The Two Hour Job...

That's goin' on two weeks! ha ha ha... Yup... those seals and such are maybe two hours for a "trained professional"... and I'm bumping up on a couple of multiples of that.

Buuuuuut... got a call yesterday afternoon and my bushings are in... so I'll bump along today and see how close I can get to putting her back together!

I can't say I'll have saved any dinero... considering the tools I've bought to do this work... but I am kinda happy to be honest that I'm doing it for other reasons. Somehow I think it's a benefit to have been in there, and know better how things work... and just to refresh the memory that I can still get it done when needed.

... and that kinda gets a guy to thinking 'bout other things.

I wrote on my "other" blog/site that I'm now of that age where folks often make veiled and not so veiled comments that it's time for the "old guy" to start slowing down... "You're too old to be doin' things like that any more..."

Just the thinking of that sentiment... let alone the voicing of it makes my liver quiver. My response is generally something like; "YOU are too old to live maybe... but ME? I'm only too old... when I'm DEAD!"

You ever hear or see anything about this Ol' gal? Gloria is 89 years young. Still twisting the throttle and still hangin' it in the wind.

That's my goal now... and I've got better than a quarter of a century to pass her record by!

Grab Your Handles and Ride
Brian

Yosemite and Me Be Saddle Pards

Trobairitz's comment yesterday made me giggle; "For some reason I picture Yosemite Sam stomping around cussing..."

I'm pretty sure neighbors might have been wonderin' 'bout the blue smoke and little symbols floatin' over the trees... %#@%!!!   &$*%@#!!!  &%$@@@!!!

... TARNASHUN! SATAN!  You Gol Durn Red Headed VAR-MINT! 

Show your Gawd Damn Face you pig eyed, spavined, knock kneed, two bit, parsimonious boot lickin' back stabbin tweaker of a yellow hearted DOG!

COME OUT and stand me to my Face!!!! 

You foul Smellin' dry gulchin' Skunk! You an' ME is 'bout to have us a gen-U-wine Western difficulty! I'm a gonna teach you a new dance you ugly, worm riddled son-of-sow-bellied SNAKE!

Yep... kinda lightened up my day considerable... :)

After some study of the sitchy-a-shun... I went on down to Yamaha and got the parts ordered... as well as the seal driving tool... using the dinero that was SUPPOSED to be fueling my run through the wind.

Once again, Sonja sits over in Evin's garage waiting on parts to put her road ready. Be some time next week when she'll go back on the jack and I'll tear the forks apart to put 'em right.

Thanks Trobairitz

Grab Your Handles and Ride
Brian

A Rideabout Along the River...

Well... sort of. The way I went you know the river's there, and I crossed it twice, but mostly you're just rolling through the desert.

I cut west from Quartzsite on I-10 to catch 78 south at Blythe and roll toward Ripley and Palo Verde. For a ranch kid, running through dry, desolate desert and breaking into irrigated farm ground with the scent of fresh cut hay on the morning of the last day of January is just... Fine.

Especially when back home they're doing another bout with Al's global warming "Polar Vortex".

It's mostly straight runs. There's nothing through there to test your technical skills. But for me, just the same, it was an excellent morning.

Hay and crops growing on both sides of the asphalt.

Pleasant weather and the open road. I'll take it.

Well... right up until... I go where I wasn't supposed to...

Ha! I'm running down the road and know I'm supposed to turn off again... somewhere...

A narrow looking road comes along... but my map is buried in my jacket... and there just up that bit of pavement a hundred feet sits a highway patrol...

Natural urges being what they are... I run on by because for some reason, my head tells me I don't want to turn there and rumble past that LEO... what a liar! ;)

Then along come Algodones Dunes... ATV's... and a huge yard of stored RV's... all sitting amidst a sea of sand... and look at the map or no... I'm pretty sure this ain't the way.

 

Yeah... cuz that little tickle from my brain and the Hwy Patrol kept me runnin' straight I went on down past Glamis... when I was supposed to lean over left and make the cut off onto S34...

So NOW I had to back track and turn down where I should have gone in the first place, only it's now maybe twenty miles farther. :) and since I was... um... pushing it a bit here and there... and my fuel consumption was down a bit... it was fun to watch Yuma and that lil' fuel gauge needle racing to see who'd get there first... Cuz there ain't no fuel out that-a-way.

