Having a wonderful time, wish you were here ....

[Guzzistajohn]

The Trophy is doing great, getting 50 mpg, great in the curves, stable in the crosswinds, all day comfortable. The 7 gallon tank is a real plus for flexibility of routes and stops. We miss our Russell seats on the Stelvio, but with a Beadrider it does OK.
Wyoming today, big sky and wide open spaces....

My 955 has been as dependable as a stone hatchet.

[Lannis]

Be sure to run Beartooth and Chief Joseph while you're near Cody.. farther north, don't forget Going to the Sun for some spectacular scenery. Going west from there.. Lolo pass. 99 miles of curvy goodness following the Lewis and Clark expedition.

Been riding in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming all week, all the good roads and amazing sights. Gotta go home sometime though so heading south to the Utah parks now, laagered up for the night in Afton, WY, off to Zion, Bryce, et al in the morning, will be 26 degrees in the AM but we got heat. Yellowstone was way overcrowded at 0800 on a Thursday morning in late September, never expected that, the planners  never anticipated that 70% of the thousands at the attractions would be Chinese tourists on buses, it's way overloaded so backpacks or snowmobiles next time.

New 'Stich and Rukka gear is worth the money, thirty degree temperature swings no problem, bought a pair of Klim Goretex gloves at a snowmobile shop so ready for anything over the Mirror Lake pass tomorrow.

This is the life.... It's a long way home though...

[Tusayan]

I rode south through Afton, Wyoming at 9 AM last week... and it was cold that morning! 

Just off to the side of the road in Afton you'll see the Aviat aircraft factory... if you don't blink.  I pulled in and took a couple of photos among the new Aviat Huskies on the ramp, never dismounted from the bike 

The road south past Bear Lake is scenic and fairly entertaining.  Lots of French place names, or so it seemed to me.

[Testarossa]

If you come thru Colorado give us a shout in Paonia. I'm riding a loop to Gateway and back on Friday.

[Chuck in Indiana]

Been riding in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming all week, all the good roads and amazing sights. Gotta go home sometime though so heading south to the Utah parks now, laagered up for the night in Afton, WY, off to Zion, Bryce, et al in the morning, will be 26 degrees in the AM but we got heat. Yellowstone was way overcrowded at 0800 on a Thursday morning in late September, never expected that, the planners  never anticipated that 70% of the thousands at the attractions would be Chinese tourists on buses, it's way overloaded so backpacks or snowmobiles next time.

New 'Stich and Rukka gear is worth the money, thirty degree temperature swings no problem, bought a pair of Klim Goretex gloves at a snowmobile shop so ready for anything over the Mirror Lake pass tomorrow.

This is the life.... It's a long way home though...

It doesn't get much better than this, Lannis. 
(long story, but I thought I should tell you.)

[Sheepdog]

The Rockies are the business. From New Mexico to Montana they are absolutely inspiring.

[Lannis]

We're up to 4500 miles now and a ruler laid on the map says it's 3,000+ miles home, even my new tires are never going to make that, so I'm going to have to make plans to call ahead somewhere (probably by Missouri or Arkansas), get at least one Pirelli Angel GT ordered, and stop in and get the shop to put a new tire on.   Luckily the SE is just as easy (easier, actually, because you don't have to line up the lug bolts or pull the caliper) to change a wheel as the Stelvio - two small bolts to pull the muffler, 5 lug bolts, and it rolls off into your hand, so if the shop doesn't have a lift free, I can pull the wheel in the parking lot and hand it to the shop ....

But that's next week ... we're riding the Rockies from Montana to Arizona as suggested, we've done the Chief Joseph and Beartooth and Bear Lake and Dead Indian Pass and Mirror Lake (UT150) and a lot of other roads that don't make the tourist brochures but are spectacular, the Rockies really are an order of magnitude bigger than my Appalachians.

We had the famous "60 Degree Temperature Swing" today .... 26 degrees at the off in Afton WY, and 86 degrees pulling into Salina, UT .... Fay in her electric jacket and me in three layers in the morning, down to T-shirt and jackets and all vents open in the afternoon.   Almost easier to fight cold weather than hot - we were comfortable at 26 but 86 is sort of wearing on you after a few hours.   Big country, though, and that's part of it.

