Getting ready for a Long Winter's Nap

So winter is here, and it is time to put your motorcycle to bed for the winter, unless you are like me, who has ridden my bike every single month since the day it was purchased.

There are some maintenance procedures you should perform to prepare your bike for a long winter's nap.

First, you'll want to add a fuel stabilizer that will prevent the fuel residue from oxidizing and turning to varnish. (Not a good thing if the varnish gets into the carb or injectors.) After putting in the stabilizer, run the bike for 10 to 15 minutes to allow the chemical to work its way into the carburetor system.


Next, make sure you change out your oil, even if it appears to not be too dirty. Residual fuel and contaminants in the oil can oxidize during the prolonged storage or inactivity. Changing your oil now removes all the sludge and dirt that would otherwise start to deteriorate. Also, by having fresh clean oil in your bike will ensure a clean fresh start up in the spring when you crank it over for the first time.

Hook up a battery charger or tender to keep a full charge on the battery all winter long.

Then clean your bike. There may be road salts that could begin to corrode and damage metal surfaces.

Check your tires for proper inflation.

Cover your bike, and tuck her down for her long winter's nap.

Then dream all winter long for an early spring, when you can ride again.

Last Good Ride of the Year - Lake Powell

Mike Jarvis and I loaded our bikes down with RV antifreeze and headed down last Friday to Bullfrog Marina at Lake Powell to winterize our houseboat. Believe it or not, I had 12 gallons strapped to my bike, and Mike had 6 gallons. I felt like I had a really fat person riding on back.

The weather going down was pretty good, with some light drizzles going down, enough that we needed to take it slow in the turns. Temps were in the 40's and 50's most of the way down. Once at Powell, it was in the 60's. We did have a few downpours that night.

We got everything winterized. (Two inboard engines, a generator, the lake water lines, the fresh water lines and the toilets)

The next day we headed for home. The ride was quite nice most of the way, until we were west of Price, coming through Spanish Fork Canyon. It poured on us the whole way. We kept our speeds in the 50's most of the way, ensuring that we didn't hydroplane. Temps dipped into the 30's going through the canyon.

We both had headed gear, so we stayed toasty warm. Even though heated gear is pricey, it is the only way to go in cold weather riding.

A couple of tips for riding in the rain:

• Plan ahead, trying to avoid rainy areas or times for your trip. But if you can't, then the following items will help.
• Don't ride in the rain if you have worn tires. They should have good tread on the tires to bite the road. On my cross-country trip to Florida last year, my back tire was getting pretty worn, and I actually hydroplaned in the rain on my back tire going through Tennessee. Lucky for me, when I released the throttle, the back tire bit the road again, and then wobbled for about 30 yards before I gained control of the bike. Needless to say, that scared the begeebees out of me.
• Slow down. Keep your speed slow. Highway speeds should be about 5 to 10 miles slower than the speed limit, depending on weather conditions. Higher speeds creates a higher risk of hydroplaning.
• Keep your turning and moves slow and deliberate. Don't make any quick turns or moves.
• Wear bright clothing. When it is raining, other drivers will have a more difficult time seeing you if your clothing blends in with the landscape. Having bright-colored rain gear helps you to be seen.
• Turn up the lights. Keep your highway bar lights on or your high beam light on. Again, you want people to see you.
• Have a good rain suit and rain-proof clothing. There is nothing more miserable than riding wet on your motorcycle. It can get pretty bone-chilling when you get wet. Make sure your gloves and boots are water proof. Routinely I spray my riding boots and gloves with a waterproof spray. I also have waterproof boot covers that keep my boots dry, as well as keeping the water out of my ankle areas.

Until the next ride...

Headed for Lake Powell Next Week

I going to be heading south to Lake Powell next week with a riding buddy of mine, Mike Jarvis. We are partners on a houseboat and are going to be going down to winterize the boat before the snow flies. We are hoping that the weather will at least be dry for our trip down. The temperatures in Salt Lake are starting to get cold. Last night the temperatures dropped into the 30's.

