A Weird Conclusion to The Fork Rebuild... and Some SWEET Time in The Wind

Sooo... I'm at a tee total loss. The bike is back together and I've not got a sliver of a part of a small bit of the shadow of an idea how.

The curbside of the forks was together days ago. The road side refused to go. I broke down and ordered the pro tool which required waiting a week for it to arrive. When it did it was the wrong "drive" so I had to hunt up an adapter for it...

Then I went to assemble the fork tube... and the PRO tool wouldn't hold! ARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!

I had help to hold the holder and no matter what I/we did... nada... it wouldn't go together. Frustrated and angry I called it quits at dark. Went over and sat under the shredded awning and sipped a beer... stewing in my own juice.

Shortly after dawn I walked back over to give it one last solo try... and failed again. That damned tube just kept turning. No Joy.

So there I am... bike sitting on a jack. One tube that isn't and won't go together and stumped and frustrated and fresh out of any ideas....

Absent mindedly I picked up a wrench... and just went to turn that bolt again, and turn the damper rod, while trying to come up with another "idea"... and with NO HOLDER in the tube... the damper rod wouldn't turn? Locked up solid... WTF???!

I picked up the torque wrench and put it on... and CLICK! with NO DAMPER ROD HOLDER IN PLACE...not one damn thing to hold it... and it didn't/wouldn't turn...

So now, I'm kinda freaked; Did I screw something up and have the forks all jammed up?

No... it works like it's supposed to, both sides... Weirdness... checking the other tube it wouldn't turn either???... IDK. I've no freaking idea what or why or when or how...

I only know... the forks weren't together... and then they WERE... and I didn't do a damned thing... but... I'll take it! I hurried and got the oil in and leveled, the wheel and fender and brakes on... got her back together... and then gingerly rode a hundred miles... testing to see all was "Right"...

The brakes work. The forks work. No leaks. No Squeaks. No heat... just... doing what it's supposed to do...

Then yesterday I climbed on and went on a nice wide circle.

Ran up Hwy 287 through Laramie. Rolled out Hwy 130 through Centennial and climbed up into the Snowies...

You're just over 10,000 feet up in Snowy Range pass on top... Far Country that soothes the soul of a grumpy old puss gut like me!

Coming down off the west side of the Snowies I caught Hwy 230 just a little below Saratoga and turned south for Walden in the North Park country of Colorado.

Grab some fuel there and came back east on Hwy 14 over Cameron Pass, another 10,000+ footer... and down the Poudre Canyon back to Fort Collins.

That's a nice run down the canyon... until you get to the lower end...and then all the cagers who can't go around a 35 mile an hour bend at 25 without hitting their brakes kinda mess with the day... :)

Buuuut... bottom line... a few hundred miles on my unknown-how-I-did-it repair... and all is good. Awesome!

Grab Your Handles and Ride
Brian

Cruising From Cody to Devils Tower

We got up to sunny skies after a deluge the night before... But Kerry had picked a good motel so our bikes were sitting under the overhead in front of the office when the skies opened up :)

How-some-ever... just to keep our egos in line... we took the wrong road out of Cody... Supposed to be heading for Powell, Lovell and the Medicine Wheel on top of the Bighorn Mountains on Alt. 14... we... found ourselves running thirty miles out on plain old Hwy. 14, toward Greybull... oops.

But that's not lost on a motorcycle... it's just Exploring!

And anyways... it's no big deal... you just take the Hwy. 32 cutoff back north and hit the right road at Lovell.

You climb up a steep grade that even a motorcycle notices :) and just after you top out is the Medicine Wheel... Only... this year, there was so much snow you still can't get to it... 'less you've got more ambition on foot than us guys. 

*Near the Medicine Wheel atop the Bighorns*

That snow bank you can see over Kerry's shoulder sits right across the mile and a half road you have to walk to get to the wheel. Forest service fella says you can walk on out... "But if anything happens to you crossing that drift... and you fall off the mountain... it ain't our fault!: ....

... yeah... so we decided we'd just put our behinds back on the bikes and roll the three miles back to the pavement :)

*going back down the Medicine Wheel access road*

... and then... you get to the east side of the Mountains where they drop off into Dayton... and Oh Baby... a sweet ride...