I didn't plan anything past Deer Lodge, MT, so Fay and I will sit down with the Rand-McNally Atlas and figure out how to see Capitol Reef and Bryce and Zion and MAYBE the Grand Canyon in the next few days before we point the front wheel East.   I say "Maybe" on the Grand Canyon because the little-known or unknown places have been the most fun, while the "popular" places have been pretty disappointing, can't see them for the crowds ... we skipped Old Faithful for that reason.  I'm not waiting in a line of cars for an hour to see ANYthing ....

Met a lot of interesting people, we start conversations at lunch and gas stops and motels.   Learned a lot about corn futures, elevator prices, sugar beet harvesting, Mississippi barge piloting, elk hunting, spent a night in a Montana cabin ....

But someone's waiting for this motel lobby computer now so I'm off, back later ...

Lannis

[ohiorider]

Outside of Taos, NM 2006.  Love riding out here!

Wish I'd been following this post.  Love the part of the country where you're riding.  Not like I'm a world explorer, but the few trips I've made out West created memories I'll hold forever.  I plan on jumping back to the beginning of your post and following the ride.

Re the temps in that part of the country ...... my good riding buddy, Tom, and I took two Triumph Bonnevilles (2001 and 2003) from Cleveland, Ohio as far West as Four Corners, then north to Cody, then east toward home.  115 degrees F in New Mexico.  Leaving Cody a few days later, we ran into sleet in the Bighorn Mountains.  Temps in the low 40s.

Beautiful ..... all good!

Have a good ride home.

Bob

[Testarossa]

Lannis, I really envy you that trip. Gail has arthritis in her hips and can't do more than two or three hours pillion. But I did the Gateway loop today -- 288 miles in 5.5 hours with a nice stop at the car museum. Yes, the temperature swings in the mountains. Cold is easier to handle -- you can always add layers but you can only go so far taking them off.

[Chuck in Indiana]

Capitol Reef and Bryce and Zion

You know it will be good when you see a flashing yellow warning sign saying, "Warning to motorcyclists. Sharp corners for the next 92 miles."
This gets my vote as the prettiest road in the states. The scenery is spectacular. Zion is pretty crowded, though.
If you don't *have* to see the Grand Canyon.. I'd pass.

[PeteS]

Heading south from Utah and Bryce/Zion the South rim of the Grand Canyon is a simple bypass off 89 then south to Williams. The North rim would be more of a detour. It should be on everyones bucket list but for me once is enough.

Pete

[Lannis]

You know it will be good when you see a flashing yellow warning sign saying, "Warning to motorcyclists. Sharp corners for the next 92 miles."
This gets my vote as the prettiest road in the states. The scenery is spectacular. Zion is pretty crowded, though.
If you don't *have* to see the Grand Canyon.. I'd pass.

I couldn't figure out what that sign meant. It only said 'Motorcyclists take caution next 100 miles', I watched it cycle twice and it gave no reason. I cussed and fussed at the UDOT for that sign. Slick roads? Open range cows? Alien invaders? And why just motorcycles?

But it IS the best road I've ever ridden!

Lannis

[Lannis]

Heading south from Utah and Bryce/Zion the South rim of the Grand Canyon is a simple bypass off 89 then south to Williams. The North rim would be more of a detour. It should be on everyones bucket list but for me once is enough.

Pete

Zion tomorrow, North Rim the next. There ARE a ton of people at these popular spots but we'll do it once anyhow.

[twhitaker]

Some years ago we circumnavigated the Grand Canyon and from the north rim we went to Lake Powell and toured the dam. Pretty fascinating. From there we went to the south rim and on to Winslow.

[kingoffleece]

Was out that way twice in the last  3 years.  89A from Flagstaff to Sedona is a blast with fantastic views-for the pillion!
Capital Reef is a unique and wonderful park.  In Torey there is a top 100 restaurant called Rattlesnake something or other.  Eat there if you can.