It is about 300 miles to Bullfrog Marina on Lake Powell. We'll probably head down on Friday and come home Saturday, the next day. I'm always excited to be able to ride.

What's coming up?

Some of the guys I ride with have been talking about doing an "Iron Butt Ride." This is riding 1,000 miles in 24 hours. There is an association called the "Iron Butt Association" that certifies these types of rides. I did an Iron Butt ride a couple of years ago. To me, it didn't seem that difficult. We started at 4:00 AM in the morning and finished just after midnight that day.

Anyway, we may be planning an iron butt ride in September.

For next year I'm planning on a trip to Alaska, the only state I have not ridden my bike in. Once done, I can check that one off my list. I'll probably do this one in July, as I understand the weather and temperatures are best in July for the northern areas.

My VTX now has over 74,000 miles on it and seems to run better than when I bought it new. I have replaced both front and rear bearings, and of course have kept clean fluids in it. I did learn a valuable lesson last year when it comes to maintenance and up keep of my motorcycle. I had the dealer do a full service on it in the spring of last year. When I got my bike back, the mechanic had forget to screw in the rear caliper bolt (It was just hanging there), the axle bolt was finger tight, as well as the final drive bolt. On top of that, I discovered that when they replaced my flange bearings, they forgot to install a critical sleeve inside the flange bearings. So when I swapped out my rear tire this year, I discovered that my flange bearings were in pieces. I replaced those bearings, along with buying a new sleeve, myself.

So my valuable lesson learned is this: "Never trust anyone else to care for your bike, except yourself." I purchased a service manual years ago and have taken care of all my own fluid changes, tire changes and now bearing changes. I don't think that all dealers are bad, but you just don't know which ones, and when they will hire some high school drop out to work on your bike. I put a new air filter and spark plugs in it every year, whether it's needed or not. Just seems to run better in doing so.

You don't get many chances for mistakes on a motorcycle and live through them, so I would rather trust myself with my life and bike than someone else. In addition, I've learned a lot about my bike and how to maintain it. I've gotten to where I know the sounds of my bike, and when it doesn't sound right, and what to do to fix or adjust it.

Finished another Sturgis Trip

Well, we finished another fun-filled week in the Black Hills and Sturgis. As always, we stayed in a quiet remote campground called Roubaix. It is a beautiful area with pines and a lake. Not some dusty, hot pasture, where you pay premium prices and enjoy loud noise all night long.

The journey to and from Sturgis were great routes, staying our first night in the Big Horn National Forest, and on our return route, traveling over the Bear Tooth Hwy and down through Yellowstone Park.

It is always a pleasure to travel with good bikers, who know how to have fun without the expense on others. (To read our daily blog of the trip, click on the "Sturgis Trip 2010" icon to the right.)

I'm looking forward to next year's trip, which may be through the northern California coastal areas and a few national parks, or maybe a Colorado trip through some old mining towns and an overnight stay at Lake Powell.

Until then...

Getting Ready for Sturgis 2010

I'm getting ready to ride to Sturgis, North Dakota, along with 8 other family members and friends, for the 70th Anniversary of the Sturgis Bike Rally. It should be a well attended rally this year. The event usually draws around half a million motorcyclists from all over the world. In years past I've met people from all over the US, as well as Europe, Australia and Japan.

My group of nine will be staying in the Roubaix Campground in the Black Hills National Forest, about 30 miles outside of Sturgis, away from all the noise and crowds. We'll stay there for four nights.

Looking forward to it. If you would like to follow our trip, check out our trip blog here: http://sturgistrip2010.blogspot.com/

After spending 18 days on the road and logging over 6,000 miles, through the Midwest, up into Canada, down through the Northeastern states, and back across the USA, I made it home without incident. I met a lot of interesting people saw some beautiful countryside, experienced some quiet special moments of contemplation, and arrived home, greeted by family.

