Topic: 25 Rides in 2025, Frank's New Years resolution that we can all enjoy.

[newday777]

Kevin
That 25 psi is the trailer.
They wing is 40 front, 36 rear(DS tire)

[BenelliSEI]

I’m looking at my 10 day forecast in SE MI and don’t see much CB weather. Today was the day, I saw a lot of bikes out. I even had an invitation from my pal Jim;(who is fully faired and heated), but I also had a prior commitment that was chiseled in stone.
I will be ready for a bonus ride some afternoon when the weatherman has missed his mark and it’s sunny and warm.

John, Did Fred spend the night in Hospital? Or get a ride home?

We were so fortunate to have a favorable and accurate 10 day forecast line up with the G250.

Stu, I would have thought more PSI in the Wing tires, but I’m nobody to say what’s right for a GoldWing.

Kevin….. He might go home today. He’s a bit more banged up than he let on….

[Kevin D]

Stu, likely you have seen this, they’re talking about this afternoon through this evening, more tomorrow:

[newday777]

Yes I'm watching it. This morning radar showed a narrow line with some breaks in it.

[newday777]

I'm about 2.5 hrs from St Joseph MO so hopefully I'll get a clear pass through there between the mix.

[scottly]

The trailer has been a wiggle worm, especially above 75 mph, so I have sore shoulders and stiff back(from the lousy roads).

Make sure you have the majority of the trailer weight forward of the axle. If too much weight is behind the axle, it can lead to a case of the tail wagging the dog, with the tow vehicle being the dog.. BTW, that Prime rib sure looked good!!

[PeWe]

#35 Last ride 2025
Frosty morning when I woke up.
Ca -4*C . Minus!!!
I had planned to change oil in my brown K2 and have a test ride.

86km  cool ride 7-8*C  at 1-3 pm
To  Salbohed and get a lunch, Kebab plate with fries I brought home in my mini backpack.
Opened a bottle of Californian Zinfandel when home. Taste good!
No photos of the ride, a little bit cold. Fall colors everywhere. Look beautiful. The darkness is coming

I used my new o-ring size for oil filter cover. Now thicker. 88x5.0 mm fits perfect. Stock is 89x4.5mm.

I'll add a little ZDDP for next ride next year, 1/3 bottle into the oil. 3.5L
1625-1950ppm

(1/2 bottle in 6 quarts will achieve 1500-1800 ppm level)
Not too little and not too much.

So something new to test next year.

I'll soon have for many oil changes
https://ebay.us/m/oMpKDH

[Kevin D]

The kebab shop will still be open?

[PeWe]

The kebab shop will still be open?

Yes, the entire year. The small village has a good restaurant with tasty kebabs, hamburgers, pizza, steaks and other dishes. A little bit too far from my home for take home food with my car. A 86km ride

The owner will say something like  "long time no see" in the spring at my first ride visiting that place

[newday777]

The trailer has been a wiggle worm, especially above 75 mph, so I have sore shoulders and stiff back(from the lousy roads).

Make sure you have the majority of the trailer weight forward of the axle. If too much weight is behind the axle, it can lead to a case of the tail wagging the dog, with the tow vehicle being the dog.. BTW, that Prime rib sure looked good!!

I have found over the many miles towing that 25-45 lbs max tongue weight works best for me on the wing, measured with a hook/ fish type luggage scale holding the tongue equal with the bike hitch height.

[newday777]

#31 Friday, 350 miles, headed south to Kansas City to avoid the storms on 36 at St Joe. What zoo KC was at 3pm..... ended up going north again to get 24 west to avoid the toll road. More construction delays on 24....but a better road surface on it's 2 and 4 lane sections than 70 had to offer.
I stayed in a little whistle stop of a town in Paxico, right near the tracks. Awaoke several times to thunder and lightning and rain, and to multiple trains.

Had a late start this morning to let the tent dry out so it was a short day of 225 miles for #32. The neighbors a couple sites away invited me to breakfast and then we chatted until 10:30 when I started wiping off the most of the rain drops left and packed up. Had to stop at a Walmart to return the electric heater I used for the fittest time this morning to take the chill off and help to dry the tent, but it was a dude and died a fast death after a minute on running and the fan blade hitting the plastic case then just quit working.
I'm in Wilson KS tonight parked behind a building to be out of the high wind that cranked up this afternoon. I bought a salad for dinner at Walmart when I was there.
The new heater is working good as is my electric blanket so I'm toasty and it's supposed to get down to 38°F tonight. It was 78° for a high today and dropped to 66° when I got past the cold front edge of clouds and the wind cranked up.
I did a load of dark cloths tonight as my sheets were damp from a couple leaks last night and I had enough dirty darks to do a whole load. Clean sheets and a warm bed is nice!

[BenelliSEI]

Stu…. That tent is surprisingly large when you open it all up! Nice.

[newday777]

Stu…. That tent is surprisingly large when you open it all up! Nice.

Yes is has a king size bed on the upper section and a 6'x6' stand up dressing area on the ground.

