August 11.2009
It rained like the dickens yesterday just after I checked into my hotelroom. So, I did what any other honest person would do. I took out my rain gear and went out for a ride! I was really curious how the suit worked and would hold up in a REAL storm. Turns out the thing is amazing! It was torrentially downpouring, and nothing was getting through my blue full body suit! Pretty stoked about that!
Turns out there was nothing wrong with the bike. 1/2 day at the dealer. Oil change, new sparkplugs...checked the timing and some other obvious things like filters and the electircal system...nothing. Took the bike out for a ride. Nothing. It was still 'acting wierd'. We waiting for the Buell guy to come in after lunch. He took the bike out for a ride....nothing was wrong that he could tell.....then I took it out once more...still acting funny....then the guy sat me down and lectured me a bit about riding. Told me what I was expearencing of the power band and the gears 'sliding up in mph' was typical of the Harley engine. Said the bike was finally 'opening up', and the reason it hadn't happened sooner(like in the 1k breakin) was me. I'd probably been lugging the engine. He told me to take the bike out once more, and 'ride the piss out of it'. That the bike could take a beating. It has a rev limiter, and there was almost nothing I could do to hurt this this bike.
So..I took the blast out and rode it just like he said. Really got the rpms up there. Even hit the rev limitor a couple of times. Well you know. I'll be damned, but the bike was awesome. It was just as he said. I was pussy footing around, and needed to have a slightly heavier hand.
At that point when riding back into the dealer to finish the paperwork and pay for the service(which was warrenty! awesome), I was completly humiliated. It was a testimate to my poor riding skills and not knowing what I was doing. Not about motortouring, or nearly anything about motorcycles or how to ride them.
As we are sitting there outside waiting for the youngers micanics to detail the bike(which was pretty dirty), I confessed my nerverousness about riding the blast, and goin to Alaska....he looked at me plainly and said quit frankly: "If you are really that scared about riding to Alaska, go home."
It was the first time I'd encountered that attitude on the trip. Where people are strong and take care of themselves. How they have little patience for self pity or the like. Pick yourself up by your own boot straps sort of people. This guy was easily 4-6 my junior also.
That cut pretty deep. I made a resolution as I rode off. This was going to be an adventure. I wasn't going to be a burden on anyone durring this trip. If there was trouble, I would deal with it. Untill then, there was no use worring myself sick anymore about it. What would come would come. I could be prepared as much as I could. I had a life time of expearences and problem solving behind me. This trip might be smooth, it might be a disaster, it might be unexpected....but it was my trip, and I was not going to back down because I was afraid! Alaska was still thousands of miles away, the fear wouldn't stop me anymore.
It's a bit cheesy to write this sort of thing, but it's the truth, and I don't have any other stories to tell besides that:)
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
Patience is necessary.
Monday August. 10th 2009
Resting on the side of the road. Rode from Hope-Lake Willimas yesterday. 230mi or so. Running now to get to Prince George before the rain. Not that it would bother me much, but there is something wrong with my bike.
Started the other day and has been getting progressivly worse. Can only use 5th gear about 65mph, and really only down hill....with a tail wind. 4th gear is like the 5th used to be in range and power.....ah. I still have about 120 miles before I reach Prince George. There is a Harley dealer in PG. This is about as stressed as I've ever been in my entire life. grr.
Oh, last night when buying some grocieries for dinner, another biker who was also doing to quick lite shopping invited me to stay as his sister's place for the night! That was pretty awesome. Good group of people. He was a miner and had tons of cool stories to tell. Him and his friends are some serious motorcyclists! I hope someday I'm as good a rider as those guys!
Resting on the side of the road. Rode from Hope-Lake Willimas yesterday. 230mi or so. Running now to get to Prince George before the rain. Not that it would bother me much, but there is something wrong with my bike.
Started the other day and has been getting progressivly worse. Can only use 5th gear about 65mph, and really only down hill....with a tail wind. 4th gear is like the 5th used to be in range and power.....ah. I still have about 120 miles before I reach Prince George. There is a Harley dealer in PG. This is about as stressed as I've ever been in my entire life. grr.
Oh, last night when buying some grocieries for dinner, another biker who was also doing to quick lite shopping invited me to stay as his sister's place for the night! That was pretty awesome. Good group of people. He was a miner and had tons of cool stories to tell. Him and his friends are some serious motorcyclists! I hope someday I'm as good a rider as those guys!
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Hope!
Sat. August 8th 2009
Hope BC, Canada
Had a super late start from Seattle. Bought a hotel room for the night here in Hope. Travel Motel. It's actually much nicer than it would seem. And pretty cheep also. $40 or so.