[Lannis]

The good news is that we were happily riding down a lovely mountain road, heading toward home after 7,300 miles on the road.

The bad news is that our rear tire starting going flat.

The good news is that the bike has a TPMS and started flashing a red light and showing the pressure falling from 45 to 42 to 39 to 35 to ….

The bad news is that there was no place to stop.

The good news is that due to the pressure monitor, I rode it down to 20 pounds and found a school parking lot to pull into.

The bad news is that the tire went completely flat.

The good news is that I had TWO tire plugging systems (DynaPlug and a normal “sticky worm” reamer and plug installer) along with a pump.

The bad news is that the DynaPlug failed, then the first sticky worm failed, the second one failed, and the third one failed.   The tire just kept leaking, as if it were “splitting” as I installed the plugs.   Musta been a helluva cut.

The good news is that the school had a janitor and a phone.

The bad news is that we were 30 miles from the nearest town, and it was Saturday afternoon.

The good news is that the AMA breakdown service got a roll-back truck to us in 45 minutes, and the driver knew how to tie down a bike.

The bad news is that it was 3:00 (quitting time) at the motorcycle shop when we got there.

The good news was that they held the shop guy there past quitting time for me.

The bad news is that they told me they couldn’t take the wheel off the bike.

The good news is that it took me about 4 minutes to take the wheel off the bike and hand it to the shop guy.

The bad news is that they didn’t have a 190/55-ZR17 tire in stock.

The good news is that they had a 180/55-ZR17 tire, and that was close enough for me.

And the rest of it was all good news.    They spooned on the new tire, I installed it back on the bike, and we were back on the road 3 hours after the tire went flat on a Saturday afternoon on a back road miles from no where …..

Sometimes you’re the bug, sometimes you’re the windshield ….

[Muzz]

 

Great write-up Lannis.

[pebra]

Great write-up Lannis.

Yeah, he had me worried as I read along!   
Now, stay tuned for the "how to prepare for the long trip" discussion.........

[Markcarovilli]

Lannis

probably took me longer to read the post than for you to pull the tire off.....

glad it all worked out.

Mark

[Lannis]

Good way to take/endure  bad events..ha!


Question...

?Did you start w/new tires?

:-)

I did.   

Started out with brand new Pirelli Angel STs front and rear.    The last set I had, which were Pirelli Angel GTs, were down to cord in the rear and about 1/4 left in front after 7500 miles, so I figured I might be OK OR might need to call ahead somewhere for a new tire.

I stopped at a nice Harley dealership in Bartlesville, OK, and the shop manager looked over the tires for me.   He pointed out the wear bars (I had 6300 miles on them at the time), and it was his opinion that they had another 1200 miles in them, which might get me home.

But as we all know, tires that are down to 20% tread are much more subject to punctures, and that's what happened to us .... Never saw the thing that cut the tire, and there wasn't anything in it when I went to patch it ....

"Atlas Cycle" in Bristol, VA gets a big Service Star for going above and beyond the call of duty .... when I bought the bike, I bought a $500 "Road Hazard Tire Insurance" warranty with it, which is supposed to pay for a tire that gets cut on the road.    But it's extremely hard to collect on.   My first tire last year that I wore out had a piece of metal in it, but since I had pulled it off the rim before I called them, they declined to cover it.

This time,  I called the warranty people from the shop, had to jump through 15 minutes worth of hoops, then they wanted to talk to the service people at the shop, who had to measure tread depth, estimate hole size, speculate on what might have caused it, estimate remaining life of the tire, what kind of certification they had to fix tires, explain why they weren't going to patch it, etc etc etc ... it's very annoying, but the service guy hung in there with them for about 20 minutes (which he didn't have to do and didn't charge me for, and all after quitting time), and if I scan my invoice in, I might get paid, I don't know.

At any rate, I'm going to be looking at different on-the-road tire-fixing solutions.   Maybe those little mushroom-shaped plugs, or maybe Ride-On solution, although I don't know if my TPM sensors can take that.   Ride-On says that "hermetically sealed" ones can, so I'll have to check ....

