Ramblings past and future

[jbcollier]

It's been a busy month what with a couple of week's holidays and prepping for "Le Grand Depart." A series of back strains have complicated matters as sitting in a car is about the worse thing I can do. So it was with a little trepidation that Emily and I headed out on a day trip to Drumheller this last Saturday as a dry run for our up coming trip. Fortunately the back doesn't seem to mind six hours of riding. Whew!

The Suzuki performed well with only two hiccups. One was that while it gets 180 km before reserve when riding with the wind. We only get 150 km to a dry tank against the wind! The BMW carries 35 litres (400+ km range) and I brought a syphon hose against just such an eventuality. However, it would be much easier with a longer hose so that is on the final to do list.

The second was a tendency to stall after sitting for ten or so minutes while filling up. Heat build up, it was damn hot out, would boil the fuel in the carb passages until the fresh fuel cooled things down. This caught Em out twice resulting in a slow motion, damage free descent to the ground. It was a little hard on her but now we know to rev it a bit first to clear things out.

The BMW performed like a champ, eating up the miles with relish. The only minor glitch was a frozen GPS and no manual on hand to know how to reset it. I am going to see if I can lower the fairing a bit to clean up the helmet air flow. No big deal though. The side stand is a stupid design that is very difficult to deploy while on the bike. After six hours in the saddle, I need to be very cautious that my tired reflexes don't catch me out.

We were struggling in the luggage department as Emily was going to be forced to use sport bike throw overs. At the last minute I found a motorcycle luggage suitcase which has an extendable handle and wheels with a rain cover and d-rings to tie it down. It will be great to ride up and simply roll our luggage into our room. The panniers on the BMW will hold our touring supplies: tools, rain suits, sweaters, etc with tank bags to hold our ready-to-hand items. Should all work a treat.

I went to look at a P200 for one of our members. Looks to be a decent, solid bike. It needs a good going over (cables, tune up, carb clean, etc) but the motor is strong and the essentials tight and true. One more convert to the dark side? Time will tell.

I have also been working on Rick's 100 sport. Progress is slow but sure. Most of the cables are done and the electrics are sorted. The ignition switch had died and the PO had "bypassed" it with interesting results. Fortunately I had a good, used one on hand. Next we need to mount the rear turn signals and perform a good tune up. A couple of more Sunday mornings should see us through.

That's all for now. Enjoy your Saturday trip to the lake. Emily and I will be on the first leg of our trip. We'll be overnighting in Waterton before riding into the US and over the "Ride Going to the Sun." Should be marvelous regardless of the weather.

Cheers!

[Sowelu]

Wow!!! you have been really busy!

Shannon

[Angelo]

Thanks for the updates. Safe travels to you and your lovely daughter. I hope the weather holds up for you, this will be the trip of a lifetime!

Ciao
Angelo

[redbike]

I know how safety conscious you are John, so you will undoubtedly dismiss this suggestion out of hand. BUT, I had a gas riding the Logan Pass w/o helmet. It was over 100 degrees f; traffic was congested, and moving along at about 10km/hr, so no risk from that point of view. You'll have a great trip. Most important is lots of water - keep yourself hydrated. Problematic for us full face helmet types! Have a blast and ride safe.

[LibertineAudrey]

Thanks again John for looking at the p200 for me. And yes, one more convert. It's sitting in my garage as we speak. ^_^

I hope you guys have a wonderful trip free of any the typical kinds of woes that seem to go with such an endevour.