Buuuuut I made it with miles to spare... and linked up with Steve and Tina of Road Pickle fame.

They rode in from San Diego while I was finding my way through the sand dunes... We linked up for a craft beer in a local pub and to sort out all the troubles of soh-sigh-uh-tee, relationships and all the evils of the world from the beginning of time to date!

Well... Tina and I did... Steve... he mostly hangs back... kinda quiet and watchful while Tina and Me cut and slashed and got it all sorted out! Ha ha... don't I wish!

But... all good times must come to an end... or they'd just be average. So, after five hours or so of excellent  beer and conversation, the road pickle crew climbed on their scooters... and the ribbon of asphalt guy pointed his nose north. They rode the couple miles to their lodging for the night...

... and I rode through the chilly Arizona desert... stopping at the border patrol check station so their drug dog could make sure I'd no midgets without documents concealed in my saddle bags... and then finished that 90 mile run some time after midnight in the cold desert back north of Quartzsite.

One day. Two Friends and 250 miles on a ribbon of asphalt. A good day.

Grab Your Handles and Ride
Brian

She Gets her Motorcycle Ticket... and First Thing She Does...

... is start movin' in on... MY... Motorcycle!!! Claims she's a licensed "Motorcycle Mama" now!

Stopped at the home of the Gal, who taught Heidi's motorcycle training class... She also does a lil' "sideline" selling of some Motorcycle clothing... and had shown Heidi a Touring/Cruising Jacket built by Teknic...

Looks pretty good don't it? The coat has armor in the back, shoulders and elbows for motorcycle riding safety... good ventilation, pockets to carry way too much junk... and the colors fit pretty well with her boots... but, it is... by God... MY... bike! :o)

Then... she started thinkin' 'bout head gear... She already has an HJC, Modular full face helmet...

But... you don't wear that at stops along the way... so she's been lookin' into more "Motorcycle Fashionable" headgear... We figure there's two options... a regular cap... or a Doo Rag...

Hmm...

... I'm kinda torn... Any Gals reading here? I kinda like the "Traditional" appeal of a Rag... kind of a balance with the "Modern" jacket... rather than the Traditional Motorcycle Leather... that I prefer... but... that Cap kinda shines a mite too, don't it? any opinions girls?... I told her she can keep the Rag on under her helmet, help keep the helmet cleaner... and... one stop shop for dealing with Helmet Hair!

One nice thing 'bout my current "Condition"... no hair to have any worries 'bout such things as "Helmet Hair!". :o)

...gotta go get the V Star in shape... before that Biker B_ _ ... uh... Mama!... Steals my Bike!

Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian

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Share your stories and opinions;
*Tell us Which you think is the... The Best Touring Motorcycle
*Share...  Your Personal Motorcycle Philosophy with us!
*Tell us about your...  Great Motorcycle Roads

Can a Woman Ride a Motorcycle... Solo... to Alaska?

You betcha!

Now... lookin' at this gal... walkin' on the street... that's not the likely first impression you'd get... she's "Model pretty" ... and that right there would be your first mistake...

All "First Impressions" ... are best put in your back pocket, for a while... till you add enough more information... to make a judgment... that ain't gonna embarrass you, down the road a ways...

Watch her story of riding alone to Alaska, for a while... One Awesome, Gutsy, Motorcycle riding lady...



So... all you gals... don't give it up, if you've got the dream of rollin' your motorcycle to Alaska... just 'cause some bozo said that worn out Ol' garbage; "But, you're just a girl!"

Lookie here... one of my "Angels"... is a Sergeant in the United States Army... and boys, let me tell you... that lil' Blond gal has earned every stripe... and can surely whup my Ol' butt if she chose to! :o) ... the point is... I discounted her when I first met her... right up until she helped pull me out of a "Fire"...

That is one mistake, of judgment, I will never, ever, make again...

Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian

Return to the Home page of Motorcycle Touring on Freedom Road
Visit our sister site goin' RV Boondocking

Share your stories and opinions;
*Tell us Which you think is the... The Best Touring Motorcycle
*Share...  Your Personal Motorcycle Philosophy with us!
*Tell us about your...  Great Motorcycle Roads