Lannis

[Lannis]

Lannis

probably took me longer to read the post than for you to pull the tire off.....

glad it all worked out.

Mark

The Triumph is even easier than the Stelvio to pull a rear wheel.

On the Stelvio:

1) Two 14mm bolts, take off caliper, and hang from the frame.

2) Four 17mm lug bolts on the other side, pull off wheel and roll out the back.

The only hassle with the Stelvio is lining up the wheel with the rear drive so that the lug bolt holes line up ... it can take a few minutes to feel around and find them.   And sometimes you have to work the brake pads apart so the caliper will slip back on.   But compared to a Cal 1400 .... !!!!

On the Triumph:

1) Loosen one 10mm bolt and one 12mm bolt, and the silencer slips off.

2) Five 15mm lug nuts off, and the wheel rolls out the back.

Going back on, you just put the wheel on the studs, there's no holes to line up, and you don't have to mess with the brakes.   It's literally a 3 minute job if you already have the tools out.   Somebody at Triumph was thinking.

Don't ask about the Triumph air filter, though.   All the plastic and the fuel tank has to come off.   An 8 hour job at home ....

Lannis

[Rhodan]

Been following the trip report with enjoyment and you even worked suspense in there at the end!  Safe journeys the rest of the way.

[malik]

Well done, Lannis, adversity overcome, and a tale to dine out on.

And oh, about that Stelvio wheel, Kiwi Roy developed "A Couple of Tools" & posted on the Ghetto recently - to popular acclaim- one of which was "Kiwi Roy's Wheel Locating Tool" - check it out.

[Texas Turnip]

Lannis,
I'd appreciate you posting a picture of you and Fay on the bike all loaded up.
Thanks,Tex

[Lannis]

kirby1923 - I'm a big proponent of "Slime" but I'm not sure if it's compatible with the TPMS sensors.   I think "Ride On" is, but I need to check.   

malik - I've been meaning to make one of the alignment studs as you mention, definitely falls within my hacksaw-and-dremel machining skills, keep it in the little dash pocket on the Stelvio.

Tex - I don't know if we had the opportunity to get a picture of both of us on the bike all suited up .... There's pictures of everything else, though, Fay reminded me (in a way) of this guy ...



as she walked around with two or three cameras hanging from lanyards around her neck and wrist, clattering cheerfully as she stood up on the pegs to take a picture going down the road or had me getting the ABS chattering to stop at an overlook somewhere ....

Lannis

[Lannis]

Lannis,
I'd appreciate you posting a picture of you and Fay on the bike all loaded up.
Thanks,Tex

I'm anxious to get the photos and trip description together but

1) I was supposed to pick up some furniture that a lady is donating to the church tomorrow at 0800, went out to hook up the trailer to the truck, and the right front truck tire is flat, with wires sticking out of the carcass. 

2) My son was driving my little Ford Festiva home for me tonight, and right in the middle of the driveway the front suspension failed, the right front wheel is lying flat on the ground, and the cardan shaft pulled out of the transaxle.   If that had happened when I was sports-car-racing home in the Festiva last month down US219 coming by Cass, I'd still be at the bottom of the Greenbrier River ... !   So got to line up a roll-body truck in the morning.

3) I have one gigabyte of storage space left on my 250 gB drive on my Apple, it's a long story but I need to buy a big external drive to have space to download pictures, till then they stay on the cameras ....

First World problems, moan moan moan but they do put a kink in sharing experiences world-wide ..... !

Lannis

[Aaron D.]

Hmm, I've had bad experience using Slime in bicycle tubes. Core gets clogged.

[Lannis]

Hmm, I've had bad experience using Slime in bicycle tubes. Core gets clogged.

I use it in my tubed tires (Norton, BSAs, 1000SP) and haven't had any problems yet.   Never tried it in a bicycle ....

Lannis

[Testarossa]

I've had good luck with Slime in Schrader valves. It clogs up in Presta valves.

[Chuck in Indiana]

GuzziBob (RIP) routinely slimed his tubes in his T3 and 1000S. Said he'd never had a flat.. I'm trying to decide whether to do that to the G5 or make the rims tubeless.