Getting a feeling for the days of the journey.
Wake->Stress about the bike holding up->Rejoice at the end of the day.
Only touched the tip of BC, but it was breathtaking. America and Canada are fairly different. Stores on the American side of the border. Farms on the Canadian side. The strangeness to one another is blunt.
Tomorrow, going to try and make it to Prince George. Not sure the distance at the moment, but between here and there on the map is a place called the "100 mile house". That sounds undaunting.
Hit reserve on the gas tank at 87mi today. Should have easily gotten 100? Not sure what to think about that just yet.
The reason for leaving Seattle so late was my fear I had ruined the rockerbox gasket when I over filled the oil several days ago. The bike's been leaking pretty honestly since then. The dealer in NY assured me that I would make it back to NY just fine....I lied and didn't mention that I was riding to Alaska. Not many people have been to impressed on me taking the Buell Blast to Fairbanks...and I was not in the mood for any possible lip:) It will be a fun story to tell them when I get back to NYC!
Hope BC, Canada
Had a super late start from Seattle. Bought a hotel room for the night here in Hope. Travel Motel. It's actually much nicer than it would seem. And pretty cheep also. $40 or so.
Getting a feeling for the days of the journey.
Wake->Stress about the bike holding up->Rejoice at the end of the day.
Only touched the tip of BC, but it was breathtaking. America and Canada are fairly different. Stores on the American side of the border. Farms on the Canadian side. The strangeness to one another is blunt.
Tomorrow, going to try and make it to Prince George. Not sure the distance at the moment, but between here and there on the map is a place called the "100 mile house". That sounds undaunting.
Hit reserve on the gas tank at 87mi today. Should have easily gotten 100? Not sure what to think about that just yet.
The reason for leaving Seattle so late was my fear I had ruined the rockerbox gasket when I over filled the oil several days ago. The bike's been leaking pretty honestly since then. The dealer in NY assured me that I would make it back to NY just fine....I lied and didn't mention that I was riding to Alaska. Not many people have been to impressed on me taking the Buell Blast to Fairbanks...and I was not in the mood for any possible lip:) It will be a fun story to tell them when I get back to NYC!
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Tank bags and Tires and Plugkits oh my!
August.6th 2009
My new tires arrive tomorrow! It's been over a week here in Seattle waiting for this pair before I head off to Fairbanks. I can't imagin what will happen if I need new tire(s) on the road. The plugkit will get me to safty....ah, I don't like to think about it!
Had planned to ride out to Mnt.Rainner today, but my buddy and I stayed up late last night(1am) watching "The Long Way Around" and eating burittos. Didn't wake up super early. Concidering going to the map store(Metsker). Also, I'm seriously concidering going back to Home Depot to buy the 2gl gas can instead of the 1gl that I bought. There is something comforting about doubling my range on the 'little' blast.
I've only looked at the map as far as Dawson Creek and have already found a section 100+ without anything. If I miss that gas stop, or the town is closed....of whatever, the 1gl tank is only going to take me 50+- more miles(ish). My only concern is the weight. I hate to put ANY more weight on the back of that bike. It burns through those street tires as is, and every 7lbs I put on that bike just adds up to more and more. I've got an entire day to think about it.
Going to try packing up the bike today also. A dry run. The best time I had going up the coast was 1:30. Yeah. One and a half hours. Lame. My new large heavy duty 'waterproof' rubber Nortface bag should take 30min off the pack time. I can put everything in the one back as apposed to strapping on every little thing indevidually.
My buddy Joel keeps making fun and not believing me about the weather going through BC and the Yukon. It's one of my big concerns. I've still never ridden in the rain, and I hear reports of others who've taken this trip that I'll probably encounter snow! Yikes. Some biker in the red Woods was telling me he and his wife took the trip last year, just the same time I'm about to. Told me it rained for 14 days straight! Ahh.
In defense, I installed hand gaurds on the bike the other day. The only thing not shielded now are my legs. Whatever. I personally HATE the windscreen. Since the day I put it on. Messes up the handeling on the bike since it's connected to the front fork and not the frame. But it was highly recomened by everybody that I'll need the thing, so I'm still in the process of giving it the benifit of doupt.
In the same vein, since I've not got heated anything, I'm hoping/counting on being able to consume enough calories to get by.