... So... I'd show you the whole deal... 'cept... some idiot was havin' so much fun chasing Daryl's Goldwing through those twisties on his Raider, dancin' back and forth from tight lefts, flipping straight into hard rights... that the guy with the camera trigger... forgot to pull it! :)

... so all I got, once I woke up and pushed the dang button, is the bottom third or so... where the corners had widened up a bit... but still a sweet ride!

***so...48+ hours... and the music is finally there... ***

When you get down, just as you come into Dayton, on the left side is a lil' bar and grill... which called to the three old guys rollin' past... so we wheeled in there for a bit of cool brew and some good conversation with another set of Bikers out of Idaho.

The day was stretching long, and we had miles to go... so it was back on the scooters, twist the throttles, and put it back in the wind, bound for Devils Tower...

... Straight into a hard, quartering, sidewind out of Gillette... that drained my kiester dry all the way to the tower...

We did manage to roll in, just 'fore dark and get our camp set... in a grassy meadow campground at the KOA...

A cold brew with some 'Biker Yarning' around the fire made a good end to a fine day.

Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian

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Riding toward the Black Hills through Montana and Wyoming...

... and it turned out a lot like that... a ride, to, the Black Hills. :) We took a 600 plus mile ride... and made it more like 900 :)

By the time we got done winding through Southern Montana and Northern Wyoming... we didn't leave much time to actually ride the Black Hills. :) bummer... now we'll have to go back... :)

We rolled through Helena and across Hwy 12 to drop down for a night in Big Timber.

*A hard night in Big Timber Montana*

When we got up the next morning we rolled the three bikes, a Goldwing, A Silverado and a Raider, east to Columbus where we turned south to Red Lodge and the Northern  approach to Bear Tooth pass.

*Approaching Bear Tooth Pass from Red Lodge*

If you ride anywhere near the NW corner of Wyoming or the SW part of Montana... You've got to ride the  Bear Tooth... it's a mountain you want to remember...

... and after the heat of the plains to the North and East... the top of the Mountain will reward you...

*The Montana side of the Bear Tooth Mountains*

*Top of the Bear Tooth*

*You've got to stop at the "Top of the World" ... don't you?"

We came down off the South side, heading for Cody... the road doesn't wind as tight on the Wyoming side...  but... it's still not lacking for views to remember...

*Coming down off Bear Tooth Pass into Wyoming*

We spent so much time riding this mountain... we chose to bunk in Cody that night, and head for the Bighorns, the next day...

... and so... I'll continue that... the next day :)

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!
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Camped Below Devils Tower

We fought a nasty wind most of the afternoon to ride in to Devils Tower just before dark yesterday...

This morning, a clear blue sky and a pretty view at sun rise. Waiting on coffee and then we'll head for the border and put it in the wind in the Black Hills

Grab your Handles and Ride
Brian

Bad Boys in Columbus

Stopping in Columbus for Breakfast .... and ran into a razor tough guard Dog... :)

... as soon as we pack the groceries in we'll climb over Beartooth Pass and see where we end up!

Grab your handles and Ride!
Brian

Along the Road to the Black Hills

We took off this morning about 9AM. With none of the three of us caring for riding the Interstate we kept to the Secondaries from Seeley Lake through Helena to turn south and stop for the night in Big Timber.

A good prime rib sandwhich and a Rolling Rock Beer at the Timber Bar in Big Timber has me ready for bed. :)

I can't say that any part of Montana is un-attractive... but, for a biker, much of the eastern 2/3 or so of the state can get pretty monotonous.

After winding through some awful pretty country, once we got east of White Sulphur Springs, the road drops down and really straightens out... You start hitting some considerable stretches where you wish the road builders had just turned their equipment once in a while, if only to break up the no monotony :)

But that's OK... just south of here is a sweet road... for tomorrow.

In the morning we'll ride a short ways on I-90 to get east to Columbus where we'll cut south again for Red Lodge and Beartooth pass.

Today was a fine ride... and tomorrow will be another. It's good to be a biker.

Grab your Handles and Ride
Brian

A Trio ofOld Guys, on Fine Motorcycles, Heading for The Black Hills

The Raider is packed and ready. a couple chores to complete and I'll be ready to ride.

The other pair of Riders are linking up today in Idaho... Expect to link up with them tomorrow. Then it's put it in the wind and roll for Deadwood! :)

Grab Your Handles and Ride
Brian