Topic: 21 Rides in 2021... SOHC 4 bikes .

[Kevin D]

We have several roads around here that are very hilly in stretches. There is one stretch in particular that has kind of been a legend for years and is nicknamed "Roller Coaster Hills". Popular with high school guys and other speedsters. I have taken a chance a few time back in the day. Unfortunately some were not so lucky and there used to be an occasional crash.

How about sharing the details? It’s not likely I’ll go there anytime soon, with the tropical storm rains we are having.

[goodtryer]

#9 - June 27 - 127 miles

Cloudy day, light breeze, low 90's, ran into a little rain on the way home.

Explored some new territory today north of San Antonio. Out Blanco road to Bergheim for breakfast. Took a detour on Edge Falls Road (Pic 1 at the Guadalupe River) then to Kendalia where we stopped at the dance hall (Pic 2), established in 1903. Then across TX473 to Sisterdale and down Sisterdale Road to Boerne. Then took 46 across to Pipe Creek and made our way home.

Cheers!

[Terry in Australia]

Well one third of the way thru a Melbourne winter we had a day of rain and sunshine in equal proportions, and even though very cold (for me) I told the boss I was taking the afternoon off so I could do my 24th 100(+) miler. I've just replaced one fork leg, both gaiters, and the speedo cable and was rewarded with no dribbling fork seals. One concern though, is the light rubbing noise that I'd attributed to the old speedo cable turned out to be  a slightly wobbly cast iron front brake rotor. Not happy about that, I'll send it back to Hugh Robinson, and ask him to replace it.

Apart from that, the bike went really well, I had a great 130 mile ride to the Heathcote Bakery for a late lunch, and congratulated myself for taking the opportunity to skip out on work and going for a ride. I'm looking forward to the next one.

K2 Bitsa ride 30 Jun 2021 6 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

K2 Bitsa ride 30 Jun 2021 4 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

[Trevor from Warragul]

Oooh, chocolate eclair!

[Terry in Australia]

Yep, sadly I had one bite and realised that my lactose intolerance was, er, not tolerating it, so it went in the bin. Oh well, the “Beef Chiraz” pie was magnificent.

[Trevor from Warragul]

My local bakery does a Caramelised onion and beef pie. Huge chunks of slow cooked beef in a red wine sauce. Yum!

[Terry in Australia]

Yep, the pie I had yesterday was the same, but without the onion. I love onions, so I may have to ride to Warragul. I should have ridden over a week ago, a woman in Warragul was selling a jacket I wanted on FB, but didn't do bank transfers or paypal (Troglodyte.....) so I had to tell her to keep it.

[Trevor from Warragul]

Should've told me, I would've picked it up for you!

[Terry in Australia]

Thanks mate, but she pissed me off to much with her "I'm sorry, I don't give my bank details to anyone" and "No reflection on you, but I don't trust Paypal" that I decided that I didn't need the jacket after all. People who advertise stuff on FB but don't take electronic payments, piss me off. Oops, wrong thread......  

[Trevor from Warragul]

I know how you feel.  I still have some of my bike club members who insist on sending cheques.  I fu*king hate cheques!  The sooner they ban the fu*king things, the better!

[Terry in Australia]

Yep, I still have a cheque book, but haven't written a cheque this year as the only folks I used to send cheques to was  VICROADS and my big bin collection bloke, but they've both discovered the 21st century now, so the cheque book is now surplus to requirements.  

[Old Moe Toe]

Thanks mate, but she pissed me off to much with her "I'm sorry, I don't give my bank details to anyone" and "No reflection on you, but I don't trust Paypal" that I decided that I didn't need the jacket after all. People who advertise stuff on FB but don't take electronic payments, piss me off. Oops, wrong thread......

I was looking at a bike on Gumtree (A free online advertising platform here in Aussie) the other day and asked via the message box for the blokes phone number so I could talk to him about the bike. He would not give me his number and said "You send me your number and I will call you".
I was that pissed off I did not send him my number. It's usually scammers who avoid the phone and send you silly messages about working on oil rigs etc.
Oh no!, this is not even the pissed off thread.
I would not be pissed off if that chocolate eclair was right in front of me now though.