I've got this silly camping stove, wich takes isobutane/propane mixture. I've never used one before this trip, and have no idea how long the little canisters of fuel last or how many of them I should take, or even where to get more for that matter. It's one of those things that I'm tiried of thinking about and planning and am sure will just work out for the best:)
My new tires arrive tomorrow! It's been over a week here in Seattle waiting for this pair before I head off to Fairbanks. I can't imagin what will happen if I need new tire(s) on the road. The plugkit will get me to safty....ah, I don't like to think about it!
Had planned to ride out to Mnt.Rainner today, but my buddy and I stayed up late last night(1am) watching "The Long Way Around" and eating burittos. Didn't wake up super early. Concidering going to the map store(Metsker). Also, I'm seriously concidering going back to Home Depot to buy the 2gl gas can instead of the 1gl that I bought. There is something comforting about doubling my range on the 'little' blast.
I've only looked at the map as far as Dawson Creek and have already found a section 100+ without anything. If I miss that gas stop, or the town is closed....of whatever, the 1gl tank is only going to take me 50+- more miles(ish). My only concern is the weight. I hate to put ANY more weight on the back of that bike. It burns through those street tires as is, and every 7lbs I put on that bike just adds up to more and more. I've got an entire day to think about it.
Going to try packing up the bike today also. A dry run. The best time I had going up the coast was 1:30. Yeah. One and a half hours. Lame. My new large heavy duty 'waterproof' rubber Nortface bag should take 30min off the pack time. I can put everything in the one back as apposed to strapping on every little thing indevidually.
My buddy Joel keeps making fun and not believing me about the weather going through BC and the Yukon. It's one of my big concerns. I've still never ridden in the rain, and I hear reports of others who've taken this trip that I'll probably encounter snow! Yikes. Some biker in the red Woods was telling me he and his wife took the trip last year, just the same time I'm about to. Told me it rained for 14 days straight! Ahh.
In defense, I installed hand gaurds on the bike the other day. The only thing not shielded now are my legs. Whatever. I personally HATE the windscreen. Since the day I put it on. Messes up the handeling on the bike since it's connected to the front fork and not the frame. But it was highly recomened by everybody that I'll need the thing, so I'm still in the process of giving it the benifit of doupt.
In the same vein, since I've not got heated anything, I'm hoping/counting on being able to consume enough calories to get by.
I've got this silly camping stove, wich takes isobutane/propane mixture. I've never used one before this trip, and have no idea how long the little canisters of fuel last or how many of them I should take, or even where to get more for that matter. It's one of those things that I'm tiried of thinking about and planning and am sure will just work out for the best:)
Can-Can
August.2nd 2009
In Seattle. Yesterday went out with some friends to the CanCan down on Pike right next to the market. A friend of a friend got us all in without having to pay the cover charge($40 on a friday! yikes). It was amazing. Somehow the performers captured the eroticism of the old can can show in a strip tease sort of way. It was all performed to modern music you'd hear on the radio(dancy stuff). An amzing time. If you are ever in Seattle, you'll have to check it out.
Took the bike out for a little ride because it was so nice. Some little highways, wound up near(at?) Scoqualmie where there was a car show going on. Had to check that out. Then why walking back to my bike, there was a train museum. While buying postcards, I asked how much it was to ride the steam locomotive train they had restored to take people to the falls. $10 he said. What?!? You bet your ass I was on the next train to the falls! Wasn't much of a view in the end, but it was awesome riding on an old train like that! Even though I feel like an imposition on my buddy, I'm having such an amzing time here in Seattle.
Tomorrow is the last trip to REI to get the remaining gear for the next leg of the trip.
I just want to get back on the road. Everything about motorcycling is easier when NOT in a city. Tomorrow is tank
In Seattle. Yesterday went out with some friends to the CanCan down on Pike right next to the market. A friend of a friend got us all in without having to pay the cover charge($40 on a friday! yikes). It was amazing. Somehow the performers captured the eroticism of the old can can show in a strip tease sort of way. It was all performed to modern music you'd hear on the radio(dancy stuff). An amzing time. If you are ever in Seattle, you'll have to check it out.
Took the bike out for a little ride because it was so nice. Some little highways, wound up near(at?) Scoqualmie where there was a car show going on. Had to check that out. Then why walking back to my bike, there was a train museum. While buying postcards, I asked how much it was to ride the steam locomotive train they had restored to take people to the falls. $10 he said. What?!? You bet your ass I was on the next train to the falls! Wasn't much of a view in the end, but it was awesome riding on an old train like that! Even though I feel like an imposition on my buddy, I'm having such an amzing time here in Seattle.
Tomorrow is the last trip to REI to get the remaining gear for the next leg of the trip.
I just want to get back on the road. Everything about motorcycling is easier when NOT in a city. Tomorrow is tank
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