I have now ridden my motorcycle in 49 states, leaving Alaska as my last challenge.

That will be another day.

I'm on my Canadian/Northeastern US Trip

I left this morning on my Canadian/Northeastern US Trip. I will be posting my daily travels at this blog site: http://canadianmainetrip.blogspot.com/

Thanks for visiting!

One Week and Counting

Well, I'm a week away from taking off on a 6,000 mile journey across the upper midwest, up into Canada, down through Maine and heading west to return home. I've been checking the 10 day forecast and it looks like I might hit rain my second day (Sunday). Nothing new for me. I'll just slow down and keep my tires to the pavement. I'm looking forward to experiencing new vistas and meeting new friends.

I'll keep a daily journal, with pictures, of my trip on the "Canadian and Northeastern State Trip Blog here: http://canadianmainetrip.blogspot.com/

Please join me on my blog. I'd love the company.

See you later!

Thanks to a nameless deputy!

It was a beautiful Monday--Skies were clear, temperatures were warming. I had a meeting in Provo, so I decided to ride my motorcycle down from Sandy.

Upon my trip home, traveling in the I-15 HOV lane in Utah Country, I passed through a construction zone. I wasn’t quite sure how fast I was going, but it appeared that I was going with the flow of the traffic. A Utah County Sherriff’s truck pulled in behind me with his lights flashing. I must have been going faster than the posted 55 mph. I pulled over, and was greeted by a very pleasant officer. He asked if I knew why he pulled me over? And I responded that I was probably going too fast. He kindly pointed out to me that it was a construction zone, with a posted 55 mph speed limit.

He then looked at my motorcycle and said, “nice ride.”

“Thanks,” I said.

“What kind is it?” he said

I said “An 04 Honda VTX 1300.”

I then shared with him that I’ve put about 68,000 miles on it, riding cross-country through just about every state in the union. He smiled, and asked to see my license, then walked back to his truck to check it out. Upon his return he informed me that I had a clean driving record. I let him know that my last ticket was about 30 years ago, and was pretty clean until today.

He said he wasn’t going to give me a ticket. And wished me safety, and sent me on my way. As I climbed back on my bike, I thought that perhaps my bike saved me from a ticket, but as I drove on, it became alarmingly clear why I was pulled over.

Getting back on the freeway, I had driven no more than a minute, when a Highway Patrol car sped past me with his lights flashing, and then started swerving back and forth in front of me across four lanes of traffic. With each swerve, he would slow down, until all the traffic behind him was to a slow crawl.

Looking ahead I saw another HP who was dragging a large piece of road debris that was lying across the HOV lane of the freeway. It looked like a large piece of metal.

It then occurred to me, that had the sheriff’s deputy not pulled me over when he did, I would have hit this large piece of metal and would have surely laid my bike down. This could have been a serious accident, and maybe even fatal.

Call it what you want—Good luck, timing, divine intervention. For me, I was grateful to a nameless deputy sheriff who singled me out and pulled me over, even though I may have been going with the flow of the traffic.

He probably saved my life.

Canadian and Northeastern States Trip Route

Well I'm starting my planning for a trip across the upper portion of the USA and into Canada. My trip will take me into Canada above the Great Lakes, but mostly through the upper states of the U.S.. I will be leaving around the first of June, and returning towards the end of June, traveling over 6,000 miles in three weeks.

After this trip is completed, I will be able to check the rest of the US states off my list, having ridden in every state in the USA.

I've thoroughly enjoyed every state I have ridden in. I've met a lot of great people and relived a lot of US history. We have a beautiful country, rich with gorgeous landscapes and majestic mountain ranges.

In spite of the challenges our country faces, both politically and economically, I'm proud to be an American. I'm grateful to our early ancestors that sacrificed much to build the foundation of this grand land. I'm thankful to the brave men and women of our armed forces who continue to protect our freedoms.

America is great!