[Kevin D]

Ride 6 140 miles
 The heat, humidity and storms have departed Michigan for now. I have been looking forward to today for several reasons and both the weatherman and the CB delivered the goods. I had an early deer family encounter: mom scampered across the road in front of me as I decelerated, the spotted fawn was smarter and stayed on the shoulder as the horn barked out. Further on there were others munching on the grass near the road, they were much more relaxed than I was and they were content with feeding.
 The CB has a new battery and a new ignition switch. The 6 year old AGM battery failed the last time out and I had a hairy ride home after a kick start with the engine running off of its alternator. But today was a new day and the Honda did not miss a beat, as is usual.
 There are only a few A&W root beer stands left. This one in Dexter is the only one along my route and is very popular, especially in the summer months.  It’s mostly eat-in-your-car, there are a few barstools at an inside counter, and a half dozen picnic tables, convenient for a guy like me. It’s easy to get dehydrated in the sun and the wind and easier to drink the root beer.

[Terry in Australia]

Looks great Kev, I'd love one of those mugs for my Ginger Beer!

[Kevin D]

Looks great Kev, I'd love one of those mugs for my Ginger Beer!

Yes, getting your hands on that frosted mug full of root beer when you’re parched is a pleasure.
But you don’t get to keep the mug, only hold it for a few minutes while you enjoy the beverage.

You can get one on eBay
If we were trading motorcycle parts I might put one in the UPS box with the 67?mm pistons.

[Shtonecb500]

7/3 saturday morning detroit to chicago 308 miles had a 15mph head wind the entire way with no fairing, almost turned around and went home 4 times.
7/6 tuesday, chicago back to detroit 308 miles - same wind but at my back, got pulled over by state boy, he ended up letting me go thank the lord.....flicked me for my incorrectly oriented license plate.

Ill log that as 2 rides each way getting me 4 rides unless thats against the rules.

#4 total

[goodtryer]

#10 - July 3 - 107 miles

Clear day but getting hot (mid-90's).

Didn't plan on getting a long ride this time out but it just worked out that way. The 550 has been sitting a while waiting on o-rings to fix a slow leak at the oil pump but I decided it needed a little ride. So I rode it to the bicycle shop to pick up a new chain for my son's bike and decided to take a back road home, well that led to another back road turn and then another and... before I knew it I had 50 miles behind me, so why not finish it out. Headed to some familiar ground in Castroville, stopped at a small place called Fernando's for lunch (food was ok, not great. super friendly people, though). Then headed out to Tarpley, then Bandera, Pipe Creek, Mico (pic) and then home. Bike ran like a champ except for some hesitation around 7000 rpm. I'll try some Sea Foam or something hoping it's just some gunk build-up. Really don't want to have to pull the carbs again.

Anyway, can't complain. This thread really makes me want to get these bikes on the road.

Cheers!

[goodtryer]

#11 - July 5 - 85 miles

My neighbor wanted to go for a ride, and who am I to say no? So we headed out on our standard route to Bandera for breakfast. OST restaurant wasn't crowded yet so we filled up there and then hit the road. It was early so we saw a bunch of wildlife, jackrabbits, lots of white-tailed deer, a turkey. We were right beside one particular deer before we even knew it was there, which is pretty amazing considering it was entirely white. She started moving pretty quickly after we stopped so the pics aren't great.

Anyway, those were the only pics I took; didn't get one of the bike but y'all have seen it. The clouds moved in, it started sprinkling and we headed to the house rather than risk getting caught in a storm.

Cheers!

[Terry in Australia]

Ride #25 is over and done with, and 2 hours after getting home, I'm sitting inside all rugged up still trying to thaw out. Now I know most of you blokes who live in snowbound countries that only warm up to comfortable riding temps for a few months each year are  probably laughing at my woosiness right now, but, well fcuk it, I'm cold! Twas 10 deg C, or 50 deg F, but according to Dr Google's patented windchill map, @60 MPH, 50 deg F becomes 39 deg F, which is only 3.889 deg C. Hmmnn, I think I just confused myself, must be time for another medicinal drink, to thaw my core.....