[PeWe]

A last bike adventure before winter, Stu!
The tent looks like a small bungalow on wheels.
I understand if you will ride more to the south.
It will take time until weather will change for the return ride.

Last nights here have been -4*C

[jgger]

Awsome travel story  Stu, keep the pics comming. I'm missing all you guys this year.

[newday777]

Awsome travel story  Stu, keep the pics comming. I'm missing all you guys this year.

Good to hear you are still up Jim.
Man Kansas sucks. The gas we are being forced to put in is E15 crap if you don't want to pay a buck more for premium. My mileage has gone into the trash bin, from 100 miles for 1/2 a tank down to 56 miles. I'm so Pissed at Kansas. I will avoid this state from now on. And the dam wind! From the north yesterday and today from the south, throwing me over leaning into the wind and killing my shoulders and back muscles. I haven't even made 100 miles today in 3 hours. I'm laying on a picnic table on my back behind the windblind.

Here's some pictures from Wilson KS, where I stayed last night, as I was leaving at noon today after going to church with the owners of the campground.

[Kevin D]

Stu, I give you a lot of credit for persistance, it’s not been easy street, you will remember the adventure.

I remember riding west on US40 (1973?) and passed a crossroads named Firstview near the Colorado/Kansas border. I felt like somebody handed me a ten dollar bill, all that prairie was behind me, mountains ahead.

Hoping you get your ten dollars.

[PeWe]

E15!??
The bike must run too lean on that crap.
A car or modern bike with O2 sensor and ECU with a program that will change the fuel mix (and ignition) to get it to work anyway with programmed AFR vs actual.

Carbs another thing.

[newday777]

Yes Per, the 08 wing's ECU does compensate and in runs okay but the gas mileage is down in the toilet to where I'm stopping to refuel twice as much to go the same distance,  so the gas companies are making twice as much as the E10 sales they do in other states. Total Highway robbery. They are laughing all the way to the bank. I was talking to a farmer 2 mornings ago at the restaurant about it, saying that he was having to buy the premium for his cars and trucks(older with carbs) to get them so they would run, he was talking to his senator about it and the senator was getting kickbacks from the gas companies to keep the E15 mandatory.

[PeWe]

That must cause way more air pollutions.

[BenelliSEI]

Very cold and bucketing rain here today but yesterday was exceptional! Lots of sunshine and it suddenly got very warm in the afternoon. My wife was out with some friends at a local craft show so I jumped on the Varadero and went to Haliburton for a coffee! #26. Not to many riding days left…….

[PeWe]

Yes Per, the 08 wing's ECU does compensate and in runs okay but the gas mileage is down in the toilet to where I'm stopping to refuel twice as much to go the same distance,  so the gas companies are making twice as much as the E10 sales they do in other states. Total Highway robbery. They are laughing all the way to the bank. I was talking to a farmer 2 mornings ago at the restaurant about it, saying that he was having to buy the premium for his cars and trucks(older with carbs) to get them so they would run, he was talking to his senator about it and the senator was getting kickbacks from the gas companies to keep the E15 mandatory.

Ethanol is for the driver/rider, not for the street engine.
E15 mix is nice for me, wine or a drink with soda.
I'm sure there are people that do not mix their bourbon with anything except fun. Or maybe the other way around

The cars made for E85 usually got normal fuel in the end over here. Less oil changes and replacement of all rubber in the fuel system...

[newday777]

Yesterday #33, 175 miles total to St Francis KS. I stopped at a KOA in Goodland but said no thanks to $48 for a tent site. Looking at the map the little city 1/2 hr north, had a free camping city park, $25 if you used the electric.

[newday777]

Today started off with a bang. I awoke at 3:45 to the call 'of nature. So I crawled back under the covers a4nd decided to check the weather and the radar. A thin blue line is on the march(I'm at the 48° spot), right towards me, out of the northwest. 4:15 it arrives, it's a wind squall, my tent starts flapping and creaking,  I'm thinking am I going to tip over? Nope.but it did pull a tent stake out of the northwest corner and pushes the stand up dressing area in.
At this point I went outside and the other guy that was spending the night there is hooking up his trailer and getting ready to leave. He says winds are forecasted to be 65 mph....
I make the decision not to go see my friends along the front range because of the wind, sent off a text to say I was not going to be able to stop and see them.
I get packed up and hit the road at 8am, 54° and it's starting to get gusty, headed west on us36 to get to 385South to get out of the wind. I'm being blown more than the last 2 days and dodging lots of tumbleweeds. And 385 zip bags so I keep getting more wind when heading west.
So after a bit more than an hour I pulled into Burlington to get some breakfast and gas. A lady at the coffee shop said that the VFW Post serves breakfast every day and it's good so that's where I went. While there the table next to me were talking about the wind on top of their cranes, 327', working on the big wind turbines. The wind meter on the top was registering 67mph!
At this point I'm thinking about getting a motel for the day and a night. Giving my back aches a 99rest.
So a total of 55 miles today for #34.
Wind tomorrow is forecast at SW10-15mph.