them today I might be able to pack up and leave first thing in the morning. I'll process the pictures from today and post them up tonight at the end of this post when I get back.

Tell you what. Loaded down like I am that 94 for max speed won't be THAT high the rest of the trip. Well unless I remove the bags and blast around a bit. Little bit of a speed wobble starts at about 90 or so. Oddly enough to straighten out the speed wobble I find that loosing up on the grip helps a lot. Letting loose like that is very counter intuitive when the bars start shaking back and forth out of sink with the bike.


Only stop that had any kind of view.


TEXAS!! WHooo Hoooo.


Do you get these for free if you just drive them around?


Last rest stop. From here I switched the GPS back to using HWY's to get me here faster.

[n5tbu]

Ride safe LOKi,enjoy the cooler climate!

[hppants]

 

Ride safe my friend.

[n5tbu]

3 days later....I hope LOKi is ok. Could just be no internet access,been over there a time or 3 and had that same prob.
Waiting for the next report.
mod

[darian]

Is that weinermobile a Mini Cooper?

I saw the thread in the Emergency help section.  Hope you got it fixed!

[LOKi]

July 2nd Mesquite, TX -> San Isabl National Forest Colorado----708miles

Texas. What else can you really say? It’s big. Weather keep everything nice and cool. I managed to stay just in front of the weather until I stopped for groceries. Somehow I dropped my keys in the store. By the time the keys had been located the weather closed in. Not wanting to admit defeat I pressed on in mesh and dragon jeans. I did eventually pull over and throw on the heated jacket and rain shell. I made pretty good time and made it all the way to San Isabl National Forest Colorado. I noticed some fluid on my right fork at one of my gas stops. I cleaned it off and rode some more and sure enough it was coming from the fork. I’ll look into that in the morning. For not I just want to get some sleep. Bears in the area better make sure I put everything away.




The grocery store where I lost my keys and the rain caought up.


I could have put on my rain gear at the grocery store but I thought I could out run the rain before getting too soaked. When I get good and cold I pull over and put on the heated jacket and my textile paints and continue on nice and warm and dry the rest of the day.


Weather is the only reason I even have pictures of Texas.


Eventually I do get ahead of the rain and the skies clear.


I have seen this place many time on road trips to Colorado. Looked like a good place to get out of the sun to smoke my pipe for a bit.


Very muddy water. I thought Louisiana water was muddy.


Still in Texas but at least the skies are starting to change. Oh how I love those dark blue skies. The clouds gave the sky a lot of depth.


Some volcano shots.




Looks like rain ahead. I managed to slip between two rain storms and not get wet again.


Sorry about the seam. I didn't have enough overlap to blind the edge.


My father said he has seen this exact same picture before when he drove though.


When I say I managed to slip through I mean I just slipped though.


Colorado at last.


Watch for bears.


Last picture before heading to camp.

[darian]

It's too bad about your trip.  When is the rain date?  (Not really a rain date as we all know rain wouldn't stop you, but you get the drift.)   Looking forward to more pics.

[LOKi]

No plans yet to make up the trip. The cost of getting the bike home has put a huge dent in my traveling funds. Perhaps next year I'll finish the trip. Alaska is going to have to weight for a while so I have some time. I'm thinking of touring the lower 48 for a few years first.