Anyway, apart from the cold, it was a great ride, and the ol' K2 bitsa flew like a big red bird. I jacked up the rear Koni's spring preload and rear damping, and didn't jar my back as bad as last time.

K2 Bitsa Wednesday 7 Jul 2021 1 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr
   

[PeWe]

Terry, no warm clothing when +10C is too cold?
I have jeans under my leather trousers, merino wool sweater under the jacket.  https://woolpower.se/en/shop/product/zip-turtleneck-400/

 I bought warmer gloves last year to enjoy 10-15C rides.
Below 10 when something must be tested or verified.
Protective leather boots too...

[70CB750]

I consider cold below 40F - 4C - that's when the cold gets to me.  But we are talking naked bike here, windshield makes huge difference.

[PeWe]

Street bikes and ice not safe.

[RAFster122s]

I ride in 50s and 40s, biggest thing is to keep your core warm and your hands. If your hands go very cold your reflexes are compromised because your arms are going at same time. Heated grips and bark guards like on adventure bikes helps a lot with the hands. Definitely time for windscreen in the cold.  If you put a big Vetter on the bike she may be ugly but your gonna be a lot warmer and your bike may actually get better highway mileage.

[Terry in Australia]

Yep, my hands were not just cold, but frozen stiff, so I was riding along with my hands on the cylinder head, which meant I had to hold the throttle with my left hand, which wasn't ideal. My 31 year old cold weather gloves weren't up to the task, and I was kicking myself for not wearing some heated gloves that I bought awhile ago, and forgot. I was wearing a wet/cold weather bike jacket and my lined leather jeans, which weren't too bad, but I think I may need to invest in a heated vest. They're not common here in Oz but I'll look for one on Ebay.

I do have a big fairing that I either bought, or was given to me by a member here, it looks like a copy of a BMW R100RS fairing, but just the top piece. I could put it on one of my bikes, but I'm really not keen on putting big handlebar mounted fairings on bikes, they can cause all sorts of problems at speed, and I'd rather be cold, than spat down the road.

[Kevin D]

Ride #7 120 miles

Sorry no photos today, but it was a good day for a ride, easily the best of this week. We have had more awful storms nearby. 135000 knocked out of power Wednesday, 44000 still out, large trees uprooted, but all is ok right here and no injuries reported anywhere.
I met several riders today. The dining room is still closed by covid regs at McD’s so I take my food to the 2 picnic tables. Across the parking lot I spotted a bagged VStrom with an out of state plate and I invited Tim to dine with me and tell me about his travels. He was on his way home to Indianapolis today after spending a couple days at Lake Michigan and then to Port Sanilac on Lake Huron, a side trip to Port Austin and around the thumb. A sunset ride around Michigan’s thumb is about as nice as it gets around here. (Note to self: I should do this myself, it’s been way too long). Tim has plans for a Nova Scotia/Labrador trip later on this summer but needs border crossing restrictions removed. He has a vision but has never been west. I spoke of my west trips on this CB and he was all ears.
 Another rider on a shiny Triumph 900 America pulls up and joins in the conversation. The Triumph has floorboards, windshield, leather bags, kinda like a Road King but with the Triumph power. He also has an 81 naked Wing at home and splits his rides between the Triumph and the Wing. He’s doing a day ride like me: west suburbs to Stockbridge. Then he is heading down to the Irish Hills and will return on US12/Michigan Avenue.
 At my gas stop, a guy noticed my original license plate and was interested in my CB. He previously had a CX500 that he traveled on. But an old gal drove straight in front him without looking, het hit her in the rear corner panel, she never looked over, drove away, and that was his last motorcycle ride.
 They all admired the CB. It’s 50 years old, looks pretty good, and runs like a top most all of the time.

Here are the Triumph America LT and VStrom: